Kasauli (HP) - a perfect destination for Monsoon Weekend

Kasauli is one of the few hill stations within 350 km from Delhi which makes it a good weekend destination.

About the place:

• Kasauli is a cantonment and town, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
• Kasauli has a moderate climate. Winter temperature is approximately 2 degrees celsius, with Summer temperatures rarely exceeding 32 degrees celsius.
• The Kasauli Brewery and distillery, founded in the 1820s before the establishment of the Kasauli cantonment, is the oldest extant distillery for 'scotch whisky' in Asia. The Kasauli brewery is also known as Mohan Meakins.

Altitude from Sea level: 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).

How to Reach: One can easily reach this monsoon destination by direct bus from ISBT Kashmeri Gate, New Delhi.
Train is also available from Delhi - Kalka and Kalka - Kasauli by Taxi or Bus.

Best time to visit: Monsoon (July - September), and here is the reason:





Captured "the River of Clouds"

I had a chance to visit this easy access place on a tour with office (RDM India Pvt. Ltd.) colleagues

Here is the group, let me check my memory if I can recall their names.. from top to bottem - Ravi Panai, Ashish Satija, Parvinder Mehra (me), Ankush Maheshwari, Mandeep Sharma the jatt, Mandal, Seema, ---- , Mohit, Nitin Pachori. I could not recall the girl in red.. she wasn't in our team, she is from some other department.

Delhi to Kasauli is an easy 7-8 hrs drive. Top tip for this place:  must visit Timber Trail at Kasauli. Its a beeeaaauuuutiful place.

Only thing I wish to say about kasauli is that this Hill station is only made for Monsoon Vacations. Rest.. let the pics do the briefing:

An island in the clouds



McLeodGanj (HP) - perfect blend of Fashion and Serenity.

HP (Himachal Pradesh), present in the Shivalik Range of Himalayas, surprises you on every visit. I was overwhelmed when I visited this place with my school friends...

McLeodGanj is the official residence of Dalai Lama in India.

About this place:

• Situated on the Dhauladhar Range, whose highest peak, "Hanuman Ka Tibba", at about 5,639 metres (18,500 feet), lies just behind it
• McLeod Ganj is a suburb of Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India
• McLeodGanj was named after Sir Donald Friell McLeod, a Lieutenant Governor of Punjab; the suffix ganj is common Hindi word for "neighbourhood".
• Triund jewel of Dharamshala is one-day trek about 9 kilometres from McLeodGanj.

• A small lake located around three km from McLeodGanj, next one of the Tibetan Children's Villages schools.

Altitude from Sea level - 2082 m (6831 ft)

How to reach:

•  The nearest airport is Gaggal airport, 15 km south of Dharamshala.
• The nearest railway stations on the Shimla-Kangra narrow gauge line are at Kangra and Nagrota (about 20 km south of Dharamshala). The nearest railhead (broad gauge) is at Pathankot (85 km).
• Buses from Delhi ISBT Kashmiri gate to Dharamshala are available daily @ around INR 600/- 

Best time to visit: Round the year!

Quick Itinerary:
Budget: INR 3300/- per traveller

Friday, 2nd November,2012: Leave at 01:00 am from Dwarka, Delhi
Saturday, 3rd November,2012: McLeod Ganj at 03:30 pm
Sunday, 4th November,2012: Dal Lake, magnificent view of Dhauladhar Range and
                                                Hanuman Ka Tibba peak. Leave for delhi at 02:00 pm
Monday, 5th November,2012: Delhi at 03:00 am, office at 01:00 pm

NOW, back to the travellogue:

My school friends are potentially dangerous.... ;)
     a. Gerald George           : The Boy with a camera....
     b. Ramneet Singh Kalra :  The Sardar.....And he is known by the name Rum-Neat....Yeah.... ??

McLeodGanj is just 485 km from Delhi. A weekend trip is suffice for this majestic place, but, make sure your visits are more than one !!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Me..

There is an Old Saying, Three people mean blunder....But we proved the people wrong......
The poor Wagon R car, which took us...and Rum paaji drove all night too.....That Man is Insane.....He can drive without sleeping and what not... ;)

                                                          Sun Rise after An Eventful Night......

Gerald with his Canon 550D!!

We left at 1 am to avoid traffic on NH21. at 7:30 am we were at Bhakhra Dam.........
Don't worry, I will spare you the details but the Dam looked nothing.....Not beautiful or scenic and no photography......Damn We were going for fun and I now hold my regards for Tehri Dam.....Tehri nestled amongst mountains always opens its arms when it sees me....

Since it is the month of November, not much green views are there but still its Scenic!!

Our Hotel Room...Yes!!!!! Glass Rooms......

Bhagsunag from Hotel Surya, McLeodGanj

We planned to have a walk around to enjoy the serenity of this majestic place and visit BhagsuNath water fall next morning:

Dhauladhar Peak - McLeodGanj, HP

Morning is for the charming Bhagsu Fall:

Bhagsu Waterfall

 Bhagsunag Temple:

Bhagsunath Temple, McLeodGanj, HP

Cave Paintings @ McCleodganj....

Rock Paintings....Cult Artwork..........

Souvenirs Anyone??

Rum Neat !!!!!!

Stairs to Bhagsu WaterFall

'Old Monk' captured by 'RumNeat'!

Gerald George - Shooter with Canon 550D

We have been told by the locals that a few km from Bhagsunag, we could be here:

Dhauladhar Range, HP

 Dal Lake, McLeodGanj, HP

The Flower Valley.....

I love driving in the Himalayas!!

HP is one of the Tea producing hub in India!

It was a weekend worth a month!!

McLeodGanj is perfect blend of Fashion and Serenity...........Don't Forget Craziness......

Delhi - Auli - Deoriya Tal - Delhi

 I have had heard of and seen images of this majestic place.. "Deoriya Tal", Ukhimath, Uttaranchal.

Deoriya Tal - one of the best places to visit near Delhi - 450 km

About the Place:

1. Auli:

• Auli is an important ski destination in the Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand, India.  Some experts consider Auli to be one of the best ski resorts in the world.
• Auli lies on the way to Badrinath. Auli is blessed with a breathtaking panoramic view of the lofty peaks of the greatest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas.
• Auli also boasts the Asia's longest - 4 km - cable car (Gondola).

Altitude from Sea level: 3,049 m (10,003 ft).

How to Reach: Regular buses are available from Delhi up to Joshimath which is the nearest town to Auli. Regular taxi services connect Auli with Joshimath.
-Although best way is to hire a personal taxi.

Best time to visit: Janauray - March 1st week, June - November.
                             Note - July to September is a bit risky due to higher landslide probability.

2. Deoriya Tal:

• Deoria Tal is a lake located about 3 km on an uphill trek from the villages of Sari, on the Ukhimath-Chopta road in Uttarakhand.
• It is believed that it was the place from where the mighty Pandavas (Mahabharata) were asked queries by Yaksha.

 Altitude from Sea level: 2,438 m (7,999 ft)

How to Reach: Jeeps are available from Ukhimath to reach Sari, via Mastura. However in the time of returning one has to wait for ages for a jeep, or go down trekking to Mastura to search for share jeeps.
-Although best way is to hire a personal taxi.

Best time to visit: Janauray - March 1st week, June - November.
                              Note - July to September is a bit risky due to higher landslide probability.

 Itinerary:

Budget: INR 2300/- per traveller
Day 1: Delhi (Leave at 6:30 am) - Rudraprayag at 8 pm
Overnight stay at Rudraprayag at Sangam Hotel
Day 2: Rudraprayag - Auli - Gopeshwar
Overnight stay at Gopeshwar
Day 3: Gopeshwar (Leave at 6:30 am) - Chopta - Sari Village - 2.5 km Trek - Deoriya Tal - Rudraprayag
Overnight Stay at Rudraprayag at Sangam Hotel
Day 4: Rudraprayag - Delhi

Day 1: Deoriya Tal is just 450 km from Delhi and I always had this place in my to do list. On December 7,2012, me and my friend Narender Bisht, decided to left for Deoriya Tal and Auli at 6:30 am from Delhi. Everything was, like, perfect! the Bike, weather, traffic  and time.

At around 8 am we had a tea break at Mujaffarnagar and moved on!!....

Air pessure checked for safer ride in the Himalayas! (Rider - Narander Bisht)

At 10:30 am we were at Haridwar! and 11:30 am at Rishikesh!! its Delhi to Rishikesh in just 5 Hrs!!.
We had some snacks and a tea break at Rishikesh and left for DevPrayag:

nothing like Riding along the Ganges in the mighty Himalayas!!

DevPrayag - I don't know why I want to visit this place every time.. its beyong words!!

Confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi

We also met two Babas at Devprayag with their 'Chilam' filled with Charas and had a taste of it:

This Baba had I phone 3G!!!

The Charas and the Babas!!

Picture Perfect!!

We could try it more than once as we had to Ride in the Himalayas with full consciousness. Now, time to leave Devprayag:

Crossing this bridge on a Bike is yet a nice experience!!

Scenic view!! .. lot more to come

At around 7 pm we reached at Rudraprayag and had night stay at Hotel Sangam Palace. Food is too good .. Authentic Garhwali Food!

Day 2: We planned to leave at 7 am in the morning but as usual, our sleeping habit, we left at 9 am for Auli.
Enroute:

Ascend to Auli has just begun.

 Auli is one of the premium Skii resort in india and is at just 500 km from Delhi. It is just 14 Km from Joshimath:

Finally we are at Auli:

Auli is also a Military camp!!

the slope was so steep that even our Bike lost its throttle..!!!

Our today's plan is to reach Gopeshwar and have an overnight stay there.

Good bye Auli.. will return soon.....

Hotel at Gopeshwar @ INR 250/-

Day 3: We left for Chopta at 6 in the morning. Chopta is around 40 km from Gopeshwar:

Choptaa !!! .. :

Now, We moved to Saari Village, aroung 18 km from Chopta:

From Saari Village, Deoriya Tal is a 2.5 km Steep trek:

Exhausted due to excessive smoking - Narendra Bisht

Finally we are here!! .. Deoriya Tal...  !!....  :

Notthhing like having Cheers!! with a friend at a place like this!!!!  Wow!!!

Time to return to Delhi.. :(

Mr. Rajat Negi.. Care taker of hotel Sangam Palace at Rudraprayag.

Day 4: Rudraprayag - Delhi

Shivpuri

Will soon return for Vasudhara Falls at Mana Village..........