THESE FEET CAN TAKE US ANYWHERE-2
IN THE SEARCH OF SNOW
We waited at the Bus Terminal not exactly sure what to expect from our planned journey on the 'Bus’ ,well it certainly lived upto its name ( name : Bus) and as the bus arrived we were sure of our fortunes for the next 16 hours. Well ‘we’ here is Sanu (Chacha), Priya( cant mention what she is to me here,sorry) and off course Suman (that’s me, am sure I dont need no introduction). Ok enough of introduction.
As the bus arrived. It was immediately assaulted by the crowds on the terminal waiting to board, everyone was fighting for the best seats. All the tickets were unallocated (a recipie for disaster, as unarmed combat broke out amongst the surging hoards of eager passengers) we struggled to gain access to the nearest seats elbowing our way to a seat which we leapt onto as if the music had suddenly stopped during a violent game of musical chairs. Everyone had just settled down when the conductor appeared to do his assigned job. The Adventure starts!
After 5-6 hours,The journey was as scenic as we had hoped , the road wound its way up a seemingly endless gradient folllowing the contours of the hills, passing over deep ravines , rounding steep sided valleys and huge buttresses . At every winding turn we were treated to new 'cinematic' vistas and impressive (if hazy) views of the slowly disappearing plains layed out below and the huge 'topless' peaks appearing above. We passed over cute little bridges spanning dark gulleys and dry streams. The roadside was a mixture of dry brown undergrowth and tall green trees which cast a dappled shade across the line. While all this time two people were enjoying the most Sanu and Pria, they both were deep asleep. Well it was understandable in case of pria as she had travelled a lot many times in this road so she had nothing to explore but I think tht’s what u should expect from Sanu.
Our destination lay some 6 hours or so up the mountain, The first 3 hours passed relatively quickly as we were fascinated by our everchanging surroundings. The final three hours consisted of us dozing, chatting to an Irish girl who was on the last league of a 9 month trip and so we swapped travel stories and advice, whilst fidgeting and, massaging our numb bits, until eventually we rattled into Dalhousie in the late morning.
The bus terminal is located at the foot of a very steep slope, up which we slowly hauled our rucksacs to find a taxi into town. On arrival We negotiated with a porter to carry Priya’s rucksac and daybags to our hotel (I & Sanu decided to manfully struggle on with our bags. Our pride wouldnt let us use a porter. Big mistake!). Our hotel was perched on the highest part of town and only accessible on foot as the porter danced up the almost sheer slopes towards our accommodation as if the bags were full of cottonwool. We tried in vain to stay with him but soon began to fall behind gasping, wheezing and panting violently after only 50 yards or so, he pranced to the top and sat down in the hotel lobby having a quick smoke a full 5 minutes before us.
I staggered into the reception with my head spinning. Priya had to explain who we were and our reservation details as we were unable to speak, and it was her colleague (teacher) who had booked the hotel for us. I was too busy concentrating on sucking in enough air to prevent myself from blacking out, as I slumped on a nearby bench seat (had no idea about Sanu, did not check on him) Im sure I noticed a wry smile (even a smirk) on the face of the porter. Another tourist humiliated!
The town of Dalhousie is set on a ridge surrounded by pine clad 'alpine' style hillsides, its height affords it a pleasantly cool climate. We had at last found a respite from the incredible heat of the plaines. The mornings tended to be shrouded in mist which lifted by midday when the direct sun could be rather hot (but tollerable).It was wonderful to be able to wander around without being poached in your own sweat.
First day we set off early to explore the town starting with its centre known as the ‘GPO' near the Gandhi chowk it is here that the famous Tibetan market is situated where we chose to do some shopping (after all you cant afford to side the fact that we were being accompanied by a GIRL called Priya.) The morning passed quickly as we just milled around with all the other tourists taking in the views and wandering around the sidestreets.
As we were warmed by the pleasant afternoon sun, and after a filling lunch we set for Kalatop and Lakkarmandi-places known for bear sightings.
We had great fun in the woods, after an hour and a half trekking, we found ourselves resting in an open café, The atmosphere in Dalhousie had a wonderful relaxed 'Belgium summer afternoon' feel to it . A fantastic contrast to the very Indian plaines of Gujarat.
That very evening we had an invitation from Pria’s Ex-Principal Mr Bhanu Pant of that of Hilltop int’l school for dinner, a very lively and soft spoken person survived by an equally intelligent wife and a beautiful but cute daughter. After a quick session of drinks, we made our taste buds to do some exercise, the dinner had a himachali taste to it, must say was awesome. We were dropped to our hotel by the driver of Mr Principal.
The second day saw us planning our next step, we wanted to travel through the high Pir Panjal ranges but a review of our guide book left us not the wiser idea as we appeared to be 'spoilt for choice' from the bewildering amount of options available so we decided to get some advice from the local people before taking the final call on Pir Panjal. But we were tempted on hearing that it snowed fresh last night in Sach paas. Without wasting a second, we booked ourselves an Alto (you can assume how desperate we were, that we booked an alto for such a terrain). We were seated comfortably, I was leaning out of the window as we snaked around some of the tighter corners. As the journey progressed trying to get comfortable became a continual task for Sanu as the seats for someone of his size were very uncomfortable.I along with Pria sat in the rear seat , I perched myself in the seats gazing out over the passing scenery but had to eventually retreat from the suns power and so slumped on the tiny and uncomfortable seats with my elbow out of the window trying to make the most of the cooloing breeze that our speed created.
As we inched closer we could see the ice caps quite visibly, being summer not all parts were covered by snow. Our first encounter with a solid water form will not be forgotten by us for sure as it looked like a man built – thermocol like structure. Least had we thought it to be a huge chunk of ice.
The day was generally hot and sunny but moody clouds swirled in and out. And that was the major reason that made Sanu crib, as he had expected snowfall to happen in mid-June :P. Well never the less it was the best season to explore this part of the country,without getting yourself caught in the fury of nature. They say the roads here are narrowing down because of the frequent land slides, we did witness few road blockages but they were not major enough to deter our spirits. Road conditions varied, from mud to hardpack gravel to untameable shards of rock. Great slabs of granite added even more drama to the already epic setting. The only thing that kept us moving were the closing ranges of buckled mountains that appeared and disappeared from the view. As we closed in on the top, we got drenched under the spray of a waterfall, this place will be remembered as for a second we thought pria had lost it (her senses;) , she was spell bounded).
Well the best part was the army base,(had always seen such bases in movies like lakshya, border) they even photographed us for their records. It was their at around 4 P.M. and above 8000ft that we had the day’s first meal and that too bread and omelette, there we learned that India was playing Pakistan in the over rated Asia Cup and had been given a target of 267 to guarantee their win. This was the time that I missed my Camera THE MOST. Well just to confirm these photos were taken from our sets, edited by ME ;)
The milestone read Sach Pass - 9kms ,here we were some 14500 ft, where due to hard ice our Vehicle (Alto, I understand it takes courage to take an alto to 14500 ft above sea level) refused to go further, we respected its decision & parked at a safe place.
Then we walked for more than a kilometer to ensure a view that would be reasonable enough to make all of our pals jealous of us. We got ourself clicked as Sanu was least interested being clicked (Reason: as given above, he wanted snowfall in mid-june :P) so the models were me and not to mention Pria.
We walked along the snowline point which was a task as its quite difficult due to lack of oxygen. After the photo session and nature-admiration, it was time for some sports. We chose to walk another kilometer, This part was quite uneventful but very exciting and the view was marvelous. We were in the snow again. Anyways we played in the snow, got photos, and finally decided to let our butt feel the snow too by falling.
All too soon we were going back as we had to get our ride back. Once we got back our driver was waiting for us. We headed back for Dalhousie, the nearest dhaba was 4 hour drive from the pass, there we learnt that India thrashed Pakistan to secure its position in the Asia Cup Finals. We reached our hotel – Hotel Greens by midnight. Ended our days adventure by getting some chole at the hotels restaurant with our shoes and socks off and trying to get warm in any way possible. Thus after a long day of tough riding, we crashed in to our beds and dozed off.
The third day started with a cold morning, hot coffee and a much debated plan to go to Khajjiar, I was not that very keen but am sure any one would agree that whenever a girl pleads, you can do nothing about it. We booked a cab and soon were off for a 42km ride in the canopy. En route to Khajjiar, we had to pass through Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary.
A lush green forest, made even more enchanting due to clouds and fog, which made it appear as a dream sequence from a movie. Narrow roads, lack of traffic, small streams and falls nearby made the whole experience even more endearing. I had a negative impression on Khajjiar till I visited it. Its called the ‘’Mini Switzerland of Himachal Pradesh’’.
And very rightly so. Khajjiar sits on a small plateau, shaped like a saucer, this huge bowl of 7 emerald-turfed meadows, 1.6-km long and 0.9-km broad, lies embedded beneath a dense pine forest surrounded by high mountains, and fringed by gigantic deodars. Along its fringes, amidst the thick forests above the woods and in the centre of the glade, is a small lake fed by streams that traverse the green carpet. This small stream-fed lake in the middle has been covered over with weeds. Hutchinson wrote, "Khajjiar is a forest glade of great beauty, 6,400 ft (1981m) above sea level" in the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges of the Western Himalayas and snowy peaks can be seen in the distance.
The view was simply mesmerizing, we bought ourself a Frisbee and played till the last visible ray of light. We had to take off soon as we were leaving for Delhi that very night. So we drove back to Dalhousie, collected our stuffs and rushed to the terminal, never had expected history would repeat itself- As the bus arrived. It was immediately assaulted by the crowds on the terminal waiting to board, everyone was fighting for the best seats and it continued….
Will certainly miss Dalhousie, the view from the hotel balcony – the snow cladded mountain amidst the canopies of deodar playing hide and seek with the clouds. They look so mysterious “A Beautiful Never Ending Nothing”.
I had a visitor a couple of weeks ago who didn’t come through my front door. She swooped down from above and made herself at home on the small deck of my apartment in a modest -rise building in Delhi.
