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It was one of those hot and humid days in the state of West Bengal… in a town called Asansol, made famous by IISCO’s steel plant and various mining companies in the vicinity. Also made famous by a humorist poet called Hullar Muradabadi…

I was there on vacation, visiting in-laws and my cousins who are settled there. Having decided to take a breather from the hectic travel schedule of the past weeks, I was relaxing and decided to do the touristy bit towards the fag end of the trip. Only one outing in the entire 10-12 odd days I was there… that does not include the countless sessions in the Asansol Club’s Bar.

The decision to go to Maithon was made on a whim… we had nothing to do and it was a Sunday… usually a half day in most of the trading establishments… but due to the onslaught of the summer season, my elder brother was tied up at his showroom for longer than usual. Finally made it home by about 6 in the evening and decided to push for Maithon by about 6:30.

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Post the exhausting ride from Sarchu to Leh, I had dropped dead in probably the most comfortable bed on the entire duration of the ride till now. The beauty sleep lasted for about 9 hours with me having skipped dinner… I awoke at 0900 Hrs and was feeling as hungry as a pack of rabid wild dogs who have been not fed since time immemorial… Decided that I needed a cup of tea to get the weary and tired body moving, I called up room service and ordered it.

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After tossing and turning the night at Sarchu, awoke to a chirpy mood and that set the tone of the day. Happiness and a blissful feeling awaited at the end of the day, as I would be reaching leh tonite.

With these thoughts, I get ready to ride again. Have been dusty, dirty and have not taken a bath in 3 days. The cold and unforgiving nature of the heights ensured that I don’t even entertain the thoughts of taking a bath again till I reach a settlement where I can get hot water. I long for that relaxing bath… can visualize the grime, dirt and the tiredness being washed away already.

Since it was going to be a looooong ride (227 kms) to Leh, I started the ride pretty early (0500 Hrs) in the morning. Thankfully the weather was clear and the skies were the bluest of blue. The snowcapped peaks look wonderful and the entire route is one big distraction as it is filled with those “Kodak Moments”….

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Hello People!!!

Last year, I had the oppurtunity to take one of my groups to a campsite in Himachal which is closeby… 377 Kms from Delhi, 17 kms from Shimla, and yet is untouched by the daily clamor of a hustling bustling town next door. The place is called Daujidhaar.

The route:

NH-1 till Zirakpur, NH-22 till Shimla, take the Shimla Naldehra Road, 4 kms from the Dhalli tunnel, and 2 Kms before the Mashobra village, the road forks out and the one on the right, going uphill will take you to the Baikalty link road through the Mashobra village. Take a right from a small chowk in the village. From there, the motorable road leads you to the campsite 3 kms ahead.
The highest peak of the area… Shaali Tibba
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