Apr 21, 2010 03:36 PM
6091 Views
How should I describe manali? Every description would fall short before the beauty it holds in itself..The journey itself was beautiful.We had time constraints, otherwise the place is worth staying for 4-5 days(minimum).
Getting there:- Manali is easily accessible via road from Delhi, chandigarh&shimla.No idea about train.Jagson airlines fly on daily basis from Delhi.They drop u at bhuntar which is 50Km away from manali.From there u can take taxi.People coming from katra can take deluxe bus that flies daily at 5:30 pm(katra-manali).Confirm the time beforehand.
Staying:- There r many options available in all price ranges.We would recommend "The Manali Inn" where we stayed.Their package was almost complete to take care of most of our needs.Still, we would suggest u to explore as there r more packages available with every season change.
Places worth visiting:- We had only 2 1/2 days.We had set 1 day each for snow point(rohtang pass was closed at that time)&1 for solang valley. While going to Snowpoint, tour bus drivers would stop by for you to take heavy woolens, rubber shoes, gloves&sticks on rent.Normal rates at those points r Rs.100.We got better deals near snow point(half price).Actually, heavy woolens were not required.Light woolens, which we already had were sufficient(Time:-early May).I have no idea regarding rohtang pass as we were unable to go there.But rubber boots&sticks r must in snow.
On the way, there was rahela falls with tube rides&decorated snow structures for u to take photographs with.Tube ride is actually inflated tube of trucks on which u sit&slide on snow all the way down.We did tracking on snow to have a closer look of falls..got tired, took tube ride.nice&enjoying lift to come down.Bus driver stopped 2-3km before snow point showing a heavy traffic jam ahead.He told us to move on ponies as it could take lot of time to clear, promising to reach snow point as soon as traffic clears. Don't believe them, they won't come.Actually, they r not allowed beyond that point.Small vehicles(indica, qualis, etc)can be taken to snow point if u leave early.Take ponies for to&fro.Buses will wait for u at the same place they had left u.There were sledge rides at snow point, which they claim to take you to inner snow point, which actually is 2-3 mins walk.Still kids would enjoy the ride.There was skiing, tube ride&photography in traditional dresses.Bargaining is okay&must for better deals.I would suggest you to have enough memory(for digital)or reels(for standard) cameras.We couldn't stop shooting.We took almost 600 pictures in 3 days trip&still could not capture the entire beauty of manali. In fact, I kept clicking while sitting in bus as well&got some nice scenic photographs.
Solang valley: We had a nice company of another newly married couple who had taken the same bus for snow point.So we 4 got together to enjoy solang valley(30 mins drive from mall road).Nice place to go for paragliding, zorbian ball&pony ride to temple near waterfall.Locals say, temple is a must see place.Would definitely go&have a look next time(as it takes approx 3-4 hours for to&fro).Paraglding&zorbian ball r the only 2 things where there is no bargain.Paragliding is a must.You'll have lovely experience of flying in the air. Zorbian balls are for true adventurers.We did it once(my first&last, just for my husband).He enjoyed, I screamed..but the feeling was amazing..doing something adventurous..together..Young girls were carrying wild rabbits&angora rabbits to take pictures with these cute little creatures..We couldn't stop ourselves from holding them..My husband did a little biology study of counting its teeth..Okay, I am not stressing enough on beauty around manali..go&have a look by yourself..you'll end up just like me..unable to describe..
"kaise karun bayaa, lafzon ki kami hai..khud hi jaaker dekhlo, kitni hasin zameen hai..!!"
Yeh lines kisi shayaar ne nahi, maine likhi hai..If u r romantic at heart, u can make more beautiful sonnets on manali!I am just an ametuer!Actually, there is so much beauty around u, u can create your own picnic spots.We made our own.While going towards solang valley, we came accross a beautiful waterfall which ends up in river.While returning from solang valley, just after crossing the bridge over river, there is a small walking trail that leads to fall&there is another trail(midway)that takes u to river.Nice place to do little bit of rock climbing, relaxing, enjoying the beauty around u&taking lots of photographs.
Ladies, Do avoid sarees &long skirts at all costs to be comfortable&enjoy the solang valley.On the way, you'll come accross nehru kund.No need to specially go there.Really interested in having a look?Stop there for 5 mins.Not worth more than that.
For Vashishtha kund(hot sulphur spring), there is a diversion on the way to solang valley.What I loved about the place was beautiful wood carvings of mandir, nice nepali/tibetian food(momos, etc.), bakeries&car parking.Why car parking??Just stand at the railing behind the parking, have a look at the breath taking view around the valley&you'll know why.As for bakery, I hated lemon cheese cake I took but the dog sitting next to me, looking at me yearning for it, loved it..I loved the dog's style&used the same yearning look on my husband.His choco-walnut cake was delicious!!!Do not fall in trap of free gifts with blanket buys.They never reach u even in month.My relatives had warned me before hand.They were victim of one such offers.
Hidimba temple: Must see..beautiful temple and breath taking surrounding. Hidimba was a Demon princess, wife of Bheema (second son in Pandavs), Mother of the brave Ghatotkatch and a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Locales pray for a son over there and offer Yak's horns on fulfillment of wishes at Ghatotkatch temple just walking distance from Hidimba temple. Yak's ride is fun and you can also buy some cool wood craft and woolen items on bargain.
We didn't have time for Monastry visit. My relative told me, I missed out something worth a visit. But I have one funda..If I like a place, I make sure of leaving one such spot to go back to that place again.
