Having grown up in one of the hottest places in SouthIndia where
winter meant 30 degrees, I was just not prepared for the winter in
Delhi. Delhi airport greeted me with a cold blast of wind at 13 degrees
and it was just the beginning. Two days stay in Delhi with heavy jackets
to cover my cute T-shirts that I spent more than an hr picking out, I
was already wondering whether I was in the right state of mind when I
decided and booked tickets to go to Manali this winter.
Manali is 570kms from New Delhi and we had booked the Himachal Pradesh tourism bus. Contradictory to our fears, the bus had a heater and the travel was most comfortable until I looked out the huge glass window as the bus took sharp turns while going uphill.My eyes strained to see the snow capped peaks in distance. To me, it felt like someone had emptied sacks of salt and sprinkled it in a few places. To my mom however, it looked like dosa maavu flowing there.These ladies … hmph! Having played only with the ice in the refrigerator, I just couldn’t wait to go to Sholang valley and put my hands into the snow. It took me thermals and 3 layers of clothing even to get out of the hotel room.On the way to sholang valley , we picked up some snow boots and a full cover wrap to save our clothes from getting wet.
The rapid currents of the river beas glittering like a silver trail over boulders that are flawlessly smooth from the persistent waters, a layer of the whitest snow covering the rocks rising above like the clear vanilla coating on a donut , leafless apple trees awaiting the summer, coniferous trees that forgot to shake off the snow from their branches, the sun high above just a silent spectator to this amazing beautiful landscape underneath… Words are not enough to capture its beauty.. Sholang valley has something to offer for everyone here.. Mouth watering hot 2 minute maggies on the roadside are the favourites here. Skiing for amateurs, experts and for those who just want to hold the sticks and smile for their fb profile pics, Paragliding from the highest peak that you have to reach via a rope car, mid level safe paragliding for those who had come with worrying parents , snow scooters , yak rides…For the ones who want to quietly sip some masala chai and take in its beauty, there is still a lot of entertainment around with friends throwing snow at each other, kids making the typical snowman, people skidding on their skies and falling on their backs, honeymooning couples silently walking around holding hands.. After 2 hours of paragliding, skiing, falling down and clicking pics in every possible pose I realized that I can no longer feel my feet, and we started back. I really do wonder how the bollywood, kollywood and tollywood heroines in thin sarees can romace in ice when it actually feels like a thousand knifes are piercing you everywhere.
A visit to the Hadimba temple is a must on every tourist’s list. Its not its historic or archeological significance that a tamilian notices there, but that it comes in the Manirathinam movie Roja and that, according to the movie, this temple is in Kashmir! Whether it’s the temples we visited or just sheer luck, blessed were we, with a snowfall at night. When the pure snowflakes fell like a blessing from heaven and covered the roads, the locals ran off to take shelter while the tourists waited to click pics. I am no thick skinned mammal and the heavy snowfall that took the temperature down with it to almost -15 degrees later that night did leave my teeth chattering and wishing for my warm bed at home.
The ice carpeted road had us skidding the next morning and only the sight of the furry dogs and the realization that even running was impossible on these roads, got us back inside and made us wait till the sun melted the snow a little. Swallowing up the details of the other temples and shops visited, I fast forward to the rafting experience in Kullu . White water river rafting facilities can be taken from one of the many private operators at Kullu. During winter, with the water flowing in beas hardly one fifth of its summer capacity, I expected rafting to be just a pleasant ride in the amusement park with a few ooh s and aah s as the inflatable boat floats over the rapid currents hitting the huge boulders. Only when the ice-cold water turned my feet and my hands holding the rope numb, did I realize that it was no simple rollercoaster with the safety belts on!
I turned away with a last glance at the snow capped peaks. I made a silent promise to myself to come back in the summer to see the valley filled with juicy red apples, to visit the rohtang pass that is closed in the winter, to do paragliding off the highest peak and to do rafting when Beas is at its most furious.I know I am going to go back. Someday.. Someday soon.
Manali is 570kms from New Delhi and we had booked the Himachal Pradesh tourism bus. Contradictory to our fears, the bus had a heater and the travel was most comfortable until I looked out the huge glass window as the bus took sharp turns while going uphill.My eyes strained to see the snow capped peaks in distance. To me, it felt like someone had emptied sacks of salt and sprinkled it in a few places. To my mom however, it looked like dosa maavu flowing there.These ladies … hmph! Having played only with the ice in the refrigerator, I just couldn’t wait to go to Sholang valley and put my hands into the snow. It took me thermals and 3 layers of clothing even to get out of the hotel room.On the way to sholang valley , we picked up some snow boots and a full cover wrap to save our clothes from getting wet.
The rapid currents of the river beas glittering like a silver trail over boulders that are flawlessly smooth from the persistent waters, a layer of the whitest snow covering the rocks rising above like the clear vanilla coating on a donut , leafless apple trees awaiting the summer, coniferous trees that forgot to shake off the snow from their branches, the sun high above just a silent spectator to this amazing beautiful landscape underneath… Words are not enough to capture its beauty.. Sholang valley has something to offer for everyone here.. Mouth watering hot 2 minute maggies on the roadside are the favourites here. Skiing for amateurs, experts and for those who just want to hold the sticks and smile for their fb profile pics, Paragliding from the highest peak that you have to reach via a rope car, mid level safe paragliding for those who had come with worrying parents , snow scooters , yak rides…For the ones who want to quietly sip some masala chai and take in its beauty, there is still a lot of entertainment around with friends throwing snow at each other, kids making the typical snowman, people skidding on their skies and falling on their backs, honeymooning couples silently walking around holding hands.. After 2 hours of paragliding, skiing, falling down and clicking pics in every possible pose I realized that I can no longer feel my feet, and we started back. I really do wonder how the bollywood, kollywood and tollywood heroines in thin sarees can romace in ice when it actually feels like a thousand knifes are piercing you everywhere.
A visit to the Hadimba temple is a must on every tourist’s list. Its not its historic or archeological significance that a tamilian notices there, but that it comes in the Manirathinam movie Roja and that, according to the movie, this temple is in Kashmir! Whether it’s the temples we visited or just sheer luck, blessed were we, with a snowfall at night. When the pure snowflakes fell like a blessing from heaven and covered the roads, the locals ran off to take shelter while the tourists waited to click pics. I am no thick skinned mammal and the heavy snowfall that took the temperature down with it to almost -15 degrees later that night did leave my teeth chattering and wishing for my warm bed at home.
The ice carpeted road had us skidding the next morning and only the sight of the furry dogs and the realization that even running was impossible on these roads, got us back inside and made us wait till the sun melted the snow a little. Swallowing up the details of the other temples and shops visited, I fast forward to the rafting experience in Kullu . White water river rafting facilities can be taken from one of the many private operators at Kullu. During winter, with the water flowing in beas hardly one fifth of its summer capacity, I expected rafting to be just a pleasant ride in the amusement park with a few ooh s and aah s as the inflatable boat floats over the rapid currents hitting the huge boulders. Only when the ice-cold water turned my feet and my hands holding the rope numb, did I realize that it was no simple rollercoaster with the safety belts on!
I turned away with a last glance at the snow capped peaks. I made a silent promise to myself to come back in the summer to see the valley filled with juicy red apples, to visit the rohtang pass that is closed in the winter, to do paragliding off the highest peak and to do rafting when Beas is at its most furious.I know I am going to go back. Someday.. Someday soon.
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