Whenever I plan something, especially about a trips, the First thing comes to mind “Nature”. About Manali, Exactly same thought came that time and I planned it. Specially, Manali has always been known as a honeymoon destination but this is the tradition I wanted to break at that time & finally break the social tradition with my three friends.
This game changer journey planned in July 2018 & happened in November, 2018. The first trip to one of the favourite destination was always remarkable and remembered. Manali suits the needs of every kind of travel mind-set. A family looking for some bonding time, a couple for some peace and quiet, solo travellers for some solitude or a group of friends seeking an adventure….
The Planning…
The actually journey was started in November but in my mind it’s already started in July, when I was started the plan. This was my first big trip so I had a lot of questions and a different kind of enthusiasm. There were some ideas & picture made in mind. I started planning with my three friends what to do on the way to or in Kullu-Manali.
One by one the things that need to be done while going on a trip turned out. My brother helped a lot in all this planning. Being his travel agency, he looked after all the arrangements. We wanted to spend all our time exploring Kullu-Manali so the planning was very detailed. I chose flight booking option so as not to spend too much time for traveling.
I was going to get on the plane for the first time. Everything seemed fantastic while booking. There was a lots of time to prepare, so there was a lots of shopping. I bought backpacks, shoes, winter jackets and much more. And finally that day came…..
The Journey Begins….
A Seven Days journey as usual started from my home place. It was look alike very simple and adventure when I drafted the whole plan, Mumbai-Delhi-Kullu-Manali and return. But the experience was very different and mesmerize me at every stage. I departed to Mumbai by Indian railways and made lots of fun in the travel.
I reached early morning in Mumbai and I had lots of time to sightseeing in Mumbai because our flight to Delhi at night. So I decided to explore some Mumbai famous location. Book one taxi for whole day & Mumbai sightseeing started with Mahalaxmi Temple, we had spent lots of time to famous location near CST Railways station like Haji Ali, Gateway of India, Marine Drive, and lastly little bit shopping in High Street Phoenix Mall and Hira Panna Shopping Centre. A Day with Mumbai has ended at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Terminal 2.
After going through all the formalities of checking in at the airport, I finally boarded the flight and the dream of an ordinary boy came true. I had a different experience, the flight running from the runway, the lump in my stomach as I went up into the sky, the small Mumbai looking down from the sky, I could experience so much in a two hour journey that I can’t say everything.
When I reached in Delhi at midnight, my cab driver already arrived at the airport. And with that, my unprecedented journey from Delhi to Manali began. A long road journey I travel, from experiencing the beauty of path filled with flowers, Rivers, Mountains to continue the journey with hard rocks beneath our legs.
Many a times there is an uncertainty in our way which has either sweet or bitter taste. Well, in my case the roads turned out to be thrilling one, there was a great gush of my adrenaline with every moment I travelled a long its way to Manali. There was a feeling of excitement as the dream of going on a journey was finally coming true.
Along its way taking sharp turns every other minute and I saw a beautiful & mesmerizing face of nature which was welcoming me and at the same time challenging with narrow roads and deep valleys.
I had choose Ambala-Chandigarh route. As per my research, this route will take me around 12-13 hours to Manali but at actual, It was taken round about 20 hour’s journey due to lots of reason like Ghat Road, Road Construction, Heavy Vehicles and my itinerary of the sights. When I wake up early morning, I already entered in Himachal Pradesh. The beauty of nature started here and I capture almost.
First I reached Bilaspur, the first major town & left bank of Sutlej River which forms picturesque landscape, is reservoir of Bhakra-Nangal Dam after entering Himachal Pradesh on the way to Manali. Bilaspur experiences cool in winters but is protected from the temperature extremes of the surrounding mountains by its situation in a valley.
After lots of photo session, reached at Mandi approx. 4.00 pm, which is another peaceful destination. Mandi is situated on the banks of river Beas, surrounded by the high hills of Himalayan mountain ranges. Due to time bounding, I couldn’t explore Mandi as much as I expected. But apart from that, experienced beautiful Sunset. I spend lots of time to capture mountain sunset view, which was memorable.
After so much travel and passing road construction stuff between Kullu to Manali, Finally reached Manali at 8.00 pm. Manali welcomes me with rain and cold weather. This was happened with me at first time and I was really speechless. The Hotel was really good and happy for my stay. After very long road journey it was time to take long sleep for tomorrow adventure.
Day One…
The Rain continues…. First Day of trip in serene town located in Aanchal of Himalayas. Manali gives you everything but firstly you want to decide, are you able or capable to take this? The day started with regular stuff, Tea, Breakfast Etc. On my expedition to explore Manali, firstly I headed to Mall road, Main Street in Manali.
Mall Road is specifically known for Shopping and it has a number of showrooms, department stores, shops, restaurants and cafes. A handicraft products of Himachal Pradesh like locally designed woollen clothes, branded clothes, pottery items, and wooden products. I spend lots of time for window shopping.
After that, I continued towards Vashisht Temple & Kund majorly known as dedicated to Vishisht Maharshi. At a distance of 3 KM from Manali, Vashisht temple is located. There is a pair of temples stands opposite to each other. One temple is dedicated to Lord Ram and the other one is to Sage Vashishta, the pattern saint and Lord Ram. After spending required time at Vishishta temple, I was too much hungry. I had a lunch with some local foods and Maggie.
Next destination I decided to visit Manu temple. This magnificent temple is dedicated to the sage Manu, who is said to be the creator of the world and the writer of Manu-Smriti. The Manu Temple is located in old Manali. The temple is one of the prime attractions in Manali and is believed to be the same place where sage Manu meditated after stepping on earth.
The rain that had been going on since morning had not stopped yet. The road to Manu temple was very narrow and it took a long time to get there. But the narrow and winding roads in the village said a lot. Finally, after a journey of 3 kilometres, I reached the Manu Temple. Still I don’t why but I felt very fresh while visited to Manu Temple.
Taken so much time to visit Manu Temple, the sun was down now and final destination of today was waiting for me, Hadimba temple. As we all know the history of this temple, I visited there at time when no one was there, I looked around the temple and this wooden temple is beautifully designed in a Pagoda style.
There are many wooden carving works in the walls and main entrance door of the temple. The temple area is surrounded by tall pine trees and there is a Nature walk is available through these trees. The First Day ends with some time-pass, local foods, adventure & prayers. But memorable night waiting for me.
There was a little bit of stress after walking all day and the rain didn’t stop. Finally, when I got to the room, I freshened up as usual and reached the restaurant lounge for dinner. When I came out after tasting the typical authentic local food, I saw that what I was eagerly waiting for in life, I could see live. Snow fall….
Snow Fall, the most memorable moment during in journey. I was so happy to see the snow that I didn’t know what to do or not to do for a while. Everything was unforgettable for me. It had been snowing for a long time and I was enjoying it too. The city of Manali had its first snowfall of the season. The whole city was covered in snow.
I also enjoyed it very much because I knew that such a moment wouldn’t come back soon. I not only enjoyed the snowfall but also shared it live on social media. I took a lot of photos and videos so that these moments will stay in my mind forever. Today, as I write this, I am experiencing what I experienced at that time. After spending so much time playing and having fun in the snow, I needed sleep for tomorrow’s adventure.
Day Two….
I had enjoyed the snow immensely and now I was waiting for tomorrow’s adventure. According to my previous plan, I was going to Rohtang Pass by bike the next day but the road was closed due to yesterday’s snowfall. I was very disappointed because going to Rohtang Pass by bike was very important for me. But nobody works in front of nature. So the only option was Solang Valley.
All we know about Adventure valley in Manali, Solang Valley. I decided to go to Solang Valley and do something different. The road to the valley was covered with snow. I was tempted to stop at Manali to Solang Valley for 13 km and enjoy nature and take photos. I had a full day to enjoy, so I escaped unscathed.
Valley has a lot to offer in adventure sports like parachuting, paragliding, skating and zorbing etc. I went to the valley. There were a lot of people out there doing sports and adventure. I went and checked what I could do, finally I selected paragliding. Because why miss the chance to see the beautiful view of Manali from the sky. After going through everything, the guider and I got ready for paragliding.
The boy explained all the terms and conditions, do’s & don’ts, and I listened intently, but I was looking forward to that moment. For paragliding we had to go to the top of the valley, there was an elevator, after that we had to get off the elevator and walk a short distance on the ice. We reached our destination and paragliding started when everything was ready and I was mesmerized.
It was very high above the ground and I was a little scared, but the scene I was looking at from above made my fears go away immediately. Everything was covered with snow, everything was visible from above, the mobile was in my hand and immediately I started taking photos. Along with that, I kept storing as much as I could in my minds.
I don’t remember how long I was hovering in the sky but that time was indelible for me. After hovering in the sky for a long time, I finally came to the ground and ended a wonderful adventure. Shortly after this I settled down and it was noon until it was all over. I got in the car and headed back to Manali and got very hungry.
I had a hearty meal and came to the hotel. The time after that I just spent in the trip thinking about what I had done & will to do because my return trip was going to start from tomorrow morning.
Day Three…
My return journey started early in the morning as I wanted to stop in Kullu and do sightseeing but I didn’t have much time for that. I knew it would take a long time to get back to Delhi from Kullu, so took a bit of exploring. I reached Kullu in a short time, this time there was no traffic. Since river rafting was closed in the morning, I decided to visit Bekhali Mata Temple directly.
Bekhali Mata Mandir or Bhubaneshwari or Jagannathi Mata Temple is located on a hill 12 km high from Kullu. The road is narrow so it took a long time to reach. It was great to visit the temple. Specially, the temple walls are adorned with beautiful murals and carvings of the different avatars of Maa Durga.
The construction of the temple, the carvings on it were very beautiful. The city of Kullu looked beautiful from the hill. There is a school on the hill which is very crowded. I stopped for a while, took a photo as usual and got down because I wanted to visit Rupi Palace.
Raja Rupi Palace is also known as Sultanpur Palace. The palace is located in Sultanpur and is still inhabited by the members of royal family. The palace is famous for its magnificent structure and holds some fine examples of Kullu style of miniature paintings, characterised by rural background and lack of human element.
As I earlier said due to time bonding, I headed towards Delhi. Everything left behind and just taken some memorable moments with me I was crossed the Kullu border in afternoon. I know there was again long travel from Kullu to Delhi. But this time, my journey started in daly light. When I came here, I missed some spots due to night travel. At this time, I explored more than before.
Everything look beautiful and I never missed capture the moments. The whole day was gone into travel and explored the missing things. After this all stuff, I entered in Chandigarh at night 9.00 pm. “Delhi Abhi Bhi Bahut Dur Thi”. I decided to get dinner at well-known & famous PAL DHABA, Chandigarh. It was really served delicious food by Dhaba. Pal Dhaba had been highly recommended by friends and the food did do justice. A glorified urbanized dhaba, don’t expect absolute cleanliness or fancy crockery.
The non veg items were tasty, robust in a very Punjabi way. Will be back for more. But after this, I and my driver taken some rest due to long driving, heavy food and freshen up for next final destination. I headed towards Delhi and finally reached at 2.00 am midnight.
One Day with Delhi…
Actually, I was planning to see the Taj Mahal instead of spending time in Delhi traffic but my cab driver refused as it was not in the plan. I already knew that one day would never be enough to see Delhi, so I decided to visit certain places.
First Akshardham Temple, when I went to the temple, I were amazed at its grandeur. I noticed that the temple was built in a very large area and its sanctity was preserved. After completing some of the initial formalities, I entered the temple and did not know how time passed. The carvings and idols in the temple were so wonderful that the whole area of the temple looked very tidy.
I can’t click the photos due to phones are not allowed inside the temple. The Akshardham experience is an enlightening journey including The Spritual Campus, An Architectural Magnificence & entire complex of Temple like as Garbhagruh, Mandapam, Mandovar, Narayan Peeth, Gajendra Peeth, Narayan Sarovar, Ten Gates, Bhakti Dwar, Mayur Dwar & last one Bhagwan Swaminarayan Murti. Time bothers me every time. Eventually I had to step out of the temple.
After walking around Akshardham for a long time, I got hungry but without much searching, I hit the street food and went to the next location. Actually, I went to see the Lotus Temple but did not arrive on time due to Delhi traffic and the temple was closed. After cursing Delhi traffic, I left for Qutub Minar. Sun was settle down & I entered to explore or sight-seeing of Qutub Minar.
Apart from being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Victory Tower, I didn’t know much about the Qutub Minar, but I went there and got as much information as possible, as the driver was from Delhi, so I got the information in person. Very pleased to see a masterpiece of architecture.
Next and last destination is India Gate, a well-known & popular place in Delhi as well as in India also. India Gate is a crowded place in Delhi and as usual it was crowded at that time. Going through the same crowd, I reached the gate. The first word came out of my mouth, Incredible.
A magnificent divine structure, which filled my heart. As all we know, It stands as a memorial to 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in between 1914–1921 in the First World War. India Gate looked so awesome at night. The gate illuminated with colours of the Indian flag. It’s not possible, I was standing in front of gate and didn’t salute. That’s what I did first.
That day was very unforgettable for me. I took a lot of photos and spent a lot of time looking at India Gate but I was not satisfied. I don’t know how time passed. Finally, with a heavy heart, I took off and headed towards Connaught Place just to do window shopping and net time pass. That’s the place to be, and I had a lot of time. The day was over and my stamina was over. But one thing was for sure, today is the last day of the trip. I was in a bad mood. Somehow I ate and slept quietly because I had an early flight tomorrow morning.
Back to Pavilion…
Now it was time to leave for the return journey. Woke up early in the morning and reached the first airport. Again going through all the formalities of checking in at the airport, I finally boarded the flight to Mumbai. And this is where my journey ended. Two hours back in the middle of the flight I sat thinking about the trip.
The service of Vistara Airlines was very good at this time. The plane landed at Mumbai airport and I also landed from the sky. Although I did not have much time in Mumbai, but my return train was in the evening, so I spent the day wandering around. The train came to take me home and ended a fabulous trip of my life.
End Note…
A thought came in my mind when I came to my home “When you search something on google, you will find everything but when you go personally on that location, experience was more beautiful & different. I experienced the same when I travelled to Delhi-Kullu-Manali”