Expressions of Himachal – a photostory

One of the best parts of travelling according to me is meeting new people and making new friends. And when you are travelling the remote villages and the small hamlets aloof from the modern civilisation, you get to meet the locals who are so pure and always having a smile on their face. you may not ask their names, or even if you ask, you might not remember it after you are back to your concrete space, but they do leave an enduring impression on us. The joie de vivre felt on meeting these local residents lingers back even after a long time. So here are a collection of expressions of a few simple people we met along our trek to Rupin Pass. Incidentally, they are the residents of Himachal Pradesh.

The first photograph is of this wonderful lady we met halfway through our first day of trek towards Sewa. She was all smiles and serving us cold water after we were huffing and puffing after some kilometers of  an uphill climb.

Helping hand

The second group of pictures is of little kids we met on our way. Each photograph speaks volumes of their expressions.

A little toddler of Sewa. We met him in his house. He was quite fond of toffees.

Toffees, please…

We met him on our way to Jiskun.

Cute smile

And this beautiful little girl is his sister. Isn’t she beautiful?

Smiling away

This little one seems a bit irritated.

Angry?

This one looks so mischievous.

Are you listening???

She looks surprised seeing us.

Seeing the unseen

We met this old lady at Jiskun. Just look at the lines on her face.

Age is just a number

This is Mr. Nahar Singh of Jiskun village. A very warm and hospitable person who provides his house as homestay at Jhaka. He also has wonderful anecdotes about Rupin Pass.

Nahar Singh with his stories

And this is beautiful Anu, Mr. Singh’s daughter.

A smile says a thousand words

These are two shepherds we met on our way. They were tending to their flock of sheep numbering more than 800. But they always had the smile on their lips. And yes, their sheep might roam around in the day, but at night, they come back to their shepherds.

Looking after his flock

Waiting

She is a resident of Chitkul. She was making detergent from wild shrubs.

Working hard

And the best one is preserved for the end. This is Sandeep, our very adorable guide. He was the one who took care of our food and drink. He also gave company to the slowest ones on the trek without any complaint but giving all the support and enthusiasm. I still remember his “Chalo, Chalo..”.

Adorable Sandeep