Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 4)

Snow Valley Resort in Dalhousie is a lovely property. Located near Gandhi Chowk & Tibetan (600 meters), it has many facilities for the tourist. Besides the lovely view from the room, we also had a large terrace to assemble, take walks, shoot pictures with a picturesque background consisting of blue sky, mountain range, valley etc.

After a sumptuous breakfast in the morning, we spent some time in the terrace taking pictures and waiting for our vehicle to arrive from Chandigarh. As mentioned in the previous blog, the Tempo Traveller (TT) we had booked was not available. We got a replacement (an old decrepit vehicle) 14 seater TT and a Sedan car. The vehicles arrived by 10 a.m. and within half an hour, we were ready to depart for a local tour in Dalhousie.

The hotel reception informed us of a tour plan to visit nearby places. We first went to a place called Dain Kund. This is the highest point in Dalhousie which is under the control of the armed forces. Vehicles are only allowed upto a certain point after which it is an uphill trek to reach the top. The trek takes about 45 minutes to a hour depending on your fitness level as well the stops you take. From our group of 15, about 11 yatris joined the trek.

The views were fantastic along the way and the cold breeze was uncomfortable in the beginning. After a while, we got used to it. We walked leisurely and stopped every now and then for taking pictures. At the top, we came across a small Kali temple along with an equally small Shiva temple. From here, one can have a view of Mount Kailash by using a telescope (Rs. 20 per person). We could see the distant range of snow capped mountains. We bowed in the general direction of Mt. Kailash.

There was a Military Engineering Services (MES) team giving free Langer (lunch comprising of rice, four different types of dhal and a sweet porridge) to all visitors. This is an annual event for them and we were lucky to be there on that day. Most of us partook a little of this food which was served hot and was very tasty. After this, we walked back down to the place where the TT was parked.

After this, we went to a place called Khajjiar which is also known as mini Switzerland. This is a beautiful large open ground (approx. 20 acres big) covered with thick grass which has a small lake in the middle. The ground is surrounded by a thick forest of tall Cedar trees. There is also a small Khajji Nag temple nearby but we didnt go there. We simply relaxed in the open ground and watched the activities going on like horse riding. We also did some shopping of forest produce like Shilajit from the vendors who walk around selling their ware kept in small sling bags. We ate some snacks from the stalls nearby and generally had a pleasant time. After a round of excellent tea, we got back into the bus for the ride back to our hotel.

As we were in a relaxed mood, we did not visit 3 other sights recommended by the hotel. We reached back by around 6 p.m. and relaxed in the hotel. After some time, a few of us walked down to the Gandhi Chowk and had our dinner at New Sharma Dhaba. The food was excellent and priced very reasonably. The others either skipped dinner and had fruits instead or had some light meal from the restaurant in our hote.

Thus ended Day 4 of our yatra.