Delhi to Chail (the 1st road trip of 2015) – Part 1

Our moment of love ❤

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is having a fun-filled April. If you have been reading my blog, you would know that we didn’t do any road trips after the Rajasthan Trip. First Mr. Husband was hospitalized and then, how could I be left out, I was hospitalized too. Things are fine now health wise, but the mind was caged. We had to head out to some place soon, clear our heads, breathe in some fresh air and get back to our ever maddening lives. After loads of discussions on a fine day, we halted our search on “Chail”, which looked like a beautiful place in Himachal Pradesh.

Per resources, Chail is a beautiful hill station in the Shiwalik region of Himachal Pradesh. It is a little mountain village set in a beautiful locale till the 19th century. Its transformation began in 1893, when the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala decided to create a new summer capital which would be ‘better’ than Shimla; all this for a bruised ego, after he was banished from Shimla for eloping with Lord Kitchner’s daughter. Lord Kitchner just happened to be the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army at that time.

The route taken was Delhi-Ambala-Pinjore-Solan-Kandaghat-Sadhupul-Chail-Kufri-Shimla-Kandaghat-Solan-Pinjore-Ambala-Delhi.

The entire trip was for approximately 850 KMS. We started our trip at around 2 am Saturday Morning and after picking up our friends, we headed straight towards Panipat. We stopped at Sukhdev Dhaba (Murthal) to gobble up the stuffed paranthas with desi butter, hot jalebis and tea. It was raining dreadfully at that hour of the day, which added more flavor to the already delicious paranthas. With filled stomachs and smiling faces, it was time to continue with the journey. After a few hours of drive through Ambala and Kalka, the hilly road started. What a beauty these roads are, curvy and accommodating!

There is a diversion towards another quiet place near Solan called Kasauli, I heard from some of the folks I know, that Kasauli is a beautiful place. As this time we had Chail in our minds, Kasauli was left for the later. Resuming the journey description, the next brilliant stop was at Sadhupur, all because of the scenic view and the restaurants in the stream. The view was just breath-taking and you can see the pictures if you do not believe me. A must STOP if I may recommend. The road from Sadhupul to Chail was mostly deserted, occasionally you will come across some tourist car or some vehicles at work. It is quite different from the rush you are a part of, in Delhi and it is always a welcomed change.

We stayed at Chail overnight and headed out to Shimla via Kufri at around Noon on Sunday. It snowed in Kufri the other night and patches of the snow could be traced on the sidewalk. It was comparatively crowded considering the popularity of Kufri and Shimla amoungst the tourists. After a lunch break at Shimla, we were homebound. Very soon, we were back to the road that took us to Chail. It was dark when we finished the hilly drive and I dozed off. The next place I woke up at was Haveli, at Murthal. Now, Haveli (the one at Murthal) is a beautiful property and very clean. The food is good too. This is another place where I won’t mind going back to.

The road has been pleasant throughout, though occasionally you would come across diversions in the plains. This is kind of expected, especially when you are out on a road trip. The worst part of any road trip is to get stuck in traffic for hours, which was not the case this time.

Overall, it was a refreshing road trip. Sharing some pictures taken while on the road.

 
On the way to Chail

You will spot some beautiful flowers on the way

You got to keep an eye on the roads while driving here…ALWAYS

The Streamy Restaurant at Sadhupul

Occasionally you will share the road with some bikers group

Sadhupul

En-route to Shimla

The ever busy Mall Road, Shimla

The baby that takes us to places

Posing together, I love her!!! He does too!!!

Just like that 😀

Hope you liked them all. Will post the next part very soon. Till then, take care and keep smiling.

 Shanta