Grindelwald

Berlin - Grindelwald - Lucerne - Basel

A Harry Potter fan would expect something magical from a town that holds the name of Grindelwald. Hence when I was asked by a fellow passenger why I am going there I simply shrugged. I had to go.

Town Centre @ Grindelwald

Flåm

Copenhagen - Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

This blog would have less to do with Flåm and more to do with how I reached there. When I stepped out from the overnight train from Oslo to Myrdal at 4.45 AM I was in two minds. Either I wait for more than 5 hours and take the famous Flåmbana train or I walk the 15 miles to Flåm. I chose the latter.

At 7 AM I decided that it is enough light to walk on the railway track that would lead me to Flåm. 

Thanks to a local guy whom I met a couple of miles later I learned that the road to Flåm goes the other way. 

I retraced back my steps to find a huge waterfall going down a beautiful ravine just below the railway station. How the hell did I miss that?

The winning  road down to the valley was enough to convince me that I had taken the right decision. The next few hours kept surprising me with elements of nature I had only seen in wallpapers.

The seven hours of trek included hundreds of waterfalls, two tunnels, four wooden bridges, three gorges and a flowing river all along the trek.

I reached Flåm at 2 and immediately checked into the Youth Hostel. I needed a hot water bath. The hostel was beautifully placed between the river and a sky high mountain with Flåm station a couple of minutes away.

I decided to take a stroll later in the evening although my legs were still sore with the seven hour trek. The weather and view was rewarding enough and I ended up sitting at a wooden bench eating chips and drinking a hot cup of coffee.

I even trekked up the hill for a top view of Flåm  With enough pain to bear, I walked straight back to my bed and prepared for a long sleep. I was still not clear about tomorrow's plans.

Salzburg

Salzburg - Munich

Salzburg is home to the world's largest ice caves and we were going there for that exact thing. It is very close to Munich and hence we decided to cover it on our Oktoberfest trip. Taking an overnight train to Munich and then another one to Salzburg we managed to reach at 12 noon. 

View from Wurfen

Chitradurga

Trip: Delhi > Jaipur > Udaipur > Ranakpur > Ahmedabad > Mumbai > Davangere > Chitradurga > Bangalore

We started early from Davangere. A delectable bene-dosa (butter dosa) at a famous restaurant gave us the right kick and we drove the 40 odd miles to Chitradurga in an hour. Although I was here twice before, the agenda for this time was very clear - we had to reach the top.

We reached the foot of the hill we targeted to climb. Small steps were carved on the rocks to help us although the hill was steep enough to generate fear as to how we will climb down without tumbling. We reached the top after three rests and were welcomed by the city entirely visible from there. The ground of fort was chequered with grey rocks and green grass. It was richness in abundance - a treat for eyes.

We decided the climb down from the other side. It turned into an adventure after we realized midway there was no route further. It took some jumping, skidding and falling before we saw the ground. It was time for a break. Unfortunately the bottle of drink we bought was picked by one of the monkeys and we satisfied ourselves with water.

Walking to the other side of the fort we realized that there is a staircase made to the top of another hill which was still higher that the one we were on. We decided to take that one. The nature started conspiring in accordance with our plans.

As we reached the top of the Chitradurga Fort it started drizzling. We were tired with the climb and hence welcomed the rain and the wind with open arms. Standing at the top of the fort in rain and enveloped by clouds was really special. I don't remember many occasions such as this one.

Kalatop

• Private vehicles are not allowed. Park at the army barricade and walk the scenic mile to the pristine Kalatop.
• Kalatop is a halt on the way of the famous Dalhousie - Chamba trek in case you are a trekking enthusiast. The other halt on this trek is Khajjiar.
• There is no staying facility. Either go back to Dalhousie or drive ahead to Chamba town via Khajjiar. There is a canteen which serves delicious parathas.

We were staying in Dalhousie Club, courtesy Piyush, and decided to go for Kalatop as a one day excursion. It proved to be a helluva trip beyond what we were expecting. An egress on way from Dalhousie to Khajjiar goes to Kalatop. The name is because of barren black rock of hilltop which opens up a windy window to the Himalayas.

A view from Kalatop

Landour

Landour - the crown of the queen - thats what they call the older part of Mussoorie  While most of the urban tourists to this Queen of hill station indulge themselves to casual walks of The Mall Road or an extensive trip to Kempty Fall via Company Bagh, they actually miss the real charm of Mussoorie.

Night view of Mussoorie@Landour

To explore the Old Mussoorie  we took the Kulri End and walked all the way up to the Ghanta Ghar. There is a series of valley facing hotels the view from where is never disturbed by the wires. We chose the one right at the end of a ridge. It was a one day stay hence we refreshed ourselves quickly and found our way through a trecherous path to a rock cliff near the edge of the ridge.

View of Dehra Valley@Landour

A full view of Dehra was visible and it was like a fantastic secret being shared by the two of us. Bhaiya's school was visible and we took pictures and discussed about life.

Wynberg Boarding School

As evening approached we started on the more difficult walk to Laltibba. It is the highest point in Mussoorie.  The play of sunlight on the horizon at dusk is amazing at Laltibba. We ate our evening snacks and came back to our room to have our dinner. 

Horizon at Laltibba@Landour

The next day we started early for the Ropeway. It was a Monday morning, the ideal time to visit the Gun Hill through a ropeway. At the top, the view is hardly restricted in any direction. We had our Maggi and tea in mild sunlight and a beautiful view of The Mall. After half an hour we decided to walk back through stairs and to have another round of beverages at Cafe Coffee Day near Camel's Back.

McLeodganj

Trip: Dalhaousie - Khajjiar - Chamba - McLeodganj

- Book hotel in McLeodganj if you have come to enjoy the nightlife. New and better hotels have cropped up near Bhagsu Nag which make more sense.
- Dalai Lama’s residence is probably the most important place in the entire neighborhood. Dal lake is a good view. Enjoy the authentic tibetan food at the end of market at Pema Thang.
- Keep a day for Triund trek. It is worth the time and effort. Take cab to the foothill of the trek and ask the driver to pick you in the evening on call. Going to Dharmshala downhill is a waste.

Come to McL for leisure. From Dalhaousie we had come to McLeodganj, the haven for foreigners with its weather and stockpile of drugs. I was with four of my closest friends this time. It was bound to be fun. We started with the little marketplace.

Main Market @ McLeodganj

Chamba

Trip: Dalhaousie > Khajjiar > Chamba > McLeodganj

The town of Chamba has historical and administrative significance in the region. There is little for a tourist although a well developed marketplace and few nearby religious spots make it ideal halting place. It is said that in the month of August there is hardly space for parking in the town as pilgrims from around India come for the Manimahesh trek. A big festival is funded by the local government in this month.

Khajjiar

Trip: Dalhaousie > Khajjiar > Chamba > McLeodganj

We moved towards Khajjiar before it was noon. Khajjiar is a popular tourist spot some 15 miles from Dalhaousie as well as Chamba. The charm of this place is a large meadow land that would come at sight while moving towards Chamba town. Khajjiar is often referred as mini switzerland of Kangra region.

Khajjiar Meadows

My first visit of this place couple of years ago is something that will remain in my memories for long. We were trekking from nearby peak called Kalatop and after some 10 miles in forest this vast green area just opened up. It was all the more surprising since nobody told me before about it.

Lake @ Khajjiar

It is said that this area was once singed by a meteor fall and later on only grass grew over this area. A little pond at the centre adds to the charm. Piyush had heard too much from too many people about this place which actually spoiled the surprise factor.

Sports @ Khajjiar

All we did was taking pictures around in our brief stay at this place. As such there is nothing here. There is a trek that links Khajjiar with Chamba that takes around two hours. I consider it to be one of the most beautiful treks I have done.

Dalhousie

Trip: Dalhaousie > Khajjiar > Chamba > McLeodganj

The four of us took the 9 PM Jammu Mail from Old Delhi Station. A vehicle was waiting for us at Pathankot station and we were able to hit Dalhousie at 10 AM as per our plans. Piyush had done extensive preparation to make us comfortable. Our further plan was to move as quickly as possilble to Chamba via Khajjiar.

Dalhousie is a small cloudy hill station with the market place starting from Subhash Chowk and ending at Gandhi Chowk within like quarter of a mile. We loved the weather. In the army guest house we were staying, clouds would come in through doors.

Last time I was in Dalhousie in the December of 2006 on a trekking expedition. It was dead cold then. The three days were fun as I was a part of a big group and we used to make little treks around the town as a part of acclimatization exercise.

We had our lunch with Piyush before starting for Khajjiar via the Mall Road of Dalhousie. As it was a weekday in off-season, most of the shops were closed. We ended up having just a cup of tea near Gandhi Chowk which I kept suspecting was made of goat milk.

Yercaud

We were three of us. Sumeet, Ashutosh and myself. The summers placement was just over and with a 5 day break ahead of us, we planned to visit this little known hill station near Salem. We started on a fine November morning from Bangalore to Yercaud on my car. The distance was 240 kilometers.

Rainbow on the way@Yercaud

Starting at 8 in the morning, we were fast enough to enter the town around 1. En route I drove my car into a stray dog. The incident was going to upset a lot of our plans.

Road of 36 Hairpin Bends@Yercaud

We skimmed through few hotels. The luxury of own car allowed us to search far and it was sheer serendipity that we ended up with heaven. Sterling Resort was not a resort as such. Our first impression was that of a hanging paradise. Our room was valley facing. For 2700 a day, it was a great deal for the three of us.

Tickmark Tourism Hot Spots@Yercaud

We decided to have our lunch in the room only. By the time we were done, the clouds also parted and we could clearly see the magnificent view of Salem from our room. We spent the evening driving around the hills and boating in the Emerald Lake. Later we had our share of drinks sitting in the terrace and watching mist playing with our view of twinkling Salem at night.

Emerald Lake@Yercaud

Next morning we woke up late. We started with a high point from where the town was visible. The Monfort School has an expansive campus as visible from top. We then visited a string of so called hot spots including Pagoda Point, Bell Rock, Gents Seat and Tipperary Estate. The only thing we missed was Kiliyur Falls. The path to the falls is tricky and it takes 5-6 hours going and coming back.

View from Sterling Resort@Yercaud

We started at around 3 from our hotel rooms and reached Salem comfortably before I realized that the accident with dog had damaged car's radiator. We ended up towing our car some 100 miles back to Bangalore with the help of a local garage. I would call even that as some adventure.

Nagothane

Bhaiya is a regular member of Countryside Adventure (www.countrysideindia.com) treks. I was in Mumbai during my term break and so we planned to go for the Nagothane trek which was planned by this club for the coming Sunday. It was 20th September, 2009 - the last day of my term break. We reached Sion on our own. A 30 seater packed minibus was waiting for us. We found our seats at the back and started our journey. The weather was pleasant and I was thoroughly enjoying the greenery alongside the highway that goes all the way to Goa. Our destination was some 120 kilometers from Sion. We disembarked near a village and lunch-box was distributed to us. The trek was a short one with moderate gradient.

Nagothane waterfall was visible from a distance. It is a cascading one of moderate height and the surroundings are beautiful. Having a bath in cold water under the warm sun of Mumbai was pleasant. We then opened our tiffin-box and had a sumptuous lunch. While trekking back, bhaiya noticed some amazing miniature natural mazes  of which he took some pictures.

We came back to Mumbai by 5 PM and by the time I reached home I was dead tired. I had to wake up early for the 7 AM flight to Bangalore next day.

Keylong

Trip: Manali > Rohtang > Keylong

Tens of thousands of tourists visit Rohtang every year but only one in hundred ventures further. How eactly the view pans out beyond Rohtang? We were going to check. After a couple of hours stay at Rohtang Pass, we decided to move towards Keylong  It was a bold move. In the very first mile, our car was stuck in the ice. I can never forget those minutes when I walked through the thick layer of ice barefoot - wet shoes were of no use.

6th Milestone from Rohtang@On way to Keylong

However the other side of Rohtang was heaven and worth the pain we went through. A ravine was visible deep into the valley. The green slope on its side was not the regular green.

Valley view after crossing Rohtang@On way to Keylong

We drove another 4 hours before deciding to halt at a point where two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga were meeting. It took us another hour of drive to reach Keylong  The town was peaceful. Monasteries were visible at height. The place had a calming effect. We forgot all the pain we took reaching here. A room was booked for the three of us in Hotel Chandrabhaga.

Bhaga River@Keylong

Night at Keylong is an unusual mix of calm mountains and noisy river. We loitered around on not so busy streets while searching for snacks for our late night party. Next morning we visited Shasur Monastery. It was at some height and the view of Bhaga Valley from the top was surreal. We spent some time talking with young monks and then moved back to Keylong. 

Shashur Monastry@Keylong

By noon we were on our way back to Manali and then to Delhi. The return trip reminded us what we were going to miss. Although Keylong had little in terms of popular spots, the way this town exists in itself is worth a visit.

Matheran

Trip: Mumbai > Matheran > Mumbai

I was going to Mumbai for my Nitie interview and hence came up with this trip. Bhaiya and Vikash agreed and we were on. Thanks to IRCTC, tickets were booked well in advance for the toy train that leaves Narel for Matheran and offers amazingly panoramic view. The three of us reached Matheran by noon hungry and sweating.

Toy Train, Matheran

Triund

Trip: McLeodganj > Triund

Our plan for next day was ambitious. We were supposed to wake up by  8 to start for one of the difficult treks of Triund  We woke up at 10 AM. Still we started for the ridge. Because we were little late we decided to cover the first two miles by hiring a car along the motor-able road.

Lower Dharamshala as visible midway on Triund trail

The initial climb was steep but we were fresh with a long night sleep - or so we thought. It was a 4 hour steep trek and within 15 minute we realized that  our lungs were all ready to burst out. Thankfully at one viewpoint we saw the whole McLeodganj / Dharamshala which was heartening for our hard work.

Triund ridge in the background

Soon the Triund ridge was visible. It was time to take rest and a few pictures. Settling at a small hut-shop we ordered Maggi and soft drinks. We had earned it. Slowly we started again and reached the top of the ridge all sweating.

Stony steps@Triund trail

At the top however the view was a fairy tale stuff. Green meadows were looking at white peaks. Lying down there relieved me of all the pain.

View atop Triund

We returned back quickly and were able to reach McLeodganj by 6.30 PM. I decided to leave as some urgent work at office wanted me to be there next day. I took a 7.30 PM bus for Delhi. It would have been a painful ride had I not taken with me a bottle of coke with vodka mixed in it.

Munnar

Trip: Kodaikanal > Munnar > Periyar > Alappuzha > Kovalam

We moved to Munnar after a day stay in Kodaikanal. To reach Munnar in itself is an unforgettable experience. Atleast 20 Km before the place, large estates of tea, coffee and cardamom are visible and as the road meanders through these lush gardens, one has a feeling of sailing in an endless green sea. We stayed in Munnar for three days.

Tea Estates @ Munnar

Mukteshwar

• Mukteshwar is less than 30 miles from Nainital through a scenic route full with roadside dhabas. They can  be easily coupled over a weekend stay.
• Chali ki jali is the only place worth a visit around Mukteshwar. It is behind Mukteshwar Mata Mandir and has a cliff worth climbing.
• People come to Mukteshwar for the calm weather and aloof atmosphere. It's good enough to bring the most creative in you.

I was picked up from my home late at night for the trip. We were seven of us. The plan was to hit Mukteshwar as early as possible so that we may rest in the first half. We were able to reach Jeeves' uncles hill house by 9 AM only. It was a sunny morning of August and the surroundings were beautiful. We ate our lunch and relaxed for the evening.

Valley View, Mukteshwar

Kedarnath

Kedarnath valley

Jyotirlinga temple@Kedarnath

Char dham of Uttarakhand

Gangotri

• Limited electricity supply means either you need to book a hotel with ample generator support or settle for a thick blanket.
• Maggi and coke are the most hygienic breakfast you will get in this part of country. The Gangotri village is small. Trek around to see natural land formations around.
• Gomukh is an overnight trip from here. The mouth of holy Ganges' origin has crumbled down. 

Trip: Rishikesh > Yamunotri > Gangotri > Kedarnath > Badrinath > Rishikesh

We started from Hanumanchatti (Yamunotri base) for Gangotri at 10 and only stopped at Uttarkashi for lunch. En route to Gangotri we found a dam, the flowing water from which was creating a permanent rainbow. There was also a hot water spring some 40 km before our destination where we had bath.

Ganges@Gangotri

Yamunotri

• One of the most arduous treks, Yamunotri takes one day to climb and come back but it is worth the experience of some of the most preserved glaciers in this area.
• Yamuna originates from here which has made authorities block the entire mouth of the glacier. You can take a bath in hot water spring nearby.
• Walk around the top. The view around with so many glaciers is mesmerizing. You can even walk on one of them or see water dropping inside which create a river eventually.

Trip: Rishikesh > Yamunotri > Gangotri > Kedarnath > Badrinath > Rishikesh

We hired a Sumo from Rishikesh for 1500 a day. It was going to be a long trip. The first morning was beautiful with a good weather and a mild drizzle. Passing Tehri was an event. The driver indicated demarcation up to which the reservoir will be filled. Our road was below that mark.

First stage of trek, Yamunotri