So where do we go?
It was a blustery, cloudy morning, the temperature refusing to budge upwards towards double digits. Normally, by 9.00 am, we would be catching up on our Facebook with our backs to the sun, but today the sun had turned his back on us.
We were scheduled to leave today from Walnut House, our home away from home, towards another valley 70 km away. And were was that to be? Before I tell you, let's take a gander at the Kullu riverine system that we are wandering around in for these three weeks.
The Kullu rivers
The big brother is of course River Beas that flows past Kullu and Manali. R. Sainj joins R. Beas at Thalaut (or Aut), and R. Tirthan joins R. Sainjh at Ballichowki, and R. Flachen joins R. Tirthan at Gushaini, and R. Ghalincha joins R. Flachen at Bathad. As a side show, R. Pushp Bhadrak also joins R. Tirthan at Banjar. Confusing? I drew a map that may increase your headache further.
So today we were moving from Walnut House (1), past our earlier homestay Nirvana (2) at Nagni, back to Thalaut (where we had switched cars while coming in). From there we would go right towards the direction of Kullu, but divert left towards Anandgram Village (3) in Pah Valley, our next destination. The trip should take 3 hours.
Taking off (9.00 am)
We said our goodbyes to this beautiful property and river which had hosted us for 12 days.
Tullu bhai, who had driven us around earlier, had accepted this project of transporting us to Pah Valley. He had not been there earlier, so we would be dependent on Google maps. However, the route was not complex and it should be a simple trip. I hoped they were not famous last words, because the image of Athena glumly following Odysseus around for twenty years popped up in my mind, which I pushed back determinedly. It had started raining again. I hoped the muddy roads of Tirthan would hold up. Poseidon, be kind.
Amarbhai said goodbye sadly, and stood there till our ship dipped below the horizon.
Coffee by the Beas (11.00 am)
In two hours, we were out of the bad roads of the valley and hit the dual carriage NH-3, the Kullu-Manali highway. A right turn at the junction flung us straightaway into the darkness of the Aut tunnel, a 3-km long passage that was completed 20 years ago. Since our last trip to Manali had been 35 years ago, we had not seen this tunnel earlier, and found it pretty impressive.
Although we were staying at various valleys, we were not staying beside the Beas, so we decided to take a break right after exiting the tunnel. Gateway Cafe had a nice restaurant on the first floor with a view of the Beas, and we had a couple of coffees there. The Beas, the big brother, was wide and stately. After the frolic of the smaller tributories, it seemed to have the imposing inertia of Jubba the Hutt. But I am being unkind. Beas is also beautiful. Perhaps I am prejudiced towards the pristine Beas that I had seen aeons ago, sparkling along the rustic bus route to Manali, with a young couple and their 1-year old daughter travelling on an adventure.
Via Bhuntar (12.00 noon)
Somewhere before Kullu, at a place called Shiyaugi, we left the dual carriage and veered left into the road going towards Bhuntar, that hosts the only airport of this Kullu-Manali area, from where Air Alliance flights operate to Delhi. It seemed to be a prosperous little town. Panna noted hairdressers and nail salons, which is a good enough index. Come Mohal, we were kicked up a mountain by Google maps, moving left away from the Beas, and the roads got steeper and narrower. Rain, though of the pitter-patter variety, continued unabated, and the feeling of desolation increased. Wuthering Heights could have been written in this location, with no mean success.
Tullu bhai seemed to have faith in me, and I in Google maps, the Zeus of modern times, and sure enough, after half an hour of dips and turns, the signboard of our destination hove into sight. Panna celebrated by borrowing Tullu bhai's cap for an in-the-mood photo.
Anandgram Village (12.30 pm)
If you can imagine a spanking mini-resort in the middle of nowhere, this would be the place. That we were pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The place had strategically-located cottages spread amongst the green foliage and pathways, and every cottage had a river view. The Pah river was more like a rivulet in size, but did not compromise on volume. If we were sitting outside on the spacious verandah, it could hold a fair discourse in a pleasant baritone.
The cottage was spacious, which was a plus point as we were going to spend seven days here. I was personally happy to note that the room had a heater-cooler combo machine. Having set the temp to a non-argumentative 24°C, I proceeded to peel off layers, like Hannibal would have done after descending from the Alps into Po Valley (Did you see the similarity in name? Uncanny!). After having lived in single digits for the last two weeks, this felt practically HOT.
There were lots of pomegranate trees around. The estate manager Ankit said they were free to be plucked, which sent Panna to eighth bliss, which is somewhere between the seventh heaven and cloud nine. The grounds have to be investigated at leisure.
Meanwhile, we had lunch in the verandah and decided to relax indoors today. I doubt whether there are any close-by villages to walk to. Even if there are, we will see them tomorrow.
After all, as Scarlett O'hara Hamilton Butler said: "Tomorrow is another day".
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