Now this is the Delhiite thing to do- hit the hills or Wagah border around the weekend- more so on 15 August, clog up the place, shop around like you're doing the locals a favor, make a damn mess and return with blaring horns. So here we were driving up to Kasauli, trying to make the most of the natural beauty (whatever’s left of it) and avoiding people. It’s been a while since
I was there in 2003.
As we reached Chandigarh, we decided to use Google maps to find our way towards Kasauli. Bad move. We ended up driving through a slum to reach the main highway- just because Google maps had calculated the shortest path. Lesson 1 on traveling with tech- sometimes, just roll down the damn window and ask for directions, talk to people. As we reached the nice open stretch towards Pinjore, the euphoria ended. The worst part of the drive was the stretch from Chandigarh through Pinjore and Kalka. We inched our way up till the toll in Kalka. Another 50 km and we were in Garkhal, 3 km off Kasauli main. We also made the colossal mistake of landing up here without a booking or reservation. Nothing was available and we went driving around in the fog looking for a place to crash. The traffic cop at Sai Baba mandir crossing must have thought we’re nuts. Later a hotel manager we met earlier tipped us towards a desolate new resort, a little further away from the main village, temporarily christened Forest camp. This was one bad drive – a deviation from the main road connecting Gharkal an Dharampur.
Newly built with 6 cottages, we stayed for a night. The place was so new that the door handles weren't hammered in yet! The approach was not yet paved, so my car did a bit of what it saw in Baralach La pass. Perfect. The path was slush, and the car lost traction at places- all the more reason to get out of this area before any rain caught up with us.
Since this was the weekend before Independence day (whatever that means anymore), the very thought of maddening traffic on the way back home was ruining our quality time. Anyways, we trekked up Manki point. What you may miss, is the macro life along the way. There's a whole ecosystem along the road but you just wouldn't stop to notice.
Heading back home, the spanking new 6-lane highway connecting Delhi and Chandigarh was an absolute pleasure, barring some work going on at Kurukshetra that slowed things down. Else, the 8-year-old Maruti 800 hit 110 kmph twice on this stretch. We took a u-turn at Murthal to stop at Gulshan and Ahuja dhaba for food. Rs 270 bucks for 4 rotis, 2 subjis, 2 cups of chai and jalebi taste great if you’re really hungry.
Trying out macro photography here. Hate firing the flash in instances like this, but had to since these guys were hiding under leaves and it was a cloudy day to boot. For more steady shots, carry a tripod- such a must for macro.
Creative caterpillar making facing on leaves-
nice, and congrats on acquiring the 10-22mm :)
ReplyDeleteHey thanks man... but sometimes, nothing like shooting with film. Even snapshot. It just felt more real than digital.
ReplyDeleteLooking points are great, having good sound..!!
ReplyDeleteRegards
Kasauli resort