Living in the humid climate of Mumbai, who doesn’t wish to see the snow or enjoy the chilly climate of the Himalayas? Having heard a lot about Himachal, my dad decided to plan out a vacation for us there. But how was it? Good? Disappointing? Exciting? Thrilling? Read on to know my experience…

That ten year old was beyond excited to go for a vacation finally. With her dad living overseas, she did not really have the chance to go for trips as and when she would’ve wanted, only once a year when her father came down. Hearing that they were gonna see the snow was a child’s delight literally. They obviously hadn’t planned the whole vacation to be in Himachal let alone be in the snow all along.

They started from Chandigarh to Delhi, Agra, and other places which are a story of another time, before they finally reached Kullu. But, was Kullu the most exciting? Absolutely not! What would a ten year old want to do with shopping on the streets of Kullu? Her excitement grew as they traveled those twists and turns of the Himalayas to reach Manali. Those snow capped mountains filled her heart with joy. A feeling she couldn’t really express then. The green coniferous trees added to the beauty of those mountains.

As she woke up early the next day, she could see the trees swaying with the chilly breeze that was blowing. The trees laden with red apple were a sight to behold along with the gushing sound of the Beas river in the background, it was a moment to relish. Walking out of the hotel in her two pig tails, a brown sweater that covered her till her knees and red boots, she looked up at the snow that shined due to the sun making her squint her eyes.

Oh! How she wished to touch the snow, to feel it once how it looked. She could just wait in anticipation till they reached up there and she’d finally be able to reach the snow. The ride was long and bumpy to the Rohtang Pass. That pass was said to connect two valleys here in Himachal, but her young brain wasn’t fast enough to grasp the two names. The only valley she remembered was the Kullu Valley down.

As she looked down, on her way up she had seen those houses and trees getting smaller and smaller and finally vanishing. While some vanished, some looked at ants and seeing them she could finally believe that they really were so high up.

She could not express her amazement as she walked into the snow. Her feet digging in, leaving imprints in the snow, just as the memory made an imprint in her brain. She slid down on the snow, made snow balls that she hit her sisters with and played till her nose was red. Her young mind did not scream for the cold she felt, for she just wanted to keep playing. She did things that she had just seen in cartoons and read in books, which included making a snowman. The only problem being, there were neither buttons nor a carrot. But at least she could give him a pair of glasses and a muffler to make him look lively.

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Even after more than ten years she couldn’t shake off the feeling of looking at snow. That small girl who now grew up to be a lady still could not explain the joy snow gave her. Just one look was enough for her to fall in love again and even more if it was possible.

She was excited would be an understatement literally. Nothing could ever compare her love to the love she had for snow. She could see those snow laden mountains from her window, a feeling of immense bliss as she stared at them.

She knew that she’d remember this time much more than the last time. Speaking of which, she obviously felt more cold. Coming here in winter probably wasn’t very wise. but, anything for oh that snow!

The temperature dipped low to less than 0 degrees Celcius as she sat in front of the heater trying to warm herself. She waited to go in the snow yet again and smiled at the thought, when she had felt the same way when she first was to go in the snow.

She was well laden with warm clothes as she left in the morning. The chilly morning air blowing at her face making her hair messier as the car drove up. There was a feeling of immense excitement bubbling in her stomach as they moved.

She could see the river gushing from beside, the water hitting those rocks, making a much louder noise. This time they were not going to the same place as last time, but a different place. It was the Solang Valley. It was not as high as Rohtang Pass, but still a place filled with wonders for her. Solang, was a village just above the Kullu Valley.

Here, only plain snow wasn’t what awaited her, snow activities / adventures as they are called were a major attraction. Her favorite activity was ziplining where she could feel the wind blowing at her face as she moved across the river a feeling of exhilarating happiness. She was just so elated, that the biting cold did not seem to bother her at all. Her mind just seemed to revolve around this happy place.

On the way back she decided to do something stupid yet exciting to her. She wanted to dip her legs in the river. More like, stand in the chilly water for fun. And she did! She stood in the freezing water for a whole minute. Her feet numbing for a few seconds before they could adjust to the cold.

Experiences like these were what made her vacation worthwhile. These were the things that she’d reminisce and not the shopping she did. Well, she might remember the all famous Mall Road in Manali that bustled with shoppers at night. All busily moving from one shop to another, bargaining and eating as they continued.

She recalled all those memories. All negatives thoughts seemed to escape her mind at that present time. No matter how many times would she see the snow, the feeling would be different each and every time.

Himachal is just not the land of gods, it’s also a place of beauty. A place of wonder. A place you’d forget your worries and enjoy. A place that was sure to make a place in your heart FOREVER!

January 29, 2020