Barog

We planned on a whim. We were looking for an outing with our pet golden retriever Leo and found a highly recommended AirBnB called Red Roof Homestay in Barog where we booked two nights stay. Barog is less than 7 hours from Gurgaon. We did not want to test our Leo for longer travel for our first trip together.

View from our bedroom

We started after breakfast at 9 and reached our destination at 4. We were warmly welcomed and after a quick check in we settled in our room. The stay was lavish. There were two rooms and a large garden exclusively for us. The bedroom had a large bed and the other room had a large TV and balcony access. We were provided a small kitchen where we prepared our coffee and enjoyed the serenity around. Leo was thoroughly enjoying the garden and freedom.

Leo, enjoying the winter sun

Next day we enjoyed the warm sun in the cold november morning and started planning for the day. There were couple of options with us. Shimla was about an hour away and so was Chail. By noon we were too lazy and ditched the entire plan. After lunch we decided to go for the Barog station. It is part of the Himalayan Toy Train which has been awarded a Unesco World Heritage Site status.

Barog Himalayan Railway Station

Barog station was a 20 min hike from our stay and an amazing discovery. It was as if we had been transformed to the British era suddenly. Narrow gauge rail lines coming out of the tunnel and going further into the mountains were mesmerising. The station itself was nestled deep in the mountains with surrounding forest. There was a stall where we had tea and some snacks.

The stall owner told us there is another way to the station from the top and we decided to take that hike as well. We ended up couple of miles away from our stay but the trip was worth it. Somehow we managed to get back to our room where the hotel chef had prepared a delicious meal or mutton and rajma with bread for us.

‘Why am I being asked to pose?’ expression

Next day we left for Gurgaon after another sunny morning in the mountains and a sumptuous breakfast. We were crossing Chandigarh in no time and decided to stop over at an old friend’s house in Panchkula on our way home.