Em & Tola's Travel Blog

There is Manali and there is Old Manali. Manali is where Indians head to escape the summer heat and vacation for a few days in the summer. This is also a place where many Indians are given their first opportunity to see snow. It is quite a fun experience watching young and old touch snow for the first time. Then there is Old Manali. Old Manali as one Indian from Kashmir put it, is where one can meet hippies and young Israelis. This proved to be true as the more hippie crowd seemed to escape to Old Manali to hang out for a few days to a few months. Could there be a more perfect place to hide out and smoke hashish (marijuana) in the gorgeous mountains? Probably not ... I wonder if all of the foreigners are actually alert enough to realize the beauty of the Manali area.

Tola and I stayed in Old Manali, and not because we are drawn to the "chilled back" crowd. Old Manali is in fact beautiful and extremely quiet. The accommodation is also very cheap, and people are extremely friendly and welcoming. Tola and I enjoyed meeting Indians who work in Old Manali for part of the year. We even became friendly with a store owner and we ended up buying a few pieces of his handmade clothing. Old Manali and the area surrounding quickly became one of my favorite places because it was peaceful and calm.

On our first day in Old Manali we explored the Manali area. It was wonderful walking around in the perfect sunny (and cool) weather. We also noticed that Manali's location was priceless. Manali sits in a high valley among jagged mountains. The highest mountains were covered in snow, and it felt surreal to be sitting in an area so breathtaking. At times the mountains touching the sky above us looked artificial, and I had to blink a few times to realize they were actually real snow capped mountains.

Day two came too quickly, but Tola and I were both excited to head up to Rohtang Pass at 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). We decided to get closer to the snow ourselves and join the hundreds of Indian tourists. We booked a van and headed up to the pass with a hilarious group of guys from Mumbai (who immediately took to Tola) and a little Indian family. The group of guys even had Tola dress up as a "gangster" with them and I was able to snap a couple of pictures (check out his new look). I don't really know if they were dressing up though, but it allowed for a few good laughs. :)

The drive to Rohtang Pass was windy, but incredible. I prayed that the van would not slide off the cliffs as it skidded along, and we made it safely to the top after 3 hours of driving. Before we reached the very top, we stopped at the base of a few mountains and enjoyed the unforgettable snowy views. The mountains stood tall as Tola and I tried to comprehend the beauty of our surroundings.

Once we arrived at the top, we were in for a chilly (or perhaps freezing) surprise. It was cooolllddd!! Tola and I had noticed Indians renting fur coats, big rubber boots, and gloves, but we didn't think that we would really need thick and heavy clothing. Most of the Indians visiting Rohtang Pass are from very hot parts of India, and Tola and I felt that we had a bit of experience with cold weather. Well, I think we do, but we have not been used to cold weather for about 5 months now, so the cold winds and snow flurries were a bit of a shock. The cold didn't keep us from exploring the pass though, and we quickly headed out to explore the amazing area.

As we walked through the brisk wind and on the melting snowy pass, we had fun watching Indians experience snow for the first time. They tried out skiing, sledding, and there were more than a few snowballs thrown. :) Tola and I walked around for a while, so we could experience the beauty of the snowy pass, but it didn't take long until we were freezing to the bone. We found a cozy little food stand that had used plastic coverings to shelter everyone from the wind and we were warmly welcomed and warmed (a little bit). It was soothing to sip on delicious hot chai as we hid away from the chilling winds. The two people who ran the small food stand were very kind, and we enjoyed talking to the sweet hostess. After we thawed out a bit, we walked around a little more, but then we made our way back to the van. Our time on top of Rohtang Pass ended perfectly. We made our way down through the mountains much faster than climbing up them, and Tola and I sat quietly as our new Indian friends sang along to Indian music. While the van continued we tried to grasp the beautiful views outside the van windows.

On our last day in Old Manali we decided to take a small hike by ourselves. We made our way up quiet hills and through peaceful meadows. We had a little friend who ended up joining us, a sweet little dog. He led us along the paths and would wait for us when we slowed down. It seemed as if he wanted to be our guide, and he was one of the friendliest dogs. As we walked along, it was as if the dog was really ours. If we were traveling, I probably would have wanted to take him home; however, his collared proved that he probably had an owner. Our hike was wonderful and the views were spectacular. It was a very fitting way to end our days in Manali.

During our descent through the hills, we ran into a friendly Indian man and a guy from Portugal. The guy from Portugal had been staying with the Indian man for about one month. They were both very kind as we sat, rested, and chatted with them. The Portuguese guy told us about his stay in Manali and he shared a few very interesting stories. It seemed that the highlight of his stay was learning how to prepare joints from scratch. As we sat and chatted, the 70 year old Indian man offered Tola and I some of his homemade joints, but we politely declined as Tola and I looked at each other in a bit of surprise. :)

Our days in Manali were wonderful, and I definitely could have stayed in Old Manali for many more days, but again it is time to move on. I am so happy about our time in Northern India. It has been wonderful, relaxing, and we have had many peaceful days in the mountains.