My annual leave had to be spent doing nothing, so Naggar it was during the off-season. This is my third trip to this secluded village- 20 km from Manali on the other side of the Beas river. We took the Volvo bus from Himachal Bhawan in Delhi which started at 6 pm and we reached Manali at 7:30 am the next day. The other alternative was to drive down in our own car that but that meant spending the day behind the wheel. The bus ride that took all night saves a day; not to mention the beating your car would take on these mountain roads. One barely feels the pot holes and the road conditions in the Volvo buses. Nearing Manali, We missed our stop at Patlikuhal before the bridge so we went all the way to Manali and took a cab to Naggar (Rs 550).
The sleepy town was awaiting its tourists after Holi, so it was nice and peaceful when we reached. We stayed at a government-run place called 'The Palace', which was originally built in 1460 and was renovated and converted into a hotel.
We booked the best room on the property called 'Fozal Peak Suite'- which sounded like a corruption of 'Frozen' peak. Nevermind... the view from our balcony was lovely and it was a bright sunny day. It was cold though and the water from the taps was finger-numbing cold.
We walked down to a restaurant called 'The Nightingale' which has been around for atleast 11 years since I visited the first time. Though renovated and more modern looking now, the food was still good and expensive. A pizza and a pasta with locally made fruit juices cost us Rs. 850.
On day two we walked around a little more towards Nicholas Roerich's home and museum which was uphill. Though the ground floor was closed, we walked around the house and to the first floor. The inside of his home was like a time box, frozen in with furniture and artefacts of that time.
After all this walking we needed to eat. We had heard so much about the local trout fish that we decided to give it a shot. Its interesting how its served here- entirely with the head and tail, with vegetables!
On Sunday, the locals were playing Holi here. As we went about exploring the hillside, we spotted the local villagers meeting at a temple. The celebration got us interested and we decided to join them.
One thing that we noticed instantly was the decency with which they played Holi, compared to the way city folks play.
The hotel had a great view of the village and valley below. This was a great opportunity to study bird flight. Since Art school days, bird flight and crows have been interesting subjects.
Just in case this looks easy, it took over 300 clicks to get these right. Getting clear photos of the crows in flight meant, zooming in and following, focusing and clicking. The work paid off.
Finally on the day we were checking out, the weather changed for the worse. It rained the night before and everything around was freezing up. Here's the before/after of the weather in Naggar-
It was a great trip at the end of it all. Naggar stays on top of my fave spots in the world.
The sleepy town was awaiting its tourists after Holi, so it was nice and peaceful when we reached. We stayed at a government-run place called 'The Palace', which was originally built in 1460 and was renovated and converted into a hotel.
We booked the best room on the property called 'Fozal Peak Suite'- which sounded like a corruption of 'Frozen' peak. Nevermind... the view from our balcony was lovely and it was a bright sunny day. It was cold though and the water from the taps was finger-numbing cold.
We walked down to a restaurant called 'The Nightingale' which has been around for atleast 11 years since I visited the first time. Though renovated and more modern looking now, the food was still good and expensive. A pizza and a pasta with locally made fruit juices cost us Rs. 850.
On day two we walked around a little more towards Nicholas Roerich's home and museum which was uphill. Though the ground floor was closed, we walked around the house and to the first floor. The inside of his home was like a time box, frozen in with furniture and artefacts of that time.
On Sunday, the locals were playing Holi here. As we went about exploring the hillside, we spotted the local villagers meeting at a temple. The celebration got us interested and we decided to join them.
One thing that we noticed instantly was the decency with which they played Holi, compared to the way city folks play.
The hotel had a great view of the village and valley below. This was a great opportunity to study bird flight. Since Art school days, bird flight and crows have been interesting subjects.
Just in case this looks easy, it took over 300 clicks to get these right. Getting clear photos of the crows in flight meant, zooming in and following, focusing and clicking. The work paid off.
Finally on the day we were checking out, the weather changed for the worse. It rained the night before and everything around was freezing up. Here's the before/after of the weather in Naggar-
It was a great trip at the end of it all. Naggar stays on top of my fave spots in the world.
