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Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bangalore
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| 8597 Kms Drive - Exploring Himachal! Amritsar – Khajjiar – Dalhousie – Dharamshala – Manali - Chail It was close to 2 years since our previous cross-country drive to Uttrakhand and the irresistible urge for such a long drive started again. So, since December 2016, my wife and I started discussing on a cross-country drive during Summer 2017 but the discussion would die down in a day or two. However, one fine day we decided to fix a location and then do the planning later, at least this would allow me to do some research on the places to visit. Places Considered:
Planning: This is the very interesting part for me and as usual I started with an Excel spreadsheet and Google Maps. I started with Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and it went on ![]() Later I had a talk with bhpian hvkumar (HVK Central Help Desk) about my plan and he helped me fine tune it further and I informed him that I will be taking his assistance for hotel booking throughout this trip. After many changes, the final plan came down to Amritsar, Khajjiar, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Chail and Kuffri. Manali was a last minute addition which we decided while we were on the way from Dharamshala to Chail. Here is the map, with my hometown Kanyakumari/Nagercoil added as we went there at the end of the trip before returning to Bangalore. Preparation:
Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:26. |
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![]() | #2 |
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| Day 1: Bangalore – Kolhapur (670 Kms) Day 1: Bangalore – Kolhapur (670 Kms): This was not an early morning start because we decided to start the journey one day earlier after work and cover some distance. So, plan was to start by 2:00 PM and drive till Hubli for that day. However, we ended up driving till Kolhapur for the stay. Despite some delays at work, we started exactly at 2:00 PM. All the luggage loaded and ready to go. ![]() ODO just before the start, ![]() Towards Tumkur road on the NICE ![]()
Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 21:18. |
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| Day Two: Kolhapur – Pune - Mumbai - Baroda (733 Kms) Day Two: Kolhapur – Pune - Mumbai - Baroda (733 Kms): This was going to be one long day because we had to cross the two major cities, Pune and Mumbai and cover 700+ Kms. So, the plan was to start by 6:00AM
Some open roads, ![]()
Tunnels on the way to Pune ![]() ![]() Crossed Pune around 10-10:15 AM and encountered some traffic, Traffic while crossing Pune ![]() ![]() After crossing Pune, we took the Pune-Mumbai expressway and had a pleasant drive with less traffic.
We reached Baroda by 7:00 PM, this being peak hour, we encountered some traffic on the way to hotel which was inside the City. We stayed in Hotel Ginger and we liked the location as it was closer to many places.
Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:32. |
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| Day 3: Baroda (37 Kms) Day 3: Baroda (37 Kms) This was rest day as I had to meet a friend here. A quick Google search told us that Lakshmi Vilas Mahal and the Bus Station are popular tourist spots. So, we decided to see these places on an otherwise slow and relaxing day. Everyone was up as early as 6:30am and we had a nice buffet breakfast which was complimentary. Lakshmi Vilas Mahal After lunch, we went out to visit Lakshmi Villas Mahal, here are few pics. We are not allowed to take pics inside the mahal. So, I took few pics of its exterior. Baroda Bus station: After the Mahal visit, we were going around the city and while crossing the Railway station and Bus station, my kids insisted me to visit the bus station. So, we made a quick visit. This is probably only of the nicest and cleanest bus station that I have seen. After dinner, we filled the tank and bought some local sweets/snacks and called it a day as the plan was to start early next day. Also, we checked with the hotel guys, if they can pack our complementary breakfast and they agreed to pack some sandwiches, juice and bananas. ![]() Overall,
Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:55. |
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| Day 4: Baroda – Udaipur – Jaipur – Rohtak – Panipat – Karnal (1178 Kms) Day 4: Baroda – Udaipur – Jaipur – Rohtak – Panipat – Karnal (1178 Kms): The day started with a plan to reach Jaipur for the stay. But later, we realized that we can very much cross Jaipur and finally ended the day with a stay in Karnal,Haryana. (Thanks to HVK CHD for the flexibility we get with Hotel bookings)
During a quick stop after the sun came out ![]() Some nice open roads ![]() Some uneven stretch ![]() Getting closer to Udaipur ![]() ![]() Udaipur pitstop:
Going between trucks and then to extreme left ![]() If you look closely at the ORVM, you can see two trucks stuck as they tried to enter a lane together ![]()
Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 21:33. |
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| Day 5: Karnal - Ludhiana - Wagah border – Amritsar (444 Kms) Day 5: Karnal - Ludhiana - Wagah border – Amritsar (444 Kms):
During the drive from the last two days, I went over speed breakers at good speeds at least thrice and ever since that, there was a slight vibration in the steering at around 100Kmph speed. So, I decided to get this sorted out and called team-bhpian Nikhil and he suggested me to get this done at Monga tyres in Ludhiana. Even though Nikhil was on vacation, he updated the tyre shop about my issue and they called me on the phone immediately. We decided to visit their shop on our way to Amritsar.
![]() ![]() ![]() We crossed Amritsar and drove towards Wagah border. This is the last toll before the border ![]() Visit to Wagah border: Couldn't attend the flag hoisting ceremony due to huge crowd Plan was to reach here by 3:00 PM so that we can get a seat for the Flag hoisting ceremony. But, we got delayed by 40 minutes due to our pitstop in Ludhiana. Another 2kms to the border ![]() An unorganized private parking, I was asked to park in Neutral/No hand brakes. ![]() ![]()
Even though the gates were closed, the crowd outside was increasing rapidly as there was more than an hour for the flag hoisting ceremony to start. And, it was very hot too. So, after waiting for some time, we decided to return as it was becoming difficult to walk without getting jostled. Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:38. |
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| A Late Lunch at Haveli A Late Lunch at Haveli: My wife wanted me to stop at Haveli, Jalandhar as it was recommended by a Punjabi colleague of hers. But due to the time factor to reach Wagah border, we decided to skip the Jalandhar Haveli. Luckily we came across another branch of Haveli just few Kms before Amritsar. So, we decided to have a late lunch/early dinner here. And, the experience was amazing. The ambience was excellent. The entire place was done up to resemble a rustic Punjabi village with a big haveli functioning as the main restaurant. There were chat and fast food stalls outside the main restaurant. There were live performances by folk singers and some shops to buy local handicrafts. The food in the main restaurant was lip-smacking. The paranthas and the lassi here were awesome. This restaurant chain has 3 branches in Punjab; Jalandhar, Amritsar and Murthal. If you are visiting any of these places, don’t miss visiting Haveli. There are some fake Havelis trying to use the same concept, just like the fake Saravan Bhavans in the South. So, watch out for the original ones. After having food here, we proceeded towards Amritsar as the hotel was inside the city. This hotel was situated in a congested lane and it took some time for us before we could reach the hotel. Also, there was no dedicated parking and it was valet parking. Those valet guys initially refused to give me the car key but later after few discussions, they agreed to give me the key. The room was super spacious here and we settled down quickly. We decided to visit the Golden temple next day, as early as possible. Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 21:41. |
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| Day 6: Golden Temple: Day 6: Golden Temple: We started by 7:30AM from the hotel and decided to take an auto rickshaw to reach the temple. The main road was close by and we got an auto rickshaw immediately. It was around 10-15 minutes ride to the temple.
On the way to golden temple ![]() Temple entrance with shops on both sides ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Langar: Even before the start of the trip, my wife and I decided that we will have the food at the Langar in the Golden Temple. We entered the building where the langar is served in a queue. We received the steel plates, bowls and spoons in the same queue. We were asked to proceed to a hall in the first level of the building and were seated on the floor in a big hall. We were served three kinds of dal, rotis and rice kheer. A very simple yet filling fare. We were offered second helpings. Once the meal was over, we proceeded to the ground level to drop the used plates at the cleaning area and washed our hands and left the building. It was a different experience for all of us. A simple meal shared with strangers from all walks of life.. all seated on the floor and given the same kind of meal. Reminded us that we are all the same even though we come from different backgrounds. ![]() ![]() ![]() Overall, we spent more than two hours here. Once we came out, we had some yummy lassi in one of the shops outside the temple. We never missed an opportunity to have lassi when we were in the land of Lassi. Jallianwala Bagh: This is very close to Golden temple. ![]() Narrow entry/exit gate ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Bullet marks ![]() ![]() After this visit, we took an auto and reached our hotel. Regarding the autos here, it is better to taken a battery-operated auto as it is more comfortable than the regular ones. Now, it was time to pack our backs and start our journey towards the Mountains that were calling to us. Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 21:55. |
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| Day 6 (After-noon) - 217 Kms Day 6 (Afternoon) Drive towards Dalhousie/Khajjiar(217 Kms):
Exiting Amritsar ![]() The 4L road towards Pathankot starts ![]() ![]() Entering Pathankot ![]() Refuelling in Pathankot ![]() Another 75Km to Dalhousie ![]() ![]() Much awaited curvy roads start ![]() ![]() ![]() Nice black tarmac ![]() ![]() Scenic views on the way ![]() ![]() ![]() Towards Dalhousie from pathankot Shepherds and sheep were a common sight ![]() ![]() Small clip while approaching Dalhousie Dalhousie – Khajjiar: The roads in and around Dalhousie are very narrow and at one point I was hesitant to take the road that lead to Khajjiar because the entry point of that road was very narrow, like a 6-feet street. I double checked with the traffic police there before taking that road. Once we were out of Dalhousie, the road was good initially but it narrowed as we progressed. And the last 10Kms was very bad and overall it took us more than an hour for a measly 17Kms. I guess it was probably the worst stretch of this trip. Narrow roads towards Khajjiar ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Short clipping of Dalhousie - Khajjiar stretch We reached Khajjiar by 5:15 PM. HPTDC Hotel Devdar (Khajjiar): Room was booked at HPTDC Hotel Devdar and our room was very close to the parking. I am saying this because their cottages are a bit far away which were closed for renovation. Our room was still in its old state. Room was very spacious but the doors and windows were not in a great condition. Rickety doors and windows which let the cold draft get in easily. Room service and the food were good. But, nothing can beat the view from the room. For city dwellers coming from a concrete jungle, waking up to this view was a sight for the sore eyes. And here is the view from our room ![]() Car Parking ![]() Our room ![]() Cottages at a nice location, but far from the parking ![]() Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:42. |
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| Day 7 Khajjiar - Dalhousie: Day 7 Khajjiar - Dalhousie: In my opinion, it is a better option to stay here for a night because it gets crowded during the day as many stay in Dalhousie and make a day trip to Khajjiar. Since we stayed here, during the early morning hours, there was absolutely no crowd and our kids enjoyed running around the grassland and exploring the place. We went for a walk around the periphery of the place. Lots of cattle were grazing and stray dogs were running around. One dog even tried to get friendly with us and followed us around the entire time we were there. The crowd was starting to trickle in and the daily activities were getting started. We returned from our walk and decided to get ready to explore what Khajjiar had to offer us. Horse riding/Walking The kids were excited about their first-ever horse ride. We got a 3-yr old horse named “Shaan” and its jockey was a pleasant chap who took the kids on the horse along the trail around the periphery of the place. My wife and I followed the entourage by foot. The ride was over in about 20 minutes and it was time to go zorbing. Zorbing: The moment the kids saw the giant zorbing ball, they started pestering us to let them go zorbing. We didn’t have much cash on us after we paid for the horse ride. We also didn’t want to spend the cash we had on us. So, we enquired about card payment or Paytm with the zorbing guys and thankfully, they were accepting Paytm. After a quick Paytm transaction, the kids were ready to go zorbing. The boys were buckled inside the ball and the ball was rolled off from the top of the slope towards the lake for a distance of about 200 mtrs. The zorbing attendant ran along with the ball and stopped it when it was meant to. The kids were helped out of the ball and they came out all shaken and stirred. They both loved the adrenaline rush..and, as if they didn’t have enough of it, they both wanted to go paragliding. My wife and I decided that this was enough adrenaline rush for a day and decided to wrap up the day in Khajjiar much against our kids’ disapproval. Khajjiar Lake: The lake itself was an obscure one which seemed to be shrinking. We wondered how small it will be during peak summer. ![]() ![]() ![]() Since we were starting around noon and we decided to have a quick lunch of Masala Maggi. We were floored by the flavors that was there in the vegetable Maggi that was prepared for us. We were surprised at how a lowly instant noodle could be jazzed up with the right ingredients. We left Khajjiar by 1:00 PM and reached Dalhousie by 2:00 PM On the way we thought about covering Kalatop as well but then decided to move this plan to next day. Alps Resort (Dalhousie):
The car parking near Mall road ![]() Had our lunch at Kwality Restaurant ![]() Mall road entrance ![]() Mall road ![]() Dalhousie bus stand ![]() By 6 PM, we were back to hotel. ![]() Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 22:09. |
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| Day 8 Dalhousie – Kalatop – Chamera Dam/Lake (97 Kms) Day 8 Dalhousie – Kalatop – Chamera Dam/Lake (97 Kms): One of my friend recommended Chamera Dam/Lake for its curvy roads and location. So, we decided to visit Kalatop first and then Chamera Dam/Lake. We woke up bit late and it was raining as well. With temperature already on the lower side, we found it difficult to get out of the cozy quilts.
Very narrow roads, it is very difficult to make space for the oncoming traffic. Luckily we didn’t have to negotiate any big vehicles in the opposite direction. Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 20:11. |
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| Dalhousie – Chamera Dam/Lake: Dalhousie – Chamera Dam/Lake: After Kalatop, we were ready to drive down to Chamera Dam/Lake for which we had to cross Dalhousie. It was nice curvy roads all the way till this dam.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Getting closer to the dam ![]() While crossing the dam ![]() Boating point ![]() The lake ![]() ![]() ![]() We opted against boating, enjoyed this scenic location and started our drive back to the hotel. Chamera Tunnel ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() After reaching the hotel, we had dinner and called it a day. Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 22:14. |
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| Day 9: Dalhousie – Dharamshala - McLeod Ganj (143 Kms) Day 9: Dalhousie – Dharamshala - McLeod Ganj (143 Kms): Initial plan for the day was to stay at Bir, but there was an International paragliding event happening on that day and all the hotels in Bir were full. So, we decided to stay in Dharamshala. Hotel booking was done by HVK CHD. After the previous day’s fun with snow and slush, kids were even more interested to see and play with snow. Especially my younger one who started pestering us to take him to the “snow mountains”. The elder one was looking forward to seeing the Dharamshala cricket ground.
![]() Initially it was wide, smooth and curvy roads ![]() And then we took the Lahru – Sihunta – (Shahpur – Chowari Rd), this was mixed with bad roads and at times decent/good roads. ![]() Not much traffic in this route and mostly it was remote locations with no towns in between except a few villages. The only kind of traffic jams that we faced in these mountains ![]() Some bad roads, HPTDC buses were untouchable in these roads ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Video clipping, Tunuhatti - Lahru stretch (On the way to Dharamshala from Dalhousie) ![]() Some traffic due to road work. We had to wait for 5 minutes. ![]() ![]() Video clipping, Lahru stretch (On the way to Dharamshala from Dalhousie) ![]() ![]() ![]() Finally some wide nice roads ![]() ![]() Video clipping, Shahpuri - Chowari road (Towards Dharamshala) We hit the Pathankot – Mandi road at 1:25PM Some traffic due to a narrow bridge ![]() This is after taking the Pathankot – Mandi road. ![]() Another long traffic jam due to a bridge work ![]() Filled fuel in a BP before proceeding towards Dharamshala Stopped for lunch at Midway Resorts around 2:00 PM, it was a good one hour stop here ![]() View from this resort ![]() After this pit-stop we proceed towards Dharamshala Cricket Ground. The kids wished we could watch a match here. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Last edited by arun_josie : 21st May 2017 at 22:19. |
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| Dharamshala - McLeod Ganj Dharamshala - McLeod Ganj: This was one of the most challenging stretches during this trip. This route was via Potala Road and most part of the last 8Kms was very challenging for the following reasons:
When we started with this stretch, I thought that this narrow stretch will get over soon. Since, it was going uphill, I was trying to keep up the momentum. At one point, I started seeing the oncoming traffic and thought if this was an one-way that we entered by mistake?!. There were a few taxis behind us which gave us an assurance that this is not an one-way. At few hairpin bends, only after turning left, I got to know that it was a very narrow hairpin bend. So, I asked my son to follow the GPS and let me know the hairpin bends in advance. Thanks to Jio, the mobile connectivity was wonderful here. Airtel network was horrible in remote locations. With me already looking forward for some breathing space, it was a shocker that this road started going through some shopping area with space only for a car. On top of it, traffic started piling up as well. I started using hand-brake and clutch to climb up from stand-still positions. Once I tried without hand-brake and the car started moving behind a little which was scary. Residential area ![]() Commercial area and there was a traffic jam ![]() ![]() Vehicles parked haphazardly by the side ![]() ![]() The roads getting narrower ![]() ![]() After 5Kms we got some open roads for about a km and then last two Kms narrowed again. Overall, this last 8-9Kms was quite challenging for me as I have not taken such a long stretch of steep and narrow roads before. The ones I had taken were only small stretches of steep incline. This one was towards the hotel, a slope but not a easy one ![]() ![]() Video clipping of the same ![]() ![]() At the hotel parking ![]() By the time we reached the hotel, it was 5:15 pm, I was exhausted and needed some rest but my wife wanted to go shopping in McLeod Ganj. The hotel we stayed was about 3 kms from McLeod Ganj and I was in no mood to drive down again in that rain and fading light. So, she hired a cab through the hotel and went alone for shopping. A win-win for both of us. ![]() The view from the hotel was awesome. The snow-covered peaks looked so close from the hotel.. made us want to reach out and touch them. This only intensified the war-cry from my younger one about wanting to go to the “snow mountains”. We kept pacifying him saying that its very far away and we can’t go there. Spectacular view from our hotel
Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:56. |
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| Day 10 - McLeod Ganj – Mandi – Manali(Actual plan was Chail) - 143 Kms Day 10 - McLeod Ganj – Mandi – Manali(Actual plan was Chail)- 143 Kms:
This was the alternate route to avoid those narrow roads. ![]() Soon, we were on the road to Mandi ![]() ![]() Some diversion due to road work ![]() ![]() Nice tarmac ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This was one bus which was being driven like a small car on the twisty sections ![]() Stop at Ganesha Fiat, Mandi:
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Chail or Manali? A big dilemma! The hotel booking at Chail booking was done and paid in advance through the HVK CHD. HVK enquired with us if we were interested in seeing snow in Manali. We said “No” as this will extend our trip by one extra day. We debated about cutting one day out of the 2 days-3 nights that was originally planned in Chail and including Manali as the kids were very interested to see snow. This also meant that we would lose one day’s hotel charges for the booking done at the hotel in Chail. So, we decided to skip Manali and didn’t want to disturb the original schedule. The FASS technicians heard this discussion and told us that it would be a shame if we didn’t go to Manali after coming that far and this close to it. They insisted that we should go visit Manali and experience the snow. They also told us that this is the right time to visit Manali as it had snowed the previous day. So, after a 5 minutes discussion with them, I called HVK and said that we were fine to lose one day at Chail and will go to Manali instead for the stay that night. HVK was concerned about us losing the hotel charges for one day. His team spoke to the hotel in Chail and they were able to postpone the booking by one day without any extra charges. We were more than happy with this arrangement and thanked HVK and his team for the flexibility they provided us. The trip was getting extended by one day and we will be driving to Manali instead of Chail from Mandi. The kids were excited about this last minute change as we will get to see the snow and the younger one gets to see his “snow mountains”. We thanked the Fiat guys and proceed to have lunch at Visco resort nearby, the time was 2:15 PM by then. It was an one hour stop there. ![]() After lunch, we refueled at Mandi before proceeding to Manali. We exited Mandi by 3:30 PM. 108Kms to Manali ![]() 3 Kms Aut tunnel, on the way to Manali
Traffic jam near Kullu due to some diversion ![]() ![]() Another traffic jam after Kullu due to road work, this took around 30 minutes to clear ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
Driving between mountain ranges, Mandi - Manali Last edited by arun_josie : 22nd May 2017 at 07:58. |
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