Manali is a hill station situated in Himachal Pradesh at the height of 6500 ft above sea level.I went 2 Manali in the peak summer season of May to escape the draining heat.The temperature of most Indian cities is 40 degrees and upwards.Well it was a good decision ..................hell, It was a great decision !!!
We reached Manali by Bus 4rm Chandigarh .There r many govt and private buses available which take aroun 10 hrs 4rm Chandigarh.We took the 7:30 am Punjab Roadways bus 4rm Chandigarh and reached Manali around 6:00 pm.The journey was nerve wracking at first with the bus negotiating the hilly area and the thin roads at the corner with a valley 2 look downwards.But slowly I got used 2 it.
Initially while packing I figured that the most I would need is a half hand sweater.My mathematics told me that 40+ in other parts of India and the most it could come down was by half in the peak season.So 20 degrees in a half hand sweater wasn’t hard 2 manage.
But how wrong I was.The temp in Manali was around 8-15 degrees in nights and I was freezing since I am not habituated 2 the cold (bcoz I live in hyd where the min temp in winters is around 12 degrees).I had 2 request the hotel staff 4 an extra blanket.
The next morning I took a private car 4 a local sight seeing tour.We visited the local Vaishno Temple, Kullu which is 35 km 4rm Manali and famous 4 its shawls.The first thing I did was 2 buy a jacket 4 myself which was quite useful in the end.The most interesting part was the trip 2 Manikaran which is 85 kms 4rm Manali on the steep and thin roads having a look athe lovely sceneries I thought existed only in Europe
The beauty of Kullu and Manali is that they r situated on the banks of the River Beas with the lovely water floeing down.Manikaran is a Gurudwara which has hot sulphur springs where rice can b boiled in those springs in 13 min flat.I also visited the Tibetan Monastery and was quite impressed 2 c the young children playing around.I also felt a little sympathy 4 them as they were running away 4rm their own country.
The temples in these areas r made of wood witrh intricate carvings on tehm.The most famous is the Hiadamba Temple which is named after Hidamba(Bhim’s wife) who was a demon but thru penance she achieved the status of a goddess.Most of the temples have a teunnel like entrance where v have 2 bend down 2 enter.
The next day I was excited as today was the day I would c snow in real life.I have cin snow in innumerable Bollywood movies immortalised by Yash Chopra’s movies.The snow point is called Marhi and is at a height of 9500 ft.The place is quite crowded and cold 2.U get fur coats and other stuff 4 a nominal price on the way.The palce was cool in the literal sense.Rohtang Pass is one of the main tourist attractions at a height of 1300 ft and connects 4rm Manli 2 Leh.BUt unfortunately it was closed when v visited.
Another thing I would like 2 point out is the excellent food.Even at a roadside dhaba the food is excellent.
I hope Manali is kep as it is in the lap of nature and v dont spoil its natural beauty by modernizing it.There is a huge problem of traffic jams as the roads r thin and can get stuck upto 2 hrs( I experienced that).But I would like 2 point out that the jams r 95% of the times never caused by a local but city drivers (mostly 4rm delhi, haryana).
ACCOMODATION
There r about 600 hotels in Manali and I would suggest that no booking is required as they charge extra and lodging can b done when u get there.The rate of competition is very high among hotels.In the off-season the same room is available 4 Rs.250 4 which I paid Rs.1000.During winters the entire area is coverd in snow.
Well that was my experience of Manali.I hope everyone of u would travel there 2 take a look at ’’INDIA’S VERY OWN SWITZERLAND’’ . I just hope that thru rapid tourism the beauty of Manali is not destroyed (like Shimla whch is affectd by this 2 an extent)
P.S : THE LOCALS R VERY HONEST PEOPLE.THEY R VERY HELPFUL .I THOUGHT THEY NEED A SPECIAL MENTION AS THEY 2 CONTRIBUTED IN MAKING MY TRIP A MEMORABLE ONE.