Manali (EN)

A small town called Manali is a famous touristic destination in India. Locals as well as foreigners come here to escape from the summer heat and enjoy the mountains. Manali has its high and low season, summer is quite crowded here, winter is much calmer but the temperatures might be low for someone and not all the activities will be possible, as the snow covers the trekking paths and up in the mountains the conditions get harder for overnight stays.

What fascinated me on Manali were these typical village houses in the middle of the touristic town.
Not all the charm is lost.

For me it was a love at first sight. Pleasant weather, views of the white mountain peaks and interesting places to spend my time at. It is a touristic place and as such the old Manali is packed with foreigners and subsequent offer for their demands. Again I had the opportunity to eat in German Bakeries croissants or brown bread, in restaurants I could try Israeli food, pizza or hamburgers and there were few places where I could have a nice cup of coffee. I enjoyed being in this „westernized“ world after the real Indian countryside. Well, probably after some time you get bored by the monotony, the shops offer almost the same clothes and there is not a big difference in the cafes and restaurants either. But for few days it was a nice change of scenario.

Wooden temples are so typical for the local architecture of the mountains.

I stayed in a guest house Prince run by very nice people, namely Manish. Lucky as only I can be, I arrived to Manali at the time of cherries and picked a place which had four cherry trees full of rape fruits on the yard. I enjoyed them every day. Big part of my days I stayed working and talking to Sachin, Gabriel and Machi in Born Free café and hostel. Lovely place with great atmosphere and very good coffee.

Prince Guest House - simple and with all one needs as a tourist.

Manish (on the left) was not just a great host, but became a friend of mine.
I wish him good luck with all his projects and hope to meet him again in his own Italian restaurant.

Kids are great and playful all around the world.

I felt immediately in love, with the mountains and the idea of one or more-day hikes. There are many paid guides who organize everything for you if you wish. Even without hiking equipment you can enjoy the outdoor activities. I did only short walks in the neighboring forest and one unexpected day-trek which became one of the highlights of my Indian trip.

"Adventure holidays" were offered by numerous agents. Trekking, paragliding, cannoning, whatever you wish.

Really beautiful nature all around Manali, Even during an evening walk I could relax in the forest.

The ten hours walk, first along the river through apple orchards and then high up in the mountains on the shepherd trails, I enjoyed the true feeling of Himalayan forest. As stubborn as I can be I decided I will find my way where there was nobody to ask so at the beginning of the steep uphill path I ended up sometimes in the forest without trail to follow. Across few streams and through thick vegetation, about 500m took me almost one hour to cross. But my thoughts were right, there was a path used by shepherds at the end. Once I started to walk on it all got much easier. Along pastures with beautiful views I enjoyed the feeling of freedom and happiness, I was not worried at all to be alone there, because I knew this path would eventually lead me where I wanted or somewhere very close. Then I saw a movement about 200m down from me, in the low forest vegetation. Few jumps of a big dark, almost black, animal... I just saw a bear! In the nature. Well, he was running and minding his own business, didn’t notice me and I had not much time to observe him. But for me this short encounter was completely satisfactory!! My heart started to beat faster as I didn’t know whether to continue forward or try to return back. In any case, I was already too far from the last shepherds house (which was empty, so what’s the point). And then I noticed that about 50 m above me on the pasture there was a horse. Standing and staring the direction where I saw the bear, alert, but not moving. When the horse feels danger, it runs. And this one stayed. So, I decided if the horse feels OK about the situation I should also just calm down and continue walking... In a way, I am happy I could experience this. I saw many beautiful spots and things that day, apple orchards, free horses on the mountain pastures, shepherds with huge herd of goats, eagles and mountain streams and my dear friend bear. All together I walked about 10 hours and I have no idea how many kilometers, but it doesn’t matter. I was incredibly happy. But I have no photos, because my only camera broke down and my phone was without battery. I have to relly only on my memory, but I seriously saw the bear! ;)

I was lucky and Manali was celebrating a religious festival, so I could see performance of the traditional dances and music.