Have you ever been happy with yourself because you made the best decision?
It’s almost the same feeling, I surprised myself with a New Year gift, a Trip to Himachal Pradesh” as a localite/ traveler not a tourist.
I planned this trip with my college mate, we departed from Delhi at around 11:00 PM and arrived at Manali, Himachal Pradesh at around 7:00 AM. The view was breath taking as this is the first time ever in my life that I saw snow, it was so beautiful, then we headed to a farmhouse, it’s my friend’s farmhouse so we decided to stay there, we freshened up.
I couldn’t wait to explore the beautiful places covered by snow. We headed to the mall road of Manali, it was 2 km away from our farmhouse, we explored the local monestry, and local market. Well, I love to collect souvenirs of the different places, it’s just a way of collecting memories of the places I visit.
So I picked a himachali cap which Is a traditional cap.
We tried the local food. There was some function going on, or you can call it a festival, people come from different regions and perform. It was fun.
Then on the next day we headed to Hidimba Devi Temple, which is 2km up from our farmhouse. The place was stunning, but there were many tourists, so we decided to leave the place as soon as possible.
We asked the locals for directions to Manu Temple, which is 5km away from our farmhouse, many of the locals suggested we don’t go there as we would have to do a small Trek to reach there. The localities adviced that we wouldn’t be able to Trek all the way up to the temple. Yet, we completed the trek, and what we saw there was sheer beauty. We didn’t spot any tourist, but we met a lot of local people with whom we interested for around 2 hours.Then we headed for food and romed around the market.
“This magnificent temple is dedicated to the sage Manu, who is said to be the creator of the world and the writer of Manusmriti. The Manu Temple is located in old Manali, at a distance of three kilometers from the main market. Though this area is quite congested, the presence of the River Beas adds to its attraction. The temple is one of the prime attractions in Manali and is believed to be the same place where sage Manu meditated after stepping on earth. This place has a distinct historical background that appeals to most of the people who visit Manali. The popularity of this majestic temple lies in the fact that it is the only temple dedicated to Manu; so whoever visits Manali makes it a point to visit this temple. The travelers are advised to wear dresses covering the knees and shoulders, while inside the temple.”
Next day we headed for our next location in Himachal Pradesh, Palampur. We took a local bus and it was a 6hours journey, we headed to my friend’s grand parents house, we were tired so we slept. And first of all, I am not a morning person but that morning I woke up at 6:00AM and trust me it was the Best morning experience. The foremost thing I did was, I headed towards the farms and sat there. The sun was bright, the air was fresh and I could hear yhe sound of the River.
It was so peaceful I wish I could explain that feeling. Then later we explored the village. The houses were made of cow dung. We sat beside the river, the sound of the River was mind blowing at that point I didn’t want to come back.
They taught me how to cook food without the gas stove, they taught me how to boil water without geezer and rod, they taught me how to light a fire without matchstick and crowded places are much more better than this kinda places.
They taught me their local language, I quite understand their language because it was a mixture of Punjabi and himachali.
I interacted with the local people they were so polite you will see smile on their faces all time and they are always welcoming you.
This was my story as a localite at Himachal Pradesh.
Thankyou.
