Himalayas have always been enchanting. Its high passes, challenging peaks, pristine glaciers, gushing blue rivers, long snow ranges, green meadows, many untraveled trails, and big blue lakes, have been a source of attraction for travelers all over the world. Anyone who has traveled in the Himalayas has lot of tales of adventure, mystery, thrill and self-discovery to share.

Set on the foothills of the great Himalayas Himachal Pradesh is close to serenity. Open the window to your soul and the place will lift you up with its charm.

We started as a 3-day trip from Delhi. With frequent overnight buses running it’s quite easy for anyone to start. By dawn your eyes will open to breath-taking mountain curve roads and amid the beauty river Beas running down with its soothing sound. The freshness around, the wind and nature will certainly standout to let you know, you are not close to any city, rather close to nature. In another 2 hours you will find yourself in Manali town. Within the small city chaos, people starting with their daily chores, you will find red and green apples everywhere in abundant. The strident sharpness of red apple orchards with blue sky and mountain backdrop will be nothing less than an amazing landscape to capture.

Once you touchdown, start with some breakfast, Aloo k parathe and rajma, yes the north style. Find your place to stay, inspired by bag packing there will be a lot of cheap motels if you want else go ahead book yourself a river side resort.

Grab a bullet on rent and roll. Start exploring the beautiful town of Manali.  “Beas” run almost anywhere you go through the mountains.

Number of walk-over / concrete bridges across, tagged with Tibetan prayer flags and a mighty river underneath.

Hidimba Devi temple is where you can head to. This temple built somewhat around 1553 stands between cedar forests, gigantic sky kissing trees. You will certainly have a peaceful experience. Make some friends, extremely furry stray dogs and white fur balls rabbits. And that’s what we did.

Grabbing some quick snacks in a bakery we started for sholang valley. Shollang valley is most active for snow sports. We went in September- no snow time. Since we didn’t want to miss the spectacular view anyway we started to sholang. Around 15kms of mesmerizing hill road ride. As rightly said – “the journey is more beautiful than the destination” or that’s what we thought until we reached. Riding through the Himalayas will make you relasise how tiny you are. Quick breaks for some hot Maggie? Why not!!

September sholang valley will look as a baren green field. Nothing around but a rope way to a hill top. Being ambivalent we took the rope way and were stunned to have a destination as scintillating as the journey. We had to only imagine how pearly white it could be in snow time. However, September has its own color for you. Sat there for an hour or so admiring nature.

Old Manali market has a lot of shops for almost anything and it becomes lively in the evening. Amid this alluring streets  you can watch the dusk drift by. There will certainly be aromas wafting towards you and what captured our senses was lamb soup and small gulab jamoons.

So the next day we started for Kasol, around 70kms from Manali. Situated on the banks of Parvati River, Kasol is abound with Israeli travellers. Such is their presence that locals and restaurateurs have embraced their food, language and culture like their own. Its a small town and soothing sound of parvati is heard across.

Amazingly, there are a lot of places to eat and explore Israeli cuisine here.

1. Stone Garden Café: A 24-hour café with awesome food and ambience.
2. Freedom Café: It’s the music and the legacy of ‘freedom cafes’ that keeps it bustling most time of the year.
3. Jim Morrison Café: Great music after a small trek makes it special. Food is all vegetarian though.
4. Shiva Shanti Café: Terrace seating allows an enchanting view of the valley and the surrounding peaks.
5. The Evergreen Café: Don’t miss the church behind and the great food.
6. Moon Dance Café: Lovely setting, great food, and irresistibly good bakery.
7. Bhoj Café: One of the oldest cafes is a different experience altogether.
8. The Art Café: Go here for some peace.
9. Alpine Guest House Café: A scenic café along the fiercely flowing river Parvati.

The most popular café in Kasol, Evergreen enjoys the maximum number of Israelis visitors. Comprising of Tahina, Hummus, Shakshuka, Falafel and Grilled Mashed Eggplant, the menu here is huge. We had a chance to try some of their delicacies and were not disappointed as such.

Burn some calories, and you will reach Jim Morison cafe. It’s a small trek to this cafe and probably be pitch dark at night. Famished with the walk, we ended up in a good meal and a movie screening. Dim lit, laid back experience with ground mattress sitting.

Right opposite to Moon Dance café, there’s a Momo Corner by the name of Shambhu Momo Corner. He sells fried and steamed momos with red chilli and yoghurt based dips. His momos are juicy and spicy. There’s a makeshift arrangement for seating. Shambhu’s owner also lets you have your own liquor, while you sit at his joint.

Amid all these merriment, there’s always a tripiness in the air. It’s just in the air. This is certainly a place where you can sit by, relax and forget what day it is. Grab a book, rediscover an author, make some music, think about future or just sit and do nothing.

If Kasol represent the unrelenting opportunity to gorge oneself with the Israeli delicacies, well that’s just part of the magic. Nothing goes better with the carbs than exhilaration and Himalayas have plenty to offer.Encompassing miles of trails, This place has an ethereal quality blanked with green and clouds that seems close enough to touch.

Few miles from Kasol, have a visit to Manikaran, Gurudwara where you can find hot water spring. Have more time to spare, indulge your senses and take the Tosh valley trek ending up at Tosh village. It will take you through gorgeous meadows and streams leaving you breathless. Or just grab a bike drive through the 30 odd Kms.

No matter where you travel or what you opt for Himachal Pradesh will certainly pin you with an unimpeachable and inimitable experience.

It will never be easy to bid goodbye to a place this serene and there will never be enough days to explore it. Until next time.

Untraveled trails..