Shimla trip June 13-20, 2003 (Excerpts from my 2003 diary)

 

[Excerpts from my 2003 diary on our trip to Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, Kullu and Manali between June 13, 2003 and June 20, 2003]

June 13

We woke early, bathed, got ready and left for Meenambakkam from where we boarded an Indian Airlines flight to Palam. The journey was good; the view from the plane, extraordinary. We reached Delhi at half past nine and moved to Panikker Guest House at Karol Bagh. At six in the evening, we moved to the office of Panikker's Travels and boarded our bus. We reached Sonepat at seven-thirty and Karnal at nine. We had our dinner at Karnal. Well, our visit to the Dhaba had some embarrassing moments.

June 14

Day one of our Shimla, HP and Haryana visit - We reached Shimla at four-thirty. Shimla was larger and more beautiful but the temperature range was similar to that of Ooty. We got ready, had our breakfast and left for Kufri (the highest point in Shimla at around 9300 ft.) where I had a memorable horse ride and interesting photos taken. (In one photo, I could be seen sitting on a yak). We, then returned to Shimla (nine kms. from Kufri) at two and had our lunch. At four, we left for the Mall by a local bus where we had some fine moments. But the visit was marred by the loss of my purse and money worth Rs.200.

June 15

Day two in Shimla - we left Shimla at six-thirty and went to Manali (250 kms. from Shimla) via Sundernagar, Bilaspur and Kullu. On our way to Manali, we saw the place of confluence of the rivers Sutlej and Beas (near Sundernagar). The river Beas flows nearby Manali and flows all the way right to the road to Manali. We were treated to some breathtaking scenery and dazzling pine forests.

June 16

June16, 2003 was an exciting day. We went to Rohtang Pass (52 kms. from Manali and 3900 metres above sea level). We had our breakfast at Swamiji's Madras Cafe in Manali itself. We reached Rohtang Pass at around ten (We had started at six). We had some exciting moments at Rohtang Pass where we took photos at breathtaking spots. We returned at four and ate our lunch at Madras Cafe. I bought a traditional Himalayan cap. We returned to the hotel and took rest before heading for Hidimbaa temple. We didn't actually see the idol (due to the enormous amount of people present) but we took a few photos. Returned to the hotel at seven and slept at ten.

We had some exciting moments at Rohtang Pass which is partially covered with snow. Finally, a day dedicated to adventure came to an end.

June 17

June 17, 2003- We packed our belongings and left Manali at six. Y'day's trip to Rohtang Pass had had an adverse effect on my health as frostbites continue to trouble me. We reached Kullu at half past eight and visited Vaishno-Devi temple. Inside the temple complex, there was also a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva situated in a cave and a shrine dedicated to Swami Vivekananda and his mentor, Ramakrishna Paramahansa. At a half past nine, we left for Manikaran. At Manikaran (45 kms. from Kullu), we visited Rama temple and Shiva temple before having our lunch at a gurudwara. Apart from having our lunch, we also prayed at the gurudwara and took photos. At two, we left Manikaran on our return journey to Kullu. We reached Kullu at four-thirty and spent the night there. This is going to be the last day we are going to spend in the hills. Tomorrow, we are leaving for the plains and the night of June 18 would be spent at Chandigarh.

June 18

Wednesday, the eighteenth of June was the penultimate day of our trip. We left Kullu at six. Heavy showers fell as we left Kullu in heavy fog. We followed the same route we had taken to get there (on the road to the right of the river Beas). We had our breakfast on the way (10 kms. before Sundernagar) and lunch at Nalgadh in Solan district (5 kms inside Himachal Pradesh and 55 kms. from Chandigarh) at around two-thirty. We reached Pinjore (25 kms. from Nalgadh and 30 kms. from Chandigarh) at four and visited the famous Pinjore garden. The foundation for the Pinjore garden was laid around 500 years ago. There were a number of Mughal-style buildings and fountains. We took some photos there. At five, we left Pinjore and reached Chandigarh at five-thirty. At Chandigarh, we visited Sukhna Lake. We spent the night at Chandigarh.

June 19

Thursday, the nineteenth of June, two thousand and three, was the last day of our trip. We left our lodge at seven in the morning and visited Siva Temple, Rose Garden and Rock Garden (These places are in Chandigarh). At around ten-thirty, we left Chandigarh and began our return journey. At around twelve, we reached Kurukshetra (120 kms. from Chandigarh), the land of the Mahabharata War, which according to tradition, took place in 3138 BC. A shrine has been around the banyan tree which is believed by local to have been here since the time of the War. There is also a lake nearby and a museum in Kurukshetra itself. At around one-thirty, we left Kurukshetra and went to Karnal (28 kms from Kurukshetra, 130 kms. from Delhi). We had our lunch at Hotel Sagar Ratna in Karnal. We left Karnal at three-thirty and reached Delhi at six. We spent the evening at Panikker's Guest House in Delhi.

June 20

The twentieth of June was another ordinary day. We left our Guest House at five and reached the airport in heavy rain. At seven, we left Delhi by Indian Airlines flight 439. The total journey to Chennai took two hours. We reached Chennai at nine-thirty and left for Sitaram Chithappa's house where I had a nice nap waking up at only two o'clock. I spent the first half of the evening, listening to songs. Later, we went to visit Aunt Bhavani, Uncle Natarajan and Neeraja. Before returning home, we went to Maruthi Digital Lab to see how our photos have come up. Returned home at around nine, ate and slept.