Leh to Manali - A Blissful Bite for the Soul

"Abhi lagta tourist ayega", I heard a hotelier say this during a business forecast discussion between two hoteliers. I continued sipping my black coffee on the Manu Temple Road, thinking to myself how can people believe in myths (listed below) about Manali. The parched narrow street made some noise, not the hoofs nor the roar of an SUV. Trolley bags were doing the uphill task, and yes tourists were indeed arriving. After almost 8 months of parched streets, into this 2x Goa (as I call it) some private vehicles were pulling in. I fancy seeing number plates like DL, CH, PB - the initial responders to tourism in Manali. And yes, in a week a lot of self-driven tourists were here from Delhi, Chandigarh and Punjab. The mauj-masti mahaul has been somewhat building up over the last week, and why not. With private bus operators beginning to steer in their fiery multi-axle buses, it's almost the time for offshoots to spring up and bring more hope to our hotelier fraternity.

Certain myths about Manali:

1. Discomfort for asthma patients: With an abundance of excess oxygen, in fact you would settle with this amazing climate just in a day. Agreed that the cold is intense, but for most of the year the noon heat is nice and pleasant as well. Carrying your basic inhaler kit would be enough, and the nebuliser for those who use it. There's no hill climbing involved if your hotel is accessible by taxi.

2. Drug menace: Growth is natural here for marijuana, and the authorities uproot all street-side plants as well as those seen in gardens before the plants become commercially mature. Awesome, isn't it?

3. Not a party zone: This is the greatest myth about Manali. If you drop down to Old Manali which is a mix of your uptown city life plus the regular hilly terrain folklife; most of the joints and restaurants run 24x7. Restrictions on music and parties are the least here, and in the peak seasons we don't find enough space to walk on the streets. Did you know that 27% of foreigners who visited Himachal in 2019 came towards Manali? Did you know that approximately 4 lakh foreign tourists arrived in Himachal in 2019, while in Goa it was 9 lakhs for the same year. While most of them being from UK, Israel etc.; tourists from almost all countries visit Manali. In fact, just as we see Russian signboards / menu cards in Goa, it's all in Israeli here in Manali!

4. Too far for Maharashtra, Gujarat etc. & South Indian travelers: If you're feeling patient enough, then wait for the Mumbai - Delhi Highway to be rolled out, and you can reach Delhi from Mumbai in under 12 hours comfortably in a 1500cc+ vehicle unless you've got additional turbo. Straight on to Manali via the modern, broad and safe highway in another 8 hours. Are you a Mumbaikar or Punekar and fantasying a weekend getaway to Manali? Very much possible, very soon possible.

5. Flights are unaffordable: Well, take a regular flight to Delhi from your city. Now instead of flying to Manali Airport, travel to Leh in any of the top line aircrafts operated by GoAir, SpiceJet, Air India etc. Once you reach Leh, you will need ~15 hours of an adventurous road trip to reach Manali through the brand new Atal Tunnel which is really marvelous. The regular cost for an SUV (recommended) is INR 16,000/- regardless of how many people are with you (of course upto 4-5 with all the extra luggage). Guess what - Delhi to Leh is generally more affordable round the clock (certain iPad models are disallowed on flights to Leh due to the overheating-explosion issue, and only cabin bags are allowed if you are flying from Leh to other airports). Don't forget to check airport-specific rules before leaving, usually found at the 3rd party flight booking websites. If you're taking connecting flights, you may need to check the rules for each state. At Leh, there's a mandatory COVID-19 test. After you collect your trolley bags, walk towards the exit and a sample-collection team will meet you on the way. Results are generally shared within 20 minutes through a token-system where your token number will be called out to announce the results. If negative, you're immediately set off.