Am I waiting for my next train or Am I just enjoying the pretty sight?
Inspiring Contrast of Colors
Why Barog?
-Cauz someone cautioned me "Barog would be a trek from the highway","there is nothing to do there.." etc etc.The warnings sounded too adventurous to not try
-Cauz "Barog" name sounded better than "Dharampur",the weirdest reason to go to the little less known place.
-Cauz "Barog" was where "Jab we Met" was shot,my favourite movie
How To Reach Barog
Understanding our plight to go to Barog in spite of the warnings,dad arranged for us the car.Going Barog is not very easy unless you have a vehicle.
1)There are very few buses which goes from Chandigarh or Delhi to Barog,and hardly any if you want to go from Kasauli to Barog.Taxi charges are equally expensive.So what do we do?
2)Best way is to take a Shimla - Kalka train,which halts at Barog,after that there is a small hike of around half a km up,to reach the roadway.But then again,if you are not in for an adventure like this,or if you are with the elderly and have lots of luggage,best is to ask your resort for the pick up.
3)Or you can directly board a bus at Kalka/Chandigarh/Delhi,or take a taxi from Kasauli.If you are taking a bus,then you'd have to hike or even do a short trek before you reach the station.
4)Whatever it is,make sure you have appropriate plans on how to reach the place beforehand.
5)If you have no clue,even then the Himachal tourism is the best to help you out,in fact they are the best to plan your homestays,your vacations anywhere in Himachal.
The Funny Kasauli-Barog By Car
So as I was saying,dad arranged for us a car.We had already done a round1 Kasauli on Day1,today we wanted to just walk around,get the morning view,the sunrise the points before getting into our car.This chap came early and was in a hurry.We didn't know "Lazy kids on the walk".When we came with our luggage down,he said "Jaldi baitho,ap bache log,brigadier saab ko receive karna hai 12 baje shimla pe,ap abhi aa re ho!"His words were so broken that we looked at our watch and were like huh,how can anyone possibly reach by 12 and that too at Shimla.But we were wrong.The car started at a pace that was equal to being on a jet plane,no stops,no gossips.Well in between there was a short conversation of very short nature,all thanks to the traffic jam.He said age walk karke jao,oops poor guy.We didn't even ask him where,because we knew for him each second was precious.How do we know it?Well,sometimes you just know it.We stocked on our Kurkures from the highway,we knew we won't get much there.
The Barog Highway - Barog Tunnel Walk
We didn't know whether we were stranded or there was really something down.All we could see was pine trees,forests and a kacha path.This seemed to be like going down from somewhere , we didn't know where.May be I would've listened to dad,may be we could have boarded the train at Dharampur.So many maybe's but the kacha road was tempting too,who knows if not Barog,then something else.My brother was constantly staring and sheepishly telling me "Haven't you already seen enough of tunnels in your life,than do something as absurd as trekking nowhere to get a glimpse of a tunnel maybe.Let me remind you all,my brother is sweet adventurous,and takes calculated risks or even risks which are sometimes beyond we could think of,but all that depends on his mood.Sometimes its easy,sometimes its a stretch..and today he was in a mood to fire me for the unknown path which lay ahead.But then after a little walk,the board at the highway said 'Barog down' and they even had an option to stay at cottages,so yes all that couldn't be that vague.This gave us the confidence to move forward.
The short trek was awesome,we saw many pomegranate trees wild flowers amidst the lush green forests.And then when we were on our way down,we could spot the toy train coming.I almost jumped!Yes it was Barog,the beautiful station with the tunnel in the greens.
The Barog Story As Per Wikipedia
Video on Barog
Barog was settled in the early 20th century and was named after Colonel Barog, an engineer involved in building the railway track in 1903.
Barog, the engineer, was responsible for designing a tunnel near the railway station. He commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction.
However, he made mistakes in his calculation and while constructing the tunnel, it was found that the two ends of the tunnel did not meet. Barog was fined an amount of 1 Rupee by the British government. Unable to withstand the humiliation, Barog committed suicide. He was buried near the incomplete tunnel. The area came to be known as Barog after him.
Later it was constructed under Chief Engineer H.S. Harrington's supervison guided by a local sage, Bhalku in a short period from July 1900 to September 1903 at a cost 8.40 Lakh rupees (Rupees 840,000).
This tunnel is the longest of the 103 operational tunnels on the route of the Shimla-Kalka Railway, which is 1143.61m long. Barog station is immediately after the tunnel. Barog tunnel is the straightest tunnel in the World.
Trains take about 2.5 minutes to cross this tunnel, running at 25 kilometres per hour.
Admiring Barog
You know what's the best feeling on earth,making your brother jealous that it was me afterall who suggested...Well it was him who said Barog,and then backed out saying lets catch a train from Dharampur.Ok it wasn't some high end trek,ok it wasn't some Shimla or Manali,but this was different and cute.As cute as it can get and beautiful too.We had our next train reservation after 3 hours to Kalka,just the perfect time to explore the Barog station.
A word of thanks to Lonely Planet India for the RT on Barog
About Grace Estates Barog
/*Grace Estates as told by Shireen Opal Malhotra and Grace Estates Page
GRACE ESTATES has 2000 Sq.Yds property at Barog & we are planning to build 5 tailor made cottages at the property with breathtaking view of the Choordhar & Pine Hills.The property has ample parking space to park about 20 vehicles.There is a concrete road going to the end of the property.
Each tailor made cottage has the privilege of designing it as per the owner’s own choice & requirements.Each cottage would have a minimum of 1000 Sq.Ft. of covered area & total area of 1700 Sq.Ft.The covered area can be increased to 1500 Sq.Ft. & accordingly total area can be increased to 2550 Sq.Ft.The construction of all cottages would be first class construction.
The cost of the cottage would vary with the covered area & would be Rs 5,000/- per Sq.Ft. of covered area.Meaning thereby that a cottage of 1000 Sq.Ft. covered area & total area of 1700 Sq.Ft. would cost Rs 50 lacs.
Next we take a train from Barog-Kalka and head to Pinjore Garden.Or we go and explore Thimpu,Paro and Punakha in Bhutan or just be a chammak chalo at Mussorie..Let's see what's comes up next ..what do you think?
And a gud news!I am going Maldives from 1st Nov-6th Nov,my second international trip this year.
