Taste of the Spirited Peaks

Manali travel blog. Staying in Southern India, I was looking out to visit the northern peaks for quite sometime. And Manali was something of a dreamland for someone witnessing a part of the world’s highest mountain range.

The curvy roads that get slimmer as you move up to more deserted addresses. Quietness deafening (and frosty) at night but immediately lifts off when travelers from faraway places speak their warm stories before bed.

For compensation, he also requested the premium lounge access for the time period. Tagging in along, we were in for a treat for the following 5 hours. The buffet, comfortable seats, and even a mini library saved us a little on lunch.

We weren’t so worried as we had our Manali sleeper bus late at night. But inevitably, it was a rat race from the airport to the bus stop. Delhi’s heat was a cherry on top. We did somehow make it :)

Day 1: Vashisht, Jogini Falls, and Thrift Shops

Most overnight semi-sleepers from Delhi take an average of 14 hours to Manali. Taking the late night bus, we reached Manali around noon. With the local taxis hurdled as we alighted the bus, the idea of renting bikes went poof. Not to mention, the travel fatigue.

So we bargained our best with a taxi straight to our hostel in Vashisht Manali. It wasn’t a bad idea for 4 people.

We were only a group of 3 at first. But remember that smart dude with an idea at the Bangalore airport? All stars aligned and he came to Manali with us on the same bus and even had booked the same zostel booked for the evening! So he tagged along for the ride. We freshened up and went down the street for lunch.

Manali budget trip – Compared to Old Manali, Vashisht is way less touristy – something I loved about the place. The best part was the remote scenery.

Small houses on the banks of the river that flowed through the valley amidst peaks. From the Zostel, one could see the whole picture.

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Manali travel blog: Finally at peace from flights, buses and taxis… for 2 seconds

Added to it, the places to check out were in a walkable distance here.

Places to check out in Vashisht are:

1. Jogini Falls
2. Hot water spring
3. Vashisht temple
4. Thrift shops and cafes

Trekking Jogini Falls

Jogini Falls was nothing short of a small trek for a couple of hours. You can stay at the bottom and witness the amazing view of the cold waterfall far above in the cracks of the peak.

But the trek up is worth every step. The close-up of the painfully freezing water and to walk through it barefoot is something else. Most people naturally followed the others before them. It’s a sense of security I suppose.

As we walked a local lady covered in wrinkles, however, pointed at a remote route through trees where no one seemed to be going. We exchanged glances. I was in for an adventure.

Though with stops of hesitation as we found no one following behind or ahead, we made it to the same falls. And what a beauty it was! A large dog (or a wolf) tagged along and began drinking the freezing water from the large puddle of the falls.