My wife had informed me that she had a surprise for me for my birthday which was in the first week of May 2013. She informed me that I would have to take a weeks leave from office and that my gift was a holiday which she had been planning since last year. I was instructed that I just had to pack my bags and that I didn't need to know what the destination was!
So I just didn't bother to know what the destination was and that she would reveal it on our day of departure, which she did. Well you see, I love traveling and experiencing a new destination is the most exciting aspect of it. As the days got nearer, I started to wonder, where exactly is my wife taking me on a holiday and I drove her nuts, driving her insane, just a week before our departure. So the night before our day of travel she told me that we are going somewhere in the north. Just hearing that the probable destination was gonna be in the North of India, my excitement had no end. My wife knew that I had never ever been to the north, and that this was the most wonderful surprise I could ever get. My mind started racing to the few destinations which I knew off-hand, Jammu, Kashmir, Srinagar, Dalhousie, etc. or even any of the North-east places. At the time of boarding the train she finally gave up and she said we were going to Manali. Ive never been to Manali, but have heard so much about it. I was ecstatic, it was my first ever trip to the North and I was going to Manali. Yehhhhh!!!!!
As we boarded the train I started dreaming of being amidst snow capped mountains, lush greenery, cool, a very cold and pleasant weather. I was wondering if I would get to see snow/ice, since it was the advent of summer and I wasnt sure if I would get to see it and feel it. It would be such a disappointment if I didnt get to see snow, going all the way to Manali. We would board a bus from Delhi which would take us to Manali. We reached Delhi around 11am and our bus would leave at 5pm. Since this was my maiden trip to Manali, the excitement didnt let me sleep throughout the journey, I was wide awake from 5pm to 7am till we reached Manali.
The journey by road was an unpleasant one, with the road being the villain giving us jerks and shakes at every kilometer. The road was pathetic, one ditch after another, and this continued for hours. It was a horrendous and definitely a back breaker. I suggest if you have any back problems you shouldn't venture by road to Manali. Most of the people were asleep, since 80-85% of the journey was covered in the night. As the sun rose we were welcomed with huge ass mountain rocks on one side and the river on the other and the bus maneuvering the tricky roads. The driver was well experienced, knew his way around this narrow highway 21, knowing how dangerous it was if he made one mistake.
As we reached Manali bus depot early morning at 7am, the cool breeze freezing the hell out of us. Manali looked beautiful, it was a treat to my eyes, taking all the sights, sounds, the air being so fresh, dont know when was the last time I had a breath of fresh air. We were put up in this Bed and Breakfast place called "Drifters Inn" No. 1 on tripadvisor in Old Manali. The place looked warm and cozy and the owner was very welcoming, our rooms were very elegant, very woody... The best thing was it smelt of the forest, the pine tree forest. I just cant forget that aroma the room had, was just amazing.
My trip to Manali was not the typical excursion, it was more to do with nature, being close to it, taking early morning walks, bird watching, trekking, exploring the place, long walks in the forest. We tasted local cusine, actually ended up eating more than 100 momos on my trip. One dish which was called "Thupka" a better version of noodle soup, one serving would fill you up right upto your neck. Since Manali was a touristy destination, we could get all the popular dishes found elsewhere in India, which was very boring, but we used to go to this one place every single day to fill ourselves with momos and more momos.
One of the day we decided to go towards Rohtang Pass. We had pre booked private cars to take us there. Maruti Alto is the most popular and surprisingly the most durable vehicles for the narrow roads prevailing in Manali. Rohtang Pass was unfortunately closed since it was early May. On our way the driver was insisting we buy the winter gear which is required to be worn before we go to Rohtang Pass, but we said no since none of us wanted to get wet playing in the snow. The Manali-Leh Highway is a narrow road which rises upto 12-13000 feet above sea level. The roads have dangerous turns, hairpins, bends with the one side having snow and the other side a steep fall. After reaching the top, the view down was amazing with the zig-zag, curvy roads cutting through the snow capped mountains. It looked like someone had drawn a black curvy line through the snow. The drive was such an amazing experience, I wanted to come back riding on it on a Royal Enfield all the way to the top. I will definitely do this one day....
My wife has a friend who is a true naturalist, an avid bird watcher, a wildlife enthusiast, and the organiser of this trip, sorry Russ if I havnt introduced you well. Anyway thanks to Russ and his wife Andrea, me and my wife Sheen and few other friends have seen the other side of Manali which most of the tourists visiting wouldn't have experienced ever. Thanks to them we got to see some exotic places, pine forests, picturesque landscapes, waterfalls, and most importantly bird watching. We were with a small group of like minded-people, who had a similar passion for nature and what it had to offer.
Such an awesome experience it was to go into the forest and click pictures of beautiful birds. Their bright colors, shades, patterns, designs, shapes, their behaviour amidst their natural surroundings was such a pleasant experience. This trip just reminded me how much I love nature and the beauty of it is never-ending. Its endless, this experience never gets repeated, every destination has a different refreshing feeling, in terms of greenery, landscapes, nature being at its best. Our lives are constantly surrounded within concrete jungles, we can never experience what nature, wildlife is all about. Exposure through television, magazine, etc. will never give us the true experience of feeling nature in its raw form. You have to feel it on your skin, in the air that you breathe. Its much, much, much more and im glad I have my wife who shares the same passion and enthusiasm.
This trip would not have been possible without my wife who gifted me an awesome trip which will be etched in my memory for a lifetime. Thanks to Russell and Andrea for organizing such an amazing trip. Would like to make many such trips exploring nature, wild life to the maximum in its raw form.
So I just didn't bother to know what the destination was and that she would reveal it on our day of departure, which she did. Well you see, I love traveling and experiencing a new destination is the most exciting aspect of it. As the days got nearer, I started to wonder, where exactly is my wife taking me on a holiday and I drove her nuts, driving her insane, just a week before our departure. So the night before our day of travel she told me that we are going somewhere in the north. Just hearing that the probable destination was gonna be in the North of India, my excitement had no end. My wife knew that I had never ever been to the north, and that this was the most wonderful surprise I could ever get. My mind started racing to the few destinations which I knew off-hand, Jammu, Kashmir, Srinagar, Dalhousie, etc. or even any of the North-east places. At the time of boarding the train she finally gave up and she said we were going to Manali. Ive never been to Manali, but have heard so much about it. I was ecstatic, it was my first ever trip to the North and I was going to Manali. Yehhhhh!!!!!
As we boarded the train I started dreaming of being amidst snow capped mountains, lush greenery, cool, a very cold and pleasant weather. I was wondering if I would get to see snow/ice, since it was the advent of summer and I wasnt sure if I would get to see it and feel it. It would be such a disappointment if I didnt get to see snow, going all the way to Manali. We would board a bus from Delhi which would take us to Manali. We reached Delhi around 11am and our bus would leave at 5pm. Since this was my maiden trip to Manali, the excitement didnt let me sleep throughout the journey, I was wide awake from 5pm to 7am till we reached Manali.
The journey by road was an unpleasant one, with the road being the villain giving us jerks and shakes at every kilometer. The road was pathetic, one ditch after another, and this continued for hours. It was a horrendous and definitely a back breaker. I suggest if you have any back problems you shouldn't venture by road to Manali. Most of the people were asleep, since 80-85% of the journey was covered in the night. As the sun rose we were welcomed with huge ass mountain rocks on one side and the river on the other and the bus maneuvering the tricky roads. The driver was well experienced, knew his way around this narrow highway 21, knowing how dangerous it was if he made one mistake.
As we reached Manali bus depot early morning at 7am, the cool breeze freezing the hell out of us. Manali looked beautiful, it was a treat to my eyes, taking all the sights, sounds, the air being so fresh, dont know when was the last time I had a breath of fresh air. We were put up in this Bed and Breakfast place called "Drifters Inn" No. 1 on tripadvisor in Old Manali. The place looked warm and cozy and the owner was very welcoming, our rooms were very elegant, very woody... The best thing was it smelt of the forest, the pine tree forest. I just cant forget that aroma the room had, was just amazing.
My trip to Manali was not the typical excursion, it was more to do with nature, being close to it, taking early morning walks, bird watching, trekking, exploring the place, long walks in the forest. We tasted local cusine, actually ended up eating more than 100 momos on my trip. One dish which was called "Thupka" a better version of noodle soup, one serving would fill you up right upto your neck. Since Manali was a touristy destination, we could get all the popular dishes found elsewhere in India, which was very boring, but we used to go to this one place every single day to fill ourselves with momos and more momos.
One of the day we decided to go towards Rohtang Pass. We had pre booked private cars to take us there. Maruti Alto is the most popular and surprisingly the most durable vehicles for the narrow roads prevailing in Manali. Rohtang Pass was unfortunately closed since it was early May. On our way the driver was insisting we buy the winter gear which is required to be worn before we go to Rohtang Pass, but we said no since none of us wanted to get wet playing in the snow. The Manali-Leh Highway is a narrow road which rises upto 12-13000 feet above sea level. The roads have dangerous turns, hairpins, bends with the one side having snow and the other side a steep fall. After reaching the top, the view down was amazing with the zig-zag, curvy roads cutting through the snow capped mountains. It looked like someone had drawn a black curvy line through the snow. The drive was such an amazing experience, I wanted to come back riding on it on a Royal Enfield all the way to the top. I will definitely do this one day....
My wife has a friend who is a true naturalist, an avid bird watcher, a wildlife enthusiast, and the organiser of this trip, sorry Russ if I havnt introduced you well. Anyway thanks to Russ and his wife Andrea, me and my wife Sheen and few other friends have seen the other side of Manali which most of the tourists visiting wouldn't have experienced ever. Thanks to them we got to see some exotic places, pine forests, picturesque landscapes, waterfalls, and most importantly bird watching. We were with a small group of like minded-people, who had a similar passion for nature and what it had to offer.
Such an awesome experience it was to go into the forest and click pictures of beautiful birds. Their bright colors, shades, patterns, designs, shapes, their behaviour amidst their natural surroundings was such a pleasant experience. This trip just reminded me how much I love nature and the beauty of it is never-ending. Its endless, this experience never gets repeated, every destination has a different refreshing feeling, in terms of greenery, landscapes, nature being at its best. Our lives are constantly surrounded within concrete jungles, we can never experience what nature, wildlife is all about. Exposure through television, magazine, etc. will never give us the true experience of feeling nature in its raw form. You have to feel it on your skin, in the air that you breathe. Its much, much, much more and im glad I have my wife who shares the same passion and enthusiasm.
This trip would not have been possible without my wife who gifted me an awesome trip which will be etched in my memory for a lifetime. Thanks to Russell and Andrea for organizing such an amazing trip. Would like to make many such trips exploring nature, wild life to the maximum in its raw form.
