Day 9 - Himachals in Winter - "Farewell Angelina/The sky is folding/I'll see you in a while"

Previous - Day 8 - Manali Sightseeing

I start this post with this famous song of Bob Dylan as I feel this could be appropriate for Day 9. Obviously, Manali was the Angelina in our case, and it was a farewell day for us, unfortunately.

Leaving Manali is always difficult, since it embraces you with its outstretched arms, no matter where you come from, with so much warmth that it is damn difficult to turn your back on her. It certainly offered a special memory in our hearts. So when we hit the road to leave this beautiful hill-town after a quick breakfast at around 7 am, we were obviously feeling sad and a bit low as our adventure was coming to an end.

The road was a smooth drive. The dawn was just breaking, we left the snow-capped peaks glowing as gold behind. The ever-beautiful Beas joined as a faithful companion along the way. Whenever we looked back we could see the hills under both light and shadow, which gave the surroundings a magical effect.

Manali gradually became invisible and we were on those hills through which we came. We passed by Kullu, we passed by Bhuntar Airport, we passed by the cute villages. Through the hills and through the planes, we drove on. Beas never left us.

The sun felt scorcher by every minute since we were descending. At around 1 pm, we dropped by a small place – excuse my poor memory as once again I could not recall the name – and stuffed ourselves with a non-veg thali. Now the real bad roads started since we took a shortcut. And our most trusted fellow traveler – the Beas – headed to some other direction. We missed her really! It was just like parting away from one of the closest and trusted friends!

The road became narrower, dustier and rougher as we moved on. The cliffs came closer to the car. It was a real scary road. And as if that was not enough, there came a couple of trucks from the opposite sides and the road was totally blocked for everyone. Our car had to move backwards. That ran a chill through our spines. But anyway, we somehow managed and overcame all the obstacles.

We were on our way after some time to Chandigarh. This was the same road which went from Shimla but we have bypassed Shimla using that short-cut route.

We drove on through the traffics, noises, people and the pollutions, it felt like we were experiencing something new and things and we didn’t belong there – I guess this happens to everyone while returning from the hill-havens – we belonged to that pretty hill town.

We reached Pinjor Gardens – where we planned to stay at the Haryana Tourism’s resort inside the garden – around 5.30 pm. After that tedious journey we were desperately in need of a shower. We were allocated to ‘Sheesh Mahal’. It was like a place which was used by the Moghul Emperors to enjoy the beauty of the garden. The rooms were really spacious and cosy for 2 persons.

We had the full morning on the next day to explore the surroundings hence we concentrated most on the basic elemental needs of the modern mankind – a roof, a bed, a shower and food. The first 3 were already satisfied so we started our hunt for food. There was a restaurant in the premises by HRTC which can delight you with their delicacies. We two devoured a meal for 3 perhaps. And we started roaming around a bit. In the inside the complex were lit up by colored lightings which was really good for photography. But no tripod and no dSLR meant I had to be satisfied with my PAS (Point and Shoot, a rather known name really). The outside was made like an amusement park – toy trains, karting, food stall etc etc.

We did not really have much energy left so we thought to call it a night by 9 and after we retired to bed, we both perhaps dreamt of the snow-covered mountain peaks, of the tallest of trees, of the snowfall and of course, of our friend Beas.

Next - Day 10 - The Come Back

Pictures -

This is what we left behind

...and this as well

A bridge near Kullu

We crossed the bridge..

The green Beas

The friend whom we had to leave

Somewhere on the way

The Sheesh Mahal of Pinjore Garden

Day 8 – Himachals in Winter - Speechless Once Again by the Ever-magical Manali

Previous - Day 7 Manali - the Snowfall

The next day was sunnier and clearer than ever perhaps and there was not the tiniest chance of snowfall, so our hotel manager informed us. The next day again, the cottage –made breakfast of toasts, hot tea and boiled eggs satiated our hunger.  We left our cottage at around 10 am.

The sunny day was a quite a refreshing welcome compared to the previous day, though the day wasn’t warm by any means.  There was a sober wind on top of the cold day, which perhaps brought the temperature down even more. Everywhere the patches, lumps and heaps of snow were to be seen, as a reminiscence of the previous day. The people who were arriving today, didn’t know what they missed perhaps.

We went to the Manali Club House first. The club house itself had now been converted to an amusement park which we didn’t find that much interesting. There were a cluster of small shops selling local gift items, specifically attracting the tourist of the ‘fairer sex’. So we were also no exception. After indunging ourselves into some non-serious shopping – I consider the seriousness of the shopping through how much many is wasted (read ‘spent’) – we went towards the backyard of the clubhouse. There we found what we were looking for, an unhindered glimpse of Manali.

A scene from the backyard, Manali Club House

The Beas river was zigzagging through the rocks covered with snow and snowy at the farthest corner were glittering under the sun rays. Nothing apart from the  birds chirping, and the gentle sound of the stream were to be heard. The ambience was so calm that we sat there for an hour.

Another scene, horizontal view



The peaks


The next destination was the famous Hadimba Temple – many films were shot at this location, including Roja. The entrance of the gate were jam packed by the touts and hawkers offering to sell from toothpic to carpets. Yak ride, horse rides were the other attractions. The place, after entering the gate and a short walk of 5 mins through the tall trees and stone-curved path, became much serene. The trees were so tall that it seemed they areached reached the sky and blocked the view of sun.

Around Hadimba Temple Premises

People were offering Pujas to the Hadimba deity, my wife joined the queue and since I was admirer of the nature more than the temple itself, engaged my self into clicking some shots of everything. Once the rituals were over, my wife wanted to have snap wearing the local Himachali dress, and if you would like to be great husband, you must not say ‘No’ many times to the wives, and especially if its your honeymoon , there was no way. So after getting wrapped under the local attires, we posed at least for 20 mins in front of the camera. The snaps were to be delivered to our cottages.

Hadimba Temple

The next destination was a buddhist monastery, the name of which is beyond my memory now. But it was right at the heart of Manali. The sun was now playing hide and seek to us and so were the snow-capped peaks. At one moment the views were pleasing the eyes of the mortals, but the very next moment, it disappeared behind the clouds.

Gompa - the monastery

After the gompa visit, it was the time for lunch. We started a search for a Bengali restaurant, just being nostalgic. There were many bengali eateries to be found, but none of them were open. The owenrs and the workers, they felt even more nostalgic than us and went to spend a vacation with their near and dear ones, since it was an off-season. So again, the ‘Sher E Punjab’ saved our hungry souls, and stomachs too.

Just like an oil-painting

Now it was the time for some serious shoppings, since it was our last full day in Manali, everything had to be purchased today for the relatives and many whom I even didn’t know, I dared not to ask any questions.

The sky was covered under cloud

Once the shopping was over, we kept the bags in the car and roamed around the mall till the afternoon and enjoyed the beauty of Manali. We even managed to take some occassional shots of the gorgeous peaks when they were peeping through the clouds.

And the sky was cleared again

and that's how we managed this shot..

By the nightfall, we were in our cottages, today we didnot have any plan to cook so we ordered some food from the canteen itself to devour. The photographer from the temple came and handed over the envelope containing the snaps inside. I had to admit that they came out nicer than expected. We started packing things with a sad mind as we were to prepare for another long journey next day.

Next - Day 9 - Manali to Pinjore

Day 7 - Himachals in Winter - Manali - Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snowww..

Previous - Day 6 - Shimla to Manali

As the name of this post suggests, this was the day of snowfall. Since when we woke up around 6.30 am we could see the snow flakes coming down from the sky and covering the ambience with a white carpet. We went outside the cottage and saw that the lawn, the trees and the cottage itself was being snowed under. That was an amazing feeling. My wife saw her first live snowfall so undoubtedly she felt like a childlike exuberance and excitement.

We had a plan to visit the Solang Valley and a couple of other places also at our leisurely place. Now we were thinking if we could make it to the Solang Valley. By 9.30 in the morning it was still snowing and we could not decide what to do. Finally we decided to go out, giving a damn to the weather anyway.

We changed quickly and went outside. The lawn already went into a thick layer of snow and so were the roads and the backyard. It was just like watching a Hollywood movie and we felt like we were in a place which must be out of this world.

We had Puri-Bhaji as breakfast from the HPTDC canteen and called for our car. The car arrived within 30 mins and we started our adventure towards Solang Valley at around 11 am.

The road towards Solang was a pretty challenging climb for the Indica, and since both of sides were blocked with heaps of snow, the road became very slippery. Everywhere we looked, it was white. The sky was cloudy so the ice could not melt and it was receiving inches of snowfall by every passing minute.

The trees were without leaves, but their branches looked like some slim and tall men standing with outstretched arms, not to mention, under a thick white shirt. The Beas was running besides the road throughout with its narrow force, the rocky surfaces of rivulet covered their baldness under the snow. We saw a group of tourists didn’t bother to travel as far as Solang Valley and already got down and were throwing snow to each other.

We halted at a place where we had to hire special snowproof attires, looking at them it felt like we were Eskimos. The snowfall became heavier than earlier and it became really challenging to drive on. We came to very small village after which the local villagers informed us that the car could not go beyond this point. So we parked our car and got down.

The place was like a hairpin bend where some shops were put up by the local villagers. There was a small signboard which pointed out towards a direction – which you need reach after crossing a wooden bridge – where there is a Border Roads Organization checkpost. The Beas River flowed below the wooden bridge providing a heavenly view of the atmosphere.

We crossed the wooden bridge and traversed through the white narrow paths and came across a road which was forked like a Y. Local villagers were providing service for the enthusiastic skiers. Everywhere where we looked around, it was totally under the white blanket. The snowfall was so heavy that it was blurring the vision of everyone of us including the camera. I was busy anyway shooting the videos. We could see places like where the snow was around waist deep, knee-deep snow was so common like a ray of sunlight in summer. We did the right thing to wear those clothes, other the clothes could have got wet and wearing clothes soaked in water in that cold was really not a great idea.

We played with the snow to satisfy ourselves to the fullest of our quench. When we left the place it was already 2.30 pm and there was no interruption in snowfall yet. While coming back we went to ‘Vashishth Temple’ where there was a natural hot water spring. Bu sincerely speaking nothing could be compared with the scenery we beheld.

We were hungry like anything so coming towards the Mall – where it was not snowing, rather it was raining as the snowfakes melted before reaching the earth and converted themselves into tiny water droplets – and found the ‘Sher-E-Punjab’ restaurant. We almost sprang on the food when they were served in front of us.
The rest of day we spent in shopping. So you can wisely guess how it went for me. But anyway, my wife planned to reward me by cooking at the cottage in the night. So we bought some rations from a nearby grocery and came back when it started to become dark at around 5 pm.

The HPTDC Log huts provide all cooking equipments including utensils, stoves and gas cylinders. We had some Tea in the canteen and then came back to our cottage. It was almost 5.45 pm and the light already started to fade away.

We spent the rest of the evening watching television and cooking egg noodles which turned out to be amazing (hope my wife reads it).

Our stomachs were pretty full by 10 and enough to experience some sweet dreams.

Next - Day 8 Around Manali
Pictures

Trees getting covered in snow

Is this the same place where we came?

The cute little village where we had to stop

The bridge

I love this one

Towards eternity

See what the word 'Snow white' means?

Thank you Manali for providing such an experience

Incredible!!

Beas streaming through all obstacles

Picturesque

Vashishth Temple

Somwhere in a Park besides the Mall

A rare glipmse of the Peaks

Day 6 - Himachals in Winter - Shimla to Manali – The Hills, the Forest and the Beas

Previous Day 5 - Shimla

Next day was a long day for us since we had to travel to Manali. Being an off-season, we got a great deal from our Hotel (Honeymoon Inn) itself. They arranged a car (Indica) for us spontaneously – which included Shimla to Manali journey, Manali sightseeing for the next couple of days and Manali to Chandigarh drop – only in 4000/ whereas the HPTDC guys assured me that only the Shimla to Manali to journey in a small car like India would cost us around 2500/. So undoubtedly we were eloquently enchanted with the bargain.

The journey started around 7 am in the morning immediately after the breakfast. Shimla did not fully wake up from its overnight hangover till then. We drove through the sleepy town with ease with little traffic to hinder our way.

After some time, Shimla gradually faded into a distance and the beauty of the nature opened up in front of us. The roads penetrated the dense forest at both sides as if a gigantic reptile moving forward. A tender sunlight was kissing the earth, indicating a new day had begun. The earth responded with a small gentle breeze. The trees were swaying as if they were trying to embrace the us.

We stopped at a petrol pump to stock enough fuel for the journey. After that the long journey started. At some point the road was really really bad as some construction was ongoing. But we took no notice of the bumpy road when Beas started accompanying us.

Manali always scores a point more than Shimla, mainly because of the presence of the river Beas. Green and clean water all the way to Manali was an ever-refreshing scenery. The journey from can be remembered for the Hills, for the snowy peaks but mostly for the Beas.

We halted at a place before Kullu to have lunch. The cute roadside dhaba enjoyed a lovely picturesque scene overlooking the river. The water reflected the sparkling sunlight and the road seemed to go beyond the eternity through the hills – the feeling was amazing.

We passed Kullu, we didn’t really like the town since it seemed to be unnecessarily overcrowded, even more than Shimla. It was already 1.30 pm so we were also feeling a bit tired. Once we passed the Kullu town, the road started to wind up once again and now the raw beauty made us spellbound once more. The snow capped hills could be seen at a distance; we enquired a passing car to get to know that Manali had encountered a heavy snowfall only a couple of days back and there would another round of the snowfall within the next two days, as the weather guys predicted. We were truly exuberant and found a new energy.

The last stretch of the read was as smooth as it could be. Once we reached the town we immediately adored it. The Beas river flowing with its gentleness (but in Monsoon it becomes really fearsome as we have heard) surrounding the city, patches of snow everywhere, thick long Pine, Juniper, Spruce and Rhododendron trees everywhere and the unhindered view of the white peaks – Shimla could never be this city.

The Mall at Manali though, was crowded with men, women, kids and shops but we did not bother as our reservation was at the HPTDC Log Huts, which were 2 Kms above the Mall and at the outskirts of the commercialization, yet.

When we parked ourselves in front of the gate of the Log Huts it was already 4 Pm. The ambience was so nice that we fell short of words to describe it. There were snow everywhere, on the ground, on the trees and on the roofs of the cottages. The complex actually housed the Hamta Huts (Single BR) and the Log Huts (Double BR) with every cottage was surrounded by trees and a lawn covered with patches of snow.

We were shown our wooden cottage and it was an instant love affair. The cottage was further ahead with a bit more climb, but the lawn in front of it and the backyard compensated for our tiring effort. From the lawn the peaks were visible, whereas the backyard was covered fully under a knee-deep snow.

It was almost dark by the time we checked in, and there was nothing more to do in the evening – this was one aspect of staying far from the heart of the town, but we were way too excited for our next day trip towards Solang Valley to be bothered about the petty details.

The night fell quickly and the place became so isolated that it felt like we were staying in a dense forest. There was no earthly sound that could be heard, no one to help us even if we screamed. On top of that, a wind became heavier enough to make a pounding sound on the rooftop. But that was the beauty of it.

We spent the rest of the evening watching some television and preparing for the next day. When we went to bed at 10, we were so tired and enthusiastic at the same time that we never knew when we were fast asleep.

Next - Day 7 Manali

Pictures -

A hilltop temple on the way

Magnificent Beas



What if it never ends

Standing with pride

Beas from the road - an effort with editing



Finally we arrived



The first Log hut in the compound..see the snow at the lawn

Our cottage

Day 5 – Himachals in Winter - Shimla – A Relaxing Day and the Naughty Monkeys

Previous Day 4 - Narkanda to Shimla

This was the inauspicious day of the tour, since I woke up with a mild fever and severe headache. There was, therefore, nothing much to do other than consulting the doc first. The doc advised to take a day’s rest completely and have really light food.

So most of my day was spent in the Hotel room, lying and watching TV or listening to music. In the afternoon, I got completely fed up with this enforced relaxation and got out from the hotel towards the mall, with baby steps.

The mall this time offered fewer crowds than the previous day which was a nice thing to see.  The same church looked brighter and the mall more beautiful and peaceful.

Only one incident to write about was the encounter with the monkeys. The monkeys of Shimla are as (in)famous as the hill town itself because of their boldness. They snatch any food item and don’t bother to say ‘thank you’ even if you are willing enough to feed them.

On returning our way back to the hotel, my wife held a small bag containing some memento items – and not a single food item, suddenly a couple of giant monkeys jumped in front of us and tried to snatch that bag away from her. She was really bold enough to hold on to the bag and never gave in and the monkeys were also proving to be very determined. They two were making many faces to scare her away perhaps and were communicating between themselves about the strategy, while I was, really selfishly, standing and watching the fun, and that too with a smile!! The bag was a paper bag and it was not really made up to withstand such a tug-of-war so it gave in and was torn apart. My wife, now, instead of cursing the monkeys, started cursing me. So I had to do something, at least out of chivalry. I picked up a small pebble and made a gesture to throw it to the two bravest of monkeys.  They retreated for a couple of steps but didn’t leave the bag. Mighty courageous, I must say!! Fortunately two local guys came to our rescue. They were much better acquainted with the monkeys, than us obviously. They found out a stick and tried to whoosh them away.  This time the two villains gave up  - may be they have already found out what the bag contained – and they climbed on the tree from where they started their adventure.

Phew!! We almost ran to our hotel. I got to receive a few words from her – which were justified – since she was the one battling it out whereas I was a mere spectator watching the fun, which should have been the other way round, if it were a romantic movie.

But anyway, this incident was certainly not less interesting than any travel.

The day after, we would be driving to Manali.

Next - Day 6 - Shimla to Manali

Day 4 - Himachals in Winter - Narkanda to Shimla - Return to the Capital

Previous - Day 3 In and Around Narkanda

The next day we woke up and looked through the window the first thing. The weather was cleared and a perfect sunny day was waiting for us outside. We quickly got freshened up, had the breakfast and boarded the car which was waiting (we arranged this via the hotel manager the previous day) at around 9 am.

Bidding adieu to Narkanda was not easy by any means as we embraced its beauty with all our emotions more than it embraced us. With a really really heavy heart we left Narakanda which faded gradually into the background.

I will not bore you with my monotonous cacophony of the road description since it was the same road through which we came on Day 2. But the route was more scenic this time due to the snowfall. But the ice was melting so quickly that it made the roads even more horrible which I did not believe to be possible anyway.

At one point (I could not recall the name of the place) we saw loads of cute Yaks and Ponies – unfortunately the Yaks did not pose for us but we managed to get a snap of the ponies. Marvelous creatures they were, I must say.

After the same bumpy and painful ride we reached Shimla at 1 pm. The patches of ice which we saw on Day 2 had disappeared completely – apparently Shimla didn’t receive any snowfall. We didn’t plan anything apart from roaming around the mall that day. Even if we did, we could not perhaps do it after that journey like a Jumping Jack in the back of a car.

We booked ourselves aptly in the Honeymoon Inn for 2N 3D package. The hotel was situated at the Mall Road, where no car was allowed to enter, to keep Shimla clean and green. Once we left the car, I asked a local fellow about the location of the hotel. He just smiled at us and had a sad glance at the luggages. I became curious obviously. But he left. I gave a call to the hotel and they advised us to wait where we were as they were sending a porter.

The hotel turned out to be located above the mall road in reality. You have to climb (and by climb I mean a really arduous climb) for 15 mins to reach the base of the hotel. Now we certainly realized the meaning of the impish grin of the local fella as we both were gasping, without carrying the heavy ones!!!

We checked in and a sweet surprise was awaiting us. We were upgraded to a costlier suite since it was an off season. Not bad!

We quickly settled into the room and then after having the lunch (which was awesome), we proceeded towards the mall. It was a good 20 mins walk from the hotel. We passed by the cluster of shops at our sides – it felt like we came to a market instead of a hill station. It was so crowded that we wanted to get out of Shimla as soon as possible. Such was the effect of that isolated place called Narkanda.

We reached the mall and were surprised to see that the mall nowadays had become an entertainment arena. Horse riding, balloon shooting, shopping – the place was full of fun activities. I could not match that peaceful quiet mall which I liked when I was there during my childhood days with this overcrowded modernized place.

Anyway, everything has its own pros and cons. Shimla’s positive was that it kept itself up to date with the world. And since it was the capital of the state, the din and bustle were granted. But it did not loose its charm in the context of its natural beauty. The same old tall trees provided the shadow, the same wind used to breeze, the same valleys were overlooked by the mall.

We roamed around till 6.30 pm and then it was my time to be the walking ATM. I won’t surely bore you with the way I fulfilled my role of a mute cash dispenser. The weather became cold and so did my wallet.

After a couple of hours of haggling, negotiating and bargaining we headed towards the hotel. Again through the steep climb, this time with shopping bags in my hands, we reached the hotel. I threw away (read ‘kept’) the shopping bags on the sofa and went to dinner.

The meal at the hotel was so delicious that one was bound to be overstuffed. After having the sumptuous meal, we returned to the rooms. Feeling awfully tired after the journey and the climb (and the shopping as well) we sunk into a deep slumber.

Pictures -

On our way back - Narknada to Shimla

View of the hills from the car

Cute Poines

Yaks - cute but camera shy

Way towards the Shimla Mall

The most sought after place in Shimla, the endless main market

All amenities are present

The Mall - overcrowded even in Off Season

A view from the Mall

Church the name of which I have forgot - The Mall, Shimla

Next - Day 5 - Shimla