Mumbai-Bangalore Road trip

The return trip from Mumbai proved to be more than an experience. I started early on 11th June. The deadline was 14th when I had to attend a class at 10. The first stop was yet not decided. It took so much time exiting Mumbai that I was in Pune at 1. It was a bad sign. 

I was planning to stop at Kolhapur although decided otherwise when I saw the Mahabaleshwar road sign. Deciding to digress, I reached Panchgani at 4 and checked in to a hotel.

Within an hour it started raining and I was hotel bound. It rained the entire night. I woke up early at 5 and started at 6. The first stop was Parsi Point. At 6, the view of the valley below was calming. 

The next point was a plateau large enough to take a hour to cover in entirety. I was alone with my car. As the sun rays broke through the cloud I felt like a proud eyewitness to the beautiful act of nature.

It took some effort to convince myself to leave the place and I reached Kolhapur at 10. The McD at highway was not to be missed. I intended to drive non-stop to Davangere hence rested for an extra half an hour at McD before beginning at 11. 

The journey to Davangere was uneventful except that I stopped at Ranebennur to buy the famous Dharwad Pedas for all my friends at college. The next day I started late for Bangalore and reached my hostel at night with a few rests in between.

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

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.

Hebbe Falls

• Visit after the rains. The gushing waterfall at its full flow is an amazing view to behold. Take a bath. The sprinkles gives you goosebumps. 
• Take Maxx from Chikmagalur city. Regular vehicles can't reach this place with the mountain terrain and bad  roads. They charged us 500 bucks and it was worth the experience.
• You have to trek the last mile up to the waterfall. The last turn when the waterfall opens up to full view is magical or at least I thought so.

The first time I visited Chikmagalur, the four of us - Vivek, Sumeet, Ashutosh and myself started from Bangalore for Kemmengundi. It is a newly popular hill station near Chikmagalur  It was our plan to stay here for the night and visit nearby waterfalls among other things.

Windmills@Chikmagalur

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.

Shivasamudram

Trip: Bangalore > Shivasamudram > Bangalore

We planned the one day trip to Shivasamudram well in advance. It was an extended weekend so Kishore had no problem. Nidhi was the mastermind behind the planning. We started early morning on 16th August, 2009 for Kanakpura Road. The distance to cover was 160 kilometers ans we were expecting ourselves at the waterfall by 12 noon. Shivasamudram is one of the largest waterfalls in India in terms of throughput of water.

Gagana Chukki@Shivasamudram

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.

Rohtang

• Rohtang is the most visited pass in India, only people don't actually pass it unless they are going to Keylong, Leh or Key. Its more beautiful beyond.
• Maggi and a hot cup of tea are a must at Rohtang. Do take a picture while eating. It's a ritual.
• Away from the crowd, the ice capped pass does expand further that an adventurous traveler may explore. Nobody stops you.

Rohtang, possibly the most famous pass in India, was on our way to Lahaul Spiti. Rohtang is the gateway to Leh via Keylong and also to the pristine natural beauty of Chandrataal region.

Beautiful Rohtang

Manali

Trip: Manali > Rohtang > Keylong

It was the regular group - me, Piyush and Prateek. This time we decided to go for a long one. Our last trip of Pithoragarh was fun. We wanted to continue from that experience. It was the night of 27th May, 2009 when the three of us started. We chose this time of the month because we wanted to go beyond Manali to Lahaul Spiti which opens up during the peak of summers only.

The last few miles before Manali are remarkable when the road moves along the river. Manali is not a very large town, most of the hotels and residential area being located in one side of Beas river. Fortunately we found an accomodation in Hotel Beas (an HPTDC hotel) which was just on the bank of the river. In fact our room was on the ground floor and we could distinctly hear the flowing water. In the afternoon, we paid a holy visit to Hidimba Temple.

We spent the evening roaming around the bazaar area. We packed some snacks and came back to our room as it got darker. After some drinks and all it was time for dinner. The restaurant named Chadrabhaga was impressive with old woodwork and a decent food.

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

River Rafting, Rishikesh

• Camping next to Ganges has been stopped by NGT now. Still there are camping options nearby.
•  It is better to book the entire package with camping like food, rafting etc.
• Rishikesh is not walking distance, it makes sense to cover the city on return leg.

It was the first long drive from my car. I was excited. Piyush and Animesh agreed to share the risk and hence we started on the weekend of the Christmas of 2008. Disaster struck within 2 hours of our departure. Thanks to low visibility, my car was hit by a Santro and all of us were down - the fun was supposedly gone.

Sad me with first dent in my car

We reached Rishikesh by 1 and realized that the damage was not much. That somehow lifted our spirit. We booked for a riverside camp and ate our lunch there. By 4 we were flowing on a raft in the Ganges. 

Camp next to Ganges @ Shivpuri

There were several rapids and most of them were able to push us flat on the floor of the raft however we tried to balance ourselves. That was hair-raising fun.

Rafting team

We came back by 7 and dried ourselves in our respective camps. A bonfire was prepared at the centre of the camp and delicious snacks were being served. That it was a cold December made the arrangement perfect. Later we had a tasty dinner far superior to our expectations. We slept hard as the day was exhausting.

Morning view of Ganges, Shivpuri

Next morning we woke up in the middle of hills and a river. We left the camp by 8 and reached the Rishikesh city for breakfast by 9 AM. it was planned at the famous Chotiwala. The servings were average. We tried Gita Bhavan for some sweets and became instant admirers of the place. 

Ram Jhula

Post some photo-shoots on Ram Jhula we started back for Delhi and were back to our respective homes by 5 in the evening.

Pithoragarh

Trip: Delhi > Nainital > Pithoragarh > Delhi

I call it the mother of all trips. So many incidents happened during this three day trip that it is worth a novella only that nobody will buy it. We started on a breezy night of July. The moment we crossed Haldwani, it started raining while visibility deteriorated to few meters. We had to stop the car and decided to sleep for few hours before dawn.

The land of Bugyals, thats where we were going. Pithoragarh is a small town 90 kilometers from Almora. It should take at most 14 hours of drive to reach this place from Delhi. It took us 22 hours. As it happened, our driver fell asleep while driving and we hit the hill side. Fortunately it was only the two side tyres that got punctured. On the other side of the road was a river flowing deep. We reached Almora for breakfast after repairs and then moved forward for Pithoragarh  The driver was told not to hurry up and hence we were able to reach our destination by 5 in the evening.

Piyush had asked for arrangements at cantonment area and we were treated like royals. The subsequent drinks & dinner settled us for a good sleep. In the morning we left for Chandak. It is the highest point in Pithoragarh.  The view from top is unimaginably beautiful. Its surreal in real sense.

We left Pithoragarh after a brief breakfast for Patal Bhubaneshwar. I had heard a lot about it from my friends. Yet what we were going to see cannot be described. We were guided to a slit shaped opening at Patal Bhubaneshwar temple. The slit took us down for some 60 feets before it opened up into a large cave. Stalectite formations were visible on the ceiling. We moved from one part of the cave to another. At the last cave there was a huge head-shaped structure shimmering in the low lighting of the cave. Water was trickling from thread-like structures coming out. We kept looking at it for a while.

As we came out it started raining. We had to move quickly so as to reach Almora before dark. The next morning was planned for a short stay at Nainital before I would separate from Piyush and Prateek to attend the wedding of Yagesh Da. The best thing about the trip was that we survived seven tyre punctures and every time  the driver stopped for repairs, there always was a beautiful surrounding to engage us.

Jim Corbett

The seven of us started on a midsummer night for Ramnagar. Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve has several entrances, the most accessible among them is Ramnagar. With few hiccups we reached there by 5 AM. It was critical. The booking for rooms/dormitories within the jungle start at 6 and one has to be among first few in the queue to get them. Manas took care of that. As a temporary arrangement, a circuit house was booked for us to rest and relieve ourself in the morning. By lunch we finally entered the gates of reserve and were settled in a large dormitory in the middle of the jungle.

The evening was spent in a jungle safari which proved more adventurous that expected thanks to a female elephant which started running towards us. Those were few scary moments. We were not expecting to see tigers. It is a rare sight even in Jim Corbett.

Later in the night we were surprised to be served delicious homely dinner by the servants. The seven of us then fell asleep after some chit chat and bantering. I woke up at around 4 AM with some noise that was coming from outside. It was still dark. As I came out I realized that two of my friends were already standing outside. It was raining hard. The entire area was almost flooded.

That delayed our exit till 9 AM. Just before we were leaving, two jeep full of girls alighted and the look on our faces was worth a mention. We couldn't believe we were leaving with a worst possible timing. Later we went to Gharzia Temple and had a dip in the flowing river while it was still raining. We were back to Delhi before 9 and a compact weekend holiday was well spent.

Alappuzha

Trip: Kodaikanal > Munnar > Periyar > Alappuzha > Kovalam

We reached Alappuzha by afternoon through a road which flaunted large green fields on both sides. Alappuzha or Alleppey is famous for backwaters. As a city that runs on tourism, Alappuzha is a decent place to stay for a couple of days. We stayed in. The evening was dedicated to a boat-ride to the lovely backwaters. The boat spends some 2-3 hours completing a round. The houseboats were extremely costly, priced at close to 10k per night, as December was the peak tourist season.

Backwaters Ride, Alleppey

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

Kodaikanal

• Best time to visit is March with exams ensuring little crowd. Coaker's Park is the place around which most of the attractions exist.
• You will need a vehicle to cover the distant points like three pillar rock, silent valley and Guna caves. Lake is in the middle of city and readily available.
• Try hand made chocolates and coffee for which Kodaikanal is famous. Relax. You can go for the Elephant Valley nearby which is famous for a gorgeous ravine view and elephants.

Trip: Kodaikanal > Munnar > Periyar > Alappuzha > Kovalam

Kerala trip was a bit more than what the three of us had expected from it. Manish and Vikash were with me. We started with  Kodaikanal which is in Tamil Nadu by taking Tuticorin Express from Bangalore to  Kodaikanal Road. There we took a bus and in another couple of hours we were inside the hill station. Thanks to online hotel booking on www.cleartrip.com, we quickly settled in our hotel which was just in front of the bus stand.

Coaker's Park, Kodaikanal

Goa

The outbound trip, sponsored by the company, was full of fun. We made planned visits to various locations and the 200 strong team had sweet memories. As the trip was professionally organized we had little to bother but enjoy every moment of our stay at The Leela.

Hotel Leela Palace @ Goa

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