Pandemic has created major havoc and spread fear. For me, it was a big thunderstorm that destroyed a lot of things I had nourished with my inner feelings. Well, as they always say, there is sun after every night. One fine day while I was sitting in the balcony of my flat, browsing through Instagram feeds, a sudden thought came to my mind. Though it was too stupid when I thought of taking a road trip to Himachal Pradesh since neither had I received the COVID vaccine nor this was the right time to visit Himachal Pradesh. This was the peak of Monsoon and Himachal Pradesh was experiencing extreme landslides. Roads blocks were common due to rocks falling on the road and it was a life risk. I was just cooking up some stories for my next unplanned weekend trip.
Yet I took this chance, bought a travel backpack, and boarded the bus to Aut from Majnu ka Tila. First trip to Himachal after January 2020 and my excitement level of touching the sky of enthusiasm. For me, it was more of rejuvenation; an attempt to declutter myself from what all had been going in and around me; all the mess and all the things which I didn’t like. But sometimes you can’t anything about a few things happening around you. All you can do is just sit and wait for the tide to calm down. Anyways, after checking a few places, I decided to visit Shangarh for two or three days. It was an unplanned weekend trip.
Shangarh is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in Himachal Pradesh. I explored this place for the first time in the second week of October 2019. And I took the road again to this small isolated village. I had a direct bus to Aut. One has to take a local bus or book a direct cab. I wanted it to be a budget trip, so I chose to take the bus to Sainj and from there, I had to take the cab since there isn’t any regular bus service (even if there is, your timing may not match).
Read Here – How did I reach Shangarh Village for the first time?
How did my unplanned weekend trip turn into a long journey?
I had two things in my mind. One was to spend the weekend at Shangarh and the second was to budget limit. So yeah, two or three days and one destination. I stayed at the same homestay for two days. I ate at the same café. However, one thing was new this time. It was a newly opened café, Café Stories n More which was opened in Dec 2020. When I saw the board while heading to the homestay, I realized about this café though the owner of the café had already contacted me in Dec 2020. Stepping on the same paths, it felt so amazing. It felt totally rejuvenating seeing everything so green, so elegant and so soothing.
I spent the first day in homestay and the next day I moved out. It was monsoon and the rocky, mountainous terrain was completely wet in rain and covered in algae. Also, the path had lots of vegetation. The most notorious among them was this thorny plant Stinging Nettle or Bichhhu Booti in local. I had to be extra careful since its mere touch was painful. And the terrain was full of it, at every step. Small water channels emerging out of nowhere had also made the path watery and slippery.
It rained continuously and I was stuck at my homestay only. The homestay was at the top of the hill so couldn’t even step down. The night wasn’t a good time to roam around. The next day I visited Café Stories n More. I stepped down to take a stroll and searched the way to the café. People knew the owner, Vrinda, by name so I asked a few people on the way. After roaming for half an hour, I saw the board from a distance and reached there, though I took the wrong way and my boots were all smeared in mud.
Rain ruined my returning plans
So, the next day I spent at Vrinda’s homestay. On the fourth day, I decided to pack my bag and leave for Delhi. I planned to take a cab to Sainj and from there to take a bus to Aut and then the next bus to Mandi or if I could get a bus direct to Delhi. I packed my bag and reached the café where I had something to eat. I booked a cab for 700 INR and then it started to rain heavily. I had to cancel the cab but I had to pay the full amount to the driver. It rained continuously for long. I kept on raining like it never rained before. Even Vrinda asked me not to travel in such weather.
Several roads were blocked due to landslides and the river was in its full swing due to which the water level rose. That was also a threat. So I thought to extend my day and decided to leave the next day early in the morning. I observed the rain pattern. It rained heavily from around 11 AM to 2 to 3 PM. Mid noon was the peak. Thus I decided to leave in the early morning. However, I woke up at my time, like 9 AM and that plan didn’t work out. I took shower, went to the café, and kept on sitting there with coffee, chilly potato, and some meal. We even played some board games I had no idea what the name was. Vrinda’s homestay had no space due to advance booking. So I had to search for a place. I called another homestay but I didn’t take that.
In the evening, I took a walk to Café Mountain. This was the only café when I visited Shangarh two years ago. I knew the owner, Negi bhaiya. There I met a lady, Divya who worked for Air BnB and had booked a small cute chalet behind the café. We had a wonderful time chitchatting about our travel experiences and stories. I asked Negi bhaiya if he could arrange a room for one night. And he got us a room in the home next to the café. The homestay was under construction so the homeowner made us stay at his home. It costed 800 INR per night which was good enough. Moreover, I was staying in the home with the family. My room was on the ground floor and the family was living on the first floor. The views from there were breathtaking.
The next day, I extended my stay for one more day as I had to visit the waterfall. However, I couldn’t visit the waterfall and returned as it started raining and I had no umbrella or anything to cover myself. I was carrying a small bag which had my phone, a power bank, a mirrorless camera, a Bluetooth speaker and some other objects. I crossed three points and the fourth point would take me to the waterfall however, I couldn’t make it due to rain. Though there were three waterfalls on the way but the main one was the fourth one. That night I had siddu in dinner, a very traditional Himachali dish.
The next day, I asked Negi bhaiya to get me a cab till Aut. The driver came and after having lunch (Dahi and aloo paratha), I made my way to Aut. The cab was booked at 1500 INR which was very decent. As per Google Map, the distance from Shangarh to Aut is around 35KM which can be covered easily in an hour and a half. When I reached Aut, I asked a tea shop owner about a bus to Delhi or Mandi. He told me that the next bus would come in around two hours. I sat there to wait. But suddenly I thought of going to Manali. This side of the road was leading to Mandi and the next bus was expected to come in some two hours. The other side of the road was leading to Manali and the next bus would come in some twenty minutes. So, I dropped the idea of returning to Delhi, took a bus to Naggar, and found a homestay for a day. It was already 6 in the evening so I roamed around and called it a day after dinner.
The next day, I went to visit Kias Monastery which was closed for public visits due to COVID. From there I came back to Naggar and visited the famous Naggar Castle and Roerich art gallery. I returned to the hotel. The next day I took a hike to this small village Nishala. There I visited a local temple and roamed around. I was supposed to go to Jana village which had a wonderful waterfall but there too I couldn’t get to see the waterfall. After coming back to the hotel, I checked out. The hotel owner gave me some fresh fruits. I checked into another hotel for the day.
From there, I went to Manali. Though I never wanted to go Manali as I was a highly commercial place and I kind of avoid such place (just like Shimla). But since I was so close to Manali so I had to go. I took a bus to Manali and reached the bus stand. From there, I took a walk to the Mall Road, visited a restaurant to have samosa chaat and lassi (I was craving for some really nice samosa chaat). I visited Rohtang and Sissu. I booked a room in Manali for a night while I hadn’t checked out from the hotel in Naggar. The next day, I went to visit Hidimba Temple. From there I went to a monastery in Aleu village and then back to Naggar. I spent the next day in Naggar too.
My three days trip to Shangarh extended so long and a weekend unplanned trip turned into a two week long journey. I only thought of visiting Shangarh and then I went to Naggar, Manali, Rohtang, Sissu (crossing Atal Tunnel and Solang Valley), Aleu and this all made me meet myself. That’s what I needed. That’s what I was longing for, that’s what I was craving for. I badly needed a trip like this and finally, I made it. It’s fun to travel unplanned however it’s not cost-effective since you don’t have a track of what you are going to do.
