It was the most amazing, adventurous and thrilling trip I’ve ever been to and I bet none can surpass the joy of this trip. It has its own unique charm. I got the privilege to see “Himachal Pradesh” a place just like Bhutan through the eyes of the locals and I’m glad that I learned many things. Thanks to my friend Rishab and his Mom for their hospitality. My one week stay in Mandi, Rewalsar, Manali, Kasol, Haripur, Kullu, and Parvati Valley will be a memory to cherish. People out there are very sociable and helpful. You should definitely add that place in your bucket list.

locals

That night on the twentieth of October after series of attempts to visit GOA which turned out to be a total failure I finally concluded that that I’ll be heading towards Rewalsar for vacations with a group of five. Furthermore Rewalsar is a holy place and it was recommended by my parents.  When I set sail on the 21^st of Oct. Rewalsar was my only destination, however I unexpectedly ended up in several picturesque places of Incredible India! And of course it was really incredible.

Rewalsar is around one night drive by bus from New Delhi. We started the road trip around 7 p: m and got there very early in the morning. It is very holy to Buddhist because the burning lake (tso-pema) is situated there. Legend has it that the Indian saint of 8^th century B.C known as Guru Rinpoche who brought Buddhism to Bhutan was burnt alive by the king of Mandi (which is 25km from Rewalsar). What ensued is not the death of the mighty Rinpoche but a 16yr old boy (which is believed to be the manifestation of Guru Rinpoche) in the middle of the lake on a Lotus.

Below is the picture of the Burning Lake or Tsho Pema.

Rewalsar has a magnificent Guru Rinpoche statue which was inaugurated in 2007 by Dalai Lama. What fascinated me was the concept of the architect that built the Guru statue and the context within its premises. When we entered that place, there was a staircase which elevated to some 20-24 feet above and it had no windows or any sort of openings around. The light was dim below and up top it was brighter which made me feel like entering heaven or getting enlightened. The view from there overlooking the entire town was stupendous. And as usual the pilgrims were very friendly.

At the end of the day after offering butter lamps and the final circumambulation, Ata Ugyen the senior most suggested that we might as well visit Manali since it was just couple of hours away. Everyone was so excited and we concurred instantly. This is where the hilarious and the most adventurous trip begin.

We got ourselves a Tata sumo (cab) right away, heading towards Manali. It took us 3 hrs. We stayed in a hotel that was very luxurious and affordable at the same time. Since it was off season they charged us 500Rs. for one room and during summer the caretaker told me that the room charges sky rocket up till 3000Rs. It was a privilege. We had no time to waste so we started roaming as soon as we got there. Manali is amazing with so many souvenir shops. Skiing, Ice skating, bike hiring, ropeways, rafting, and trekking are also available at affordable rates. 

Souvenirs from Manali.

I remembered in the midst of some shopping one of my close friends from high school (Pravesh Sharma) told me on Facebook that he’ll be on vacations in Manali. I called him that moment and to my surprise he was in Haripur (which is approx. 20km from Manali) and had arrived there the same day as we did. We decided to meet up the following day. Ata Ugyen and the rest decided to leave early back to hostel in New Delhi so I tagged along with Pravesh and his group of two.

Pravesh introduced me to Rishab when we met. Rishab is from Manali and it was in his conked out maruti 800(car) that we travelled in to so many places.

 In the middle of a heavy traffic we would be busy pushing his car for momentum and in addition to that his engine is really unpredictable. All eyes were on us but we had to do what we had to do. 

His mom was so kind to us and she never kept us starving. Every morning she knocked the door gently and left four cups of tea on the table beside the door for us.

The first morning in Haripur, I felt like I was in Taba/Thimphu. It had the same terrain except for the architecture and culture. People out there look like Nepalese and the language they speak is a fusion of Hindi and Nepali. It is funny but I felt comfortable speaking there since my Hindi is usually broken with Nepali words in it.

Rishab took us to hot springs in Parvati Valley and Clath which was really relaxing and the silence there was somehow very soothing. We also tried the rope way across the river. I don’t know what it’s called but it’s basically to carry passengers across the river on carriers suspended from cables. It was breath-taking. I wonder why we don’t have this back at home; the carriers and the cables don’t look so expensive and yet it is as thrilling as a roller coaster ride.

Meself in Kullu 

The Ever-green restaurant in Kasol was amazing. It had low lying tables and candle light which made us feel like we had travelled back in time where there was no electricity and yet it was very very comfortable. There we were with two hollow guitars jamming up with a Russian hippie. His face was covered with thick moustache and his head with big dreadlocks. He sung reggae but it was in Russian, we enjoyed it anyways. Beside him he had his wife and his 2yr old baby.  There are many hippies out there. The Dushera fest in Kullu was jaw-dropping even though I did not see anyone eat Selroti like the ones we used to get back home. Many locals were happy drunk that night and seemed very friendly. They kept reiterating that if we have problem just call them.

All in all what I observed over there regarding architecture made me realize that the “building construction” rules that have been implemented in Bhutan is making a huge difference both in the fields of aesthetics and comfort. For instance, it is mandatory in Bhutan for a building to have a roof and space is required between two adjacent and opposite buildings. It is exceptional to ignore these rules out here in Delhi where there is land crunch but in a place like Himachal where free land is in abundance, I was wondering why the houses were joined together into a congested town. However at the vicinity of town where Rehab’s house is located I saw plenty of western architecture coming up which looked very nice. This is not allowed in Bhutan so as to maintain and preserve the tradition of Bhutanese architecture.

We could have stayed a bit longer but time did not permit. We hopped in at “Haryana Bus” in the morning around 5:00 am and got back to Delhi at night. The roads were spiral just like the ones at home and since we bought the cheapest tickets available it caused us inconveniences but the entire trip was worth it and I’m looking forward for more.

To wrap it all up, this trip was fun and most memorable. Thank you mom and dad for this. Without your support this would have been just a dream. J

This is my dost Rishab

Continue Reading