An experience called the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2013

DAY 6 AND 7- KILLING TIME ON THE RETURN

This was the first morning on the Odyssey where I took ample sleep- there were no early morning luggage loading or morning briefings. Not being comfortable just lazing around in the hotel or the market place, I decided to ride to Manikaran in the lovely company of new-found friends. The ride till Manikaran wasn’t anything to talk about and so was the place heavily commercialized with hotels and lodges crammed along the banks of a savage Parvati river.

Visited the Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib and had a simple but hearty lunch at the langar. The hot springs and caves attracts a lot of people to the place, but I was completely unfazed. Habituated to the tranquility in the past few days- crowd and noise was being naturally repelled to levels of irritation.

A second lunch followed at the Himalayan Village Resort in Kasol with a peaceful evening spent at the Nagger Palace and Museum. Wonder why people call it a museum; there is nothing to see except a room showcasing local artifacts. A leisurely ride back to the hotel and an early dinner marked the end of day 6.

Used to the routine of rising early and riding, getting up in the morning in Manali was a hateful affair simply because there wasn’t any riding to be done! Thankfully the Doctor on the trip suggested a place called Jana which offered a decent ride plus the local food was worth a try. Wasting no time I set out for the place and it was peaceful indeed.

Riding through narrow twisties with apple and pine trees on both sides, reached Jana and had a feast at Narayan Dhaba. The Himachali Thali might look too much to eat at first, but not a grain was left behind. The food itself was worth the effort of riding all the way up. 100% recommended. Day 7 surprisingly ending on a good note.

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