Part III - Travelogues from my trip to the North

Day 6: The only reason why Patni Top was on our list was SNOW; and even though the place received less than average snowfall this year [thanks to Global Warming], places around Patni Top had much to offer. We decided to go to one such place called Nattha Top, which is 12kms north of Patni Top. Quickly gobbling up a couple of Aaloo Parathas and a bowl full of hot Manchow soup [a weird yet tasty combo], we set out for Nattha Top. But only after we rented all the winter wear we possibly could get our hands on - monkey caps, overcoats, hand-gloves, boots!

The au naturel mountains on one side and the snow laden ones on the other, made the 25 minutes drive to Nattha Top picturesque in its own unique way. At Nattha Top we were greeted by a herd of sledge-waalas, each wanting us to take a ride on his slide. Nattha Top was no Gulmarg or Sonmarg, but it had enough snow to give us the thrill and the sledge ride only added to the adrenaline rush. Getting down the slope and climbing up was fun; making snow balls and throwing at each other was fun; watching others slip and slide on the snow was fun; and experiencing the same slip ourselves and getting caught on camera while doing so....was fun too!! After spending a good couple of hours in the white, having fun, we finally bid adieu to Nattha Top, and left for our pen-ultimate destination on the trip: Vaishno Devi.


Katra, which is about 170kms from Patni Top, by all means is a town that developed solely because of the devotees coming to Vaishno Devi. This place has a bus stop, a railway booking center, dry fruit shops, restaurants & numerous hotels, but that's about it! It took us 4 hours to reach there following NH1A, and soon we checked-in to a hotel [again thanks to the off season, the rates were dirt cheap] and straight went to have some authentic vaishno food [veg food prepared without onion & garlic]. This was where we left the taxi which we hired in Amritsar; must say a great driver - no tantrums, safe driving, and knowledgeable indeed.

By 5pm we were already deliberating whether we should start the trek now, or should wait until night fall. We decided to start early to give ourselves enough time the next day to enjoy the city of Jammu. We reached Bandganga, the starting point of the trek to the Darbaar, at 7:30pm. Here that you have to go through multiple security checks, and in peak season you probably will have to wait here for hours together for your batch number [need to take it from Katra bus stand] to be called. By 8:00pm we cleared all the checks and actually embarked on the 12.5km trek.

My last visit to Vaishno Devi was about 12 years ago. A lot had changed [for good] since then. The entire trek has been paved with pavement blocks now, numerous shops flank the road on either side till about 3kms, there are restrooms at every 500mtrs, rest stops at every 250 mtrs, and big & small refreshment points scattered all along the trek. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has done a commendable job here.

We covered the initial couple of kilometers in a real rush - 3kms/hour - some speed for a trek! But that was the fastest we managed to go through out the trek; it was continuous deceleration after that. Hymns and songs being played at the shops add to the entire ambiance, and keeps your spirits high and fatigue at bay. But once the shops are left behind and the trek starts to get lonely, you feel the weakness in your legs, you follow the milestones closely, you repeatedly look at your watch and think of what else you could be doing at this hour. But call it the divine intervention or whatever, never at any point you think of quitting. All along the trek people greet each other by saying Jai Maata Di and pump up the spirits shouting slogans like Zor se Bolo - Jai Mata Di, Saare Bolo - Jai Mata Di!


It was 10:30pm and barely 250mtrs from Ardh Kumari, when I spotted a Nescafe shop serving HOT Maggi - trust me, that was the best snack I could have had at that moment. And hey, did I tell you...Cafe Coffee Day was there too :D

At Ardh Kuwari, we were surprised to see quite a bit of rush. The queues were long and moving at snail's speed. We put all out belonging [mobiles, shoes, wrist-watches, spare clothes, backpacks] in the cloak room, took another batch number slip, and joined the queue. As time passed by, it started getting colder and the chilly winds made the matter worse. It took us about 2 hours before we could enter the sacred cave, popularly known as the Garbhjoon [see here or here to know why is it called so].

Day 7: Once we came out of the cave, we decided to take the new route to the Darbaar which was via Himkoti [instead of the old one via Hathi Mattha & Saanjhi Chatt]. The route bore a deserted look - the rest 5.5kms we hardly saw anyone pass by. We took ample of breaks this time, and reached the main Darbaar at about 3am. That is when reality shook us - we were supposed to take a bath before entering the holy cave!! Pheww! Ice cold water, at 3am ... well I could only wash my face and feet with it, but Nitesh did brave the cold and went all the way.We put all our belongings in the lockers at the Darbaar, and went straight to the holy cave.

There was no limit to our joys when we were allowed to go in the Temple through the ancient choti-gufa [small cave]. This is usually closed for most part of the year. Barely a couple of feet wide, this cave leads straight to the Temple where the Devi is present in the form of pindi. Inside the Temple there are 3 pindis - Saraswati Maata, Vaishno Maata & Kaali Maata. Unlike last time, when we were literally pushed out of the temple by huge crowds behind us, this time we could peacefully perform our prayers, and even got to talk to the priests.

But Nitesh was caught in some consfusion and came out of the temple, without actually seeing the pindis were placed. That was heartbreaking! We decided to go in again, BUT..you just cannot do that. The security officers denied even after our repeated requests. Just when we were about to leave with our stuff, the officer yelled at us, and said Jaldi Bhago Andar [move in fast]. Yippieeee ... darshan for the second time that very night ... must have done something really good on this trip!!

Completely tired by the trek and lack of sleep, we decided to do the last bit of our trek [to Bhariro Temple] on ponies - a good decision considering the fact that it's a very steep incline beyond the main Darbaar. By the time we reached the Bhairo Temple, it got so cold that I put on every piece of winter wear I had on me; I looked more like a dacoit from Chambal.


After the darshan, we started our decent and it was anything but fast - we would rest every 15 minutes, at times even at lesser intervals. After enjoying the sun rise at Ardh Kuwari, we caught some speed and came down real quick. But the very sight of 8-10 men pulling a cart up the hill with all their might, made me feel really bad :( Once we came down to from where we started, I treated myself to some really coarse body massage; and boy was that some relief!!


We then quickly rushed to get our train tickets from Jammu to Delhi, and then checked-out from the hotel around 1pm. Our train to Delhi was at 9:30pm, so we had quite some time to enjoy Jammu. We had our lunch at Katra, and then took a bus to Jammu, dumped our luggage in the cloak room, hired an auto-rickshaw and off we were...on a short tour of our final destination: Jammu.

Our first stop in Jammu was the famous Raghunath Temple, which after the attack on it in 2002, seem more like a fortress. This Temple had an idol of every single God I have heard of in my life; and I have heard of quite a few. A nicely built, huge Temple complex marred by only one thing - the priests here kinda force you to give donation - something which made me feel a bit awkward.

Other than the Raghunath Temple, Jammu is also very famous for Dry Fruits, which is a big business here. I didn't want to miss out on my share of Jammu's dry fruits, so we went to the wholesale dry fruit market, and shopped to our hearts content - dried apple, dried akmool, dried peach, raisins, apricots! After this we left for the Baag-e-Bahu garden, which am sure must be very good, but I found it disappointing - probably because I was damn tired by then, or may be it was getting dark. This place really didn't live up to my expectations. Now only one last thing to do before we would call it a day - one final drink!!


By the time we finished our drinks and dinner, it was almost time for our train. After 40 hours without the sleep, all we could think of at that moment was our berths in the train. Chained our luggage, spread our bedsheets, hung our boots and zzzZZZ! zzzzzZZZZZ!! zzzzzzzZZZZZZZ!!!

Day 8: Today was going to be our rest day, a family day. We reached New Delhi in the morning around 11:30, and headed straight to my grand parents home. A quiet family affair then, talked to some relatives, caught up with some sleep, went to a temple with grand parents, Pizza Hut with my cousins, and that was about it. The day ended really fast, and there we were, yet again at the Nizamuddin station, from where we boarded our train to Indore.

Day 9: Finally it was coming to an end. Our trip which had everything....

Lakes, Mountains, Valleys, Plains
Temples, Pubs, Monuments, Memorials
Trains, Buses, Cars, Rickshaws, Sledges
Humor, Emotion, Devotion!

It all would end in just a few more hours. Nonetheless, all this will always be with us in the form of numerous pics, videos and now these travelogues. Kudos to technology!!

When the train arrived at Indore station, we shared high fives and hugs once again, and bid adieu. The trip - Finally Over!!

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My two cents for travelers visiting Patni Top & Vaishno Devi

1. Bargain as much as you can with people at Nattha Top. We got the sledge ride for 75/person [initial price 300/person]
2. Don't forget to take the Batch Number Slip from the Katra bus stand. This is valid for 6 hours, but you need to keep it with you till the end. It is needed at the Darbaar, and only then you are allowed the entry.
3. Do not bargain with the pitthus, paalki-walaas or the people who operate the horses. The rates are fixed by the Shrine Board.
   
4. For those suffering from any disability or health problems, you can avail the chopper services from Katra [Charges: 2700/- adult, 1300/- kid]. One may also avail the services of Battery operated rickshaws that un between Ard Kuwari and Darbaar.
   
5. Take the new route to Darbaar from Ard Kuwari. It is shorter, the incline is less steep, and the route is free from horse-shit :)
6. I found only one shop at the Darbaar which was selling the Prasaad packets. So take note of that shop while you go through your security check at the Darbaar
7. Do not carry cameras, mobile phones, watches, pens, combs etc to Raghunath temple, as these are banned inside
8. Finally, anyone who seeks more information, feel free to mail me at aagarwal8@gmail.com, and I would be glad to help in whichever way I can

Part II - Travelogues from my trip to the North

Day 4 (contd...): After being completely bowled over by the splendor of Golden Temple, it was amidst thick fog that we slowly and cautiously drove out of Amritsar. But the fog did claim its share of casualties that morning. In less than a couple of hours, we witnessed 3 accidents - one involved a car barely 50feet from ours. Not the perfect beginning to our journey to Dev Bhoomi!

Still trying to forget the blood-stained bodies of the accident victims, we made a quick stop at Punjab-Himachal border for some snacks - a stop that later proved quite upsetting for Nitesh...lol.

Thanks to the the thick fog initially and then to the curvaceous ghaats and Nitesh's disturbed system later, it was already noon when we reached the Chintapurni Devi a.k.a. Chinnamastika Devi Temple. The temple is located in the Shivalik mountain range, and amasses huge crowds during the Navratri festival. You take a flight of marble stairs to get to the temple, where the Devi is present in the form of a pindi. The staircase is flanked on both sides with shops, where you can buy prasad [and only then they let you keep your shoes in their shop, as there is no arrangement at the temple], and souvenirs. However, like most other temples, your barely get to see the Holy Pindi, before you are pushed out of the temple, either by the huge crowds behind you or by the pandits and the security personnel around.


We initially had plans to visit all the 4 Devi's [Chintapurni, Jwala, Kangra & Naina Devi], Himachal is so famous for; but now doing so, would have disturbed our plans for McLeodganj and Vaishno Devi. So skipping the visit to the other 3 temples, we headed straight to McLeodganj via Kangra & Dharamshala - a scenic & picturesque drive through the Shivalik range. All through the drive one thought kept coming back to my mind over and over again - If Himachal didn't have the temples & tourist spots it presently has, what would have been a revenue earner for the locals otherwise!

It was about 5 in the evening when we finally reached 'Little Lhasa'. Yes! the town of McLeodganj is also known by this name as everything here is Tibetan - the people, the houses, the temples, the food, the clothes, the art. And why not, after all McLeodganj is now home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama [who was in McLeodganj that day]. We quickly checked-in to a hotel, which to my surprise offered us rooms at almost 80% discounted rates [thanks to the off season]. Soon we were on the streets of McLeodganj appreciating the beauty of the city and its citizens ;o)

The first thing we did was to treat ourselves with some Tibetan delicacies - Soup & Thukpa [flat noodles with vegetables & mild spices]. But this was not before we came across a World Peace march which is organized every year in McLeodganj. People from all age groups take part in the march, which this year certainly was a silent protest against the Chinese atrocities in Lhasa.

After the sumptuous snack we set out on foot for the Tsuglagkhang Temple, which is the main Buddhist temple in McLeodganj. Two things stand out about this place - one, that unlike any other temple in India, you can carry a [video] camera even inside the sanctum sanctorum; and two, even amidst the huge tourist rush, the Buddhist monks perform their services with the same composure & calm, as if they were the only ones there. The open terraces, the Stupas, the prayer wheels, the idols of Guru Padmasambhava & Avalokiteśvara; they all give the temple a mystical appeal & the candle list porches only added to the awe.


The temple houses the entire collection of the Sanskrit & English versions of Lord Buddha's preaching, and ancient Tibetan texts. I was always very curious to know why Buddhists rotate these 'cylinders'; and this curiosity was finally brought to rest by a monk on the temple premises who told us that, on these prayer wheels are inscribed hundreds of shloks & hyms, and rotating each wheel is equivalent to reciting all that is incribed on it. Sure is something of the lazy bones [no offences meant]!!


It was getting late, and crowds from the streets were soon vanishing - not that everyone was retiring in their hotel room; the place has some great eating [and obviously drinking] joints, right from Italian, to Tibetan to Chinese to Punjabi - everything can be found here. We decided to quench our thirst before we were to call it a [loooooong] day, and the pub Xcite was just the place to be! Kingfisher for me, and Smirnoff for Nitesh, some [pea]nuts to crack, and meat to bite - some ending for Day 4!!

Day 5: I never had seen a more beautiful morning than what I stood witness to that day from my hotel room. On one side was the sun rising behind the snow capped mountains, and on the other was the valley, which glowed in the morning sun. A picture perfect setting for a cuppa, and we didn't miss on that!!


Rushing through the morning chores and getting over with our driver's khit-pit we reached the base of the Bhagsu Nag Waterfall trek. It is about a kilometer trek through the ups-n-downs and twist-n-turns of the graphite mountains. Probably not the best time to visit the waterfall as it was merely a narrow stream of water running down the slope that time. But we thoroughly enjoyed the trek, the valley and the omelette we had. Oh yea...not to forget the photo shoot on the stones!!


On our way back, we visited the Bhagsu Nag Temple - dedicated to the snake God & Lord Shiva. Our last stop in McLeodganj was the Dal [read dull] Lake. The water was muddy, and the paddle boats were all wrecked. However, the oaks & pines that surround the lake, puts it on every tourists must-visit list.


We left Dal lake around noon, and were now speeding through the ghaats in rush to reach Patni Top before the night falls. The road we took was through Punjab and I really couldn't, understand why we had to go thru Punjab to reach J&K when we already were in Himachal :(. But since we were on a Fixed Bid project and not T&M [lol...tough to restrain the software engineer], we really didn't bother much about the route our driver chose. [tubelights....fixed bid = we were to pay the driver on per day basis; T&M = time & material = need to pay per kilometer]. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as on this trip itself, we got to see another border [after Wagha border]; this time Punjab - J&K border. We made a stop at Madhopur, a border village, where we savored Punjab's famous daal makhni & chana masala yet again.

After a routine RTO check on the border, we.....we......we......
Oops....I don't remember what happened after the check post. My next memory is of being terribly shaken by Nitesh asking me to get up and get out of the taxi as we had reached PatniTop and need to inquire about the hotels. Hmmmm ... I think I slept after that heavy lunch-cum-evening snack! Even though he had already asked about the tariff at the only hotel in the vicinity, he still dragged me out to have a look around. And damn was it cold that night!! The chilliest night of our tour so far. Without wasting another minute we checked-in to the hotel and while he still could brave the cold and have dinner, it was already Good Night for me!

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My two cents for travelers visiting McLeodganj & 4 Devi

1. Plan the journey such that you can visit all the 4 Devi's in this region. I have been told the treck to Naina Devi is beautiful.
2. Avoid parathas at road-side restaurants. Ask Nitesh why?
3. Those visiting Dharamshala, should surely visit McLeodganj. Commercialization is yet to spoil this place.
   
4. The Tsuglagkhang Temple is opened till only 8pm, so keep track of time when visiting McLeodganj.
5. 8kms ahead of Dal Lake is Naddi - a scenic tourist spot. One must visit this place if time permits.
6. For those who love to trek and are excited about snow, Dharamkot is the place to be. Several treks are organized to & from Daramkot, which is a village on the outskirts of McLeodganj.
7. Avail the best hotel deals in off seasons. Bargain as much as you can [applies when out for shopping too]
8. Try hot-beer [beer with honey and herbs] at the local pubs. It gives a better kick than the routine one ;)
   

Part I - Travelogues of my trip to the North

Two Travelers - Three States - Five Cities - Seven Days - Ten Destinations!! Not the mathemagic any travel guide would suggest. But who can stop the determined. Leaving boredom and frustration behind, we [I & my buddy Nitesh] set out on an action packed journey to the Northern states of Punjab, Himachal and J&K. Why action packed? B'coz the action started well before we reached our first pit-stop: Amritsar.

The Journey to Amritsar
Day 1: Sharing high fives and broad smiles, we boarded the train to Delhi on a hot sweaty afternoon; and true to my history of traveling in trains, even this time I had a dull all-male co-passenger compartment. Nothing interesting here....

Day 2: Numerous trains ferry passengers between Delhi & Amritsar - at least this is what I thought when I planned the trip, and took the chance of not making the reservation for this route. How wrong was I proved when we finally had to board the General compartment of the train; only to find ourselves seated on the edge of a wooden plank already being shared by 6 other passengers [though I certainly did not mind the presence of the one sitting right next to me - a chic chick - another causality of over-confidence]. However, all good things come to an end, and to our dismay, our only hope of somehow bearing the general compartment got off at the very next station. Our patience didn't last too long, and we too got off after a tiring couple of hours.

Taking our chances we moved to the Sleeper coach, completely unaware of what awaited us in there - a drunk surd, who beat the s**t out of us when the spirits got the better of him. I get goosebumps when I think of that empty coach with a bunch of surds, one of them completely sozzled, going crazy, asking us to get off and travel Punjab with him; if not, at least spend a night at his place and then continue the journey. Damn him and his motives!!

The Land of Warriors - Amritsar, Punjab
Day 3: After having spent a good couple of hours hotel-cum-food hunting at night, we were in no mood to get out of the bed early; and the chilly winds outside gave us another reason for not doing so. But the very thought of the places we had to visit and the time we had, got us out on road - this time taxi-hunting. But this hunt didn't last long, and soon we were off to Jaliawala Bagh; but not before we had a sumptuous lunch at Bharanwan da Dhaba.

What happened on April 13, 1919 at Jaliawala Bagh is ingrained in every Indian's mind. The moment you step inside the memorial, the massacre suddenly comes alive in your head; the moment you see the bullet marks on the walls, all your history lessons flash in front of your eyes. You can't help but feel for those trapped inside on that fateful day. It's a feeling so heavy, you want to move out ASAP.









But only a minutes walk from the memorial is Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as The Golden Temple - place where the eternal guru of Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is present. People from all walks of life and religion are welcomes at this holy place, and the four entrances to the temple [in all four direction] signify the same. But what strikes you the most about any Gurudwara across the world is the seva which the Sikhs perform there. People would swipe the floor, take care of others' shoes, serve food at langars, wash utensils and perform every task that one would want to have a servant for - a gesture missing at most other religious places.

Being 26th Jan, a national holiday in India, the temple was flooded with devotees from far and wide. The ceremony at Wagah Border was something we did not want to miss; so we planned to return to Golden Temple early next day [an advice I will always be thankful for to our driver]. The drive to Wagah Border is about 40 mins from the city, and for the first time we came across the lush green fields Punjab is so famous for.

But as soon as you reach the border, you suddenly feel an overwhelming surge of patriotism and sense of belonging to the nation. People here gathered from all over the country to see the 'Lowering of the Flags' parade, and Republic Day celebrations only added to the fervor. Amidst loud slogans of Hindustan Zindabaad, Bharat Mata ki Jai & Vande Maatram, students from Khalsa college performed Giddha [folk dance of Punjab which females perform] and Bhangra [folk dance of Punjab which males perform]. The enthusiasm reached its peak when the spiffy B.S.F and Pakistan Rangers' soldiers started an aggressive & thrilling march towards the gate at the border. The ceremony culminates after the national flags are lowered and finally removed from the flag-posts. However, the enthusiasm of the crowds and feeling of patriotism doesn't end there - you take them back as souvenirs from the border, often called the Berlin Wall of Asia.












There is one more thing very famous about Amritsar - The Non-Veg, and being a hardcore non veggie, I just could not miss out on this one. The dinner had to be 100% non-veg, and I made sure so it was. Roasted Chicken, Amritsari Fish and Bacardi - quite a dinner I would say!!

Day 4: As they say, 'Leave the Best for the Last', we did just that by revisiting the Golden Temple at 4:30am, and what we saw was simply MAJESTIC. The temple glowed in middle of the Amrit Sarovar, as if a burning wick in a lamp. You reach the main temple following the Parikrama in a clockwise direction. While we were standing along side other solemn devotees, waiting to get inside the Darbar Sahib, I just could not take my eyes off the skilled craftsmanship & the intricate designs on the gold plated facade of the temple. Inside the temple, there is a continuous recitation of scriptures from the holy book. As we came out of the main shrine, we were amazed to see the temple disappear in thick fog. It was like, the building was there 5 minutes before, and gone now. Magical!!












Completely awed by the beauty and serenity of the Golden Temple, we left the temple complex and headed straight to our next pit-stop: Chintpoorni Devi & McLeodganj in Himachal.

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My two cents for travelers visiting Amritsar:

1. Lot of cheap hotels [Rs 300-700] are available near the railway station with decent lodging facilities. However, bargaining might not work at these places.
2. Hire a taxi [Rs 700-800] or an Auto-Rickshaw [Rs 400-500] for local sight-seeing. Jaliawal Bagh, Golden Temple & Wagah Border are must-visit locations. Durgiana Temple, Company Bagh, Town Hall, and Taran Taran are few other places you can visit if you have enough time.
   
3. Visit Golden Temple twice - once during the day time, and once at night [must visit]. If possible, plan to visit the temple when the Holy Book is carried to the Akaal Takhth from the Darbar Sahib - a procession that takes place late in the evening [check at the temple for the exact time as it depends on the lunar calendar].
4. Travel light to Wagah Border, and try to reach early [around 3:30pm] as the parade starts sharp at 5:00pm and the crowds can get really big on special occasions. Try to get a seat in the area next to the Welcome Gate, as the view is best from there.
5. Do sample non-veg in Amritsar, as the tastes different [for the better] that the non-veg you might have eaten anywhere else .
6. Do sample desi gud ki sharab - more of a delicacy; your taxi driver can certainly help you out in getting the right mix.
   
7. Lastly, do not get into a brawl with the local police [as I have been told, Punjab Police is the toughest to handle, and doesn't bother about your sources in the system]