To say that this trip didn't teach me a thing or two about life would be an understatement. It took alot from me in terms of time and energy but also gave me alot of wisdom and learning lessons which I shall treasure forever in the years to come and it has awakened me to the person that I am truly capable of being.
As an entrepreneur, taking a one month trip to a small village called Naggar, 45 minutes away from Manali is nothing short of a dream as I always wanted to work from the mountains since I was a little girl and when that dream manifested I was in awe of the beauty of nature.
The plan was to take a flight to Chandigarh and then take a taxi from Chandigarh to Naggar. The flight cost about 4k and the taxi about 3k. The taxi ride was 10 hours long and my parents were terrified.
The mistake I made was to take the taxi in the morning which made us reach in the night and it was pitch dark by the time we arrived.
The roads were lovely and beautiful but by the time I reached the place my anxiety was on another level and I was freaking out because I hadn't done this before.
I didn't know what I should do to calm myself down and my anxiety sky rocketed. My parents wouldn't speak to me either and I felt like the whole world was crashing around me.
In these times, my last resort is surrender and pray so I did just that to give me the strength to overcome this fear that gripped my soul.
After reaching the homestay - the Himalayan Homestay at Naggar I was grateful to find that the view was ecstatic and I woke up to the mountains in front of me and felt so looked after and cared for. Big thanks to Birdie by Priyanka Miglani for the scenic location!
I worked from Monday to Friday and on the weekends travelled to different places in and around Naggar.
The first place I visited was Rohtang Pass with the snow and the snow capped mountains and the lovely air to be able to breathe and feel alive.
We took a taxi and went to Rohtang though a bike would be a better option which you can rent for 500 a day from Manali itself.
The next weekend we explored Jogini Falls and trekked for two hours to the top. The risk level is easy-medium and trekking shoes are recommended.
We rented a bike and went to Jogini and left early in the morning to escape the heat of the day.
The third weekend we visited Chandrataal Lake and the Lahaul Spiti roads were a dream come true! This is where I met my favourite travel couple - Hashna and Nithin who I am in touch with till today.
There was an off-roading adventure awaiting us - a 10 hour long ride and the driver was ruthless to say the least. I prayed I would survive but I did and the highs I got from that trip can still not be replaced.
Moving on, we camped at Chandrataal it was about -9 degrees and I was freezing. The tents cost 3k for the night with food but with the bike ride I didn't dare eat anything.
We left the next morning at 5 am and reached Manali in the afternoon. I thought this was the craziest adventure I've ever had and it changed me as a person.
Moving on, over the fourth and last weekend we visited - Soyal Village close to Naggar. We went there with other people from the homestay it was extremely enjoyable and relaxing to say the least.
The one month of stay in Naggar taught me to be open-minded make do with what the situation is and accept people for who they are. I also went through alot of trauma on this trip which I only realised after the trip was over but if I could go through all of that alone, I could go through and survive anything!
To many more adventurous trips around the world.