Road Trip to Shimla from Haridwar
Day 1: 15th August, 2015
This Independence Day, on 15th August 2015, we set off towards our holiday destination Shimla at 8.30 am in the morning. I had booked a driver to accompany us in our 3 days trip from Haridwar to Shimla.
Shimla is a hillstation located in Himachal Pradesh in the Hindustan Tibet road or NH 22. It is around 290 kms from Haridwar by road if we take the Saharanpur- Yamunanagar- Jagadri- Panchkula route to Shimla.
It was our first family road trip to the Himalayan State Capital. What more, we had Rishim to accompany us this time. Our hearts were filled with excitement and anticipation for a fun filled holiday.
The driver Babu, was a jolly fellow who would share is road trip experiences of and on during the drive. He was a sensible and and courteous person. Most importantly he knew where and when to take break and halt at places while looking for safety and comfort.
I was seated in the seat beside the driver while acting as the navigator. He appreciated the fact that I bestowed my confidence on him. Throughout the journey , it was one of my key tasks to keep a cautious eye on the speed and traffic on the road while maintaining our time during stoppages. Whenever we felt that we should stop, we stopped for getting what we wanted to do whether for a cup of tea or taking a snap to capture the moments.
We had all the supplies to cater to Rishim’s enternainment and snacking during the drive. He would munch his packet of chips or sip the fruit juice or would gaze out of the window as our car zipped past the towns and villages.
Our first stop was at a Dhaba near Bhagwanpur where our odometer read 62 kms. We had Aloo Paranthas with cubed butter and Malai tea. After getting refreshment we started for the next leg of 230 kms road ahead before reaching Shimla.
The sights by the road side were filled with lush green paddy fields, sugarcane crop standing tall, wheat and maize being raised and ripened in the summer heat. This part of western UP is one of the best sugarcane producing areas of India and various crops. As we crossed by the schools and institutions , children and youngsters could be seen celebrating India’s 68th Independence Day waving the national flag and cheering and taking photographs after the celebratory parade or just enjoying the new freedom. Even Rishim could sense the freshness in the air and was in a jovial mood.
After reaching Saharahpur we took the turn towards , Yamunanagar via SH 2. Saharanpur is famous for wood furniture sculptors and the variety of wood carvings available in the area. There were numerous shops selling ready to deliver and custom tailored furniture. Saharanpur being a major city in western UP has a busy marketplace with retail and wholesale shops. As we neared Yamunanagar , the gushing stream of the mighty river Yamuna could be seen overflowing its banks after the recent rains in the higher reaches of Himalayas. In the last preceding days, the incessant rains caused the rivers to flood its banks and also increased our apprehensions of landslides in the upcoming hilly areas of Himachal.
In the border area of Panchkula we did a Pollution check of our Car which is mandatory in the Chandigarh and Himachal region. Panchkula is also known for the Gurudwara Nada Sahib which is a very magnificently built structure.
After the Toll Bridge area there, there was another tourist site called Pinjore Gardens or Raghavendra Gardens maintained by Haryana Tourism. The beautifully built palace garden boasts of Taj Mahal styled fountains with backlit waterfalls and stepped waterways. There is also an Anticlock which mimics the Clock but the keys move opposite to convention. The garden was indeed a treat to the artistic senses of humankind and its tribute to nature’s beauty through flowers and water fountains.
As we started climbing towards Himachal, the cloud clad mountains and deodar perched peaks caught our attention. The introduction to the hills was indeed very heart warming . A roapway could be seen connecting two hills transporting passengers from one place to another. The traffic to Shimla seemed to increase as it was a holiday and most Chandigarh residents grabbed this opportunity to celebrate. We seemed to be the only tourists with a UK ( Uttarakhand ) number plate. Till now we hadn’t stopped for lunch as the traffic made it impossible to park by the roadside restaurants filled with tourists. GIANI Da Dhaba seemed to be a favourite spot for travelers with not a single slot for parking. At last we stopped by a dhaba and had refreshments and set off again trying to reach Shimla at the earliest.
At around 7.00 pm we entered Shimla Circular road passing through the Tunner to reach Hotel Surya. Our Room was on the 10th floor near the Mall Road , newly built , neat and fresh with an LCD TV. Thanks , for that as Rishim could stay tuned to his favourite Motu Patlu show.
After getting refreshed up, we ran to the rooftop multi cuisine restaurant which served variours delicacies. In the meantime, it started raining heavily which increased our longing for food. Rishim seemed to enjoy every bit of the journey till now and after the hectic day he needed a good nights sleep. The rains sent a chill in the weather. As we settled in the bed for sleep, we began recalling the road trip. The next day was to bring something new and exciting for us.
DAY 2: 16th August, 2015
In the morning, we had a Grand Buffet breakfast at 9.00 am. Chole Bhature, Parantha, Corn Flakes, Egg, Tea , Milk, Juice. At 9.30 am we started for the sightseeing to Naldhera which is tourist place 15kms from Shimla. There is a Golf Club, A film shooting spot and a picnic cum adventure camp site amidst the Deodar forest .
On the way to the place we passed through dense Deodar and Pine forest and finally reached Naldhera which overlooked a huge valley of mountainous villages and forest adding to the beauty of the spot. A horse man kept pressing us to visit the various tourist attractions atop the Golf course area and promised a fun filled trip on his horses.
The spot was indeed enchanting as we meandered and galloped through the deodar forest , local Himalayan aloevera and fern plants by the trail. Our horses Diamond and Badal galloped to the top effortlessly and swiftly taking care at each step they took in the muddy trail. This experience of riding a horse could never be forgotten by us as we all rode a horse for the first time. The Naldhera Golf club is a shooting place for various hit films of the 60s and 70s .
Our next destination was Kufri, where we took Risim to ride a Yak and an Apple orchard where one elderly gentleman invited us to have tea in his backyard apple orchard. Kufri seemed to be a much crowded place than Naldhera due to its proximity to Shimla , 6km . Groups of tourists could be seen thronging the hill side view on the way to Kufri which seemed like a makeshift Mall road in Kufri.
Coming back to the hotel, we took lunch, a small nap and in the evening went to Mall Road. The hotels proximity to the Mall Road and Kali Bari was an added advantage as we could reach Shimla Kaali Bari without muck walking.
The Kaali bari was located atop a hill providing a birds eye view of the Upper Mall road and a spectacular view of the cloud clad and misty surrounding hills. Paying our homage to Goddess Kali we reached the centre of the Mall with a brisk walk up a sloping street. The Core Mall Road had restricted access of any kind of vehicular traffic during the evening hours. We spent some time in the area, clicked photos besides the beautifully sculptured and decorated British styled Municipal buildings, the Church and the Mall. The general ambience was filled with a mood of celebration and music.
Coming back to the room we reviewed the clicks we had taken and captured in the camera. It was a memorable trip as we turned back to the time we spent the last two days.
DAY 3: 17th August , 2015
The next day we started for Haridwar at 9.30 am. On the way , I bought a basket of Himalayan ripe and Red Apples. As the road reached Solan, a diversion took us towards the road to Nahan. We instinctively decided to continue to Nahan and reach Haridwar through a different route this time. The road was much narrower and we encountered very less traffic in the way this time. Sometimes cloud would play hide and seek by covering the entire road in a thick blanket. Much to my wife’s horrors , there were frequent landslides throughout the roadside which kept me always alert. The lonely road added to the excitement.
In the way, a village called Sarahan caught my imagination. I tried hard to remember the place as a feeling of nostalgia gripped me. I then remembered that during 2007 we reached Sarahan via Mussoorie, Chakrata and Tiuni where we met Mr. B.D. Biswas a homeopathy practitioner serving the villagers there. We took lunch at a Hotel named “The Bridge” near Markanda River. Reaching Nahan, we were disappointed by the bad road condition of Nahan and the following journey to Dehradun. Finally at 8.oo pm we reached Haridwar safe and sound with our hearts filled with joy and a longing to set off towards another destination in the near future. I wish we could extend the holidays a little more and longed to get soaked up in the rhythm of the Himalayas.
