Trip to Manali wid Frnds

This post should have been posted earlier but since i satrted using this account few days back only I am posting it now.
Trip itinerary:
2nd Dec 07: Boarding of Kalka Mail from Mughal Sarai
3rd : Reached Kalka. Off to Manali.
4th: Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley
5th: Water Rafting and Manikaran

6th: Pattebaazi and few Temples
7th: Off to Chandigarh and caught train at night for New Delhi.



This was my first trip out of state with coll frndz. We were bunch of 6 guyz who managed to experience a lot of new things in this trip(for some paragliding but most important getting involved with police for all of us). Our journey started smoothly with train only 4 hours late and our seats scattered along 3 different coaches :). Anyways it was all somehow managed and by night we all got seats in the same cabin. The trouble started when I paying no heed to my parents advice decided to get down at Kalka and not at Chandigarh as they were recommending. Out of my defiant nature I decided to take my own path(which turned out to be the less travelled one). So we got down at Kalka and found the only places for where buses departed frm there were for Shimla and good ol Chandigarh. Still after putting a brave front we decided to hire a taxi(Quallis) for whole 5 days(The whole taxi incident produced a very new story and experience for us).


So we embarked on a 10 hour ride listening to those Punjabi songs(most of which were unbearable) and stopping at every scenic location we found(which included a dam on river Beas, Temples and dhabas ofcourse).

Finally we were able to reach Manali before the markets closed or else we would have slept empty stomach. With no scenic beauty of ANY kind visible at that hour we went to sleep early.

Next morn out of our enthu we were awake early and went for a morning walk around river Beas. 3 of us also unsuccessfully tried to cross the river but finally gave up after feeling the temperature of the water. From what we had found out last night, Rohtang had been closed for the season and vehicles were only allowed to go upto Gulaba which is 25kms before Rohtang. We solaced in the fact that atleast we will get to watch snow. So we reach Gualaba and our grt driver(Kirpal Singh was his name) parks the car as soon as he sees the first car parked. So we walk 2 kms just to get where everybody else were getting down frm their cars(huh). Whatever we climb those peaks(must have hardly climbed 20 mts in height) and have fun aiming snowballs at each other. Next we go to Solang Valley where we experience paragliding. But before that experience we have to haggle like hell with those guys and then walk what seemed like miles before we pay them to get down frm whr we climbed. While waiting we saw many ppl(gals esp) running such that they never were able to lift the glider. Some even when carried by those guys created such a fuss that they brought down the glider with them. We were all enjoying these scenes and hoping that such embarresment dosent occur with any of us(of which I was the most likely candidate cause of my weight!!). But all went well and all of us got down in one chance. Next we went some Shiv temple which was 2kms from solang and had to be traversed by horse. Horse Ride was fun in itself as all of us tried to control the horses but horses who were pretty smart knew that they had fools on their back and hence did what they were trained to do-follwed the fixed path no matter how hard we tried to get a shortcut.



So as the day got over and we were planning abt next day with water rafting and Manikaran on our way back our grt driver scolded us for not taking his permission before making plans of tomorrow. Surprised and angry we talked to his master and when he also didnt yeild to take us to manikaran tomorrow we decided to chuck the taxi and told such to his master. So we got ourselves a new taxi for next day and went to water rafting. The guide was a young person who was really into gals. He told us meaing of name of one of us(Momo) in their local language which made his face go red with donno emabarresment or anger! Also the guide ensured that none of us got out dry for which he invented terms like 'Highside' nad other stuff. Wet and such we went to manikaran where we found water at 100 degrees to bath in(and some ppl were bathing donno how). we saw gurudwara and temple(boring) we finally came back late again by hill standards.


Next day we had ntohing to do so just went to few local temples and played cards all day. Learned quite a few new games.


Next day we got a taxi and departed to Chandigarh(not Kalka this time) and arrived at platform much before arrival time(which turned out to be our discomfort). As it turned out grt driver Kirpal Singh had come for a visit with 4-5 more Punjabi drives and a GRP sipahi by his side. This created a scene which cntinued for 1.5 long hours. As we had no experience in dealing with policemen earlier and didnt knew to what limits they could go to get money we had to shell out 1000 rs aftr much negotiations. I dont know who was right or wrong. Driver had crossed us by not listening to what we were saying and not accepting his plans so we crossed him by ditching his taxi due to which he had to return back to Kalka without any profit. Finally both were at loss maybe less or more as he also wasnt able to profit as much he had expected earlier if he had stayed for whole 5 days and we also had to shell out extra bucks to wrap up that incident and catch that train.



So overall this trip was fun full of smoke for some for other full of good and cheap apple wine available there.....Hoping ppl agree for next trip also aftr this semester(if i pass the previous one that is)