YOL camp and the night before Mcleodganj…

next day we started for YOL camp which is nearby dharamshala. YOL stands for Young Officers Leave camp and is mainly a army cantt. It has a interesting history. It started around world war II as a POW(Prisionor of war) camp and mainly Italian prisionars were stationed here. But unlike other camps here prisionars were allowed to move anywhere , even to outside villages. The prisoners enjoyed their stay here. Later on it was used for many purposes and recently it houses one of the youngest battalians of Indian Army named Rising Star. This is a interesting write up about YOL.

almost all the structure at YOL was made of wood and is still standing. Our stay was arranged at hospitality cell there which was barrack kind of structure converted to very comfortable guest rooms. The amenities there matched any 5 star hotel and the cost of stay for 2 rooms came there to be less than one time meal at a decent hotel.

the mighty dhualadhars which is part of Himalayan ranges form backdrop for this place. In the night there was snowfall on the mountains and on getting up everything was covered with snow. Till now I saw the himalayas only in photographs which looked very monotonous to me due to single color but it is the scale which makes the impression if you are seeing it for the first time. That sight is the single most thing which remains in memory about this place for long time.

in the night we took drive upto Mcleodganj so that we can plan for next day. We came to know that Dalai Lama is there in Mcleodganj and he preaches daily for monks and external audience. For next day we decided against normal sightseeing and set out only 2 places to visit and just roam around and soak in the place. We visited some Tibetan artifact shops , Thangka paintings were the only things which were unique to that place.We enquired about the prices and tried to understand the paintings so that we can pick up the right one. For dinner we went to Hotel Mclo which is a cosy and nice place and just at the main crossing. Momos are speciality in Mcleodganj. This was the only place where I found a Israely food section in the menu which I wanted to try but nothing was available.

delhi to mirthal and life in a army cantt…

the blog entry for this trip was due since long so before I forget about this here it is …

the journey was comfortable. Searching for mirthal on internet gives me following information - 

• a train accident in 2004
• the fact that alexander retreated from this place owing to his soldiers mutinying and refusing to proceed further
• beas river enters the punjab plain near mirthal.

mirthal cantt was a small, clean and peaceful place as other army areas. The only sign of turbulence was one of the roads used by civilians was chaotic due to shivratri fair at a ancient temple in nearby Kathgarh. Later in the day we also visited that temple which is at the confluence of Beas and Choch river. This is the same place from where Alexander retreated.

For an outsider the high points were people giving a disciplined salute everywhere in the cantt, the traffic being stopped to make way for your vehicle. Obeying orders without any question or expression. The officers mess was also a different place to visit due to the history and the traditions it has and the mannerism which is better than any star hotels. You cannot enter few areas without proper dress code. The beer glasses were of  silver with all past commanding officers name engraved on them. The lunch there was good and overall it was a very relaxed day…

next posts : YOL camp, dharamshala and mcleodganj