At 0445 hrs that day it suddenly started pouring!
14th July 0500 hrs was our plan for departure. Just as I was about to put the bags in the car, the heavens let loose!
Waited for about 20 minutes, no sign of let up; I had to reverse the car into the awning and load the bags thru the bathroom. So we finally left at 0530 hrs from Hauz Khas. Driving in driving rain.
Crossed Delhi border 0640 hrs. Drove in heavy rain for the next half an hour.
And a pleasant surprise at Panipat - the new flyover was operational! Didn't they start building this in the last century?
Zipped through in about 7 minutes, and no charge at the toll booth; said they were 'testing'!! Bless them!
A tea and toilet break at the usual place, Oasis. 25 minutes.
Entered Chandigarh 1040 hrs, to drop off Mum at my sister's place. Didn't want to risk taking her to the arduous Jalori Pass.
And we had no idea what awaited at the other end - Shoja or Ghiyagi or Sai Ropa or....? Though, secretly, in my mind I was quite sure we'd check in at Shringi Vatika; but...but.. with family around, it has to meet with approval from all!
After all, democracy.
Then 45 minutes at Chandigarh at sister's place. Packed sandwiches and cutlets received perforce. Tradition.
Little further on, at Jabli, another usual stopover at the HPMC Factory Outlet store. Stock up on a few juices for the journey. Also the inevitable aam papad, both 'kala wala' and the 'brown wala'! Don't touch their wines - raw alcohol! Darth might love 'em!
Next, on the recent recommendation of many, lunch was planned for Giani Dhaba at Dharampur.
What an utter disappointment! The Mutton curry and the veggies and the daal were all substandard!! A place to be avoided.
BTW, this place used to serve excellent food 15 years ago when it was just a shack. The 'price' of progress.
The views on the way:
Reached the next usual stop - HPTDC's The Apple Cart Inn at Kiarighat, about 22 kms before Shimla. Almost Tea time!
This place is an old favourite and serves very good Chicken cutlets. Also veggie ones but they are not as yummy as the chicken! Has never been a let-down. Earlier, it had no name other than Kiarighat, but now it is re-packaged as 'The Apple Cart Inn' thanks to the double storeyed cafeteria built recently at the perimeter next to the road.
This is a good place to stay as well. We have stayed here in the past on a few occassions. The corner room is the best, of course, with its own dedicated little garden.
Some photos:
Well refreshed, we reached Shimla, took the cart road after the tunnel, met the inevitable traffic jam at the bus stand. Then Dhalli and finally clear of Shimla. Took over an hour for all this, phew!
Reached Narkanda HPTDC's Hotel Hatu at 1900 hrs and checked in. Arranged for chilled beer, and hot soup for the ladies, and ordered dinner, which was good as expected. The Hotel had only 2 other rooms occupied. Peace, solitude and clouds! A nice garden.
Next morning was lovely & cloudy again. Had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and left for the 'coup de grace' Jalori Pass at 1000 hrs! Was hoping it would present some challenge. Alas, it was not to be. Read on. There was plenty of cloud but hardly any rain. 'Cakewalk' is what it turned out to be!
Saw this on the way. Guess which car that used to be!
Then buying some apples from the orchard's retail outlet:
And in the town, saw these water heaters. Used widely in the hills:
What abolutely lovely weather - driving in sunshine, then clouds and more clouds. Passed Luhri at 1130 hrs and Ani at 1230 hrs. Lots of wee stops on the way for admiring the views, collecting leaves, plants and flowers. And to just breathe the invigorating mountain air. It was almost chilly weather.
The last 8 kms to Jalori is first gear drive. Bad roads, speed 15 to 20 kmph and first gear.
At the last bend before the pass, saw a strange sight! BIG vultures feeding on a carcass on the roadside! Dead cow. Fallen from a steep track. The vultures took off the moment they saw the car approaching, and perched on the slope above. So the pics show the two separately. UGH! Bad taste on a lovely day. Try to forget it ... nature is so cruel at times.
At 1400 hrs, bang at our usual lunchtime, we were there at Jalori.
Memories of a late lunch eight years ago on a very rainy day in June Y2K!
Instantly recognised the 'old' dhaba, though there were now many more at Jalori.
Strangely, the dhaba owner gave me a long hard look, smiled and said, "Saab, aap bahut pehle bhi aaye the. Bachhian chotte si thi"!! Wow!
His dhaba had the least patronage this day. Not one soul; everybody else was at the newer, fancier looking dhabas.
Kadhi, Pahari Rajma and rice. That was all he had. We did not need any more. It tasted divine!
We left a handsome tip for my old 'friend'! Kind of made his day!
At Jalori Jot:
Time to move on, it's 1500 hrs already.
Descending the slopes from Jalori to Shoja (about 6 kms) was again a first gear job.
However, nowhere did I feel the need for 4WD. The roads are bad bad bad but traction did not seem to be a problem. Mainly because we encountered cloud but virtually no rain. Most vehicles at Jalori were M800s or WagonRs! Talk about being there at the right time.
Shoja did not appeal as a place to stay. The Banjara Resort, while excellent, did not appeal. It is located down a khud at a hairpin bend! And it is beyond our budget anyway! Sour grapes.
Another 5 plus kms, 1630 hrs, and we came to Shringi Vatika at Ghiyagi. I kept quiet and let the family have a look see. It was love at first sight!! Made entirely of wood, this was the 'woodiest' place we had ever seen or lived in! Wood is a weakness with us as a family. It was decided unanimously that this is where we check in. The first two rooms in the corridor were decided upon. That left only one room free. It's a three room affair. There is a fourth large and unfurnished room but the bathroom for that is 2 floors down!
Parking is a problem. Shringi Vatika is right on the roadside and has no parking at all! See how I squeezed the Scorpio in the only available space. Barely clear of the road by an inch!
Now it was time to explore the utterly quaint and creatively laid out property.
It's all 'hand-made' by Gur Saab, who is a local Godman of sorts too and the place is run by him jointly with his second wife Pammi. These people do a splendid job and are full of stories to entertain guests. History, Theology, Horticulture, Culture, Cuisine, Politics ... nothing is beyond their ambit! You might as well listen and enjoy it. There are no TVs in the rooms. You'd have to come up to the dining room for that.
A minor disappointment was that the local waterfall on the property was not functional these days. It is created by the owners by diverting a part of the river water from upstream through their property, but because of the river being in full spate these days they have temporarily blocked the diversion thru their land, to avoid unpredictable flooding. So no water in the little wading pool and no Atta Chakki! If you must see the waterfall, see Tanveer's (TSK1979) log here:
A trip to the Tirthan valley
Gur Saab making one of his numerous trips to deliver fresh produce to the kitchen.
We have tea and pakoras. Then we order dinner. Fresh herbs and veggies are plucked from the garden and food is cooked with the full aroma of garden fresh ingredients! Mutton and Chicken are available too. What luck! From Himachali to Tibetan to Mughlai, a range of cuisines is possible.
Food rating, according to us, would be VG, not excellent. The sauces and chutneys were excellent, made with the fresh fresh herbs. An aroma that science has not yet learnt to preserve and send to cities and supermarkets!
The 'inner' dining room (for Hotel Guests?)
The clean and well stocked kitchen. Pammi at work...
The 'outer' dining area. Note where the car is parked!
The outer & inner dining areas:
After a satisfying meal, a little walk (along the main road!! No traffic AT ALL!), savouring the sounds of the river, the occasional birdsong, crickets in the trees, frogs in the bushes .... so different from what we hear in Hauz Khas!
Retire for the night in the full wood rooms. Cozy is not the word. The sound of the river down below induces sleep magically fast.
Meditation centre. Yes, creatively carved out under a big boulder and trimmed with cement, a little prayer room has been made by Gur Saab. Wooden floor and skirting. Super. Do your thing. Transcendental Meditation, Yoga or wicked thoughts, do whatever is yours. There's room for 4 or 5 people in there.
Next day was goodbye to Shringi Vatika.
We WILL return, for a slightly longer stint!
