Hello everyone,
I am writing my very first travelogue. If I make any mistakes, kindly forgive, but do correct me, so that I do not repeat the same mistakes in future.
I would like to start by thanking fellow BHPians who advised and helped in planning this trip.
This trip holds a significant value in my life. Me and my wife have been on many trips as couple, but this was a first trip for us as a family. It was my son's (Divyaan Soni, who is 5 months old), first road trip with us. I will divide this travelogue into parts depending on the start and stop destinations point.
Part 1 New Delhi to Chandigarh Google Map Route https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ne...30.7333148!3e0
Simple route, nothing interesting, in-fact so simple that it makes you fall asleep. But in my case, Divyaan kept me awake, as he was completely enjoying his first long drive and was really excited and making tons of noise. Few small traffic jams because of Highway renovations. "Leave early to avoid initial traffic jams" is best advice given by all.
Breakfast Break
Mandatory break to enjoy lovely early morning breakfast
We took a break at Chandigarh to meet the family. They had this industrial cooler at their house which made me and Divyaan fall asleep like small babies. It was so much better than any A/C.
In the late afternoon, we drove to "Nik Bakers" in Sector 37 C Chandighar, one of the amazing places to have great food. Got some cookies and stuff for the long trip ahead.
Part 2 Chandigarh to Neo Vedic Resort Google Map Route https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ch...d30.890551!3e0
Late in the evening after having tea and bidding good byes at Chandigarh, we left for our resort. Within half an hour we were on Himalayan Express highway.
Soon, we were accompanied by darkness and heavy rain. This was the first time I was driving in the hills in the dark of the night, that too in rain. Simple lane driving, controlled speed and good car lights did the trick and we reached our resort with in no time.
As the heavy showers stopped, we saw this on our way
After having a relaxed dinner at the resort, we ended day 1 of the journey with a plan to start a early day 2.
Part 3 Neo Vedic Resort to Shimla and back to the resort Google Map Route https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ne...31.1048145!3e0
View from the room at resort
One of the toy train tunnels is right under this resort. The whistle of the train was our wake-up alarm, which gave getting up in the morning the best feeling.
But it wasn't the first train of the morning. We were really late to wake up, it was almost 11 am. By 12 noon we got ready and started to move towards Shimla and decided to take breakfast on the way itself.
The weather was amazing because of last night's rains. We stopped for a small tea break, the shop was not that great, but the location and view were amazing. The cookies we bought from Nik bakers were really tasty and they gave a great start to the day along with everything.
Picture from the spot
Also spotted this beautiful bird around the corner
Soon we reached Shimla and parked our car at the parking available at the road below the mall road, which was just a 2-minute walk from the lift that takes you up to the mall road.
We started with some shopping at the mall road
After this, we decided to walk up the ridge to the famous church. While we were walking up the ridge it started to rain, but it was like water mist rather than water drops.
The architecture of the church, especially the artwork on the windows is nothing short of spectacular. We did not click any pictures - don't know why, probably because I was lost in admiring the church. Even the location of the church is amazing - top of the hill and very light sunlight coming in from the windows, making the whole scenario mesmerizing.
After spending a few hours there, we moved back to the mall and had a relaxed lunch at "Cafe Sol" Mexican restaurant - great ambiance, greater view and greatest Mexican food.
It was almost dark when we stepped out of the restaurant.
This picture will summarise the Shimla
With a promise in a heart to return and spend much more time in Shimla, we walked down to the parking instead of taking the lift because of the huge line and definitely saved an hour. As soon we started our drive back to resort, both my wife and Divyaan dozed off.
We reached resort sometime around 11:30 in the night. I decided to have a cup of tea and click some pictures on the roof of the resort before calling it a day.
Part 4 Neo Vedic Resort to Shri Paonta Sahib Gurudwara Google Map Route https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ne...d30.435319!3e0
Since we were travelling on a less travelled road and had a lengthier trip in front of us we decided to start the day by 10 am.
About 100 meters from the resort, there is a road to Nahan and onwards. The entire route was traffic-free, although there were a few travellers all along. The road was similar to that at Shimla. At certain stretches it, especially on the curves, the road was even broader. Be careful the route is curvy all the way to Nahan.
Half an hour on this route, we stopped for breakfast at a small Dhabha (under construction building). Ordered a simple breakfast of omelette and tea. The owner of the shop himself cooked food for everyone, the omelette was very amazing and we order for another one.
After finishing breakfast, once I stepped in to pay him, I noticed a picture.
After enquiring, he told me that his name is Mr. Gurvinder Singh, and he has won several medals for our nation as he is an ex-Olympian. It was the politics and the nature of government which lead him to this situation.
Few pictures of him and his place
He asked me to wait and got his Indian Blazer from his room and then gave me a few shots
After this memory and with a sad heart, we carried on with our journey and decided not to stop before Shri Paonta Sahib Gurudwara. The beauty of the route, the green valleys, monkeys playing on trees, and perfect driving experience changed our mood back to normal.
Around one kilometre before Nahan city, the road became very steep but it is an easy climb for any good vehicle. A small and warm town was the feeling it gave. For one kilometre after the Nahan, the roads were neither good nor very bad. But after this, the road conditions were never same. Single road with no extra borders, no railing on the valley side, and road distorted because of the rain I guess.