A small village in the Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh, that taught me the meaning of "this too shall pass"

A place that isn't on the map

Everyone knows a place. But if I had to name just one, the place where my heart melts and my soul finally breathes, it would be Laida.

Tucked into the Sainj Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Laida is so small that it barely exists on a map. Google Maps won't take you there. I travel constantly, and I've loved many places, but this one hit me differently.

The morning I cried from happiness.

I had only ever read about a certain feeling in books: being so happy that it makes you sad, because you know the moment will end and you will never live this exact one again. This too shall pass. It's easy to read. In Laida, I felt it in my bones.

I stepped onto my balcony just as the clouds rolled in. Within seconds, the valley vanished and visibility dropped to nothing. I felt the dew settle on my skin and face, and my eyes filled with tears. I had never cried out of happiness before. That morning, I did.

A village that lives like one family

Laida has barely 800 people, and they live like a single family. If something goes wrong in one home, the whole village shows up. Nobody has to ask. It's an unspoken rule of love.

Where the road ends

I stayed at a homestay run by a small family of three, perched at the top of the hill where the road simply stops. The food was simple, local, and full of flavor. But what I remember most is how they cared for us.

Not many people know the art of closeness, or the art of putting someone else's needs before their own.

It might sound like too much to promise, but Laida is a place where you will experience exactly that.