Inside Lost In Woods: A Himalayan Homestay Where Guests Discover Slow Living

A chance encounter on the Internet led me to LOST IN WOODS homestay. Snuggled between Naggar and Manali, this was 5kms above Jagatsukh. I arrived there with two of my friends, a brother-sister duo from Goa. We were supposed to be there for a day. Little did they know that they will be abandoned soon after!

It was full moon on the day we arrived. The moonlight undoubtedly left me mesmerized and altered my brain chemistry. Not only was it the moment that I subconsciously altered all my travel plans but also made up my mind to live with the locals.

Dheeraj was definitely a huge part of the deciding factor. He was from Delhi. He had left his lucrative Event Management company to pursue a life in the mountains. Dheeraj’s enthusiasm to live a simple life was inspiring to say the least. He would wake up and read. Read all day. First in the balcony in the morning sun, then under the apple tree, then at the meadows, and then still some more in his room again. Between all the reading, he found time to help in the family’s apple and apricot farms, teach (for free) the whole lot of the village kids and also attend to “guest” requests. Worth mentioning are his boundaries. No plastic rule was strict for homestay guests.

The first few days he complied to all of my whims and fancies. Soon after he realised I wasn’t leaving any time soon and we both returned to our routines. The friendship blossomed.

This immediately led me to trying to write everyday. Babli bhabhi would get me tea and snacks at regular intervals. Food too was served three times a day, with ingredients that were all grown in their garden. The only thing that they purchased is potato and onion from Lahaul. Organic life, FTW !

The days passed as Dheeraj and I went to meadows, attended to guests together, watched old Hindi movies and ran errands in Manali to only value the quiet village life more often.

“ Life should be simple”, Dheeraj frequently says. He likes to learn a new skill every year. This year was making sustainable homes and the last year was “mountaineering”.

Dheeraj met Bhaiya who is a guide in 2017 on a trek to Hampta Pass. Both entrepreneurial, they clicked at one go. In 2018, they met again to discuss doing treks together especially in December as the snow makes everything look even more dreamy. In one of these treks, one of the trekkers suggested starting a homestay considering their family home could deliver an authentic experience.

Two years hence, Dheeraj quit his company and brought in a sense of camaraderie to the village. Being the only outsider, he quickly became acquainted to the rituals and invested his time and energy. A few bedsheets and curtains were bought and an Instagram page was made and Voila ! Lost in Wood was ready to host travellers.

Not only has he enabled an added income for the family but also has given this village home a new lease of life. Every guests that visits here gets an authentic experience. Guest can also participate in daily activities and understand the mountain life which has been glorified to a huge extent without a thought of all the toil that goes in living there.

Mountain life is hard life. And mountain people don’t have anything easily at all. With this 5 million star experience, Dheeraj not only brings us closer to nature but also shows us how life can be difficult on various levels which doesn’t mean it cannot be made enjoyable. Picking apples and guavas are as joyous as day drinking at the beach. Visit Lost in Woods and Dheeraj will show you how to live the coveted “mountain life”

Travellers are a boon to homestays like Lost in Wood. Humans like Dheeraj, too, are the same. Not only does he take care of important things of the household when Bhaiyya is gone but also has adapted to the ways of the village, preserving the rules and regulations, respecting rituals of the local diety and also being respectful of the mountain life which, if not dealt with care will disappear in no time!