My 4-week sabbatical was about to expire. I joined Adobe Systems in May 2006 and at Adobe, every employee gets paid time off of 4 weeks after completing 5 years in service. So I was eligible for this holiday after May 2011. But there is a condition -- I had to use this sabbatical within 2 years. So on 1 May 2013, it would expire. During these two years, I kept thinking up various plans, but none really sounded exciting enough for a sabbatical.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SAkP7zm2fwgguDyMA6sPJqtMvxWPPksa97goXE7ry8HBOLIzMfRS7s414__TBQ1wZJhp7kL4ZSG27b9YzG5_PiExOThhxX6563S0cVtfGAk2aXeSUyE60rSejZ-YvaGy7kV5Ko11qZ8/s200/Road+Journey+from+Palampur+to+Baijnath+with+Travelling+Camera-2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOket2lCtbsOxh2qDvM2nvEAMlzeKI_E6tYJOcjrWppSXAOOcibIWlEeWchXO8RS1krWFhX7_RM-YaixKbfN8kGAh3RIeUCJ3dft8QjcIxASqPYsMdAa3cOCDN4s4bf-uzxiVMVtsDa9JI/s640/Hike+and+Bike+Shoot-out+with+Aneesh+Airborne+Awasthi+and+Sahil+Chaudhary+at+Jakhu+Tibba+in+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh+%25281+of+26%2529.jpg)
I have many friends
from my schools, College & Photography circle, so thought of
meeting some of them during the stay. During the same time, I happened to
visit the Cantonment area where Indian Army has a beautiful campus and met
Aneesh, who stays there with his Dad.
He took me to Himalayan Expressway
on his new KTM DUKE200. This expressway is few kilometers away form
the Cantt and is a beautiful place to ride. We stopped at a Tapri and had few
cups of tea. Kshitiz was also accompanying us on his Yamaha.
We
also did a quick Photo-Shoot of Aneesh with his machine. And by the way, Aneesh's
friends know him as 'Aneesh Airborne Awasthi'. He is a passionate biker
and an enthusiastic Motorsports person. He has been part of almost every
premier Motorsports event of India, in different roles. Be it F1, Raid
de Himalayas, Mughal Rally, Desert Storm, which are some of the xtreme
motorsport events or Mountain Terrain Biking events in Himalayan ranges.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeHSoQxDyvYVO2DLm9f1xPrZIf8rUxWENqRi-RhsbAAuqKmXOXKgAXqB0jxJ7tUd3pI-H1MruP-fwXqBrh-ZKmbQgCPRyY2YhRNbKmvJrBg6doHQVCTbfe2cFeeD_j2MUzPNtSBEtUrI/s200/Some+Faces+of+Mountain+Terrain+Biking+2011+in+Black+and+Whites+-+Portraits+by+VJ%2540travellingcamera.com+%252811+of+20%2529.jpg)
Next
Morning, I headed towards Shimla as I had a few photography related
assignments to complete.The plan was to be there for a week or so.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMEVh7KhDE9xQ6fAGAgDB2xegTREsiU07BqAogfHWU9akEM02ih9LLSWDAbMvUlJ3mip9PCv6D0zOCUd2_7YEwrnxaM6f8vJAMbPBaSPXwHHoEfuR2sI41CFVdlZR9zsMLqm1PTh5gKkv/s640/Aerial+Views+of+Sanjauli+%2526+other+places+around+bypass+from+Jakhu+Tibba+in+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+INDIA+%25283+of+5%2529.jpg)
As I
reached Shimla, I got call from Aneesh that his Medical checkup is
scheduled in June so he is free during May. After a telephone call that lasted 40 minutes or so, we finally had a plan in our hands. So Aneesh had to start
from Chandigarh in next 15 minutes. It was 9:30 in the morning. He
reached Shimla by 12:20pm. (Note: Do not plan your Shimla trip based on the time Aneesh took to get to Shimla from Chandigarh on his KTM Duke.)
The quick plan was to head towards Jakhu Tibba, which gives a great view of Sanjauli, New Shimla & other parts of the town. This area has no roads and one needs to drive through rocky hills covered with dry leaves which can make the bikes skit. Sahil also joined for the ride and we had fun on the top.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhseUNffCJ_qpqvCE1oAXzurQ93YF__vnIdCAN5WK2aVdhEJrHyKjNLEpC2rpm8y2Tgq_lLkVH-vH_XPDdbUGhX-Ae0DX6i60yP7KjCqAtIx3zs5GxFbB20X0dSllpOS-upDwBk-DEwCVVZ/s200/Wake+%2526+Bake+Cafe+on+Mall+Road%252C+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+INDIA+%25287+of+15%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxAkvupJKpgybBIcHmXlqCqVTEcVaVhHMf1bomV3sL4DiYRnj7EeifwV5rQ61zZ4HByHWfHbyA0P1qs3i6WpkywO7koCEuzAiQwQyKQdXJK3tsTQwyu7EtF3yJFQLS1LDyLy7fWGCVQgd/s200/Saturday+Evening+at+Mall+Road%252C+Shimla+with+Aneesh+Airborne+Awasthi+%2526+Abhey+Lakhanpal+%25282+of+11%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdNHFXpB-TC8PP6fBb3-INCUi9UfrBoFUulaB5pjBg0dLcV-mWVue-8IN74rV8VJxqQtOEF8ZOqB3l3UmKfzL9jtolKoAKrTohYGyjvjX9Y1vaK_fYHrEmgHemzIUkyDZ2n7Kt-OgmyGF/s200/Wake+%2526+Bake+Cafe+on+Mall+Road%252C+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+INDIA+%25283+of+15%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMGXH7tsyWkMQZ4AQPwHPXasqDz8N2YFU4qvnu17lqs7d0UYX345Hg0P2hH53-4Iw70AjIV4tLImfsZlpIRpEzUBfxN-RlSxbPlaAtlwjxLfU_GeaaWK1o5dTe3aqQThXgXTdsTobvouJ/s200/Saturday+Evening+at+Mall+Road%252C+Shimla+with+Aneesh+Airborne+Awasthi+%2526+Abhey+Lakhanpal+%25289+of+11%2529.jpg)
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On the way to Narkanda, we made frequent stops to capture the beauty of deep valleys in our
TravellingCamera. In fact, the space around Punjab's Ex ChiefMinister's
house was awesome. Amrinder Singh has a beautiful house on this highway,
which is surrounded by dense Deodar trees and Apple Orchards.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf1LYLT-ugrxkrr9MGAIPCzL8IDGDqWNdrremv30SVxeBbQVlCB1iMMiQAXIRd7VPrhCcha5_AEYOhUZoDcHxUVxaiqaH30733-AyU-MxmwPCn_8gMrn-IfknH7i4SRWSUGSm985pdAA/s640/Main+Tourist+Places+in+Himalayan+State+of+India+-+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+India+-+Temples%252C+Chruches%252C+Hills%252C+Lakes%252C+Toy+Trains%252C+British+Architecture%252C+Landscapes%252C+Natural+Beauty%252C+Rich+Culture+%252819+of+21%2529.jpg)
Asia's highest Hockey ground is also on this highway. More details about this ground can be checked at - http:\\phototravelings.blogspot.com/2011/11/shilaroo-hockey-stadium-shimla-himachal.html
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kfLBUy0ODfuJE6g_kk6oLTfRbxbFGQpbJjkkRRBGa5isWoNg-_etZmx5rXFBCuFJGEoiTQHAkIn7ribHfRCtA8f-k0fSGhqZaL8YVc1C3EbHZBGp40bNkjqiwe7sfzV16p12_yXm1Mk/s640/Colorful+Landscapes+from+Barot+-+A+peaceful+and+naturally+rich+town+of+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+which+is+placed+at+an+isolated+valley+of+Mandi+region+%252810+of+10%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLPRQ98j2RQe1GFWeO_60AEa3k9HAdSFNwF1SeJItQkMGcukto3MM6_699O2wnF4Qmu77EXxyBuJLq0y9sb1CH4JonjZzFs4J5uGOD8hjRp9xmrpcKiSjIJdiOjCqnrLlwO7CXQuk81o/s200/Some+Faces+of+Mountain+Terrain+Biking+2011+in+Black+and+Whites+-+Portraits+by+VJ%2540travellingcamera.com+%252815+of+20%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfCi1U1daQoOOW6jmgTWOXmVqUkqBBhFYx6g5ap2roPuFKNNSnLJk31oe4RDlDo6msKguzXQy3eWVeRHjZDr6xI5wdAdq7d6b92DK3Z_AEcDquU3NP_mfx8ZsiJ14uYOMzFmGVfTCgVW9/s640/Cherry+plucking+in+Orchards+of+Kotgarh+region+in+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+INDIA+%25281+of+12%2529.jpg)
After some delicious cherries, we thought of taking some rest around Tani Jubber lake. This is a beautiful lake near Kotgarh and is located around a small village of Shimla. More about Tani Jubber Lake can be checked at http:\\phototravelings.blogspot.com/2011/11/tani-jubber-lake-thanedar-near-narkanda.html
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfjfliTmKXxoWxNse_YklsEXgVqb4_nPfnNi6sZqC72noyUK3Ddg81QilDOP-f19DY_tnXwzfmkmW2BZgxIX08IFTN9Ai-w1n8swj37GA1yZMAzoZQ3TV18iHB677zOXa6fch5bxZnVu3/s640/Sheetalvan+Resort+in+Kotgarh%252C+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+India+-+Hills+full+of+fruits+%25285+of+5%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeepIaupiEdAqCMuXX_kqjfUCgJ6OV5Ufbr4dBoV4bwgjxgD5AwNq4o-PDyItSbKlGft4bxJ6JHzmsh55tNPEq1CyaP2A7w9ZL0O5vU6qzXCx7YIJofWar7OqDXpWtHYty4ck3ixyC4fg/s200/Some+Faces+of+Mountain+Terrain+Biking+2011+in+Black+and+Whites+-+Portraits+by+VJ%2540travellingcamera.com+%25281+of+20%2529.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5-h9vvTMMRX31cM8fJyF9d_QSvbJ1aDmI826VPV_0O8Hi7c-rxkypgR-fv2WIoe-dK2CwRxSO74tFQD7ADil-MRmFEwtYcCXO_xJYMPWDsSm05fJpem2gDefkCemZeBFFWt_xTRMmvw/s640/Main+Tourist+Places+in+Himalayan+State+of+India+-+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+India+-+Temples%252C+Chruches%252C+Hills%252C+Lakes%252C+Toy+Trains%252C+British+Architecture%252C+Landscapes%252C+Natural+Beauty%252C+Rich+Culture+%252818+of+21%2529.jpg)
Soon after, it started getting dark and we were still at quite a distance from Jeori. So we had to be ready for a continuous drive now, till we reach
Jeori. And the road from Rampur to Jeori was very scary. High hills on
one side and deep river on other side. The road was also in a very bad state, and was very dusty. This was not the time to be overenthusiastic though we would have liked to explore more. The good part was that we hadn't made any advance bookings, because
that restricts us many ways. Now we had the option to spend time as per our
wish and there was no need to rush to the next destination.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHYyeGjBJaZxsx7KopoVoRVdVn30cVYIksev6uino-ANyyzWj1uavBas2VslwZlR7KuJgK1h24E4LAoIrODXFvcKnLqUZRZDMIyQHdFPhZ0eeXdzW_YyA4N5weZD8X2ZMe56BR1x5YTsD/s640/Rampur+Bushehar+-+A+town+in+Shimla+District+of+Himachal+Pradesh+with+Royal+Houses+all+around+%25285+of+9%2529.jpg)
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Next morning we saw a huge group of people, playing local music and singing folk songs, going towards a nearby temple. They turned out to be the family and friends of the bride. The photograph below shows the local bands that were playing the music.
The agenda for the second day was to go to Sarahan, which was not on the way to Kinnaur, but we didn't want to miss it. There is a steep climb to Sarahan from Jeori, and it takes 45 mintues on a vehicle. Sarahan is surrounded by high hills and boasts of amazing views to deep valleys, Orchards of Apples/Peach/Cherry/Almond etc.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_kTB8vPkNiHfh0vxhox_FHTPR2ndGx9nXU4Qnxqo9BK0yFvBUGCYiF5MxDsijmUoAvidbw2s7S2up8BU2gZrAUo25u2EQFRQIrNv6j8AZE4dOwWCytoLvZ2B3jT9k0EIu5uloSOF9Og/s200/Mountain+Terrain+Biking+2010+%2540+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+INDIA+%25283+of+30%2529.jpg)
After reaching Sarahan, we visited the Bhimakali Temple first, which is shown in the above photograph. To know more about this temple and its importance, check out a full story at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/07/bhimakali-temple-beautiful-temple-in.html
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1LP_bJox9E3FqcTd5x87f8zU5CedTmJiaB8skTw5xqLl5XN7lflylEF_3wO87A8M9VQXNkdzSxb9TLx_Qmr5HzIOPGw8HmoDWF8wGurLpRuyp7BgR2VVHZh55grx7ftgDVSdvp1vGfpn/s200/Bheemakali+Temple+in+Shimla+Sarahan+in+Himachal+Pradesh+-+A+Beautiful+place+surrounded+by+Snow+Covered+Hills+and+near+Raj-Mahal+%25283+of+15%2529.jpg)
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It was time to go back to Jeori. We were very tired because of numerous small treks and random walks/runs we indulged in enroute. As we started driving down, the rain started, but for some time we didn't stop. Then it started raining heavily and we had to take a halt. After a good break, we started again and stopped again before Jeori.
This whole journey is very close to my heart and I shared some part of it in small versions. Here www.tatasafari.com/ encouraged me to share the whole exploration for a contest called 'I am Explorer!'.
Upon reaching Jeori, we thought of spending some time in the market before going to our guest house. We talked to different shopkeepers and met some interesting personalities. We also got to know about their local products, which are made wholly in this part of the state. We bought some very basic stuff from here and got a small gift for the caretaker of the guest house.
We got a disappointing news as soon as we entered the guest house and reached the dining hall. The caretaker brought a newspaper and pointed out that Chitkul Valley is unreachable now because of landslide, and roads to Kaza are also temporarily blocked because of multiple landslides on the way. There were two contractors sitting on same the dining table and one of them assured us that Kaza road will open up in the next 3-4 days, but Chitkul will take a lot of time as it was badly damaged. This effectively ruined our dinner. We came back to our room and had few drinks...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7l6CRTfHI5nOPdse0s8Gl0m12RKb97dyln6cUecW2fFvpFZlv_P4GMdNMBw84omT2jTyHYF8uZtZ9pxDGRYmAYyWup25Sl8JTm8XGk_DFgGr3qi0GvHN8h3LTZMyDh0cYgMj40I9wPM/s200/Meet+Himachali+Folks+-+A+Series+of+People+portriats+from+Himachal+Pradesh+-+Himalayan+State+of+India+%25289+of+33%2529.jpg)
With renewed enthusiasm, we started dreaming of the new terrains we would encounter and the exciting journey towards Jalori Pass and further. Aneesh was more excited about Jalori Pass as compared to other places. The plan was to spend some time at his home town, Palampur.
Next morning, journey continued on a different route and next destination for us was Kotgarh where we wanted to spend the night. We wanted to explore more of the orchard hills which are in abundance around Kotgarh.
On the way we met one of the Himalayan Devtas. Priests were taking the Idol from one place to other and it seems they had to carry the idol till the temple without putting it on the ground or on any other surface. The two of them were in the process of exchanging the idols. To know more about local deities of Himachal Pradesh, check out - http:\\phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/06/local-dieties-of-himachal-pradesh.html
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDSCBVfrfGn2qKRZMWE2TaZOIIVdWYeoO2BB96pcZzoFvoBnKVCRvP6AAtHXHMhCYHDVivZf7HfkMmNQIXNo3twR0mjz7mYuEoj9t4FiB9sZW0vEp59ZYtGexEov1_lxxPMcIvT-ecwcD/s200/Cherry+plucking+in+Orchards+of+Kotgarh+region+in+Shimla%252C+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+INDIA+%252810+of+12%2529.jpg)
At Kotgarh, we had to meet some of my friends. My friend Gaurav owns a resort known as Sheetalvan which has beautiful cottages of new & old style. All these cottages are surrounded by orchards of Apple, Kiwi, Pear and Almonds etc. Check out more about Sheetalvan HERE.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSipn6cNuNpkGtCMnmQFbRddPvC9rSDzwzqE8Q5dU27MI7nNpo0nuiMkn5WD52RPBXKKVdIWpOmQhSoWnyl-gbQOpUO9r1_eFTiZ0mCVYQTaKgnfLAM-sUJJkICuY0pEEDwKUyolaZvk/s640/Main+Tourist+Places+in+Himalayan+State+of+India+-+Himachal+Pradesh%252C+India+-+Temples%252C+Chruches%252C+Hills%252C+Lakes%252C+Toy+Trains%252C+British+Architecture%252C+Landscapes%252C+Natural+Beauty%252C+Rich+Culture+%252817+of+21%2529.jpg)
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15KO_0BCrb77RtD-u9MhtQQ1Ln5OVyM1Lw_LXvt0zFE9f7z22gJeUSrTKIBVcSXmX83cXyFTdgbSdhZdKqmDoeHmxh9A_fQ7RtaP0b_bPrvJ7j3mGD812jXBUmHFhLC2Ki9B54Vu0gOA/s200/Jalori+Pass+to+Sarolsar+Lake+-+A+wonderful+trek+through+dense+forest+with+amazing+views+of+Banjar+Mountain+Ranges+%252824+of+27%2529.jpg)
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It was time to head back towards Jalori pass and continue with the journey. We wanted to reach Mandi by night and we had already booked a guest house there. We crossed through Shainj & hit the highway near Aut. From Aut, the drive to Mandi was comparatively very smooth. Mandi was just an overnight halt and we didn't want to spend much time there. It was a good place to spend time and start the next day.
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So we spent one night at Barot, which was definitely most memorable stay of our road journey. Barot is naturally rich place with clean environment. An ideal countryside experience! In the morning we started for Palampur.
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At the monastery, we met some folks who suggested us to skip Bir Billing as some trees had blocked the road and there was no alternative route to go up to bir. Now our main destination of the day was Shiva Temple of Baijnath, apart from visit to Taragarh palace which is under Welcome group now, Tea Gardens of Palampur and Neugal Cafe. The final destination was Aneesh's home in Palampur.
Above photograph shows the popular Shiva temple in Baijnath, which comes on the way from Jogindernagar to Palampur. This temple has historic importance. Dussehra is not celebrated in Baijnath because of the Shiva temple here. There is a beautiful view of a river from this temple. River is just behind the temple but is quite deep. We had fun at Baijnath. The amount of time we spent at Chauntra & Baijnath ensured that we couldn't catch the train at Palampur. Anyways, we were not in hurry as well.
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Next day was one of the lightest day of this trip, when we were not carrying anything with us. Me, Aneesh, KTM and my Travelling-camera. We took nagari route to go to Dharmshala, via Chamunda Devi. This was again a beautiful terrain which was full of tea gardens. First main stop was Mcleodganj. On reaching Mcleodganj, we parked our bike near the church and started walking toward HH Dalai Lama's Temple.
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This beautiful church is on the way from Mcleodganj to Dharmshala. Dharmshala also has a beautiful Cricket Stadium and we also planned to have visit it.
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Today we had to move back to Chandigarh to plan our next road trip. The route was Una, Nangal, Anandpur Saheb, Kiratpur, Ropar, Mohali. Rather than hitting Una through shortest route we chose to go towards Masroor village, where ASI has a beautiful site called Masroor Monolithic temples. These temples are carved out of a huge hill. This is an offbeat place in the middle of a village without any commercialization. There is a very small shop near this temple and a government school.
When we reached Nagrota Surian, everyone suggested to go near Pong Dam Lake and this decision of turning our bike towards the lake made us make this place as a halt. We stayed at Nagrota and spent a beautiful day around the lake. This was overall a great exploration venture with Aneesh and his new KTM Duke.
It will remain as one of the most memorable trips of my life and I hope to plan something similar soon. Exploration should never end.
Throughout the trip, I was the cameraman but I managed to sneak in one picture of mine with the bike !!!
This PHOTO JOURNEY is inspired by the ‘I am Explorer’ contest sponsored by Tata Safari Storme on Indiblogger.
View Shimla to Mcleodganj via Jalori Pass in a larger map
(Updated again on 11th Dec, 2013 with photograph below | One of the winning Blog-post)
(Updated again on 11th Dec, 2013 with photograph below | One of the winning Blog-post)