When a Road Trip Becomes a Nightmare during Winter

I was really being a macho when I thought about going for a winter road trip, and that too at the wrong time, or I should say that I was ill-prepared for it. I must have thought well about it, especially coming from a hot region like Kolkata where snow does not ever fall from the sky. The Bengalis of West Bengal only dream about extreme cold and go to chilly regions only as tourists.

So it was my first trip to the Himalayas and I, being a wanderer, had thought that I would manage on my own just like I had always done, but I was horribly wrong. I should not have underestimated the snow and overestimated my potential. I bought only two layers of warm clothing while leaving from Kolkata, but I was shivering from cold just as I landed in Delhi. I still thought that it was only sudden change in weather that made me shiver and I would be normal in a while, but I was wrong again. I started getting it that I would catch cold if I did not buy warm clothes immediately.

I went for shopping before leaving for Manali and bought another set of clothing to keep myself warm. I had to buy two blankets as well because the search results from Google had already scared me about cold regions. I could not imagine spending a night in the car in case I was stuck, but I had to prepare for plan B just in case I have to manage on my own. The news channels were already stating that many vehicles were stuck in the snow because of landslides.

I left for Manali using a Car Rental that I had booked from Delhi and left for the hills. Even in cold weather, I started feeling dehydrated. It was a new thing for my body to experience because until now I had experienced dehydration only during summer. I had hired Self-Drive Cars in Kolkata several times and been to road trips where beating the heat was my only concern. Beating the cold this time was a unique experience that I had to battle this time. I bought a dozen water bottles so that I do not go out of water until I reach Manali and Spiti.

When I reached the city, someone suggested that I should spend a night in Manali so that I can acclimatize my body to the extreme cold gradually. I thought that it was a good idea, which would not let me die at least.

Keeping the feet dry was a challenge in Spiti when I had to walk for a long time. My feet would start feeling numb and I would take a long time to dry and warm them. All in all, Spiti was indeed a wonderful experience but a challenge indeed for someone like me who had never experienced snow before that. Without feeling scared, I would love to go for that kind of road trip again.