Chail Out !!

Ever since my Ladakh trip, I had been captivated by the natural beauty of the two states, J&K and Himachal. J&K became the destination for long tours while Himachal was the choice for short trips. So, began the search for places to visit. Opinions were gathered from Bulls on Parade, my Ladakh trip partners, Outlook traveller, blogspots, etc. One of the club members, Nishant Jha(a.k.a Che) had come up with Chail. A trip was planned in May 2008, but it did not materialize. Then, in the month of June, Nilu, came up with a plan for a ride. The opportunity was picked up so that we could cover this non-visited place. Things began to fall in place as more people were keen to join in. The idea was floated around in the motorcycle club and more riders got inclined. At one stage, we had 15 people wanting to go.

Then began the process of applying leaves, route planning, bike preparation. Ultimately, 9 of us were the permanent trippers.

Nilu (a.k.a. Sinha Saab) - Pulsar 200

Manish(a.k.a. Maharaj) and Javed(a.k.a. Jill) - Alto

Gyan - Karizma

Nishant(a.k.a. Che) - Che Electra

Manpreet(a.k.a. MP) - Bullet 350 Std

Varun(a.k.a. Lambu) - Thunderbird

Puneet(a.k.a. Sale-oo) - Electra 5S

Myself - Electra

On the day of the trip, time passed slowly in the office. As soon as it was 5 Pm, I rushed out of the office. 4 of us, (myself, Manish, Che, Puneet) met at Leisure Valley park at 5:15 pm. We met the others at the bus shelter ahead of the landfills on G.T.K. road.

  

We took off from there at around 8 PM towards Panipat. The 90 kms were covered in just about 2 hours. We picked up stock at a highway side theka. Varun here was specially greeted by a Jat in english. "Helllloooo, Houu are uuuuuu? Phine? ". He assumed Varun to be a foreigner.

Then, we took the turn for the refinery township. It was a good 8 kms ride till the colony. Gyan was a bit disappointed to see only 8 of us turning up. However, the guards were taken aback with one motorcycle after another entering the premises. He was finding it difficult to mouth the words. "Ye..Ye..Ye..k-k-k-kisliye..matlab..kyu aaye ho aap?" When, for no apparent reason, I said "Visitor", he seemed satisified.

The township was a very peaceful area, far from the mad rush on the NH-1. Gyan had taken good care to have the setup ready for plenty of people. After most of us cleaned themselves up(except Che and me. We are the dirtiest of the lot.), it was time to open up the bottles and Cheers.

Snacks were available in plentiful. Gyan had ordered a good 3.5 kgs of chicken, and this was just for the starters. Other dishes included paneer pakodas and the usual chips. It was a time loaded with "bakar" and no legs were spared from being pulled. Varun was the most frequent target as he told us about the local sightseeing(e.g. treeless orchards). Finally, we gave in to the tireness and drifted off to sleep.

Morning came and we started getting ready quickly. Bathroom doors were banged and lots of sewage spilled. Around 8, everyone was ready to hit the road. Initiating with a photo shoot, machines were topped up at the nearby pump, closest to the refinery. It was a pity to pay for petrol when you have 2 IOC officials riding with you.

Throttles opened as we reached the highway upto Karnal. In fact, they were opened so much, that the gang overshot the turn towards Yamunanagar. I had to call up the others to get back in line.

The start on the Yamunagar road was good. Narrow roads with lush, green fields all around. Che again wandered off in the wrong direction and had to be called to return. We took breakfast at a nearby dhaba with loads of flies for company. They mustve eaten more food than we did.

The road was good another 35 kms. After that, it disappeared and we were left tackling potholes and stone laden trucks and bulldozers. The final 10 kms to Yamunanagar were painful.

Everyone got together opposite a sugar mill n Yamunanagar. It seems that the gathering points throughout this trip would be stinky places. Taking musambhi juice, we took the road towards Paonta Sahib, 50 kms away. The road was just ok, but then just 15 kms from the destination came National Park Area. The boards didnt say which park? The ride here was just too great.

Green trees all around and a slight drizzle. It set the sort of mood where you feel alone with nature with a smile on the face and you say, "Ahh, this is life.".

We offered our prayers at Paonta Sahib and took langar.

Then set off quickly towards Nahan. By this time, it was almost 3 PM, and the chances that we would reach Chail before dark, looked bleak. Throttles opened and we took a quick break just before Nahan. It seemed that only I was the one in mood for a beer.

Crossing Nahan, we came to a road that offered some real hill riding. We were surrounded by mist at times. The mist appeared to be flowing upwards across the slopes making small openings above the road. It was through these openings that we were riding. It set such a mystic atmosphere.

 

At times, the fog was so dense that visibility dropped to 3 metres. Some 45 kms of this riding and we touched NH-22. The highway here is such a delight. Nilu had given his bike to Javed a short distance back and then regretted the decision on reaching this road. He missed the "Rossi" feeling. The sight of 7 motorcycles riding in tandem, banking at turns is spectacular.

======Waiting for Nilu to send the pic========

On getting together at Solan, we discussed on whether to stop here for the night or reach Chail. By now, it was 6 PM and getting dark. It was decided to head on towards our destination. The 20 kms to Kandaghat were completed quickly and we took the diversion to Chail. The roads now were narrow and steep. Also, not very smooth. Halfway through, and there was darkness all around. Still, we latched on. The milestones were very brutal to us in countdown and we finally reached Chail at 8:15 PM. We had 1 3-bed room and 3 2-bed rooms. All were jubilant on reaching the destination. We had covered more than 500 kms after leaving Delhi. Without wasting time on cleaning up, we just washed our hands and went out for dinner. The place was a cosy one and the owner even allowed us to bring alcohol inside from the next door theka. The food was delicious with some very mouth-watering chicken and rotis. This was accompanied by loads of "bakar". Exhausted, everyone turned in for the night.

Next day, we decided to go on a walk. After breakfast, we set off on a hiking trail that lead to the world's highest cricket pitch at 7500 ft. On the way, we took many photographs, including the nature ones.

Che also made an adult movie casting ladybirds filled with blurring effect. I believe, he would also be adding sound effects later on. It was on this trail that we realised how unfit we had become. Breaths turned to pants and gasps. Still, owing to grit, we all reached the pitch. It offers a spectacular view sitting at a flat top with all the surrounding peaks below you.

Some of us even tried the monkey rope and then were embarassed by the school kids doing it so easily. So, our mature brains decided to do something else with the rope.

It was in the nearby wet canteen that Puneet earned the nickname Sale-oo. He was selling the idea of making the next trip on a 4-wheeler. Then, we headed towards Sidh temple which is a far steeper climb.

Then came the descent which turned out to be a very short route. Now, was the time when mutual interests spilt the group. Nilu, Che, Puneet and Manish went straight for lunch while myself, Varun, Manpreet, Javed and Gyan went for energy boosters. Lambu displayed some great photography talent here.

After few pegs, we again went to that same hotel for lunch and ordered chicken and rotis. Now begins Javed's quest which lasted till then end of the trip. We called the waiter in an understanding way and he got very shy. He said, "Nahi saab, yahan nahi milta. Shimla me hi hai." For a couple of minutes, we were dumb founded. Then realized what he meant and called him again. "Bhai, wo nahi. We want grass". The man was nice enough to go out and ask a few taxi-drivers about it but none was available. Then, suddenly, Varun noticed weed growing at the hill slope just below the hotel.

Javed's eyes brightened up enough for me to put on my sunglasses. Now, he was planning to get down the treachorous slope and grab his prize. For a start, he went on a gentle slope and pulled out just 2 plants. He was walking on the main street (one of the two in the whole town) with weed in his hand in full view. However, with such a small dose, his hunger also increased.

Our hotel manager suggested to visit Kali Mata mandir some 7 kms away. We took only the motorcycles this time which turned out to be a very smart decision. The steep and narrow paths would have been very tough for the car to encounter. Reaching the spot where the mandir sits on a hilltop, we were stunned by the view. There was heavy mist all around.

(Even the nature loves my motorcycle. Notice the caterpillar)

It sometimes cleared just enough to provide a breath-taking view. This was a celebration time for our machines and they were duly honoured with lots of photos. The alcohol consumers refrained from going inside the temple.

Reaching back, we had tea and bread-pakodas at the bus stand and planned our next piece of action. Manish, Nilu and Gyan were anxious on visiting the Chail palace hotel. After having come so far, lets not miss the main landmark. I joined along with them with the rest opting to go to the Tarika's Jungal Retreat. That did not include Javed, who must have asked just about everybody on the bus stand for stuff.

On the way to the hotel, Nilu found some interesting places for pics.

We roamed around the hotel and its garden. Amazingly, the room rent was just 1300 a day.

On returning, Javed was found at the same spot where we left him. His back was aching, but his resolve was firm. He was very anxious to go to Kufri, but sadly no one else was interested.

After the rest of the group returned, began another session of booze and bakar. The main highlights were Manpreet's Kurkure-hogging, Javed's back-breaking(literally) efforts and of course, my exceptional navigation. Varun took the opportunity to fire back at our plans on roaming around Chail to Kufri and Shimla. Booze ran out and Varun and Manpreet were not willing to share their Old Monk(I'll never let you forget this). Nilu and Che were the only ones not lazy enough to go out for some more booze.

It turned out to be more disappointing for Javed when everybody opted for some plain veg food at the nearby bhojnalaya. This was just not turning out to be his day. By the time we had finished, he had gone out on his own to have chicken and yet more booze. Seeing that he was alright, we all returned to the hotel and retire for the night. The plan was to move out the next day at 7 AM.

The Return

Surprisingly, everyone was ready very early and anxious to ride. Saying goodbye to Chail, we started our return journey. There was a slight mist that cleared off very quickly. On the way, we saw the surroundings that we had missed on arrival. Many resorts are coming up along the way. This road would be busy in the coming days. I sure hope it doesnt spoil the beauty of the place.

It was in Kandaghat when Javed's mood finally lit up. He found a huge weed plant. As he began processing it, the locals were looking at us peculiarly. I couldnt understand why as we are helping them clear the unnecessary growth so that other useful plants can prosper.

Now, we were back on NH-22. This road is great for motorcycles where you can bank at 60 degrees at a speeds of 60 or so. Also, crossed the main landmark of Solan, the Mohan Meakin Brewery.

Varun suggested Dharampur as the place for breakfast. We rode non-stop till there. We gorged on healthy, stuffed parathas, Amul butter, Mushroom omelettes. Halfway through and Che was still not given the menu by the waiter. He was also deprived of the key to the toilet which he only got after paying the bill. Hmmm, maybe there was a link there or maybe it was just the appearance.

Now, going by our ride history, there is always some trouble on the return journey. And with Che along, he always turns out to be the victim after some proud dialogue. This ride turned out to be no different. Che had gone to the toilet while everyone else rode on. Che got a little agitated and said, "I won't wait for anyone anymore". 15 kms before Kalka, I saw him standing on the side of the road. The battery had gone off. Luckily, the ride was downhill. With leg support of Manpreet, he managed to make a move.

10 minutes later, another incident occurred. Che was rolling downhill at 40 kph. Varun was riding alongside at 20 kph. As Che started to overtake him, the two somehow got too close. With no horn to warn Varun with, and since he was riding right on the edge where the asphalt was about 3 inches above the ground, Varun lost balance and fell. Manpreet was riding behind him and stomped on the breaks giving out a squeal from the tyres. He stopped just in time otherwise he couldve ridden over Varun. But still, Varun got hit on the leg by Manpreet's Bullet. I was behind Manpreet and braked hard myself. We narrowly avoided a pile-up.

The motorcycles escaped any damage. But, Varun got bruised on the leg. Che applied Savlon and bandages over the wound enthusiastically. It seemed he was enjoying to use the first-aid box finally on some trip.

Varun chose to stop over at his relative's house in Panchkula. We finally reached Kalka and Che got his machine fixed. We had stopped earlier and taped together 2 of the 3 battery wires. It turned out that the 3rd wire was the culprit.

We rode on and stopped at a theka in Ambala for refreshments.

Now, anyone who had not been opening his throttle wide prior to Ambala, sure did so after. We rode at top speed until Haveli, Karnal. This was evident when Manish paid a fine of 250 Rs for speeding just before Haveli. The rest escaped by just riding through or slowing down just enough before the police barrier or by hiding behind other vehicles.

After a thali lunch, the weather turned cloudy. Gyan said farewell at Panipat and Varun rejoined the group. A short distance ahead and it started to rain. We rode through the rain for about 40 kms. By the time, we reached back to the landfill, it had turned dry. Puneet and Varun chose to ride straight home to Gurgaon. Javed and Nilu diverted towards Lajpat Nagar. That left Manpreet, Che, Manish and myself. We gathered back at the Gurgaon Toll Plaza from where the journey had started and then signed off.

Getting anxious to hit the mountain roads again.

Distance covered 925 kms.