Shòngruff

Sunday, March 17, 2019

A Perfect Relaxing Escape From The City Life: 'Kalga-Pulga-Tulga'

Once the travel bug bites you then there ain't any medicine to treat you. A few months back, I got an opportunity to travel to my love, Himachal Pradesh. I wonder why I am a Kashmiri, who has never been to Kashmir and not a Himachali. God's plan!

I must say that Himachal is the best thing that has ever happened to Delhites. A long weekend comes and Himalaya here I come.

I had no plans for trekking this time. We simply boarded a bus from Delhi to Bhuntar. Final destination was supposed to be decided on the road. This time I had a company which prefers 'chilling' instead of 'trekking'. So we decided to go to this village called Kalga.

Kalga is one of the villages scattered on the mountain peaks of the Parvati valley near the famous Kasol.

How To Reach:

So it goes like this...

Delhi → Bhuntar → Manikaran → Barshaini → Kalga

Beautiful Bridge of Bhuntar ( Ignore the Polythene)

Although, it has an airport too. Still, the buses remain the easiest and cheapest way to reach Bhuntar.

Day 1: ( Reaching Kalga)

Boarding from New Delhi, the bus dropped us early in the morning. We were 2 people, who had to pass time for an hour because our other friend was joining us from Chandigarh. We thought of passing the time near the beautiful Beas river that runs nearby. As we walked on the bridge over the river, the piercing icy-cold winds whispered in my ears, "Dare you! go near that river".

A glimpse of the conversation between me and the winds :D

Shops were just opening up, the small city was warming up for the day when I spotted my favorite tea stall. I had a sip of tea while fighting with my friend and waiting for Nipun to arrive. There was a brief moment of silence until he finally showed up.

Afterward, get a bus from the local bus stand in Bhuntar to Manikaran.

If hungry! Grab a plate of veg momos and omelet at Manikaran

Momos were scrumptious!

From Manikaran, either wait for the bus or hire a shared cab to Barshaini. We took the cab to save time in just Rs 300. But if you want to wait for the next bus, try and visit the 'Manikaran Saheb' which has the hot water springs and serves the most delicious langer. I remember as a kid when my parents brought me to this gurudwara. People used to boil rice and chickpeas in the boiling water. We stayed there for a few days, the taste of the langer is still fresh in my head.

Reaching Barshaini, you have walk a bit, crossing the newly constructed Pulga hydro dam. You will have to hike up for a km or so to reach your destination.

Such a cute and warm welcome!

The moment you will find the 'KALGA' board, you can be relaxed but the journey is still not over as you have to now decide-

Where To Stay?

Kalga is less populated and the houses are far from each other. Not that far, but more scattered than what you will find in Tosh. You won't hear late night trance music playing. It is calm yet vibrant both at the same time.

Traditional wooden houses- So many options to choose from, to be your home.

The place is full of cafes and houses converted to homestays. Beautiful, traditional mountain houses completely made of wood. We walked in search of an ordinary yet extraordinary, serene and beautiful place to call our home for the next 3 days. We took a look inside a few of them but nothing seemed 'yes, this is it!' until this place captured our hearts- Raju valley view.

My Inner Yogi awakens on day 2!

Lavender colored house, a complete balcony all to ourselves, a cozy room, clean washrooms, a beautiful flowered garden where you can practice yoga & meditation, a backyard with apple trees, hammocks, snooker table along with a magnificent view of the white peaked mountains and the mellifluous sound of the river flowing somewhere nearby. What more one could have asked for!

Bathing issue:

They have a geyser so there was no problem to have a shower. After little strolling in the backyard, breathing and consuming in the place. Why not do your favorite pastime- have a nap amid this beautiful surrounding? I got ready for the day but only to sleep.

During the night, there was nothing much to do apart from chilling with Raju bhaiya in the cafe, warming up your body in front of the tandoor when you wake up after 3 hours.

Fiery solace to the cold nights

Raju Bhaiya can speak non-stop for hours. Topics for discussion can go on from politics, nature, cultural and philosophy. He is an interesting man. You just need to ask him for anything. Just don't mention 'maal' 😂 Though a very open-minded person in general and about that too. He does not like himself as a drug dealer. One of his favorite jargons:

" Ram, Ram ji "

"Dekhiye! bhaiji. Na maine aapka kuch lena and na aapne mera. Choti si zindagi hai do bol pyar se aur meri jaan hazir hai aapke liye" .

Other best places to stay for a better experience-

South Indian Spice
Kalga Homestay

Network Connectivity:

No problem. All network work excellent over there. So all those "ghar pe nahi bata k aayi hun" can relax here with no tension.

Day 2 (Trek to Kheerganga...almost!):

Last night, we made a friend while we were chilling in our room. He opened the door and stared at us. We named him Batista! Next morning, he was again at our door. Bhaiya brought us our morning tea and told us they call him Pagal. I didn't understand why at that time.

Meet Batista!

When we went downstairs, we were joined by more dogs. They were someone's pets. Batista attacked them for no reason. Might be some territory issue... but their owner was ready to attack him with a big stone. He pointed a finger at him and said, " Next time, You are dead". I felt bad for Batista. Maybe that is why they call him mad. Maybe he was ill but he gave me those ocean eyes filled with love.

A daily chore to test and try every hammock

You can sit all day long on the hammock reading your favorite books, order for chai and freshly picked apples from their own orchids. Play music, dance, meditate and just dissolve in your own thoughts. In winters, you can't enjoy outside for too long as the sun hides behind the mountains, though there is still daytime, no sunlight makes it very cold.

Kalga is also the base place to start the journey to 'Kheerganga', a day-trek from the village that takes you to the natural hot springs Kheerganga is famous for.

Get lost in the enchanting sounds of the falling water.

We trekked till the famous waterfall(which is almost midway en route Kheerganga) and came back. Took us 4 hours.

1. A bridge that had to be crossed to go towards Kheer Ganga.
2. Another trekker
3. A tree with red leaves
4. A memorial cum an important message

On our way back

After entering the boundaries of Kalga, I met this beautiful lady,

Teji Aunty invited me for lunch at her place

It started raining as we got back to our guesthouse and soon it turned into a legit hailstorm. The temperature dropped to -3 degrees (well the Insta stories said so).

He had our dinner around the hot angeethi (furnace) while chatting with Raju bhaiya. The discussion went on for hours and we slept late.

After the rain stopped it was a clear sky and before going to sleep this is what I was able to capture.

My first ever- Astrophotography!

Inside the room

Day 3:( Other places to explore)

Day 3 started with mixed feelings. We had an amazing breakfast, chatted with a few housemates living in our cafe, tasted some Naga tea, cracked some jokes, and decided to do nothing.

Indulged in some self-love (with face masks)

But me being me, I decided to ditch my gang, to join a friend (who was also by chance in Kalga that day) for a walk to Pulga and Tulga village.

I found Tulga, just like any other normal village on hill whereas Pulga had a charm of its own, where you can find locals living their normal lives.

You can also go for Bun-Buni trek. It is a hard trek and needs a guide to take you there.

At a cafe in Pulga (meaningless picture)

You will find amazing pine tree down the slope around the Pulga village with a mesmerizing view.

Amidst the Pine tree.

I played Cricket with the local kids there. They were kind to me but I managed to play some good shots and got hit some sixes while I was bowling to them. It was fun.

Pulga evening Local Match Highlights

While returning back from Pulga you should spend time exploring the beautiful views around a small bridge which is on a water stream near Tulga.

Doesn't this look like Window OS Wallpaper?

But the reality is:

Why people why?

There are some beautiful trees, like this one with red leaves.

Wow! A stand-alone redhead...

Day 4 (Hard Goodbyes!):

It was just me and nature today. No other noise!

Building some new talkless connections

In the morning, we decided to go on a walk around the village Kalga, just relaxing and having fun. We came across some nice little cafes with cool people, like the South Indian Spices cafe.

It is a cafe which was owned by a group of young south Indians who decided to settle down in this beautiful place. They had adopted dogs and cats and we found cute little 'mew, mew' kittens.

Kittens were so playful, they were running here and there. No one was afraid. They were good at camouflaging.

Can't we be more responsible?

After the stroll through the village, we packed and it was time to bid goodbye to our beautiful place, sometimes goodbyes are hard to say. You can very well see it on my face.

Bye bye, Kalga!

The plan was to walk till Barshaini and get a local Bus to reach Bhuntar, then get an overnight Volvo to Delhi. But it was not going to be that easy.

Dogs are always by your side

We had to wait for about an hour for the bus, but we managed to get into one and luckily found seats too. It took us almost 3 hours to reach Bhuntar. Then we waited for another 4 hours for our Volvo bus.

It was a nice weekend getaway where I relaxed, walked, explored the villages, local houses and made a lot of lifetime memory.

Liked the write-up? Don't forget to comment below and say hi! It would mean a lot. Thanks :)

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Exploring Manali, Solang, Tosh & Kheer Ganga Everything in Just 4 Days

I do not know whether I should be happy or regretful that I finally mustered the strength to pen down my blog and edit this long due post and video of my Kheer Ganga trek (almost 6 months, sobs😢). This happened because I was focusing on the video, and editing a video is a gigantic task!

So without digressing much, I will head straight to the topic:

The trip began on Wednesday. It was going to be a long weekend holiday because it was Diwali time. There was a pang of guilt inside me that this Diwali, I was not going home, my grandmother would be alone at home, without me. But I was keen to go to Spiti this time.

Wait..wait..wait wasn't this post about Kheer Ganga? You must be wondering right now!

The thing is my brother & I was eager to visit Spiti anyhow. Now that we had 4 days off from our offices, we could have easily taken 1 or 2 days further off and tick Spiti off the bucket list✅ But destiny had its own plans.
On Wednesday night, we boarded our HRTC bus. I really recommend the govt. volvo buses whenever you are traveling to the mountains. They are the most comfortable and are on time always.

Day 1 (Manali Day):

Let's begin THE PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY TO THE HIMACHAL...

Welcome to Manali!

We got down at Manali bus stand. I cannot explain how the breath of fresh cold air captivated me for a few seconds only to be ruined by the shrilling noise of buses, unruly taxis, and their drivers. The mismanagement was clearly visible.

A proper set up is needed where buses, autos, and taxis can stand separately along with the installation of dustbins every 100 meters because it is one of the busiest bus stands in the Himachal Pradesh.
We inquired about the mode of transport to Spiti. Buses were shut down on that route because snowfall was expected during that time. And taxis were charging freaking 12,000/- for one side.

So we had to skip it! Now I was like "Isse acha to main ghar hi chali jati Diwali pe". I was feeling more guilty with every passing moment while seeing people coming to their home for the festival. Then I thought, "Ab kuch nahi ho sakta ta".

We walked to the Manali motors shop to hire a scooter. and did get one. But while doing some research I found that the best shop in Manali to hire bikes is EPIC BIKES. (Call Karan 8894777300).
We glided through the roads of old Manali and Solang for the whole day on our scooter.

Solang, Yak, and Hadimba

And with that, Day 1 ended only after a long stroll in the market where you can buy a souvenir or two and enjoy delicious food while enjoying flavors of "pahadi" culture all around.

Exploring streets of Manali

At night we went out again to a nearby cafe to celebrate Diwali.

Happy Diwali!

To explore how to have fun while in Manali: 10 Things You Can Do Nearby Manali

Do not miss out on Hadimba Temple, stopping by at roadside waterfalls (some of them will surprise you!), paragliding (for the adventure sports lover, there are many other activities at Solang valley) and pictures with the yak.

They were cute.

So it was Manali exploration for day 1, where we covered all the nearby tourist spots on our scooter, enjoyed some "golgappas" in the old Manali market(good for an evening stroll) and then celebrated Diwali.

Day 2 (Let's go to Tosh):

The next day started with a journey. We were supposed to leave Manali for Tosh. On our way, we were to pass through the "smokey" town Kasol and the "hot springs" of Manikarnan. We were ready!

Bhai looking for the bus.

Bummer!

Well, it didn't go as planned. For the whole day, we were hopping from one bus to another.

First, we boarded a bus from Manali to Manikaran. From there we took a local bus to Barshaini. From Barshaini, you can either walk up to Tosh or take a taxi costing about Rs. 100 per head (we took the taxi, of course) because we wanted to reach there before it got dark.

Milestone 'Tosh' achieved

And finally, by around 5 in the evening, we reached Tosh. It drizzled that night and past midnight we were welcomed by a sky full of constellations. Strange no! one moment cloudy, another moment clear night. You may think it is all so exhausting, we are picking our bags every morning and heading for a new journey. But apart from the time crunch that we 9-5 job people have, this was our plan. We were mentally prepared. We wanted to explore every place in whatever time we had. Yes, it does at times wants you to get up early but it is actually fun. You get so many memories with you. I do both sorts of travels which involve all day explorations and full day chilling. Believe me, both have perks of their own.

Spent the night in a very trippy cafe of Tosh, or that's what I thought until morning. Morning sprinkled a different light on it.

My Budgeted room with an awesome view

The hotel was Blue Diamond (Cost - Rs 400 per room). We did not notice how amazing the place was until this moment(morning) when the whole room was lit with the sunrise surrounded by the blue hay of the mountains.

Can Brushing get more beautiful?

You can also spend a day or two in Tosh if you want to have a relaxing holiday. Though I prefer Kalga(In the next blog ;) ) than Tosh.

Day 3 (Kheer Ganga):

Well, you got an introduction to the third day already.

View at the top

We had to walk down approx 1.5 km to the base of Kheer Ganga trek. It is a 14 km trek located at the height of 2960 m in Parvati valley. On the whole trek, you will either find snow-white, maybe that is why they call it 'Kheer Ganga', Parvati river roaring or following you. The view is magnificent enough to fulfill a traveler's lust.

Best Time To Trek: April to November

There are two ways to reach to Kheer Ganga. One through:

1. Nakthan Village-

The way we choose as we were coming from Tosh. It is less steep than the other one. The only problem is you will find ample sunshine on this path. Do not forget to pack 40+ SPF to save yourself from tanning. There is one small shop at the beginning where you can have some drinks and biscuits. Next stop is that Nakthan village only.

You will never be alone

Cute Bindi Boy

Aesthetic houses

Waterfalls on the way to Kheerganga, the view, doggies and me!

It took us 3.5 hours to reach the top. The difficulty level is easy, the only problem for the beginners will be the long distance. It definitely requires stamina and a strong will. But the trail is not steep.

Kheer Ganga Trek is full of Waterfalls. You will find Dozens of them

If you don't have water, you know what to do ;)

But the moment you will step your feet inside the hot water pool. You will forget everything, every obstacle that you faced on the trek and tiredness will just vanish away.

Temple & the ladies pool

The view is so mesmerizing, and the no.of women travelers are less as compared to men. So there are chances that you might get the whole pool all to yourself. But sitting for prolonged hours in sulfur spring can cause nausea. Sulfur-rich hot springs help treat dry scalp, arthritic pain and internal problems such as menopausal symptoms and digestive disorders. Hot springs help your body relax and reduce stress.

The second way is from:

2. Kalga Village-

It is greener and shadier. The star attraction of this route is a huge waterfall you encounter on your way. You can choose this way if staying in Kalgah.

Even at a dist of 0.5 Km from the waterfall. It was chilling

We were completely exhausted by the time we reached the top. My brother wanted the best location for our tents whereas I was like, "this one at the beginning looks fine" because I was exhausted. We got one soon though. All this time I was frantically looking for a cellular network.

Network Connectivity: An issue at times!

Only BSNL works at the top! That too not a very strong connection. But it helped. I was able to make 2-3 calls with a breaking voice. When you start the trek it is all fine, after covering distance of 7 km or so, the network vanishes.

Day 3 (The NIGHT):

The night at Kheer Ganga was a night that I will never forget. One obvious reason it was damn cold and second is scary to start with:

After we went to sleep. At about 2 in the night, the dogs started barking. Initially, it was coming from a distance, but then the barking started getting closer. We were awake now. I was thinking why isn't any local shushing them down. I tried closing my eyes and sleeping when I heard something unlocking the zip of our tent.

All of a sudden I remembered what a women told us while we were waiting for our Bus at Manikaran, she said- "Be safe, there are dayans (witches) up there". I got the shit scared. "F**k man! any animal cannot unlock the zip", I said to myself. An animal would smash on the tent side with his paws. And guess what followed? we heard a smaaaashhh!!!

My brother tried to shoo away the animal or whatever it was, with the wooden stick(we used for support while trekking) while making some annoying sounds in Kashmiri.

Oh god, it was so hilarious(now, not then). I said the animal does not understand Kashmiri say it in Hindi. And then we laughed.

I was scared because he didn't stop barking, even for a second. Literally! I was like how is he breathing because he was like bow bow bow and bow just near our tent. I, a true Hindu started chanting "Jai Hanuman gyaan gun sagar..."

I could not understand how can anyone (here incase my brother) can sleep under such circumstances. I had taken pledges in my mind- I won't trouble my parents, I will be a good girl blah, blah, and blah.

I did not sleep until dawn. The barking had faded but it was still there. It was 5AM when the sky softly glowed in the twilight. I rested a bit and finally got up at 6. When I came out of the tent, this little beauty was found outside our tent. I was talking to him, "where you one the one who didn't let me sleep" "bad boy". But maybe he was, in fact, saving others. Maybe he saw some creature entering the tent area in search of food and he was trying to scare it or let others know of the other creature's presence. All remained a mystery!

Next morning (Soul in Kasol)-

It took us 2 hours of continuous walking and running to reach the bottom. I love downward treks!
The hardest part was to travel from the bridge to Barshaini. It was 12 noon with the Sun shining bright and no trees around. There was hydroelectric dam construction going on.

We got a bus there. It takes you to Bhunter via Kasol. The bus service is after every 1 hour.
We got down at Kasol to hop into our favourite cafe on Parvati river side and chill for 3 hours. We had late night bus from Bhuntar.

Me lost in nature, colorful Kasol market & a house in Chalal

Mystical Parvati River

I hope you enjoyed the journey. Do not forget to share your views and stories.
We would love to hear them. Till then, Keep traveling and be safe.

Hippie!
Shongruff

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Tricks On How To Look Posh And High Class In Cheap Clothes

How to look high class and posh is a very common question nowadays? Is it possible to look high class with cheap clothes? It is actually not an easy task to look high class in cheap clothes. However, you can make your appearance high class even if you don’t have the bank account to match.

Below we have listed for you ways to look high class and posh in cheap clothes.

First and foremost-

1. The Fitting

Always wear fitted garments as they are a sign of wealth, elegance and taste. You can easily get a refined and classy look with well-tailored clothes. Always remember that everybody’s body has its own shape and it is very important to wear well-fitted clothes as the time you wear fitted clothing you will instantly look much more expensive.

2. Loosen Up The Buttons

Replace the old buttons on your cheap clothes with the new and classy plastic buttons to alter your overall look. The best way to look high class with cheap clothes is to shop for stylish buttons to replace them on your old clothes. You can also buy these buttons for your cheap clothes online at discounted rates.

3. No Stain Policy!

Don’t wear clothes with stains as it will never add to your personality. If you find any kind of stain on your clothes immediately take it to dry cleaners to see what they can do with it. If nothing is possible, then you can donate it to poor people. In case you find a ripped or broken button on your old cloth, make it ripped before anybody notices. Considering these little things will offer a big change in your personality and is the best way to look classy in cheap clothes.

How to get every stain out of your white t-shirt

4. Stay Away From Distressed Fabrics

Distressed fabrics can easily end up looking old as well as worn out especially when they are super cheap, to begin with. There are several exceptions such as ripped jeans that look cool and trendy at a cheap cost too. Wearing ripped jeans is the best way to look high class in cheap clothes. Many stylish denim distressing techniques help you to offer a high-class look in cheap clothes.

5. Restrict Washing Too Much

Restrict your washing if you want your clothes to look new always. Don’t wash your clothes too much as it fades away the color of the fabric and dulls its shine. Always wash your clothes with good quality detergent followed by a fabric conditioner. In fact, good quality washing detergents will give cheap clothes a rich look and amazing shine.

6. Stop Being Extraaaa

Looking high class is no big deal, you just have to be simple yet sassy. Start your shopping by buying simpler stuff. Your simple choice will automatically give you a posh and high class looks in cheap clothing. Avoid jeweled embellishments or else pleated tops, whiskered and distressed denim. Go for basics first! Try to streamline your look as a whole like wear one cheap bracelet to look more classy and posh, instead of wearing three or more bracelets at once. Wear hoops and simple studs to maintain the posh vibe.

7. Classy Handbag

Always try to hang structured handbag whether it is a large or else a small one but it will add more to your classy and posh look. Try to buy some neutral colors of handbag for a high-class look with cheap clothes. When choosing a handbag for yourself stick to simple bags as it will assist you to get a high-class look with cheap clothes. A simple clutch will look classier than a heavy and big bag.

To get a posh and high-class look with cheap clothes always make sure that you are buying the right kinds of clothing. Caring for them properly will help you to maintain your expensive look with cheap outfits.

8. Shades of Riches

Black, white, space blue and nude are the color for the rich. These are like the basic requirement. They go with everything. It is so easy to look like a princess! You should go for monochromes like Meghan Markle.

You definitely need to follow 'Komal Pandey' on Instagram for her daily effective fashion hacks. She is a fashion goddess who can make rag look like a rich.

See you tomorrow with a new post on Fashion, Beauty and Travel. Till then,

Lots of ❤

Team Shongruff

- A Glow of Happiness!