Manali Getaway: Workation in ‘Paradise’
An old hand-painted rum bottle, sporting an enormous cheery bunch of hydrangea perches on my work table; the morning sun streams in through the wooden slats of the veranda railings, etching patterns on the wooden floor; and beyond, as if created just for my visual delight, the pine-covered Shivaliks reach out to brilliant sapphire skies. The rain-washed morning air is cool and exhilarating. The only sound is of the gushing brook nearby and the twitter of birds.
My kind of Monday morning.
Firdaws, balm for the soul
I am in the quaint hill village of Nasogi which looks down on the town of Manali. Firdaws – ‘paradise’ in Persian – the typical Himachali pinewood house where I am for the past week, is reached by a narrow pathway up the mountains, and across a stream. Precarious, the climb, especially for sedentary middle-aged city dwellers like myself, kick starts my Manali workation on an adventurous mode.
Up the hill, when you step into Firdaws, you are instantly charmed by the double-storeyed homestay, with verandas running the length of the spaces on the ground floor, and around the rooms on the first floor. There is an open space in front of the lower verandah – edged by a lush burst of marigold plants. You can laze on the veranda and simply gaze out at the dense foliage of elegant pines clothing the hillsides; look up at the snow-clad peaks in the far distance; let your thoughts wander with the cotton candy clouds, playing peek-a-boo with the sun as it rises in the sky. ‘Country roads take me home’… playing softly in the background, a cup of steaming adrak chai by your side.
You don’t need to do anything else.
Diving into a mountain pool & other adventures
There are many Manalis. I have found mine at Firdaws, and delight in setting out for little expeditions from this bit of quiet haven. On the weekend, in a fit of daring, I went along with sturdy, mountain climbers on a cold-water dipping adventure. We drove up to a point and trekked to a mountain pool, created by the foamy waters rushing down, past enormous boulders dotting the mountain.
The waters form a natural pool nestled between rocks, before toppling over natural rock barricades further downhill, its pace still furious. Not having brought along a swimsuit, I stepped gingerly into the icy water in my burqa-type attire. My breath caught at my throat as the cold, clear mountain waters closed in around me, and my feet touched the sand and pebbles at the bottom. It took a few minutes to acclimatize, and then I was dizzy with the excitement of being in the cool pool, the sun shining down at us. I walked through the water slowly, savouring the feeling, and swam a bit in the shallow parts.
I even got up my daring to jump off a cliff into the deeper side of the pool. Terrified, on the edge of the rock, I almost did not jump. Then I did. It was mind-blowing. But suddenly, I was pulled by the currents and got swept off in its fierce powerful grip to the stone boundary. For those few moments as I clung to the rocks for dear life, I thought I was done in.
The lunging waters seemed to be like a powerful beast pushing me violently, threatening any second to thrust me over the stone boundary into the crashing rock-studded stream, as it continued its furious journey downhill but able bodies were at hand, and they rushed in to extricate me. Afterwards, as we lay on the sunny rocks, drying off, I re-lived the few moments before and could hardly believe what I had experienced.
Soaking in the quiet of the hills
The walks on the mountain trails which open out to the left and right of the property at the back are more sedate and deeply calming. The trails go up and down, across streams and past quaint natural creations of stones and natural vegetation. The forest cocoons you as you make your way through the pathways, breathing deeply of the pure, cool mountain air. There is pin-drop silence, mid-mornings, except for the occasional twitter of a solitary bird or the bark of a mountain dog in the distance.
On such a hike, I sit out on a sun-drenched boulder and look out at the green roof of Firdaws in the distance; the quaint little attic rooms standing out, little triangles on top, with windows that open out to fabulous views. I take a deep breath of the cool, refreshing air and follow the flight of a flock of mountain butterflies as they make their way past me, in a blaze of brilliant colour.
Come to the mountains. Let Nature work its magic on you. Let the cacophony of the madding crowds of the city fade away. Allow your heart and mind to soak in the stillness.
It is enough.