Amazing Himachal with public transport — 1700 km in 4 days
Thinking about those 4 days of 2015 winters, I pushed myself to write about my journey to Himachal with public transport (approx. 1700 km).
We 5 students started from Faridabad with a sum of around 15k INR in total (for travel, accommodation, food, etc). No plans, the only plan we have is to go Shimla.
Journey Started: Anyhow we reached Delhi railway station from Faridabad in the night around 10–11 pm. We really do not have any reservations and we decided not to go take even general train tickets. So we boarded the train to Kalka (28km from Chandigarh). We reached around 5 AM and have an option to board onto further Toy Train towards Shimla but due to lack of time, we thought of not wasting 4–5 hours and boarded a small taxi for 1000 bucks and adjusted ourselves (all 5) in that taxi (Maruti Alto). After reaching Shimla, we boarded again for Kufri via Himachal Roadways along with some breakfast on the route. Also, we jumped off from a road into the snow without knowing about where that snow will take us, that was not any route.
After that, we moved to Shimla Mall Road again via Himachal Roadways Bus and shopped there (Don’t worry we had extra money for shopping). After that had Chicken Biryani Competition among us and of course we did not have any reward except some pieces of chicken. And in that chilled night, thinking about ‘ What Next? ’. One said to go back, one said to get a hotel in Shimla and stay that night there. But I was thinking about something else which no one can think (I think so). And suggested a new destination Manali (overnight journey). And due to the majority, we followed the plan for Manali.
New Night New Destination: From the Shimla bus stand we have taken an overnight Bus to Manali and reached 4–4:30 AM there and asked the conductor to sleep on the bus for 2–3 hours so that we can cheaper hotels in the morning light. He permitted us but after some time 2 of them start feeling icy winter (though it was 1st Feb). So I was good at bargaining for travel discounts and hotels so I and one other person get outside the bus and we get what we expected is 800 bucks for all 5 persons for almost 1 and half-day (6 am checking and 10 am checkout the next day). And we slept for 2–3 hours there and had an energetic breakfast in the hotel itself. We also took a bath in the hotel (mistakenly I bath with cold water, that was a moment of fulfilling my inner hotness). After that, we booked both way taxi to Solang Valley and enjoyed some of the snow sports there and back to the hotel by early evening and had dinner and view at Mall Road there. And the next day 1 of us said to leave for Delhi back but I again suggested a new destination Dharamshala.
We didn’t have much cash now still wanted to go to Dharamshala. So one asked his friend to transfer some bucks then we are back on track again. Started our day with snow in Manali itself in the morning after checkout followed by traveling to Kullu by Himachal Roadways.
Who loves waiting? But we have to for the bus to Dharamshala.
Another Overnight Journey: In the late evening caught an overnight bus to Dharamshala and reached around 5:00 am in the morning in the overwhelming rain there. Around 1 hour later moved out of Bus stand and got a bus again to McleodGanj and booked a hotel again and rested for a few hours. Around 9–10 am, we are having breakfast at a Chowk (do not remember the name) and get a taxi for Dharamkot and everyone before getting a taxi stopping us from going onto a trek to Triund trail. But we gathered enough courage to move forward towards Triund and started our trekking and found snow on our path and we are in SnowStorm and still going up (that is our madness) but unfortunately, after some more distance we felt that we are going to slip down through trail and there was no other option to go back (as we are fully wet from top to bottom).
After that back to the hotel and the next day heavy breakfast and back to Dharamshala. And by evening we reached Pathankot and catch an overnight train to Delhi back.
This way we spent 3600INR/person and enjoyed the trip with never-ending memories and Amazing Himachal with public transport — 1700 km.
Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed and felt like you want to go in the same boat once in a lifetime. You can read more stories at https://akbansa.medium.com
