Travel-n-Shoot: December 2017

Saturday 30 December 2017

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day11 n 12

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day11

Checked out from the hotel, had a light breakfast and went to bus depot. Boarded the bus. It was long journey of approximately 12 hours. We reached Chandigarh bus station at around 8.00 pm. An auto-rickshaw wala told us that he will take us to a budget hotel. The budget owner tried to scam us by allotting us staff room which was pathetic. We went to adjacent hotel, checked the room and agreed to stay there for that night.

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day12

Took an auto to Chandigarh Railway station (Rs. 180/-). Boarded train towards and reached Mumbai on 21st January as per schedule.

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day10

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day10

This was an additional day at Manali. We had few options to consider such as visiting Naggar, Manikaran, Jaggatsukh. But we opted to relax in Manali town itself. We walked towards Beas River and spent more than an hour there. Had lunch and went to Monastery which is walkable distance from Mall Road. Opposite to Monastery is Van Vihar. But we didn’t go there either.

We went to Manali bus depot and enquired about bus to Chandigarh for next day. We paid Rs. 870/- for 2 bus tickets for Manali-Chandigarh. We bought Apple Jams and Apple barfi. We also bought painting on a wood and Himachali cap as souvenir.

Another laid backed day but this time in Manali.

Day10 - Monastery

Day10 - Beas River

Day10 - Bridge over Beas River

Day10 - Prayer flags

Day10 - The Mall Road, Manali

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day9

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day9

Finally the day has arrived for which we have been waiting for longs. Our first experience in the snow. We went out, completed our breakfast and reached the shop where we had enquired yesterday. We paid Rs. 300/- per person. The mini bus arrived and we were 4 couples. There were many shops on the road side renting out ski suits, boots and fur coats. We reached Gulaba in a 40-45 minutes’ drive. At this moment we could see snow-clad mountains all around us. The bus was parked and we didn’t waited a minute to jump in the snow. We went little further as it was less crowdy and fresher snow there. First 30 minutes we did all sorts of thing in snow – sitting and sleeping on the snow, rolling and sliding on the snow, threw snow on each other and even tasted that snow 😅. Then came my camera out of the bag and we clicked 100s of pictures there. You can take skiing lessons (very very beginners), slide on a tube over the snow (Rs. 100/ per person).

We then moved to Solang Valley. This is one of the most famous places to enjoy snow. You can take Gondola ride or horse ride to reach top. We opted for horse ride for Rs. 300 for two persons after log of bargaining. Two couples who were travelling with us just walked till top. This place was chilling compared to Gulaba. It was all ice on the floor instead of snow which was making it hard to walk. We all fell down many a times. It was fun felling down, but cold water was difficult to cope with. We spent lesser time here compared to Gulaba.

The bus dropped us at Mall road. It was an awesome day in snow. A day which we will cherish entire lifetime 😊

Tip: Do opt of snow dress/ski suits and boots when visiting Gulaba/Solang. They are very useful.

Extra Tip: Keep you mobile/camera/valet in bag beforehand. If you leave it in your pant pockets and wear those full body snow dress then they are stuck there 😊 😊 😊

Day09 - Snow at Gulaba

Day09 - Me in snow at Gulaba

Day09 - Snow at Gulaba

Day09 - We in snow at Gulaba

Day09 - Me in snow at Gulaba

Day09 - Snow clad mountains

Day09 - Solang Valley

Day09 - Snow clad mountains

Day09 - Solang Valley

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day8

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day8

Got on to the Mall road at 10.00 am for tea and breakfast. At that moment we sighted a snow clad mountain. We were very much excited just to see it from distance as it was ours first such experience. But we need to wait another day to play in the snow. For today we had planned for local sightseeing in Manali.

We went to taxi stand near Mall road and enquired about the cost of local sightseeing. After bargaining we agreed for Rs. 500. We moved to our first spot of Manali - Siyali Mahadev temple. This Temple is located on the way to Hadimba Temple in Manali. The Siyali Mahadev temple has an impressive intricate carving in the temple. This small temple is not as crowded as the Hidimba Temple but definitely worth seeing.

Next was Hadimba Mandir. This temple is built using woods in three layers and metal conical top. The temple is very different from other Indian temples. It is surrounded by long deodar (Cedar) trees and huge boulders giving a mysterious look. There is no idol inside the temple, only foot print is worshipped. There are many tourists at this place but the place is big so does not feel crowded. You can get clicked with Angora rabbits and Yaks, you can get dressed in traditional Himachali dress and pose for photos else you can just sit and enjoy the surroundings.

We then moved to Club House. Entry fees are Rs. 20 per person. This place is popular for indoor games like carrom, table tennis, pool, video games and other as well as outdoor activities such as river crossing. You can sit alongside of Manaslu River or indulge in outdoor/indoor activities or do some shopping or eat in one of the restaurants. If you got limited time then you can skip this place.

Next stop was Vashisht Temple. This place is known for its hot water kunds (pools). Many small shops around it and narrow road makes driving little difficult. Parking charges are Rs. 30/-. It was little crowded when we visited this placed so was not able to click pictures as I intended. Separate areas are reserved for ladies and gents to dip in the hot water springs. Again this temple is made of woods with lot of carvings on it.

We came back at Mall Road and where looking for options for next day’s sightseeing. We saw a board for sharing bus for Solang-Gulaba sightseeing. We enquired about it and confirmed our seats for tomorrow.

First day of Manali sightseeing was good and we were anticipating next day will be awesome.

Day08 - Siyali Mahadev temple

Day08 - Hadimba Mandir

Day08 - View

Day08 - Club House

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day7

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day7

The cab arrived at 9.00 am and one couple was already sitting in the middle seats. We also boarded and sat in middle seats as we wanted to avoid back seats for long journey of 8-10 hours. After few minutes third couple occupied back seats and later one elderly local person took the front seat. After 30 minutes of drive we halted for the breakfast. After an hour’s drive that elderly person alighted and the front seat was empty. Four persons were sitting in the middle seat which was little inconvenient so I asked if I can sit in the front seat so that all four of us can sit comfortably. But the drive was so arrogant and rude he replied “Jaha baithe ho wahi baitho (Sit where you are sitting)” 😏

So after long and uncomfortable drive of about 2 more hours we “passed” Sundarnagar lake. Note that we passed the lake and didn’t stopped there. So I commented to my wife in our language that may be this driver will show us all en-route destination from cab itself 😃 😃. We were shown Mandi bus depot. I was really not expecting to see bus depot when we were told that you will be seeing Mandi on your way 😏. It was around 2.00 pm so we took lunch break. We just had fruits cos we were yet to cover lot of distance and that too through curvy roads. We didn’t wanted to reach Manali with motion sickness.

After you cross Mandi you will meet river Beas. This river will be with you up to Manali. Next came Pandoh Dam. We didn’t stopped at the dam itself but little ahead after the cab climbed a small hill. Finally! We stopped at one place and it was good one. The view of emerald green water was striking. We clicked few photographs and moved ahead. Soon we passed through 2.8 KMs long Aut tunnel and reached Aut village. As we moved ahead we saw few foot over bridges over the river connecting to small villages. The views were photogenic but I knew our driver will not stop and it is not a good practice to stop on national highway which is already quite narrow. We were speeding through the road which had a mountain on the left and dangerously but magnificent river Beas on the right. We did noticed warning boards near river mentioning not to venture in the river.

We passed Bhuntar airport and reached Kullu town. We stopped at one activity center and paid Rs. 20 as entry ticket. Here you can opt for river rafting. We decided not to go for it. We spent 30 minutes here in wandering a little, having omlette and tea and clicking few pics. As we moved ahead towards Manali, we noticed that there are 100s of rafting centers. We then stopped and visited Mini Vaishno Devi temple. It was nice temple with wooden interiors. You have to crawl through a 3 feet tunnel to reach the sanctum. Another 15-20 minutes were spent here. It was around 6.00 pm and started to get dark. Soon we reached Kullu Shawl factory. We were really not interested in shopping shawls after such a long drive. It must 7.00 pm when we reached Manali. When we got down from the cab our drive enquired if we are interested in local Manali sightseeing next day. I didn’t wanted to ruin my day in Manali so I refused politely.

Our hotel New Adarsh was very near to mall road. We checked in our room, got freshen and then got down at 8.00 pm for dinner. We were damn hungry at this point. Got into one random hotel and ordered tried and tasted butter chicken. Got back into the hotel room and slept soon.

Day07 - Pandoh Dam

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day6

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day6

Today it was last day of our Shimla sightseeing. The cab arrived and we started our journey towards Naldehra. This place is about 25 KMs from Shimla. We reached Naldehra in 40-45 minutes and realized it was same story as yesterday. Just like at Kufri, here too the mule wallas showed us their rate card of Rs. 380 per person. We paid Rs. 760 and Rs. 20 as entry fees and went inside. “Horse” riding here was little better than Kufri. The area is full of tall pine trees which makes this place worth spending an hour. Naldehra Golf Course if for members only so you get a peek of it. There is small zip line if you are interested. The horse ride is about 30 minutes long which takes us through up and down paths. In my opinion, if you got little time in Shimla then you can give a miss to this place. Close to the entrance, there is a shop which sells “Chingu blankets”. BEWARE of this fraud!

Our next stop was Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) aka Viceroy Lodge. It took little more than an hour to reach this place from Naldehra. We paid Rs. 100/- for entry ticket for 2 person and my camera and was waiting for our turn for the guided tour. Meanwhile we enjoyed exterior of the building. The guided tour was very helpful to get more information about this historic building. The rooms got wooden interiors, looks Royal and full of historic photographs. Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the building.

We then moved towards Sankat Mochan Temple which is just 6 KMs away from IIAS. This temple is devoted to Lord Hanuman. My intension to visit this temple was mainly to see the view of Shimla town from the temple premises.

The cab driver dropped us near Mall road and we then started to look for travelling option from Shimla to Manali. We booked a share cab for two person at Rs. 2000. The person who took the booking mentioned that we will be stopping at Sundarnagar lake, Mandi, Pandoh Dam, Activity center, Mini Vaishno Devi temple and Kullu Shawl factory. Got back to the hotel after dinner.

Day06 - Naldehra Golf Course

Day06 - IIAS aka Viceroy Lodge

Day06 - Sankat Mochan Temple

Day06 - View of Shimla Town from Sankat Mochan Temple

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day5

Himachal Pradesh - Abode of snow - Day5

Today was the second day of local sightseeing of Shimla. We had read lot about Kufri and were excited to visit this place. The cab arrived and we started our journey towards much talked spot of Shimla. Kufri is around 16 KM away from the mall. We reached Kufri in 30 odd minutes and got to know that now we need to ride on mules to visit actual places. The mule wallas showed us their “Approved” rate card of Rs. 380 per person. In excitement, we paid Rs. 760/- and rode till the spot. After reaching what we saw was SHOCKING! (Not Amazing). Forget snow, there wasn’t even a grass anywhere. The pits were filled of empty plastic bottles and cups. There is no place where you can sit and relax and neither it is enjoyable to sit and relax here. There are couple of small shops selling eating items, couple of yaks on whom you can sit and get clicked, binoculars to watch some distanced peak and ATV rides. I was so disappointed that I didn’t bother to click any photos here. There is small fun park (which we didn’t visited) and a small temple.

All the excitement of Kufri was turned into disappointment. Maybe it is a good place to visit when the place is full of snow. But if there is no snow, don’t even bother to visit Kufri. Here is another blog giving details on why NOT to go to Kufri. I wish I could have come across this blog before my visit.
http://www.himachaltravelblog.com/2010/02/23/disappointing-trip-to-kufri-near-shimla/

There is a small zoo beside Kufri. I asked our driver on condition of zoo and he replied not so good. We decided to skip it and move towards next stop. We then stopped at Green Valley. The spot is on the main road from Shimla to Kufri. The valley is covered with the deodar and pine forests so you get to see green hills. In my opinion, there is nothing extra ordinary here too.

The last stop for the day was Jakhu Temple. This is the temple which got huge (108 meters tall) idol of Lord Hanuman which can be seen from most part of Shimla town. You can reach temple by steep walk from ridge or by vehicle. Recently I found that now one can take cable car too to reach the temple. But make sure your cab drive is experienced enough to drive at such a narrow road with hairpin bends. After climbing few steps you reach Hanuman statue and small temple.

Note: Beware of monkeys. They are in huge numbers here. Do carry a stick and make sure NOT to carry any edible items in your hand.

We were then dropped near Lakkar bazar. After completing our lunch, we decided to visit Christ Church. The stained glass windows of church are most beautiful part. Clicked few pics inside church.

Then we witness another sunset from Shimla and went back to our hotel after early dinner.

Day05 - Green Valley

Day05 - Jakhu Temple

Day05 - Christ Church, Ridge

Day05 - View of a town

Day05 - Sunset from Middle Bazar