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