Going on an unplanned challenge is fun but not an easy affair. Changing plans all of sudden to manage budget and accommodation are two such points which may leave you confused. And I have been to such situations several times. I have had such unplanned trips where I wasn’t aware of what would happen the next day. The best example of such a situation was my Kathmandu trip, though I was with some more travelers back then. It was a relief for me as we managed funds and other things. But trust me this doesn’t happen all the time. I have stayed in a hotel for a night at 2500 INR when I went to Triund for trekking, yes just for a night and that too from 1 AM to 12 PM which happened due to a poorly planned schedule. And that’s what I did while I was in Shimla. Something happened and I have to plan to visit Kasauli leaving Shimla the next day.
From my previous post, you have read that Shimla was never in my travel list but somehow I reached there, out of curiosity or whatever you may call it. I had heard this place being crowded. This notion made me realize that Shimla wasn’t my place. I am someone who loves the peace of Tosh. I am someone who loves to deeply engage in the pristine beauty of Shangarh. And the feedback I had got for Shimla, it was really hard to imagine. Plus I went Shimla during the year-end time which itself was a blunder. I shouldn’t have gone Shimla at least during this time if there was any hope for me to change my mindset about this capital city of Himachal Pradesh. And I tell you, my plan to visit Kasauli the very next day was a nice idea however problems were already waiting for me there too.
Honestly, I had no plan to visit Kasauli but I was done with Shimla
Yes, you read it right. I am sure many of you love this city and may disagree with what I just wrote that I was done with Shimla. But imagine the situation that I had to leave Shimla and plan to visit Kasauli the very next day. I spent my first day visiting Kufri. The hotel owner told me that Kufri was nothing but a waste of time. Well, I visited Shimla to witness snowfall. But Murphy’s Law stole my moments. The cab driver who drove me to the hotel from IBST Shimla suggested me to visit Kufri. Well, he was just making his earning for the day. He sold me the package for whole and it was sheer wastage of money. He took me to do the things I had no plans of doing.
From Kufri, I came to Jakhoo Temple. I must have spent an hour or so there and planned to move back to the city. I came down and called the driver. He then drove me to the place somewhere near the lift and from there; I had to go to the Mall Road. I was done; I was seriously done when I was the long queue for the lift. I didn’t get a good start and I was like a child who didn’t like the cereal but had to eat. The hotel I stayed in was just average considering the price. So, there were several reasons which made me plan to visit Kasauli.
So, I took a bus to Kasauli from Shimla Bus Stand
The next morning, I woke up early, took shower, checked out, and headed to the local bus stand. From there, I boarded a bus to reach ISBT Shimla. I realized I reached back ISBT Shimla in what I guess 20 rupees or so and I paid almost ten times when I arrived Shimla. I waited for a while at ISBT and then I got a bus to Dharampur. Well, Dharampur too could have been a nice place to visit. But I had only checked about Kasauli on Google when I was done with the crowd of Shimla. Earlier I used to think that Kasol and Kasauli were the same name of a place.
I reached Dharampur and from there, I took another bus to Kasauli and reached there in good time. And what I was going to do in Kasauli, well trust me I had no idea. I just wanted to escape from the chaos I saw at The Ridge and I just wanted to stay away from it. And when I reached Kasauli, I realized I did right. My plan to visit Kasauli was the right decision and it was what I looked for.
I again checked in Google, things to do in Kasauli. However, I had to return to Delhi the same day since it was Sunday and I was there on my weekend trip only. So I decided not to follow Google and just follow what came on the way. From the bus stop where the bus dropped me, I took a walk to the main city’s place and reached a shop where I ate something to deal with the appetite for a while. After that, I moved to the Church and I sat inside to just relax. However, there too some pre-wedding shoot at the church premises ruined things and I moved out. By the time, my body had started to run out of energy and I reached a restaurant that was close to the Church. It wasn’t the best but I filled my belly.
The sun started to shower its vermilion hue over the hills and the sky turned a canvas with vibrant red, blue colors. The sun was kissing the horizon. I didn’t get to make to the sunset point but the place from where I saw the mystical serene brilliance of nature; it was just what I had longed for. The sky turned dark, sprinkled with twinkling stars. I reached back to the bus stop and waited for the bus. After waiting for a while, I got a bus back to Dharampur and from Dharampur I reached Kalkaji. Now there, I had to wait for long. There was no bus and it was midnight. It was cold. After a long wait, I got a bus, fully over-packed to its capacity that dropped me Chandigarh, and there too I had to face the same situation. But somehow I managed to reach Delhi in the morning. My one-day weekend trip to Kasauli saved my time and efforts that I had put to make the last trip of 2019.
