The experience of traveling to the mountains as a Traveler, Not a tourist.
There were many sightseeing spots and markets I had listed out to cover in a week when I booked my tickets to Manali. Little did I know that I would be wandering around places that were off the ‘Tourist Sightseeing’ list.
The day I reached Manali, everything around was green with no sign of snow. Somewhere inside I really wished if I could witness a sight of snowfall. I guess God did plan out a very rejuvenating time for me. Just the next morning when I woke up, I got to cherish the sight of snowflakes hitting the valley. It went on for many hours leaving the ground covered with fresh snow making everything look so white and bright. It was the first fall of the season. It felt like little droplets of magic drizzled from heaven. The day it snowed, I didn’t step out of my abode. I took a seat by the window with a cup of tea and cherished every moment of it. I almost felt like I was lost somewhere in a winter wonderland.
Moving on, after a full day of snowfall I was ready to step out for a walk. That’s when I realized that walking on snow was not a piece of cake, not for me at least. I remember that I slipped almost a zillion times but it didn’t matter as long as I was loving how beautiful everything around looked. I have a very unusual habit of plugging in earphones every time I go for a walk, but this time I wanted to experience every bit of the environment. I did not plug in earphones, instead, I was taking in each moment of the cold wind brushing through my face, as the leaves on the trees made the rustling sound whilst I walked on the roads that made the surrounding look as if I were living the famous poem by Robert Frost ‘Stopping by the Woods ‘.
On my way, I observed how the locals lived their life a little away from the hustle of the tourists. It is also called as ‘Old Manali’. Houses made of woods with every house overlooking the majestic Himalayas made me wonder how beautiful it must be to be living a life where everything around gets as pure and fresh as it can.
I also wondered how the mountain kids made a ski out of wooden boards and skied their way from a snowy pathway on the narrow roads while I was still struggling to walk on it. It was a treat to the eye to watch those happy children play with snow. It seemed like it was the most exciting thing that they had been doing, a childhood away from technology.
I now purposely threw away my ‘Sightseeing’ list and decided to go as local as I could. I along with a friend hiked up to the most isolated place possible just so that we could sit and give ourselves a minute to admire the beauty of nature, away from the tourists. Walking on snow almost about 4ft deep, we didn’t find anything to sit on so we made ourselves comfortable on the snow we had been walking on. I did not feel how cold my body had gotten as I was lost into beauty. I was lost into the thought of how amazingly God has created this world to be. I was lost into the feeling of being in love with the mountains.
By then, I had fallen in love with Manali. I had started to realize how just a few days of living in the mountains changed me as a person. I always liked being alone but those few days made me fall in love with my own company. I was now ready to do more adventures, so we drove up to half a mountain to catch the sunset. Only locals were allowed to enter that area, but somehow I managed to get myself past that security check. After crossing approximately 30 curves, we landed on a spot from where the 360° angle looked magnificent. I did get a little thirsty, and because we were not carrying water with ourselves, I had to eat snow to make my thirst go away. Yep, that’s how you survive in mountains.
After walking a few steps, we found a small house which was run by an old couple. They made a bowl of Maggie with a cup of Chai which was again much needed. They had a little pup who was soaking himself into the last rays of the sun to get warm. The old couple had also built an igloo for people to get pictures clicked if they wanted to. I was surprised to see how basic yet restful their lives were. After looking at them, I realized that I’d give up anything to live a life like that. When I was on that mountain, I felt like I was just where I was supposed to be. There was something so special about admiring the valley covered with snow. We all love vibrant and colorful picturesque yet somehow we also get intrigued when everything around us goes gray and white. It’s the time when it’s not day or night. Some people also call it the ‘Gray Hour
Now, what remained was to go a little closer to the river. It was also my last day in Manali. Fortunately, there was no water running through pipes that day as everything was frozen. Destiny took me to a hot spring which was again precisely for locals. As I entered into the enclosed space, I saw how old ladies were enjoyed their dip into the burning hot water. At first, I was not really comfortable going into the hot spring, but then I realized that I had nothing to lose. I awkwardly stripped into my bathing suit and stepped into the water. As my feet touched the water, there was an adrenaline rush in my body. Ironically, that rush made my body feel so calm. In just a few seconds, the fact that there were other local women around me didn’t matter. I was lost. Ironically, I was so lost that I hadn’t felt so alive before. A few seconds turned into a few minutes. I pondered on the fact that I had been spending my money on exotic spas when nature had the best to offer. Completely priceless. After I got out of the hot spring, I came out as a new person altogether. By then I had given up all my ideas of what I thought were luxuries. I had given my heart to nature. I did get a little misty-eyed, and why wouldn’t I? After 21 years of existence, that was the day I realized what life really is.
I still had to go a little closer to the river to get the taste of it, so we again did something extraordinary. We walked deep into a mountain, a little far away from Manali, to sit by the isolated part of the river. We crossed a few houses and after a few minutes, not even a single soul was to be seen around. After walking for a long long time, we finally caught the sight of the river. We went right below the bridge and watered down our thirst. The water was freezing cold yet the taste of it felt like I had never washed my throat down with such pure water. I got a little too excited and took off my boots to feel the cold water fish through my feet, and to be honest, it was not really the best idea. For some time my feet felt numb, but there was a different kind of fun in doing something not everybody would do.
The clock started ticking and it was time to leave. I did feel a little sad but I was happy that I got to spend my winters in a wonderland. While writing this up, I could imagine every moment of what I felt, and all of these feelings and memories are so special for me. I have now returned as a different person, a person who has realized that life is so much more than what we think it is. Life is beautiful I now believe that I belong to the mountains, and someday I will return to the mountains
