So we landed in Delhi at 6:30 am in the morning. We had already booked our train to Chandigarh which was at 9:45 from Delhi's Niwazudin station. From 6:30 to 8 am , we were sitting at airport as there was time for our train travel. Then we left the airport and headed towards the station. There we had breakfast and our journey to Chandigarh started. It was almost an 8 hours journey. There was a college group which were traveling to Chandigarh too. They were going to Manali from there. We were just sitting and relaxing. Train was late by 1 hour. We reached around 5 pm in the evening. From the station, we were supposed to go bus stand and find ourselves Volvo bus to Shimla. It was raining heavily on that day. We were stuck at the station. Every rikshawala were coming and asking us to where we want to go. Then we asked one rikshawala how can we go to bus stand and find bus to Shimla. He told us there are cabs which are traveling back to Shimla and they won't cost us much. Since it was raining and also the bus stand was far, we decided to go in the cab. It costed us Rs1800(A it was our first time, we didnt know the rates. You could take such cabs for 1000-1200rs).It took 5 hours to reach Shimla. We had dinner break in between our journey. The cab driver was of Shimla. He dropped us at our hotel which we had pre-booked on Oyo. We reached around 11:00-11:30pm at night. Cab dropped us and left. We went to the hotel,it was closed. We called on the hotel number (got from the Oyo app) . The person said that the hotel was no longer an Oyo hotel. We didn't know what to do then. We were just standing there all alone. It was dark outside. At around 12 pm , we were outside a hotel which was not our hotel. Then a cab came, he asked us if we are looking for a hotel or something. Since that was the only option then, we said yes and he took us to a local hotel. It was a 3 bhk house. We got a room for 1000rs. We decided to stay for the night as we couldn't find of any other hotel near us. It was really cold. The hotel was okay. We were very tired after this long journey, covered ourselves with the blanket and went to sleep.
Shimla is the capital city and the largest city of Himachal Pradesh.
We woke up with a beautiful view from our room. First thing we did was to change our rooms as soon as possible. So we found an Oyo hotel near us. We called the reception asked whether we could check-in early. They agreed. So we packed our bags left this room. Upon reaching, the receptionist said they are cleaning the rooms and it will take some time. So we decided to go to MG road to hire a scooty or a bike. We kept our bags there and booked an ola cab. We reached near the lift. MG road is on first floor, so we have to take a lift to go there. Charges for the lift is RS 10/person.
First we had breakfast at a local shop and then we booked a scooty . Scooty or any other vehicle is not allowed on MG road . So from down the road, we took the scooty and rided back to the hotel. Our room was ready. We went to our room. It was really chilly outside. Got ready and had our lunch first and then decided to go to Kufri first as it was still snowing at this place in Shimla. Kufri is 17km away from the main city town. The ride to Kufri itself was amazing. Enjoying the view, we reached Kufri. We parked our scooty. From there to reach the actual snowy area, we took horse ride. Since it was snowing there, we had to rent the snow dress as well. The dress cost us rs 400/person. And the horse ride was rs 500/person. The road to reach Kufri was really bad. You couldn't just go walking there. Better to take horse ride. It was 3km ride. We reached there. What a beautiful place!!! It was snowing as well. There we Maggie and chai stalls everywhere. There was Kufri fun world where you can enjoy Snow activities. We really had fun here. Took some great pictures and enjoyed in the snow. While returning back to our hotel, it started raining. We got a little drenched in the rains. Went back to the hotel and dried ourselves. We were tired. So ordered our food at the hotel itself. Had our dinner . Watched some TV and slept. It was a good day.
Today was the day to visit local places of Shimla. Since it was raining, we started our day late. We went to Mall road around 12 pm. Had lunch there at a restaurant.
Our first place of the day was Shimla Church. It is one the oldest churches in North India and was built by the British in 1857 to serve the large Anglican British community in the area. Shimla Church or the Christ Church is on the Ridge road.
The Ridge road is a large open space, located in the center of Shimla. The Ridge is the hub of all cultural activities of Shimla. It is situated along the Mall Road. The view from this place is breathtaking. You get to witness some beautiful architectures like Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex, The offices of municipal corporation, fire service, and police headquarters .From the Ridge road,you can see the statue of Hanuman on top of the Hills.
Then there was a Scandal point. It is one of the most popular tourist places of Shimla, situated between the Mall road and The Ridge.
During the British Era in 1892, Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patalia fell in love with the daughter of the viceroy. It is believed that the king and viceroy’s daughter eloped from this point, way back in 1892. Therefore, he was banned from entering Shimla. This is how this place got it's name as Scandal point.
From here, we went to visit Kali bari Temple of Goddess Kali, which is also known as Shyamala. This majestic temple was built in the year 1845 and it is from the name of the Goddess Shyamala that Shimla derives its name. This religious spot is very famous in Shimla and people coming here make it a point to visit the temple, which is located in Jakhu Hill. The view of the great Himalayas from this place is mesmerizing.
By the time we were going back to Mall road,it had already started raining heavily. We could see hailstones Falling from the sky. Places were filled with hailed stones so much,it looked like snow. We were stranded at one place. Couldn't go anywhere. Just watching the hailstones Falling. And yes it was very cold. When the rains stopped a little, we went to mall road. Since,we got a little wet, we wanted some hot place to go. We went to a restaurant, where we had chole bhature. The taste was great. After this, we did a little shopping and headed back to our hotel. Had our dinner and went to sleep as we had to catch an early bus tomorrow.
Day 4 was our bus journey from Shimla to Manali. It took almost 10 hrs reach. The road to Manali was not that great as construction was going on. But the view outside was great. The road was along the beas river and the mountains. The journey was okay. We reached Manali around 6 pm. As we got down, the localites started asking us if want room or car or any tour package. The most about the solang valley. But we had already booked our hotel from Oyo. The Manali bus stand was near the Mall road. And our hotel was on the hills near mall road. We decided to walk and go as it was near. But had to climb the steps to reach the hotel, carrying heavy bags. We reached the hotel after a little struggling. The view from this place was super amazing. You could see mountains covered with snow right in front of you. Our hotel was more of a bungalow and our room was the last room left. The guy showed us our room. And we were so happy to see such a beautiful room, after that long road journey and then that steps climbing carrying the bags. The interiors was amazing. You can see the picture of the room. I'm sure you'll love it too. We unpacked our bags, got freshen up and went to Mall road to have dinner. Went to a restaurant, where we had momos. The taste was delicious. After having dinner,we were thinking of renting a bike to travel to solang valley. But to whomever we asked,they suggested it's not safe to take a bike there,as it was snowing. So we asked one of the the travel company,how to visit solang valley and what are the charges. They said 1000 Rs for the private cab. We thought it was a good deal. So decided to go by cab the next day. After this we went back to the hotel (climbing n number of steps on that hill) .
We had already booked our cab for the solang valley. The driver asked us to meet him at 9pm.
We woke up early. It was really cold outside. Got ready for the day wearing enough clothes to save us from that cold weather. We first had our breakfast at an local shop on the mall road. Then headed towards Solang valley. It was 45 mins drive from our hotel. The journey towards the solang valley was beautiful. With beautiful snow covered mountains and the beas river flowing. The driver stopped at a place,where they were providing the snow clothes. The rate for the snow clothes was fixed there at each shop. It costed RS 250/person. We wore the clothes and continued towards Solang valley. As we were about to reach solang valley, we could see snow everywhere. Some people were removing snow from their house roofs, some from their vehicles, making way from their houses . The driver dropped us at the entry point. And asked us meet him there once we have visited it. So we reached there finally. We booked the snow activities package with one person. He took us to the activities point. There we did skiing.
We had already booked our cab for the solang valley. The driver asked us to meet him at 9pm.
We woke up early. It was really cold outside. Got ready for the day wearing enough clothes to save us from that cold weather. We first had our breakfast at an local shop on the mall road. Then headed towards Solang valley. It was 45 mins drive from our hotel. The journey towards the solang valley was beautiful. With beautiful snow covered mountains and the beas river flowing. The driver stopped at a place,where they were providing the snow clothes. The rate for the snow clothes was fixed there at each shop. It costed RS 250/person. We wore the clothes and continued towards Solang valley. As we were about to reach solang valley, we could see snow everywhere. Some people were removing snow from their house roofs, some from their vehicles, making way from their houses . The driver dropped us at the entry point. And asked us meet him there once we have visited it. So we reached there finally. We booked the snow activities package with one person. He took us to the activities point. There we did skiing, snow scooter riding,etc. It was a good experience. There were activities such as paragliding, morning. Imagine zorbing in the snow. Amazing right. Yes it was. There was cable car ropeway too. After the activities, we decided to play in the snow for a while. Really enjoyed there. Clicked some pictures, threw snow balls at each other , lied on the snow for a while. It was altogether a good experience.
Visited the local places of Manali. Hadimba temple, Manali club house, Vashist Temple and Buddhist monestry.
This day was about our journey from Manali to Mcleodganj. It was an 10 hours journey. There was no direct bus available in the morning. So we booked till Dharamshala. From there we took another bus to Mcleodganj. After reaching there, first thing we did was booked a scooty. The price for one day was RS 500/-. After booking the scooty,we booked our hotel. We went to our hotel. The journey was really tiring. We had planned for paragliding at the world's highest paragliding place i.e Bir billing. So rested for the night. Ordered our food from the restaurant at the same hotel. It was good food. And went to sleep. Night night.
So today was the day I was waiting for. It was the paragliding day. The journey from Mcleodganj to Bir billing was about 70kms. We started around 8am. The roads were pretty amazing. You could see the beautiful Himalayan dauladhar ranges covered with snow. It was really magical. The roads, the greenery, the mountains and the sunlight. It was perfect. We stopped at a dhaba to have breakfast. We had somasa chole chat there. It was very tasty. Then we headed towards our destination. The journey was really beautiful. We reached the landing place of bir billing paragliding. There we booked our paragliding for RS 2000/- . And if you wanted the GoPro video, they'll charge you 500rs more. But let me tell you, RS 2500 was totally worth it. So I was very excited to do this. They took us in the van. It was about 16kms to reach the top of the mountain, From where I was going to fly in this beautiful sky with birds chirping around. The van journey was little Scarry, since it was hilly area and the roads were narrow. The driver was literally driving very fast. There was 3 boys and a couple with us. Everyone was shouting. It was hilarious. But the view was superb. Finally we reached on the top. The view from the top was mesmerizing and serene. You could see so many paragliders everywhere in the sky. One side you could see the bir city and on the othe side the Himalayan dauladhar ranges. I was so happy ????????
The pilot was set, we were ready to take our flight. For first 20secs, i was really scared,but after watching the view, I was feeling like I'm on top of the world, which I was ???? It was 20mins of flying in the sky. That was my wings of happiness. Check out the photos. While returning back we visited the baijnath temple on the way. It is in kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Then we headed towards Mcleodganj. We visited dal lake there. The name "daal lake" is taken from the Kashmir's dal lake.
After this, we visited the sunset point. That was one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. It is not just about the actual sunset, but what makes it magical is the sight of mighty Dhauladhars on the opposite end????️. You would walk through the scenery of Dhauladhars to reach the sunset point and as the sun is setting, the golden orange glow will lit up those mountains situated exactly opposite the sight point.
That's our travel story. We headed back to our hotel, before that return the scooty and had dinner at one Punjabi restaurant.
The next day we had bus back to Amritsar. And from Amritsar back to Delhi.
It was one of our best trips.
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