Snow White

Tripoto
24th Dec 2015
Photo of Snow White 1/11 by Jay De'

I always believe that it’s good to be alone but not lonely and for anyone experiencing the latter, I recommend travelling is the best practice.
With the jingles of Christmas playing at the back of my mind and the eyes’ desperation to witness the snow; I booked my tickets from Delhi to Manali.
Due to some strange excitement, I prefer travelling at night, perhaps the dark roads always have something new to reveal. The journey started at 11.00pm through NH1, marching through the cold winter night and clear sky, swooshing through the empty highway, I watched through glass barrier the passing light until the eyes’ shut for the night.

The Morning Muse:

Photo of Snow White 2/11 by Jay De'

I woke up to my driver’s devotion to his belief and I being agnostic respected his choice and tuned into his melody. The sun was bright; the roads weren’t as smooth though, around the coiled mountain, through the bridges and across the river, 9 a.m it was and I travelled almost 350kms off the capital.
I have never been able to predict self, hence, my journey has always been full of surprises. After reaching almost a distance three-fourth of my journey, I abandoned the vehicle latched my backpack and headed straight towards Jari, a small town on the way to Manikaran. Small lanes converted to highways made life little tricky, yet it was full of life. It’s 11 a.m, 12 hours since I started; I was hungry by now. There weren’t any star rated restaurant, but the food was good enough to keep you energized.


Start of a New Journey:

Photo of Snow White 3/11 by Jay De'


Along the road curved through the rocky mountain towards the snow paradise, I started my journey towards Malana Village. You need to know there’s hardly any bus service available, all you get are the privately run vehicle (if you don’t have yours).
Though the journey towards the village was breathtaking, however, the real thrill drew in when I reached the foot of the village, where you had to track through the snow and, of course, walk uphill. Leaving my vehicle behind, I marched through the unknown tracks of Malana with a bottle of water, some dose of carbs and a torch. All I knew was to climb and not an ounce of knowledge of how to track through snow, solo.

The Rocky and Snowy Track:

Photo of Snow White 4/11 by Jay De'
Yes, I agree to what the wise say— the view is beautiful at the top but tough to reach. I found many solo travelers on the way; it feels good when you realize there are many solo intellects in the world.
What next?
The first glance of snow through the rocky terrain -- 4 p.m and I were among the pines covered with snow finding my way to reach the village.
After a long track of 3 hours, the first thing I realized – I need to quit smoking, just kidding! Well, I have clicked a couple of pictures as I walked. You will run out of words to describe how it feels up there. Trust me!

Photo of Snow White 5/11 by Jay De'Photo of Snow White 6/11 by Jay De'Photo of Snow White 7/11 by Jay De'Photo of Snow White 8/11 by Jay De'Photo of Snow White 9/11 by Jay De'

Well, one thing I would like to mention, there aren’t much of extravagant hotels in the village, so people going with their family should make the arrangements beforehand or perhaps can stay at the hotels downhill in Jari.

Photo of Snow White 10/11 by Jay De'
Well, the journey didn’t stop here. Next morning I headed straight to Manikaran. Thought would be pleasant to visit the hot bath. A long stressful walk followed by a hot bath is where I believe lies ecstasy. Well, my adjectives have always been superlative and believe this is what life should be.

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Photo of Snow White 11/11 by Jay De'

Photo of Malana Village by Jay De'