Kasol

A right turn from Bhuntar (Kullu Airport) took us right up to the densely forested and picturesque Parvati Valley.  Along the river we drove, through steep winding roads where every turn brought alive a new landscape - rocky peaks, majestic mountain views and even the occasional glimpse of snowscapes.  When I say ‘along the river’ it conjures images of a gentle, smooth flowing river. But the Parvati River is not for the faint hearted.  It is a boulder strewn mountain river in a hurry to reach the plains and on dark monsoon nights huge, house size boulders are heard crashing and rolling downriver and with every crash, you can see the sparks fly. 

As we near Kasol, the craggy peaks give way to fragrant pine forests and apple orchards on gentle slopes.  One final twist in the road and we are in Kasol.  At first sight it looks just like any one of those roadside hamlets one drives past on mountain journeys to better known destinations.  We were heading for a guesthouse called Alpine, on inquiry we were directed to a rough mountain path and our hearts sank – had we driven all the way for this!! 

One last turn off this path lifted our spirits- through the trees we spied a very European looking tiled roof.  And then we had our first glimpse of a most charming haven.  Alpine had all the ingredients to win our approval  - no garish setting, no hordes of noisy tourists.  In fact, the entire place simply blended into the surroundings and its largely wild garden was the ideal setting for us city-dwellers trying to get in touch with nature.

Steaming glasses of mint tea for my husband and me and chocolate milkshakes for the kids and we were ready to explore our surroundings. 

The town turned out to be another surprise.  It was dotted with restaurants like Little Italy, La Pizzeria and Moon Dance Café. The day’s specials offered a range of mouthwatering specialties like pepperoni pizza, hummus, tiramisu, cinnamon rolls and lemon cake.  Where were we?  Had one of those hundreds of turns on the way magically taken us into a European heartland?  Every street side café had groups of foreigners lazily sipping mint tea and nibbling at one exotic looking delicacy or the other. And before I knew it I was explaining to my children what a chillum is and “No! Papa and I are not going to get into some hash filled trance just to amuse you.” 

Next day, exploring Kasol was number one on our agenda but we soon realised that what we’d seen the night before was all that there was to Kasol! There is an old Kasol and a new Kasol with a small stream running through the middle. A rough wooden plank takes you from one Kasol to the other. Almost every house in old Kasol has added an extra room with attached bath, which they give out on rent.  But, no matter where you stay, one thing that is sure to stay with you throughout your visit is the sound of the Parvati River as it tumbles and gushes down to join the River Beas. 

We soon discovered that the river is the only one in a hurry in Kasol. We had to set our own pace on this holiday. With unlimited walking options, where should we start?  One day we crossed the main river on a rickety, swaying bridge and ambled past apple and peach orchards to a neighbouring village.  The ambience was much the same as Kasol, just a little bit more rustic only because it has no motorable road to it. The Manikaran Hot Springs are just 5 kms away and were explored within one afternoon.

Another time we walked along the icy cold stream that joins the Parvati River.  Far smaller and a lot quieter than the main river, this stream was so clean that we had no qualms about dipping our feet in, splashing around and even trying to wade over to the other bank. The evenings we spent around a bonfire with Sanjay and his wife Sita – the owners of Alpine who incidentally, also serve up delicious home cooked meals. 

The end of our visit saw us reluctantly packing up to return home. Looking back, I can’t help but wonder how many Kasols we may have missed, just because we don’t stop to explore every hamlet we pass by in our quest to get to know this mighty mountain range.