A mere mention of Manali causes images of snow-capped mountains to flutter by, aided primarily by the abundance of literature available on the net, not to mention the overtly positive response from those who have already had the fortune to visit ’the valley of Gods’, as it is called. Apart from the snow and the beautiful valleys that Manali so richly possesses, often people forget the sheer beauty of the river Beas, which flows along the entire length of this beautiful hill station. Another aspect, not written well about, is the wonderful hospitality of the natives, not to mention the innocence of the people out here. To taint this image is the lurking prospect of seeing a person devouring ’Manali chocolate’, as it is known, no less item than heroin.
The trip from Shimla to Manali has to be done in daytime to catch breathtaking views of mounts, valleys and greenish rivers. Manali isn’t the tallest of hill stations, by any standards, boasting of a height of around 2000 m, less than Ooty. The temperature in November (the time my wife and I visited) was comfortably warm in the daytime, and bitingly cold during the nighttime. Shimla has its bit of beauty but it is always advisable to visit Shimla before visiting Manali, to make both trips enjoyable. What you see using telescopes in Shimla, can be seen with naked eyes, in Manali.
The Beas River, which flows, as a thin stream with hardly 6 feet width at certain areas, and as a gushing river with enormous force at other areas, is abundant with natural beauty. The beautiful rocks that frame the river form diversions for the ice-cold water, with picturesque pine trees surrounding them. The only hitch is the fact that the river basin is the favorite haunt for the locals who are not so lucky with toilets, and the excreta are particularly eye-catching in the negative sense. The river offers such variety that you never get bored with it. During the length of around 51Kms from Manali to Manikaran, we asked our taxi guy to stop besides the Beas at least on 6 occasions to devour its beauty and take snaps. Many bridges can also be seen on this way. Some bridges resemble ropeways, through of a crude format, causing them to be more adventurous.
On the way to Manikaran is the Vaishno temple, called so despite being a conglomerate of temples of many deities. You have to bend/crawl to reach the interior of one of such temples, where you can find a priest engrossed in his book. After this, we entered the Shiv Gufa, after a steep climb of what seemed like endless steps. After passing Kullu, the way to Manikaran is the one in which I got to see the beauty of thin passages and steep rocks. The taxi driver, who has his origins in Sikkim, drove at a speed that caused the blood pressures of the two of us to shoot up. Manikaran has hot springs in two locations, the second one near a gurudwara being more popular. You can find shops on the way to this location, where you can even buy rice and Dal wrapped in pieces of cloth. We bought these and dipped them in the hot spring, and they got cooked in a short while. The history behind the hot spring is interesting. Staying barelegged near one of those, waiting for my rice to be cooked, I felt a sharp pang when a whiff of hot air from the spring blew to my legs. Apart from the hot springs, we found a hot cave nearby. This cave has an entrance, which is about two feet tall. Once we entered the cave, we started sweating inside. It was very strange, considering the fact that the temperature outside was around 18 degrees. The scientific explanation for the very existence of this hot spring foxes me. It could be that there is some heat-generator, akin to lave, several meters below the surface at this particular spot.
On the second day, we took a Himachal tourism daily-touring bus to Rohtang pass. This being Diwali time, the bus was filled with Bengalis. The trip took us to about 13, 500 feet above sea level. At times, I felt as though we were so away from civilization, with heart-stopping views on the way. The anticipation of snow, as the snow-capped mountains come closer and closer during the trip is indescribable. A peek down is not recommended for people with weak hearts. We had a stop at Rahla falls, which had pieces of ice, where the flow was not free. The area is pretty slippery, due to ice, and one of our passengers nearly twisted his ankle after slipping.
After reaching Rohtang pass, which is closed from November 15 till March due to snow, we hired bearskins and long boots and went on a trekking expedition, mounted on horses (incidentally named as Shahrukh and Kajol by the guide, who calls himself Raju). The view at the top is something, which cannot be described. It has to be seen to be believed. Ice and snow everywhere. There even is a snow-made Raja and Rani, near to which you can take snaps. Also present is a pair of skis, again for posing. We slided down the ice and snow. The person who rented out the other windcheaters had not provided us gloves. I couldn’t hold the camera in my hands for more than 10 seconds, as the hands went numb. After some frenzied snaps, we went back from the heavenly place back to where our bus was parked. Here, we took snaps of each other atop yaks, which are beautiful creatures, covered fully with dense hair. The return trip was not so enjoyable, since we were stuck in the traffic, since one of the returning vehicles broke down on the way, with little space for the vehicles behind to pass it.
The third day, we took a local trip to the Hadimba temple, which has beautiful locales around it, where the film Roja was supposedly shot in parts. We took a walk from our hotel, down to the Mall, and this trip itself was beautiful. Every inch of Manali seemed beautiful, and truly, this is a valley of Gods. The Mall had many attractions, Kullu shawls being the most important. Shimla apples are really tasty and the juice accompanies each bite.
To add to the sheer beauty of this piece of nature is the fact the people out here are extremely hospitable, something very unlike the other many tourist spots that I have visited. This is the perfect icing to the wonderfully tasty cake, which is Manali.