Independence Day Trip to Dalhousie, Chamba and Sach Pass
Prologue
Planning for the Independence Day Trip started couple of month’s back, as it become apparent, that I wouldn’t be able to take 2-3 weeks off for my now annual trip to Ladakh. With less than a week in hand, I started searching for places which would not only satisfy my hunger for adventure, but also provide ample opportunity for photography.
In the end, Varun and I choose Sach Pass. A decision not only based upon its reputation as one of the toughest pass in India, but also due to the fact that we would pass through Chamba and Lahaul, two extremely scenic districts in Himachal Pradesh. 15th August was chosen as the date of departure, owing to its historic and symbolic significance (India’s Independence Day).
Given the nature of the trip, one would think that every step would have been meticulously planned and executed to perfection and initially this is what we tried to do. However as time of departure drew nearer, things started to go haywire. On the one hand, my motorcycle wasn’t feeling alright as she seemed unwilling to rev beyond 5,000rpm and rough throughout the rev range. On the other I was already feeling feverish for past couple of days and getting completely drenched twice on the 14th of August, didn’t help either.
Varun’s health was in a similar state, so we decided to delay our departure by couple of hours to ensure we got at least some rest before the trip.
Day 1, 15th August 2008: Delhi - Pathankot - Dalhousie (plan goes for a toss)
For the first time in my life, I got couple of hour’s worth of sleep, before the onset of a trip. Feeling slightly better, I did some last minute packing while my sister tied Rakhi on my hand (we were starting a day before Rakhi). With luggage mounted on my steed, it was time for the customary photograph before blastoff.
After saying goodbye to my family, I headed for the Delhi Bypass, where I found Varun waiting. With a huge traffic jam in sight, there was no time to exchange pleasantries or take photographs. We immediately set upon the first task of the day and started navigating through the endless herds of cars and trucks, all wanting to escape from Delhi, but stopped in their track due to washed out roads. Our off road riding adventure had begun, even before we had crossed the Delhi border!
Once out on the highway, it was smooth sailing and we managed to ride non stop till Karnal, after which we decided to stop for breakfast.
After a lazy breakfast break which lasted for well over an hour, it was time to indulge in some spirited riding. With light showers and on a few occasions, heavy downpour for company, our breaks were kept in check.
Jalandhar’s road were a complete mess due to rain and a few places were water logged, it was around here that my speedometer stopped working, leaving me without any kilometer statistics for the rest of the trip. Roads a little beyond Jalandhar were ok, however once the single lane stretch to Pathankot began, our average speed dropped by a huge margin.
Even in the best of days, this road is pain to drive on; with all the rain it had become even worse! It was as if someone had dropped bombs on the road and thanks to them numerous craters (many of them filled with water) had appeared to stall our progress.
But all that rain had a beautiful effect on the landscape as one could witness greenery, as far as the eyes could see.
By the time we started riding in hills, Varun’s condition had worsened and he was now facing a severe headache. I finally managed to convince him to eat a few biscuits (it was late afternoon and we hadn’t eaten anything after breakfast) and take a disprin.
From here on, Varun had only one thing in mind, reach Chamba as fast as he could. While I tried my best to keep up with him, I couldn’t help stopping ever so often for photography, especially with all these beautiful Himalayan Vistas and strange rock/sand formations.
Since it was getting late, we decided to change our plan of spending the night at Chamba or Tissa and instead decided to make Dalhousie our destination for night. Since pushing to Chamba would have meant lost photography opportunities at Dalhousie and Khajjiar. Something neither of us wanted to do.
With riding distance reduced by a large margin and medicine having a positive effect on Varun’s headache, we started taking frequent breaks for photography and tried our best to capture the fading sunlight.
By evening we were in Dalhousie, there we checked into
Hotel New Palace, located near Subhash Chowk. After resting for a while, we decided to head for Gandhi Chowk for dinner. After walking for roughly 20minutes, we asked some passerby how far Gandhi Chowk was from here and he told us it was another 15 minutes! Not ready to walk for one hour each side to have dinner, we decided to head back to Subhash Chowk. After working up our apatite by walking in Dalhousie for nearly an hour, we stopped at a small dhaba to eat dinner. After a heavy dinner, we walked back to the hotel and went to sleep, hoping to wakeup before sunrise to capture the golden hour.
Kilometers covered: 590kms
Expenditure:
Breakfast: Rs.68
Dinner: Rs.95
Room rent: Rs.300
Ps. expense and kilometer details have been provided by Varun.
Day 2: Dalhousie - Khajjiar - Chamba - Tissa - Satrundi (Part-1)
Day 2: Dalhousie - Khajjiar - Chamba - Tissa - Satrundi (Part-2)
Day 3: Satrundi - Sach Pass (Part-1)
Day 3: Sach Pass - Bhugotu (Part-2)
Day 4: Bhugotu - Sach Pass - Satrundi - Bairagarh -Bhanjraroo
Day 5: Bhanjraroo - Banikhet - Pathankot
Day 6: Pathankot - Jalandhar - Ambala - Delhi
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