We left Shimla early next
morning. Our plan was to reach Kullu at least by midday. We had breakfast on
the way. The road was being constructed. We travelled along the Beas river
which had a different blue colour to it. When we reached Kullu it was already
Midday.
Sanjeev took us to a place where
there was adventure. I wanted to try rafting and paragliding. So we started
with rafting. This was quite different to the rafting we have here. There is a
guide who took us and we had our safety gear. But he does all paddling. We just
had to sit and enjoy the scenery. I even jumped into cold water just to get the
feel of it. It was a short experience but had a view of a different landscape.
Then we went to do paragliding. After a wait we went up to around 8000 feet and
the jump was exciting. The view from the top at the below was always amazing.
The young boy behind me who controlled the navigation took turns rotating me as
if I was going through a spiral motion, adding a bit of more excitement. We paid
something extra for the video as well.
As the eve was approaching, we
started moving towards Manali which was about a one hour drive. We stopped at a
temple on our way. This was called Hanogi Devi temple. We had to remove our
shoes and move up. There were different gods/goddesses and we had to even crawl
through tunnels to reach these shrines. We reached the hotel by about 7 p.m.
And we were planning to stay at Manali for 3 nights the longest.
It was the Christmas day. So we
decided to buy some booze and celebrate. There was a local wine and we bought
some chicken and bites from a nearby shop and enjoyed celebrating the success
of an overseas Christmas. While talking about our lives in a deep conversation
we said good night and went to bed as we had Manali adventure the following
day.
We got up and got ready in the
morning. Sanjeev have also taken a shot so he got a bit late when he came. We
were planning Solang valley on the day. This was Manali Adventure Park. The
first thing was to get ourselves into proper attire. Then some of us got a
package for skiing. Off we went to Solang Valley. The traffic was huge. We had
to basically wait in line for nearly an hour. Finally we got out and started
walking towards the snow field where we were to try skiing.
People of all ages, genders were
there. Everyone was trying their hand on skiing. It was fascinating to see them
moving, falling on snow. This is where we bought Kasturi at a better price than
in Shimla. Here the there was more snow compared to Shimla. It was a free time
and after spending some time there skiing and playing with snow, we walked
towards Solang Valley.
It was a large valley white all
over covered with snow. You can try yourself to different sorts of adventure
activities there. Our two girls want to try on some traditional dresses and we
took some photos in them. Afterwards we tried the cable car. It was a two way
ride to a high view point. The journey in the car was a good experience. You
can see the view of the valley below all in white. There was a small restaurant
at the top. You can spend some time there rolling sliding on snow.
After the cable ride we started
coming back towards the vehicle. We stopped at Himvali amusement and Cultural
park. This was a place where visitors can experience different cultures of
Himachal region. You get different dance performances of Gujarat, Bengali where
dancers come in their traditional costumes and even the audience take part in
the dancing. There are magic shows and also a restaurant where you can get food.
It was pretty cold that night and I was even without a sweater. It was a
different experience away from adventure.
So when we reached the hotel we
emptied the remaining bottle we had and settled to sleep.
The following day was for
sightseeing at Manali. There were
several sites to be seen.
1. Vashisht
Bath – The first to visit was Vashisht bath. This was located inside the
ashram. There were two separate baths one for men and the other for women. It
was a hot water spring and this is believed to be having medicinal properties. Vashisht
village holds immense significance as the heritage served as the residence to
one of the saptarishis, Sage Vashisht.
2. Hadimba
Devi Temple - Locally known as the Dhungiri temple, Hidimba Devi temple or
Hadmiba temple, it is one of the most popular temples in Manali. This four-storyed
structure lies amid a forest, called Dhungiri Van Vihar. The locals have named
the temple on the name of the surrounding forest area. Dedicated to Goddess
Hadimbi (wife of Bheem, one of the five Pandava brothers of epic Mahabharata),
it was constructed way back in 1553. The top conical roof is in metal while the
other three square-shaped floors are roofed with timbre tiles. There is also a
24 meter high tower. The temple has a wooden doorway and the mud walls adorn
stonework. The door has elaborate miniature paintings of the Goddess, animals
etc. The beam of the doorway has the Navgrahas (the) and female dancers from
one of the stories of Lord Krishna. The temple does not have an idol of the
Goddess but a huge stone carrying her footprint is kept here. It was located in
a very mystic surrounding.
3. Club
House - Ideal for people of kids as well as adults, Club House is an amazing
amusement and adventure zone, which is one of the most popular attractions in
Manali. Placed on the banks of Manalsu Nallah (branch of Beas River), it has
various indoor and outdoor game facilities. The Club house is managed by the
Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC). It has British style
of architecture. Visitors can enjoy games like carom, skating, go-karting
billiards, and table tennis. Adventurous souls can also try their hand at
zip-lining where one has to cross a river using ropeway. There is an in-house
restaurant at the Club House complex where the guests can enjoy hot and cold
beverages, along with some delightful snacks. Other additions are video games
centre, an auditorium and a library. There are a few shops also where you can
get your hands on some good woolen clothing and other keepsakes.
4. Mall
Road – This is where you can do all shopping in Manali. There are many shops
and restaurants that you can try out. We tried some pizza and Buriyani from
there and also some street ice creams. It is a very large area where you can
even spend a whole day. We met Nadeesha, Dulaj and their friends at the market
and also withdrew some money from the ATM. After roaming for few hours we
managed to find Sanjeev who was waiting for us and we went to the hotel to
spend our last night at Manali.
Beas River is
the main source of water in Manali. The river was almost dried up/frozen but
the banks formed lovely landscapes. So we also had a chance to get down and get
some snaps with the scenery. We bought many kinds of nuts as well. Almonds,
Apricots, Cashews were comparatively cheap.
As I mentioned
in my earlier article you need to be careful when you book your hotels. Dinner
was ok but the breakfast was most of the time some Sandwiches, Parata/Chapati
and there weren’t many curries as Indians uses to eat these with Pickles. Food
were not spicy but had the Masala taste. There are enough restaurants you can
go and eat so most of the time food is not an issue.
If you’re
shopping you need to bargain and get a better price as the prices quoted are
above the market prices. Sarees and Kurtas are the major items that was
available.
It is always
better to have some knowledge of Hindi which would help you to communicate. I
would say as a whole the area was safe. There were police throughout the day.
