HIMACHAL PRADESH TRIP

 Day 1: –

Started from home at 5.10am to take the 7.15am Chandigarh AirIndia flight. Due to possible prosecution of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan in cbi court at Panchkuka, there were lot of speculation regarding movement of vehicle in and around Chandigarh. We had hooked a hotel room as safety backup. We landed at about 10am and collected our luggage. My wife enquirer with some local people regarding movement of vehicles to Mandi side as Shimla route was closed due to curfew. Our pre arranged driver was scaring us to travel through Punjab. Hi we re yo our surprise we found baby drivers were willing to go to Mandi as the drive through Punjab via Anandpur Sahib was totally safe. We took a vehicle for 4000 to drop us at Sundarnagar which is close to Mandi and asked our driver to cone there to pick up us. Had our lunch in the car while driving through highways and drive was very good and we reached Subdarnagar at about 2pm after starting from Chandigarh at 10.30am. Then we talked up our driver and after negotiation we drove to Mandi and from there changed to our vehicle of Sunny Kumar Ji. Drove towards Tirthan Valley through Manali Road. Just before Larji tunnel and the road going towards Aut, we took the right road towards Banjar and Tirthan valley. The entire drive is through good picturesque road on hills with Ravi river following us. Many high falling waterfalls and houses on hills were treat to our eyes. Driving was really pleasant and slowly moved towards Tirthan area of Nagini and Gussaini. Gussaini is about 30km from the tunnel and the Tirthan river flows downstream to mix with Ravi. We saw many orchards with pomegranate and apple. There us a local fruit called Japani which tastes like apple but he s harvested in Oct. we could make out that The water flow current is very heavy as the flow is from the glaciers. We reached our booked destination Trisha River Front Resort at about 4pm. The resort location is one of the best in the area and you can walk to river bed from the resort. We were only guests in the resort. The sound of the flowing river surrounds the entire place. The place is simply the best by any standard. The host came to meet us. The place is about 2km from Gussaini. Some some birds around the place but not any exotic varieties. Mainly wagtails and Bulbul. We could see one blue Magpie but it flew away. Ordered some tea and Pakora. The view from the balcony was also very good. Since we did not much to do, we were lazying around and gossiping. Real holiday and no one to disturb. Dinner was ready by 9pm and retired to bed. :

Day 2: –

 The early morning was really beautiful with the sound of flowing river and birds chirping. The resort guys were sleeping peacefully and we made our own tea to start the day. Looked around for birds and could see few of them. Went towards water front and spent some time there watching trout fish moving in the river and wagtails moving and flying around. This is a place to forget everything and enjoy tranquility and peace without any interference. The resort guys got up after 8pm and made tea for us. We got ready and had breakfast of Paratha and curd watered down with good tea. The food was good and tasty. After paying bill for our stay, we called up our next destination host which is about 2km further down towards Gussaini. The Raju Bharati guest house is located in the river bank with sound of flowing water everywhere. But we have to cross the river using the local made gondola traveling above river to cros over. The car has to be parked on the road but people and luggage have to move through the pulley over flowing river to reach the other side. It was a good experience for us. The place is good and has wooden floored rooms. We got a room on the ground floor. Mr Varun offered some apple juice to start with. The room is clean and only few guests are occupying the rooms in the Raju Bharati Guest House. The place is surrounded by full green cover with apple and cherry orchards. There are also pomegranate and
After keeping our luggage we went for a walk in the orchard area and saw few birds like Magpie and Himalayan Bulbul. Picked sone apples and pomegranate and pear and tasted all of them. The small trek was good and then we went to the river front to spend sometime. Lunch was served at 1.30pm. We arranged for a guide as we planned to trek to Ropa village about 3km from our place after lunch. We walked to Gussaini village point and crossed the bridge and walked towards Mata temple to start our trek. At this point there are two roads – one going towards Ropa village and other going Chamla village. Two rivers are flowing from glaciers and combining at Gussaini point. Our guide Rajiv Kishore is a very nice guy and we slowly started our trek with his help. The road is tough with small boulders at the start and sloping upward. Sad part is we saw many plastic pouches thrown on the roads which will destroy the environment. The jungle is full of long pine trees and we saw many birds – Himalayan Black Bulbul, Oriental white eye, Blue Whistle Thrush, Himalayan Paradise fly catcher, Great Barbet, Grey hooded Trip eye, Magpie Yellow billed Blue, etc. We reached the Ropa village and stopped at the Tirthan Himalayan Home which is located in a cliff overlooking the river and village as well as the Himalayan National Park. The entry gate if the spark is about 4.5km from that place. There is s beautiful waterfall near the place. There is a small bridge over the waterfall connecting villages. The ponies are used for goods carriage. People have to walk as vehicles can not run on that road. We stopped at the cafe there and had tea sitting in the balcony. The rooms are really good but totally secluded place. Extreme solitude. The owner of the hotel is a very nice man and we talked to him about the place and his interest. We could see mountains cliffs all around. School children were walking back to their homes. We slowly walked back towards Gussaini village and reached the place at about 5.30pm. Enjoyed the trek very much. Again crossed the river through trolley and had tea in the guest house. Talked to the owners for sometime and dinner was served at 8.30pm. Fresh Trout fish fry was for dinner and enjoyed very much. Retired tobed at about 9.30pm

Day 3 : –

 Got up early at about 5.30am with the sound of flowing river and chirping of birds everywhere. Took the camera and tried to capture few snaps of birds. Saw three Magpie birds on the pine tree but they flew away before I could take their snaps. Got to capture the Himalayan Bulbul and another small bird. Went near river bed and saw few wagtails playing around. Met the Doctor Sahil and his wife Nandini who are going for the morning trek of the orchard. They were waiting for tea. Had tea and then got ready for our trip to Jhalori pass and Selosur lake. The pass is the highest mountain point through which the road goes to Shimla and Narkanda connecting Kullu. It is about 9000ft above sea level. We had our breakfast at 9.00am and crossed the river to start for the Pass at 9.30am. First we have to go to Banjar town and then take the road to Shimla to reach the Pass after crossing Bhoja and Sojha. The road till Sojha was good through dense forest cover of long pine trees to give company. The climb is stiff at times but manageable. We stopped at Raja Guest House at Sojha for tea before starting for Pass. We talked to local people about their life and occupations. After having our tea, we started with our driving and reached the Pass at about 11.15am. Tge road after Sojha to pass was bad. The local people told us that we can drive about 1km inside the forest to the camp point and from there we have to walk in the forest for about 4km to reach the Lake and temple. We started our walk at about 11.30am and the road was really bad and stiff climb up and down. We walked more than 4km for about 1.5hours but could not locate the lake and there were nobody to ask. GPS was not able to help and then our tiredness forced us to return from there. After few minutes of walking we met some other people returning from the lake and they told us that we could have walked further down for 1km or so to reach the place. Anyway, we have already made our decision and slowly walked back. The return of as more difficult than going as there were stiff climbs on return. We could reach our car after walking for about 1.5hours and started for our hotel. Reached hotel at about 5pm fully tired and relaxed throughout the evening listening to music and talking. Dinner was served at 8.30pm and retired yo bed early.

Day 4 : –

 Early morning sky was overcast. Birds were missing in the morning. Went towards the river bed to see if birds are there near water. Took a walk in the orchard to pluck couple of apples. After morning tea, met the doctor couple who were preparing to leave for Manali via Naggar. Then took a stroll near the river bed and saw couple of pied kingfisher sitting far away on electric poles. Tried to take few snaps but the light and distance did not result in good snap. Decided to leave by 9.30am towards Manali via Manikaran. Breakfast was served at 8.30am and we packed our bags to move ahead. The experience was good at Raju’s Guest House which is managed by the family members. Good hospitality. Paid 9000 for our stay and collected some apples for the road and ready to drive. First we reached Banjar and then drove to Larji to take the Aut tunnel (3.5km long). At Larji, Tirthan River with clear water flowing from glaciers mix with Beas River water which is muddy. Stopped for tea on a roadside Shaba. On our way got one snap of a bird with a long tail looking like an eagle. Otherwise the drive was uneventful. Driving towards Kullu on highway, w had to take a detour to Manikaran. The drive was good with pine forests and apple orchards. Parvati River flowing downward followed us. Water was relatively muddy compared to Tirthan River. Apple harvest season is at peak and lot of people are selling apple and pear on the road. The vehicles were carrying crates of apple. The drive passed through many small towns and hamlets. The bigger place was Kassol where we find many Israeli people around the area. They visit this place regularly and stay here for months. Visited the Gurudwara at Manikaran and hot springs. Had little prasad in Gurudwara. Started for our destination from Manikaran at about 1.30pm and drive towards Kullu was uneventful. Beas River was following us on the Kullu highway. We saw guys doing rafting and kaykaying at Raisons. After crossing Kullu town we moved towards Manali but the road widening project made the vehicles to move very slowly and at one point we have to stop for about 30 minutes. After reaching the cross section from where a road goes to Naggar highway, we took that road for short cut to reach our destination instead of taking Kullu Manali highway which was very crowded. The road was not good and but it was scenic. Reached Manali Sterling White Mist at about 5pm. Checked into our room and nothing much to do in the evening. Dinner was at 8pm and retired yo bed early.

Day 5 : – 

Went for Hadimba temple in the city of Manali. It was raining and came back to hotel. Whole day was confined to hotel room and rest day.

Day 6 : –

 Raining in the morning. Started for Chandratal at 8.45am. Serpentine holy Road goes through mountains with Beas river following us. Sometimes we see snow clad peaks of Himalayan range and large pine trees. Apple orchards with full bloom and Apple picking and packing everywhere. In our way stopped for ATM and provisions. Drove towards Rohtang Pass in Manali-Leh Highway and reached the top at about 11.30 and had tea and biscuits at a nearby cafe. The place before Rohtang top where the cars are parked for tourist is Marhi and all tourists stop here for tea and snacks before going to Rohtang top. We Stopped our car on the highway at Rohtang top for snaps. Hardly any snow on the top. Few tourists were walking from the main highway to the view point of the top. We drive further as our destination is Chandratal. 4km Before reaching Koksar we are required to take a tight turn onto Kaza – Manali highway to pass through Chatru, Chotta Dhara, Baatal to reach our destination. But inadvertently we drove towards Koksar check point where police informed us that we have come the wrong way. We turned back and took the directed road. The road is in a horrible condition though recently it has been declared as a highway and BRO is supposed to maintain it. From the highway, Chatru is the first village of Spiti valley on our way. Only two dhabas are in the road with few tents available for trekkers and tourists. It is 17.3km from the highway but the road passes through two Pagal nullahs which gets really flooded with high water force when the weather level rises badly. One stretch we saw some natural forest with smaller trees looks like a plantation of kind but later we came to know from Govt. Officials that it is Bhoj Patra trees. These leaves were used for writing in ancient India. The road is full of boulders and one vehicle can pass. It started raining and we have to close our windows to save from rain. The views of hills and snow at tines with Chandra river flowing downward is magnificent though we drive at a speed of 15km per hour or so. We crossed Chatru and drove towards Chotta Dhara- another 17km further and stopped at a roadside dhaba for tea. It was raining and enquired with the Dhaba owner about the road condition towards Chandratal. He informed that 8 trekkers have left his tent accommodation in vehicles and gone towards Chandratal but they are expected to be back before evening. He informed that we should be careful of Pagal nullah ahead (about 8km) from his place which is flowing with high speed. We reached Chotta Dhara in about 30 minutes. It is a small place with population of 110. It has a pwd rest house on the road side. The road was bad and it was raining making it difficult to drive. The Chandra river was flowing against us and the hills were covered with cloud with less visibility. We crossed the nullah without much problem and reached Baatal which is about 20km from Chotta Dhara and stopped at the famous Chacha Chachi Dhaba. There weee quite a few bikers from Mysore who were going to Kaza and stopped here for tea and rest. We also have our tea here. Took some snaps with the owners. Chandratal is 14km from Baatal. From Baatal we gave up drive 1km up from where the road is divided – one is going to Chandratal and the other going to Kaza. The road is rough and it took about one hour to reach the campsite of Jamaica. It was already 4.30om. He was waiting for us and after initial introduction he led us to our tent. He suggested that we leave the luggage in the car and carry only few essential stuffs for night stay. It was very cold. The sky was getting clear and we decided to drive towards the Lake to see its beauty. Mr. Jamaica suggested that morning view of the lake will be best subject to the weather condition. The lake is about 3km from the camp – two Km to drive and 1km to walk. We slowly walked to the Lake and the view was magnificent. The clouds are coming back and making it dark. We returned to the tent and had dove tea. Our driver who had no experience of high altitude suddenly fell it and Mr. Jamaica suggested that he should move down from 14300ft at Chandratal to about 13000ft at Baatal and stay at the Dhaba there. Next day we will join him there at about 8am after breakfast. Chandratal has no network and hence nobody could be contacted. Our driver drove down towards Baatal. We rested in the tent. The tent us a small one with common bathroom. There were Others bikers (2 plus one pillion rider from Mysore) and one backpacker in the camp. The beds were on the ground but comfortable. At about 9pm, dinner was served with Rice and black daal with mutter paneer. Mr. Jamaica was a good host and we talked about our travel experience. He owns a hotel in Kaza. After dinner we retired to bed and could witness many million bright stars in the sky. The sky looked clear and we expected to have a good view of the Lake next day. However, when we got up after midnight to attend to nature’s call, we witnessed total dark sky with no stars. It looked like going to rain anytime. We we t back to sleep

Day 7 : –

Morning was rally cloudy and not any chance to seeing the lake it its colour. The idle changes colour as the sky changed its colour in the morning after sun cones out on normal days but it being a cloudy day, we were not in luck. Hence we decided to skip visiting the lake in the morning and head towards Baatal to take our vehicle to move towards Keylong. The driver charged us 1500 for dropping at Baatal. After reaching Baatal, we came to know that our driver has left for Manali as he was feeling bad and he had informed the Dhaba owner that he would arrange to send a replacement vehicle to pick us up from Baatal. We contacted him through Satellite phone STD and he informed that tge replace the driver had left Manali at 4am and he should reach Bastal by 9am. We decided against taking the bus going towards Manali and waited Gir the replacement vehicle. True to its word, the vehicle came at about 9am and we loaded ourselves into the same and dive towards Manali -Leh highway using the same route that we used for coming here. The weather has now changed to good and we could see the beauty of the place on both sides. The Chandra river was moving with us in the direction of Koksar in Lahul valley. After driving about 15km or so, we realized that the driver is having some problem in adjusting the gear. At Chotta Dhara he stopped for some time and made some adjustments to the gear and moved forward. The road has no possibility of any mechanics. Yesterday we had seen a vehicle to breakdown with punctured tyre and today in the morning while going towards Baatal we saw the same vehicle broke down again with another Punctured tyre. Our driver was getting very uncomfortable while driving and he continuously kept one hand on the gear handle. We crossed Chatru at about 11.30pm and drive towards Leh highway with the said condition. After driving about 1km from Chatru the gear completely gave in and the driver tried his best to lock it to first gear but failed. There was possibility of any mechanic to repair the vehicle and we are still about 10km away from the main road. It was a difficult situation. After some time we saw a HP Govt vehicle coming with three passengers including the driver. We requested them to stop and help us. The driver of the HP vehicle, Mr. Ganesh is gem of a man and was very helpful. Other two passengers – .Mr. Govind Thakur, Engineer and Mr. Hari Sharma, Officer from Rural Development Drot have gone to Kaza to attend to the formalities fir Governor’s visit to Kaza. They tried yo provide a helping hand to the driver but there was no success. They assured us that they would ensure to move us to Koksar or Keylong in their vehicle in case our vehicle is not repaired. They stopped many vehicles and asked the drivers to provide help to rectify the gear. They also promised that they will arrange to tow the vehicle to Main highway with the help of the Fire Engine which is coming from Kaza and is expected to reach by 2pm at the place where our vehicle is standing. The Fire Engine had also gone to Kaza to attend to Governor’s visit. At bout 2pm the Fire Engine arrived and the driver being an ex-army person tried his hand to rectify the problem of our vehicle. He was successful partially as the car stared moving up and down but it was suggested that the vehicle will require a change of part or it will breakdown anytime. After some time it was decided that the vehicle need to be towed to the main road and then it can move on 3rd gear at which the gear is locked as the road to Keylong is downward slipping at least till Tandi. Mr. Ganesh, Mr. Hari and Mr. Govind made us to sit in their vehicle and we started driving upward at about 3.00pm. We drove slowly as not only the road was bad and we had to cross to nullahs with full force but also we have to work as a pilot car for the big fire engine towing our vehicle. The officers from Rural Development and Fire Brigade were so nice and helpful that we completely forgot our trouble. In between we stopped to see the vehicles coming properly. We talked about many things including the road condition, local culture and language, etc. We reached the main highway at about 4pm and waited for the Fire Engine to arrive. The officers suggested that we should drive to Keylong in their car and suggested we stay at HPTDC Hotel for the night and the vehicle can be repaired there. We stopped before Koksar check point for tea and officers from both Depts. had their food at the local Dhaba. We had our tea and talked to local people sitting in the shop and gossiping. They knew the driver Ganesh very well and enquired if we have come for the ensuing Agri seminar. After having food, we started for Keylong and our original driver, Prakash, informed us that he would drive towards Keylong and wound stop at the point if the vehicle can not go any further and would require pushing help in rising slopes. The road from Koksar to Tandi passed through Sissu and the road is really good with breathtaking views of the valley and hills with Chandra river following. We saw people are harvesting Cauli flower, cabbage, iceberg, etc. and trucks are carrying loads of these to drive yo main city. The villages are Buddists typically and very well to do. The apples are in full bloom everywhere. These are likely to be harvested in October/November. The Road is very wide and we could see the snow clad peaks. We saw Debidaru trees on the other side of the river which looked inhabitated. The trees are smaller in size compared usual Debdaru trees. We reached the Sangam point at Tandi where the rivers Chandra and Bhaga are confluencing together to create Chenab going to J&K. We reached the hotel at about 5.15pm and checked into the hotel. The officers requested the hotel manager to take care of us. We waited for our luggage to arrive. Before reaching hotel, we had a glance at the Lady of Keylong – an image created in the sky when the sun set happens and it must be watched from a strategic point on the road closer to the hotel. The repairing of our vehicle was taking long time as the driver has to wait for the power to get restored for welding. We watched india srilanka cricket match and in between then finished buffet dinner at the restaurant. The Chandrabhaga hotel serves as a point of break journey and overnight stay for Govt tourism trips from Leh to Manali. We saw a bus with about 50 tourists getting down from the bus for their overnight stay. Our vehicle after repairing reached at about 9.15pm. We changed our clothes after two days and relieved for our night sleep.

Day 8 : –

Breakfast was simple paratha with curd and bread and jam. Started from hotel at 9am towards Udaipur. The river followed us along with scenic view of the hills and pine trees with apple orchards near villages. Cultivation of vegetables like cauliflower flowers and cabbage is common. We took a detour at 6km before Udaipur to visit Trilokinsth temple on a hill. It is a combivation of Hindu and Buddhist temples and used as pilgrimage for people of both sects. The drive was beautiful as we can see the awesome beauty of the place from the top with Chndrabhaga river flowing down. We came back to the main road and started our journey towards Udaipur. The road is not very good at times but the scenic beauty takes away all difficulties. Villages on the hills look picturesque and a treat for our eyes. Occasionally we see HP Govt buses and few tourist vehicles. On the main road, we stopped at a very old temple called Mrikula Mata temple to offer our prayers. It is a heritage site and very good old. We stopped on the road near a hut to ask for tea thinking it as a roadside shop. There are two ladies (one from Nepal and the other from the plains) made tea for us and did not charge any money. They suggested that we visit the Mindhal Mata Mandir on our way by taking a detour of about 5-6km. We reached the foothill of the village Berni and Mindhal and parked our car and saw many people are climbing the hills to reach the temple. Our driver Prakash and the helper Suresh decided to climb and I suggested they help my wife to go with them and I and my son waited in the car. It took more than one hour for them to return as it was a serious climb upto a level after which there are stairs. Coming down was also tedious. After their return we started to drive towards Pangi valley. The road has a border between Lahul and Killar has s beautiful and a very large waterfall from which water was flowing at very high speed. We could see various picturesque villages in the hills of Pangi. There were many villages with interesting names. We crossed the famous cherry Bunglow of Pwd and went forward. The road was totally slushy and muddy and about 5km from our destination we got stuck at a point because a Lordy has got stuck its wheels in the slush. With lot of difficulty, it could manage to provide a little space enough for us to drive forward. We drove yo pwd Bunglow and requested the caretaker for emerge room but he said that we have no confirmed booking. We tried all ways but he was not willing to provide any help. Another group of travelers from Delhi have also arrived and they were asking for rooms. PWD accommodation is located at the top of Killar hills just below helipad and can have fantastic views. After we could not manage the room at pwd guest house we went to Hotel Raj seeking accommodation. The group of 8 travelers have also come to Raj Hotel for stay and they took all 4 double rooms as they had informed them earlier for accommodation. We hot the room at the top floor with higher rent. Room was just okay with 4 beds. The view from the hotel was good and we could see the entire range of snow clad hills. We ordered some snacks and tea and afterwards we were ready to explore the place. We drove towards Hudan to see the entire range of hills with snow clad peaks. The road was really bad after the Helipad and we drove in slush but could see the magnificent view of the range of mountains. Returned to Hotel at about 7.45pm and talked yo the other tourists about their experience of road coming from Suchpass area. We ent to the nearby market to see if we could get sone provisions. We shared our experience of travel with them and guided them how to reach Tandi and Sissu. We met an Israeli couple who were driving motor cycle to tour Indian hills. They had already covered Kistwar Road and they plan to go to Chamba and Manali but have very bad plans. We ordered our dinner for 8.30 snd went to sleep soon afterwards as we planed to mice out of Killar next day because the hotel was but very good and the Suchpass gets closed at times.

Day 9 : – 

we started from hotel at about 9.30am though we had planned for 8.30am. The late was due to the non-availability of rooms for drivers to take bath and get ready for our journey. The road from Killar starts with slushy mud but soon afterwards the road became better and we drove through many villages with beautiful names and most villages are located on slopes of mountains and where there are space for step cultivation. The Chsndrabhaga river followed us till we crossed a hanging bridge over the Chandrabhaga river connecting Suchpass road. The road has beautiful scenic hills and waterfalls all over. Few. Villages could be seen after we crossed the bridge. The steep climb was difficult for the vehicle. We drove at low speed as the ascent was tough but the roads have no signposts to tell us how far we have come. The road become more difficult as moved forward uphill towards Suchpass with many pagal nullahs and waterfalls on the road. The road was only boulders spread all over. There were many car wash points and the car gets automatically washed as we pass through those point. As we progressed further, we could see the snow and snow bridges. The high peak of tge pass was visible. The clouds were now engulfing us and rain also slowly started. After reaching the pass, we could witness snowfall and we stopped near the temple at the top of Suchpass to take snaps. The clouds were making the things difficult for us as visibility dropped. We slowly started our descent towards the other side towards Bairagarh and Chsmba. After driving about 2km we suddenly witnessed alpine flowers everywhere with beautiful colors of Blie, white, red, yellow, purple, etc. we suddenly came across BluePoppy flowers and stopped our car to take snaps. We were mesmerized with the flowers and it was comparable to valley of flowers but people do not visit this place to see flowers. We drove slowly and reached a place called Satrundi closer to J&K border. The HP police is permitting vehicles to go upto Suchpass after entering details. Incoming vehicles like ours also need details of travelers. We had sone tea here and talked to the police people. They took our video with the car as it is mandatory at this point. After sometime, we started our descent towards Bairagarh. It is a place with scenic beauty and is located on a mountain cliff. The guys we met at Killar also stayed here as the road was closed towards Chamba due to vehicle breakdown. The road is through many hills with tall pine trees and waterfalls and we could see villages on hills with step farming. The Shepards were out with their goats snd sheep. About 5-6km to Bairagarh we found our vehicle’s clutch is not fu not working properly. We had no choice but to drive at low speed of 10-15km per hour though the road sign allowed upto 70km per hour. We stopped at Tisa where we found one mechanic who can do the repairing. It took about 45 minutes to repair the vehicle and after that we drove towards Chamba. 6km before Chamba the driver took a wrong turn and we had to reverse about 5km distance in vain. We reached Chamba at about 7.15pm and changed our car and drive towards Khajjiar as we planned to stay there instead of Chamba which was hit and humid and polluted with lit of smoke. Khajjiar is about 29km from Chamba and we reached our hotel at Khajjiar at about 8.30om. Had dinner at 9 and went to sleep as we had a long day.

Day 10: –

Morning was clear sky at Khajjiar and we could see some local birds moving around. Tried to take few snaps. And we decided to have a rest day at Khajjiar and visit local forest and village on trekking and visit Chamba. We started from our hotel at about 10am for trekking. The distance of trekking is about 1.5km inside jungle but the road is good. We walked till the village where people have cultivated corn. The view was magnificent from top. There were lot of village dogs who have been trained to chase away bears who cone in the night for eating corn in the field. We came back and decided to drive to Chamba to see the ancient temple at the top of the hill. We went for buying local shoes for ladies. Roamed around in the park for sone time. The park was full of people as if it is a holiday. While driving we passed through police ground in which recruitment is taking place and large number of young men have lined up for the physical tests. The place was full with not only young men but with their parents and relatives. We met some students at the park who have bunked their classes and enjoying by in the park. After spending sometime here we decided to walk around in the market for some more time to buy few stuffs and then drive to the top temple for view. The drive is about 10 minutes uphill and the temple is under ASI protection. We got a 360 degree view of the Chamba city from the top. The Ravi river is flowing through the town of Chamba and the city is more crowded with vehicles and people all around. After spending some time there we decided to drive back to Khajjiar. When we dtivevffom the town to the temple our driver requested us to accommodate two girls for his village who are to be dropped at the hill top in the direction of the temple. We happily agreed and talked to the two sisters about their life. One has finished her studies upto graduation and did some typing and computer courses and is married now and the other is studying nursing. While we waited at the temple, Our driver dropped them at their village and came back after some time. We drive back to Khajjiar and reached our hotel at about 4.30pm. Rested for sometime. Started for Khajjiar jhil at about 5.30pm to walk around the meadows. It was lush green cover and spent sometime there walking around the place. HP Tourism hotel at the top is closed for renovation and forest rest house is beautifully located. Only cottage of HPTDC is open whuchveill require walk to reach. We will explore staying here in our next visit. After spending about one hour there we came back and we saw the sky getting cleared and we cold see the snow clad Mani Mahesh and other peaks from our hotel. Visited the nearby Jagadamba temple in the evening. Dinner was served at 8.30pm and retired to bed at about 9.30pm.

Day 11 : –

We packed our bags and started for Kalatop forest after breakfast. The drive is through jungle road with full green cover provided by tall pine trees on both sides. We took a detour near Lakadpatti to visit Thenkund top. It is a drive if 3km from the detour point and has Indian army stationed here for Radar operations. The card need to be parked down and a trek of 1.5km uphill need to be taken to reach the top to see the view. We climbed the hill slowly and met a family from Bhubaneswar (Mr. Mahapatra) who is working in PNB AT Burdwan. His wife and son and daughter were with him and they have one to see Dalhousie and then drive back to Amritsar and then visit Jodhpur and back to Bhubaneswar. Not a very planned holiday but family togetherness. We reached the top after trekking for about 30minutes. The top is rally magnificent and you can have a great view in the clear day but the clouds were everywhere and we were totally engulfed in the cloud. At times it was getting cleared and ten the clouds cones back and makes visibility poor. A group of 4 ladies with one child are picnicking at a strategic point and wee enjoying the weather with their dance and taking selfies. We climbed back and reached our car and then drive towards Kalatop forest. The drive is 3km from the Lakadpatti through muddy road. They are currently laying stone and concrete road and the working is going on. We rescued the forest rest house at about 12.45om but we’re informed that it will take time to get the room as the office is having meeting and they will confirm only after 1.30pm. The forest Bunglow is really beautiful. They have two rooms at the top for each faucets from the Govt. And 5 cottages down are for others. It is very well maintained and the garden has lot of flowers and seating arrangements to enjoy the weather. We met 3 gentlemen from Govt who have cone to stay here for the night get. One is a scientist from Dr. Parmar University of horticulture and another gentleman is from Election commission and the other gentleman is from police provide security. We were allocated a room at about 2.00pm. The place is really awesome with fantastic view of Dalhousie town from top. There are two small joints who provide food to the tourists. There are continuous flow of tourists to visit the place and spend sometime here and go back as they have come on day trip from Dalhousie which covers Khajjiar and Thenkund and Kalatop. It was disturbing he Peace of the borders stating here. We again met Mr. Mahapatra and his family and invited them for coffee and we gossiped many things. The clouds were everywhere and visibility was dropping. Sometimes the sun comes
out but again clouds comedown. We spent our time lazying around the garden. Purchased some key required bags for my office staff as souvenirs. Night was rally peaceful and dinner was served at 8.30pm and went to bed by 9.00pm

Day 12: –

Breakfast at 7.30am. The sky is little overcast and we decided to start from Hanle at 9.00am to Tso Moriri. We have to drive through desert and rugged mountain ranges and witnessed mild sand storms. We crossed Rongo in about 1 hour and reached Loma Bend for clearance from ITBP. The road at Loma bend divided into two – one going to Pangong side which we used at the time of coming and the other is going to Tso Moriri through Mahe Bridge. We crossed Muth village and then stopped at Nyoma to visit a senior secondary school as a co-passenger we picked up from Hanle wanted to meet his daughter who is studying in the school. We met the principal of the school who happened to be from Nurla village from where our driver hails. The school has 210 students and 19 teachers and caters to only 9-12 std free of cost. Most children belong to Nomadic families and it is a co-Ed school with free boarding provided by the Government. The weather was windy and we saw many army posts including air strips and helipads. We drove towards Mahe and reached the place at about 11.30am. We obtained permission to visit ChangThang Valley to see the hot springs. It is about 22km from Mahe bridge and the road is very good as it leads to Leh and army uses the same very frequently. The hot spring is something to see. Near the river there are many pits from where the hot water is bubbling. At one place we saw the large hot spring ( when we reached it was an ordinary stone pit without any water and after some time the large pit was full of water with bubbling hot) where water gets completely sucked out after few minutes and the place becomes a stone pit. It was an amazing experience to watch the phenomena. We recorded a video. Our co-passenger got down here as he wanted to go to Leh. We drove back to Mahe bridge as we wanted to go to Tso Moriri. The road to Karzok (Tso Moriri) is really bad as it is only boulders over which you have to drive. On our way we encountered snow fall. We reached Sumdo where the road divided into two – one goes to Leh through TakLakLang La and the other goes to Karzok. We stopped for tea in a road side restaurant as it started to snow heavily. On our way to Sumdo we saw a large hoard of Ibex (mountain goats) and took snaps. As the snowing became mild we started to drive towards Karzok. The road has been really bad. We saw the small lake before the Main lake. We reached Karzok at about 3.15pm and took permit from the ITBP. The place is badly developed. Only two brick mortar hotels and rest are camps. Very few tourists here. After checking in, had some tea and went out to see the lake from the highest point in Karzok. Returned to hotel at 6.00pm. Dinner and went to bed. Very cold in night and required heavy blankets. Did not have sound sleep.

Day 13 : –

 early morning was sunny and bright. Went out to see the Mani Mahesh and it was not fully visible due to clouds. Then saw the green woodpecker which we had missed while driving towards Kalatop forest. Rather there were two of them playing around. Took few snaps. Other birds were missing. Started to get ready so that we can drive to Dharmsala at about 10am. Breakfast was bread and omelette with curd. Packed the stuffs and paid the hills and started our drive towards Dharmsala. The road was really good and we stopped at a place called Jot to see the hilltop. It is a small place providing trekking service to trekkers and overnight accommodation. You can trek to Dalhousie and Kalatop as well as to Khajjiar. The place is also famous for barfi sweets. We purchased 500gms of freshly made barfi from Jaiswal sweets. Started driving again towards our destination. The road is through hilly terrain with ups and downs. We stopped at a road side dhaba at Shahpur for our lunch. We reached Dharmsala at about 4pm. Then drive towards McLeodganj which is about 3km up from Dharmsala. We checked into Ekant Hotel suggested by our driver, Sunny Ji. The room was okay with accommodation for three people at the top floor. From the balcony seating area we can view the Dhauladhar range peaks. Hardly any snow now but view was good. We went out to see the temple – it was walk of about 1km from the hotel and we offered our prayers there. Lot of lamas are practicing prayers there. Walked back to the hotel after buying few stuffs. Ordered dinner and rested for the day.
Day 14: –

 Visited Bhagsunag temple and water fall. The waterfall is about 1.5km from the parking area. But worth visiting the place. Water flow is really good and people were enjoying the same very well. The climb is little stiff but manageable. Enjoyed for sometime there and then walked back to the parking area. Visited one leather bags store and chose one to buy but the product was little defective and we decided not to purchase. Then drive to Naddi about 9km uphill and the highest point of Dharmsala. In a clear day you can see Dhauladhar range very clearly from here. Due to clouds, we could not see much. Stopped at the Dal Lake and saw large fishes in the lake. Spent sometime there and then drove back to the main city to move towards Dharmsala. We gave up first cone down from Dharmsala and then we have to take the road towards Pathankot -about 60km- to reach Amritsar. We first came to Shahpur and stopped for lunch at Sharma Dhaba. Torn drove towards Draman and then took the Pathankot road.
The road is rally good and we can drive faster. Sumo did but gave AC but we were comfortable. We changed to the AC car in Pathankot and drove to Amritsar – another 110km on highway 154. There are two toll tax points which need to be paid out for smooth movement. Reached Amritsar guest house at about 6.00pm.

Day 14- started for airport at 6.30am and reached there at 6.45am. Go Air flight. The only staff looks after landing and depart. He has gone for the flight take off and hence waited in line for check-in fir more than 30 minutes.