Shimla-Kulu-Manali Trip

Day 0:
12th October ...the day i finished wid my management course exam...got 10 days holidays as part of college culfest...OASIS2K7...6 days trip to the himalayas was awaiting...it was a very well planned holiday..credit goes to my dad for bookin the best of hotels and the marvellous FORD ENDEAVOUR..which made the trip even more fantastic..dad and mom arrived in delhi on 12th night by Jet airways...they relaxed at a nearby hotel for the night...they had booked the wonderful kalka shatabdi for 3 of us...but i had different plans in store..i left pilani only on 12th nite and reached delhi on 13th morning 4am..the bus journey is one of the most pathetic journeys u can ever have..had some quarrel with a fellow passenger regarding the seat...i stood for two thirds of the journey and finally got a seat only at Rohtak(80kms frm delhi)..was a forgettable bus jrny...thebus dropped me@ hazrat nizamuddin at arnd 4am...

DAY 1:
i had booked a tkt frm nizamuddin to kalka by the HIMALYAN Queen exp...my train was @0525..so i cudnt meet my parents in delhi..their train was @ 0740...i had booked this way bcos i wanted 2 take the mountain toy train from kalka 2 shimla..and only the himalayan queen timings were suited to take the connecting toy train @ Kalka..my parents werent interested in the toy train so they alighted @chandigarh and zoomed 2 shimla in da FORD ENDEAVOUR
The train slowly chugged out of delhi..and was on its way 2 chandigarh..since i had booked only second sitting...the huge office crowd 2 the nearby panipat sonipat and karnal was intolerable..ppl wer falling allover..initially there was a confusion regardin the coach number ..since th railway staff had made a mistake while sticking the coach number...the same coach number was printed on 2 coaches...the TTE had a tuf time handling the issue
..finally all the issues were settled..and my train reached Kalka bang on time @ 1120...the toy train was waiting for me at the narrow guage platform..the train was at 1210 only so spent sometime exploring the kalka station...explored the narrow guage engine and its design...the olden type signalling system was also quite impressive...had nice hot tea in a CUPPA(introduced by laloo the wooden cups to prevent usage of plastics)..was quite refreshing..my train's departure was delayed due to the late coming of NDLS shatabdi (the train which my dad had booked) ..it seems the toy train wud depart only after the arrival of the delhi shatabdi...i never knew that..else wud hav come by shatabdi itself !!!!!was feeling upset on having missed the new modern european style LHB coaches of the shatabdi...never mind was to return back 2 delhi frm chandigarh by the shatabdi...so consoled myself thinking of dat !!!!! the toy train depareted half an hour behind schedule...now here i opened my Sony Ericcson K790i..had kept it switched off right from pilani..in order to preserve battery for takin snaps in da mountains....the 3.2megapixel cam came in handy..and i started shootin pics like a maniac...i took 500 pics in dat 5 and a hr journey...the batteries lasted exactly til my train chugged into SHIMLA rly station...the moment i took the pic of the Shimla station board..the message battery over flashed !!!!!thank god i was lucky !!!!My parents received me at the station..they had reached shimla from chandigarh by road(which is faster..but less thrilling :) )..was lookin funny..i was being received by my parents at the Capital of Himachal Pradesh 2500kms away frm my house in chennai !!!was hugely excited after seeing the mighty FORD ENDEAVOUR !! omg wat a fantabulous SUV it is !!! costs around 16lacs i hrd...we headed straight to a hanuman temple and later to the hotel..the hotel is a 12 storeyed one ...imagine 12 storeyed hotel in a hilly city like SHIMLA !! unbelievable...i still cant imagine as to how they built that hotel !ordered fried rice in the room and then went on to crash..!!

DAY 2:
Naldehra(all close 2 Shimla)...the first destination was da Shimla Helipad adjacent 2 thethe next morning after the usual morning rituals was ready 2 go 2 Kufri,fagu valley and governor's residence...spotted some Yaks there and had to pay the yak guy 10 rupees for taking a pic wid the Yak! wonder how innovative ppl are wen it comes 2 making money !!We then reached Kufri...here we were kinda looted by the guide who misguided us and swindled 900 bucks for some horse ride to the Fagu valley....though the alley was awesome..900 was a bit on the higher side...we viewed ice capped mountains through the telescope..took snaps....had some fud..and were back 2 chini bunglow for lunch..the hotel maintained by HPTDC was awesome..gr8 fud and ambience...we had some ice cream ,purchased some wooden artefactsand later left for Naldehra...Naldehra has the World's Highest Golf Course...was a nice 9 hole golf course...the pine trees surrounding the place deserves mention..We spent 2 hrs there ..had some tea and left for the hotel...on the way back we were listening to the radio commentry of the India australia match..which as usual india lost !!!!we reached the hotel at arnd 5 in the evening..we relaaxed a bit and walked to the MALL road..which is THE road of shimla..u get evrythin...its similar to ranganthan street in chennai...mom purschased a sweater...i bought popcorn :)..din want to spend unnecessrily !..the road had many British type buildings..was nice 2 look at them....we had food at India Cafe...was damn oily ..wasnt the best of foods we had....
we called it for the day and crashed at the hotel room...had nice sleep...was gearing up for the 280km drive 2 manali...

DAY 3:
i must tell u that Shimla is a very sleepy city..Though we planned to leave early at around 6...non availablity of hot water delayed our start by 2hrs..it seems only at 730 in da morning the hotel ppl cud provide hot water..we left for manali..the route was fully mountainous ...we planned 2 travel through the day for travel safety reasons...we were going thru the mountains ...plus we had to stop freq to allow the opp direction vehicle 2 proceed as roads were narrow
..the landscape was marvellous..as we reached Sundernagar..the driver wanted 2 change the nameplate as it got damaged in shimla when a vehicle which was takin reverse banged and broke the nameplate..he got it changed it at Mandi..meanwhile i had an arguement wid mom as to whether we must proceed straight to manali and cover Manikaran on the return journey or cover Manikaran 1st...i felt it wud be almost impossible 2 cover in return jrny...as usual i thrusted my opinion and won the arguement :) hence we decided 2 cover manikaran 1st and the n go 2 manali..Beas started flowin alongside the road...huge mountains and beautiful bluish green river flowin through in the valley...was a visual delight..stopped and took pics..thy were worth the wait....the entire stretch from Mandi to kulu was amazing....we encountered a 5km long tunnel..had a nice drive through it..we then had a late lunch @ arnd 3pm in a dhaba...
all...very very narrow road...there was not enuf room forthen we reached Kulu from where we had 2 change direction to reach manikaran 40km away..dis 40km stretch was the scariest of even one vehicle 2 go !!!!but the driver was skilled and made the task look so simple..we spotted a nice bright rainbow on our way to Manikaran..we witnessed the places where Krrish movie was shot..the banks of the river Parvati..wer hrithik and Priyanka meet we also saw the suspension bridge that they show in Dil Se song...!!!!.meanwhile we reached Manikaran @5pm...Manikaran is famed for the Hot sulphur springs..we went to the gurudwara and the shiva temple der...it seems that the water is so hot that ppl cook rice usng dat water !!!!!....
Took some snaps..was an amazing hot spring...we were now headin back 2 manali80kms away..we had some snacks and at around 6pm we left...it was gettin dark...and luckily the skilled driver managed the tough roads and helped us reach manali @ 9pm...we had 2 pay some crap toll tax of 300 rupees for entering manali..we had booked the stay @ Hotel Kalpana in loghuts area..was damn posh and quiet....we checked in to the hotel ..we had nice kind hotel staff.who helped us in gettin comfortable ..we ordered food in the room as it was shivering cold in manali in the night..
we then slept getting ready for the ROHTANG PASS experience...



DAY 4:
Woke up lazily and after the usual morning rituals had nice sandwiches...then slid the curtain ..and there i saw snow capped mountains !!! for the 1st time ever (actually saw them bf4 thru telescope in shimla)..the song that came to my mind was "Pudhu Vellai Mazhai" frm ROJA.i had exactly the same feelings running through my mind as madhubala had in dat song !! .incidentally that song was shot at the same location !!!!!!(mani ratnam made us believe manali is kashmir !!!)...We 1st went to Manu rishi temple (believed 2 be the temple frm wer human race originated)..then wen went to the famous HADIMBA Temple(the temple wer aravind samy is kidnapped frm in the Film Roja)..took nice snaps ..enjoyed the surroundings(was full of deodhar trees)...then we quickly moved in 2 the car headed straight for ROHTANG PASS..this i would say is easily the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE...this day 16th October 2007 would be etched in my memory forever...omg wat a visual treat those icy mountains wer !!!!
We filled fuel bf4 we started climbing..rohtang is 51kms frm manali and 3950mts above sea level whereas manali is apporx 2200mts abve sea level...the roads wer narrow and steep...hats off 2 the Border Roads Organisation for having built and maintained this road...its the true test of calibre...This was the place where the ENNAVALE song in the film Kaadhalan and the song Poo pookum osai frm Minsara Kanavu wer shot....we played the same songs in the car and got the feel of the song !!!!!!We kept climbing steadily despite the rough road...we spotted some amazing waterfalls...we were alongside the SOLANG VALLEY...we stopped at a place 2 hire the fur coats and gum boots reqd 2 play in the Ice...the costumes were rented @ 100 per set...we proceeded ahead..Beas was flowing all along..Infact beas originates from the Rohtang Pass...We were nearin Rohtang ....there was a heavy traffic build up....a bridge had broken ut the border roads organisation did a gud job by making an alternative route ...we stopped at Marhi and had sum food....the food was a bit expensive but the geography of the place justified it being dat expensive...finally we reached a height where there was ice and snow all around us...we spotted some forzen waterfalls and glaciers enroute...took snaps and moved swiftly 2 Rohtang amidst a mild snowstorm...everything was new to me and i loved every bit of the things happening around me...At the rohtang Pass the weather was terribly cold...i become numb..and the blood in my tongue froze..so cudnt even utter a word !!!!all of us looked like eskimos in our costumes !! took some snaps with gr8 difficulty and excitement...we spent close to 45mins at the PASS...
many of the travellers went past the Pass headin twrds LADAKH..(450kms away)but we decided to return back 2 Manali..the return journey was nice ..as it was quite sunny as we got down...The ice capped mountains sizzeled and appeared 2 me as if i had landed up in Switzerland..no wonder Manali is called the Switzerland of India...we reached down at around 1645...since we were quite tired..we GUSSed Solang Valley which is an amazing valley overlooking the ice mountains...we reached the hotel and crashed..we were so tired that we even gussed the dinner...

DAY 5:
If shimla is a sleepy city..then Manali is even worse..got up late and we went to the Vashisht Temple wer again we witnessed Hot sulphur Springs..Then we headed towards Kulu..we went to jagatsukh temple and took snaps...on the way 2 kulu at a place called Naggar we went 2 the Dakpo Shedrup Ling Tibetan Monastery....was an amazing place to visit...nice silent atmosphere and i was entering a monastery for the 1st time in my life...was impressed with the cleanliness and orderliness...I went thru Buddha's sayings and various other aspects of buddhism..was hugely impressed...then i left the monastery after takin a few pics....we reached Kulu and crossed the Beas to reach the Vaishno Mata temple...was a differenlt styled temple..liked the place very much...the beas was flowing swiftly and there were these Lofty Himalayas in the backdrop ...we took few pics and headed twrds chandigarh..300kms away...the route was same till Mandi..after that we had to turn direction to take the Chandigarh highway...the journey was tiresome as we were continuously winding along the hills...there was a big traffic jam in the punjab border checkpost..it took half an hour for the traffic to clear up..we finally descended the hills and were on the plains...we were close to the famous anandpur sahib gurudwara..but since we were damn tired we gussed it and headed straight for our hotel in chandigarh..we breaked a bit at a dhaba for tea...we whizzed past mohali and finally reached the hotel in sector 21 at around 8pm...the hotel (HOTEL AROMA)was located in a posh locality
and all the major food chains had their outlets nearby...we ordered the food in the room ...i hogged some south indian stuff quickly as i was watching India chase australia in the final one day match at mumbai on Tv...zaheer khan had 2 exhibit his heroics in batting while india was chasing a modest target with great difficulty..India won the match finally and i crashed on to the bed...
Day 6:
I had to wake up quite early as we had to catch the early morning 0650 Shatabdi to delhi...The driver was ready and we left the hotel at 6am sharp...as we reached the station..driver was helping us out remove our luggage...he dropped us at Platform No1 where our train was to arrive...he could easily be the best drivers i have ever seen ..he was polite and courteous all throughout the journey..he gave us his address and asked us to post the snaps we took along with him..naturally he impressed my dad and hence he received a handsome sum as bata...he left the place only to come back after 5mins...i had left a cowboy hat (which i had purchased in shimla) in the car...he came back all the way to return it..was so nice of him to do that...now it was time for the Shatabdi to arrive at the station(the train was from kalka and headed to new delhi)...i was damn excited about the new foreign style LHB coaches i would be travelling in...but i was in for a huge disappointment...the shatabdi had the old type coaches(the one similar to the chennai-mysore shatabdi)...i was surprised initially ..then i pondered over the reason as to why the coaches were old..actually there are 2 pairs of shatabdis running between New Delhi and Kalka..one in the morning and one in the evening ..from both directions...one had the new LHB coaches and the other had olden type coaches...the one that departs from delhi in the morning (the one my parents took on day1 ) reaches kalka in the noon and departs from kalka in the evening...since i had booked the morning shatabdi frm chandigarhLHB coaches.!!! was pretty sad for about 1 hr into the journey...then they served breakfast ...after munchin the cutlet and bread...i was feeling better...the train had just one stop at ambala...i got down there..ambala was a special place..i remember reading a lesson in school.."Woman at Platform 8"...the story was set in ambala station...so i got nostalgic memories of school...and the class i was in...got a bit psenti over it...but then had to wipe my emotions as the signal changed to amber...the train zoomed past karnal kurukshetra panipat and sonipat and slowly entered delhi...train was 20mins late...and we arrived at platform 1..a driver was standing with the nameboard..he received us..and now my parents had their flight at 1700hrs and it was only 1030 then...so we had to kill time somehow...we decided to roamd around delhi...went to the usual India Gate..Rajpath...Janpath..Connought Circle...Lotus Temple and Qutub Minar...Qutub Minar was marvellous..it was standing tall amdist green lawns and some broken structures....took some snaps..and quickly left the place...we had lunch in one dhaba and then it was time for me 2 say goodbye 2 my parents...normally i take the Haryana Roadways bus from New Delhi ISBT to Pilani..(ISBT -Rohtak-Bhiwani-Loharu-Pilani) but since Qutub Minar was nearer to the airport and very far off from ISBT..the driver dropped me at dhaula kuan(5kms frm airport)..this was a new route to me ..was initially bit nervous...but luckily i got a bus to chirawa(16kms frm pilani)...the bus journey was pathetic..so crowded and stoppin everywhere..the route was Dhaula kuan-Rewari-Narnaul-Chirawa...iit took 5.5 long hours 2 reach Chirawa...i got down at chirawa and called my dad...he had reached Chennai !!!!!was feeling really crazy...technology has improved so much that a person is able 2 cover 2000kms in 2and half hours ...whereas i was utilising a bus service which hardly manged to cover 200kms in 5 and a half hours !!then i had to wait for a bust to pilani for half an hour..i was unsuccesful and i really got pissed off dat i decided to take a heavily crowded jeep..got a nice 10 bucks offer for a 16km journey and i zoomed back into the pilani territory...i had to walk from the main gate back to my hostel...my college culfest was taking place in full swing...there were lights all over...i reached my hostel only to find that all my wingies(the guys alongside my room) had all gone on a trip to Rishikesh-Mussorie-Nainital....guess they got the roaming inspiration from me !!!! i had no company ....so i decided 2 see wat was happening in th culfest(it takes place for 96hrs nonstop..so events are held even at 2am !!)..i unpacked and after a bit of rest...moved out of my room...there ended the wonderful 6 day long trip..which i would never forget forver..but this wasnt the end ..as it was the beggining of yet another two day trip...for more see my next blog !!!