Taking leave of our wonderful colleague and promising to return to provide further happiness to them, we left for Kulu-Manali. We had no idea how the route would be. On the way, we could not miss having tea in one of the many tea shops you find on the way. Never bother to look at how the glasses are washed. This is part of the experience. Our immunities are legendary. Anyway, the tea would be excellent. Yeah, if you’re lucky, you may get disposable cups.

The sight of the foothills of the Himalayas brought cheers. This was the first time any of us was seeing the Himalayan ranges. Who would not be excited with these divinely Himalayan ranges?

It was to be a long journey, and we had set out late. It was getting dark. As we started climbing the mountains, at some point, we could discern that a river was passing on one side well below the road. The jingling noise the river makes while passing over stones and pebbles is, in itself, a lullaby. Enjoying the sound and not even remotely aware of the dangerous path we were taking, we happily chatted, ate snacks, and eagerly awaited the arrival of Manali.

Later, we learned the river was Beas. And on the way back, with a jolt, we saw how narrow the roads were and how close to the edges of the mountains we had traveled in the night with the river far down below. But a great adventure nonetheless.

It was 1 a.m. when we reached Manali. It appeared we had made a habit of reaching places in the early morning, or to be precise, late after midnight. Having alerted the owner of the restaurant, who was from Chennai, that we would be there late and expecting to be served hot food, I had learned my lesson from not calling my colleague before reaching late at Chandigarh. But that had not helped. The owner forgot our call. And nothing was available. At least he had kept the doors open. But being a nice guy, he found a solution. They had dough for making idlis for breakfast the next day. That was used. Believe me, with those hot idlis and hunger (there was nothing on the way to eat), we might have consumed half the dough that was meant for the next day. 150 idlis for the 8 of us? Could be. And luckily, he had booked the hotel rooms. We crashed.

And it was one of the most welcoming mornings of our lives. In excitement and expectation, we had a short sleep and woke up early. Opening the balcony door, oh! What a sight. Snow, snow everywhere. First time seeing snow. The sight and scene were so beautiful and serene. Peace and freshness everywhere. Even without any reminder, everyone was ready and raring to go. Off we went to the restaurant, giving a mild shock to the owner and demanding and consuming the rest of the dough in the form of further idlis. I don’t remember the order in which we went to different places. But I will describe whatever I remember.

One place that my sons, niece, and nephew enjoyed was where there was hang gliding. It was the first experience for all. We parents, in our love, care, lack of adventurous spirit, and above all, fear, sat with tension as they did the hang gliding. My nephew was a bit scared and landed halfway through.

Rohtang Pass, I think, is around two hours away. The place is quite high and very cold. At the driver’s advice, we had to rent special clothes and footwear. There were so many hut-like structures among the snow-clad roadsides renting these. In the one we went to, shivering, we saw a tiny girl of maybe 3, playing in the snow with normal, ordinary clothes. We were disappointed though. More than halfway to the spot, we were told the roads had been closed due to inclement weather and the dangers they could pose. At the last point, where some sort of restaurant was available, we stopped, had tea, and returned. On the way, seeing a huge sheet of snow, the foursome went to play there. The driver, who was quite young himself, ran after them. Wondering why, we saw him guiding them through the snow. Still, we couldn’t understand. On return, with their lips red like tomatoes and cheeks pink, the driver said it was a frozen river and there could be weak spots where one could fall through. Very dangerous. He was experienced, having visited Manali many times. Look before you leap—good lessons for us.

Geysers or hot springs are another attraction here. We did go to that place, but unlike many who were enjoying hot baths, we stayed away. Chennaites, who never get an opportunity to take a hot bath, why should they do it here! Just kidding.

Hadimba Temple is another attraction here. A nice temple where you can get your peace restored. We were told one of the important scenes in the multi-lingual movie ‘Roja’ was shot here. Nearby, there were two yaks. For a payment, you could sit on them and have photographs taken. My brother-in-law and I were persuaded to sit on these, leaving the rest of the family wondering who looked dumber. How would they know our fear? Sitting on such a huge, powerful animal, anxiously imagining what would happen if these animals decided to sit on us.

On one of the evenings during our stay, not wishing to give another shock to the restaurant owner, we went to another restaurant. The next day, when we revisited our favorite restaurant, the owner appeared sad. Perhaps the previous night he had lost half his business. Just as a joke.

On our way back, we stopped at a shop selling winterwear and artifacts in Kulu. Tourists are known for their slippery palms and large-hearted minds, term deliberately used, and we bought quite a bit of stuff, none of which any of us used.

Returning to Chandigarh, wanting not only to give pleasant memories to my colleagues, we bought large amounts of sweets to give sweet memories as well. Unfortunately, both of them were diabetics, and the sweets ended up with their maid. The maid was happy, and we were too because at least somebody was eating these.

Continued in 120. Not A Himalayan Blunder - Part 3