Bir, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaA short way down from Dharamsala on the way to Mandi is Bir. A small town, also with a significant Tibetan settlement, Bir is more known as the mecca for paragliding in the country. Or more accurately, the hamlet up above, Billing, is. Another of those Himachal towns named after a Brit - this one's apparently an obscure Scottish Captain , just a shade better than a Ramamritham ! You take off from Billing and land at Bir.
Billing has the perfect conditions for paragliding. The world paragliding championships (there is such a thing) came here in 2015. The season for paragliding is from Sep to Nov. You need a two week training course to be able to fly solo, but for the rank novices, tandem flying with an experienced pilot is possible. Obviously, I decided to give it a try !
We took off from Billing and soared like a bird for about 15 minutes. Experts soar for 4-5 hours simply riding the thermals - exactly as you see a hawk do high up in the sky. You truly feel like flying because there isn't anything between you and the wind and of course there is no engine. You are just dangling from a parachute and looking at the scenery below. Hooray. It is a wonderful experience - if you have a chance to do it anywhere, don't miss it. I've put up a few photos; they even videoed the whole thing , but there's no way of uploading that and I don't know how to edit video snippets.
The Tibetan colony in Bir is substantial with several monasteries. It is the headquarters of the Netan Chokling, an incarnate lama like the Dalai and Panchen lamas. The current incranation was born in Bhutan but came here to assume the office. I went to two of the monasteries - Nyingyang and Tsering Jong. Just missed prayer time at Nyingyang - it would have been very nice to listen and join in the chanting.
In McLeodganj, I stayed in a homestay. In Bir too, I am in a homestay. The residence of Col JP Singh, its a lovely place set in the midst of a tea garden - I didn't know tea was grown in Himachal until I started reading up for this trip. Wonderfully serene place.
I set sail tomorrow for Kinnaur. Internet connectivity will be a challenge, but let's see
Sandhya sriram
2018-09-19
Whoa whoa... can’t wait to watch paragliding... hope I gets to see it some day :)
Suja
2018-09-19
Paragliding sounds exciting! I've done parasailing and been on a ultralight plane (two wings and a bucket to sit in!) but am too cowardly for paragliding. Homestays are like B&B, right? Enjoy.
Vaingluory
2018-09-19
Whooooa! Can completely imagine you never wanting to descend from the skies! Loved the little monk with the tea cup. How do you find your homestays?
Anuj
2018-09-20
Good to see the sunshine . Weather seems to be holding up. Hope we can meet when I head north in 15 days.
Sandhya sriram
2018-09-20
I meant can’t wait to watch the video of You paragliding :)
Vishal
2018-09-20
Wow.. that is like living life The King Size... these sights are so refreshing and reminiscent :) Wish to do it again and again !
Dada
2018-09-20
Have fun buddy.
indigoite
2018-09-20
@Sandhya - Oh the video is not too interesting. Just a panoramic view !
indigoite
2018-09-20
@Suja - Wow. Ultra light plane seems more interesting. Homestays are exactly what they say. Its the home of the family who lives there and takes in guests in their additional rooms, as a business. The charm is to meet the hosts and other travellers and usually they are all very friendly.
indigoite
2018-09-20
@Vaingluroy - Yes the joy of soaring in the sky is great. Well, you can find anything on the internet these days, can't you !
indigoite
2018-09-20
@Anuj - Yes its sunshine now, but rain is forecast over the next 3-4 days. Lets see. I hate the rain and love the sun !
indigoite
2018-09-20
@Vishal - Thanks Vishal. Come here when you can. Its a lovely state with so many options.
indigoite
2018-09-20
@Dada - Thanks Dada
Shachi
2018-09-21
Hooray! Paragliding is awesome! So skydiving next ;)?? Loved this set of pictures - best one yet on this trip!! Keep them coming!!! And where is Sriram?
indigoite
2018-09-21
@Shchi - No skydiving at least for the moment. Maybe some day !!
The Million Miler
2018-09-22
One day you must come to the land of the long white cloud. I will take you out for a paragliding trip over the 90 mile beach (actually 60 miles only) where the population density is about 1.5 per sq kn. You will see the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea soaring high above like Jonathon Livingston!
indigoite
2018-09-23
@Kiwi - Really ? You can do this in your land ? I thought you had perpetually high winds and perpetual rain (!!)that precluded such activities.
Vincy
2018-09-27
The paragliding made me nostalgic and gave me the indulgence of wanting to do one myself. hoping someday i will, though it looks scary. Love all your pictures and surprised you are being generous with them as the days go by. Just yesterday Kinnaur was in the headlines, in our chennai edition papers, for having heavy rainfall and can you believe, it was about a car washed off a bridge. Thankfully i knew you would have crossed Kinnaur by then and missed all that heavy unpredictable rainfall. You drive safe.
indigoite
2018-09-27
@Vincy - You did that on the bech, didn't you ?Yes, the rins have been tough and as you come to my later posts you'll see that it did ffect my trip. I was in Kinnaur at that time. The rais were not too bad here - it was near Manali where it was the worst. Now the sun is back and I'm on the road again
Gils
2018-09-28
Paragliding!!! Thala is a Daredevil!!! Vacation la poitum billing utilization productivity!!!
indigoite
2018-09-28
@Gilsu - What a mokkai !!
Vinod
2018-10-03
Awesome pics! Looks like a lot of fun! Thats another one on my list! Thanks for the inspiration!
indigoite
2018-10-03
@Vinod -Yessssss. Do it !