And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In India

RB · Dec 6, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

I have posted a review of our Shimla hotel here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....views/hotel-silverine-shimla-india-56108.html. Basically it was a bit of a disappointing experience but did not detract too much from our overall visit to Shimla.

Shimla to Naggar
This was another very long day in car-8 odd hrs that started with a huge traffic jam 1[SUP]st[/SUP] up-Our driver tells us he usually only averages around 35km/hr on trips such as ours-the time actually goes quickly & there is always something to see & traffic to watch
Highlights of the Day:
We stopped at one of the many fruit stalls-bananas worked out about 8c each but Magan considers it a rip off of tourists-the banana skins are fed to a cow who certainly appreciated them
We had another stop at a juice bar-Govt run, it claims there are 3 apples in a small bottle
Pandoh Dam is a big hydro generator on the River Deas
3 huge concrete plants-ACC, JayPee & Ambuja with many 1,000’s of trucks involved
There are many Govt orchards-apples rule the roost as we get closer to Naggar/Manali
Saw a mongoose cross the road-apparently excellent snake killers
Stopped by police 2 times-apparently a major graft area but our driver is certainly not a believer in paying
Our timing was great at a suspension bridge-our visit coincided with the end of the school day & the students chanted about opening your eyes to education as they walked home over the bridge
There is a collection of aerial cableway for deliveries. One was 1.1km long, 100lbs water used as the balance, the party up the top tap on the wire when ready-a house being built up top-a humble wooden stick is used as a hand brake.
4km tunnel of concrete road near Aut
Around Mandi town we start to see corn drying on house roofs, the Kullu valley is known as the “Valley of the Gods”
The local area insists on no car radios to be in use as they apparently distract drivers. Magan removed the radio from the dash-I wonder how Aussie drivers would react to this

Part of the impressive Naggar Castle

Chanting on the way home from school

Corn drying

Valley & peak views near Naggar

Aerial cableway being used to transport building materials up 1100metres

RB · Dec 7, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

I have posted a review of our Naggar Castle stay here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....reviews/naggar-castle-naggar-india-56131.html

Around Naggar
We parked near the Roerich Art Gallery & trekked about 2.5km each way up to an ancient, holy village- plenty of steps, passed many schoolkids, houses were on 3 levels, cows/hay/humans as a setup for warmth. The village is apparently 400 yrs old & there are areas restricted to locals as they observe their religious beliefs.
Back down the hill we visited the Gallery/Museum of Nicholas Roerich. There is his collection of paintings, Roerich’s 1930 Dodge car, and upstairs, his household goods are still in place. It was very interesting to see the Banner of Peace-the protection of artistic, scientific & historic monuments over military necessity. Just uphill there is Roerich memorial and nearby is the Uruswathi folk art museum. The museum grounds are beautiful, spotted with benches and large trees.

Naggar to Minali
This was our Shortest transfer-only 20 odd km. Apple orchards abound and we witness local village celebrations & parades. Bailey bridges are used widely. We have another fee to pay as we enter the Rohtang Pass area.

Illustration of the housing levels

Nice background for our little hike

Banner of Peace

Ceremony seen between Naggar & Minali

Some interesting rules & I am not sure how about the classification of Do's & Don't's

RB · Dec 8, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Around Minali
On both days we enjoyed great lunchtime pizzas at Johnsons-while we sat in the sun & enjoyed a beer. This was about a 5 minute walk from the hotel
Walks through the mall had us encountering crowds of people & dogs. There is plenty of choice of shops but Magan is of the opinion Manali is not the place to shop for keepsakes
We visited Hadimea Devi temple-at the entrance there are Yaks for sitting on & getting photos & also spotless rabbits & lambs again for staged photos. The Clubhouse is a popular meeting spot for the Indian tourists -snooker, table tennis, badminton, an empty bar & various shops.
On our full day in Manali we had an 8am start. The light is better for photos & we were hoping to avoid some of the crowds as we headed towards the Rohtang Pass. There are apparently 1,000 roadside shops offering the hire of boots, snow suits, skis etc-these are mostly donned by the India tourists as they pose for photos as they hang out in the warm sun with no ski lifts in sight. There is a haphazard numbering of the shops with the shop number more of a system of working out where to take the gear back. Non local tourist vehicles are restricted in distance they are allowed to travel up the Pass while the local hire car drivers overtake dangerously while trying to fit in 2 trips in a day-we saw a newspaper article claiming 3,000 vehicles & 20,000 tourists are reaching the Rohtang Pass daily in peak season.
After driving as far as we were allowed we walked up to unofficial carpark where locals grouped in their hire gear & played in snow.
We drove back down to Salang Valley-here there was a cable car & also on a small open field horse rides, parasailing, zorba balls and quad bikes all completed for some of the very restricted space!
On the way back to Manali we visited the hot springs at Manikaran-a bit underwhelming.
Back at Manali we had the afternoon at leisure. We noticed a sign in one shop-No Discount Tension Free Shop-obviously they are sick of bargaining or they are trying to appeal to shoppers who are over it

Downtown Manali

Mrs RB aboard Yak

Rabbits scrubbed up for photo opportunity

Note the numbering sequence

Choice of attire for the Indian skiers

RB · Dec 8, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Some more shots from our time around Manali

Indian tourists enjoying the snow

View back to Salang

Not much regard to OH&S

View down from top of cble car-no space is wasted in India

Business is tough when you don't move with the times!

RB · Dec 8, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

I have posted a review of our Manali hotel stay here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....views/mayflower-hotel-manali-india-56148.html

Manali to Dharamsala
This transfer involved quite a bit of backtracking (on the opposite side) of the Kulu Valley to Mandi. We saw a massive storage of potatoes just out of Manali & there was also a river based hot spring being enjoyed by locals. There were Buddhist prayer flags on many bridges. It was noticeable that the school students were in English based uniforms even in remote villages-ties, coats etc. Further down the river there is rafting & again there are random numbers in use for the shops renting out the gear
As we passed through the dark Aut tunnel again we encountered a walking herd of well over 100 goats in the 4km tunnel!
On our drivers recommendation we bought a couple of fixed price shawls/pashimans-a community owned store where profits go back to the craftspeople.
Onwards from Mandi we came across gypsies from Rajistan-enjoying using a big hooka pipe. In this area the grass grows wild & free much to the delight of the users!
Wedding parties are seen regularly & many groups walk to the ceremony. There are tea plantations in a few areas today.
Paragliders were enjoying a magic backdrop of the Himalayas and along the narrow roads we enjoyed great views of the Kangra valley that has a history of 3,500 yrs of agriculture. Lunch was again late, this time at Palace Taragarh Hotel-we were the only clients and had great but slowly produced food. In some of the villages we saw stores selling fanlike displays of actual money-used as wedding presents apparently. As we climbed towards Mcleod Ganj we met a tar crew who instantly blocked the road with no notice-apparently not uncommon in India & it is just up to the motorist to find another way round. The way up also has us seeing many Army base buildings.

Part of potato storage

Hot spring in the river bed

These guys seemed to have had a big day

Typical views as we approached Dharamsala

Group of wedding goers getting to their ceremony

RB · Dec 8, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Around Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj
We had 3 nights here-our 1[SUP]st[/SUP] dinner was at McLLo-good food in a restaurant that appears as European tourist refuge although there are many Indian tourists as well
We visited Dal Lake-sacred but uninspiring poor cousin to it’s Cashmire namesake. We drove on towards Naddi where we enjoyed a valley walk past locals living their varied lives. On our drive back we gave a lift to a Tibetan lady-she then walked with us through the village to the to Dali Lama complex. We missed the Dali Lama by 2 days but viewed impressive photos & reports of the history of the Tibetan situation. There is very tight security and all phones & cameras have to be handed in as you enter the site. There are plenty of opportunities to donate to the cause but we found the overall site sterile compared to some of the Sri Lankan Buddhist temples we saw in 2012. After some souvenir shopping we enjoyed a rooftop lunch in fine sunshine and watched soaring eagles. We visited another British Church-St John in Wilderness. It is a 1852 building of neo-Gothic character and Lord Elgin a Governor General & Viceroy of India is buried here.

[FONT=&amp]After another dinner at McLLo we caught a tut tut back to hotel for 50rp.

Dal Lake-nothing special

Valley walk past Naddi

St John church

More terracing

Long shot of the Dalai Lama complex
[/FONT]

TomVexille · Dec 9, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Great photos. I love India and this just reminds me why I want to go back. Thanks for sharing.

RB · Dec 9, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

TomVexille said:
Great photos. I love India and this jsut reminds me why I want to go back. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, I have had fun writing the report up-I have had a hard time picking which photos best illustrate why the trip was so enjoyable

More of Around Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj

On our last full day we had breakfast in the sunshine on our hotel balcony then drove back to Kangra Valley past big army base. Again we see lots of new cables being laid by pick & shovel-apparently there is a lot of renewal of phone lines & internet cabling is being stepped up. We drove past the Dharamshala cricket stadium where IPL games have been played.-a google search compares it with the Adelaide Oval in terms of beauty!-I guess they have snow at times (there are photos of Lee, Symonds and Gilchrist visiting the McLLo restaurant).
At the Tibetan cultural centre (Norbulingka Institute) we used a guide. There is Japanese & private German funding. Highlights -Tiebetan art-some traditional designs take up to 8 months to complete, aplicque-1 horse hair is covered in silk thread, various woodworkers, metalworkers producing big Buddahs and a doll museum where there are lazy staff but a great depiction of Tibetan life through the ages. The
Temple of Gyuto Monastery also enjoys finance by the Japanese. There was much decorating by Monks & we saw a fantastic Mandala Sand Painting-I found a good article here Mandala Sand Painting. When looking at the Mandala the monks covered their mouths & nose so as to not disturb the art work-we were unable to get so close & the angle meant we didn't get a properly centred photo!

From the monastery we took a shortcut thru traditional villages, farming and terraces on our way to Kangra Fort- amazing viewing on a huge scale with Himalayan peaks in the background

One of the Tibetan art projects underway

The amazing Mandala Sand Painting-not so good photography!

Part of Kangra Fort-amazing background

A more detailed wall of Kangra Fort

We were in an Army Base area

drron · Dec 9, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Thanks for this very interesting report.Loving your photos.
Doubt I will be following in your footsteps though.

RB · Dec 9, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

drron said:
Thanks for this very interesting report.Loving your photos.
Doubt I will be following in your footsteps though.

You always say that (won't be following my footsteps)! Can be done 5 star all the way-I can give you details if you like

drron · Dec 9, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Except I have had no real desire to visit India-though did think about it for the cricket world cup.
Second mrsdrron doesn't enjoy Indian food.
And on this last trip of yours no way I could do that much walking now.Just old and arthritic!

RB · Dec 10, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Dharamsala to Amritsar
This was another slow trip with many sections of the improved road incomplete-some villages are bypassed, others are not & generally there is a lack of signs. In some spots small rocks are scattered to signify the road is closed-trucks that are broken down also scatter rocks on the road to direct traffic around them.
We passed a base of the Gorkha Rifles & India Special Forces-India apparently has the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] biggest army (in terms of military personnel) behind China
We got back to valleys, oxen working the fields, sugar cane, wheat, mustard, rice, lemons and honey & it was noticeably warmer. There are also many brickworks that seem to be big smoke polluters.
During this transfer we moved back into Punjab-pay road taxes again-difficult to find the office. Magan noted that Punjab diesel is 3c litre cheaper-throughout our trip we saw that there are still pump attendants.
Again we went past heaps of wedding places-one was advertising as Australian. There were wedding cars with flowers and guests were firing guns in the air to celebrate. There are also other celebrations on the streets that just add colour to India! Close to the highway there is a line that partitions India/Pakistan so there are plenty of armed forces around. However around here there were terrorism problems in the 1990’s.

There were many trucks full of people heading to Amritsa for the festival-we didn’t know it was to be the night of such a big anniversary. As we neared Amritsar we noticed plenty of kites being flown-hadn’t seen this in other parts.

Only encountered these type of tut-tuts in 1 village

Now that is hard work for a pony!

One of our bypass excursions

Another colourful parade

Wise words near Dharamsala

RB · Dec 10, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Indian RTA office

Food storage near the highway

RB · Dec 11, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Around Amritsar (Holy pool of nectar)

We arrived in the afternoon so we had a late snack at Café Coffee Day chain-good coffee.
Amritsar is the spiritual & cultural centre of the Sikh religion and the Golden Temple is the most religious place to them. Due to the activities we undertook here I probably rate Amritsar the highlight of our trip-not what I was expecting before we visited.
Visit to Jallianwala Bagh Memorial-area commemorating 1,579 unarmed Indians slaughtered by the British in 1919-a narrow entrance entrapped the people, bullet holes are still still in the wall. Big crowds were visiting and maany were taking advantage of the now peaceful surrounds to have a snooze on the grass.
We then walk thru to the Golden Temple-A surprise was to see a blood bus taking open air donations with donors lying on makeshift beds.
At the temple we leave our shoes, adorn a scarf/bandanna, wash feet our feet & then enter an amazing building. It just so happens thaat our visit coincides with the 545[SUP]th[/SUP] Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev-there are many 1,000’s of Sikh devotees & some bathe in the sacred water. Sunset sees the place transform-fairy lights and candles abound. We seem to be only Europeans & there are many Indian tourists politely asking to get their photo taken with us. The line to the actual temple (Harmandir Sahib) is too long so we decide we will look at the option again the next morning.
The temple is also memorial to troops from past battles & there are boards listing names/regiments of those who served.
Despite the apparent chaos of masses leaving the Temple area it is only a 10 minutes drive back to our hotel.
We dodged the incessant traffic to walk 5 minutes or so to have dinner at Restaurant Crystal-our hotel recommends this & we receive 15% discount on food-great food but a waiter had to walk to a bottle shop to get us a bottle of beer & the service is reflected in the drink price (still very cheap by Aust standards)

The Blood Bank bus in operation

One of the walls at Jallianwalla Bagh highlighting the bullet holes (apparently 1650 rounds fired in 10 minutes)

Some peace in the Garden grounds

Before sunset at the temple

An attempt to show the scale of the temple & surrounds

RB · Dec 11, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

More photos of the late afternoon/early evening Temple visit

Many pilgrims take a dip in the holy waters

Part of the lines to Harmandir Sahib

Night lighting starting to take over

Akal Takht where the highest council of Sikhs sit & deliberate

Loved the different colours worn by these young guys

RB · Dec 12, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

I have posted a review of our Amritsar hotel here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ews/hong-kong-hotel-amritsar-india-56201.html

On our full day in Amritsar we make a 9am start to dodge the traffic & crowds. It took less than 15 minutes in long lines to get into actual the temple. To avoid some crowding we go upstairs where some tourists overlook Amrit Sarovar (the giant pool of water surrounding the Temple)-up here some devotees pray, some play on ipads. As you look down you see volunteers using huge knives to stuff donated money into trunks. Then we went out to the eating hall & huge kitchen that is staffed by volunteers-apparently they feed about 50,000 pilgrims per day & produce 20,000 chapattis an hour. We are amazed by the plate crates, chapatti makers & giant pots & the orderly manner in which the pilgrims fill the lines to be fed. I am not sure of numbers but we also saw hndreds of gas tanks that are used for cooking the food. We also get to meet the boss of the complex (has been there 50 odd yrs) & get a photo with him. Postcards back to Aust are sent & then it was back to the hotel for lunch & a spell.

Just a small section of the plates that are used

Incredibly orderly devotees

Some of the cooking gear in action

The boss,his family & us

I couldn't say no when he asked to get his photo taken

RB · Dec 12, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

[FONT=&amp]Our afternoon was a trip to the Wagah Indian/Pakistan border gate (only 22km from Lahore) for the ceremony. Past the final carpark there is segregation of foreign nationals -us & a others (mainly bus groups on this day) walk to the event on the left & then to a separate entry. The line for the Indian nationals was policed by mounted patrols. We carry our passports but there are haphazard checks & the seating in our area becomes random but it is a great experience. Prior to the ceremony there are flag waving runners, girl dancers in a moshpit style section, thumping music, chanting (boo at the Pakistanis & “you are not a country” is chanted). The soldiers are in their distinctive uniforms & perform high kicks etc as the flags are lowered & gates are slammed. After the high energy event it was back to our hotel for dinner.

Note it was difficult to get clear photos of the ceremony but there are many YouTube videos that give a summary/look at this daily event

Some of the early flag wavers

Dancers prior to the ceremony

Initial lineup

A view of the Indian uniforms

The Pakastanis were outnumbered on this day-flags almost down at this stage

[/FONT]

RB · Dec 13, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

Amritsar-Delhi

We opted for the car ride rather than the 5.5hr train trip that left at 7am. We catch a brilliant, boiling sunrise thru smoke & fog. We enjoy a fast start and cover over 100km in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] hour but it still ends up being a 9hr drive with a big traffic jam near our Delhi hotel. There is good road most of way but throughout there are spots that are incomplete, no lane markings, cars going the wrong way, cows, carts etc. Again we see incredible farmlands, overloaded trucks & carts and generally vast masses of people & traffic. We encounter 3 ox in back of a small ute(2 forward facing 1 back facing to be able to fit), a convoy of trucks ferrying wedding gear back to a village, Maccas, KFC & Subway adorn the sides of highway & we pass a huge wholesale veggie market. Again there are heaps of tollbooths that condense the traffic & there are some radar operations slowing traffic down (certainly not needed in most parts of India we visited this time).

Lunch was at a Subway-they had a similar menu to Aust with some Indian options. Nearing Delhi we see a rubbish mound that looks like Ayers Rock & the already heavy traffic is worsened by a politician’s vehicles & fireworks being let off by his supporters. During the day Magan pointed out Kos Minars- Mughals erected the distance markers on the route from Lahore to Agra.

Sunrise over the highway

You would be a long way from the centre of Delhi here

One of Delhi's rubbish mounds

Indians are a bit fanatical about cricket!

A political rally doing nothing to help traffic flow

RB · Dec 14, 2013

Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind

[FONT=&amp]Day in Delhi[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
We set out around 9am after a another breakfast centred around eggs!! We has visited Delhi before (2007) so we were looking for some new sites.
1st stop the Jama Masjid -the largest mosque in Delhi, from the 1650's. Ladies are made to wear a lovely gown. First lot of tourist buses full of Europeans we had seen.
2nd stop - rickshaw ride around old Delhi for an hour - we left from & returned to the Mosque entrance.
3rd stop - Raj Ghat/Gandhis Memorial - memorials to all Prime ministers along a beautiful stretch of parkland-quite an astonishing amount of vacant land in such a crowded city .
4th stop - Humayan's Tomb - a world heritage monument - same style as the Taj Mahal with beautifully restored gateways and acres of immacualte parkland. Financial backing from the Aga Khan has helped considerably
Lunch at Gulati - serving Indian Food since 1959. -there are many claims that it is the best Indian restaurant in Delhi.
After the late lunch we had a look at the Govt run regional markets (Chunari Haryana Govt Emporium) - all individual shops representing some of the states/districts - very reasonable set prices & many had a sale on
It was then back through mad traffic (including an elephant with camels attached-apparently on their way to a wedding) to our hotel & getting ready for an early morning trip to the airport.