This summer, my very kind manager gave me a week off work. 2 friends, who are also colleagues, also managed leaves in the same week and it being May, and consequently very hot in Chandigarh, it was soon decided that we should spend the week amongst the hills.
Day 1- Chandigarh- Solan- Simla- Fagu- Theog- Narkanda - Rampur - Sarahan.
After working the night of 24/5/2012 (was doing a 1830-0330 shift), we (myself, Arjun Aukta and Kuldeep Malta) set out in Arjun's Swift and left Chandigarh at around 5:00 AM on 25th.
We had no major plans, however, we had in mind to visit the Sarahan temple and as Arjun had to visit his native place at Hatkoti (near Rohru), we decided we would visit Maa Hateshwari Devi temple at Hatkoti as well. This temple was built by the Pandavas. The rest was left to be decided as we move.
Soon we were at Kuldeep's house in Solan, having hot, delicious prathas that only mothers can prepare. After fortifying ourselves, we made for Simla. After spending most of morning in Simla, we set for Fagu around noon. By now the effects of having worked through the night and a great breakfast had kicked in and we decided to take a break at Fagu. The temperature had gone down considerably with the gain of altitude and a fresh breeze was blowing, promising a good whether. It was still hot in the sun, but we were comfortable in the shade. In Chandigarh, even nights were unbearably hot without coolers and AC. After resting for an hour, we made for Theog and then Narkanda.
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| Solan |
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| Arjun, taking a nap at Fagu. |
We next stopped at Narkanda to photograph the Deodar jungles. These expanses of giant trees, measuring up to 100-150 feet, are a sight to watch and one wonders about the hidden world that these jungles hold. However, they are shrinking fast and getting limited to higher altitudes due to global warming and deforestation.
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| Narkanda |
These sights are a pleasure that cannot be defined by words, or by a photograph for that matter. You have to be there to feel the actual enormity of the mountains, trees and the jungle and see the beauty of it. It causes me a lot of pain to think that these might not be as magnificent, or worse, not there at all for my children to see when they grow up.
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| Kuldeep & Arjun |
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| The ride |
After spending about an hour or so, we were on the move again. We took the road to left just after the bazaar at Narkanda, going to Rampur Bushair. Took a quick stop at Shilaroo to see the International Hockey Stadium and then for the first view of Sutlej (also called Satluj) from the top of the ridge, where descent starts for Rampur.
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| Hockey stadium, Shilaroo. |
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First view of Sutlej river.
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At Rampur, stopped to view the majestic but a little lean looking Sutlej, due to the summers having just started and enough snow not having melt yet. It was decided that we will move to Sarahan for night's stop.
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Sutlej at Rampur.
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Jeori to Sarahan
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It drizzled for a while after Rampur and temperature dropped. Turning right at Jeori, we reached Sarahan at around dusk. Rented a room with 3 beds and not having slept for more than 24 hours, we slept peacefully.
Next morning was sunny and showed the beauty of Sarahan.
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| Sarahan in the morning |
Day 2: Sarahan - Bhawanagar - Karcham - Sangla.
We woke up early and got ready in record time. After darshan at
the temple, we found a nice homely dhaba and breakfasted. The food was great
and the people awesome. Sarahan is a beautiful place, with a rich history, friendly
locals and great climate.
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| The ancient temple. |
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| Painting at the hotel room. Gives a great message- If chicks, cat and a dog can stay together in harmony, then why not humans? |
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| Me- Arjun - Kuldeep |
We left Sarahan after noon and headed for Bhawanagar.
Kuldeep had stayed there for a while in the past. He arranged for an entry to
the Bhawanagar hydro-electric power house. The project has been setup inside
the mountain side by digging a cave. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to
click any pictures of inside.
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| Just before Taranda dhank, Arjun was checking the zoom of D-SLR. He saw something at the bottom of the gorge and we found that it was an ill fated jeep that had rolled down. A scary reminder of how careful you need to be on these roads. |
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| The famous precipitous road, Taranda dhank. |
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| The power house, cut into the mountain side, on the far side of river Sutlej. |
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| At the entrence |
After visiting the power plant, we moved on to Sangla via
Karcham. By the time we reached Sangla, it was evening. We quickly found accommodation
at Baspa guest house and managed to get a suite with 2 rooms and 3 beds. After
that, we did some local sightseeing and went to sleep.
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| Karchham Dam |
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| Sangla bazaar. |
Day 3- Sangla-Chitkul-Sangla.
Next morning, we drove to Chitkul. The day was cold, but the Sun was out at Sangla. However, as we ascended, the clouds gathered and the whether turned misty.
