Manali some 600 kms from Delhi is the farthest I have ever traveled by road. It takes almost 16 hours to reach Manali from Delhi via Chandigarh. I have been there at least 4 times outta which 3 times it’s been a road journey. Once I went flying to Kullu and from there again by road to Manali. In this longest distance ever covered by me by-road, I got to see so much en-route that is just not easy to put into words.
My journey to Manali starts from Delhi. Since I stay quite close to the Delhi border from where we leave for Manali, I am just always lucky to skip the evening traffic rush in the city. Usually evening around 6 is the best time to start for manali so you will reach Manali by 10am. Making ones way through the Delhi traffic and crossing Kundli en-route (which is now a hub for housing developers), one reaches the sub-urban city of Sonepat which is famous for its manufacturing plant of a bicycle major Atlas. You look around and everywhere you will get to see the Atlas advertisements displayed on the walls and on the billboards.
While on way to Sonepat, one also passes through a huge park (Tau Devi Lal) which is full of greenery and houses a small ‘haveli’ type structure which looks amazing in the night with lights all around. Tau Devi Lal after whom the park has been named is a famous freedom fighter and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
Once you cross Sonepat, you reach ‘Murthal’ the hub of roadside Dhabas where the food is finger-licking good. At times we especially drive down to Murthal from Delhi (around 45km) just to have those ‘aaloo paranthas’ with ‘dahi’ (curd) ‘aachar’ (pickle) and lassi. You will find people driving in the best of cars just to relish the traditional Punjabi food at these roadside dhabas. For those on diet, this is not the place to be. 
Murthal gives way to the city of Pachranga aachar (pickle) – Panipat. All around you see colorful advertisements of all kinds of pickles. There are over 100 varieties of pickles like amla, apple, mango, lemon, green chilly, carrot, ginger, beans, karonda, lotus stem, and what not. You name it, they have it. pachranga group was first formed in 1925 and claims to be the first to develop and boast Ayurvedic Conceptualization as the flavour of the upcoming market of health and eating. Further this city is another place en-route manali where traffic is at its best. Crossing this stretch is a travelers horror. At times it takes several hours to cross the 10km long stretch. But now, Haryana Government has made the traveler's life a little easier by constructing a flyover which skips the entire city of Panipat. But, yes, if you want the best of the pickles, there is not much option but to bear the Panipat traffic.
Next comes Karnal where the highway is packed with car showrooms of giants such as Chevrolet, Maruti, Toyota, Honda, Tata etc. You got to resist yourself if you are passionate about cars. You find them in a row and its not the right place to have a flat tyre. Another landmark that reminds of Karnal is the Namaste Chowk though there is nothing so special about it but I just peep out to have a look at the folded hands structure at this Chowk which greets you in the warmest way possible.
One reaches the beautiful city of Chandigarh after crossing Karnal and Ambala. Chandigarh is no doubt one of the best planned cities in India with so much greenery and well manicured circular crossings. Traffic there well managed and drivers are so well mannered that one ought to learn alot from this city. Since most of the journey to Manali is covered during night so I don’t know much about other cities covered until I get up at dawn with the first ray of sunlight and find myself amidst the beautiful mountains and valleys of Himachal. Peeping out of the window at one end, one finds a blocked view because of the mountain ranges alongside. The opposite window will give you a lifetime view of a valley with a river flowing alongside till you reach Manali. The weather turn to its best if it rains a little. The air is so fresh and cool and the weather is so calm that you wish that you never had to return.
Tip: To cover the 600km long journey to Manali rom Delhi, the best time to start is around 6p.m. from Delhi and you are most likely to reach Manali by 12 noon including the time you stop over dinner, breakfast and and unavoidable “nature calls”.
