DAY-52, HASSI MESSAOUD, ALGERIA, 04TH OF AUG'09, 22.00 HRS

Vacation at Manali, Kullu and Shimla

Finally posting after a 2 weeks as was completely out of touch with net during my vacation.

We set for our vacation trip on 22nd of July for Manali, Kullu and Shimla and the first leg was Chandigarh where we reached from Mumbai by morning flight in 2 hrs time.

This city is located in North India this modern city serves as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. It is one of the Union Territories of India and is also the country’s first planned city. The city was planned by French architect Le Corbusier. Chandigarh is located at the foothills of the Siwalik hill ranges and forms a part of the Himalayan Ecosystem. Washed by Sukhna Choe in the east and Patiala-Ki-Rao Choe in the west, Chandigarh provides a wonderful stay for the tourists amidst the beauty of the nature. The city centre, popularly called Sector 17 is the heart of all activities in the city. There are a large number of parks in the city which provide ample space for the travelers to breathe in fresh air. Personally I liked Rock garden which is an architectural marvel.

We stayed in Taj Hotel, Chandigarh for a night which was one of the finest hotel of Chandigarh provides a very good ambience and very good service by the courteous staffs.

The very next day we started by car for Manali.The complete journey encompasses winding hills and valleys. By evening reached at Manali and checked in hotel.

Manali literally means the 'Home of Manu', the mythological character who survived when the world was drowned in a flood. Spectacular views of snowcapped peaks and wooded slopes, grassy meadows carpeted with wild flowers make Manali the perfect retreat. Manali still maintains its charm and beauty, with the majestic grandeur of the Himalayas on one side, river Beas cutting across the town, verdant valleys with rolling meadows and grazing herds dotting the hillsides, apple orchards and folk music adding romance to the ambience and presenting a wondrous canvas to the traveler. Experience the local color and beauty in Kullu-Manali's temples, quaint villages and the vibrant and festive mood of the people with their bright attire and handicrafts. Or encounter adventure; on the myriad trekking trails and routes, while skiing on the snow slopes but we didn’t get these as we reached there in mid season. Discover for yourself the Kullu Valley, going up to the Rohtang Pass at 13050 feet and encompassing the beautiful Manali in-between, nestled between the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. As its magical charms captivate your soul, you ebulliently agree that it has rightly been christened as the "Valley of the Gods". It is an excellent place for a holiday, a favorite resort for trekkers to Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur, Leh and Zanskar regions in Kashmir valley. It is known as the SWITZERLAND OF INDIA. Finally our all pain going with kids through winding roads become fruitful when we saw the snow glacier where we played with snow. Only I really felt pain to see the whole road to Rohtang as well as Rohtang was completely polluted by the heavy vehicles exhaust and the dust blown due to heavy vehicle plying. Finally while coming down towards Manali we took a diversion to Solang Valley where we did “Paragliding” that gives an immense pleasure to see Manali as a free bird from the air.

After 3 nights spent at Manali we proceeded for Shimla by car but unfortunately our car got broke down just 2 hrs drive from Manali at the national highway 4 kms before a block Autt. One side was hill and otherside was river beas and there is no sign of habitation around. I thank to the technology that I took out my Asus mobile and logged onto google to find the nearest Taxi association number from my location and finally I got connected to the Bhuntar taxi association and they promptly send me an Indigo car with 2 bottles of water as our stock of water got exhausted and kids started crying for water. Within one hour of logging to google we got the taxi and finally set our journey for Shimla. Finally by 8 pm we reached at Clubmahindra resort “Whispering pines”, at Mashobra which is situated 12 kms away from Shimla.

A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills" (a term coined by the British). Located in the north-west Himalayas at an altitude of 2,128 metres (6,982 ft), The city is famous for its buildings styled in tudorbethan and neo-gothic architecture reminiscent of the colonial era. Shimla is also known for the prestigious Bishop Cotton School, which is one of the oldest boarding schools in Asia.

Mashobra is located on one of Asia’s largest watershed, with the Indus and Ganesh on either side. Situated over 7000 feet above sea level, the breathtakingly beautiful hill station of Mashobra is part of the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. This quaint town dates back to the 18th century and was built in the British era by Lord Dalhousie.

The natural vegetation comprises pine, oak, cedar, rhododendron as well as maple and chestnut. The wildlife in this area include monkeys, baboons, jackals, barking deer and the occasional leopard as well as numerous bird species, the Himalayan eagle, pheasants, chikor and partridges, to name a few.

Surrounded with densely covered forests of oaks and pines, it is also one of the main markets supplying fruits and vegetables to Shimla.

Mashobra is a preferred and relaxing holiday destination because of its utmost tranquility, dense forests and lush foliage, strategic central location and grand panoramic view of Greater Himalayas. It also offers fun-loving people an opportunity to experience Great Adventure Sports. At 7000+ ft above sea level, it is a wonderful place to unwind with very greenish mountains all over. An excellent getaway if you love nature, mountains and all forms of wild life!

A frill of snow-capped peaks surround Mashobra and if the weather if good, you'll actually be able to see the Pir Pinjal range of mountains all the way in Jammu and Kashmir. The Reserve Forest is also great for trekking, camping and picnics. So if nature is your thing, give Mashobra a chance to relax and rejuvenate you completely.

We had been to Naldhera golf course which was developed by Lord Dulhousie, also we had been to Kufri, Jhakoo temple which is situated at the highest point of Shimla and then to mall road which is comprise of upper market and the lower market, in upper market you will find all the branded stores normally which you will get in your city but in the lower market you will get lot of local stuffs at the good bargain if you know the art of bargaining.

We had a plan to visit Dharamshala too as already we booked for 2 nights in clubmahindra resort in Dharamshala but it has become really treacherous journey with small kids so we cancelled our trip to Dharamshala and returned to Kullu and relaxed there at resort for 2 nights and finally flown back from there to New Delhi in the next morning and spend the whole day with family friends and in evening of 30th July flown back to Mumbai and finally on 2nd Aug flown back to my karmshala at Algeria.

Have a very good night…..:)

Regards,

Manoj Kumar Ojha