I Love Himachal In The Springtime - Long Trip Report - April 2011

Thanks to everyone here at Indiamike and also at BCMT for their valuable suggestions that helped make our trip memorable. It is a lengthy report which I will break up into chapters that I will add to, by and by. Here goes:


Part 1 - Shimla - A Monkey Snatched My Spectacles



The drive from Chandigarh to Shimla took around 4 hours on a relatively traffic free Sunday. Shimla was overcast and chilly enough at mid day to require a light jacket.

Looking out into the green valley from our spacious room at The Peterhoff, you would scarcely believe that we were in over built up Shimla. I was glad we had chosen to stay here.

Annadale or Annandale as it reads in the Hindi signboards, is one of the nicer areas of Shimla. Our car dropped us at the top of the road, allowing us lazy city folk to walk downhill through a beautiful forest of conifers, oak and rhododendron in full scarlet bloom. Halfway down, a well maintained military officers golf course came into view.








We stumbled upon a clump of deep purple wild flowers – gorgeous Himalayan irises. I did not expect them to be in bloom so soon.












A small village was at the bottom of the road, with a quaint old wooden house, a chai shop and a small store. Our driver picked us up from here and suggested we go to the Jakhoo peak next.

He dropped us at the base and we took the short cut path up the mountain instead of the road. Monkeys were eating wild berries on a small meadow along the way.









They looked so sweet, little did we know what awaited us. Our path came out at the stone steps going up to the temple.


Before we knew what was happening, a huge furry monster of a monkey pounced on my husband and snatched away his spectacles.








We were in a state of shock and did not know what to do. My husband can barely see without his glasses.

A man came up urging us to purchase some sweets from him that he would then throw to the monkey who would drop the glasses, and he would get them back for us. Naturally we agreed.

Sure enough, the monkey immediately dropped the spectacles and went for the sweets. The man retrieved the glasses and advised us to keep them out of sight of the monkeys.

Somehow after that, Lord Hanuman the Monkey God, did not seem particularly inviting and I wanted to get away from that place as soon as I could. My husband insisted we walk to the top. The view was pleasing but nothing extraordinary. The large red Hanuman was covered in scaffolding. We wondered why the monkeys did not snatch food from a small shop in the premises. My husband was sure that the man had trained the monkey to snatch spectacles off unsuspecting visitors, to force them to buy his sweets.

A signboard should be kept here warning visitors about these dangerous monkey attacks. If we had been forewarned, we would have been more alert and come equipped with sticks. My husband was scratched on his lower eyelid and was bleeding slightly. It was a shocking experience and could have been far worse had the monkeys claw scratched my husband’s eye. Matheran Monkeys – all is forgiven [they only snatch food]. All this at the beginning of our vacation!

Our driver dropped us off at the famous Shimla lift. We decided that after the Jakhoo monkey episode, a relaxing stroll along the Mall and the Ridge was in order. A very pleasant evening it turned out to be.










I loved this dinky little Combermere Post Office!









The weather was now chilly enough to warrant some piping hot pakodas and masala chai at the HPTDC Café on the Ridge.

We watched the proceedings on the next table with disguised curiosity. A local boy and girl were in a prospective matrimonial set up, with both sets of relatives in tow. After a few moments, the boy and girl were sent off to talk alone a few tables away. Obviously it did not go too well, judging by the rude way in which the boy suddenly got up without even waiting for the girl. The two sides then made polite conversation for a few minutes before going their respective ways. The boy was surly, though his relatives were courteous enough. Even if he had not approved of the girl, it would not have cost him anything to be polite. Ah well … who are we to comment?

A leisurely walk brought us back to the Peterhoff , with a decent appetite for dinner.

The Vice Regal Lodge just behind the hotel, now known as the Indian Institute for Advanced Study [iias.org] was first on the agenda the next morning. This is a grand old stone building set in a sprawling landscaped campus, with beautifully laid out lawns, gardens and surrounding forest of oak and rhododendron. It was well worth the visit and made an excellent walk to and from the entry gates and a fabulous place for birdwatching [of the feathered variety].





The small Himalayan aviary opposite the Institute gate was closed but from the outside, we could see a solitary monal cooped up with some junglee chickens [pheasants??] all in the same miserable cage.



Part 2 coming soon ........

Getting out of cluttered Shimla and Sanjhauli took a little while. After that the drive was smooth, passing Mashobra and the Naldehra golf course







– then descending all the way to Tattapani, the hot springs along the River Satluj [Sutlej]. As you approach Tattapani, you will come across people exhorting you to engage in river rafting.









Tattapani literally means hot water. The water in the many pools along the grey sand riverbank, is really HOT, with a strong smell of sulphur in the air. It is supposed to be very therapeutic for those with skin ailments and joint pains.











It was quite fascinating to sit by the hot pools watching the fast flowing waters of the Satluj going by just a few feet away.

It was getting uncomfortably warm by then, otherwise we may have stayed longer. At just 650m, Tattapani is not Shimla, and can get very hot in summer.

From Tattapani, the road ascended, winding its way along the mostly deforested mountain ranges of the Satluj valley. After a while, we crossed into another valley which was much greener . Quaint slate roofed villages and apple orchards appeared as we climbed higher.







Pretty white-pink apple blossoms were in full flower.



This was the first time we had seen apple blossoms en masse, last year at this same time, the little baby apples were already forming when we went to Narkanda.

Villagers en route kindly offered us piping hot Prasad made with pure desi ghee. It was Chaitra Navratra time, when most villages in Himachal have celebrations in honour of their Devi.

Near Dharmour, orchards gave way to coniferous forest peppered now and then with brilliant scarlet rhododendron. We were soon at HPTDC’s Hotel Mamleshwar in Chindi. There was just one other car parked in the drive way so obviously it was not the “season” here either.

We took a short walk to Chindi village (1950m) which is on a ridge with a small assortment of shops, a quaint little temple and a school on either side. Apple orchards dotted the slopes, with the scenic Karsog valley below and a grand view of the snow capped Great Himalaya ranges in the distance. A local lady in one of the shops looked at us gawking tourists with curiosity. I told her we were from far away Mumbai and she immediately invited us in for a cup of tea!

For dinner that night, we were served a dish of freshly harvested local peas which are supposed to be the most tender and flavoursome peas in North India. They certainly were tender and sweet. The flip side of the coin was that other than the standard mattar, alu, gobi, the hotel did not have anything else for its vegetarian guests, surprisingly not even dahi. However, they made up for the lean menu with the warmth of their service.

A light drizzle gave way to a cold night, much colder than we expected it to be and the room heater was put to good use.



To be continued in the next installment .......

Great, Great post. I've kept on my favourites... and as usual beautiful pics.
Waiting for the next chapter


Jorge

Part two came crossing my post

Great travelogue...Love the pictures...waiting for your next update.
Cheers

Thanks.

I was trying to post the third chapter but my connection failed halfway through uploading the images. Giving up now and will resume over the weekend assuming my net works okay.

Clear blue skies heralded the next morning. We opened the door to the little balcony and startled a pretty little bulbul who promptly flew away! A pair of drongoes tweeted on the deodhar branch that was halfway into the balcony.




The sun slowly emerging above the nearby hill took the edge off the morning chill.

After breakfast, we drove towards the Karsog Valley




We walked wherever it was scenic and forested, telling our driver to wait for us a few km downhill.






We were not in the mood to visit temples so at the bowl of the valley, instead of going into Karsog town, we chose the road going up another mountain towards Rampur via Killodhar. We stopped to enjoy the scenery from the opposite side.









The Karsog valley is a broad, colourful agricultural bowl, criss crossed by snow fed streams and ringed by high mountains on all sides. Russet Himalayan gorse was in peak bloom. Neat slate roofed houses here and there added to the charm.

A pair of Himalyan bulbuls flew in and out of a colourful hedge.





A young man had come out of his house and was observing us for a while. He was Umesh Kumar and he was very happy to engage in conversation. It turned out that Umesh was with the Forest Department, today was his day off. He told us that the Karsog valley with its abundant streams and moderate climate, is perfect for agriculture. Karsog vegetables, fruits and grain are particularly known for their rich flavor, commanding higher prices in the wholesale markets. Their produce mostly goes to Mandi and to Shimla.

Every now and then, bears come down from the surrounding mountain when their water sources dry up. Though Umesh had never come to Bombay, he was familiar with it through the movies. Assuring us that the best scenery was to be had on the road we were on, he invited us to stay over at his place on our way back!

The road wound prettily along the mountain side eventually reaching Kelodhar junction. By now we were hungry and went looking for a dhaba. A small godown was being filled with freshly harvested peas, ready to be loaded in sacks for the market.



The men there told us that their peas would go today to Mandi. The dhaba next door served up a piping hot Rajma and Kadhi Chawal, standard local fare at lunch time.

The clouds lifted suddenly, to give a fabulous view of the Great Himalayas from the grubby dhaba window.





From Kelodhar, the main road goes all the way to Rampur. Another smaller road goes to Chhatri which then connects to Janjhali. We decided to try the Chhatri Janjhali route. The road condition was not good. A young lady with a small child politely requested us to drop her at her village a few kilometres down that road. She said she had just come from Shimla to attend the annual Navratra mela at her maternal village. She had missed the village bus by a few minutes and the next one would not be along for awhile.

She suggested that instead of going further along this bad road, there was much better scenery to be had on the other better road from Kelodhar towards Rampur. She told us that the road would bifurcate from Kelodhar after a while and we should take the upper road to Naglog, not the road descending to Rampur. She was right.




After dropping her, we turned back and found our way onto the Naglog road. This was on yet another mountain ridge overlooking a deep forested valley with apple orchard slopes – and a beautiful view of the Great Himalayas! The apple trees in full blossom greatly enhanced the experience. They were so pretty, every tree awash in delicate white-pink flowers. It must be even more wonderful when the trees are laden with ripe red apples, we will have to come back in August for that.







We walked leisurely along this road and told our driver to wait for us further along. It was such an enjoyable walk that every time we reached the car, we told him to wait another 2km ahead. On the way we engaged in conversation with villagers working in the orchards. Everyone was curious to know where we were from and whether we liked it here. Like it? We loved it here!



Eventually we reached Nirath, a quaint little village when it started drizzling and we reluctantly decided to head back to Chindi.





The way back on most journeys like this, is very much faster than the outbound trip and in no time at all we were back at our hotel. As there was still some daylight, we climbed up the mud pathway behind our hotel which ended at a platform next to some BSNL towers. Momentarily, the clouds parted and the light of the setting sun illuminated the Great Himalayas in the distance. We were mesmerized.



The rain started again and we hastily returned to the warmth of our hotel room … and a stodgy dinner of alu matter yet again.



To be continued ......... My net is really playing up

Great report and photos snonymous!

thanks for taking the time to put this up!

Thank you. Part-4 coming soon.

The next morning was bright, sunny and cool. Perfect weather. Breakfast was – yes, alu [potato] again, the staple alu paratha and poori alu, all fried in desi ghee! We decided to go to the historic village of Pangana which was once the capital of the kingdom of Suket. Pangana has an old traditionally built temple fort.

At Bakhrote, the locals told us not to take that route as the road was not good but to go back the way we came and take the turning going down the mountain, shortly past our hotel. This road was in excellent condition. As we wound our way through the forests, an interesting ashram building came into view, on the banks of a small stream. A signboard proclaimed that rooms were available on rent at reasonable rates. What a beautiful, quiet location but it appeared to be totally uninhabited right then.



Next came a small village with the curious name of Thanda Pani [Cold Water], an HPMC apple sorting unit, and a godown for storing mushrooms. We enjoyed a few walks along the forest areas of this road too and were pleased to see rhododendrons and a pair of Yellow Billed Blue Magpies or maybe they were Red Billed Blue Magpies, common Himalayan birds with the apt local name of Lamba Poonch [long tail]. They were exotic enough for those of us from the far away coastal plains.





As we descended in altitude, the temperature became considerably warmer. A lady was washing clothes on an almost dry river bed, with hot water from her Bukhara [indigenous water heater] which she had conveniently placed next to her on the river bed!



Most of the river beds are dry due to power projects having diverted the main flow up stream through tunnels, to their power houses. They are supposed to allow at least 15% of the water to flow down the natural course for irrigation and maintaining the water table, but in reality that never happens.





Whatever the ultimate long term benefits of these hydro projects may be, there can be no doubt that they have caused considerable deterioration in the environment which anyone can see. Nowadays, the locals are opposed to any new hydro power projects which would affect their water sources, and public protests are common.

We could now see the well known slate quarry and the medieval fort at Pangana village. Most of the slate for the slate roofed houses in this region, have their origins from this quarry.





Asking for directions, we drove up to what appeared to be the compound of the local electricity board office. A kind gentleman working there offered to personally show us the famous Mahamaya temple. In these small villages, someone from ‘Bambai’ is like someone from “foreign”!! Ha ha, it has its advantages, everyone is so nice to us ………

The original stone idol of the Mahamaya temple has been taken away to Sundernagar. A photo is kept in the small temple just outside the fort, which the local Panditji proudly displayed.



The Devi Kot temple fort is four storeys high, traditionally constructed with wood and stone.





Thanks to our new friend, the door to the fort was promptly opened leading into a now empty square shaped room with small openings for air. A rickety wooden ladder at one end led to a narrow opening on the next floor which was similar to the ground floor. It was quite an effort going through those narrow openings. People in those days must have been remarkably small built, or very agile, or perhaps both.








On the top floor, the wood columns bore old carvings. Metal idols of the deities cast in the typical local style, were placed at one end of the room where they are still worshipped.









The temple’s Chaitra festival would commence in a few days when the idols would be taken in procession around the village. Legend has it that a princess of the Suket dynasty was falsely imprisoned in this fort and committed suicide. Her spirit continues to inhabit the temple tree.

Our new friend hospitably offered us tea, then insisted we stay on for lunch. We politely declined lunch as it would not have been fair to impose so much. He had already been more than kind and had made our visit to Pangana extra special.

Local milk supply drivers at Pangana told us that the alternate route via Bakhrote was also scenic and only bad in small sections, so we decided to return that way. Scenic it certainly was, but the road was in miserable condition for long stretches with repair work in progress. The locals at Bakhrote had in fact, advised us correctly.




We stopped by a pretty forest stream where a man was weaving coarse wool cloth on a country handloom. He showed us how it worked. He was using natural coloured woolen yarn from his own goats, which he had hand spun himself. He would later stitch the finished cloth into a typical local band gala [Chinese collar] woolen jacket.



He also ran a Karhaat – water driven flour mill, and invited us to take a look. Karhats are ingenious devices that harness fast flowing waters of the multitude of mountain streams through narrow wooden channels to power atta chakkis [flour mills]. They are found all over Himachal.



As is Cannabis sativus – marijuana – which was also growing there in wild abundance! In fact it grows like a "weed" - pun intended - all over Himachal.



Not too many outsiders come this way and we were met with curious glances from the friendly villagers who were only too eager to engage in conversation. Everyone was familiar with ‘Bambai’ if not Mumbai, thanks to Bollywood!



After lunch, we set off for Dharmour and its pine forests. A light drizzle began a few minutes later which soon turned into torrential rain and a full blown hail storm. We stopped and waited, hoping it would pass soon. No such luck!

A small boulder broke off the mountain side and rolled on to the road. Landslides are a frequent reality here and we felt it was prudent to head back to Chindi. As we reached Chindi the rain stopped completely and we decided to go back. Again after barely 2 km, the rain began so back again to Chindi it was. Surprisingly it was dry at Chindi, so we walked to the PWD Guesthouse. This is a beautiful old stone cottage set in a huge compound with expansive lawns, apple trees and a pathway going down into the valley below. Barely had we gone some way than the rain began yet again. This time it did not stop. Fortunately we had our umbrellas so could make our way back to the hotel without getting chillingly drenched.



It rained heavily in bursts, well into the night but the next morning was bright and sunny. The Shikari Devi plateau was coated in fresh snow. Rain was expected again in the afternoon so that put paid to our plans to go up the Shikari Devi mountain. We left it for another visit, along with Janjehli.

Contrary to what we thought, it is not feasible to explore the Janjehli valley from Chindi, much better to stay in Janjehli for that some other time.




To be continued ..... Part-5 coming soon

To Mandi and Jogindernagar next.

We had to pass Pangana again, being the better of the two roads to Rohanda [Rohangalu].

Somewhere from the road near Jhungi, we spied not one but two of the Pangana style old temples in a small village called Shaakra.



As we got out of the car, a very pleasant lady and her children smiled at us shyly from their house on an embankment just above the road. Before we knew it the eldest daughter Tanu, a tenth standard student, was deputed to show us the way to the two temples.




The old temple was not in use anymore as it was crumbling from within.




The villagers had all contributed and built a new temple in the traditional style. This was the ochre coloured building we had seen from the bend in the road. A small winding path took us through the old wooden housed village upto the last house just in front of the new temple.



The family living there welcomed us warmly.


Great grandma wanted her photo taken too!



It turned out that we were only the second visitors to have come to their village, the first being some French people a year ago. Everyone there was so hospitable and warm, they were so pleased that we liked their village.




Eventually we went back to the main road with Tanu. Her mother offered us tea and said we must stay at her house whenever we returned.



Bidding them farewell, we proceeded on our way with a very good feeling. All the people we met in this area were so unabashedly nice, so unlike worldly wise city dwellers.

We enjoyed a series of our usual easy downhill walks, along and off the road to Rohanda, through beautiful deodhar forests. At one point the deodhars gave way to dense natural clusters of oak and rhododendron, both the pink and scarlet flowered variant.




Rohanda and around is exceedingly scenic with hardly any visitors. It is a place worth exploring.



It is a pity there are no guest houses here, just a PWD rest house, an FRH and a high budget Banjara Retreat within an apple orchard.

From Chail Chowk, we joined the national highway NH20 at Ner Chowk. The massive Beas canal gleamed aquamarine in the early evening light.



At Mandi, one branch of the highway goes to Kullu and Manali, the other to Pathankot. We took the latter.

Mandi is a historic and bustling town. It exudes character. From the road we could see the old bridge and some ancient stone temples on the banks of the river Beas. We did not want to stop right then as it was getting dark but it is surely worthy of a separate visit on another trip.



A spectacular sunset heralded our arrival at Jogindernagar - not really on the tourist map though it boasts a decent hotel, HPTDC’s The Uhl with a sprawling lawn and colourful flowerbeds.



Most people stay here in transit on their way to Pathankot or vice versa. During the paragliding championship season, people who do not get accommodation in nearby Bir, usually end up at The Uhl.

Jogindernagar’s claim to fame is its haulage trolley, built by the British to connect the power station with the reservoirs at Barot.

A series of penstocks transport the waters of the River Uhl through tunnels from Barot to the Shanan Power House here, run by the Punjab State Electricity Board. Another series of penstocks takes the water further downstream to the Bassi Power House, this run by HPSEB. Though the haulage trolley still runs from the Jogindernagar side, as an outsider, unless you submit an affidavit absolving them of liability, you will not be permitted to take a ride. Or so we were told by the staff at our hotel who ought to know.

Fed up of the standard alu matter gobi [potato-peas-cauliflower] fare, we indulged in some delicious Indian Chinese cuisine for dinner that night, and a very welcome change it turned out to be. For breakfast we had delicious cheese cutlets!


To be continued …… Part-7 coming soon

Today's plan was for a day trip to Billing and Bir.

Billing is a mountain peak at approx. 2300m, a good 800m higher than Jogindernagar. From Bir, a motorable road goes all the way to the top, however in the rains and in winter this road gets frequently blocked by landslides. It was in good condition that day.

Several taxis were standing at Ahju near the junction on the highway, waiting to ferry paragliders up the mountain. Billing is a reknown paragliding site which hosts international championships from time to time.

The road to Billing traverses beautiful forests of deodhar, oak and rhododendron. Yet again, the rhododendrons were laden with scarlet blooms, such a delightful sight.



As we approached the top, the Kangra valley unfolded below with paragliders soaring right above us.



The view from the parking area was fabulous - on top of the world!


An unpaved road went around the mountain from beyond the car park. It looked interesting and we went for a walk. This was the road that connects Billing to Barot via Badagran and Koti Kohad. The road was completely blocked by a landslide a couple of kilometres ahead. It appeared to be an old landslide which no one had bothered to clear. So much for the “motorable” road from Billing to Barot!





Anyway, it was a beautiful walk with red and pink rhododendron trees against a backdrop of the snow clad Dhauladhars. Our driver Vinod collected a bag full of rhododendron flowers to give to his mother for making the local speciality "Baraa" chutney.





We walked back to the meadows to watch the paragliders. There were maybe seven or eight, all of them foreigners. Some were soaring above the snow peaks.






A local Indian young man offered us a 30 minute tandem round in the sky for Rs. 2500/-. We did not go for it though I expect the price would be negotiable for those who were interested.

An older foreigner made several attempts to take off, he was successful on his seventh attempt. It turned out that he was from Germany, an expert glider, about 70 years old, and had been coming here to Billing every year for the last few years!






For those who have their own equipment, Billing is an excellent uncrowded site for most of the year except when the championships are on. Accommodation and food are available at reasonable to downright cheap rates in Bir, Ahju and the surrounding areas and you can negotiate a flat rate with a taxi driver to bring you up and down the mountain.

Billing is not just about paragliding. You can spend the whole day there, it is incredibly scenic, though remember to pack your picnic hamper as there is just one small dhaba up there catering to the gliders, which offers tea and maybe Maggi on a good day.

Several small paths along the ridge lead to small villages. These trails are flanked with beautiful rhododendron trees – in full bloom when we were there, and have incredible views of the Dhauladhar range. Those who are interested in long hikes can go all the way to Bada Bhangal, guides can be arranged through the local villages at negotiable rates.






The sky became overcast at around 3pm when we made our way down the mountain. We chose to walk downhill but had to hop into the car after half an hour when torrential rain started.

There was not the slightest trace of rain down at Bir!

We are not really interested in Tibetan stuff but were pleasantly surprised by the aesthetically designed Tibetan temple complex which caught our eye, just off the road next to a tea garden.







At the entrance, carved wood sculptures of buxom beauties in various poses, encircled a large canopied statue of Guru Padmasambhava. The carvings were intricate reminding us of the Vijayanagara style but the faces were not aesthetically done.



All the buildings had beautifully painted, typical Tibetan style windows.





It seemed to be one of the many centres in the Dharamsala region, established for the promotion of Tibetan arts. A music class was on in one of the buildings, wood carving was being done in another. The interiors of the main temple were as yet unfinished. Work was in progress with monks overseeing artisans painting elaborate Tibetan designs on wood panels and on the main statues of the Buddha and his attendants.






Not all the artisans were of Tibetan origin. One was a Kashmiri Muslim and yet another a Mishra from UP!

Exiting from the opposite side, we came across another batch of wood carved sculptures, and a pair of very aggressive geese who promptly ran up to attack us. Who needs guard dogs here? Some cute goose babies were resting on the lawns so perhaps that explained their behavior.





Beating a hasty retreat, we found ourselves in front of the main entrance of the temple. A helipad had just been constructed, perhaps for the Dalai Lama himself and for the many high powered visitors that accompany him.










The skies were clear on our way back to Jogindernagar, the snow clad Dhauladhar ranges presenting an awesome background. Imagine seeing this every single day ….



That evening, we strolled through the small market of Jogindernagar. The grocery stores had interesting items of local cuisine. We bought a small quantity of dried mango peel. In Mumbai you get powdered dried mango sold as “Amchur”, here they prefer the pieces. There was not much else to see and we returned to our hotel for an early night.

Wonderful report and pics, synonymous.

This needs to be an article, when finished.

Thanks Capt.M

Im making an effort to complete it now, else it will be relegated to the back of the junk heap of forgotten memories!

(Gets even better on second reading)

It's been a long while since I went that way. Maybe its time. If only Shimla didn't put me off...