Just Like That...

**A trip to Shimla** so common right? But this one was different.. very different...I will tell you how!

There was corona.. there was lockdown, there was wfh, again corona, again lockdown, wfh continues (no complaints) and then there was this strong desire for a vacation😅
It all started with "कुठेतरी जाऊया ना yaaaaaaaarrrr..कुठेतरी जाऊन wfh करुयात...."
This went on for almost a year ....with a number of options like... leh laddak, coorg, rishikesh... if nothing then atleat panchgani चलते हैं ना यार😧
just me n my bestie making plans(as always) ... lets go somewhere far away... somewhere remote.. where we could just be ourselves... no hustle bustle... no भीड़ भाड़... no tension... just chillax... somewhere in the remotes of SHIMLA!!

Finally, Thursday 2nd Dec to Sunday 12th Dec it was...
tickets booked- check
hotels booked- check
And thats it! No other items in the checklist- guess this unplanned plan is what made the whole trip turn out so damn amazing!!

Amidst the new corona variant scare.. and talks about another lockdown in Pune... keeping our fingers crossed started our wfh कम vacay ज्यादा 😎

Day 1 Pune to Chandigarh via B'lore! Yeah you heard it right... so sort of bharat darshan from the sky it was!🤷
Chandigarh to Kasauli (our first destination) was by cab where we reached around 5ish in the evening- our first ठिकाना was "Kasauli Windsor Resort".. and BOY!! what a place it was 😍😍

Such a welcoming reception, lovely interiors, beautiful room, and the most interesting part...

the simply WOWW balcony with a WONNNDERFUL view of clear skies, pine trees, mountains and the roads making its way through the dense forests!! One could just sit in the balcony for hours together sipping coffee (well ofcourse your hot coffee would turn into cold coffee sooner than you would even realize 😜), gazing at the white capped Himalayas silent, peaceful, serene! Like the mountains telling you a story and you feel lost in the wonders. Divine 😇

Day2 was a relaxing day- started with a morning walk on the cold roads, cool breeze and foto session OFCOURSE!!

The dinning area was so well made up with lights all over and the courteous and humble staff with the " ji ji madam ji" and "haan ji madam ji" made us feel so warm and cozy!! A very helpful staff also went out of his way and shared a few contacts in case we would need any help!! Guess the caring and helping nature of people also makes the place seem more beautiful 💝💖

After the delicious breakfast we were all tucked in our room for our first day of work from home... errr... work from shimla feel 😆

Day3 Saturday was the journey to Rampur Busharh up north- another small village in shimla.
A thought (maybe some can relate)- When some long lost wishes come un-imaginablly true and you decide not to accept it. It is that one total filmy friend who understands and makes you understand
यही वो मौका है...
कल किसने देखा है !!
And to believe... मंजिल से बेहतर लगने लगे हैं ये रास्ते... 💭👻

So that raasta from Kasauli via Shimla, Theog, Narkanda, was truly unforgettable and did not seem as लंबा as it actually was 😉.

On our way we ate lip-smacking kadhi-rajma chawal and a famous himachali dish called siddu(something like momos). The steaming hot siddu served with ghee introduces your taste buds to another heavenly world altogether!!

After the (theoretically) long drive of almost 8 hours (including a couple of mandatory foto shoot stops😛) , we reached our next destination "Hotel Nau Nabh". This is a heritage hotel within the premises of the Padam Palace- needless to say completely surrounded by beauty- gardens, greenery, mountain tops and the river Sutluj running beside- that totally gave us the QUEENLY feeling 😇😊!!

Only once in the room did we realise how tired we were after the full days excitement and travel- the bed seemed the most precious invention and exploring the hotel was left to another day!

Day4 Sunday- Today was the day for Baga Sarahan- another lesser known paradise which lies on the border of Kullu.
I can surely tell you that almost at all times, the journey has been as exciting as was the destination!!

We were so thrilled by the natural beauty, every turn on the roads painted a different picture thus revealing a different story!!
Ohh those long narrow winding roads with steep hairpin turns, the crossing over of two cars would mindlessly make you close your eyes until wooooshhhh.... you were already through!! What skill!!!

Click click click.. we went on and on and on... and just couldn't stop! We kept going higher and higher with still no sight of the so called "flat" land (also checking with the locals to make sure we were on the right track 😛).
But finally we were there. सब्र का फल मीठा तो होता है, लेकिन इतना सुंदर होता है वो ऊस दिन जाना!! What we saw was absolutely breathtaking!!

The whole landscape was so huge, so perfect, so picturesque!! A beautiful little temple in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains on one side and flat land on the other.

At the far end we could see apple orchards cuddled by the mountains- all dried now- but waiting to get on the green leaves!! As far as your sight could reach, all you could see was beauty, beauty and only beauty 😍😍

I am already amazed by how it would look like during summers with all lush greenery and flowers all around!! The peace and tranquility called for just sitting there in silence and soaking in all that we were witnessing and thinking..

ए खुदा तूने कैसी ये हसीन कुदरत है बनाई...

तेरे करिश्में का दीदार करना, है मेरा नसीब या तेरी खुदाई!!

Having captured all the beauty in our human cameras 👀 it was time to return to the hotel- rewinding and replaying throughout 😇💖

Day5 Monday- Shraikoti today it was- one more temple of Maa Kaali.
The weather was not as good as we had hoped for- it was raining since morning and the forecast only said clear skies by 12ish in the afternoon. Talks were such that if it kept raining then there were all chances of a snowfall. What? Did we just hear SNOWFALL?? 😻 As we definitely got xcited on hearing snowfall, the following talk about roads getting closed also made us a little worried 😮#WorriedXcitmnt!!

However as predicted, the skies started to get clear and we started our way to Shraikoti. Just like the previous day, same beautiful roads, deep valleys, colourful houses- only difference was that yesterday it all felt new to us and today we felt we knew all this since long!! 🤗🤗
So the running commentary today was like अरे ये हमने कल भी देखा था, अरे ये कल जैसा ही रास्ता है, अरे गाड़ी आराम से निकल जायेगी 😂
And so we kept going and re-living the elegance and charm of mother nature! What amazed us everytime was the way houses were built in the valleys, how could one reach there, what mode of daily transport would they have, where do the children go to school, AND most importantly.. how do they survive in the colds and snow.. truly amazing!

As we kept rising higher and higher, the weather started to turn cloudy and foggy and seemed like the clouds were all descending to give us a closer look!! It all seemed superbly fascinating and artistic!! The more we rose higher, the lesser was the visibility due to fog.

We were only about 10-12 kms from the place when our driver bhayya said it would start snowing now and if that happens, the roads would get blocked. 😲 #Fear!! We saw a shepherd coming along and checked with him- he too had a similar say- so the best option now was to not go any further and start our decent... (not something we wanted 😞) but were left with no option.

It had started to get so chilly already, that we stepped out of the car for some clicks and we could feel ourselves shivering and teeth chattering (another mind-blowing experience 🥶) But obviously pic के लिए कुछ भी करेगा.. and so we managed to use up some more camera memory in different poses and styles 😅

As we started returning, we could actually see the snowfall had started- small snowflakes making their way towards us so we could also meet and greet them with even more enthusiasm!! So obviously we could not reach the planned destination.. but what we experienced was totally unplanned and completely worth it!!

It had become really really cold by now... and on our way back we managed to spot a small tapri where they made maggi.. believe me... I never knew maggi tasted so amazing until that day 😋

Day6 Tuesday- To Kufri

The day to reach our third destination via Narkanda. Today was bright and sunny and pleasant! However, news was that due to snowfall the previous day, road to Hatu Temple in Narkanda (one in our list), was closed- #ALittleDisappointed 😞

On our way back to kufri, and as we approached Narkanda, as our luck would have it- we got to see

snow on the roads from yesterday's untimely snowfall!! We were so thrilled to see the mesmerizing view of snow clad roads, the tall trees covered with snow, and somewhere at the top the sun trying to peep through the branches and wave at us!! Ohh how delighted we were to see this little paradise on earth 😇💖

Cherishing the moment, we reached Mundaghat- our final destination located here. Well the approach road to the hotel was not very pleasant- gave us the feeling of a mini roller coaster ride. While driving through with this little question mark on how the hotel would actually be like, there stood a tall and very handsome building!! Just like the feeling of finding a real treasure hidden in the jungle- true to the name "The Jungle Mountain Retreat" it was!!
It was so crazily super chilly cold that we could hardly wait at the reception- which obviously the staff noticed 😁 and we were immediately escorted to our room!!
And Ohhhhhhhh what do we see...
The place was so so so damn amazing that we started jumping and hugging eachother like crazy 😂. Could we have asked for anything more??

Day 7, 8, 9- Work From Shimla!!

Waking up every morning to the most mesmerizing view of deodar trees pull over the thick blanket of sunrays... standing tall and shining bright 🌞 gave us the feeling- जरूर कभी कोई अच्छे कर्म किए होंगे जो आज ये मिला है!!

The day temperatures were HIGH like 2 or 3° and night times were in minus 😆

The bonfire(where we managed to go just once and braved to sit around for a full 10 mins 😝),

the lazing around in the room, the wfh, the showing off of the view during VDO calls,

the "kitthe chaliye" playing on repeat (we must have heard it a 100 times 😆), the बीच बीच मे wale foto sessions,

the most elaborate lunch (comprising of thepla, tikhat purya, god polya, bakarwadi, khare shankarpali, ladoo, kadboli, etc etc. along with chai),

the back to back movies (when we realised it was just 11.30 p.m. when one mvi got over... hell nooo- we must watch another one 😂), the dinner times where we were made to feel like such special guests with seating made right in front of the heaters. Trust me... there was not a single moment when we got bored!!!

Day 10 Saturday- Chail
Today was the last day we could do the most of the trip!

We visited a shiv mandir in Janed, the

temple which is being built in stone by a single man since 1980. The story goes that this man had a dream wherein lord Shiva told him to build a temple.
The temple(still in the making) is so extremely beautiful that seems like the GOD himself is making it, the man is just a mediator 🙏

Having visited this humanly divine creation, we moved to visit the Kaali ka Tibba temple having the

most scenic location! Situated at the top of a hill with valleys surrounding the temple all around- quiet and peaceful!!

After that was the Chail cricket ground (worlds highest cricket ground). But unfortunately it was closed due to some planned events and we could not see it. We headed to the Chail palace and witnessed another piece of महान कला amidst beautiful Nature!! Having seen all this and the day coming to an end (it used to start getting dark by 5) it was now time to return to the hotel.

Day 11 Sunday- Time to return 😔

Well... I obviously will not write much about this day- a day we thought had come too soon 😖
What an expedition this was... YES.. it was an expedition!! Couldn't thank enough to the RAJ we experienced here!!

We laughed, we played, we fought, we teased, we (I) sang (dekheya maine Chand dekheya 😂)... and we had (yet another) memorable time of our lives... difficult to put in words and impossible to forget 🤗💝😎

Physically we returned... but our hearts stayed back..

After almost about a year of planning... finally the plan was ON... (guess thats how long it takes for something to turn out so amazing 😜)!!

Friday night it was... and the day- rather night- to begin the journey was here... What better way to start than to please the taste buds?? And so it was...Desi Dhaba at hingewadi turned out to do just that! With the amazing veg handi.. paneer kadhai and dal tadka... the garma garam rotis coming in just couldnt make us stop eating until finally the stomach gave up...and it was time to start...

Just the way a journey cannot start without a car... so can it not start without a selfie 😁😁.. with the click click click and diffrnt poses.. the first selfie session had started and obviously followed us everywhere we went..

And so the songs... the dances... the chai breaks... the wada pav breaks....the ghost stories... the zig zag ghat roads...and the amazing 1-2 hours sleep with the most non-discovered body postures was what concluded the night journey and destination tarkarli it was!!!

The place where we stayed was called "Shubhangi Home Stay"

It was amazing with beautiful rooms....the sandy front porch with coconut trees and the swings hanging onto them!! The day started with the yummy poha garnished with grated coconut- the typical konkani style!!

After multiple debates over what to wear... we finally managed to look amazing so that our cameras would keep saying.... "ye dil maange more" .. 😅😛

Then was the most awaited moment...beach time it was!! What an amazingly beautiful beach it was... absolutely clean and calm!!

Only nature's canvas can paint that blue of the serene waters.. the sun kissed mountains.. and somewhere far far away the mountains and waters played hand in hand..!!

After the beach play (and foto sesison ofcource 😆.)... was the turn of Tsunami Island near Devbag beach- an island of backwaters and water sports... yayyyy!!!

After rounds of discussion over what we start with... KAYAKING had won!!!

What an exciting experience that was- row one left and one right.. you move forward..... row only right and you turn left... row only left and u turn right... somehow manage a reverse 😝😝.... . and the most exciting was when the boat dodged a little when clashing with waves.... uffff that literally made me skip a heartbeat 😵

With the stronger one in the backseat... and me in the front seat 😉 we were the drivers of this this khatarnak means of transport!!!

With a good amount of hand excercise and a sense of achievement now was the time for the next sport in line.... PARASAILING it was!!!!

With total excitment we got into the boat that wud take us deep into the waters..and then we wud fly!! But there was much more to this... once into the boat...we first put on our parasailing gear... it felt wowe!!! Fir jaise hi boat chalne lagi... hum sabke gappe shuru the... fir boat ka speed thoda badha... and baton ka speed thoda kam hua... wo thoda aur bada... ye thoda aur kam hua.... wo aur badha... ye aur kam hua...until after some time there was pin drop silence in the boat with our hands holding tight onto whatever we could... and all we cud hear was the boat pushing aside the water with full strength and roaring its way deep inside... woww!! What a drive that was!!!

Turn by turn... they hung us onto the parachute ropes... with two hooks on either side... looking at that... a little fear took on the xcitment... imagine your life being supported by two hooks.. just two.... 😰

While we were still settling onto the fact that these hooks were our life saviours... suddenly we realised that they had let us go and within seconds hum hawa me the... the boat was bearly seen and I felt...

I felt as light as a feather... floating in the air...

And the calm breeze playing with my hair...

Waiving my hands like the birds do..

Heavenly it felt... was this really true??

We were so engrossed in watching the waters... the mountains.. feeling the peace... and njoying each moment that we didn't realise when we already landed back in the boat!!

With the never like before xperience.. we started back to the beach...with closed eyes and reliving the moments

️

Visit to the Sindhudurg fort was the next in the list.. again the boat ride that took us to the fort... climbing the fort made us re-live some history chapters....and left us amazed with the skills and valour that the great Shivaji Maharaja posessed..

Watching the sunset from the fort was truely something...

The sky turning orange... with sparks of blue...

Birds with families also bidding adieu..

That one large red ball waving good-bye....

The once blue waters now reflecting the sky!!

As we watched the sun go down... lost in the mesmerising beauty.. little did we realise it was now time to head back to the rooms... jaha wo garma garam cahi ki pyali hamari rah dekh rahi thi!! After the day long filled wih adventure n xcitmnt... that one chai ki pyali tasted like never before!!

After freshning up and the yummyyyy khana.... this wonderful day obviously could not end without a bonfire!! And so it was... the bonfire was lit under the clear sky and stars... and then the songs... the dance and the gupshup around it was the perfect end to the day..!! Slowly but steadily the night came and swept us away into the world of dreams.. cherishing every moment we had spent!!

The next day started with body not wanting to get out of the blanket..but mind over excited to witness what lay ahead!!

Breakfast was awsum upma / poha and ofcource the garma garam chai!!! After satisfying the tummy the cricket and volleyball just wouldn't let us ignore them... 😀😀 finally we had to give in and games time it was!!!
With the 4's and 6's and bold outs and shouts and fights... we had to wind up only to start with the next- scooba diving it was!!

Again it was a boat that would take us deep in the waters...where we would go and see what lied beneath the sea!

Mujhe abhi bhi clearly yaad hai mai kitni dari hui thi... with 90% times my mind coaxing me not to go.. and just the 10% provoking me to go...

with all my friends trying to convince not to mis the chance... but me not ready to accept anything...😰

As each one of them entered the water...this was what was happening with them...

Float...
Take a long breath...
Breathe in.. breathe out...
In... out...
Ok?
Not ok?
Ok?
Aaaannnnddd zzzzuuuuuuppppp they went into the water...vanished!!!

Now finally it was my turn... with my heart beating at double the rate... i took one step forward... and two backwards.... still debating over wanting to do... and being able to do...

Weights tied.. check..

Jacket on... check...

Eye mask on... check...

Oxygen pipe in the mouth... check...

and into the water I enter...

nahi nahi .. mujhe nai karna... is what I say and start to get out of the water... but my beloved and patient friends say..are paani me to aa... and so I do... floating on the tubes... the trainer also holding onto me... extremely patiently telling me what to do... how to keep the pipe in the mouth... how to keep my lips tightly shut... how to breathe... what to do... what not to do... wow!!! Hats off to the trainer!!! And then whoopeee.... into the water I was.. oo my myyy!!! What a view that was.. with all fishes coming around me... as though trying to hug me 💓💓
yellow... orange... black... white... some with big eyes... others with small...they were so close i could literally touch them!!!

Another of God's amazingly beautiful creation that I saw so close!!

Back to the surface and what a sense of achievement it felt!!! As they rightly say... dar ke aage jeet hai!!!!

The feelings I had.... brave.. lucky.... peaceful.... amazed.... calm...speechless!! 😇😇

Amongst all this we hadn't realised it was now time to head back home...with long endless chit-chats of what we did how... what was the best... and outsource... plans of the next such fun packed trip!!!

Like all good things come to an end... so did this trip... giving me countless moments to cherish.. and unforgettable memories forever!!

Star cast- The crazy gang!!