Back to McLeod and Return Journey
(Optional read - Not part of my trekking experience)
Summary:
Journey Details:
Triund - McLeod Ganj - Pathankot - Delhi - Udaipur - Ahmedabad - Navsari
- Trekked down to McLeod Ganj
- Rented a room for an hour and had a bath after 4 days
- Had Tibetan style lunch at a local restaurant
- Caught a bus for Pathankot and from there a train to Delhi dropped me by next morning
- Did a PhD of Delhi's Akshardham temple the entire day to kill time
- At evening, boarded a train for Udaipur, from there a bus to Ahmedabad in the morning and then another bus to Navsari
- Reached home on the evening of 30 May 2013
Journey Details:
Triund - McLeod Ganj - Pathankot - Delhi - Udaipur - Ahmedabad - Navsari
28 - 30 May 2013
I woke up by 7 am. It was raining like the last day with an ice fall. I had a cup of hot tea and breakfast of cheese toasts and boiled eggs. The atmosphere was clear by 8 am. I packed my bags, paid Kamlesh and started my trek back to mcleod ganj. The atmosphere was pleasant and I was fresh so I reached mcleod in just 2 hrs not stopping anywhere on my way. I went to the hotel room where I had kept my extra luggage. I wanted to take a hot water shower in McLeod badly. It was high time I took a shower as I was stinking, my clothes were stinking, my body was aching a lot (I was gulping down 500 mg paracetamol and 400 mg brufen every night from the last couple of days). Unfortunately no room was vacant at the place where I had kept my luggage but the owner of that place arranged me for a bathroom at a place nearby. I observed that this place was a posh dormitory with 6-7 beds and two bathrooms. I paid Rs. 100 to the owner of dormitory and went for a much needed hot shower. After about an hour of rejuvenating hot shower I changed into new jeans after 5 days.
It was noon by now. I went to a place named Tibetian Kitchen on the main mcleod square. The restaurant is quite famous among locals for the Tibetian food. I ordered veg thukpa with tofu (it’s a Tibetian soup). Frankly speaking it was okay as I am used to spicy food while Tibetian food seemed to lack in flavors.
Next I went to bus station to catch a local bus for Pathankot. The bus scheduled to leave McLeod at 2:30 never came. The next bus was scheduled at 4. Fortunately it was not cancelled. The bus was classic Indian government style. Hopefully the journey lasted for 4 hrs only and I reached Pathankot by 8 pm. I realized I was in Punjab and my stay there would have been incomplete without tasting Punjabi food. So I asked a couple of locals for a dhaba serving good Punjabi food. I ordered panner tikka makkhani and tandoori rotis. The food was delicious and the panner and makkhan in the sabzi was finger licking. It was time to catch my train now. I reached the station and saw that the delhi bound dhauladhar express was already waiting for me. I purchased a couple of magazines at the railway book store and boarded the train. As soon as the train started I switched of the lights and went to sleep.
Next I went to bus station to catch a local bus for Pathankot. The bus scheduled to leave McLeod at 2:30 never came. The next bus was scheduled at 4. Fortunately it was not cancelled. The bus was classic Indian government style. Hopefully the journey lasted for 4 hrs only and I reached Pathankot by 8 pm. I realized I was in Punjab and my stay there would have been incomplete without tasting Punjabi food. So I asked a couple of locals for a dhaba serving good Punjabi food. I ordered panner tikka makkhani and tandoori rotis. The food was delicious and the panner and makkhan in the sabzi was finger licking. It was time to catch my train now. I reached the station and saw that the delhi bound dhauladhar express was already waiting for me. I purchased a couple of magazines at the railway book store and boarded the train. As soon as the train started I switched of the lights and went to sleep.
By the time I woke up the train had already reached the outskirts of Delhi. By 8 am I was outside old Delhi railway station. The Chandani Chowk metro station was just outside the station. My train from Delhi was at 7:30 evening. Via metro I reached Akshardham railway station. I had a whole day to spend in Delhi. I decided to spend it in Akshardham temple which happens to be the biggest temple of the world. They say it takes a day to explore the entire temple complex. They were not wrong.
The temple is not just about the Swaminarayan sect but the entire hindu culture in general. It’s amazing to know that the entire temple is built of just stones. No steel is used! The rocks are hand carved by artisans and there are various exhibitions showcasing the history of lord Swaminarayan as well as India's vibrant past and its contribution to the world.
By 2 pm I had seen the temple and all the three exhibitions running at the temple complex. I headed towards the refreshments area and had a lunch of masla dosa with coconut chutney and sambar.
My next train towards Udaipur was from hazrat nizzamuddin railway station at 7 pm. It’s difficult to get a direct ticket from Pathankot to Gujarat in the summer season (peak season), hence I had to break my journey into four parts, from pathankot to delhi, delhi to Udaipur and then Udaipur to ahmedabad and ahmedabad to navsari.
I headed towards nizzamuddin railway station via metro, spent an hr or so at the waiting room reading magazines. As the time of train departure neared I got biryani packed from a nearby restaurant for my dinner. I boarded the train and waited for my seemingly endless journey to end. Yes, i was bored of travelling by now.
The train was hopefully on right time. I reached Udaipur at 7:30 in the morning. From there I had two linking Volvo busses for ahmedabad and navsari respectively. The journey was uneventful. The entire time I just relaxed in the comfortable seats of the Volvo either sleeping or watching a movie or reading magazines. At last I reached navsari by 8:30 at night. After reaching home I took a shower, had dinner, switched on the air conditioner and went to sleep with the beautiful memories of my first solo trekking experience.
The temple is not just about the Swaminarayan sect but the entire hindu culture in general. It’s amazing to know that the entire temple is built of just stones. No steel is used! The rocks are hand carved by artisans and there are various exhibitions showcasing the history of lord Swaminarayan as well as India's vibrant past and its contribution to the world.
By 2 pm I had seen the temple and all the three exhibitions running at the temple complex. I headed towards the refreshments area and had a lunch of masla dosa with coconut chutney and sambar.
My next train towards Udaipur was from hazrat nizzamuddin railway station at 7 pm. It’s difficult to get a direct ticket from Pathankot to Gujarat in the summer season (peak season), hence I had to break my journey into four parts, from pathankot to delhi, delhi to Udaipur and then Udaipur to ahmedabad and ahmedabad to navsari.
I headed towards nizzamuddin railway station via metro, spent an hr or so at the waiting room reading magazines. As the time of train departure neared I got biryani packed from a nearby restaurant for my dinner. I boarded the train and waited for my seemingly endless journey to end. Yes, i was bored of travelling by now.
The train was hopefully on right time. I reached Udaipur at 7:30 in the morning. From there I had two linking Volvo busses for ahmedabad and navsari respectively. The journey was uneventful. The entire time I just relaxed in the comfortable seats of the Volvo either sleeping or watching a movie or reading magazines. At last I reached navsari by 8:30 at night. After reaching home I took a shower, had dinner, switched on the air conditioner and went to sleep with the beautiful memories of my first solo trekking experience.