That was the refrain of our 9 year old, Akash, ever since his school closed for the summer vacations. ''I am nine years old, but have not yet seen snow''. We did try telling him that we, his parents, had seen snow for the first time in our lives only after officially being declared adults, but that line of logic does not cut ice with a 9 year old who has made up his mind.
The process of elimination began – Shimla, Mussorie, Darjeeling, Gangtok were ruled out after a quick check with Mountain Men – Shashank (MS ID : blueguitar) and Anirban (MS ID : anirbanc). No snow in summer, they said. Other destinations like Leh were ruled out due to accessibility. Nepal was ruled out because of political unrest, and Switzerland because of capital inadequacy.
That left Manali – and from an earlier travel experience (the first time I saw snow), I knew that we could expect to see some snow near Manali. So, hey ho for Manali, we decided.
Manali, located at an altitude of 2050 m, is situated along the banks of the Beas, close to the Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley. It is the main holiday destination in all of Himachal Pradesh.
Peep peep don’t sleep
To get to Manali, the nearest major railway point is Chandigarh, from where you have to use the road. The distance from Chandigarh to Manali is about 330 kms and can be covered in about 8-9 hours by car. One interesting stop on the way is at Café Lake View at Bilaspur where you get excellent tea and snacks with a lovely view of the Lake (what else ?) in the valley below.
The nearest airport is Bhuntar, near Kulu, which is 50 kms away from Manali and your only option is to fly Jagsons Airlines from Delhi to Bhuntar, if you don’t want to spend too much time traveling. That flight is enough matter for a separate review by itself.
Whichever mode you choose, do plan to do the Kulu – Manali trip only in the daytime. The views are awesome and reminds me of that hymn :
The purple headed mountains
The river running by…
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
Apple orchards on either side of the road, the silvery river Beas flowing alongside, the mountains all around with their pine and deodhar forests, emerald valleys, waterfalls fed by the melting snow, the clean pure air…aah, bliss.
Heaven, Hell or Mother Earth, Choice is yours
You can’t throw a stone without hitting a hotel in Manali. (But why would you want to throw stones ?)
Accommodation is available in all price ranges for all degrees of comfort. From the top-notch Ambassador Resorts, Span Resorts, Log huts, etc. to the mid range Manali Heights, Hotel Beas down to the tent accommodation at the many camps.
There are also restaurants catering to a variety of palates. Chinese, Continental, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, South Indian – all available. Chaat shops and bakeries selling pastries (walnut cake, apple crumbles, et al) and cookies if you want a light snack. One interesting restaurant that we visited – Johnson’s Café – the maitre d’ very apologetically told us that they served only Italian, and was much reassured when we told him we had dropped in to try his pizza.
On the bend, go slow friend
Places to visit in and around Manali include :
Hadimba Temple:This temple, with a four-tier pagoda roof, dating back to 16th century, is built around a natural cave, which enshrines the footprints of the goddess Hadimba. (Hadimba was the wife of Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata, and later became the patron goddess of the Kulu royal family.) Located in a forest grove, this has been turned into a highly commercial tourist spot and is highly crowded, but worth taking a dekko.
Manu Temple:Near the Hadimba temple flows the Manalsu River, that culminates in the main Beas river. Across the Manalsu river is the old village of Manali, that houses the ancient temple of the sage Manu. Manali itself is named after Manu, who is said to have dwelt here. The sage Manu is the person who is credited with having laid down the laws of life for mankind (Manu Samriti).
Monasteries:Manali also houses Buddhist monasteries, that have impressive Buddha idols and paintings.
Vashisht:A little distance from Manali is the village of Vashisht, which is renowned for its hot sulphur springs. The village is also the site of some old temples, dedicated to the great sage Vashisht, and to Lord Rama. The water from the underground sulphur springs has been tapped and made available as a bathing tank for those interested. This water is supposed to have medicinal properties. This is also the place to shop for tankha paintings, feng-shui bells, carvings and crystals. The ubiquitous Kulu shawls or other woolen articles of clothing are also available here, as in the Mall in the heart of Manali.
Club House:If you want to sit with your feet in icy water and just imbibe all of Nature’s beauty, this is the place to do so. A great picnic spot, and within 10 minutes drive from the Mall, which is the main market of Manali.
Be mild on my curves
Towards the Rohtang Pass:15 kms from the town is Kothi, an idyllic village, which boasts of a superb view of the deep gorge, and the Beas river rushing through it. Sixteen kms from Manali, at an altitude of 2500 m are the magnificent Rahalla Falls, beyond which is the Rohtang Pass, 51 kms from Manali. Located at a height of 3980 m, the Pass once served as a crucial trade route, and still remains the gateway to the north. The Pass is only open from June to November each year, as the road gets buried under snow in winter.
We did not travel all the way to Rohtang Pass but stopped at Snow Point, where there was ample snow (even in summer) to satisfy a certain nine year old. The route is along a road that has more curves on it than any curled up python. It is also dotted with shops from where you can rent woolen overcoats, caps, plastic boots and gloves, which you will need to keep you warm. Having thrown a few snowballs, and slid down the snow, we proceeded to have lunch consisting of tasty Chinese noodles dished up by a tea stall vendor. Posed for a photograph with a Yak – and then, it happened. The sky turned dark, and it started snowing. The highpoint of our trip !!!
Time is money but life is precious
For the adventurous, Manali also offers Parks and Camps with whiteriver rafting, rappelling, Burma Bridge crossing, etc. Let me dispel any doubts that have been caused by the header of this paragraph by saying that all necessary precautions are taken by the people who run these camps and experienced help is always at hand.
After whisky driving risky
All those of you who had the forbearance to reach this point in the review and wondered what the boldfaced paragraph headings had to do with the contents of the paragraph – the answer is nothing. I found these interesting signboards placed at strategic points on the Manali-Rohtang Pass road by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Corporation and decided to place the messages at strategic points in my review.
Peace. :-)
