It took me a while to bust out a portion of my brain before agreeing to a road trip. I have visited Manali before with the likeness of my own company. But with family, it called for chaos, a disturbance in the force, the force here being my dad’s unsolicited advice, not the Star Wars kind. But family’s family and you know it too.
So, like any middle-class nuclear family, mine too was conscious of the budget. But I could chart out a plan since the trip was to Manali and with a sizeable fussy family. So, I figured that a three-day trip could easily be done on a budget since it would be divided into equal shares. But to give you an idea as to how big my family is, I have got a family tree here
- Me and my wife
- My dad and my mom
- My aunt and her daughter
- My grandparents
It might seem like a lot, and it is. Just a heads-up: While traveling with a large family, always have a bit of skepticism in mind. If you think it can get worse at times, trust me on this, it will.
Where did we all go to Manali?
Usually, when I visit Manali, I venture out to a couple of offbeat places. But that wouldn’t have been the case with my family. We had three days in our hand, and we had to wrap everything within that minus the travel days. I also had to consider the brutal traffic of Manali while traveling via Delhi. But before I proceed further if you have a large family such as mine, avail reliable, and comfortable tempo traveler hires in Delhi. A 12-seater tempo will have enough legroom and comfortable chairs to make that drive to Manali pleasant.
Day 1: Reaching Manali
When we reached Chandigarh, we decided to stop for some snacks and drinks. After we availed a reliable and comfortable tempo traveler hire in Delhi, we realized that this 12-seater express is more than what we had bargained for. The roads were terrible, but the conversation inside was worse. I realized that my aunt was getting on her daughter’s nerves, so I decided to use a diversion tactic and started playing antakshari. This game blissfully distracted them from the roads and conversations.
I talked to the driver and asked him to make a stop at Kullu. Kullu happens to be a great place for rafting, but not when you are with your large family. But as it turns out; the place is also famous for shawls, which kept my aunt and mom busy. Soon enough, I could feel the same eagerness I always felt before reaching Manali.
On reaching Manali
We boarded off from the 12-seater magic express and checked into our hotel. It turned out that our tireless soul required some more replenishing, so we indulged in some soul-full brunch and tasted every possible local delicacy that Manali had to offer.
Day 2: Passing by Rohtang Pass
The second day had to be the critically acclaimed of all the three days combined. I lead my family to Rohtang Pass. It was early, but that’s when you see the most of it. Who knew mountains could freeze everything that’s dysfunctional in our family. The cold was ironically healing, at least for now. Later on, my aunt and mom pressed on to drop by Hadimba Devi Temple. Even though I am a skeptic by heart, which my wife shares too, we both ended up loving the temple. Later, we visited a monastery nearby, which was equally pleasant.
Day 3: The thrill downhill
Well, it seemed like we had to return to our shelves till we dusted off for another adventure. We had already pre-booked a licensed taxi in Delhi for our return trip. On our way back, I decided to make a few stops. We visited a Shiva Temple, which, unlike other temples, made me feel like coming back again.
If I were to surmise the trip, I would do so with intricate articulation:
Rohtang Pass – Manali Mall – Hong Kong Market – Shiva Temple and a lot of momos.
A few of our adventures haven’t been articulated here, mostly because it seemed too personal, I wouldn’t be jotting down family chatter in a blog. But all in all, I might revisit Manali with my family. It was healing, cold, crisp, and fulfilling.
