MY ITCHY TRAVEL FEET

[COVERING: NARKANDA, KALPA, FAGU, CHAIL]

“TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE. WHILE, MOST OF US JUST EXIST.”

I ALWAYS WANTED TO EXPLORE AND MY FAMILY JUST PUSHED THIS QUALITY OF MINE BY PLANNING TWO TO THREE ROAD TRIPS EVERY YEAR.

IN 2017, WE PLANNED A ROAD TRIP COVERING SOME SMALL VILLAGES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH AND MAINLY TO SEE WHAT KINNAUR HAD TO OFFER BECAUSE IT WAS A ROAD TRIP, WE TRAVELLED BY A CAR. STARTING FROM DELHI TO OUR VERY FIRST DESTINATION – NARKANDA. THE MAIN DESTINATION WAS KALPA IN KINNAUR. SO, WE NEEDED SOME PLACES TO STOP BY IN ORDER TO COVER THE DISTANCE.

NARKANDA 📍

NARKANDA IS NON - DESCRIPT TRUCK STOP TOWN HALFWAY BETWEEN SHIMLA AND RAMPUR AT A HEIGHT OF 3000m ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

Narkanda 📍

Narkanda 📍

Hotel HPTDC, Narkanda 📍

I STAYED IN NARKANDA ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT AND I FOUND MYSELF COMPLETELY ABSORBED BY THE COMPELLING BEAUTY OF THE TOWN. SPENT THE NIGHT IN HOTEL HPTDC, HATU WITH A FASCINATING VIEW AND GREAT SERVICE. FOR DINNER WE WENT TO THE OLDIE, NEGI DHABA. THIS DHABA IS IN EXISTENCE SINCE THE 1950’S AND OFFERS SUPER AMAZING FOOD. WE ORDERED THE SPECIALITY OF THE DHABA, HIMACHALI RAJMA CHAWAL AND TRUST ME WHEN I SAY THAT THE FOOD WAS MOUTH WATERING. LATER IN THE MORNING, WE LEFT FOR KALPA AND REACHED BY THE TIME OF SUNSET. I WOULD SUGGEST YOU TO HIRE A DRIVER IF YOU’RE NOT A PRO AT DRIVING IN THE HILLS BECAUSE THE ROADS WERE JUST DEADLY IN KINNAUR. DEADLY BUT BEAUTIFUL. IT WAS LIKE FINDING BEAUTY IN CHAOS.

Negi Dhaba, Hatu

Butter chicken, Negi Dhaba, Narkanda 📍

KALPA 📍

Beautiful Kalpa 📍

Mighty Kinner Kailash Range 📍

TALKING ABOUT KALPA, IT WAS AN AROUSING PLACE. IT HAD SO MUCH TO OFFER, BE IT THE KINNER KAILASH RANGE, THE BEAUTIFUL APPLE ORCHARDS, THE TEMPLE COMPLEX OR THE PEOPLE. THE HUMANS OF HIMACHAL WERE LITERALLY SO SWEET AND GENEROUS AND ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP THE TOURISTS. I SWEAR, YOU CAN SPEND A WHOLE DAY TALKING TO A KINNAURI OR KINNER IN KALPA AND YOU WON’T EVEN REALISE. OTHER THAN THIS, KALPA ALSO OFFERS A SUICIDE POINT. WHERE PEOPLE GO NOT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO JUMP OFF THE CLIFF OR SOMETHING, OBVIOUSLY. BUT TO EMBRACE THE BEAUTIFUL DEADLY MOUNTAINS. JUST BELOW KALPA IS A SMALL TOWN KNOWN AS RECKONG PEO. AS GOOD AS THE NAME SOUNDS THE TOWN HAD LOTS OF GOOD THINGS TO OFFER LIKE A VARIETY OF EATERIES AND KINNAURI SPECIALITIES. WE STAYED IN THE HOTEL KINNER KAILASH BY THE HIMACHAL TOURISM. THE HOTEL ITSELF OFFERED A VARIETY OF DELICIOUS FOOD ITEMS AND OF COURSE, THE VIEW ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO WAKE UP TO. I PERSONALLY LOVED THE HOT CHOCOLATE THEY MADE FOR ME EVERY MORNING.

Exploring Heritage Village of Kalpa 📍

Kinnaur 📍

Kalpa 📍

Stayed at Hotel Kinner Kailash by HPTDC 📍

Enjoying Tea at Kalpa 📍

FAGU 📍

WHILE LEAVING FOR DELHI FROM KALPA, WE DECIDED TO COVER TWO MORE DESTINATIONS. THE FIRST ONE ON OUR WAY BACK WAS FAGU. IT IS 23kms FROM SHIMLA. THE PLACE IS AMAZING FOR DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. EXCEPT, YOU’LL MAKE A NUMBER OF DOGS YOUR FRIEND. WE STAYED IN HOTEL APPLE BLOSSOM. I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE THIS HOTEL BECAUSE OF VARIOUS REASONS.

On the way, Fagu 📍

Fagu 📍

CHAIL 📍

On the way, Chail Palace 📍

Chail Palace 📍

SKIPPING TO THE LAST DESTINATION OF OUR TOUR, CHAIL. ONE EXQUISITE, ENTHRALLING AND FASCINATING DESTINATION. IT OFFERED WORLD’S HIGHEST CRICKET GROUND, A WILDLIFE PARK AND THE BEAUTIFUL, CHAIL PALACE HOTEL. THE HOTEL WHERE THE BOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER 3 IDIOTS GOT SHOT. WE ACTAULLY STAYED IN THIS PALACE. IT WAS A GRAND GREY MANSION WITH ALL THE IMMODEST LUXURIES AND FOOD THAT YOU’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER. WE GAVE AN END TO THIS JOURNEY BY RELAXING IN THE ASTONISHING PALACE WITH IMPRESSIVE SERVICE AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN MENTION IN YOUR GOOD BOOKS. OH, NOT TO FORGET YOU’LL FIND BOARDS SAYING BEWARE OF MONKEYS ALL OVER THE PLACE BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A HUGE POPULATION OF MONKEYS RESIDING IN THE PALACE ITSELF

Woods - Chail  📍

Chail Palace 📍

SAFE TRAVELS.

Travel Story by Mansi Sharma (@mancsharmaa)

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© 2019 Humans of Himachal