I always want to be a traveller but every time end up being a tourist. May be its in my genes to be extra cautious and be prepared for any contingency. Me and my wife started our journey from Kashmere Gate ISBT and boarded the HRTC volvo (one of the most reliable service to Manali). I was super excited as visiting Manali was in my bucket list. Our driver had an awesome collection of old hindi songs and he kept playing it throughout the journey. I was eagerly waiting for the climb up the hills. And indeed when the first rays of the sun kissed the mountains, the serenity was unparalleled. Sometime later we reached Manali and slowly i sank into the marvel of nature. We may create marvellous structures having all the material comfort but nothing can beat the soothing feel we get in the lap of nature. We checked into Holiday Heights, Manali after having read all the good reviews online. And I was not let down. It is a beautiful hotel located up the hills at a distance of 5km from bus stop. The view from the balcony is majestic. We were greeted warmly in the reception and provided with a clean and beautiful room with a superb view of the snow laden mountains. After having our welcome drink we freshened up and started our journey towards snow point. I was super excited as this will be my first experience in snow. The transport arrangements were provided by the hotel itself at prefixed rates. We boarded the Maruti Suzuki Alto and proceeded towards the destination. We got ourselves the snow suits in our way (available for rent @Rs 250 per suit) and were literally looking funny. Finally reached the snow point and had tremendous fun. One interesting aspect of Manali is that 90 percent of the people we came across were couples and newly weds added even more charm to the beauty of Manali. Armed with selfie sticks they were striking many a pose. The next day we went to Kasol and Manikaran. The journey itself is thrilling but the destination not as much. Before reaching Kasol there is this Himalayan Resort where we had our lunch. The cost is in the higher side but the location and the architecture of the hotel is simply superb. There are these shawl factories. Do not buy the shawls there as you would get the same at lesser rates in Mall road. In the third day we visited the local sites and finally started our journey back in HPTDC volvo. It was a wonderful trip and I long to got to the hills again. Till then i will keep planning :p The tourist in me will never let me become a traveller.
