There aren’t many things that will get me out of bed before 6am. Without being able to instantly down a decent coffee, there are even fewer. But seeing the sunrise shining over the snowcapped Himalayas with my eight plus bunches, yeah, that made the cut.

Yesterday was our first day in this village xxxx with Eric and Lalita. Most of us have agreed that it was our favourite place so far- a beautiful medieval village beneath the Himalayas that saw gorgeous warm sunshine during the day and chilly temperatures at night. The snow capped mountains in the distance were a breathtaking backdrop to the faded but vibrantly coloured buildings scattered across the cliffs.

After catching taxi down the mountain to the village drop off, we walked past the small old village quirky little wooden buildings overlooking the street.

The moment our taxis started struggling up the steep climb to HIRANG I felt my pollution beaten body being rejuvenated. One deep breath in, one deep breath out and the sweet mountain air began to detox any remnants of Delhi and Amritsar from my lungs. Don’t get me wrong I loved the hustle and bustle of Old Delhi and the institutions we had the privilege to visit, but sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to fully appreciate the unique qualities of each city.

We’ve been here for almost two days and I still marvel at the fact that everywhere we go, the mountains of the outer Himalayan range tower above us like majestic jewels fringed with several layers of snow. After being in Delhi for a week I was beginning to forget what clear blue sky, being able to see 100m in front or trek an uphill path without struggling to breathe felt like.

Welcome to Incredible India!

Welcome to 5am.somewhere, Himalayas.