Leaving the chaos of a big city and moving to the mountains sounds like the perfect escape. Fresh air, quiet mornings, scenic roads and a slower pace of life can make anyone dream about starting over in the hills. But what happens when the holiday-like experience becomes everyday life?
Delhi-based Gen Z content creator Ajay Sharma decided to find out for himself. He moved to Sial village near Manali on May 23, 2026, hoping to experience mountain life beyond the usual tourist perspective. He planned to work remotely, enjoy the surroundings and see whether he could actually make the hills his permanent home.
But after spending around 71 days there, Ajay returned to Delhi on August 2. His experience was not a failure. In fact, he described it as one of the most memorable chapters of his life. However, living in the mountains also exposed him to challenges he had not fully anticipated.
‘The Mountains Started To Feel Like Home’
Ajay, who shares his experiences on Instagram through the handle @a4ajayyyyy, recently posted a video announcing that his experiment with mountain living had ended.
When he first arrived in Manali, he did not know anyone. The surroundings were unfamiliar. The roads were new. The lifestyle was very different from what he was used to in Delhi. But that gradually changed.
The unfamiliar places became familiar. The roads he once had to navigate carefully became part of his routine. More importantly, Ajay said the mountains eventually started feeling like home.
During his stay, he created nearly 55 videos documenting his experience. His content captured different aspects of life in the hills, from his daily routine and remote work to local experiences and the practical difficulties of living away from a major city. By the time he decided to leave, Manali was no longer just a temporary destination. It had become a place filled with memories.
Returning To Delhi Was Harder Than Expected
Ajay admitted that coming back to Delhi was not easy. He had spent only a little over two months in Manali. Yet leaving the place affected him more deeply than he had expected. The experience appears to have changed his perception of what it means to call a place home. He arrived in the hills as someone testing a new lifestyle. He left with an emotional connection to the place.
Ajay believes that every chapter eventually has to end before another one can begin. For him, returning to Delhi was not necessarily the end of his mountain journey. Instead, he sees it as the beginning of another phase. That perspective also reflects the larger lesson from his experiment. Sometimes, a place does not have to become your permanent home to leave a lasting impact on your life.
Why Did Ajay Move To Manali?
Ajay’s decision was based on a question that many city dwellers have probably asked themselves at some point. Is mountain life really as beautiful when you live there every day as it appears during a holiday? Tourists usually experience Manali for a few days. They stay in comfortable hotels, visit popular attractions, enjoy the scenery and then return home.
Ajay wanted to experience what happened after the holiday ended. He moved to Sial village and attempted to build a normal routine there. He continued working remotely while managing his own household and exploring the surrounding region. The experiment lasted from May 23 to August 2.
During those 71 days, he documented his life through around 55 videos, giving his followers a glimpse into the reality behind the postcard-perfect views.
Manali Was Surprisingly Affordable
One of Ajay’s biggest discoveries was the relatively low cost of living. He rented a one-bedroom flat for Rs 14,000 per month. The rent included Wi-Fi and electricity, which helped keep his overall expenses under control. He also cooked most of his meals himself.
His monthly grocery spending was around Rs 3,500. Whenever he did not feel like cooking, he occasionally ate outside. Those meals added roughly Rs 500 per week to his expenses. Ajay also joined a local gym. The standard membership cost Rs 1,800 per month, but he managed to negotiate the price down to Rs 1,500. Transportation was another area where he saved money. Since he preferred walking whenever possible, his travel expenses were almost negligible.
Taking everything into account, Ajay estimated that his overall monthly spending in Manali came to approximately Rs 21,000. For someone earning a city salary and working remotely, that figure can sound attractive. But the low cost came with its own set of challenges.
The Mountain Life He Imagined Was Not Always Reality
Before moving, Ajay had a picture-perfect vision of his new life. He imagined waking up to mountain views, watching sunrises, working remotely from a peaceful environment, exploring scenic roads, trying local food and spending evenings meeting people around bonfires. Some of those experiences did happen. But living in the mountains every day was different from visiting them for a short holiday. The practical realities slowly became impossible to ignore.
One of the recurring problems was network connectivity. Sudden network outages could disrupt his routine and make remote work more difficult. Weather was another challenge. Rain could arrive unexpectedly, and the monsoon made everyday movement more complicated. Roads were not always in good condition, particularly during periods of heavy rain. For someone living alone, even simple household responsibilities could become demanding. There was no one else to share the cooking, cleaning and other daily chores.
Long Walks And Isolation Became Part Of The Experience
The geography of the region also played a role. Many popular attractions around Manali require long walks and steep uphill climbs. What might be an exciting adventure for a tourist can become physically tiring when repeated frequently. Ajay found some of these journeys demanding.
Living alone also had an emotional side. The quietness that initially felt peaceful could sometimes turn into loneliness. Spending much of his time by himself left Ajay feeling isolated on certain days. This is perhaps one of the biggest differences between visiting the mountains and actually living there. During a holiday, solitude can feel refreshing. Over several weeks, the same solitude can become difficult.
His 71-Day Experiment Changed His Perspective
Ajay’s experience ultimately became less about proving whether Manali was better than Delhi and more about understanding what he actually wanted from life. The mountains gave him beautiful memories and a different perspective. They also showed him that a scenic environment cannot automatically solve every problem. Reliable internet matters when you work remotely.
Good roads matter when you need to travel regularly. Social connections matter when you live away from family and friends. And even the most beautiful surroundings can feel different when they become your everyday reality. Ajay’s story has therefore resonated with people who have dreamed about escaping city life. It shows that the decision requires more than simply falling in love with a destination during a vacation.
What Is Ajay Doing After Returning To Delhi?
Ajay has now returned to Delhi, but he does not appear to be settling back into his old routine completely. After his mountain experiment, he seems to have started another adventure. This time, he is exploring life by the beach. His journey shows that the desire to experiment with different lifestyles has not disappeared. Perhaps Manali was never supposed to be the final destination. It was an experiment. A learning experience. And a chapter that gave him memories he is unlikely to forget.
Conclusion
Ajay Sharma’s decision to leave Delhi for Manali lasted just over two months. But his 71-day experiment gave him a much deeper understanding of mountain life than a regular vacation ever could. He discovered that living in the hills can be affordable, with his monthly expenses coming to around Rs 21,000. He enjoyed the scenery, created dozens of videos and eventually developed a strong emotional connection with the place.
At the same time, network outages, unpredictable rain, difficult roads, physically demanding walks and periods of loneliness made everyday life challenging. His return to Delhi does not necessarily mean the experiment failed. If anything, it gave him exactly what he was looking for: an honest answer about whether he could live in the mountains full-time. And now, with his next adventure taking him towards the beach, it seems Ajay is still searching for the lifestyle that feels right for him.
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