Himachal Pradesh

In the lap of the great Himalayan Ranges lies this mesmerising state of Himachal Pradesh. Possessing an enviable diversity of natural beauty, Himachal Pradesh cradles snow capped mountains, snow fed rivers, dense deodar forests, cultivated terraces and apple orchards within itself. Fondly called as “Devbhumi” or land of the Gods, this land welcomes visitors to enjoy the natural splendour of Rajgarh Valley, Chail, Great Himalayan National Park and Pin Valley National Park. For a peek into the past, there are historical sites like Sujanpur Tihra and Kangra Fort.
Bird watchers would love the Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake Sanctuary, which attracts multitudes of migratory ducks from the Siberian region during winter months. Himachal Pradesh has pleasant summers and cold winters with snowfall in some places. Many favoured destinations for those who wish to get away from the heat of the plains are the hill stations of Simla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Manali and Chail.

Motorcycle Diaries. Road to Ladakh (Kaza – Keylong – Sarchu)

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Bara-lacha La was all clad in snow. Luckily the roads were devoid of any snow, making it easy of us riders to sail through. You’d notice that unlike other key milestones, I haven’t posted any image of a plaque reading Bara-lacha La – actually, I could’nt take any – there was a huge jam ahead, as we climbed up the Pass. I saw an oil-tanker overturned and fallen out of the road, taking the signage with it! Thankfully, the truck hadn’t taken the plunge. It seemed to be a very recent accident – the driver of the truck was safely back on road and was assessing the damages done. The Border Roads Organization that manages these roads was very quick to respond; they had already arrived with a crane and were working out a rescue plan.

Advantage Biker! We quickly made our way through the mounting traffic and descended to the famous Bharatpur – our lunch halt of the day. This place is something – all full of colourful dhabas!

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Motorcycle Diaries. Road to Ladakh… (Delhi – Kaza)

Motorcycle Diaries. Road to Ladakh… (Delhi – Kaza)

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As I rode though barren patches, I would not help admire the exquisiteness of the rocks all around – they were as spellbinding as the Grand Canyon, all through the journey on the Indo-China border. No images can describe this splendor!

During last 100kms, as the terrain turned bad to worse, I had consumed all my water. Thirsty and tired, I found water only at Dubling, after riding for over 3.5 hours. As I gulped down water, I couldn’t help observe that the same Kinley packaged water bottle we paid Rs.40/- at the HPTDC hotels (a premium of double the cost!) was being sold by this mom-&-pop shop at the MRP!

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Getting Leh’d in ten days – Part 1

Getting Leh’d in ten days – Part 1

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Whenever I read about someone’s excursion to Leh, it’s a heroic story all about grit and determination. It’s about a man, his machine and the mountain. It’s about how one faces the vagaries of nature, the treacherous roads and the numbing cold. It’s like an action movie with a heavy metal background score. In stark comparison, my narration will be like a Karan Johar flick. All scenes will be in soft focus, everything will be beautiful, there will be drama and intrigue, all set to a melodious tune.

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A much awaited trip for three girlfriends.

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We took a cab from Pathankot to McLeodganj. The cab journey took only 2 hours. The scenery was beautiful and the cab driver told us about the landslide that recently happened in Himachal. As we entered McLeodganj, a typical Himachal traffic jam welcomed us.

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An unforgettable to trip to my village in Kangra and other places!

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it just cant be explained in words the joy of driving in rain and that too on Delhi Panipat road.It was raining so heavily that on few occasions the wiper would prove to be futile.It was an awesome drive till Chandigarh, barring few diversions due to construction work going on on few stretches.
After crossing the city we were on the Nangal Una road that road was not bad either but had no comparison to delhi-ambala highway!

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क्रिसमस @ कमरुनाग

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रोहांडा पहुँचकर सबसे पहला काम था, खाली टंकर (पेट) में पेट्रोल (खाना) भरना ताकि लगभग 12 से 13 किलोमीटर का सफ़र बिना किसी अवरोध के पूरा किया जा सके. हालाँकि बाली के मन में शंका थी की कँही पेट्रोल (खाना) ख़त्म न हो जाये, इसलिए थोडा साथ रखकर भी ले चले. यहाँ से शुरू होता है पैदल यात्रा का असली रोमांच. शुरुआती सफ़र थोडा थकाने वाला जरुर था, जिसकी पहली वजह थी रोहांडा में खाया गया भरपेट भोजन और दूसरा कारण थी अप्रत्याशित खड़ी चढाई. खैर जैसे – जैसे आगे बढते गए, प्रकृति का घूँघट उठता गया और कुदरत के कुछ शानदार नज़ारों नें थकान को छूमंतर कर दिया. इस पर बीच में कहीं – कहीं पर हल्की – फुल्की बिखरी बर्फ के निशान इस बात की पुष्टि करते प्रतीत हो रहे थे कि हो ना हो झील पर थोड़ी बहुत बर्फ तो देखने को जरुर मिलेगी, जिससे हमारा उत्साह और जोश दोगुना हो गया. बीच – बीच में दूर कहीं चोटियों पर पड़ी ताज़ा बर्फ और वो हसीं वादियाँ हमारी कल्पनाओं को पँख दे रही थी, ऐसे में किस तरह हमने आधे से ज्यादा दूरी मजे – मजे में तय कर ली थी, पता ही नहीं चला. ऐसे में एक बात अचंभित करने वाली यह थी कि अभी तक के पूरे रास्ते में हमें किसी आदमजात के दर्शन नहीं हुए थे, जबकि देव कमरुनाग को पूरे मंडी जिले का एक प्रमुख आराध्य देव माना जाता है. ऐसी चर्चा करते हुए हम चले ही जा रहे थे के अचानक, शांत घने जंगले के बीचों – बीच किसी जानवर के दौड़ने कि आवाज़ ने पलभर के लिए रोंगटे खड़े कर दिए

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Ghumakkar inspired trip to Renukaji

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Darkness soon settled in as the lake waters caught the last rays of the fading sunrays and it was time to get back to the hotel. We pedalled to the shore and receded to our hotel and anchored ourselves on the terrace. Darkness coupled with the sounds of the forest was mesmerizing. We had a warm interaction with another group also chilling out on the terrace and junior had an awesome time playing with the big friendly pet dog of theirs. Relaxing was the ‘mahamantra’ of the tour – our mantra materialized into genuine tranquillity.

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Bijli Mahadev

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So following our original plan to cover Bijli Mahadev, Rewalsar Lake, Shikari Devi, Kamru Nag Lake, Karsog, Tattapani, we reached Kullu on the morning of 30 July’11. Since there were regular buses plying on this route, it allowed us some time to freshen up and to have a quick breakfast. Later we took a mini bus till a village nearby the shrine from where it is just 2.8 km soft trek passing through some of the villages

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घुमक्कड़ी – कुछ खट्टी…कुछ मीठी (3)

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नारकण्डा में कुछ देर रुकने के बाद हम लोग वापिस चल दिये. चारों ओर बरफ पड़ी हुई थी, हम लोग धीरे-2 स्कूटर चलाते हुए, गाने सुनते हुए वापिस शिमला-दिल्ली की ओर चल रहे थे. ठियोग ठीक ठाक निकल गया और अब हम फागू वा कुफरी के बीच कहीं थे. प्रदीप आगे चेतक पर था और मैं पीछे अपने सुपर पर. अचानक देखा, प्रदीप लड़खड़ा कर नीचे गिरा… विजय सड़क पर पड़ा था और प्रदीप स्कूटर के साथ घिसट रहा था…मैने जोर से बोला – प्रदीप क्या हुआ, और ब्रेक लगाई… बस हमारा स्कूटर भी लड़खड़ाया और मैं और अवस्थी भी जमीन पर घिसटने लगे. किस्मत बड़ी अच्छी थी कि हम दोनों का स्कूटर ऐसे कोण पर गिरा था कि हम और हमारे स्कूटर खाई की ओर न जाकर पहाड़ की तरफ फिसले और साइड पर पड़े बर्फ के ढेर से टकरा कर. हम रुक गये…
कुछ समझ में नहीं आ रहा था कि हुआ क्या है..

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घुमक्कड़ी – कुछ खट्टी…. कुछ मीठी (2)

घुमक्कड़ी – कुछ खट्टी…. कुछ मीठी (2)

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क्या है घुमक्कड़ी…
पढ़ो तो इक किताब है घुमक्कड़ी
देखो गर तो इक ख्वाब है घुमक्कड़ी
हंसो तो आसान बन जाती घुमक्कड़ी
सुनो तो ज्ञान बन जाती घुमक्कड़ी

Dear friends, in my previous post of the series, you saw how important the reminiscences are in our travelling. Many a times, we forget other details of our travellings and remember it by the sweet & sour memories of that travelling. Travelling is not simply going to some places or reaching the heights of Himalayas… when we rewind the films of our travels and see it frame by frame … we find that it has changed our life altogether. It has made us more confident, given us more tolerance, given us more strength and sometimes even changed our perspective towards life and its aim.

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Picturesque Manali

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Manali, a picturesque hill station situated at a height of 6308 ft lies at the northern end of Himachal Pradesh and is undoubtedly one of the best Hill stations India has. At a distance of 550 km from the capital city of Delhi, Manali is the most sought out holiday destination for travelers. The snow-clad hill tops and amazing scenic beauty captures every person’s heart and offers an immense yet an extraordinary experience, no matter how many times you visit the place….. For me, it’s my favorite destination to let loose and embrace what life has to offer…along with a calmness that soothes the soul… so last winter’s we set of for a wintry holiday to Manali to celebrate a white Christmas!!
Distance from Delhi: 550 Km

Travel Time: 12-14 hours with 2-3 breaks in between

Best Time to Visit: Anytime, however to view snow…Late Dec-early March

Driving Directions and Map: http://bit.ly/vq3jL9

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