Rohtang and beyond!

Vacations had come and the planning was in the air. Hills…only hills because it was summer time and the plains were burning hot. After lot of deliberations, it was decided we would be going to Leh, a dream destination of every Indian traveler. Itinerary was penned, route decided but 1000kms of journey on bikes in the boring plains that too in the scorching 40+ degrees was a big no. So we all had decided to do it in a car.

We were four and on the scheduled day we had left Lucknow in the wee hours of the day. The drive was fun but only for the one who was on the wheels. The remaining co passengers had lost their zeal after initial few minutes of enthusiastic chatting. Devoid of even a refreshment stop in the newly constructed and much acclaimed Lucknow Agra highway we were speeding off to Delhi. The smooth ride had an abrupt halt after 2 hours and 200 Kms when Atul [on wheels and only one awake then] announced that he had forgotten the papers of the vehicle.

Road to Delhi and Beyond

We had to return. The entire day was wasted. Next day same time we had to go through the same route with even less vigour. In five hours we had covered 520 Kms and were at New Delhi, primarily because nobody had any interest in the repeat sightings enroute. We had an overnight stay at friend’s place. Meeting with long time friends meant that we had to be awake till the early hours of the next day. We had our slumber broken only the next afternoon. After freshening up we were off to our next destination.

Shri Anandpur Sahib Gurudwara at night

Delhi and the nearby traffic is always a mess. The next few hours of drive was a heavy drag with frequent stuck ups. We had our evening snacks of stuffed parathas at Pehelwan Dhaba at Muruthal. The next few hours had seemed as if we were paying zig zag as we made through the evening traffic on the Delhi Chandigarh highway. After cool 8 hours of drive covering 350 Kms we were at Anandpur Sahib.

Serenity around the Gurudwara

The place had its own pious essence. Also known as the holy city of bliss it is one of the most sacred places for the Sikhs. Founded by their ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur it was earlier known as Chakk Nanaki. The warmth with which we were welcomed at the place is beyond words. We stayed in one of the rooms at Gurudwara. It was only the next day that we experienced the serenity of the place and its surroundings.

Towns enroute Manali

After offering our prayers and seeking His blessings, we continued with our journey. As we progressed we could experience the beauty and brightness of the atmosphere increase. The drive was picturesque but cautious. After a brief halt for lunch at a roadside dhaba at Mandi we carried on.

Lunch at Mandi

As we had passed Kullu, two things never left us, the roaring river Beas along the road and a long queue of sluggishly moving cars. One thing is for sure, we are gradually eroding the nature’s tranquility by storming at some place in large numbers and when we do so, along come our cars with burning fuels, our high decibels, our electronic gadgets and our nuances. I could sense and foresee once beautiful places like Manali and beyond, decaying under the burden of visiting tourists in a very near future. The sad part is that how much I may proclaim to be a nature lover I am a part of the crowd responsible.

Getting a room for 4 of us was a new dilemma. Fortunately our net services were working and we booked a hotel online through oyo at Rs. 2500 per night [lucky bargain]. The traffic in Manali was even more chaotic. Coming here after 12 years I was anxious to get out of what once was my dream destination but that was not easy either. We learnt that to go beyond Manali a permit is needed and we applied for it online immediately. Only 800 petrol vehicles are allowed in a day.

Crowd at Manali

To add to our woos the road beyond were to open a day later. We explored the place next day visiting Hidimba temple, Vashisht temple and Manu tempe [was bit far]. Next morning we all were men in a hurry. Already in the car at 6:00 am we were off to Rohtang Pass. The drive was bit scary but the cops on the way were doing a good job. Just before noon we had arrived at Rohtang.

Had a short stay at the Pass which literally divides the Kullu valley that follows hindu culture and the arid Lahaul Spiti valley that follows Buddhism. Beyond, the greens had vanished and only three colours were visible, dark blue sky, grey road and white snow covered hill slopes. As the gradient increased the driving became wearisome. The bends were a plenty and the roads were narrow. Intermittent weather and water falls had taken toll of the roads and very often loose stones would disrupt the drive. None of us had ever driven at such high altitude and this fact was catching our nerves too but the excitement kept egging us to continue.

Rohtang Pass

We continued towards Keylong but to our horror we were stopped by the security personals who explained that the road ahead was in pretty shape and the continuous rains aren’t helping either. With heavy heart [can’t express in words how heavy?] we had to turn around. While riding back, we promised ourselves that next time we will come on bikes. We were back in the evening  and next day we started back our long drive back home.

It was a curtailed trip but nevertheless we enjoyed the company of each other. We could not complete the last 200 Kms of our planned trip but we did complete the remaining 1400 Kms and we enjoyed every Kms of it. Next year I will be back with the complete venture but then who can foresee the coming tomorrow.