Dalhousie

The hotel owner in Amritsar decided to disregard the discounted price agreed before check in. He lost his rag when I said ‘the customer is always right’. After we explained that it was a matter of principal (rather than the cash), he buckled, but gave us the silent treatment in the foyer whilst we waited for our prearranged car to Dalhousie. The first car that arrived had seen better days, so we asked for another one to be sent. The second car wasn’t much better, only difference being a large Nike swoosh sticker running down one side. The third car sent was ok, but lacked the seatbelts we asked for. After two hours waiting, with the help of the hotel manager (who’d stopped sulking), an acceptable vehicle was finally delivered.  Taxi wallahs think we’re fussy, especially when it come to seatbelts, which when asked for is usually met with a funny look; but as we were heading into Himachal Pradesh, which is almost exclusively mountainous, we weren’t going to take any chances.

The ride up to Dalhousie was initially fine as we made our way through Northern Punjab. Things got a little rough and windy the higher we climbed towards the Himalayas. After five hours, we reached Dalhousie just as it was getting dark. First thing we noticed was the drop in temperature; it couldn’t have been much over freezing, considering the heat we’ve gotten used to, it was a bit of a shock. The hotel recommended in the book turned out to be a wrong-un; manky room, and worst of all, no heating! It was too late to find another hotel, so we made do, cocooning ourselves in blankets. After a chilly night, we got up early and found another hotel. The manager of the original hotel was so embarrassed when we mentioned the issues with the room, he didn’t charge us for the stay. Bonus! 

Dalhousie is another old British Hill station like Ooty and marks the most northerly destination of our entire trip. It’s located close to the Kashmiri border, 2036m up in the Chamba Valley region, an area known for its scenic beauty and Himalayan mountain views. Unfortunately, whilst we were there, the latter was obscured by bad weather. The local valleys and mountain tops were however in full view, and the more impressive with the mist/cloud rolling through.

We spent our only day in the Chamba Valley area at nearby Khajjiar (known as India’s mini Switzerland), a 44km return cab ride from Dalhousie. The trip up to Khajjiar was interesting, occasionally glimpsing 200-300ft sheer roadside drops though the fast moving mist. Our driver was an old fella, but that didn’t stop him kitting his car out with furry toys, day-glow dashboard coverings, and a sound system (which was pumping out pop music). Being totally underdressed for the cold rainy weather, we spent only a couple of hours in Khajjiar; enough time to get some horse riding in and a chai break.

On the drive back down to Dalhousie, our driver stopped off at some nice view points, some of which still had decent coverings of snow left over from winter.

Our stay in Dalhousie was a tad disappointing due to the weather, but the landscape and views were amazing. We’ve never before seen mountains the size of those in Himachal Pradesh!