A fresh cold wave is what is desperately needed to escape the scorching Delhi heat. Nisha Aggarwal pens down her experience of one such perfect summer getaway, Manali.
Although I never tried intently to go for a vacation to frosty places in summer, but if by chance or through work I visited such places they remain alive in memory as nostalgia. My first such visit was as a kid (may be nine or ten years old). It was my first distant outing with family (relatives and cousins). It was a family trip from Rajasthan to Vaishno Devi through Chandigarh, Amritsar and Shimla. Although it wasn’t a trip aiming to escape the heat of summer, still when I began to think about the ‘cool destinations’ I have visited, I couldn’t resist remembering that trip. I didn’t want to come back/either go ahead from Chandigarh, a city designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Memory recalls the open hand sculptures, the city’s rock garden, Zakir Hussain rose garden and its litchi fruit trees which I remember more than the roses! Amritsar’s Golden Temple, Jallian wala Bagh leaving the sense of fear and courage into heart and afterwards Shimla’s natural beauty were the relief to senses. That was the first time I travelled in Indian Railway (perhaps the Kalka-Shimla Railway line) filled up with ebullience of travelling in ‘the longest bus’ (of my then knowledge).
Being in Shimla was my first confrontation with mountains of Himachal Pradesh, a nearest/popular summer tourist spot for all north Indians. Shimla was declared as a summer capital of British India also. During that Shimla visit I was introduced to ‘green’ mountains of Himachal Pradesh but I confronted snowcapped mountains of Himachal during my last year’s Manali tour. One interesting thing about Manali tour was that it was an official trip instead of a holiday but the mountains of western Himalayas made me feel ‘freer’ than ever. It was an adventure programme for students and I was deputed to accompany them as a teacher. We as a team started from Aleo, New Manali, along with three trekking instructors and went ahead to Solang Valley, Dhundiand then to Bakkarthach. Despite persuasive aims this journey percolated to have cultural, monumental and scenic feast.The ethnic and crystal shops, temples and Buddhist monasteries of old Manali, local market and tribes collection set up by the Government of India in New Manali, exciting paragliding at Solang valley, the Naggar castle, Nicholas Roerich art gallery and Urusvati Himalayan folk art museum of heritage village Naggar and to know about the economy and life of the local people were the pickings in my basket.
So, Manali was a sojourn point and the entire journey was divided into various halts. Apart from the halting points, sightseeing was a visual treat for eyes during the trekking. Most unforgettable was the way to Solang Valley from New Manali. It is about 15 km far. The best time for trekking is from May to November as snow is not there during this period. It provides the scintilla of Jogini water fall, Nehru Kund and the lives of local residents in villages like Barua, Balang and Solang in between the way. One can find the trees and plants of apple, apricot, pear, palm, walnut and wild strawberry and also the farmers at work on this way. Good thing about waterfalls and rivers of Himachal is that they are having pure water and Himalayans does not need to use water purifier for purifying the drinking water. The pure water which directly comes from earth is called ‘Jerru water’.
Reaching to Solang Valley adds more to the scenic vision. It is a splendid valley between Solang village and Beas Kund. It derives its name from combination of words Solang (nearby village) and Valley (water stream). It is a side valley at the top of the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh, 14 km northwest of the town Manali on the way to Rohtang Pass. Solang valley offers the view of glaciers and snowcapped mountains and peaks. Giant slopes of lawn comprise Solang Valley and provide its reputation as a popular ski resort. The winter skiing festival is organized here. Training in skiing is imparted at this place. Snow melts during the starting summers in May and skiing is then replaced by zorbing, paragliding, parachuting and horse riding.
Next reaching point Dhundi is the last village in Solang Valley, and the last place to stock up with a few essentials before heading to the mountains. Metal road ends here and temperature gets down. At 9,250 feet above sea level is endued a novice experience. Lungs siphoning the fresh air, taste of pious flashy water and eyesight impinging over snow layered mountains were stimulating the senses. It was an euphonious treatment of nature for a metropolitan habitant like me, who absorbs a plenty of polluted air in her lungs daily drinks mechanically filtered toxic water and eats chemically grown vegetables and fruits. Here the temporary accommodation of tents is provided to mountaineers, as permanent construction is not workable in these hills.
Still the snow was far from the touch, only eyes could reach it. Our waiting to touch, play and sliding onto snow ended in trekking to Bakkar Thach afterwards. Trek from Dhundi to Bakkar Thach is an uphill walk for about 3-4 hours. Bakkar Thach is a highland meadow over 9,500 feets height and it literally means ‘Shepherd’s fields’. These sun and wind swept meadows are likely a feast for the senses indeed. Crossing the snow bridges in midway are a bit adventurous to walk over, which are actually a hardened surface of layered old snow. This has converted into a bridge like path over the year’s snow fall, under which the Vyas/Beas River flows. The danger to cross these is its possibility of having any crack in comparatively lean layer, which could lead to any unwilling event. So, one need continuous instructions here from the trekking instructors. Bakkar Thach was the last target place to reach, next was coming back to Aleo from where we started.
Throughout the journey I was remembering my all the college trips ‘as a student’ with friends and teachers and obviously comparing the ‘changed circumstance’ of this tour. Both these visits to Himalayas, to Shimla as a child and to Manali as a teacher were ‘first’ in their kinds yet will live as nostalgia ‘forever’ in life.
