Himachal Pradesh – Indeed a land of the Gods!
The desire to catch a glimpse of live snowfall, first sparked my interest to travel to the mighty Himalayas, fighting all the odds of a chilly December winter. And with my first wedding anniversary round the corner, the deal was sealed! Having booked travel just to and from Delhi, we were headed on a trip of uncertainties marked with random travel and accommodation bookings only on the fly.
Travelling in a Volvo bus from Delhi, we first halted at the Pahalwan dhaba in Haryana on the way to Manali. Yes, this food junction did not resemble even an inch of a typical dhaba! I chose to stay inside the bus since we’d already had dinner in Delhi, while my husband decided to hop around to explore the highway in the middle of the night. Spread across a huge area, this dhaba’s entrance was lined up with oodles of posh vehicles. Aroma of the toothsome hot parathas with butter, served at the dhaba tables, even managed to awaken my drowsy cells. Just to get over the guilt of not dining there, my husband went ahead to have a ‘kulhad-wali chaai’ (tea served in a traditional handless terracotta cup) – sheer bliss in the middle of a chilly December night in North India!
Next morning, I woke up to the heavenly view of the majestic mountains and greenery all around, while our bus traversed the valley. Few miles ahead, the bus halted for breakfast at one of the dhabas. Just one step out of the bus, and my blood almost froze! Yes, it was almost 8 AM and the temperature was 2 degrees C – the lowest temperature weather I’d ever experienced in my life. The only memory of that breakfast was piping hot coffee, held with shivering fingers (with an almost lost sensation).
Our on-the-fly accommodation bookings took us to a small hamlet – Patlikuhal, about 10 miles from Manali. From the bus drop point, we had to hire a local transport to reach our resort. And right there, we got our first experience of travelling across the hilly terrain in Maruti Omnis, after ages. On arrival, we were mesmerised by the warm welcome of Snow Touch Resort located across river Beas.
The scenic beauty of the river Beas, flowing right in front of the resort, eclipsed by the gigantic Himalayas in the backdrop, depicted a perfect scene straight from the movies. Being typically from East India, the freezing temperatures were almost unbearable for me and the first thing we ordered for was – a room heater and hot parathas for breakfast!
The next few days were jam-packed with to and fro travels from Patlikuhal to Manali and Kullu. A special mention about travel from Patlikuhal to Manali in local buses, with mellifluous sounds of local folk songs – I actually realised that music for many of the old-time devotional Hindi songs, were influenced (copied literally) from this local music or vice versa.
Each day churned a beautiful memory in itself
The chance glimpse of a Himachali wedding procession in Kullu, with people clad in traditional Himachali attire in vibrant colours, the uphill trek to the extremely picturesque Hidimba Devi temple, the gigantic mountain range at Gulaba, the thrilling rope way and paragliding in Solang valley (in spine-chilling weather), Himalayan trout fish at the Johnson’s Cafe in Manali, the sheer thrill of reverse bungee at Kufri, the experience of chilly winters with temperatures dropped down to minus 6 degrees (final record of lowest temperature I’ve ever survived in), the experience of donning the traditional Himachali attire for random photoshoots – There were innumerable first experiences and the feeling was inexplicable!
The last leg of the trip took us to the Ridge in Shimla. The sight of the mighty Indian National Flag waving high on the Mall Road amidst colonial buildings, instills a sense of pride at another level altogether! And yes, Shimla has been declared as a plastic-free zone, since long now. Hats off to the discipline of the people and their sincerity in maintaining cleanliness of the city. Unlike the usual perception about the attitude of people of North India, I found the Himachali people extremely simple, warm, down-to-earth and ever helpful. What attracted me the most was – there is a bevy of best-looking men and women of the country in the mountains, who are so unaware of their drop-dead gorgeous looks. Perhaps, they are a perfect epitome of the adage – Beauty in simplicity.
Key Takeaways from Himachal
Himachal marks the symbol of many first loves in my life – the love for the snow-clad mountains which are larger than life, the tall coniferous ‘Christmas’ trees, the warmth and simplicity of the Himachali people, the mouth-watering stuffed parathas, the picturesque landscapes, the psychological feel of extra oxygen in the air, the crystal clear water of the rivers and many more! The humongous mountain range of Himalayas all around, seem to have established my belief in a Super Power – a power and its creations, in front of which I was a mere speck! I returned back much humbler, grateful and refreshed for life. Himachal is definitely called ‘Devbhoomi‘ for a reason.
Until now, this has undoubtedly been the most unplanned trip I’ve ever had, but definitely worth everything. It was an unplanned trip, which created memories of a lifetime! Signing off with a resolve to come back to these mountains again.
