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A few of my friends got together and this trip happened. But then, that is how it is with friends. I read it somewhere “One should go on unplanned trips”. Well, this was partially planned as we had to book the place at our destination, Jenkal near Sakleshpur.

Sakleshpur is about 230 kms from Bangalore and is full of coffee estates and scenic mountain slopes and brooks. The altitude is around 3000 feet and weather is more or less pleasant through out the year.

The six of us started from Bangalore late on a Saturday, around 12 noon from Bangalore. The route goes through Neelamangla ( take a left here, straight is Pune Highway), Chanrayapatna and then a big industrial town, Hassan. After Hassan you take a diversion towards Sakleshpur. The highway is a single lane and it does slow you down. But, the road is good enough. We reached Sakleshpur around 5 pm and stopped at Munzerabad club. One of the owners of the bungalow at Jenkal, Karthik, is a secretary of the club. This club is of the British times and retains that charm. We were treated to some nice coffee. Karthik also gave us a baked dish to carry to the bungalow at Jenkal.

The Gang at Munzerabad club
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As soon as I finished my board exams of class tenth, I planned to visit alongwith my parents the renowned streets of Chandni chowk. We parked our car at Rajouri Garden metro station and boarded the metro to Chandni Chowk, the oldest market place (bazar) in Old Delhi.

Chandni Chowk has a rich historical background and it is believed that it was built in the seventeenth century by the great Mughal Emperor Shahajahan. Chandni Chowk meaning the Moonlight Square, was designed and laid by Jahanara Begum, Mughal emperor Shahajahan’s daughter between the Red Fort and Fateh Puri Masjid. There used to be a Najafgarh pond, the water of which glittered while reflecting the moonlight and then flowed into a cannal, known as Faiz Nahar across this locale. There were expansive gardens to the north of this avenue that also canopied Jahanara sarai, the palace of the Begum, which today houses the biggest electrical market of north India.

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For the sake of keeping it short and in order to avoid a writer’s block, I would be condensing two days of riding in one post.

After the conquest of Khardung La, the ride back was some what depressing… what would a person do if the one thing which kept him going was a dream fulfilled? But these bouts of depression did not last long once BB was parked… had other things to consider… should I do the return leg of the journey from Srinagar/Jammu or come down to Manali and hit the plains from Ropar? and whether it would be easier than reaching here?

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Todays onward journey to Gopeshwar was going to be a taxing one, as the distance to be covered was more than 110km, with everyone being so tired.

We had opted for the Route to Chamoli diverting from Kund via Ukhimath, Chopata, instead of the regular route via Rudraprayag. The former is shorter as well as more picturesque, with Chopata known as another mini Switzerland of India. Unfortunately, this day most of us were not in a mood/condition to enjoy the scenic beauty.

We halted after Ukhimath for a tea break and a breather for the engine at a shop located around a corner of the road. My mother was very uncomfortable by now. Here she relaxed and even got a couple of local girls to pose with her. Toshi took a Potty break here.

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