"OH MY GOD! AN ICELAND!"
Ganesh screamed from the back-seat.As soon as I heard it,I saw the vicinity and was stupefied by the beauty of the white-land.I was so much exhilarated that I was even unable to speak.I was quite sure that Debanjan da was still trying to get the situation and a new journey began.
It was all started a couple of years back when we,me,Debanjan da and Ganesh,have decided to visit Dalhousie,Khajjia and Little Dharamshala during the Christmas week.We started our trip with Delhi.I thank Delhi's fog for which the train (Rajdhani) was late by 5 hours.It was 3pm when the train reached the Old Delhi station.The month of December and Delhi has an old love story.One could easily feel Delhi's cold and chilly weather which is so pleasant.The next train was from New Delhi.Though,the departure time was 10 pm but one should not trust the traffic of Delhi.We went to Jama Masjid and had biriyani from a shop nearby.I regret those days for not having a DSLR which made me enough depressed as I couldn't click photographs which I aspired for. India can be ideally referred as an example of "Unity in diversity".This came to mind when I saw three Bengalis,some muslims from U.P.,foreigners,Punjabis and Lamas (Buddhist monks) there.What do you think? Lamas don't love biriyanis?
After finishing our meal,we went off for the New Delhi station to board the train for Pathankot.We reached our next destination,Pathankot,next day in the morning at 6 am.We had already hired a traverra car earlier.We started the journey from Pathankot to Dalhousie at 6:30 am in a foggy and chilling weather.Tolkien said," Not all those who wander are lost", but truely,we were lost in the beauty of the place and were captured by the beautiful snowy Dalhousie after 3 hours.
The driver was very friendly.He told us that due to heavy snowfall,no vehicle could reach Dalhousi.So,he would drop us 9-10km before Gandhi chawk (the hotel's destination).At that point of time,we haven't seen any trace of ice in the road and of course,seeing is believing.After 3 hours, near Dalhousi helipad region, we saw the first glimpse of ice and after 5 minutes, we reached ice-age part of mankind.
"Oh my God! An Iceland! " Ganesh screamed from the back.The driver told us that he could not drive further as the tires were skitting due to the thick snow layer on the road.So,we decided to walk 9-10 km to reach the hotel.Meanwhile,the driver managed to get a guide who carried our bagpacks and showed us the way to the hotel.Trust me,it was not an easy job to walk 9-10 km under the heavy snowfall and that too on a road which was absolutely covered with snow.But, together we made it to our hotel after 3 hours of walking.On the way to the hotel,we all slipped while walking several times but it was harmless as the ice-layer was very soft.We saw the Indian army working to clear the roads.We walked for 3 hours but did not get tired because of the cool atmosphere.I had read a poem by Robert Frost in class 11/12.I couldn't recollect the poem but the Dalhousi's scenerio made me recall the last two lines of the poem.Those lines were, "...And miles to go before I sleep,and miles to go before I sleep".
Finally,after 3 hours of hardwork,we reached the hotel which was near Gandhi Chawk.We had rest for only 2 hours and started exploring the entire area.The snowfall stopped at around 3 pm.At first,we went to the Subhash Chawk.The scenic beauty was fabulous there.We brought our journey to a halt there to enjoy the view of the mountains.It was dark after 5 pm thus we decided to return to the hotel.While going back,we were captivated by the amazing beauty.The road was clearly visible in spite of the darkened vicinity as it was all covered with the thick layer of snow,whose brightness made the road visible enabling us to reach the hotel.At the Gandhi Chawk,we entered a dhaba where we had chicken tandoori and other dishes made-up of chicken.I think it's well-known to everyone that chicken dishes are perfect food items to raise the body temperature in winter.We moved to the hotel after the dinner.It was freezing cold outside and also,we failed to get the networks of our mobile phones.We were too tired after the journey and after a small chit-chat,we slept.The next day,we started our journey after the sunrise from Dalhousie to Little Dharamshala.We had planned to visit Khajjia,also known as the Switzerland of India,but the driver told us that it was not possible to go to that place because of excessive accumulation of ice.So,we began the journey at 10 am from Dalhousie.The weather was chilling in spite of presence of the sun.
During our journey,from Dalhousie to Little Dharamshala,we brought several halts to our journey,to cherish the beauty of Himachal Pradesh.Also,we saw itinerants selling golgappa/panipuri at every square from Dalhousie to Little Dharamshala.We reached beautiful Mcleodganj (Little Dharamshala) at around 6 pm.The weather was quite comfortable.
We started with the sight-scene,the next day.We visited plenty of tourist-spots like Triund Hill,Black church,Tsechokling Gompa (commonly known as the Dalai Lama temple),Bhagsu temple,Dal lake and Naddi temple.The Dalai Lama temple was very beautiful and the scenic beauty of Naddi village softened the mind and soul.We enjoyed the sunset with hot chocolate at a shop in Naddi village.
I said, "I will miss the serene beauty of this place".And the vacation ended.It was the time to get back to our home on the next day.Though,it was a long and hectic tour but I always get inspired by the mountains and the natural beauties.It always revives me to go through any circumstances .We reached Pathankot by 5pm.The train from Pathankot station was scheduled at 11pm .So,we decided to go for the movie,Dhoom 3.The driver dropped us at the station .We kept our luggage there and went for the movie at a multiplex (inox) nearby .After watching the movie,we reached the station by 10pm and collected the luggage.We boarded the train at 11pm and reached Delhi on the next day at around 8 am.As the returning train was scheduled at 4pm (Rajdhani),we had enough time to visit the capital of India.
We hired a car and visited plenty of places like Rajiv Gandhi's house,Red Fort ( which was closed on that day), India Gate, Qutub Minar etc.I had visited Delhi earlier during my childhood days.I sensed the same fragrance this time too like the last time .Delhi is almost same as Kolkata , a perfect mixture of history,politics and so many places of historical importance.
Anita Desai once said, "Wherever you go, becomes a part of you somewhere".Probably this quote is perfectly applicable for me and Delhi.
We boarded the train i.e. Rajdhani at 4pm and reached home.We did not come back with emptied minds but with memories to be cherished forever.