Himachal-Trip-2015 on Sauvik Biswas

Day 20: Back home via Delhi

Thu, 24 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Meeting a friend, lunch in Delhi and heading back home #

The HRTC bus I took was really efficient. It covered the on-ticket distance of 370 kms in 8 hours time, including two breaks of 25 minutes and 15 minutes respectively. It dropped me at ISBT Kashmere Gate at 5:30 am. Delhi was still covered in fog and I did not want to travel in the darkness.

ISBT Kashmere Gate in the morning. I took this photograph at 6:30 am. Delhi was still in darkness.

Day 19: Shimla on foot and exit

Wed, 23 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I bid goodbye to Krishna (momentarily) #

I woke up at 7:30 am and clicked this photograph of Shimla from my hotel window. The Sun wasn’t out yet. However, the temperature wasn’t as brutal as in Kasol. Krishnavatar Gupta, a.k.a. Krishna, got ready pretty early. He wanted to utilise the daytime as best as possible.

Shimla was covered in mist.

We descended to the old bus stop and had one of the worst aloo paratha ever. Krishna was looking for a shared trip. Sadly, there wasn’t anything available. He was informed that the tourism office (Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation - HPTDC) conducts guided trips. That meant we had to walk all the way up to The Mall. For Krishna, that was a tedious task.

Day 18: The longest bus ride of this trip

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Getting from Kasol to Shimla #

One reason why I wanted to get down to Shimla was because it is easier to get to Delhi rather than from Kullu or even Mandi. I would be catching a bus tomorrow.

When I left Kasol at 8:00 am, it was freezing cold. Not to mention, the Sun had not shown its face in Kasol yet.

One last view of Annapurna in the darkness of ’early’ morning.

Day 17: Another walk along Parvati River

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A walk to Manikaran #

Manikaran, a religious and transportation hub, is about five kilometres from where I am staying. The easiest way to reach there is to catch any Westward bound bus from Kasol. Instead of taking a bus, I decided to walk the entire road. This is the same road that leads to Baba Place. It follows the Parvati River along its Southern bank. Manikaran is in the other direction.

Day 16: A trail along the Parvati River

Sun, 20 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A note about temperature #

Kasol has really less useable hours as compared to other places I have been to. Sunlight hits the valley at 9:00 am and goes behind the mountains by 2:30 pm. Any activity must be done within this available time. At night, temperatures fall to -3 or -4 degree Celsius.

I had a hard time writing on the cold metal body of my laptop yesterday night. Hence, I am drafting this post at 3:00 pm, when temperatures are still manageable. Right now, even my laptop is covered with thermals to ensure that I am near the lower limit of operating range of a Macbook Pro (operating temp: 10 to 35 deg. Celsius).

Day 15: Timepass in Manali and onward to Kasol

Sat, 19 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Spending some time around Manali Mall #

I had a few hours in Manali before I could catch a bus towards Kasol. I decided to make some good use of the time. I visited the Monastery at the Mall road.

The Himalayan Buddhist Monastery. A Bengali guy runs the lodging inside the monastery. He has put up signboards in Bengali all around the place.

Day 14: Visiting the northernmost point of my trip

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

My mobile ditched me (momentarily) #

It had snowed last night. There was a thin layer of snow on everything that was exposed. The vehicles used the ramp in front of the hotel to propel and ignite the engines. A local said that some of the worst cars are the Tata Diesel variants. They need external battery to help them with ignition.

A view from my hotel balcony. A thin layer of snow is visible on the cars’ windows and windshields.

Day 13: To the cold of Manali

Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Hotel Sangam should be taken by ASI #

The building in which I was staying in Mandi is probably as old as the ancient artefacts around it. It is hard to figure that out from the upper floors. The paint-job conceals most of the visible defects.

The lower two floors are not accessible from the entrance of the hotel located on the other side. The building is damaged beyond repair.

Day 12: Rewalsar and Mandi

Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

My camera ditched me #

I was using a Sony Cybershot point-and-shoot (DSC-W630) to capture the images of this trip. That small form factor camera has been my companion in the last three trips, too. Me and my sister have been using it for the last three years.

It was quite foggy today morning. The moment I took the first picture, the screen flickered and turned white.

This is the last image I could take while the display was working.

Day 11: Travelling to Mandi

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

From Palampur to Mandi #

I had to leave early from Chachian in order to reach Mandi before sunset. The 110 kms travel took a long time. A private bus that had come from Dharamshala took 45 minutes to reach Palampur bus stand. It stopped at every other corner for passengers.

Waiting for the bus in front of Pops Hotel and Restaurant.

Day 10: Everything, x km in y direction of Palampur

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The Dhauladhar range looked brilliant in the clear, morning sky.

The Dhauladhar range looked brilliant in the clear, morning sky. Yes, I rewrote that sentence again for this caption.

However, the ground near me didn’t. I had a hard time sleeping in the ruckus made by the marriage party. When I woke up, the place was in a mess. A lot of disposable plates, plastic glasses, remains of fireworks and empty liquor bottles were littered around the yard.

Day 9: Chachian, a village 13 km West of Palampur

Sun, 13 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A ride on Kangra Valley Railway #

One of the reasons to take a detour to Kangra was to ride the narrow gauge train. My stay at Kangra in an abysmal hotel was mildly offset by my visit to the Kangra Fort. According to the manager of Hotel Yatriki, I should have also visited Chamunda Devi temple at Kangra. Technically, the temple isn’t in Kangra and I had visited enough temples already.

Day 8: A detour to Kangra

Sat, 12 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Bidding Dharamshala goodbye #

My four days at Dharamshala was a very pleasing and memorable experience. I had a chat with Nandy (the guy with whom I did the North-East ’14 trip and the Vietnam ’15 trip). He had been to the place before and mentioned that he could stay there for weeks and not feel bored. I agreed with him.

Ganesh had been a nice host. He gave a lot of pointers and some of them were really helpful. After all, he has been in the business for the last 10 years.

Day 7: Three Dharams in Dharamshala

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

It had rained quite heavily last night. In fact, it was raining cats and dogs at 8:00 am. The rain subsided at around 11:00 am. I had a quick lunch (or brunch) and decided to cover the vicinity of McLeod Ganj on foot.

Triund hilltop was covered in snow. It was sheer coincidence that I had timed my trek on the right day.

Day 6: A trek to Triund

Thu, 10 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Ways to do the Triund trek #

There are two options for trekkers. A person may chose to do a day trip. This would require some bit of fitness to cover 20 km to and fro in one go. The other option is to get there, hire a tent and spend a night before descending the next day. I decided to do a day trip.

There are many ways to reach the first junction, Dharamkot. Here are two pictures that will help you pick the easiest one if you are on foot.

Day 5: Roaming around in Dharamshala

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Morning stroll through McLeod Ganj Market #

Dharamshala market doesn’t wake up before 10:30 am. I, on the other hand, was woken up by a call from my friend at 7:30 in the morning. After freshening up, I went out into McLeod Ganj Market, which is figuratively only a stone’s throw away from my temporary residence (In reality, you’d need really strong arms to throw a stone from my room’s balcony to the market). The market was more or less shut down except for vegetable vendors on the edges of the street and small tea stalls.

Day 4: From Dalhousie to Dharamshala

Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Breakfast at Dalhousie Bus Stop #

I had already decided that I would not extend my stay in Dalhousie. The town is designed to accommodate honeymooning couples and families on a leisure trip (and the parents of DPS students and the army guys). I wanted to get to Dharamshala. So, I booked a hotel room online and asked Sanjay of Megha View regarding how to get there.

There are two direct buses. The first bus to Dharamshala leaves at 7:00 am. Since my hotel was 4.5 kms away from the bus stand, it would have been an arduous task to catch that bus. The second bus was at 11:45 am. I decided to target that and not hurry.

Day 3: Timed run through Dalhousie-Khajjiar-Chamba loop

Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Sanjay, the caretaker and cook at Hotel Megha View, suggested me a route to explore Chamba region. This involved some kind of timed run using the bus system that runs like a clockwork. He explained that the buses are limited and I had to catch buses at certain times else I would be stranded with no option but to hire a taxi.

Well, I have played through the toughest of timed run secrets while completing the classic Tomb Raider games.

Day 2: Rest Stop at Dalhousie

Sun, 06 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Trainspotting in Pathankot #

Pathankot Cantonment (PTKC) was foggy when I got down at 7:15 am. The train was late by over an hour and half. This could be one of the circumstances where I was thankful for a delay. Had it dropped me at 5:30 am, I would have been blinded by poor visibility.

Guys warming themselves up near a bonfire just off the tracks at Pathankot Cantt. station.

Day 1: Bangalore to Delhi to Pathankot

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

What’s in my bag? #

Some basic clothes including t-shirts, shorts and a pair of jeans, spare socks, sleeping bag, liner and a bed sheet, warm inners, head cap and neck warmer, a light jacket and a slightly heavier jacket, two pairs of hiking pants, my laptop, medicines, toiletries, electronic equipments like chargers and connectors, a daypack, rain protection for myself and my bag and two books.

The stuff that eventually went into my bag. The laptop and the camera (used that to take this photo) are missing.