Travelogue of travel to Himachal Pradesh
Travelogue of travel to Himachal Pradesh
1st November 2010.
We started from Chakki Bank, got down there and took an auto rickshaw to Pathankot. At Pathankot bus stand we got a bus to Dalhousie. It was a 3 hr ride and we reached Dalhousie at around 6 pm on 1st of November 2010. We checked a few hotels and finally settled for Aarti Hotel (Garam Sadak, Near GPO, Dalhousie 176304 HP. Tel 01899-242433 for our stay. It had a wonderful view of the valley down. The staff was helpful and it was fairly cold at that place. We unpacked our bags and got into warmer clothes. This hotel is on the thandi sadak, between Subhash Chowk and Gandhi Chowk. Gandhi Chowk is the place where all the market is located. We had food at Hotel Sharma.
2nd November 2010
The next day we got a bus to Chamba. The view of the surroundings while travelling was just stupendous. We were travelling alongside river Ravi, and saw pine tree forest, snow capped mountains and river Ravi gushing alongside. We reached Chamba at noon; saw the museum, the Laxmi Narayan Temple. Also saw Rang mahal which was a big letdown, as there was nothing to see in Rang Mahal. The ride back was equally exciting with dam on Ravi and the hydro electric power station on it. The ride is around 3 hrs one side but worth the ride.
3rd November 2010
The next day we went to Khajiar which was around one and a half hour. The ride here was also breathtaking. Beautiful pine tree forest, huge mountains some of which were snow capped. Khajiar is a small clearing in this forest land. It is like a small plateau. We had a blast here with my two angels doing paragliding here. After coming back we roamed around in Dalhousie and planned for the next day.
4th November
Next day early morning at 7 am we got into a bus for Dharamshala. It was a 5 hrs ride and was nothing to talk about as we travelled mostly through the plains, but the snow capped Dauladhar range was on our left side. We reached Dharamshala at around 12 noon, had some food and immediately proceeded to Macleod ganj. We settled for Hotel Snow Lion (Main Market Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala 176219 HP. Tel 01892-221289) in the midst of the market. The room was clean and with almost all the amenities. After changing over, we immediately left for Bhagsu, which is around 15 mins walk from Macleod ganj. It is a small place with many guest houses and Bhagsunag or Shiva Temple. There is a wonderful waterfall some 10 mins walk from Bhagsunag temple. Then we returned to Macleod ganj and went to the central monastery where Dalai Lama stays and which is the central place of Tibetans activity. We felt sorry for the Tibetans and felt India should be more proactive towards the issue. Well that is the work of the state, and therefore not really worth mulling about.
5th November
We got up early and had decided to go to Kangra Valley for the Jwalaji Temple and Chintpurnidevi Temples. First we went to Jwalaji temple. It is a fantastic temple where the small fire is lighted at several places. Perhaps the fire is lighted because there is a source of Natural gas below in the earth. But spectacle is worth a look even if one is an atheist. Then we went took a bus and went to the Chintpurnidevi temple. This temple is also very revered by the locals and we too felt nice to visit it. From their we boarded a bus to Kangra, and from there to Dharamshala. It was a Laxmi puja day of Diwali and the transport from Dharamshala was not available. So we took a tourist vehicle to Macleod ganj. The boy named Rajendra, around 25 years of age, was really a genuine guy as he could have charged us any amount as we were stuck up, but he charged us only the prevalent charges. Therefore we decided to hire his car for 3 days. We called him the next day morning and decided to visit Kangra fort and adjoining places, on one day, go to Manikaran stay overnight there, take blessing there and proceed to Manali, do local sight seeing and the next day go to Rohtang pass. The total expenses were decided as Rs 5500=00. So as decide he came the next day
6th November
As decided he came at the hotel to pick us up at 7am. But we were not ready and we wanted to go to the Buddha temple which was bang opposite the place where we were staying. It opened at 8 am, we took blessings there and boarded the car. First we went to the Kangra fort, and then to the museum which is inside the fort. From then on we went to Bajreshwari Devi temple, took blessing and proceeded. Then on we went to the Baijnath Temple, which is a lord Shiva temple and one of the most revered one locally. From then on we went to Taragarh Hotel, which is the summer place of the kings of Kashmir, which has been converted into a Hotel. After taking refreshments there we proceeded to Manikaran. It was almost dark when we reached Manikaran, and I had a list of hotels where we were planning to stay. It was really cold and while looking for the hotel found a few Sikhs walking. I asked them about the Hotel and they said that you need not stay at the hotel when such a wonderful Dharamshala is built for people like us and it was free for all. It was like a divine blessing, and we proceeded to the Dharamshala. The rooms were simple, without beds, but had cosy mattresses and clean blankets. We settled into that clean room and immediately proceeded downstairs to bow our head at the Gurudwara. Then on we went to the hot water springs and saw that the rice cooked at the Gurudwara was actually cooked in the hot spring. We had our food at the langar, and immediately proceeded to sleep.
7th November
We got up early as usual, may be around 6 am, the sun had not risen. We finished with our early morning chores, and now it was light around, as the sun was up. It was bitter cold but I decided to go and take a dip in the hot water bath, which was connected to the hot water spring. We were staying on the 5th floor and I decided to go bare foot till the common bath which was on the ground floor. By the time I reached the bath my feet were totally numb and I could not feel anything. I quickly changed and got into that hot bath. Initially it felt very hot, but as my body got used to the temperature, I got full immersed in that bath. There were many people like me who were enjoying the hot natural water The feet which were numb were enjoying the hot water. After being in tha water for ½ an hour, I walked back to our room. The body was still warm, and now my feet didn't become numb. When I reached the room, Vidya and kids were huddled in the blankets and were just not ready to go to the bath. I told them that it is a once in a life time experience, and they should atleast try it. Grudgingly the went to the bath( Ladies have a separate bath), and when the came back, they too were gleaming with delight. After the baths, we went to the Gurudwara, sat for an hour and listened to the gurubani. Even though I did not understand anything, it was a very soothing experience. Then we went to the langar, had breakfast, took prasad for our near and dear ones and proceeded to our room. There we quickly packed up and started back for Manali. By noon we were in Manali. We headed straight to Vashist, a small place near Manali, with excellent view of the snow covered mountain, and gushing Beas river. We decamped at Hotel Surabhi (Near Hot Spring, Vashist, Manali Dist Kullu HP 175131 Tel 01902-252796), relaxed for some time. Then we again got into the car and went for local sight seeing. We visited Hidimba Temple, which is dedicated to wife of Bhima, and his son Ghatotkatch. There is a small museum nearby and by the time we were out of the museum, it was dusk. It used to start getting dark at 5 pm, and by 6 pm it was pitch dark. We came back to our room and went to a small Tibetian place( Lhasa Tibetian Kitchen, opp Shiv Temple, Near Hot spring, Vashisht, Manali Tel 9418205168. Name of owner Mr Lilam Pun) serving only vegetarian food. Kids liked the food and we had a full and went to sleep at may be 9 pm.
8th November
We got up early, but till 9 am were lingering in the hotel. Had our breakfast, packed water and a lot of food stuff and were ready to go to Rohtang Pass. The kids were really excited as they would be able to play in the ice for the first time. Well it was first time for us too. So we got into the warm clothes and got into the car. In the car after a short drive we stopped at a small shop which had warm clothes on hire. We got into those warm clothes, and were now heading to Rohtang. As we were nearing the pass, there was little snow alongside the road. As we neared Rohtang the quantity of snow was increasing. Dripping water had turned into ice and was looking like spears. And finally we reached Rohtang. The road at few places was bad, but otherwise was fantastic. On reaching there kids just rushed into the snow. Sakhi had snow in the gum boat and in a few minutes she was crying as her feet had gone numb. She had to be taken back to the car and heater was started. Meanwhile I and Tanvi were having a great time in the snow. We were trying to build a snowman but the snow was just falling down. Since the oxygen level is low at that height, we were huffing and puffing even with slight excursion. Sakhi came back in to the snow for a few moments again and rushed back to the comforts of the car. After an hour in the snow we decided that we should start our return journey. So we were in the car again, heading towards Manali. On the way there was ice scattered alongside the road, and we stopped for half an hour and frolicked again. Back to Manali, everyone was having a mild headache, probably of the pressure difference at that height. We paid the car driver his dues, and he dropped us at the hotel and we quickly had our food and went to sleep.
9th November
As usual we were up by 7 am, and had nothing to do. So i took out my Lonely Planet and was mulling as what to do? Since we didn’t have the car at our disposal, we decided to move to Manali, as the bus to Chandigarh, was available from Manali, and most of the action was there. Vashist was almost secluded. So we went to the Vashist temple, took Darshan, and packed our bags, took and auto rickshaw and went to Manali. There we selected Hotel Sunflower(Near Tibetian Momestaery, Gompa Road, Manali 175131 Tel 01902-252419) to stay, which was a little away from mall Road, but not very far. It was 5 minutes walk, and was near the Tibetian Temple. That full day we were just roamed around in Manali.
10th November
We got up early as usual and decided to go to Nagar. We got into the bus and reached there within an hour. We went walking all the way from the foot of the hill, till the Nagar castle. It is an ancient Palace now converted into Hotel. It is very well kept place, and anybody interested can book rooms online. After taking a few photos, and having a look the museum, which had only one room on display which showed the daily life of the local people, we started our way to Roerich Art Gallery which was around 30 mins walk from that place. On the way we saw nice temple, we waited there for a few moments, and then proceeded towards the gallery. The entire place was build by the Russian painter Nikolai Roerich who died here in 1947. It has wonderful paintings and is a must see. After spending a good time at the museum and the house of the Roerich’s we trudged back to Nagar, the place where we could get the bus back to Manali. The bus was just waiting for us it seems, and we got into it and went to Manali. The evening was spent roaming around the crowded streets of Manali. From Manu Weavers cooperative we bought some good shawls, sweaters and other stuff, had our food at the restaurant, and went back saw some TV, and were back into the bed.
11th November
Today evening was the time when we were supposed to check out of Manali. So we packed our bags and kept everything ready. Then at around 11 am we went to the Manali Nature Park. It is in the midst of Manali. There we roamed around clicked a lot of photographs, did a bit of rock climbing on a huge rock in the park, did paddle boating in the park. Then we went behind the park where River Beas flows. There we sat near the river and enjoyed the turbulent and rapid flow of the river. We did a bit of archery there. After spending quiet a bit of time there, we came back into the park. It was evening now. We went to the Hotel and picked up our bags. We had booked an AC Luxury bus of Himachal Pradesh Road Transport to Chandigarh which leaves Manali at 7.30pm. We had light food and were now waiting now at the bus stand for the bus. The bus was a bit late. It arrived at 7.45pm. We boarded the bus, and it started at 8pm. It was a comfortable ride to Chandigarh. Normally I don’t sleep in the bus, but this time I slept fairly well. The bus reached Chandigarh at 5am.
12th November
At 5 pm it was still dark at Chandigarh. So we decided to wait at the bus stand. We has some refreshments. As soon as it was sunrise, I inquired about hotels near the bus-stand. I wanted it near the bus-stand because the next day again we had to get into the bus for Kalka as we had a booking of the train from there. There was a hotel in the bus-stand but was quoting exorbitant charges. On inquiry we found out that there are a few hotels nearby who charge us for 24 hour stay. The hotel we finally checked in was Hotel City inn( not really recommended for long stay, but good for an overnight stay). It was around 10 mins walk from the bus-stand. We checked in, had a small nap till 9 am, freshened up and were again out to have a look at the beautifully planned Chandigarh City. We went walking to the bus stand. We enquired about the tourist ticket, but it was available only on Saturday and Sunday. So we boarded an ac bus which took us to Rock garden. This is a must see in Chandigarh and once you visit it we come to know how well this park was conceptualized and built. Almost the entire morning went in the park. Then we had some food at Sukhna Lake which is not very far from Rock Garden. An auto rickshaw charged us Rs 5 per person to take us at Sukhna Lake. We had our food there had a nice look at the lake, as we were not interested in Boating, and got back to the bus stop. From there we got into the bus for Museum and Rose Garden which are just opposite to each other.
The museum is a must see but closes at 4pm. It has fantastic display of birds and the most interesting display is of the dinosaurs. We can see real fossils dating back to dinosaur age and also on display are the dinosaur eggs. There are many interesting artifacts and that is why I would highly recommend this museum if you are planning to visit Chandigarh.
Our next visit was to the rose garden. It is perhaps the largest and the most well maintained rose garden in India. There are more than 4000 types of roses seen on display, actually growing. The place is huge and would take half a day to completely cover the garden. After taking photos, and looking at few rose plants, we headed back to our hotel. We had our food at the food court at the bus terminus and retired for the day at our room.
13th November
Today was the day when our tour was at the fag end. After getting early, we got ready and went walking to the bus stand. From the bus stand we got a bus to Kalka. Our train was scheduled to depart from Kalka at 10.20 am. We were at Kalka by 9 am. Then we went to the canteen had our food and by the time we finished our food and other morning chores it was 10 am. The train was in the platform, and there was only one 3 tier ac compartment. We got our luggage into the compartment, found our seats and finally settled down in the ac comfort of the train. The train was to stop at Ambala Cant for an hour as Pashim express comes from Amritsar and six bogies that come from Kalka are attached here. Once the train moved of Ambala, we had all settled down, had done some seat adjustments with co passengers and were well dozing off.
14th November
We got down at Borivali at around 2 pm and thus our wonderful journey came to an end.
I hope this travelogue would tickle some of you and would help some of you to plan out the trip.
1st November 2010.
We started from Chakki Bank, got down there and took an auto rickshaw to Pathankot. At Pathankot bus stand we got a bus to Dalhousie. It was a 3 hr ride and we reached Dalhousie at around 6 pm on 1st of November 2010. We checked a few hotels and finally settled for Aarti Hotel (Garam Sadak, Near GPO, Dalhousie 176304 HP. Tel 01899-242433 for our stay. It had a wonderful view of the valley down. The staff was helpful and it was fairly cold at that place. We unpacked our bags and got into warmer clothes. This hotel is on the thandi sadak, between Subhash Chowk and Gandhi Chowk. Gandhi Chowk is the place where all the market is located. We had food at Hotel Sharma.
2nd November 2010
The next day we got a bus to Chamba. The view of the surroundings while travelling was just stupendous. We were travelling alongside river Ravi, and saw pine tree forest, snow capped mountains and river Ravi gushing alongside. We reached Chamba at noon; saw the museum, the Laxmi Narayan Temple. Also saw Rang mahal which was a big letdown, as there was nothing to see in Rang Mahal. The ride back was equally exciting with dam on Ravi and the hydro electric power station on it. The ride is around 3 hrs one side but worth the ride.
3rd November 2010
The next day we went to Khajiar which was around one and a half hour. The ride here was also breathtaking. Beautiful pine tree forest, huge mountains some of which were snow capped. Khajiar is a small clearing in this forest land. It is like a small plateau. We had a blast here with my two angels doing paragliding here. After coming back we roamed around in Dalhousie and planned for the next day.
4th November
Next day early morning at 7 am we got into a bus for Dharamshala. It was a 5 hrs ride and was nothing to talk about as we travelled mostly through the plains, but the snow capped Dauladhar range was on our left side. We reached Dharamshala at around 12 noon, had some food and immediately proceeded to Macleod ganj. We settled for Hotel Snow Lion (Main Market Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala 176219 HP. Tel 01892-221289) in the midst of the market. The room was clean and with almost all the amenities. After changing over, we immediately left for Bhagsu, which is around 15 mins walk from Macleod ganj. It is a small place with many guest houses and Bhagsunag or Shiva Temple. There is a wonderful waterfall some 10 mins walk from Bhagsunag temple. Then we returned to Macleod ganj and went to the central monastery where Dalai Lama stays and which is the central place of Tibetans activity. We felt sorry for the Tibetans and felt India should be more proactive towards the issue. Well that is the work of the state, and therefore not really worth mulling about.
5th November
We got up early and had decided to go to Kangra Valley for the Jwalaji Temple and Chintpurnidevi Temples. First we went to Jwalaji temple. It is a fantastic temple where the small fire is lighted at several places. Perhaps the fire is lighted because there is a source of Natural gas below in the earth. But spectacle is worth a look even if one is an atheist. Then we went took a bus and went to the Chintpurnidevi temple. This temple is also very revered by the locals and we too felt nice to visit it. From their we boarded a bus to Kangra, and from there to Dharamshala. It was a Laxmi puja day of Diwali and the transport from Dharamshala was not available. So we took a tourist vehicle to Macleod ganj. The boy named Rajendra, around 25 years of age, was really a genuine guy as he could have charged us any amount as we were stuck up, but he charged us only the prevalent charges. Therefore we decided to hire his car for 3 days. We called him the next day morning and decided to visit Kangra fort and adjoining places, on one day, go to Manikaran stay overnight there, take blessing there and proceed to Manali, do local sight seeing and the next day go to Rohtang pass. The total expenses were decided as Rs 5500=00. So as decide he came the next day
6th November
As decided he came at the hotel to pick us up at 7am. But we were not ready and we wanted to go to the Buddha temple which was bang opposite the place where we were staying. It opened at 8 am, we took blessings there and boarded the car. First we went to the Kangra fort, and then to the museum which is inside the fort. From then on we went to Bajreshwari Devi temple, took blessing and proceeded. Then on we went to the Baijnath Temple, which is a lord Shiva temple and one of the most revered one locally. From then on we went to Taragarh Hotel, which is the summer place of the kings of Kashmir, which has been converted into a Hotel. After taking refreshments there we proceeded to Manikaran. It was almost dark when we reached Manikaran, and I had a list of hotels where we were planning to stay. It was really cold and while looking for the hotel found a few Sikhs walking. I asked them about the Hotel and they said that you need not stay at the hotel when such a wonderful Dharamshala is built for people like us and it was free for all. It was like a divine blessing, and we proceeded to the Dharamshala. The rooms were simple, without beds, but had cosy mattresses and clean blankets. We settled into that clean room and immediately proceeded downstairs to bow our head at the Gurudwara. Then on we went to the hot water springs and saw that the rice cooked at the Gurudwara was actually cooked in the hot spring. We had our food at the langar, and immediately proceeded to sleep.
7th November
We got up early as usual, may be around 6 am, the sun had not risen. We finished with our early morning chores, and now it was light around, as the sun was up. It was bitter cold but I decided to go and take a dip in the hot water bath, which was connected to the hot water spring. We were staying on the 5th floor and I decided to go bare foot till the common bath which was on the ground floor. By the time I reached the bath my feet were totally numb and I could not feel anything. I quickly changed and got into that hot bath. Initially it felt very hot, but as my body got used to the temperature, I got full immersed in that bath. There were many people like me who were enjoying the hot natural water The feet which were numb were enjoying the hot water. After being in tha water for ½ an hour, I walked back to our room. The body was still warm, and now my feet didn't become numb. When I reached the room, Vidya and kids were huddled in the blankets and were just not ready to go to the bath. I told them that it is a once in a life time experience, and they should atleast try it. Grudgingly the went to the bath( Ladies have a separate bath), and when the came back, they too were gleaming with delight. After the baths, we went to the Gurudwara, sat for an hour and listened to the gurubani. Even though I did not understand anything, it was a very soothing experience. Then we went to the langar, had breakfast, took prasad for our near and dear ones and proceeded to our room. There we quickly packed up and started back for Manali. By noon we were in Manali. We headed straight to Vashist, a small place near Manali, with excellent view of the snow covered mountain, and gushing Beas river. We decamped at Hotel Surabhi (Near Hot Spring, Vashist, Manali Dist Kullu HP 175131 Tel 01902-252796), relaxed for some time. Then we again got into the car and went for local sight seeing. We visited Hidimba Temple, which is dedicated to wife of Bhima, and his son Ghatotkatch. There is a small museum nearby and by the time we were out of the museum, it was dusk. It used to start getting dark at 5 pm, and by 6 pm it was pitch dark. We came back to our room and went to a small Tibetian place( Lhasa Tibetian Kitchen, opp Shiv Temple, Near Hot spring, Vashisht, Manali Tel 9418205168. Name of owner Mr Lilam Pun) serving only vegetarian food. Kids liked the food and we had a full and went to sleep at may be 9 pm.
8th November
We got up early, but till 9 am were lingering in the hotel. Had our breakfast, packed water and a lot of food stuff and were ready to go to Rohtang Pass. The kids were really excited as they would be able to play in the ice for the first time. Well it was first time for us too. So we got into the warm clothes and got into the car. In the car after a short drive we stopped at a small shop which had warm clothes on hire. We got into those warm clothes, and were now heading to Rohtang. As we were nearing the pass, there was little snow alongside the road. As we neared Rohtang the quantity of snow was increasing. Dripping water had turned into ice and was looking like spears. And finally we reached Rohtang. The road at few places was bad, but otherwise was fantastic. On reaching there kids just rushed into the snow. Sakhi had snow in the gum boat and in a few minutes she was crying as her feet had gone numb. She had to be taken back to the car and heater was started. Meanwhile I and Tanvi were having a great time in the snow. We were trying to build a snowman but the snow was just falling down. Since the oxygen level is low at that height, we were huffing and puffing even with slight excursion. Sakhi came back in to the snow for a few moments again and rushed back to the comforts of the car. After an hour in the snow we decided that we should start our return journey. So we were in the car again, heading towards Manali. On the way there was ice scattered alongside the road, and we stopped for half an hour and frolicked again. Back to Manali, everyone was having a mild headache, probably of the pressure difference at that height. We paid the car driver his dues, and he dropped us at the hotel and we quickly had our food and went to sleep.
9th November
As usual we were up by 7 am, and had nothing to do. So i took out my Lonely Planet and was mulling as what to do? Since we didn’t have the car at our disposal, we decided to move to Manali, as the bus to Chandigarh, was available from Manali, and most of the action was there. Vashist was almost secluded. So we went to the Vashist temple, took Darshan, and packed our bags, took and auto rickshaw and went to Manali. There we selected Hotel Sunflower(Near Tibetian Momestaery, Gompa Road, Manali 175131 Tel 01902-252419) to stay, which was a little away from mall Road, but not very far. It was 5 minutes walk, and was near the Tibetian Temple. That full day we were just roamed around in Manali.
10th November
We got up early as usual and decided to go to Nagar. We got into the bus and reached there within an hour. We went walking all the way from the foot of the hill, till the Nagar castle. It is an ancient Palace now converted into Hotel. It is very well kept place, and anybody interested can book rooms online. After taking a few photos, and having a look the museum, which had only one room on display which showed the daily life of the local people, we started our way to Roerich Art Gallery which was around 30 mins walk from that place. On the way we saw nice temple, we waited there for a few moments, and then proceeded towards the gallery. The entire place was build by the Russian painter Nikolai Roerich who died here in 1947. It has wonderful paintings and is a must see. After spending a good time at the museum and the house of the Roerich’s we trudged back to Nagar, the place where we could get the bus back to Manali. The bus was just waiting for us it seems, and we got into it and went to Manali. The evening was spent roaming around the crowded streets of Manali. From Manu Weavers cooperative we bought some good shawls, sweaters and other stuff, had our food at the restaurant, and went back saw some TV, and were back into the bed.
11th November
Today evening was the time when we were supposed to check out of Manali. So we packed our bags and kept everything ready. Then at around 11 am we went to the Manali Nature Park. It is in the midst of Manali. There we roamed around clicked a lot of photographs, did a bit of rock climbing on a huge rock in the park, did paddle boating in the park. Then we went behind the park where River Beas flows. There we sat near the river and enjoyed the turbulent and rapid flow of the river. We did a bit of archery there. After spending quiet a bit of time there, we came back into the park. It was evening now. We went to the Hotel and picked up our bags. We had booked an AC Luxury bus of Himachal Pradesh Road Transport to Chandigarh which leaves Manali at 7.30pm. We had light food and were now waiting now at the bus stand for the bus. The bus was a bit late. It arrived at 7.45pm. We boarded the bus, and it started at 8pm. It was a comfortable ride to Chandigarh. Normally I don’t sleep in the bus, but this time I slept fairly well. The bus reached Chandigarh at 5am.
12th November
At 5 pm it was still dark at Chandigarh. So we decided to wait at the bus stand. We has some refreshments. As soon as it was sunrise, I inquired about hotels near the bus-stand. I wanted it near the bus-stand because the next day again we had to get into the bus for Kalka as we had a booking of the train from there. There was a hotel in the bus-stand but was quoting exorbitant charges. On inquiry we found out that there are a few hotels nearby who charge us for 24 hour stay. The hotel we finally checked in was Hotel City inn( not really recommended for long stay, but good for an overnight stay). It was around 10 mins walk from the bus-stand. We checked in, had a small nap till 9 am, freshened up and were again out to have a look at the beautifully planned Chandigarh City. We went walking to the bus stand. We enquired about the tourist ticket, but it was available only on Saturday and Sunday. So we boarded an ac bus which took us to Rock garden. This is a must see in Chandigarh and once you visit it we come to know how well this park was conceptualized and built. Almost the entire morning went in the park. Then we had some food at Sukhna Lake which is not very far from Rock Garden. An auto rickshaw charged us Rs 5 per person to take us at Sukhna Lake. We had our food there had a nice look at the lake, as we were not interested in Boating, and got back to the bus stop. From there we got into the bus for Museum and Rose Garden which are just opposite to each other.
The museum is a must see but closes at 4pm. It has fantastic display of birds and the most interesting display is of the dinosaurs. We can see real fossils dating back to dinosaur age and also on display are the dinosaur eggs. There are many interesting artifacts and that is why I would highly recommend this museum if you are planning to visit Chandigarh.
Our next visit was to the rose garden. It is perhaps the largest and the most well maintained rose garden in India. There are more than 4000 types of roses seen on display, actually growing. The place is huge and would take half a day to completely cover the garden. After taking photos, and looking at few rose plants, we headed back to our hotel. We had our food at the food court at the bus terminus and retired for the day at our room.
13th November
Today was the day when our tour was at the fag end. After getting early, we got ready and went walking to the bus stand. From the bus stand we got a bus to Kalka. Our train was scheduled to depart from Kalka at 10.20 am. We were at Kalka by 9 am. Then we went to the canteen had our food and by the time we finished our food and other morning chores it was 10 am. The train was in the platform, and there was only one 3 tier ac compartment. We got our luggage into the compartment, found our seats and finally settled down in the ac comfort of the train. The train was to stop at Ambala Cant for an hour as Pashim express comes from Amritsar and six bogies that come from Kalka are attached here. Once the train moved of Ambala, we had all settled down, had done some seat adjustments with co passengers and were well dozing off.
14th November
We got down at Borivali at around 2 pm and thus our wonderful journey came to an end.
I hope this travelogue would tickle some of you and would help some of you to plan out the trip.
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