#TheBlindList- A blind date with the mountains! #SayYesToTheWorld

This is a post very close to my heart. This is about a memorable and enriching experience of mine when I just took a leap of faith and plunged into a journey to the mountains.

It was a pleasant summer weekend, and by pleasant I mean our mood was pleasant, my wife's and mine, but the heat was too much to take in. We were stationed in Chandigarh which is a beautiful city, also known for its close proximity to beautiful Himachal Pradesh. As the proximity was very close, we decided to go to Shimla for the weekend.

Now, it seems like a fairly simple plan, but I had never driven on the hilly roads before in my life, and it was the tourist season, and we hadn't the faintest clue about the place, roads, and hotels. So it was an exploration into the unknown, on which two brave warriors embarked upon (my wife being braver than me since she was willing to go on a road trip with a driver who had never driven on hills before).

We packed a small suitcase with clothes and set right off. The scenery was, well the word is downright breathtaking. I have never seen such beautiful views in my life. As soon as we crossed Parwanoo, the air was mildly chilly, just enough to blow away the heat that sun was throwing down on us. The roads were curvy and very well maintained. There were designated spots where we could stop the car, enjoy the view while munching on some freshly roasted corn cob and sip hot ginger tea.

So we took multiple stops on our way to Shimla which was approximately 4.5 hours drive (considering I was a newbie on the hills, driving on unknown roads and stopping way too frequently to enjoy the views).

Upon reaching Shimla, the first thing that we needed was to find a hotel. Now there are a lot of hotels but surprisingly we did not find room in any of them (yeah surprising as it was ON season and the place was sprawling with tourists!). So we decided to park our car in the public parking lot and then spend some time there. It was a fair and reasonable choice/demand which was politely declined by the universe as it was also full. Now I was in a full-on ranting mode and started repenting my decision to ever come here. But my wife being brave(as demonstrated by her ability to come on a drive with me) and smart (yes she is really smart, practically the brains of the couple), was open-minded about our destination and suggested that we move forward and keep moving forward until we find a good place. So we drove on and soon the road grew thin but the views started becoming more and more stupendous. The weather was also improving with every kilometer that we crossed.

After driving for about 40 odd km from Shimla, we reached a small quaint own known as Fagu. 

It was just perfect. So serene and untouched by the chaos of Shimla, the calm I felt there was unlike any I have ever experienced-not before and not after. It was like exploring the world, unknown to us before but that called out to us.

Panoramic view enroute Fagu

Fagu has a single hotel which is run by HP tourism, built like an old multi-storied house. We didn't have our hopes up as Govt run hotels generally tend to fill first and we thought that we wouldn't be finding a room here and sunlight had already started to faint.

But call it our beginner's luck or whatever, but a room just opened as the couple who booked it canceled at the very last moment. We took the room without even checking it out. Since we were already on an unknown adventure, we were becoming braver with each passing minute.

Late evening view from the terrace.

Late evening scene on the terrace in the hotel.

The hotel was beautiful and we enjoyed the evening there. On the huge terrace, the clouds came surfing forming an amazing view and experience. We had tea with pakoras while gazing out into the mountains. Next day we checked out and drove back home and were thinking that if we had got a hotel in Shimla, we would have missed out on such an amazing stay and experience.

View from my room window.

A spellbinding early morning scene in Fagu

Sunset in Fagu

This trip was so full of ups and downs and we had an amazing time. During this trip I not only ticked off an item on my bucket list which was driving on hilly roads but also got a chance at self exploration and travel inspiration to go on many such trips in the future.

This blind date with the mountains is in our memories and it's there to stay.

Bucket lists are touche when #TheBlindList is here. An unplanned road trip that ended at Fagu started #TheBlindList for me and my list has been growing since.

What unforgettable experiences are there on your blind list?

#SayYesToTheWorld because we are all connected and the world is calling us to experience new adventures.