A visit to a hill station is highly adventurous and pleasurable. It affords us a complete change from the dull, prosaic and routine life in the plains. To escape the searing heat of the summer months in Delhi, Some of us decided to arrange a trip to a hill station. We wanted to go to a comparatively quiet place and not to a congested place like Shimla.
After much discussion we chose Manali as our destination. As the bus proceeded in the desired direction, we left behind the dust, pollution and noise of the metropolis. When the cool, fresh mountain air began to refresh us, we knew that we had entered a world of beauty and tranquility, when we finally reached Manali, the breath-taking grandeur of the mountains cast a spell on us.
There were trees on the slopes, the snow shone like silver in the sun and the constantly changing landscape with varying heights and depths presented a fascinating contrast. We made arrangements for our stay and then set out to discover more of that picturesque wonderland. We learnt that Manali is the distorted form of Manu-Alay, the home of Manu.
The Hidimba temple took us back in time and we tried to mentally recapture the age of the Pandavas. We trekked to a winter sports centre and attempted skiing. We also enjoyed a hot water sulphure bath. All of us took innumerable photographs so that we could recall our visit to Manali for our homes, we were all experiencing a sense of loss.