The Bora family house and whispering woods in Chamba

I am just back from a fabulous holiday in the hills, thanks to my cousin Roshmi ba (Urmi) and her husband Chanakya Bhindo. Their family home at the picturesque Badshahi Sthall, higher up Chamba town, nestles in the midst of whispering woods, surrounded by the Himalayas as tall as the sky... A quiet town, sparkling in the sun's rays and fresh as fresh can be. Here are a few pictures from that trip.

We went to Chamba in Uttarakhand from Delhi by road and reached the Bora family home at Badshahi Stall late in the evening. The next morning, I woke up as fresh as my little daughter here :) I made her pose for me as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning!

Then I stood at this balcony and gazed at the beauty all around.

A nice place to sit and relax...

My daughter Zaara with the gracious host, Chanakya Bhindo.

And it's only in reflections that we see how the world merges :)

From one end to the other...

The space below the stairs most optimally and gorgeously used. 

Chanakya bhindo, I have always maintained, might be an architect, and a very good one at that, but would have made an even better chef! Here he is seen working magic in the kitchen.

That's some awesome sweet cinnamon bread from Prakash (a store that exists since 1928) at Landour, and Chanakya bhindo had made some spring onion raita (which was surprisingly very good; I was quite skeptical about it!!!) to go with aloo paratha for breakfast. And of course, this is only the beginning to the glorious dishes he made through those five days!    

Walking along the lanes of the five pretty cottages at Badshahi Sthall. 

A view of the cottages.

Zaara is happy to find herself a swing.

All set to explore the woods...

But before that, a photpgraph with Roshmi ba :)

The paths around these parts...

The Chamba sky. Clear. Blue. Sparkling.

Counting life's blessings ;)

Red red sky just before dusk

The house glows like embers in the dark...

Father-daughter. Ruhee and Chanakya bhindo.

Zaara finds herself friends and spends her Holi with them

Holi Hai!!!!!!!

Zaara, Arjun and Piu

Zaara and Ruhee. Holi girls.

The caretaker, spinner of tales, Unniyal ji.

As the day comes to an end, Zaara sits and watches cartoon on TV...

This is near Dhanaulti. Dhanaulti is just one hour from Badshahi Sthall.

Roshmi ba and I, too happy with the hills, too happy to pose :)