Shimla favourite weekend getaway from Delhi

I have visited Shimla 4 or 5 times with my family. I have written about so many places but never wrote about the place where I have been in my childhood, teenage and youth. Shimla is the best weekend destination from Delhi, people visit it often. I was in 12^th standard when I last visited it. Still remember those lovely valleys and hills. We had stayed in I do not remember the name of my hotel but I do remember that it was on the end of the mall. SO there was not too much of noise and crowd which can disturb us. To enter the Mall Road from the city when cannot take the car inside as there is the huge lift which finishes at the Mall starting from the Shimla Road, along with a huge parking lot where tourist can park their cars.

The famous Mall Road of Shimla comprises of so many shops which sells all types of wooden work things, I still have that bangle wooden stand with me which I purchased there. The mall road is very vast and comprises of the upper mall road and the lower mall road. The lower mall road had many shops selling cassettes, clothes and all those things which you can find in Delhi. The upper Mall consists of shops which sell wooden things, and then there is the famous Christ Church at one end and the Tudor façade of the Municipal Corporation building at the other. Scandal point on the upper mall is the place where every tourist sits on the benches made there for rest and the kids enjoy the pony rides. Me and my sister also had enjoyed the pony ride. After our pony ride we went to the scatting club which is next to the church on the first floor. I hope its still there. Our session was for 1 hour and I enjoyed it, there were all type of people with young kids, teenage, youth and the old ones. The floor was wooden so the scatting done was amazing.

After that we roam in the mall for hours. Yes I remember the rose garden on the upper mall with a restaurant where we had snacks many times, sorry people my golden days were so amazing that I hardly bother to remember the name of the restaurant. But my best restaurant there is the United Coffee House in the end of the upper mall. It offered the best coffee in the World I still can taste it. My sister and I had played many video games which were close to our hotel.

Next day again after roaming in the Mall road we went to the Jakhu Mandir whose stairs starts along with the famous ghanta ghar on the upper mall on its right side. We started for the temple and to my surprise there were langurs all around. People were offering them food and from the trees they were roaming on the stairs. My mom strongly was offering them the channa but I was scared of them. After climbing so many steps we were tired and finally reached our destination. The temple offers prayer to the Hanuman that’s why it was all filled with the monkeys and langurs. After praying and little bit of eating we came down through steps and realized that it was night. Shimla looks more beautiful in the night with lights all around.

Well I would like to go again and now would like to see it in a different way. Some memories are never to be forgotten.

Find Driving Directions from Delhi to Shimla here

Palampur, Darjeeling in Himachal

Palampur is in the Kangra Valley, criss crossed by streams and brooks which make Palampur pulum word for water in pahari, ideal for tea plantation. According to my guide the British were so obsessed by the aroma of the leaf of the Chinese origin that they began to plant tea bushes wherever land was suitable. The fame of Palampur lies in this British desire to have more tea than they could drink and export the rest back to a thirsting Europe.

While you enter Palampur you would come to know that it is surrounded by dense forest of oaks, pine and deodar making it ideal for those who enjoy long walks. For me the green valley also makes for enjoyable drives with my family and for those who are more adventurous, plugging off course to nearby destinations can be pretty rewarding.

Baijnath Temple also known as Kigram, was once the capital of the Kirat kings of Kangra as told by our guide. The early 13th century Shiva temple here is most unusual and looks as if it has been lifted from Puri in Orissa and dropped in the Kangra Valley.

The Tibetan monastery of Tashijong is one of the many built after the Dalai Lama settled in McLeodganj. We buyed carpets of delicate weave, Buddhist thanka paintings and other Tibetan arts and crafts, which were available here for our friends and relatives.

My destination was Neugal Khad close to the five centuries old temple of bundlamata. Also rising tall behind the chasm are the mighty Dhauladhars where we had a cup of tea at the HPTDC café nearby enjoying the views of chasm, temple and mountains all together as leisure.

Then there is a palace of the crescent moon Taragarh, heritage property build by Nawab of Bahawalpur and was named after the glass pleasure pavilion he built here which is now converted into a temple. However now it has been turned into Taragarh Palace Hotel.

Sherbing is a gigantic monastery also home to the pre- eminent Tal Sti Rimpoche. There are huge stupas and grandly conceived monastery in the middle of the forest. The Buddhist temple here contains an immense statue of Buddha. The Rimpoche allows the people between 2 and 4 in the afternoon; everyone is welcomed for the darshan.

We stayed at Hotel silver Oak, which offered us home-cooked food and horse rides, however there are many other hotels to stay like Hotel T- Bud, Sath Camps and many more. There is no dining choice in Palampur outside the hotels. Only Joy in town is famous for its veg food.

Matheran, weekend destination from Mumbai

Matheran

Matheran is a true adventure destination for trekkers to get up the forested slopes from Neral to the tiny hill station on top. There are also many ways of making the journey now apart from trekking, including on horseback, in hand pulled carts and its very own toy train. For preserving this ecological sensitive zone, the Maharashtra Tourism thankfully has banned motor vehicles from the town limits and making it a beautiful hill station and a perfect gateway for Mumbaikars in weekend.

Matheran has a thick cover of evergreen forest which acts like a giant air- conditioner, keeping this hill station cool and walker’s paradise. Although small has about 38 designated lookout points.

Panorama Point, almost 5 km north of the market, is a trek that can be refreshing though long in the rains and in winter, but quite grueling in summers. You can view the Neral town and even on a clear day Mumbai in the west is also visible. Hart Point and Monkey Point are undisturbed and densely forested, these area are also recommended for birdwatchers. Crowds gather at Porcupine Point for the sunset. Louisa Point, to the west of the market offers a view of the ruins of Prabai Fort and also other grass- topped hills. One Tree- Hill Point is a truly scenic spot, especially after monsoon and has only one tree. From it a footpath leads southwards to Shivaji’s Ladder. And from Rambagh Point you can view Khandal and Karjat, from Alexander Point you can view Chauk Valley. The most visited place is the Charlotte Lake fringed by the forest and Pisharnath Temple at one end.

Matheran as a hill station of Maharashtra is again famous for its chikki’s. Salted channa and fresh honey are other must-buys from the bazaar, which runs along the railway station road.

There are many resorts and hotels like Richie Rich Resorts, the Byke Retreat etc. There are all sorts of restaurants available in Matheran however the best for Guajarati thali is the Gujarat Bhavan and Shabbir’s a small eating place famous for its mutton and chicken biryani and the local bakery also produce great bread.