Lucknow Diaries!!

It had been 11 years since I last went to lucknow so when I was told that we would be going there for a family function I walked down the memory lane. Lucknow has always been one of my fav places, cause of my nani. She had just enough love to give everyone, be it her kids or grandkids. There is something about the air, the people, the food, I’m sure some of you might just think of Lucknow as a place but for me, its so much more.

Spending the summer holidays, eating amazing delicacies, exploring the historical monuments, was a part of my growing up years. I used to wait for June to come so that all of us would meet at nani’s place and have fun. My maternal family is probably the coolest ever, everyone is given importance and respect regardless of the age. Nanajis, nanis, mama, mami, mausajis, mausis and all of us have always had a great time together.

I was extremely close to my nani, so 11 years back when I went for her funeral, I was very depressed. She was the reason I started believing in God, nani would explain to me the importance of family which I never understood back then. I would always sleep with her whenever she was around and she would patiently listen to my lame stories. After she passed away, I just couldn’t go to Lucknow, either the plan didn’t pan out or we weren’t free but mostly because I couldn’t imagine lucknow without her.

After the tickets were booked, I began googling the places I wanted to explore cause I had made up my mind that I wouldn’t be staying at home much as it might depress me. I scribbled down 9 places that I wanted to see and kept the paper in my bag. Almost all my family members were coming but since all the kids had grown up, I guessed they wouldn’t want to hang out with me since I was the eldest so I told my mom to go around lucknow with me and not leave me alone.

Throughout the journey, I kept wondering how would I react, what would I say but as soon as I reached our home, I felt so much at ease. Everyone was gearing up for the function, the kids were running here and there, the teens were busy on their smartphones (snapchatting, sorry had to mention it. Hehe) and the mausis were deciding what to wear. It didn’t feel that I had come after 11 long years.

 

It was my chote nanaji’s and nani’s 50^th marriage anniversary wherein all of our relatives had come from different cities. Our mums were busy meeting people after ages and introducing us. The oohs and ahhs could be heard from a distance I guess. Hehe. “Oh she looks just like you” was the thing I heard the most. The music, the sound of cameras clicking, the giggles had set the ambiance perfectly. Everyone had made efforts to make the timeless couple feel special on their day, the kids had made a video and a card which was such a cute gesture. I guess when you enjoy, you don’t realize how time flies by cause by the time we wrapped up, it was more than 1 am.  After returning home, my cousins decided to play dumb charades, I joined them since I didn’t know what else to do. But boy oh boy, I have to say, I havent laughed this much in the longest time!! Even though I am more than 6-7 years elder to all of them, I felt like a part of the gang. I’m smiling reminiscing how crazy we must have looked while enacting the most insane of movies. We slept at 5 am which speaks volumes about the fun we must have had that day.

In the morning, my mausis and mami asked me to get ready for shopping as all the ladies were heading out. Can you guess what my answer was???? Well, I refused!! The people who know me or follow me on any social media platform know what a big time shopaholic I am, I’m out shopping every weekend so for me to refuse to leave the house meant huge deal but since I wanted to spend time with my cousins I stayed back. Mausaji, mama and my cousins decided to teach me to ride Royal enfield that day, which was such a adrenaline rush and also soooo cute. The cousins who taught me were the ones who would sit on my lap and pull my cheeks, I have given them piggy back rides and today they had grown up so much that they were teaching me something. Too much awwww happened that day. Hehe.

Over the next two days, we rode the bike, went for midnight drives, strolled around, pulled each other’s legs, clicked a million pictures, argued who gets to be Chandler Bing ( which we all eventually agreed was me) talked till 6 am, watched movie (VIP seats) hehe, made funny videos, we even invented games. I had come with a mindset that they wouldn’t like me hovering around and that’s why I had made an itinerary but they made sure that I didn’t feel left out, which meant the world to me.

Lucknow might be a place for everyone but for me it was, is and will always be home. No matter how old I get, no matter where I go, lucknow will always be my happy place. My family is undoubtedly the best, from my nanaji to the youngest cousin!

Thank you for teaching in your own sweet way what family truly means , the kid back then didn’t understand what you meant but the girl writing this, knows.

Love,

Aakanksha

Chail!!

Chail is 44 km from Shimla. The area is away from the bustling life of the state capital Shimla. Chail is also considered as the hiker’s paradise.

We stayed at Chail overnight to break the journey to Manali. We reached at 11pm and were to leave in the morning after breakfast. Our stay was booked at the heavenly Chail Palace. The Chail Palace is well known for its architecture. It was built as summer retreat by the Maharaja of Patiala during the British Raj, on the land allotted to him by the British for former’s assistance in the Anglo-Nepalese War. The cricket ground and a polo ground which is there at an altitude of 2,444 m was owned by erstwhile royal family of Patiala. It is the world’s highest cricket ground.

Built in 1891, Chail Palace or Maharaja’s palace is set in approximately 75 acres and has a truly regal setting with spectacular views. Chail Palace has a wide variety of cottages, suites and rooms with different tariffs to accommodate every visitor who wishes to savor this majestic hill station. It is now owned by Himachal Tourism.

We had booked two cottages and a suite. The cottages had a beautiful view overlooking the Himalayan range. The elders stayed in the cottages which meant that we got the suite to ourselves. 😉 Sadly, we forgot the DSLR at the cottage so couldn’t take any picture of our suite. But we had a gala time without the supervision. 😀 Our room had a jacuzzi which led to arguments between the girls and boys as to who would get to use it first! 😛

We woke up early in the morning with sounds coming from the roof of our suite. Stepping into the balcony, we saw 5-6 monkeys jumping happily on the roof! 🙂 After getting ready, we headed to the dining area where we were served breakfast. We clicked a few pictures and then rushed back to the vehicle & left for Manali.

I think I can say that though our stay was too short but we felt extremely royal at Chail Palace. 😉

Much love,

ASP 🙂

Rohtang Pass!!

Rohtang is a high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali. (You can read about Manali in this blog) It connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul & Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh, India. Manali-Leh Highway, a part of NH 21, transverses Rohtang Pass. The pass provides a natural divide between the humid Kullu Valley with a primarily Hindu culture (in the south), and the arid high-altitude Lahaul & Spiti valleys with Buddhist culture (in the north). The pass lies on the watershed between the Chenab and Beas basins. On the southern side of this pass, the Beas River emerges from underground and flows southward and on its northern side, the Chandra River (flows from the eastern Himalayas), a source stream of the river Chenab, flows westward. The pass is open from May to November. It has a well-deserved reputation for being dangerous because of unpredictable snowstorms and blizzards.

We had to hire an SUV to go to Rohtang. It cost us INR 500 per person which was quite reasonable. Our driver was a local so we thoroughly enjoyed the stories he narrated to us about this impeccable place. The drive to Rohtang is breath-taking, greenary at the lower altitudes and as you ascend, the snow laden mountains of the Himalayan Range.  The roads leading to Rohtang Pass are quite steep so its always better to hire a local driver than driving there yourself.

Since the roads are narrow, you’d experience traffic jams a lot. We did too, we had to wait in the same spot for about an hour! 😦 But we knew exactly how to make use to this time, we got our DSLR out and started clicking pictures. 😛 The view was astouding with the white background but it can be dangerous so make sure an adult is there to make sure of the safety measures.

When we reached Rohtang, we were lost for words. Wherever we looked there was snow. On the roads, mountains, near the parking, everywhere! The wind gushed making loud noises scaring the little ones there. All of us raced to the highest peak but everytime we tried we tumbled down! 😀 It was such an amusement for all of us. Giggling, falling, trying to get up again and slipping back was food for soul. 🙂

We stayed there for just 45mins but we had become stone cold by then. On our back, we saw horses on the main road! Ebony black & brown color just made them look imaculate. There is a waterfall on the ride from the Rohtang Pass to Manali. We stopped there to dip our feet in the chilly water! 🙂

 

We returned with loads of pictures & memories deeply etched in our minds! 🙂

Much love,

ASP 🙂 

Manali!!

Nestled in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, Manali, is a traveler’s paradise. Located on the northern side of the Kullu Valley at an altitude of 2,050 m (6,726 ft) in the Beas River Valley. The word Manali is regarded as the changed name of “Manu-Alaya” which literally means “the abode of Manu”. It is about 270 km (168 mi) north of the state capital,Shimla. It has a population of around 9,000.

Manali is the perfect getaway in Summers with family and friends. It’s picturesque beauty is spellbinding. Once, you step in Manali, you’d feel as if you came in heaven. We were a group of 10 people & took the road to Manali so that we could get the true feel of the mountains which one often misses out while traveling by train or air. We went to Chail & Shimla on our way to Manali. 🙂

There are many things to do in Manali. River rafting, flying-fox, para-gliding, zorbing, making snow castles to name a few. Since it was just a 5 day trip we couldn’t manage to do it all but we did most of them. It was cold throughout our trip & the Sun played hide n seek. All of us would bask in the sunlight whenever it was sunny.

The roads in Manali are steep so its better to hire a vehicle as the locals are most accustomed to the roads there. Also, it’ll give you a chance to be mesmerized by the nature’s beauty! 🙂

There are many places to visit when you are in Manali. Rohtang Paas, Chail, Shimla & Solang Valley are closely connected.

Flying-fox over the Beas river is once in a lifetime experience which I highly recommend everyone to try!! When you are in the middle of the river tied to a rope and the water gushes into you, no words can describe it. 🙂 The ice cold sends chills in the whole body. Yet, it’s one memory of the trip I’ll always cherish. The cost of it was INR 200 per person but since we bargained he agreed on INR 150. I did it twice and was so wet that I was literally shivering! 😉

We visited the Vashishth Temple which is in Old Manali village, dedicated to sage Manu. In the temple, there is a famous hot stream of water which is different for males and females. People from around the world come to take a dip in it. The way to the temple is a steep and uphill road hence people prefer walking. There are markets lined on both sides of the road for people to buy souvenirs. While coming back from the temple, we gorged on hot piping samosas & patties! 😛

We thoroughly enjoyed our Manali trip and can’t wait to go there again! 🙂

Much love,

ASP 🙂