Driving in the mountains is an experience I always look forward to. This stems from a feeling that our standard expressways are much too straight, and I would like some curves for the sake of driving pleasure. When MG Motor India contacted us saying there was a drive planned to Himachal Pradesh, I, naturally, threw my hat in the ring for that at the weekly edit meet.
A late night (and much delayed) flight to New Delhi saw me wake groggy on the day the drive began at the MG Motor showroom at Najafgarh Road, with large amounts of coffee keeping me coherent. However, the Hectors lined-up outside the showroom acted like something of a tonic, and I eagerly got in. Our journey would take us through Mandi and Jibhi to Narkanda, which is famous for its skiing scene, and back, and also planned was a stop at Chitkul, the last village on the Indo-Tibet route.
A ski destination Narkanda maybe but considering the time of the year we were going, there wasn’t going to be snow, still it was great to get out of Mumbai’s muggy weather. Our first stop that day was going to be Mandi, a journey of about 400km without detours. Exiting New Delhi at that time of the morning felt like escaping from a bustling and crowded market, and that’s despite the wide roads compared to the ones in Mumbai.
We made good progress in the Hector diesel we had been allotted, and as we crossed Haryana, the road smoothened and straightened out. I used the passenger seat to catch a few more than 40 winks to rejuvenate myself properly and in what could be considered serendipitous, a stop for lunch was called as soon as I woke up. When in Haryana, a fare of hot thick parathas filled with potato and radish is almost a necessity. The food mall we stopped at had a grandiose-looking restaurant called Heritage Haveli, where we gorged on the superb fare, including the aforementioned parathas.
Our grumbling stomachs silenced, we headed back onto the road. This time, I was in the driver’s seat as we made our way up the ghats. Slow-moving truck traffic and a few pot-holed sections slowed our seven-SUV convoy, and we made it to Mandi in time for evening tea. A quick stop at the MG showroom there to check on our Adblue levels gave us time to enjoy the rather spectacular vistas with a steaming cup of chai in hand. It’s too bad the temperature played spoilsport, and it wasn’t even particularly cool at this point.
The sunlight began to recede behind the hills as we headed towards Jibhi, which was our stop for the night, and the going became slower. It’s amazing to see just how much roadworks are going on even at these heights, from blasting through mountains to make four-lane tunnels to bridges with viewing points that span chasms with rivers meandering below. Still, the quality of the existing road meant that I had to carefully navigate around some potholes and fissures in the surface, and the heavy cloud cover along with some rain didn’t aid in keeping a quicker pace.
We reached Jibhi in time for a late dinner at a charming, rustic place called the Labhari Hills Homestay, which is just outside the picturesque village. The local chicken curry, and some less than local mutter paneer, along with hot, ghee-laden rotis were wholesome enough to lull me to sleep right away. However, there had been some talk of not being able to reach Chitkul due to the weather, which is known to be unpredictable in these parts.
The plan was then to have an easy trip the next day. We’d have a late start, check out the scenic Jalori pass, and then head to Narkanda — all in all, just a 100km journey that could be done in about three and a half hours. That decided, I headed to my bed, tired but with anticipation for what came next.
It’s an amazing feeling to wake up to a crisp and cool morning, the sun rising above the tall pine and deodar trees that flourish in these heights, and hold a steaming cup of coffee. The only sound (other than the occasional vehicle passing by) was a babbling brook. Few things in life bring such serenity.
Another hearty, paratha-filled breakfast later, we headed first to the Jalori pass, which is 3,200m above sea level, and, when there isn’t complete cloud cover — as was the case when we visited — offers spectacular mountain vistas. Naturally, some sat down to fulfil the traditional ‘maggi and chai in the mountains’ craving, while I perused some of the local handicraft, which made for great gifts back home.
The drive to Narkanda wasn’t an arduous one, which gave us the opportunity to stop for nearly every view of a stunning waterfall, or an inaccessible village a mountain away, and even sneak an apple from a tree growing right by the road. While it wasn’t the typical time of the year that most visit Narkanda, the scenic beauty is undiminished for the lack of snow. The hills, trees and skies are gorgeous and I think a trip to a ski town even outside of ski season is something worth doing.
The next day demanded an early start as our flights had been booked from Chandigarh, which was 200km away. While Google Maps suggested it would take about four and a half hours, we were advised to leave earlier as traffic can be quite unpredictable in the Himalayan foothills. This turned out to be quite true as driving past Shimla proved to be quite a bottleneck, delaying us significantly.
Fortunately, we reached Chandigarh airport with barely a few minutes to spare. Although the trip was cut short by weather conditions, it was still one to remember. The serenity of the mountains is something I will take back with me, and the memory of those curvy roads and the splendid mountainscape will keep me sane though I’ll be trudging through Mumbai’s bombed-out and crowded throughways.
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