This is a super trail that passes through some gorgeous forests to the clean, tranquil and rustic “working” village. Head up the TIPA Road at the market place. The paved road heads up past the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts and leads up close to Tushita Meditation centre set up for “Westerners” to study Buddhism and offers regular retreats on-site. At the end of this path there is a small cafe / provisions´ shop. Take the path heading right which takes you to the top of the village where this rustic village grows predominantly mustard seed in the fields. Traditional slate roofs are still used - far more photogenic than corrugated iron. Rhododendron trees abound, flowering in Spring (end of February to May). I would recommend a Kashmiri apple juice at the Meena cafe on their roof-top terrace for a great view of the village and beyond.
You can either return back on the same route, head further up the mountain to Triund which takes you up to the snow-line, or you can continue on to Bhagsu.
To go on to Bhagsu there are a couple of options. One route goes straight down from Meena´s. This gives you the option of visiting the “Family Pizza House”, claimed by some to serve the “finest pizza in the World”. Whilst I´m not sure how accurate this description is, they are extremely tasty and reasonably priced. RP60 for a basic pizza with Rp5 for additional toppings. They also serve up some excellent chilli sauce to accompany these and the bonoffee pie is fabulous. It´s not signposted, so look out for the building with two tones of light green. A more scenic route is to continue along the same path as the Meena cafe which goes through another beautiful village not unlike the villages in Annapurna, in Nepal before heading down to Bhagsu.
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