From Mountains, to the Stars - 3 Years Ago

It was a 6 hour bus journey from Dehradun to Chandigarh. After chilling for some time in Sector 35C, we took the bus Volvo to Kullu. A 12 hr overnight journey and there we woke up in the Kullu valley while the sun was still asleep. We had two hours of time left with us before the buses from Kullu to Kasol start for the day. Well, we've roamed around Kullu ISBT, clicking few pictures, befriending street dogs and looking at the buses come and go.

We boarded the bus to Kasol at around 7 am and it was a beautiful 1 and half hour journey to Kasol, with the morning Sun giving us a warm welcome and Parvati river accompanying us along the way. Before we started admiring the beauty of Kasol, we got to know that food was the need of the moment. After a delicious breakfast at one of the many Cafes available at Kasol, we started roaming around the hamlet in search of an accomodation. Having found one, we wasted no time in setting out for exploring the place.

We walked all the way, into the market, towards some unknown terrains at the end of Kasol. We wandered around for some while, clicked few photographs of the exquisite flowers and insects and started our hike towards Manikaran. It was a peaceful 5 km walk from Kasol to Manikaran along the Parvati river. We then reached the Gurudwara Shri Manikaran Sahib, a sacred shrine which also houses hot water springs. The place is also well-known for temples of Lord Shiva and Ram just adjacent to the Gurudwara. We took the 20 min bus back to Kasol as the Sun started to set slowly behind the hills.

Still remember the beautiful thin crust pizzas we had at Kasol (dont remember the name of the cafe though) for dinner. We waited for the town to sleep and set out in search of a clear view for star gazing. Again, we wandered around Kasol, enjoying the company of the bright stars and the gushing river, before were off for the day.

The Tosh High!

Excited to head towards higher grounds, we got a bus to Manikaran the next morning post breakfast. We missed the bus to Tosh from Manikaran and had to wait for some while for the next bus. Some quick talks and we found ourselves in a cab to Tosh along with two fellow travellers from Delhi. Windows down, AR Rahman's Rockstar album in loop and the magnificient hills we were passing by, they got me high on the journey.

A pleasant sunrise and blooming sunflowers said "Good Morning". Few delicious parathas and the time has come to leave the village. With a heavy heart, we walked slowly to the end of the village where we decided to walk the way down to Barshaini (3-4km). Through the plush green terrains was the road full of stones where we walked and stopped wherever we felt like, to click photos or to enjoy the beautiful views.

We reached Barshaini after a 30 min walk downhill and took a cab to Manikaran. Well, it was time to head back to Dehradun and we took a bus to Kullu from Manikaran. Then we reached all the way back to Dehradun via Chandigarh. The same playlist continued all the way from Tosh till I reached Doon and the same glimpses still run in my head now after three years of that trip. No wonder I would love to visit that place again and again.