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'I was lucky as I got snow in March'
Some places find a deep-rooted place in someone's heart. That's what Aahana Kumra felt after she spent time in Manali, recently. She's back with bunch of beautiful memories to boot as she lets us in on her break.
Aahana Kumra: Manali was breathtaking, I felt such a connect with the place
From snowy treks and drives to visiting India's only igloo village and eating the Laughing Dish, the actor shares a peek into her recent holiday, there.
Published on: Mar 22, 2024, 12:25:17 IST
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Says Aahana,"I think any hill station with mountains and snow makes me feel really alive, but I really love Manali out of them all. This is the second time that I have gone there and I really felt there was a connect. I was also very lucky as I got snow in March; the snow starts melting by this time of the year, but it was late this time so I got it."
Adds Aahana I went to Atal Tunnel and I went to Lahaul Valley for the first time and it was breath-taking. There's nothing as beautiful as this place. It's so untouched in terms of it's natural beauty. Har koi nahi pohonch paata pahad pey, so I feel like for me, there's a connect. I don't feel like I want anything to do with luxury, there are just basic things there, which is perfect."
Being in the mountains is destressing
Travelling is relaxation and that's what Aahana felt, too. She describes that in her own words.
"Being in the mountains itself is destressing. I think the only effort is to get from one place to the other, which is a long drive, that's the only stress one has. But it's also so scenic and this time, I got to drive so I was really happy. The pahadi people are also so nice, they were so chilled out. No one is hurrying you, it's so unlike life back in Mumbai."
Packed time with driving, trekking, paragliding, skiing
The Bollywood actor stayed at a scenic location and her stays were full of fun things to do. “I was at Bookmark resort in Old Manali, which is was on top of a hill above Mall Road, so I used climb up and down a lot."
She adds, "I also did a lot of driving. Women don't drive much in these kind of terrains, so it was nice to experience that.”
She also visited India's only igloo village as she adds, "I drove to Atal Tunnel, I went to Lahaul for the first time and spent the day there, which was so breath-taking. I also went to Sethan Village, which is India's first igloo village and it was fun! There's no road there, so I slid down a slip and trekked up a hill there, complete madness! I also did paragliding, I did skiing, snowboarding.. quite a bit! The next day I was at Hadimba Devi Temple."
Tucking into Siddu and Laphing (the Laughing dish)
Food and shopping was part of the discovery on her trip.
She shares, "There are so many cafes to explore. I had Siddu and Laphing (also called Laughing dish of India), served as local foods in Manali, Apart from that, you get parathas, rajma-chawal, kadi-chawal, which is my favourite food. As a Punjabi, if you get these, you're the happiest." She rounds that off by saying, “There's a lot of shopping and this burst of colour wherever you look, which is so lovely. Everyone is also so nice and kind.”
Being an animal lover, she loved spending moments with the animals there. Says Aahana, "The animals, especially the pahadi dogs, are the cutest."
