Kasol - not just Stoner's Paradise

Kasol - the mini Israel of India, is infamous for being the weed capital of the country. The Malana cream available here is one of its kind. But is it just the Malana cream that attracts tourist from all over the world ? Or is it more than what meets the eye?

This year, February 2019, I had planned a weekend getaway from Delhi to kasol. That too with parents !! My friends thought I was insane. Going to Kasol with parents! (I'm not a smoker, by the way)

But here I would like to add, Kasol has something that Shimla or Manali lack. That is the touch of ruralness. Shimla Manali are too urban, cabs everywhere, market places, highways. But Kasol is (fortunately) lagging behind on terms of urbanisation. You will find more greenery than shops or people here.

They say 'there's a shade of red for every woman'. I say 'there's a shade of green for every human' . You just need to choose yours!

Well, if I start with so-called tourist spots in Kasol, there are few compared to other locations. You will find them in Google any day. But I'll like to share here something more.

Ever tried sitting beside a river bank listening to the sound of the river?

Or say.... Meditating on a rock on the Himalayas?

We are always so busy running after the tourist spots, searching for the perfect view point or the best flower of the botanical garden. But ever tried making the view perfect for you? Or that one little flower that speaks with you?
Nature speaks, you'll just have to hear it.

I loved Kasol, more than other famous hill stations.

We took a cab from Delhi to kasol, which was roughly 10 hours, driving through Haryana and Punjab. I am in love with the little roadside dhabas that's unique to Punjab and their Lassi!
We reached kasol after day break, stayed in Rama Palace hotel. It was owned by an old local couple, the lady cooked us whatever we wished for. The balcony overlooks the Parvati Valley and we could see the board of 'Malana Electric Power Plant' from our window. The evening was spent with little strolls around the place and since twilight occurs faster on the mountains, it was dark by 5pm.

Day 2, in the morning, first thing we went to the Parvati River bank and sat on a rock. The water was chilly, the wind was chillier. It felt so good. There were few sadhu people tending fire. You'll see a lot of hippes and foreigners here. Due to its high Israeli population, it is called the mini Israel of India.

After an hour or two, we left for Tosh Village. It is an age old village on top of the mountain. Kasol was having 7'C temperature, but it was snowing in Tosh. It takes around 2hours to reach Tosh from Kasol, but the roadway is very underdeveloped and risky for bikes and cabs. Buses are not allowed on that road. The road to Tosh is beautiful, yet dangerous, with steel slopes.

The locals of the village are very welcoming, will greet every guest with a smile. You are free to roam around the village at your own will.

We went to Malana Village soon after. That's a strange place though. Can you believe this village has its own constitution, which is different from our Indian constitution. You can't touch any thing in this village or the villagers will fine you for that. You'll find a lot of foreigners in this village, which is a source of mystery for the entire country. The famous Malana cream is manufactured here in this Village.

One can undergo the KheerGanga trek from Kasol. But I wasn't much into trekking this time. Maybe some other day.

We had spent an hour here and returned to our hotels. The next day we were supposed to return to Delhi.

This third and the last day, we left Kasol in the morning for Manikaran. It's has Gurudwara, surrounded by hot water springs in the heart of the Parvati Valley. We ate in the langar, which servers awesome food. Bathing in the hot water springs is a must ! We paid our respect to the Gurudwara, and headed back to Delhi, which took us roughly around 8 hours.

In my opinion, Kasol is an underrated valley in the heart of the Himalayas. If you require a weekend retreat to the nature, I think Kasol is your thing. Try it once :)