[nilanjanray]

Brilliant! Well deserved 5 stars.

My kind of trip, I love old dak bungalows and forest rest houses. Thanks for sharing. I am doing this soon :-)

[landcruiser123]

Great TL there. It's nice to see someone follow a different path and deviate from a standard vacation pattern.

May I ask where we could see your films? Do you upload them on YouTube?

[vashisth]

Very nice read and ads1485 ! Also, surprised to know that Nano worked well with AC on the steeps of Himalayas !!

[ads1485]

Originally Posted by itinerant

Now this is a travelogue crying desperately to be developed into a book.

May be, one day, when you have finished your movie, and want a temporary break from movie making, you can write this book? If you need a collaborator, I will be glad to be considered!

Brilliant pictures too. Good luck with your movie!

Thanks, itinerant. Writing a book would require unearthing a lot of interesting legends/stories about each of these Dak Bungalows, of which I'm sure there are plenty. Sounds like a fun project. I'll hit you up, if I ever get down to it

Originally Posted by Utopian

Awesome travelogue and snaps. One kind of a vacation it would be hopping through some of these dak bungalows in HP.
Taking a Nano was a brave decision IMO in the hills. Have never tried Myles. Would be waiting eagerly for the Myles vs Zoomcar comparo.

Thanks Utopian. Yes, I'll be posting my experience with Myles soon, hope you find it helpful when I do.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Brilliant! Well deserved 5 stars.

My kind of trip, I love old dak bungalows and forest rest houses. Thanks for sharing. I am doing this soon :-)

Thanks nilanjanray. Glad you enjoyed it

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Great TL there. It's nice to see someone follow a different path and deviate from a standard vacation pattern.

May I ask where we could see your films? Do you upload them on YouTube?

Thanks, landcruiser123. Yes, I do have a YouTube channel, where I've posted some of my work. You can check it out at - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgA...wvUERbF52AM-Mw

Originally Posted by vashisth

Very nice read and ads1485 ! Also, surprised to know that Nano worked well with AC on the steeps of Himalayas !!

Hi vashisth. Glad you enjoyed the TL. Yeah, the Nano didn't have much trouble with the AC on. Plus it didn't have to lug much weight with me in the driver's seat - I weigh about 75 Kilos and had another 10 Kilos of luggage. Cheers!

[mustang_shelby]

Beautiful pictures and a very interesting, offbeat travelogue. Glad to know that no one was injured in the unfortunate accident you had, and you were eventually able to finish what you started with a replacement car.
When I booked a car with Myles a while back, I called up their customer service to clarify the liability of the customer in case of any accidental damage to the car, and they explained to me that out of the full cost of repair, the portion that is not covered by their insurance is to be paid by the customer (which makes for a potentially huge liability for the customer). Is that how they calculated your liability ?
I wish you luck with your upcoming feature film.

[TheMariner]

Awesome pictures and what an experience !!!

Hats off to you and your adventurer spirit. I wonder what happened to the dak bungalows around the different parts of the country. We should make directory of them and their conditions.

[petrolhead_neel]

Wow! What an awesome thread! Thanks for the same. It was a treat to read- just in time for X-Mas.

Wonderful pictures there too! Please keep more of these TLs coming Sir. Never knew that Dak bungalows were so cool until I read this. And I would love to take a trip like this someday.

Neel

[vinayrathore]

Wow!! Just the kind of places I am always on the lookout for!!

Have stayed in Narkanda, Thanedar, Sangla, Sarhan, Mcleodganj, Palchan, Kullu and few more PWD/FRHs in Himachal and Uttarakhand many times. Just love the aura these old bungalows have. As you said, they really take you back in time and that too without burning a hole in your pocket

Thanks a lot for sharing! Awaiting more of it and your movie too!

[shayne]

ads1485 well written and a wealth of information for people like me.

There is something interesting you might have missed about the Dharangatti bungalow. We passed through there on our bikes a couple of years ago and were told that Ruskin Bond stayed there as a young man for a few years. This must have been at least 40 years ago? Imagine what the place and the area would have been like then! It still has the desk and bed that he used while there.

If there is one Dak Bungalow that qualifies as being built in “The Middle of Nowhere,” it’s the PWD Rest House in Dharanghati. The whole of Dharanghati mainly consists of a tea shop, the PWD Rest House and a Devi Mandir, which is situated on a peak, a few kilometres up. That’s it.

[ads1485]

Originally Posted by mustang_shelby

Beautiful pictures and a very interesting, offbeat travelogue. Glad to know that no one was injured in the unfortunate accident you had, and you were eventually able to finish what you started with a replacement car.
When I booked a car with Myles a while back, I called up their customer service to clarify the liability of the customer in case of any accidental damage to the car, and they explained to me that out of the full cost of repair, the portion that is not covered by their insurance is to be paid by the customer (which makes for a potentially huge liability for the customer). Is that how they calculated your liability ?
I wish you luck with your upcoming feature film.

Thanks, mustang_shelby. Yes, it was a close shave - someone up there likes me, I think

The handling of the formalities/recovery/towing post-accident was a mess, to put it simply. I'll be putting up my experience soon - just a bit tied up with other work, but i'll post it soon enough since quite a few people want to know about it. Self Drive Rentals are all well and good, but the real quality of service becomes evident when something goes wrong.

Originally Posted by TheMariner

Awesome pictures and what an experience !!!

Hats off to you and your adventurer spirit. I wonder what happened to the dak bungalows around the different parts of the country. We should make directory of them and their conditions.

Thanks, TheMariner. I'm really happy that people have found this an enjoyable read.

Great idea about the directory - these Rest Houses do provide a very comfortable and cost-effective solution to accommodation, especially in remote areas. And like I said, most of them are built in really nice locations, because the Brits really picked their spots when they made these bungalows.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Wow! What an awesome thread! Thanks for the same. It was a treat to read- just in time for X-Mas.

Wonderful pictures there too! Please keep more of these TLs coming Sir. Never knew that Dak bungalows were so cool until I read this. And I would love to take a trip like this someday.

Neel

Thanks petrolhead_neel. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

On another note, I was also going "Wow!" when I saw how young you are. From your posts, it seems like you are matured far beyond your years. Keep it up - I think you'll go places, buddy

Originally Posted by vinayrathore

Wow!! Just the kind of places I am always on the lookout for!!

Have stayed in Narkanda, Thanedar, Sangla, Sarhan, Mcleodganj, Palchan, Kullu and few more PWD/FRHs in Himachal and Uttarakhand many times. Just love the aura these old bungalows have. As you said, they really take you back in time and that too without burning a hole in your pocket

Thanks a lot for sharing! Awaiting more of it and your movie too!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, vinayrathore. Thanks for the good wishes!

[ashok nair]

One of the most 'horrific' travel blogs i have seen on this forum! Each of these old bungalows have a soul of their own and they must be having lots of stories to tell. I find your post a valuable reference material for anyone who want to attempt a tour to these lesser known destinations. I salute your spirit to continue the mission even after the accident which would have rattled any normal human being. I would suggest that you should attempt a similar tour of old bungalows and FRHs in Uttarakhand too.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Wow!! That is some effort you put in scouting the places. Excellent thread. I am from palampur, himachal and never knew there were so many of these beautiful places in himachal. I have a seen a couple like the Shoja one.

The Gaura PWD Rest House i loved the most from your log and will try to go there.

Thank you for sharing this list with us. Now the NCR guys have a few new interesting places to go in their list.

Thank you for the lovely writeup.

Best wishes for your movie.

CHEERS!!

Rachit

[kovilkalai]

Brilliant topic! Very nicely written travelogue. Do you know if there is a listing/database of these old British bungalows across the country? I live down south and I know some exist in some really awesome places, but I can't find a comprehensive list anywhere.

[Mad Max]

An amazing trip ! Thanks for sharing the pictures. If you had to rate the places you stayed, which would be the top 3? (short-cut for some of us who don't want to visit every one of them!)

[ads1485]

Originally Posted by shayne

ads1485 well written and a wealth of information for people like me.

There is something interesting you might have missed about the Dharangatti bungalow. We passed through there on our bikes a couple of years ago and were told that Ruskin Bond stayed there as a young man for a few years. This must have been at least 40 years ago? Imagine what the place and the area would have been like then! It still has the desk and bed that he used while there.

Glad you enjoyed it, shayne. Doing these roads by bike is very high on my wish list.

Yes, I did miss that detail about the Dharanghati Rest House. Speaking of writers, even some of Rudyard Kipling's stories were influenced by his stays in Dak Bungalows...I guess it's the isolated, pensive mood in these places that puts one in a different state of mind.

Originally Posted by ashok nair

One of the most 'horrific' travel blogs i have seen on this forum! Each of these old bungalows have a soul of their own and they must be having lots of stories to tell. I find your post a valuable reference material for anyone who want to attempt a tour to these lesser known destinations. I salute your spirit to continue the mission even after the accident which would have rattled any normal human being. I would suggest that you should attempt a similar tour of old bungalows and FRHs in Uttarakhand too.

Thanks ashok nair - it was quite an eventful and adventurous trip

The FRH's & PWD Rest Houses in Uttarakhand are surely there on my list of things to do - one can safely say that I'm hooked to off beat adventures, after this trip to Himachal.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Wow!! That is some effort you put in scouting the places. Excellent thread. I am from palampur, himachal and never knew there were so many of these beautiful places in himachal. I have a seen a couple like the Shoja one.

The Gaura PWD Rest House i loved the most from your log and will try to go there.

Thank you for sharing this list with us. Now the NCR guys have a few new interesting places to go in their list.

Thank you for the lovely writeup.

Best wishes for your movie.

CHEERS!!

Rachit

Thanks Rachit - much appreciated. Yes, the Gaura PWD Rest House is truly an amazing place - out of all the rest houses that I went to, it was the best and had the most amazing vibe.

Originally Posted by kovilkalai

Brilliant topic! Very nicely written travelogue. Do you know if there is a listing/database of these old British bungalows across the country? I live down south and I know some exist in some really awesome places, but I can't find a comprehensive list anywhere.

Glad you liked it kovilkalai. I'm really happy that this post has been appreciated by the community and has sparked interest in these lovely old buildings, that are oft ignored, in our country.

As for your question, Karnataka has plenty of these bungalows. Here is a list from the website of the Forest Department, which even has several photos - http://aranya.gov.in/Static%20Pages/...ousesList.aspx

Several other states maintain online lists of FRH's and PWD Rest Houses. I'm sure a bit of Google sleuthing will yield a lot more information. Happy hunting!

Originally Posted by Mad Max

An amazing trip ! Thanks for sharing the pictures. If you had to rate the places you stayed, which would be the top 3? (short-cut for some of us who don't want to visit every one of them!)

My pleasure Mad Max - glad you guys have liked the snaps.

As to your question, here are my top 3 rest houses :

1. Gaura PWD Rest House
2. Baga Saraun PWD Rest House
3. Shoja PWD Rest House

Out of these, I've stayed at the first two, but the location of Shoja, is simply breathtaking and I just had to include it in the list. Cheers/Ad