Auli in the winters, not just about skiing

Bhaskar Thyagarajan, guest blogger

While Auli in the winters tends to be about snow and skiing, there is another side I discovered which was such an amazing experience this time. The slow pace of the people, the idleness of everything. And, what was more fascinating was the number of birds of different kinds that I saw there: magpies, woodpeckers, babblers, thrushes and so on.

The apple orchards were without leaves, the turf and earth was covered in snow and very few people in the villages... so, there was little chance of seeds and grains that can be picked off. Yet the birds were in plenty: noisy, active and looking very busy. Here we were wearing several layers of clothes and the birds seemed just the way they were, showing how nature endows these creatures with what they need. All that is needed is limited interference from us.

The couple of walks that we did during our stay seemed to register in our minds much more than the trip to the ski slopes and thereon; and I am aching to go back to this place which is cold and quiet and bright and busy all at one time.