Naldehra, Himachal Pradesh, India
On my Himachal holiday last month, I went back to the state where I spent seven years of my life studying and tried to relive a bit of my youth with my family. Our first destination was Naldehra a picturesque little town about 22 kilometres from the state's capital Shimla.
As far as hill beauty goes, much of Himachal has nothing on the dense lushness and forested beauty of the north-eastern hills (I haven't yet been to Kashmir so can't compare to that) but there are pockets of beauty nestled in here and there and Naldehra is one of them. The approach from Shimla is pretty and the roads though narrow, are lined with trees such as deodar and cedar.
Our trip from Noida, about 400 kms, started at 6.30a.m. and took 12 hours because of two long rest stops, going slow so we didn't lose sight of the other car with us and losing our way a couple of times. Also, the underpowered Ertiga loaded with five people and luggage struggled to pull up the slopes in the hills and we had to keep putting off the air conditioner to overtake other vehicles. Once, after winding behind a bus for about five minutes, we got an opening but the car just couldn't muster up enough power to pass. Suddenly a head popped out of the back of the bus and uh oh! Aborted the attempt to overtake just as most of the guy's entire breakfast and lunch ejected from his mouth in a violent manner. Yuck. Think we got a few spots on the car. Bus hazard in the hills.
The good part is that the highway bypasses all the major cities and towns. The new Kalka and Parwanoo bypass is really awesome. Four lanes hugging the hillside with the valley below. Our breakfast stop was at the Savoy Greens in Karnal, a soulless food court with McDonalds, Dominos and the like but...good bathrooms. A major criteria for me.
Lunch was at Giani Da Dhaba in Dharampur, an institution in itself which really had the best food I'd eaten the entire trip but.... bad bathrooms. The lemon chicken, their speciality, was outstanding. So much so, that we ate there again on the way back. The stuffed parathas, achari paneer and other items are like they've been made at home and are not too rich or greasy. The hazard is of overeating and that's what can get you on the winding roads up, All of us were pretty pooped by the time we got to our destination and it took us the remainder of the evening to get our bearings right.
In Naldehra, we stayed at the Jacaranda Estate and Whispering Willows. The homestay is owned by a lady who takes great pride in her property and it shows in every aspect, from the lush gardens to the nicely done up rooms. One room was made entirely of deodar wood and was huge with two double beds on either side and two balconies looking out into the valley. The other had a massive antique bed which can easily accommodate four adults breadthwise. There are only three rooms so if you go in a group you have the place all to yourself. The only issue city slickers would have are the creepy crawlies. Spiders, beetles and the like, so mattresses on the floor.. uh uh.
Mornings were spent in the lawn goofing around with the kids and just exploring the property. A real jewel with willow trees, a small apple tree, a fully laden plum tree and blooming hydrangeas and other beautiful flowers. It was a compact terraced property and boasted of a direct view of the valley. The rains would come at night and leave us alone the first two days which is why we decided to make the most of it and explore areas beyond.
Our meals, breakfast, which was included in the fare, and dinner, should you choose to eat it there, were eaten in an open gazebo in the lawn. The place was so charming that we wished we could have spent more days just relaxing there.
There is a lot one can do from Naldehra because it's close to so many interesting places. Tattapani, Fagu, Mashobra, where you have the famous Wildflower Hall, Kufri, Shimla all can be done individually within an hour or two from there. Within Naldehra you can get a round of golf, go horse riding, trek through forests and generally walk around exploring.
The day after we arrived, we went to Tattapani which was an hours drive downhill. The name means hot water and the place has natural sulphur springs at the banks of the Sutlej river. As with most Indian tourist spots, the area has not been developed to allow people to appreciate its full potential. With the rain showers that hit, the natural springs were mostly covered by the river, so we went to hotel Hot Springs Therme and Spa, which had piped the water from the springs into a pool which people could jump into.
Only one person out of our group went in the water because the rest of us were unprepared for this and didn't have our swimming costumes and no way were we going to wear one provided by the hotel. Apparently it was a good experience. They also had private rooms for people who didn't want to jump into the public bath. I would try it next time. There were also people rafting in the river, which was muddy brown at the time, though it's not really a destination for actual river rafting thrills. For that you need to go to Rishikesh in Uttaranchal or higher.
After lunch at the hotel where the lights kept going off and the person who got into the pool radiating heat generated by the sulphur (not to mention the smell which lingered way into the next day even after a good scrub) we got back to Naldehra. That evening, we decided to take a walk to the golf course, the oldest in the country according to the Himachal Tourism web site, and generally explore. Oh boy, this is one golf course you really have to sweat to get to and can't take your car. It's a steep slope of about 100 meters up to the clubhouse on narrow paths. My husband's observation was that this is one club you definitely can't afford to indulge in alcohol.
Ahead of the clubhouse is a lovely picnic spot, a clearing surrounded by tall deodar trees. The beauty was spoiled only by the litter which seemingly can't be controlled anywhere in India and the approach road, of which not an inch was spared from horse droppings. The place was dotted with vendors selling tea, Maggi and fruit chaat. We sat and enjoyed all three and chatted to a couple from Delhi who advised us about the perils of parking in Shimla where we were planning to go the next day and also gave us a solution to that. Sometimes people come into your lives for a fleeting moment for very constructive purposes.
If it weren't for them, we would have just turned around and forgone Shimla altogether. Parking was a NIGHTMARE!! We arrived in the city around 12.30 p.m. and reached the lifts near the Combemere hotel which would take us right to the mall area. This is the most convenient way to get there so we tried that first. There are a couple of tiered parking structures which were full and there was no other place to park. for people who aren't at all familiar with the city its crazy because you just don't know where to go. You can park on the roadside on the other side of the city and making the long trek up to the mall but with a 2 year old child and a pram and shortage of time, it was not an option for us.
So we tried once, didn't get space, went all the way to the other end and turned around. Came back, tried again. We were about to get a slot but because two cars were blocking each other, one on the way out and one on the way in (no separate entry and exit as you can see) and we were holding up traffic, we had to let that go. Why can't the administration just get their act together? Peak season, seriously crowded hill station and two measly parking slots!!! Somehow we can never build for the future. Always struggling to keep up with past demand.
Word of advice to all those travelling to Shimla in their own car for the day. Get there early. Though I'm not really sure that if we had reached at 9.30 we would have got parking either, but then again, its coming from an irritated person. If you face what we did, you have another option and this is the advice we were given. Park at the Radisson hotel, have lunch or a coffee there so that it doesn't look like you're there only to park, then take a cab to the lifts. It was a bit far out and the trip to the lifts cost us 500 rupees one way and 400 rupees on the way back, but by then we had had it. Do your research and park at any hotel close to the mall that will let you.
Our lunch at the Radisson took almost two hours and by the time we reached the mall road it was already 4.30 p.m. If it hadn't been so hard to get there we would have enjoyed it so much more. The city is charming with lovely old architecture. The mall road stretch had a mix of the old with the new. Traditional folksy products shops along with the brands you see all over the cities. Sadly, all we got to see was the church and walk down the strand to the post office and it was time to head back to our lovely escape in Naldehra where I promised the owner I would make brownies.
The great part of the holiday was that it only got dark around 8 p.m. so we could enjoy the hills to the max. In winter darkness falls around 5 p.m. and after that it becomes difficult to do much. I suppose that's why it's peak season at this time and seriously crowded.
Back at Jacaranda I got down to making the brownies. The owner Rita very kindly opened her tiny personal kitchen and provided most of the ingredients. Since there was no measuring scale I had to fly blind. Lets say I didn't do too well with that and the result was quite bitter according to me. Was edible though and everyone was quite gracious about it.
There was a family from Chandigarh also staying there and that last evening we decided to have drinks together. Rita joined in and pulled out some cheese, crackers, and sausages. With food, wine and music in the gazebo and rain surrounding us it was a party and a night to remember. A fitting end to the first part of my misty mountain holiday.
On my Himachal holiday last month, I went back to the state where I spent seven years of my life studying and tried to relive a bit of my youth with my family. Our first destination was Naldehra a picturesque little town about 22 kilometres from the state's capital Shimla.
As far as hill beauty goes, much of Himachal has nothing on the dense lushness and forested beauty of the north-eastern hills (I haven't yet been to Kashmir so can't compare to that) but there are pockets of beauty nestled in here and there and Naldehra is one of them. The approach from Shimla is pretty and the roads though narrow, are lined with trees such as deodar and cedar.
Our trip from Noida, about 400 kms, started at 6.30a.m. and took 12 hours because of two long rest stops, going slow so we didn't lose sight of the other car with us and losing our way a couple of times. Also, the underpowered Ertiga loaded with five people and luggage struggled to pull up the slopes in the hills and we had to keep putting off the air conditioner to overtake other vehicles. Once, after winding behind a bus for about five minutes, we got an opening but the car just couldn't muster up enough power to pass. Suddenly a head popped out of the back of the bus and uh oh! Aborted the attempt to overtake just as most of the guy's entire breakfast and lunch ejected from his mouth in a violent manner. Yuck. Think we got a few spots on the car. Bus hazard in the hills.
Lunch was at Giani Da Dhaba in Dharampur, an institution in itself which really had the best food I'd eaten the entire trip but.... bad bathrooms. The lemon chicken, their speciality, was outstanding. So much so, that we ate there again on the way back. The stuffed parathas, achari paneer and other items are like they've been made at home and are not too rich or greasy. The hazard is of overeating and that's what can get you on the winding roads up, All of us were pretty pooped by the time we got to our destination and it took us the remainder of the evening to get our bearings right.
 |
| Jacaranda Estate |
 |
| Dining area |
Our meals, breakfast, which was included in the fare, and dinner, should you choose to eat it there, were eaten in an open gazebo in the lawn. The place was so charming that we wished we could have spent more days just relaxing there.
The day after we arrived, we went to Tattapani which was an hours drive downhill. The name means hot water and the place has natural sulphur springs at the banks of the Sutlej river. As with most Indian tourist spots, the area has not been developed to allow people to appreciate its full potential. With the rain showers that hit, the natural springs were mostly covered by the river, so we went to hotel Hot Springs Therme and Spa, which had piped the water from the springs into a pool which people could jump into.
 |
| Tattapani |
After lunch at the hotel where the lights kept going off and the person who got into the pool radiating heat generated by the sulphur (not to mention the smell which lingered way into the next day even after a good scrub) we got back to Naldehra. That evening, we decided to take a walk to the golf course, the oldest in the country according to the Himachal Tourism web site, and generally explore. Oh boy, this is one golf course you really have to sweat to get to and can't take your car. It's a steep slope of about 100 meters up to the clubhouse on narrow paths. My husband's observation was that this is one club you definitely can't afford to indulge in alcohol.
If it weren't for them, we would have just turned around and forgone Shimla altogether. Parking was a NIGHTMARE!! We arrived in the city around 12.30 p.m. and reached the lifts near the Combemere hotel which would take us right to the mall area. This is the most convenient way to get there so we tried that first. There are a couple of tiered parking structures which were full and there was no other place to park. for people who aren't at all familiar with the city its crazy because you just don't know where to go. You can park on the roadside on the other side of the city and making the long trek up to the mall but with a 2 year old child and a pram and shortage of time, it was not an option for us.
 |
| Shimla |
 |
| Jakhoo hill, Shimla |
Word of advice to all those travelling to Shimla in their own car for the day. Get there early. Though I'm not really sure that if we had reached at 9.30 we would have got parking either, but then again, its coming from an irritated person. If you face what we did, you have another option and this is the advice we were given. Park at the Radisson hotel, have lunch or a coffee there so that it doesn't look like you're there only to park, then take a cab to the lifts. It was a bit far out and the trip to the lifts cost us 500 rupees one way and 400 rupees on the way back, but by then we had had it. Do your research and park at any hotel close to the mall that will let you.
Our lunch at the Radisson took almost two hours and by the time we reached the mall road it was already 4.30 p.m. If it hadn't been so hard to get there we would have enjoyed it so much more. The city is charming with lovely old architecture. The mall road stretch had a mix of the old with the new. Traditional folksy products shops along with the brands you see all over the cities. Sadly, all we got to see was the church and walk down the strand to the post office and it was time to head back to our lovely escape in Naldehra where I promised the owner I would make brownies.
 |
| Room with a view |
Back at Jacaranda I got down to making the brownies. The owner Rita very kindly opened her tiny personal kitchen and provided most of the ingredients. Since there was no measuring scale I had to fly blind. Lets say I didn't do too well with that and the result was quite bitter according to me. Was edible though and everyone was quite gracious about it.
There was a family from Chandigarh also staying there and that last evening we decided to have drinks together. Rita joined in and pulled out some cheese, crackers, and sausages. With food, wine and music in the gazebo and rain surrounding us it was a party and a night to remember. A fitting end to the first part of my misty mountain holiday.
Enjoyed the article and the photographs.Captured every moment of one's stay in that area. My first visit to Himachal and it was a lovely experience. The drive on the Himalyan Expressway was great and impressive. Naldehra was a quaint place and the surrounding areas had scenic paths and great for walks. Looking forward to your next article.
ReplyDelete