Holi in Manali!!

Hi all, it has been a long time since I put up a post here.Almost 10 months since I posted my first blog, I am now rediscovering the appeal and might of blogging and this newly found "IT enabled" pastime creates waves around the netizens of the world. This blog of mine is about a much delayed and eagerly desired trip to Manali, a hill station in the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh in India.

It all started with my PwC mate , AR ( a.k.a druglord) got fascinated by snaps of a friend's Auli visit. What is Auli?? It rhymes with Manali, the setting of the story, but it is a different hill station in a not so different state. Both, Uttaranchal and HP draw most of their revenue from tourism, trivia for the unaware [:D] I desperately wanted that trip to happen , as a means to get out of my drudgery at work and general loneliness. But the druglord suddenly found a paid vacation to Mauritius in his lap and there he goes!!

"abe chalte hain na, kab tak inki ghulami karte rahenge "??! Came the desperate cry from AS, my inseparable pal and fellow sufferer in the "package" deal meted out to him my IIML. Then came along , proud IIT prodigies CV and AB, and the last minute entrant was fellow thok NR! Despite last minute uncertainties where each of us almost pledged to revolt against our bosses, we manage to get the clearance for the trip.

came 24th and we reached Palika Palace on time, only to find that the bus, driver and the conductor were not as punctual. I as usual, carried the biggest of bags among all (phew! but managed to use every bit of it at the end of the trip). After a full hour delay, the bus finally moved. We were 5 , so one guy had to take up the single seat. It is always a high risk, high return business to take the single seat in the bus. AB took up the mantle and was aptly "rewarded" with a firang fem at his side :P Later in the night did we confirmed that he gave good "support" to the sleeping beauty on his side...

The bus had a long stop near DU where the rest of the passengers boarded. There was this very open couple of "the hunk" and "the babe" . Looking at them, yours truly laid out a sigh," wish I had spent my college days in Delhi, it could so easily have been me...:)"The bus set out of the crowded Delhi and was soon on the GT Karnal road. Then the 4 thoks were lost in the favourite pastime, prof bashing and the odd "manu" out AS always hoped for the conversation to take a turn.

Chandigarh never arrived as the driver took a detour which was a ride so bumpy that it sent out a noisy message "jaagte raho" , sleeping in a bus journey was never my cup of tea either. After a night filled with dozes, rises and spasms of neck pain, we woke up in the morning to find ourselves in biting cold, only then realizing that we had risen up to about 4000 Ft on the hills. That was near Mandi . Me and AS had a toast of paranthas :P , others slept peacefully.

Then came the wonderful sights of the climb along the Beas, one of the famous five rivers of Punjab. NR was the lone cameraman among us and he so dreaded the fact that we did not hire a taxi so that we could stop and capture the scenic beauty. We passed Mandi, Pandoh , sundarnagar, Kullu in that order. The circuitous road varied in height above the river level but always stuck along horizontally.
Here is a glimpse of the scene as we just left kullu!!



Himachal is throughout beautiful, with or without the snow, we realized. Kullu was draped with an air of mist and visibility was almost zero, a sure surprise when the summer was climbing in march end. And DS( have u read "Date with a Delhi Babe" ??) was sorely missed for local guidance :( I was the most "alert" of the lot, and was instrumental in making sure the AS did not miss the scenes.)