Started from Chandigarh on Friday midnight. This was a spur of the moment plan. One of the boys said we should go, and I just started driving.
Before the break of dawn, we were at Manikaran. All round us we could see snow covered peaks. We had a heavy breakfast at one of the dhabas, which was quite cheap, before heading out for Pulga.
The temperatures were sub zero and there was ice frozen on the road surface. We could see people parking their vehicles along the road sides as they were unable to move ahead on the icey road. But not me, the icey road warning light came on in my MID and I engaged 4H immediately. There was a traffic jam due to badly parked vehicles but I got though it.
The road ended at Parvati-2 HEP dam, but once again not for me, I got onto the trekking route which was all mud and snow, and used the four wheel drive capabilities of my vehicle. After around half an hour of drive, I reached the base of the village and parked my truck there. We carried our bags and walked up to the village.
Our stay was arranged by one of the localities whom we met at Manikaran. He guided us and gave us the contact details for a homestay at Pulga. The homestay was pretty basic. It was a wooden house built in Kathakuni architecture.
The natural beauty surrounding us was enchanting. It even made all of us forget that we have had no sleep last night. We straight away prepared to take a walk around the village. During our walk, one of the villager asked us if we needed the much sought after Himalayan herb which is famous in this region. I must say, it made our walk all the more enjoyable.
For lunch and dinner, we were provided lip smacking home made food. After an early dinner we finally called it a day and retired for the night.
The morning was pleasant and we woke up to a surreal sunrise in the mountains, which lit up the entire valley. For the entire day we had only one plan: do nothing at all. We just sat in the balcony ahead of our room and watched the valley change colours from dusk till dawn. We were provided homemade food throughout the day.
Next morning we walked down the village and got back into my truck. We made a short halt near Manikaran to freshen up and see the hot water springs of this area.
Made another halt at Mandi for lunch. While you are travelling in Himachal, always go to local restaurants and ask for the local dham or if some dishes from the dham menu are available. Every region in Himachal has their own way of preparing dham. Try it, it'll never bore you.
