Majestic Manali

Alex and the Himalayas

The Manu Allaya Resort is named after the original name of Manali. Legend has it that the god, Manu, rescued an ark after a huge flood and brought it to rest in the valley between the Himalayas (does the story sound familiar?). The area was originally called Manu Allaya and eventually the name transformed to Manali. The myth still seeps into the mountain culture today, and whether you believe it or not, you can tell by looking around that Manali is a beautiful, majestic place.

We enjoyed a full breakfast at an outdoor table of the resort's “Cafe Jardin” and sipped some perfectly brewed black tea. Our favorite item on every breakfast menu seems to be toast with butter and jam, but they also served omelets-to-order and chicken sausage (Alex took 8 pieces!). The temperature in town was perfect—not to hot and not to cool. We wore shorts and carried light jackets—that we only really needed if we were planning to sit in the shade. We met K-Singh at 9:00am and were not really sure what the day held for us.

A few minutes down the road, we detoured to a small area called Vashisht. It was the closest market area to our hotel and K-Singh mentioned a temple that was at the top of the road. Little did he know that we would end up spending the greater part of our two days in Manali in this little village. We walked up the winding road and passed the shops lining the streets. The Himalayan Extreme Center seemed welcoming, so we stopped in to see what sort of “Extreme Adventures” they offered. The man at the desk was obviously foreign to India and spoke with a French accent (we later discovered he was Swiss). He gave us a map of the valley and pointed out all of the local hot spots. He also told us about “Canonying”--it sounded fun but we weren't sure of our plans so we held off in our decision.

Waterfall in Vasisht

Following his suggestion, we continued to walk past the temple at the end of the village, and wound our way through the backstreets. We passed cows and locals who were gathered for laundry day at the town spigot. Continuing, the path started to weave its way through the pine forest. Some villagers who were taking their cows on a little stroll (to where I don't know!) passed us as we stopped to admire the beautiful mountain view. The path rose and led us by a few local guest houses with cheap rooms but amazing ambiance. Eventually, the trail opened and we looked up to find water cascading its way down a sever in the mountain. The sound of rushing water filled the air and we breathed in the pine-scented fresh mountain air.

As we continued to make our way closer to the base, we noticed two people practicing yoga on the flat beach near the falls-what a harmonious place to meditate! We quietly joined them, took off our shoes, and climbed onto the boulder to get a better view. We sat and basked in the peaceful environment and soaked in the sun that felt warm (not hot) against our skin. We decided to make our way back into town when we were interrupted by a rowdy group of Indian tourists—who EACH requested a picture with us—we decided being a celebrity would be exhausting!

Rooftop Cafe

Back to the main market, the menu for a rooftop cafe caught our eyes and we alighted to a perch above town where we could overlook the activity below, yet enjoy some privacy from above. We ordered a beer and some “Finger Chips” for a nice snack and made conversation with Jonathan. He was an Englishman around our age and was rounding out his second extended trip (6 month) to India. He spent several weeks in Rishikesh, the yoga capital of India, where he studying yoga and tantra and was planning to use his new skills to become a masseur when he finally went home. We enjoyed hearing of his travels and his insight on India and life over a delicious cup of sweetened black tea.

Eventually, we bid farewell and meandered our way back down the street. We made a pit stop back at the Himalayan Extreme Center to book a Canyoning trip the next day. Originally, the Rhotang Pass was in the itinerary. Apparently, it offers amazing views of several snow capped mountains coming together. After talking to several people who said the traffic was some of the worst in India (and when an Indian says the traffic is bad—it must be REALLY bad), we decided to forgo a frustrating day in the car and enjoy a day in the natural areas around town instead.

When we got back to the car, we asked K-Singh to take us to “Old Manali” and 30 minutes later we were finally dropped off at the bridge. The traffic was awful, as cars attempted to make one way streets into three-lane roads and were unsuccessful. Finally, we were out of the madness and making our way up another winding market street. We decided to push directly for the Manu temple at the top and then leisure our way back down. Perched with his jewelry outside the temple area, we met a man who was originally from the Canary Islands, but said he enjoyed travelling around the world to experience the countries and share his hand made jewelry. Alex and I bought a few bracelets and continued to stroll back towards the bridge. We stopped in the Lazy Dog cafe for a snack, a clod drink and some Sheesha—oh and there was free Wi-Fi for paying customers. We relaxed and enjoyed getting a quick update on Facebook and making a few quick Skype calls—though it was 6:30am EST.

Manali in the evening

Finally, we poked into a few more shops then found K-Singh and went back to Manu Allaya to relax for the rest of the evening. We showered up and again found a spot on the balcony to overlook to snow capped mountains. We eventually made our way to dinner, where we listened to the live bad playing Indian music. The dish of the night was Chinese noodles-to-order and Alex and I couldn't get enough! We again enjoyed some buttered nan—Iwatched as they prepared the dough and delicately placed it in the oven. We finished the evening in the "Library Bar" reviewing a coffee table book of the top 100 world wonders--of course the Taj was on the list.

All suited up and ready to go

On Wednesday, we rose early to put on our bathing suits and prepared to spend a day in the water. Again, we headed to the breakfast area where the overly-hospitable staff helped us prepare a fine meal of black tea, porridge and toast. We met K-Singh, who was still confused that we weren't going to the Rhotang Pass, and headed to the Himalayan Extreme Adventure Center. A beautiful Swiss Mountain dog, Pasha, greeted us. He did not leave Franc's side throughout the whole day.

Franc packed some gear and we began our trek up the steep sides of the mountain. Traversing back and forth, Pasha led us to the top where we sat above our first obstacle and were instructed to gear up in our wet-suits. We were joined by a group of six Israelis who were traveling India for a few months, and were happy to find out that they brought their cameras--because we hadn't! Once everyone had squeezed into their gear and strapped into their harnesses, Franc demonstrated the proper method of Canyoning. It is basically like repelling: you attach to a harness, lean back, and walk your way down a waterfall. If you slip, or don't feel like walking, you can just sit own on your butt-guard and slide down to the bottom.

Making my way down

Alex volunteered to go first, and I watched as he disappeared of the rock ledge and into the waterfall below. I went next and confidently made by way across the stream to strap in, then leaned back and walked down a few feet. Once I made it half-way, a whistle indicated I should switch positions and slide to the bottom. It was refreshing to feel the cold water rush over me until I safely landed with two feet in the base of the falls and unhooked for the next person.

The eight of us, Franc, Pasha and an assistant spent six hours repelling through the falls and slowly making our way back down to the town. It was both a relaxing and exhilarating experience as we would take turns at navigating the falls and then wait for everyone to follow suit. We enjoyed the company of Franc and the crew from Israel as we heard stories about the medicinal plant the grows abundant in the valley. At the end of our journey, we bid farewell to our new friends and found a cafe to relax and enjoy a snack. We noticed that, unlike Shimla, there seemed to be many foreign travellers, but we still didn't seem to fit in with the crowd who all seemed to have dread-locked hair or don classic hippie gear.

Eventually, we made our way back to Manu Allaya where we had an appointment with the spa. Alex and I had been looking forward to getting a massage for two days and finally were able to unwind and relax with the soft music and melt under the aromatic oils that were rubbed into our skin. We basked in our comfort, knowing that there was a full day of driving ahead, and sat stem room to let the oil soak into our sunburned skin. A final night of the wonderful feast at Manu Allaya and we headed back to catch some zzz's.

Thursday morning we packed the car and bid adieu to our lovely mountain escape. The windows were open as the cool then warm then hot breeze brought the dust through the car--but somehow it just fit the experience. The car is actually pretty comfortable and over the nine hours I was able to finish my book while still taking in the scenery.

We finally made it to Chandighar, where the Lemontree Resort put us through more security than I see at the airport! The hotel was only a few months old, and the fresh smelling and immaculate room definitely showed it. We donned our bathing suits and went straight to the rooftop to enjoy the pool and wonderful view of....the construction site next door and slums in the distance. We ate a quick bite and turned in for the evening.

Alex in the Rock Garden

The next morning, we prepared to head back to Gurgaon, but made a few pit stops in Chandighar along the way. The Rock Garden is one of the city's biggest attractions, outside the amazing green and clean city itself. It was a vision of a local artist, who uses recycled ceramics, metals, bangles building materials and more to build a labyrinth of sculptures and waterfalls. Every door seemed to be child-sized as we squeezed our way through admiring the artwork. It was hot and we were outside, so we made another quick stop at the famous Chandighar rose garden before retreating to the A/C of the car and instructing K-Singh to "Take us home!" I blogged for a while as the car bumped along the road. Alex and I reflected on the amazing sights and relaxing time we spent on our little Indian adventure.

We are looking forward to doing a little bit of sightseeing tomorrow in Delhi--then back home for a steak, or a hamburger, or both!

More pics here!