Goreme
Cappadocia Panorama Cappadocia is the one and only place of its kind on this Earth with mountains, the shape of cone, some made of solid sand, others of soft stone. Arriving at this place gives you an unearthly feel as if you lost your way and found one to a city that could have once been a home to aliens. The colors of the mountains is another thing that mesmerized me, some white and some yellow, some red and some pink; as if they were spray painted from the sky by a gigantic spacecraft. The region of Cappadocia is located mostly in Nevşehir province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and covers the towns of Göreme, Uçhisar and Ürgüp although nothing much noticeable in the city of Nevşehir itself. I had the time and opportunity to travel through Cappadocia last month, although unfortunately just for two days and a night. I…
ABVIMAS(Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports) formerly known as DMAS(Directorate of Mountaineering & Allied Sports) is a government run organization/institute in Manali, Himachal Pradesh which provides certified programs in mountaineering, skiing, rafting, trekking and a few other mountain/adventure sports. The courses are subsidized by Indian government and are offered at low rates for Indian citizens. I took a 26 days Basic Mountaineering Course for just INR 7,800 and returned home spending under 10,000 bucks for everything including transportation. All the food and accommodation is provided inclusive of the cost at the institute. It is pretty easy to reach ABVIMAS as it is a mere 3 km from the Manali bus stand. You can get a taxi for 50-100 bucks. Ask the taxi driver to drop you at the office as the office is around a km inside the main gate of the institute. You should preferably reach a day…
I previously talked about the Solang village. Let me now come to the actually known attraction – Solang Nullah. This place is accessible by road from Manali. This place is most famous for adventure rides such as paragliding and zorbing. You can enjoy an ATV ride as well.
The most beautiful part of the Manali town itself is Old Manali. While you go to visit the famous Hadimba temple, don’t hesitate going half a km further. Old Manali is the favourite spot for foreigners. Here you will find several cafes and restaurants. Let me tell you about a few. Dylan’s toasted and roasted is a cafe where you can enjoy a hot cup of coffee listening instrumental music performed live by three different persons. Another one is an authentic Korean cafe run by a Korean family who came to visit Manali and were so influenced by its beauty that they decided to settle here. They even have their menu in Korean. If you wish to have a pizza cafe Olive Pizza is the place. You can also visit Club house at the beginning of Old Manali for a mere ticket of INR 10 where you can enjoy river crossing for…
If you love trekking and ever visit Manali, you must consider an off-road trek from Manali to Solang Valley. The trek is 11 km covering an altitude of 500 m with quite a few uphills and downhills. We made the trek carrying a load of around 25 kg. That was hard but possible as we were training under a basic mountaineering course and had already trained for 11 days. We got tired but regained the energy just by the picturesque views on the way. But you don’t have to do that. The trek can be completely enjoyed and all you need to carry is a day-pack. It takes only a day to complete the trek providing you a considerable amount of rest on the way. One passes through a few countryside villages. The village people are really excited to see tourists, especially the children. Don’t get afraid when they ask…
As I talked about the beauty of Solang before, here is what makes it so beautiful – the wildlife of the Patalsu mountain. Here you can see a group of some shiny christmas trees at the boundry of the mountain treeline and timberline. Do not expect much fauna but you will find quite a variety of flora. As soon as you cross the inhabited area, you will find dispersed mountain trees standing erect in green lushy grass. You may find some wild strawberries on the way which are tasty and can be eaten. The are similar to normal strawberries but are even smaller than a cherry. As you reach the alpine range you’ll find that the ground turns from dark green to light green with a bright shine. A field full of bright yellow flowers can seen. But be aware of a poisonous herb known as the cobra plant. It…
One of the most beautiful and scenic places in the Himalayas that brings inside you a feeling of heaven is situated in the vicinity of Manali. It is the Patalsu Peak located at the village of Solang next to a popular tourist spot known as Solang Nala which is only 14 kms from Manali. Its half an hour drive on a car/taxi. It can also be reached by bus. Although a majority of people who visit Manali also visit Solang Nala, most of them miss the beauty of the real Solang village which can only be realized by taking a trek to the Patalsu Peak. The trek above the hill starts within a few hundred meters down the road from solang nala after you cross a small wooden bridge over the river beas. The trek takes around 8 hours giving you enough time to rest, photograph and appreciate the beauty.…
A view of the beautiful himalayan timberline as seen on the Patalsu mountain. As mentioned earlier about the Solang village, before you reach the alpine range and are lost appreciating the picturesque scenery, you can get to know the Himachali himalayan culture during the first 2 hours of your trek. You will find a small population dispersed on the lower part of the hill. You may also counter farm cattle on the way. The first half in the tree-line is an already built track that mostly consists of concrete steps. So you would have no problem in the first hour of your trek. The higher part of the tree-line is also easy to climb due to low inclination. Then comes the alpine range which could be a bit tiring due to high slant and no fixed routes. You need to be a bit careful here or you may slip and…