08-May-2015 – DAY 6

Apple Hotel & Resorts served good breakfast and dinner. We had sandwiches and Poha for breakfast. But three days of food from the same chef has its effects! The enthusiasm of having a meal at the hotel had waned by now.

As we were waiting for the driver to clean the car and get it travel ready, an old Muslim gentleman and his nephew approached us to display their inventory of shawls. As I was conversing with him I was pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time. The gentleman was a professor in a good college in Kashmir and had a PhD ! Unable to meet the expenses he was also doubling up as a Shawl seller during the tourist season.

Rohtang Pass is around 58 KMs from Manali and at a height of 13000 feet. It lies between the Kullu valley and Spiti valley to the north. Rohtang Pass opens up between May and November of every year. We were informed that it was not fully open and we could go only part of the way.

On the way there was a detour for Solang valley and we decided to visit it on our way back. By the time we reached Rohtang, the kids were exhausted. It was not cold but an uneasy chill hung in the air. The family refused to step out of the car… altitude sickness and the general weariness of hills and of course the boredom diet caught up with them.

I stepped out with my trusted Pentax and was soon busy capturing what nature had to offer me!

We had visited Kashmir in May of 2012. You can read it here. The magic, serenity, palpable beauty, noticeable cleanliness, and the intense romanticism of the Himalayas that is so perceptible in Kashmir were somehow missing in Rohtang Pass. Maybe the weather, the time of the day and the general collusion of the universe to make a place wondrous were missing on that day or was it my own heart unwilling to dance with nature? I will never know unless I make another trip!

Since the kids were feeling miserable, we headed back to the hotel. I decided to explore Manali a bit more. In old Manali, there is a temple dedicated to Sage Manu the progenitor of humanity. The temple is as humble as its approach roads.

The temple surroundings are congested … if the area had been properly planned it would have enhanced its beauty many times over … but then Indian philosophy focuses more on inner beauty…

We will be checking out of Manali tomorrow and drive to Dharamashala… the abode of Dalai Lama. There will not be much to report on the road and so will connect back at Dharmashala. Bye till then ….