9 Cities in 15 days in India Part 3

Himachal Pradesh is a northern Indian state in the Himalayas, we wanted to experience the the real beauty of it, our initial plan was to go until Rohtong Pass, it's at an altitude of approximately 4,000 meters, which is the highest point in the region, a must visit place from Manali but we stopped at Shimla because of the heavy snowing and there's no way to pass through.

Despite that we continued our journey, a good travel agent makes a great difference and we were lucky to have Great Escape Routes to organize the rest of our trip. Nandhu was assigned as our driver,a very accommodating, knowledgeable tour guide, he took us from Manali - Tatapani - Sarahan - Kalpa - Shimla. We pass through many small villages enroute by having our own vehicle we were given the freedom to stop and enjoy the local culture.

Great Escape Route
SCO No 06, Aandhi Bhavan, Near Ashoka Hotel, Jakhu, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 171001, India http://www.greatescaperoutes.com/

 Day 9 - Tatapani

As we were driving down the valley to Manali, we spotted this clear blue lake, Beas River and we took a quick stop to enjoy the clear blue lake. Nandhu took us back to his home, that was really heart warming for us, to invite us to his place. The house was located right beside a hill, it was along the way to Tatapani, his wife prepared a simple and delicious meal for us, simple but the taste of fresh chapati and dhal were amazing.

Tatapani is famous for it's hot sulfur spring coming out by the side of Sutlej River.The sulfur is know as "nature's beauty mineral," our body needs sulfur to manufacture collagen to keep our skin elastic and looking young. There's a open hot spring in town which is free for locals and tourist, if you'll like more privacy there's a spa nearby as well.
 

We stayed at Hotel New Spring View, Mr Bharat, the owner, was very accommodating, he gave us a brief introduction of the town and hotel, I must say I enjoy my stay very much because of the excellent service. He told us about the spa he's running which is just beside the hotel, it has direct access to the water from the hot springs due to an underground pump, that means I get to enjoy myself with privacy. The hot water sulphur baths were worth the time spent, overall a worthwhile visit.

Day 10 - Sarahan

Sarahan is a remote village up in Kinnaur Valley, the famous attraction here, Bhimakali Temple, it is a 800 year old shrine in the name of Durga Devi is a landmark destination in this hilly terrain. From Tatapani it was a 4 hours drive, there were lots of beautiful and scenic we drove by and we kept requesting to stop just to enjoy and be close to mother nature. The water from the mountains are also safe to be drank as it is so this is how we drink when we travel the mountains. 

The Srikhand (HPTDC), runs by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism . The hotel is located right beside a hill, the view from the hotel was amazing but something unfortunate happen when we were there, the entire town was out of electricity, I guess that's one of the perks of staying high up in the mountains but the people in town told us this was normal, I had no choice but to sleep in the cold during winter with no heater. The hotel staffs were nice enough to start a fire for us right outside the hotel and that's the only place we can enjoy some heat but that doesn't help much during winter, it was just too cold for me. That was my far-most difficult moments in this trip, it was so bad I cried and sulk and wanted to go back home without continuing the journey but thanks to Ricky, he gave me lots of mental support and supported me through this difficult period.