Biking to Leh: Day 3

July 19, 2012 THURSDAY

We decided to give today to Manali. Very beautiful place situated on the bank of river Beas. The mountains are covered with tall devdar trees. You wont feel need of a fan or AC and make sure you carry warm clothes. You will need them in the evening. For youngsters there is no need of auto rikshaw or a taxi because Manali is a small town and most of the tourist spots are nearby. We stayed in new Manali and covered most of the tourist destinations. It may rain anytime so make sure you carry an umbrella. We also queried about hiring a motorbike for our trip to Leh. Generally the vendors charge 1300 Rs for a new bike but if you search a little bit then you will find a 350 cc royal enfield bike in 600-700 Rs. Vegetables and fruits are very expensive in Manali as compared to rest of India. The local market is also very costly and shopkeepers charge more then MRP on almost everything. The localites are simple and the economy is based on agriculture. From Manu temple, you will get a beautiful view of the whole town but if you want to do night photography from that site then its a bad idea. You can sit of the bank of river Beas but be safe as the flow of the river is fast and the water level may rise anytime. The best idea is to walk in the "Van Vihar". The market of Manali remains open till 2300 Hrs and anytime it is safe for a walk. Old Manali gives a complete different view. You will pass through old Manali on your way to Manu Temple. While on your way to Hadimba Temple, you will get a beautiful view of snow covered mountains. If you want to stay for long in Manali then its better to rent a room. You will get small gas stoves on rent and you can cook your own food. We tried a Tibetan dish called as "Thukpa". It is served both as a vegetarian and non vegetarian dish. We tried the vegetarian Thukpa that costed us 40 Rs. Those who prefer spicy food may not like it. You will find almost all cuisine food in Manali. The only issue I faced there was that the shopkeepers charge more for everything there. Be it beverages or anything, they will charge more then MRP. They will give a reason that the suppliers charge more for transportation of goods to the hilly area but this excuse seems to be silly. In the world of competition where there is a cut throat competition between the companies to gain monopoly over market, this excuse seems to be silly for one of the most famous tourist destination of India. We also found about the bike on rent and finally finalized a bike from "Himalaya on Wheels". Address is "Near Parking Stand Main Market, Vashist, Manali (Himachal Pradesh) India. The contact person is Naveen and his contact numbers are +91 98570 78984 and +91 98162 02418. Again make sure you bargain as much as you can and visit half a dozen of bike vendors so that you get a good price. After that returned back to hotel.

The suggestions for today are:

You will find everything costly in Manali. So make sure you have purchased everything from your hometown. Make a list of all necessary items and carry them from your hometown.
As I said yesterday as well, bargain as much as you can. Also its worthless to purchase clothes and handicrafts from Manali. You will be charged more for everything and if in case there is any defect in the item you purchased, you will find too difficult to get it changed because it takes lot of time to reach Manali.
Don't try local food if you like spicy food. The local food tastes good but at the end of the day personal taste matters.
Carry an umbrella with you as it may rain anytime.
Local people are honest and make sure you don't get into their privacy during the visit. Please take permission before clicking their photos and photos of their homes.
A big request to keep the city clean. The river banks are full of polythene and other waste at some places. Make sure you don't act like illiterates who have already spoiled such a beautiful place.
Carry some warm clothes with you as you may need them when the sun sets down.

GALLERY

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(There are videos after the photos)