An accidental Journey Part 3 - Day 2 Ride to Fagu

Cycling Starting Point - Kasauli

Destination - Fagu

Route - Kasauli - Dharampur - Solan - Kandaghat - Sadhupul - Chail - Kufri - Fagu

Cycling Distance - 104 Kms

Car Driving - 104 Kms

Kanav’s Cycle Ride - 80Kms

Major Breaks - Solan, Sadhupul, Koti

Elevation Gained - 2077 mtrs.

The day started early with us planning to leave the hotel by 4:00am. But our car was badly stuck in the parking lot. But finally by 4:30am we were on the saddle enjoying our Downhill ride to Dharampur in pitch dark.

I was quite sure that we would have to ride uphill most of the day and it would take us a good amount of time to reach Solan. But suddenly after a few Kms from Dharampur, the road began to slope downhill and it did not end till we reached Solan. The view on the way was just out of this world with clouds floating along with us. People were getting out of the cars and clicking photographs and we were savouring our ride and the view.

While the quick ride to Solan encouraged us, our confidence was even further Boosted by a few young cyclists from Solan who told us that the downhill shall continue upto Sadhupul from where Chail was about 17-18 Kms only. So me and Abhishek decided to speed things up and see how far cold we reach by 8:30am as our intial target was Solan which we had already achieved by 7:00am.

But simultaneously preeti encountered her first car driving challenge. She had taken another route and was on the Solan Bypass when we called her out for a tea in the Solan Market. She took a detour into the market advised by a passerby. But this detour was an extremely steep climb for the car. The car stopped in the middle of the climb but Preeti recalled a similar incident in Hoshiarpur’s Miraj Cinema and quickly pulled the hand break and released it only after she had put her foot on the accelerator. And now, she was ready for the bigger challenges she was about to face on the world’s most treacherous road ahead.

We were gliding to Sadhupul with almost a Kms distance between each one of us Abhishek - Myself - Kanav. Only 3kms away and at 8:00am, I found Abhishek sitting with the cycle upside down and working on another puncture. I quickly got down and we worked on changing the tube of the cycle. Kanav and Preeti reached soon after and Jay took Sultan to a small trek for him to relieve himself on the nearby mountain. Jay was fully enjoying the trip playing with Sultan. Preeti was introducing him to experiences like working a hand pump, plucking flowers and fruits etc.

Suddenly a man on the motorcycle came and hushed us up by warning us of a few leopards and their cubs just a few meters ahead. The cubs seem to have attacked the motorcyclist. We were apprehensive but did not take the risk and immediately hang up the cycles on the rack and drove out in the car around 3 kms to a dhaba at Sadhupul.

I quickly began my day’s office routine while having breakfast. Kids immediately made friends with the kids of the dhaba owner and started exploring nature. They were plucking fruits and eating them while the local kids introduced them to more varieties of fruits and flowers around. While leaving the place, the kids exchanged numbers and decided to call one another. The elder one, Dhruv, even took his single gear bicycle and rode with us for 2 kms uphill when we left at around 12pm.

While I kept getting calls on the way, Kanav and Abhishek were riding uphill. Preeti in the meanwhile was disgusted with the condition of the car and was still at the Dhaba cleaning it up. She must have spent an hour in total making the car spic and span before starting off. She caught up with Kanav soon and I also was beside him just 8Kms before Chail.

As usual Preeti was exploring the local plants and found walnuts hanging from the trees. She took one as a prize to show it around. Kanav soon gave up on the climb as it was hot and the climb was gruelling. Abhishek had reached Chail by now in a single shot without stoppages and I had still to climb 8 kms which were the toughest part of the climb. The forests around slowly made the climb easier and with another break for a call just 2 kms before Chail, I quickly made up.

As Abhishek had already left for Kufri, we decided to make our way to Theog that day and I did not stop at Chail. Kanav who was coming behind immediately saddled up at Chail to enjoy the downhill. But after a 10-12 Kms from Chail, in which merely 2 kms were downhill, I was feeling exhausted and went to sleep on the roadside. Preeti came with some sweets and momos which I savoured and attended a quick call with Shruti and gave her the required data while working from the forest of Chail.

In a few more kms which were more-or-less uphill only, we reached Kothi where we had a cup of tea and a few biscuits. Here Jay’s love of Dogs was quite evident when 6-7 dogs surrounded Jay and Jay was playing with them. He took a full packet of Biscuits and distributed them to his new friends.

Just 2 kms from Kothi, Kanav had a severe pressure to answer nature's call where he was stung by the Itching plant. He immediately gave up the ride and sat in the car. 

Around 12 kms from Kufri, Abhishek called up, telling us that the last 6 kms climb to Chini Bungla was a killer one and I had an option to come via Car. And he was not wrong at all. The climb came after I had done 90+ Kms for the day and was a really steep one. I took one break in between but by the time I reached Chini Bungla, it was already night.

Jay had been demanding to do some downhill the whole day, and with no traffic on the road, I obliged him. He rode very safely on the downhill to Kufri and I gave him another Km to ride towards Fagu. By the time we reached fagu, It was past 8pm and Abhishek was waiting for us with Dinner.

After a quick dinner we planned out not to ride to jeebhi instead of taking the route to Spiti. Preeti was apprehensive but was with us. Again deciding to follow the same schedule, we went back to sleep at around 10:30 while preeti was still washing our clothes and ensuring that we don’t run out of athletic wear soon.

 

An accidental Journey Part 2 - Day 1 Ride to Kasauli

Cycling Starting Point - Command Hospital, Chandimandir

Destination - Kasauli

Route - Panchkula - Pinjore - Kalka - Parwanoo - Mashobra - Kasauli

Cycling Distance - 53Kms

Car Driving - 70 Kms

Elevation Gained - 2550 mtrs.

Preeti waited for us at the Kalka Devi temple where she was surprised by the priest who suddenly called her out and blessed her by putting a tilak on her forehead (even though it wasn’t allowed under covid guidelines for the temple). Preeti’s happiness knew no bounds as she considered this as a sign of a safe and successful trip. And thus began our adventure on an auspicious note.

Abhishek is a really strong rider. It was evident on the climb from Parwanoo to Kasauli on which he effortlessly pedaled through. Kanav, as usual was in his full form, chattering all the way.

 

Being my first day, I was in a rush to reach the Breakfast point which was a small restaurant around 11 Kms from Parwanoo.

The ride steadily went into the clouds and we were all just ecstatic because the weather was just outstanding. Riding through the clouds was a first time experience for Abhishek and he was simply enjoying it.

But the ride was suddenly halted when Abhishek’s cycle got punctured. We quickly changed the tube and rode up to the restaurant where I prepared and attended my meetings. The first day of office on the road made me realize that I had been attending some meetings where my requirement was minimal and could be avoided till the point I had something to contribute. So, I and Preeti decided on a plan. Instead of not attending such meetings, I decided to be a mute spectator while I kept riding the bike. Only where I thought my contribution was necessary, I intervened otherwise we just kept riding.

Preeti told me to ride quickly because the weather was getting bad and it was raining. I pointed out that weather was not bad, we were just riding through the clouds. This is where she said that - For people like us, it is raining. Whether you call it the melting of the clouds or riding through the clouds, it's simply raining.

This is how she brings us down from the clouds to reality. A trait which kept us sane throughout the trip.

Simultaneously, her outgoing nature also meant that we did not miss out most of the fun during the trip. On the ride to Kasauli, she suddenly came across a Fig Tree dangling over a ditch with fresh fruits hanging from it. Neither she nor, I had the courage to pluck the fruit. But she asked out help from a stranger from the nearby shop helped us gather at least 3 Kgs of Fresh Fig which we savoured over the trip. For the stranger, it was a simple task but for us it was a gesture to remember and repay to others throughout life.

By evening, I had attended most of my meetings and we had also reached Kasauli. Abhishek and Preeti had already reached there before us and we waited at the intersection of the Dharampur and the Parwanoo road. Around 2 kms downhill from there, they found a comfortable hotel (Hotel Kasauli Woods) in the village called Garkhal.

While I quickly dove into the meetings after a quick bite in the nearby dhaba, Abhishek, Preeti and Kids went to Kasauli. Preeti on her Window Shopping spree while Abhishek trekked into the nearby mountains.

The most difficult part here was taking care of Sultan, as while we were eating at the Dhaba, the street dogs from the villages gathered making it tough to control Sultan. He is a quick learner and has steadily become aggressive. Even in the evening when I and Abhishek took him to the nearby mountain, he met an aggressive Alsatian pet Dog whom he simply overpowered (by barking and eye contact) and made way to the mountain.

With a really good day, I and Abhishek decided to avoid the crowded Shimla and go to Chail, We created a new route from Jibhi to Manali in the evening before going to sleep.

An accidental Journey Part 1 - At the Beginning

 The Genesis

RAAM Qualifier - Romantika Uz Beas was scheduled for 13th June 2021. This grueling Cycling race was 615 Kms from Hoshiarpur to Manali and Back. But Covid’s second wave ruined the event and was now delayed by a year.

But the hard work I had put in the preparation of the event could not go waste so I decided to do the Chandigarh to Shimla ride with Kanav during the same time. Abhishek Yadav, a colleague at Grofers when heard about the plan, decided to ride down from Gurgaon to join us.

The Preparation

Kanav was really excited to do the trip to Shimla and had pushed himself hard by exercising most of the days in the month of May. I was quite sure that he would make a good headway to Shimla if not able to complete it.

But as the plan’s were undergoing a change, Kanav and Jay were even more excited to do camping during the trip and so Preeti contacted Shankar who helped her prepare a list of important things needed for the camping trip. He even gave his some favourite possessions like a Korean Stove, an Emergency light for the trip. Tried to go as light as possible but still had a car trunk full of bags, tent and cycling gear.

Luckily, I got my car insurance renewed in time and preeti got a quick service of the car done along with the change of windshield from the Motor Market.

The trip was going to be long and Sultan, our pet dog couldn’t be left anywhere so he was definitely going along. 

Just a day before, we realized that we had missed a very important component of our ride - the entry pass into Himachal. I immediately applied on the Himachal website for the pass and voila, in 30 minutes, I had the pass to enter Kasauli. This is when I first realized that the Luck was on our side as Himachal had opened its borders just 3 days before we had planned the ride. (This was our Lucky Break 1 during the ride)

But any preparation is not enough and one only comes to know about it on the road. For I had already left my cycle’s front lights back at home.

The Start

Abhishek had reached Chandigarh by 11th June and wanted to start early. I was a bit hesitant because I had not taken leave and wanted to do it on the weekend so that I don’t have to take more than a day’s leave.

But Abhishek’s persistence made me think out of the box and I decided to work while we rode the cycle. So we agreed to leave on 16th June, Wednesday morning for Kasauli. With this out of the box plan, I decided to elongate the journey and we jointly decided to see if we can push ourselves to go to Manali from Shimla and back to Hoshiarpur. 

With almost no plan in mind but with just an idea, we left our home at 4:30am in the car to reach the Rendezvous point, Command Hospital, Chandimandir and we finally started at 5:30am.