Between Breaths, I Found December Stillness In The Forested Hills Of Sirmaur

Between Breaths, I Found December Stillness In The Forested Hills Of Sirmaur In Himachal’ Pradesh's lesser-known Sirmaur, I found stillness at Rajmaan Singh Eco Resorts, surrounded by forested hills and calm trails. For me, December is a month dedicated solely to rest. As the year draws to a close, this is when I usually retreat. The year feels heavier by then, the city louder, the air sharper in ways that hurt. So when I found myself in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, in early December - just as the state was reopening after months of careful restoration following the floods, it felt less like a trip and more like a pause I desperately needed. The roads thinned as we climbed. Phone signals got weaker. Tall pine trees replaced hoardings. Honks were replaced by bird song. Somewhere along the way, I realised my shoulders had dropped an inch lower than usual, and my breath was relaxed. Recommended Stories By the time I arrived at Rajmaan Singh Eco Resorts, the afternoon sun was slipping gently across the valley, lighting up layers of hills in quiet gradients of green and grey. The first thing that struck me wasn’t the scale of the property - though it is expansive, spread across forested slopes - but the stillness that enveloped it. It didn’t feel empty; it felt warm and comforting like a hug from a friend. Wind moving through trees. Birds gossiping overhead. That rare sound of nothing mechanical asking for attention. Check-in was seamless, unhurried. I was handed a lemon-y welcome drink which was sharp, fresh, reinvigorating - just the thing I needed to nurse me back to health after my motion sickness. Rajmaan Singh Eco Resorts unfolds slowly. Nearly every space faces outward towards the valley, the forest, the sky. So even when you’re indoors, the landscape never quite leaves you. My room was warm in both temperature and spirit. Wooden floors echoed classic Himachali architecture, and large windows framed the outdoors like a living painting. Every room here has a view, but the themed rooms take detail seriously - from custom bed frames and bedside lamps to patterned bathroom tiles. It didn’t feel styled for effect; it felt considered. Mornings arrived gently. Winter sunlight spilt onto the balcony as I sat with my cup of coffee. Birds began their daily conversations, and the air - clean, startlingly crisp - made breathing feel deliberate again. For someone accustomed to city AQI readings that border on absurd, this felt almost indulgent. Meals were served at the hill-facing restaurant, where everything tasted fresh, local, and deeply comforting. This wasn’t food trying to impress; it was food trying to nourish. To experience true Himachali hospitality, the staff arranged a Himachali dham on a hillside, which was served picnic-style on leaf platters. Lentils, rice, and gently spiced preparations tasted familiar yet grounding, the kind of meal that warms without weighing you down. Sitting there, with the warm sun hitting my face, eating quietly while the hills held their pose,...

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