Back from the weekend trip to Khajjiar a hill station (6500 ft above sea level) 22 kms away from Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh. It was a short but hectic holiday and one we shared with Rajiv’s office colleagues. We left on Friday night by train and reached a place called Chakki bank station (Pathankot) from where we traveled by bus up hill to Dalhousie and beyond. Beyond Dalhousie the drive got very scenic. But a rather slow as it was a pretty steep uphill drive and the road was quite narrow.
We had a fun time on the bus! There were two buses and one was where we sent people who wanted to get sum rest and the other was the fun bus where we played games like Dumb Charades and Antakshari. We had a short stop at Dalhousie for tea etc and reached the resort at Khajjiar mid morning. We were a group of 53 (this included 12 children)…so you can imagine the amount of chaos and noise we could generate in all our excitement!!!
After a heavy breakfast every one settled into their rooms…the day was spent in the resort itself. Mostly chatting and enjoying the beauty of the place. Some people walked down to the Khajjiar valley and spent the evening there. Later at night there was a party with games for the kids and gifts distributed to all of them. We danced the night away…
Next morning we woke up to rains and mists…and thought we would have to abandon our plans to drive down to Chamba. But mountain weather is quite unpredictable and by the time we got done with breakfast, the skies had cleared. Some of us left to visit the town of Chamba while the rest stayed back at the resort to enjoy the games & rides (one involved sitting inside a huge balloon and being rolled down the hillside! And Para gliding, horse riding etc…swings, giant wheel for the kids and many eating joints to sit and relax with some cool drinks or hot tea / coffee).
The drive to Chamba was mostly downhill and with some spectacular views of the snow peaks. Nature’s beauty left us spell bound.
Bird's eye view of Chamba Town
After tea, we went down to the valley and had fun with games and rides. Back at the resort, was the theme party @ “disco – 60’s & 70’s” and “Valentines” with games for every one. The party continued till 3am.
Next morning we were on our way back to Pathankot to catch the train back to Delhi. We had a lunch at Dalhousie and sometime to visit the main market (mall) there. On the way we had some interesting stops…once when our bus and a truck opposite us got stuck on the narrow road and held up traffic for a good 30 mins! Then again when we got a flat tyre, which incidentally was at an interesting place near a small village where a “kushti” (wrestling match) was on. That kept us amused while we waited.
We reached Pathankot by 7pm amidst a lot of cheering and hooting! Every time we reached a new place or a destination, there would be a whole lot of cheering and yelling! Which is what happened again, when the train arrived leaving a lot of people around with bewildered looks!!
We were on the train by 7:40pm. The train journey was lots of fun with card games and a lot of noise which of course we had to tone down when others were ready to sleep. Although we weren’t all in the same coach but spread over 3 coaches! It was fun walking through the train and meeting up with everyone and taking pics. In the dark it wasn’t easy to figure out who was sleeping where, so we ended up yelling goodnight to practically everyone in the train!
We were at Old Delhi station at 4:20 am and home by 5 am. Everyone had to get to work today so there was no time to rest!! Of course I got my share of sleep once Rajiv left till Vedant woke up and left me with no choice but to start my day!!!
My only regret is that we didn’t spend more time exploring the place and I would love to go back again and do all the things I missed. And also carrying woolens was not necessary as the weather was pleasant (slightly cool in the early mornings and nights)…but of course when it rained a jacket / shawl was needed.
But the fun of being part of a big group of people and the memories of all the fun, games and partying is something I will treasure. Like our past trips with Rajiv’s office colleagues to Corbett National Park and to Pushkar, this trip to Khajjiar will also remain one of my favorite holidays!!
We traveled by: By train from Delhi to Pathankot (Chakki bank station) by Jammu Rajdhani (departure Delhi: 9pm and arrival Chakki bank: 4am)
By bus from Chakki bank to Khajjiar (6500 ft above sea level) with a brief stopover at Dalhousie (625 mtrs above sea level)
By bus from the resort at Khajjiar to Chamba Valley and Chamera Dam (another 20 odd kms from Chamba town)
By bus back to Chakki bank and train to Delhi
We stayed at: Mini Swiss Resorts at Khajjiar.
We ate at: the resort! At Hotel Spring in Dalhousie and "i don't remember the name" hotel at Chamba.
We visited: Khajjiar valley, Chamba town, Chamera dam and Dalhousie mall.
We partied: every night… in the train too! (If others who traveled with us on the train read this blog…do accept our apologies but hell u never complained while we were there … did you! *grin*) …
The OMG moment: When Tina and Pulkit (husband wife team) & Piyush turned up for the theme party! They were dressed true 70’s style and looked superb!
The funniest moment (s): When Pulkit had to enact the movie “panditji hamaar shadi kab hogi” (or sum vague bhojpuri movie sounding like that!) during dumb charades and Rajiv acting out the word “jawaani” (lolzz!)…also watching people act out morning show movies!! Ha ha ha!
**Pulkit acting out the movie!!**
**trying to figure it out!**
The best converstation (s): Everyone out in their respective room balconies (on diff floors) talking across and clicking pics while watching the hills, snow peaks and valley below! A pack of cigarettes being tossed across balconies…
The tense moment: When our bus and a truck tried to cross each other on a narrow stretch! Both vehicles grazed each other and the truck being on the outer edge was literally at the edge of the road with just a sheer drop below! It took close to 30 mins to sort out the mess and move on…
The cutest moment: Watching Rajat da’s (the Quality team head) daughter Ritika and yet another colleague Neena’s niece Palak dance to the song “Kajra Re”… In fact all the kids danced with a whole lot of enthusiasm :-)
The best meal: was always breakfast! Something about mountain air has one waking up ready to eat the heaviest breakfast ever! Hot aloo parathas with plain curd…or simply toast with butter and eggs…with a cup of hot coffee or tea!
The most spectacular view: driving up from Chamba to the resort, we saw the Pir Panjal range (Himalayan snow peaks)…and then watched the colors of the peaks change from white to a lovely shade of orange reflecting the sun setting…
Also the drive along the River Raavi…with the mountains on both sides…
My final word: Pack your bags and explore the place…preferably with friends / family!
To read more about Dalhousie, visit http://www.dalhousie.net
Ps: music playing is “Heaven is a place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle…
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