Little Lhasa

Dharamshala has carved out a space for itself in any traveler’s diary. Its unique history beckons one and all. It was this call that made us plan a trip. First of all there many ways to get there – with the airport at Gaggal near Kangra and railway station at Pathankot, it is very well connected. We chose to enjoy Bholu. So after going through the various options, Dauladhar Express seemed a convenient overnight journey. Next was booking a place to stay and with good experience of staying in a Government accommodation, preference was to get hold of one. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation gives you a convenient one stop shop experience on its website http://hptdc.gov.in/custsw/viewuser8.asp, where you can view availability of all its properties across the State. We were booking in advance, yet to our dismay most of the properties were full, so it helps to plan early.

 

 

Dauladhar Express departs from Old Delhi Railway station at 22.45 hours. It is a herculean task to reach the place by road through traffic and congested areas in the evening, so it helped that we had begun early (our Ranthambore experience fresh in mind). This time we reached with enough time to spare. The train departs from platform number 15, hence you need to climb the overbridge. We helped ourselves to goodies from the McDonald’s outlet in the station premises (old Delhi station also has Comesum, for the foodies) before the train departed on schedule. With no further adventure, we reached Pathankot Junction next morning at the scheduled time of 8.20 am. Our pre-booked cab was waiting outside. This was result of another valuable advice – advance cab booking not only saves you the hassle of haggling with cabbies in the station but is also very cost effective.

 

 

Soon we were ahoy! After an hour of travelling, we took a break at a vegetarian dhaba (Indian roadside eatery typically seen on highways). The food seemed fresh and quite tasty. The journey slowly moved from straight roads to winding curves and after another hour or so, the cabbie took a diversion from the main road. The climb to the mountains started soon after. The roads all throughout were surprising well maintained. The curves got sharper, the roads narrower and the climb steeper. The cab glided through with breathtaking views of the valley, forests, narrow streams and the serenity of a mountain drive could be felt. After a drive of almost 3 hours in bright sunshine we reached Dharamshala. Our stay was at McLeod Ganj or Upper Dharamshala and took us another hour to reach it. Closer to the destination, we experienced a bit of a traffic jam – too many vehicles on holiday!
 

The Dhaba

 

Hotel Bhagsu was right in the heart of the town. Once we located the place and alighted/embarked from the cab, mist enveloped the surroundings – tall cedar trees were suddenly barely visible, and a chill in the air welcomed us with open arms. The room was a decent one a comfortable double bed, sofa, table, almirah, television and a large washroom. The washroom had a geyser and the room was equipped with a heater.

 

 

The Entrance

 

The Restaurant at Hotel Bhagsu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We refreshed and after a quick lunch, embarked on sightseeing. The first spot was the Dal Lake, a man-made lake about 15 kms from the main town. As we reached the lake, mist from the hills swooped in, giving it a magical backdrop. The lake was full of variety of fishes, which were coming to the surface in droves whenever any bread crumb was thrown by the numerous tourists. We partook of tea and samosas at a small tea stall opposite the lake. After enjoying the place, we headed towards Bhagsu Nag temple located at one end of the central road in McLeod Ganj.
 

Dal Lake

  

The Magical Backdrop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cars are allowed till a certain point, beyond which once needs to take a short walk through a narrow stretch. The temple is located on one side of the complex and one needs to climb a few stairs to reach it. On the other side is a tank, whose water is considered to be holy with healing properties. Although we were told by locals that the water emanates from a hot spring, the water was not hot, rather it was quite cold. We could hear water gushing close by and on enquiry, were informed that the famed Bhagsu waterfalls was located about 2 kms ahead. In the fading darkness, we made an attempt to reach it but had no option but to withdraw due to unknown territory and warnings from visitors returning not to proceed further. Since it was quite cold, nothing could be better than settling for some tea. While checking out options we spotted a quaint place called German Bakery located at the end of the narrow stretch near the point where the cars were parked.



Bhagsu Nag Temple

The Holy Tank

On the Temple Complex's Entrance Gate

Darkness Descending

 

German Bakery

We returned to the hotel and decided to take a walk to the main road, which was about 10 minutes away. The road was lined with shops selling local fare as well as other regular items. After exploring various shops for more than an hour, our stomach was growling with hunger. We had come across very good reviews of Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen, so we headed there straightaway. The place, located on the first floor, was teeming with customers. We were fortunate to secure a table which had just been vacated. The walls were lined with posters of famous Hollywood movies. Some of the items on the menu were already over, informed the owner Tserin very apologetically. She also recommended some other items, from which we made our choice. The service was super slow but when the food arrived, we really forgot about the delay. The pizzas, be it chickonara, peri peri or roasted chicken, tasted awesome. It was such a refreshing change from the staple pizza that we are so used to. The pasta with piri piri sauce was equally enterprising! Overall an excellent place for satisfying one’s taste buds. A short walk from the restaurant brought us back to our hotel where we retired for the night.

The View From The Road

The View Inside





Have You Seen These Movies?

Some More Down Memory Lane

Pizza - Fresh & Juicy



 

Watch This Space For The Amazing Bhagsu Falls and the Dalai Lama Temple

City Of All Faiths (Concluded)

The other major tourist destination in Ajmer is a visit to Pushkar. Although Pushkar is famed for its colourful fair held in the month of October, it has another claim to fame. One of few temples dedicated to Lord Brahma is located here. The distance from Ajmer to Pushkar is roughly 15 kilometers and takes about 45 minutes to cover. The scenery is quite picturesque cutting through the Aravalli hills. One particular spot on the way provides a breathtaking view of city of Ajmer. And it is a sight right out of story books. The city is spread around the huge Anasager lake and is overlooked by the Aravallis on almost all sides. The blue lake and green hills give the city a dream like appearance.

Cutting Across



Lush Green Aravallis

Valley Called Ajmer

 

Brahma Temple

The approach to the Brahma temple was narrow and congested. The cab dropped us a few feet from the temple entrance. There was a huge crowd already. Innumerable hawkers and salesmen of local shops (far outnumbering the visitors!) thronged the surrounding area making it difficult to walk. We literally had to wade our way though. The local practice is to first take a dip in the holy water lake situated at a walking distance of 10 minutes. Thereafter you can enter the temple. By the time we came back from the lake, the crowds had somewhat reduced (thankfully!). We deposited our footwear with a makeshift shop, purchased the offering and climbed the stairs. It may be noted that bags, camera etc. are not permitted inside the temple so it is preferable to leave them in the cab. We completed the climb of about 70-80 steps without further ado. However, akin to the entrance at the mosque, there was no organized queue at the entrance to the main deity’s sanctum and it resulted in considerable pushing from impatient pilgrims in the final flight of stairs (about 10 steps). Once you reached the top you can quickly offer your prayers and move down the stairs to the other side. There are various other deities within the main temple complex.  

The hotel’s cab services to Pushkar are on the higher side. For a 4 hour trip where the travel is maximum 35 kilometer, they charge Rs. 1200/- for a Tata Indigo. This is nothing short of daylight robbery. What was even more shocking to us is that the trip was complete in about 2½ hours. The cab could not be utilized other than for visiting any other temple or gurdwara located on that stretch. What a waste of money. In Gurgaon cab charges for 8 hours or 80 kilometers will come at the same or lesser fare!  

 

3 days had passed in a jiffy in this wonderful city. Ajmer has the distinction of being one of the few cities where 2 major religions co-exist peacefully side by side. The warmth and hospitability of the people here make it very endearing to a tourist. However, it has its drawbacks as well. Consumerism has taken its toll here as well. The city roads especially those from the railway station to the area around the hotel are very dirty. On some roads and at one small entrance to the lake, garbage had piled up. The vehicular traffic is haphazardly regulated…traffic police seemed quite helpless (or perhaps didn’t care much). I have my doubts if pollution checks are ever carried out on the automobiles, the black unhealthy smoke emitted by most auto riskshaws together with the obnoxious smell is very nauseating.

We Desperately Need Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

 

Inspite of all this, when we finally reached the station and boarded the Shatabdi Express to Delhi, our mind was filled with fond memories of a weekend well spent. The long Independence Day weekend gave us true independence in our travel and stay in Ajmer.

 

City of All Faiths! (Continued...)

The hotel had arranged for a VIP visit to the Dargah Sharif, shrine of the sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty. It is one of holiest shrines and revered by people of all faiths. The Dargah Sharif is visited by millions of pilgrims who come to seek fulfillment of their wishes. However in the midst of a crowded Saturday, the sanctity of a ‘privileged’ visit was not to be. The approach road to the shrine consists of narrow by-lanes, through which at times only 1 person can pass. In the absence of a proper regulated queue, there was complete chaos at the entrance to the tomb. The long queue for ‘general public’ appeared quite disciplined but certainly a time consuming affair. Nevertheless we sought the almighty’s blessings and came out in less than 1 hour. Upon checking with the escort in the mosque, we were advised that for a more peaceful visit it is preferable to come on a non-holiday or non-festival day at 6 in the morning. Beware of the narrow approach roads to the mosque. Also once inside, the escort warned us to be wary of pick-pockets and to ensure safety of personal belongings, wallets, bags, mobiles, camera etc. We had left our belongings at the hotel itself, hence could not click any photos.

That afternoon we visited the famed Honey Dew restaurant close to the railway station. From the reviews available on the internet, we learnt that the restaurant was a favourite hangout of the students of the prestigious Mayo College. When we entered most of the table were empty, we presumed that since it was past lunch hour. Desperately seeking non-vegetarian food, was the primary reason for actively seeking out this restaurant. And we were not let down. The chicken biryani was delicious, but the honours were taken by the delicious laal maas – it simply melted in my mouth. Thoroughly satisfied with the food and the quick service, we once again came out on the busy and chaotic road near the railway station.



Inside Honeydew Restaurant

 

Chicken Biryani

 

 

Laal Maas

We hailed a passing auto rickshaw and after fixing the fare (Rs. 40/-) hopped on for a ride to Ana Sagar Lake. It was a short ride of about 10 minutes. At 4 p.m. the sun was beating down our bodies. What was surprising was that the lake’s sidewalks were brimming with visitors, mostly locals I thought. A cool breeze greeted us as we neared the water body. And once we reached the water’s edge we were amazed to experience the immense expanse of this man-made lake. I could fairly estimate that it was comparable to some of the more well-known lakes in our country (such as Nainital, Ooty etc.). Looking down at the water greeted me to a wonderful sight – variety of fish, in various sizes and colours could be clearly spotted. Once we were done we realized the superb location of our chosen hotel…it was walking distance from Ana Sagar!


Next Week: Visit To Pushkar and a Round-up of Ajmer before departure

 

City Of All Faiths!

 

Getting up early morning (or perhaps late night) to catch a morning train is quite exciting, more so when it flags off travel on a long weekend. That is exactly how we felt as we completed last minute packing. The cab had come on time at 4.45 a.m. and we were off to the New Delhi railway station to board the Shatabdi Express to Ajmer. The journey took about 7 hours with halts at Delhi Cantonment, Gurgaon, Rewari, Alwar, Jaipur and Kishangarh. We boarded an auto rickshaw from the station after briefly bargaining with the driver. There are many who will swarm around you as soon as you step out of the station and can demand anything between Rs. 150/- to Rs. 200/-. It’s better to check the approximate fare with your hotel before arriving.

Our hotel,  The  Royal Melange  was  located  bang  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  We  were provided with a super deluxe room. The room was very spacious  and spotless clean. There  was  an  almirah  with  a locker soon  after entering the room. A  little  passage gave  way to  the  main  area,  giving  the  room  an  L-shape. The double  bed  flanked  by side tables on both sides,  a  sofa & center table  adorned  the  main  area  of  the room.  With a 32” Sony LED on the opposite wall,  it was a perfect setting for a 3 night stay.  A large mirror  beside  the  TV and  a wooden  chair  in  front of it made up  the  dressing  area. The large  windows  on both walls  had  beautifully designed  curtains. In spite of the furniture, there was  sufficient  space to lavishly pace  up and  down the  room. The overall  décor of the room was  very  inviting. The toilet  also appeared new with modern lights  fitted and sanitary  stuff from  Grohe.

  

After entering the room

Comfortable & Cozy!

The Dressing Area

Sofa & Center Table

The in-house restaurant served only vegetarian food (not even egg) but it had all types of cuisine on its menu. We tried various dishes from hakka noodles to sizzlers, from paneer pushteni to pineapple raita. The food was quite tasty, though at times appeared to be quite oily. Since the hotel had room service, most of our meals were ordered in the room. The food was brought to the room within reasonable time. However, there were some glaring misses (such as tissue paper, sugar sachets with coffee, clearing of plates etc.) and sometimes calls remained unattended even after reminders. The room tariff had breakfast complimentary. The buffet spread had regular items on all days with limited variety, but I must mention that the food was well prepared and the staff took good care while we were in the restaurant.

  

The In-House Restaurant

Table Settings

Paneer Pushteni

Sizzler Named Jewels of China!

Pineapple Raita








Buffet Breakfast

Breakfast...Yummy isn't it?

 

Next Week: Watch this space for our sight seeing ventures in Ajmer!
 

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright (Concluded)

The driver kick-started the canter and kicked up the dust in a break neck speed furiously blowing the horn to clear small vehicles ahead. With every second my heart leapt and mind went in a tizzy. A few minutes of travel brought us on the edge of the lake with thick foliage and tall grass. A number of canters and gypsies had already lined up here. The spot was familiar as it was the same place we had come a couple of hours earlier (I had clicked the photo titled 'A Spot Where We Would Return'). Everyone was now on high alert. The lake was clearly visible from my seat and with reduced light my eyes narrowed to focus on a particular spot on the left side. Did I see a movement in the tall grass or was it a figment of my imagination…my heart skipped a beat. I found out a nano-second later. This time the movement was sure shot there. By now some others had spotted it too and pointed towards. Finally a passenger let out a blood curling scream ‘Tiger…it's there’. My eyes were riveted to the movement which became clearer now since there was a gap in the grass. The yellow and black stripes were now quite prominent…I could hear my heart pounding. The moment of truth had come.

 

The majestic beauty with its royal swagger came out in the open quite nonchalantly. There were absolutely no signs of expression as it went past our canter, barely a few feet away. No reaction whatsoever amidst the noise of a few hundred people surrounding the royal Bengal tiger. It came calmly and went about its business at the same leisurely gait.     

 

I was so excited that I had completely forgotten to click photos, not that I had the time, I realized later. Neither did I have the quick thinking to pull out the handicam…every second was precious. Memory of a lifetime was being captured through my eyes in my mind forever.  My hands were shaking furiously but I did manage to shoot a video with my digicam (thanks to a timely & planned deletion of saved photos earlier). It was all over in a matter of minutes, but the feeling had not yet sunk in.

 

As the excited chattering went on, the driver floored the accelerator. Such a bumpy ride on the narrow jungle terrain was quite unimaginable, but the cantering continued unabated. It slowed and almost came to a halt when a black furry creature was spotted among the trees. I tried to take a focused look in that direction. It took a few seconds to realize that a bear was moving about. Again the distance coupled with the fading light made it difficult to get a shot. As we moved on, the driver threw caution to the winds. What followed was a roller coaster ride which shook my body (and probably my bones too!) – every time the canter jumped up, my stomach went down like a high speed lift plummeting from the twin towers!

 

 

There were animated discussions in the hotel. The not so lucky once were exchanging notes, disappointment clearly writ large on their expressions. The ones who had seen the tiger in the morning were comparing the circumstances and the opportunities!  

 

It took many many days to realize that one of my deep desires had been fulfilled. It is not a very familiar story that you will hear in these parts that on your very first safari, the Tiger had been spotted!

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright!! (Cont'd)

The train departed just as we hopped on to one of the compartments…we had made it by a hair’s breadth. It took some time to recover and pull our luggage under our berth. The rest of the three and half our journey was eventless except for the regular snacks/beverage servings, hallmark of services offered on all Rajdhani trains. At about 8.40 p.m. the train halted at Sawai Madhopur station and we alighted on to the well-lit platform. The weather was much cooler here. As advised, we took an auto rickshaw to the hotel. As we moved towards the forest and away from the main town area, the air suddenly turned chilly. The 20 minute ride amidst the silent roads and dark surrounding sent a strange feeling of excitement and fear of the unknown.

Once at the hotel we completed the formalities and were shown our room on the first floor. It was a last room in an open corridor beyond which, through the darkness, appeared to look like a terrace. Being a little exhausted and not quite hungry, we retired for the night.

Peacock calls greeted us early the next morning…what a pretty sight it was from our well-netted and grilled windows. 4 to 5 peacocks were moving about amidst large trees and   thick grass. The soft chirping of various birds and other typical sounds of a forest had a very soothing effect on the mind…an ideal way to begin the holiday!! The hotel had a huge well maintained garden on the front side, where we spent most of the morning.

 



The expansive lawns

In the meantime I also checked out with the reception to make a booking for the safari…to my disappointment I was informed that chances of a gypsy are next to impossible and considering the holiday rush, I would be lucky to even get a canter. Adding to the woes, I was informed that this was not a good time to visit since the enormous crowds would normally deter tigers from coming out in the open and it was preferable to stay 4-5 days and make atleast 10 safaris to be fortunate enough to sight a tiger. I went back with fingers crossed, once again cursing my procrastination at not having made online bookings earlier.

The air had turned very hot around 2.30 p.m. when we were informed by the hotel reception that seats had been confirmed and the canter was on its way. By the time we came down to the hotel lobby, the canter had come and we were ahoy!! Every bone, muscle and tissue in my body was bubbling with excitement at the very thought of what lay ahead. Very soon we had entered the Ranthambore National Park and the canter was making its way though rugged roads. The large trees protected us from the scorching sun. The first animals that we could spot were deer – chital, barasingha, spotted etc. Next were various species of monkeys. As we neared water bodies, everyone on the canter was on the lookout for some elusive movement but even after an hour, we could spot turtles, crocodiles, fish etc. As the afternoon sun severely beat down upon us, the initial enthusiasm slowly began to subside. Another hour passed and all we saw were some more varieties of birds. Alas! our driver parked the canter on the edge of the huge water body where a tiger had been spotted in the morning. Everyone on board kept looking out, once to the left and then to the right and then behind; the hush hush tones gradually changed to murmuring which slowly got louder. From a distance loud forest calls could be heard…birds and monkey alerts, I was told later on, signals that a big cat was around.



The Majestic Entry

Cantering on the Jungle Trail!

It's a green world!

Barasingha cooling off!



Lone Chital

Finally a Monkey...

Can you spot the alligator?




















The Croc is almost not there...




A Spot Where We Would Return










Water's Edge - Where We Waited

 The Old Fort Entrance 

And then with a jerk the driver yanked the canter out of hibernation and scampered towards the thicket. Other canters could also be seen rushing in. This rush continued for the next few minutes without any particular direction. Finally our canter settled at a place where all other vehicles had congregated. There were shouts and loud calls for spotting a big cat. Since everyone was looking and pointing in a fixed direction our eyes followed only to see the vaguely see the wall beside the entrance of the dilapidated fort. The chattering reached its crescendo soon when apparently the cat was sighted again. We could now make out that it was a leopard that was being referred to. My eyes furiously hunted for a sighting but even after standing on the seat nothing seemed to be there. With a feeling of despair I got off and sat down. However, there were again loud sounds from the crowds and with hope in my heart, I stood up. And this time the foliage could not block my vision. The leopard was right here...but we were at a distance! At a distance I could clearly see the furtive movements of the spotted cat with its tail swishing gingerly on the broken fort wall. The sighting, though momentary and not capable of being captured on camera, was the first feeling of contentment that I felt on having made this trip. By now everyone in the canter had had their share of ‘glory’!





The desert plant!

The sun was no more beating down now and with the time approaching for the end of the safari, did make my heart heavy. After all, whether you spotted a leopard or not, the honour lay in sighting our national animal. The driver slowly pulled out of the spot and began to move towards the exit. After moving for a few minutes on a now familiar stretch, it stopped beside a huge cactus tree and cut the ignition. I was wondering what he was upto when the guard announced that they would wait a few more minutes here to check out a last time if there is any possibility of a sighting. Once again hope kindled in my heart…in the silence. And then it happened…

 

(To be continued....)