05-May-2015 – DAY 3

After an early breakfast, we headed towards Manali. The sheer beauty and expansiveness of Indian countryside can be experienced only when one travels by road. We just get an inkling of the development taking place in different corners of India by reading newspapers. The magnitude of the infrastructure development can only be fathomed by seeing them. Road construction across difficult terrains, Hydro electric projects, bridges tells a very positive tale. On the way we passed the stunning Pandoh dam.

The uniqueness of Manali greets you way before you are anywhere close to it. A plethora of adventurous activities entices you along the highway with alarming regularity. A sense of thrill hangs palpably in the air. With the white gushing Beas river keeping company and the snow capped Pir Panjal and Bara Bhangal ranges engulfing us from all sides and with Pine and Deodhar trees dotting the roadside, a thick air of romanticism heavily hangs around Manali and quickly twangs a string in your soul.

Manali’s natural terrain with some necessary human intervention has made adventure sport like paragliding, skiing, hot-air ballooning and Zorbing easily accessible.

We couldn’t resist stopping on the highway and having a go at rafting. The charge was Rs. 300/- per head. We were provided the necessary safety gears. It was a great feeling to hold on to dear life as the raft hobbled in the rushing Beas river. The boatman used the impetus of the raging river expertly to guide the raft…the cold water splashing on us every few seconds felt invigorating…the later afternoon sun, blue rushing river, green mountains and cold wind … Manali truly welcomed us!

After a few KMS the raft was guided to safe waters where we along with the raft were ushered in to a waiting van and driven to our starting point.

On the way, we stopped at Vaishno Devi Mandir at Kullu. The temple is located right on the beas river. Though the temple is a multi storey structure, the entrance is narrow. We had a quick darshan and continued on our way.

At Manali, we were put up at Apple Hotel & Resorts. It had a beautiful wooden facade and located on the main thouroghfare.  We were provided a spacious suite with two bedrooms and a living room. This turned out to be useful as we had planned 3 nights and 4 days in Manali. We chilled out rest of the evening and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at the hotel.

We retired early as we had planned Rohtang Pass the next day.