Final Transit

Himalayas and North India

Photo gallery and Travelogue – Part 1 of 4

General information

Duration: April 21 2006 to May 08 2006
I went on a trip to North India, with my friends Gaurav and Giri. Primary agenda was a Himalayan mountain biking expedition organized by Youth Hostels Association, India. The route began from Seobagh (near Kullu), at 3500 ft. and reached Jalori Pass, at 10500 ft. Total distance traveled was over 160 km. and we covered it in 6 days.
Other Places Covered: We also traveled to Chandigarh, Manali, Dharamshala, McLeod ganj, Chamunda, Amritsar and Delhi on the way to and from the cycling expedition. (See map for overview)
Warning: Long article. Be patient while it loads! [3300 words, 155 photos]

Contents

Part 1: 21 April – 24 April: Start, Mumbai to Delhi, Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali

Part 2: 25 April – 03 May: Mountain Biking Expedition – Kullu to Jalori pass and back

Part 3: 04 May – 08 May: Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Chamunda, Amritsar, Delhi to Mumbai

Part 4: Comments

Part 1 of 4

Mumbai to Delhi :: 21 April

With cheap tickets booked for Air Deccan flights approximately 2 months in advance, we took off from Mumbai in the evening (after attending office full time) and reached Delhi by 21:00. Air Deccan flights have some broken seats and they serve tiny amount of food at exorbitant prices (look at the little CCD sandwich which cost Rs. 40). Fortunately the flight was almost on time and we were allowed to carry cabin luggage (although the bags didn’t fit in). A ride in pre-paid taxi took us from Indira Gandhi Airport to Old Delhi railway station, and we somehow managed to board the Kalka mail to Chandigarh at the last minute. Just few hours back I was in office and suddenly now on a train to Chandigarh! Incredible feeling

A funny coincidence. I had resigned from work a month back, and so had Giri and Gaurav. While they already had their last day at work, I was asked to come back for a week after this trip. Giri and Gaurav were heading for business schools, while I was off to a new organization

Chandigarh :: 22 April

The train was on time, so we reached Chandigarh at about 4:30 and immediately went to ISBT (sector 17) by a chic city bus. Himesh Reshammiya’s nonsense songs blaring from a tea stall at the bus depot greeted us (oh what a torture!). Rikshaw and auto drivers crowded around immediately and claimed to know the cheapest hotel in town. We ended up landing in an expensive hotel eventually, where we crashed for a silent early morning nap. After having some delicious parathas in central sector 17, we went sight seeing around the town. I had virtually memorised the city map, so navigation was easy. Rose garden, Open hand, high court, Rock garden, Sukhana Lake and more travel in city transport buses was on agenda. I especially loved the rock garden and the lake. It felt too hot and dry during afternoon, and our attention was attracted to a lemon drink vendor. The drink was bliss, and too heavy on our pocket! Chandigarh is so much a planned city that it looks artificial and lifeless. But I liked it a lot anyway.

Manali :: 23, 24 April

Traveling overnight by semi-deluxe bus of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), which had uncomfortable seating and insufficient legroom, we reached Manali and had a feel of the chilly Himalayan breeze. Just an overnight journey and we were in an altogether different place. Waking up early in the morning and watching the bus cruise along the Beas river felt awesome. We reached Manali pretty early in the morning and had some chai at the bus stop. After finding a cheap hotel to dump our luggage, we rented 2 bikes and set out for Rohtang pass. Giri and Gaurav are expert drivers and I’m a diligent passenger. As the road spiraled up towards Rohtang pass, it started getting chilly and we could see tracks of snow. It was thrilling beyond imagination to feel the snow after long time. G & G were seeing it for the first time and their expressions reminded me of last year when I first saw snow. After noon, it started getting dark and cold winds blew from mountain peaks covered in raw snow. Soon it started raining accompanied by some sleet and none of us were in appropriate protective clothing. The road to Rohtang pass was not open yet and we could drive only upto Marhi, a hamlet 10 km before Rohtang. By evening we visited Hadimba temple and Vashist hot water springs and reached Manali town in a semi frozen and damp state (yuck). After coming back to the room, we agreed to take a nap, wakeup, go for a walk and grab dinner; however, the day was so exhausting that we hibernated from 17:30 until 9:00 next day! Imagine!
Next day, by the time we moved out, it was already lunchtime. Our plan was to see the Solang valley, a popular destination among paragliders. Gaurav was enthusiastic about paragliding from day one and he had a fun ride in the valley. We traveled by HRTC bus, which was not only comfortable, but ten times cheaper than private vehicles – really, Manali is too commercial. Manali is named after the sage Manu, who was the creator of human race on the earth and it is believed that he meditated here. There is an old Manu temple at the fag end of old Manali, supposedly the only one in India. Several bakeries and small restaurants dot the street, and there are too many of Hebrew signboards around attempting to make the Isreali holidaymakers feel at home.
We slept at a dharamshala (opposite to the bus stand), in a cozy room whose rent was lower than the cost of purchasing a lock to lock it. In the morning, we visited a monastery en route to our base camp at Seobaugh, near Kullu.

Contents

Part 1: 21 April – 24 April: Start, Mumbai to Delhi, Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali

Part 2: 25 April – 03 May: Mountain Biking Expedition – Kullu to Jalori pass and back

Part 3: 04 May – 08 May: Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Chamunda, Amritsar, Delhi to Mumbai

Part 4: Comments

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