The winding mountain roads of Kangra valley took us to our destination and it was better than what we had imagined. These things always grab the attention of an automobile enthusiast. It was a retro-styled dhaba which served good fusion dishes. After crossing Pathankot, two-laned roads welcomed us and we soon dropped for lunch at Firangi Dhaba near Nupur. The roads till Pathankot were four-laned and butter smooth. Our destination for the day was Prakriti Aalay in Dharamshala an eco-resort which was highly rated on TripAdvisor. Our day started late and we checked out from the hotel by 11 AM. As sleep slowly conquered our senses, we returned to our rooms and decided to call it a day.ĭay Two: Amritsar – Dharamshala, Prakriti Aalay.ĭay two: Amritsar to Dharamshala via Pathankot. The Kada Prasad was served close to midnight. The food was delicious and loaded with butter. Just another picture of the temple sanctum.(Clicked while we were waiting for Kada Prasad).Īs temple sanctum was closed for a considerable time, we went for our dinner from Kesar Da Dhaba. The food was one of the important factors in any journey planned and we had our wish list which included Langar, Kada Prasad from the Golden Temple and a meal from the legendary Kesar Da Dhaba.
The ambience was something which soothed our minds and view of the temple sanctum in full glory during the night added on to that special experience. The only thing we could do was to stay in the moment admiring this creation. The outside view of the Harmandir Sahib complex. It gave us more fatigue than what we could have got from walking towards our destination. Once we had got into one of those, we instantly regretted our decision. Many e-rickshaws which offered back-breaking rides plied between the Jallianwala Bagh and the Golden Temple. The bullet marks from one of the darkest hours in the history of our country.Īfter spending some quality time in the garden, we advanced towards the golden temple. The stories, especially that of Udham Singh and Ratan Devi gave us chills down our spines. I felt ashamed for not knowing about this legend.
All of that had to change on that memorable evening it was truly magical. The tragedy at Jallianwala Bagh was one of the topics in our history class during school days and like any other topic, we memorized it for the sake of exams. The infamous narrow entrance to the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial. In fact, it could be considered as a common trait of Punjab during the course of our journey. We had tried some and found most of them delicious. Here you would find several options for street foods on the route approaching the memorial. Once we reached our hotel, we came to realize that the aforementioned fact is the only thing this hotel could boast of.Ī quick nap rejuvenated our spirits and soon we started our walk towards the Jallianwala Bagh. We had our rooms booked with Treebo Dee Intercontinental which shares its vicinity with both Jallianwala Bagh and Harmandir Sahib a.k.a the Golden Temple. Note: I took this journey in April 2018 and all the photographs were captured using my humble Mi A1 which would rather sleep during a debate on low light image quality.ĭay One: Mumbai - Amritsar, Jallianwala Bagh, The Golden Temple.ĭay One: There was not much travelling involved on the first day.Īfter an uneventful two and a half hour flight from Mumbai, we landed in Amritsar around 3:40 PM. That coupled with my inquisitiveness made Dharamshala added to our itinerary in a blink. With the presence of a toddler in our group, it was a no-brainer to go for a laid back place.
With just about a week in our disposal, discussions started about places to be considered in our itinerary. It was something which I could not afford to slip through. It was once when I was searching for tickets to Delhi, I stumbled upon a good deal for Mumbai - Amritsar flight. It might be the sheer fascination about the Golden Temple and its selfless volunteers, or how a country like Tibet which has lost its existence is being administrated from a place in India or even the hype surrounding the Wagah border.įor a mountain person, if you reach Delhi you will be treated with several options to satisfy your wanderlust thanks to its proximity with the mighty Himalayan range. In this case, I am really not sure about the exact event which triggered my longing for Amritsar and Dharamshala. It may be something you have read or heard which sparks the itch for these places. There are some places which tempt us to make a visit solely on the curiosity and wonder it engrave in our minds.