As mentioned in my previous post, one of my friends had to leave mid-way through the train journey and tend to his mom who was hospitalized. In the mean time, we decide to continue ahead to Chandigarh. I was alone as the other two friends were traveling in a different compartment. All through the journey my thoughts were with my friend. The train passes through some really beautiful plains. I was able to spot different birds and at one point could see 3 Sambars together in a field. The sad part about the moving train is you cant really take a picture. While nearing Delhi Cantonment station, the train passes very closely near the new Delhi airport. The area after station on one side is occupied by the army and on the other side is full of slums. One side you have neat disciplined life and the other side is full of chaos.
We reached Chandigarh a little after 4:30pm and headed to the bus station in sector 43 to board the bus to Manali. Since we had reached the bus station a little early for a 840pm bus, we decided to spend some time at the Food Plaza attached to the bus station . After whiling away a couple of hours at the Food Plaza, we boarded the bus to Manali. The bus travel was hassle free and without any discomfort. We reached Manali the next day, 20/07, around 7am. We then hiked our way to the hotel, which was approximately a good km away with our heavy back packs. We checked in at the hotel and now only 2 more days remain to start the trek.
The remaining 2 days were spent doing the local sight seeing in Manali.
My thoughts...My story 