From the insanity of Delhi, I left on an overnight bus for Manali. Nowhere near as comfortable as those fabulous trains. In addition, there was a crash ahead of us that had us in gridlock for 5 hours. We arrived 8 hours later than projected. In the spirit of making the best of a bad situation, I saw whole groups of Indians giving up on the whole transit thing, and picnicking on and around their buses. Now that's the right attitude.
It all worked out anyways, as it meant that it was light for the stunning, winding views as we made our way up into the foothills of the Himalayas. There were intricate terraces cut into the hillsides, and some rather precarious looking structures hanging on for dear life.
I stayed at a lovely inn, Drifter's, and decided to just chill for the couple days. The area I was staying in is Old Manali, less busy than the main Manali area. I was quite averse to getting back into any vehicle after that ride, so I explored a much smaller area than I might have.There was as much walking as possible, and I must say, the days of walking up the hill home in Dunedin are long gone, and my legs were quite sore afterward.
Old Manali is known for growing apples and pears. The picture above is a beautiful old apple orchard. I'm not sure what the yellow ground cover/flowers are, though.
I did go up to Vishist and visit the temples there (at the suggestion of John Cottle--thanks for all the advice!), and used the public hot springs/baths. This, more than Manali, seemed to be frequented by locals or at least nationals holidaying in the area. I had a great conversation with a young Indian girl from Kerala who was originally born in Edinburgh. I told her about how Dunedin's street layout was a carbon copy of Edinburgh, and she told me that I must visit, then. I think she's right :)
This area of the Himalayas was very clearly a melding of Tibetan and Indian culture. I tried local foods, and could see from the clothing of people around me that this was an intersection of peoples. Tibetan prayer flags were abundant, too.
Thinking about my friends in DC, I noticed some cherry blossoms! And then, Caryl Sue . . . just for you--Bollywood in action!
It was too early to leave, but I had to get to Delhi to catch a plane to Africa! And I thought after the bus ride fiasco on the way up, that I should leave a day of buffer time just in case.
It all worked out anyways, as it meant that it was light for the stunning, winding views as we made our way up into the foothills of the Himalayas. There were intricate terraces cut into the hillsides, and some rather precarious looking structures hanging on for dear life.
I stayed at a lovely inn, Drifter's, and decided to just chill for the couple days. The area I was staying in is Old Manali, less busy than the main Manali area. I was quite averse to getting back into any vehicle after that ride, so I explored a much smaller area than I might have.There was as much walking as possible, and I must say, the days of walking up the hill home in Dunedin are long gone, and my legs were quite sore afterward.
I did go up to Vishist and visit the temples there (at the suggestion of John Cottle--thanks for all the advice!), and used the public hot springs/baths. This, more than Manali, seemed to be frequented by locals or at least nationals holidaying in the area. I had a great conversation with a young Indian girl from Kerala who was originally born in Edinburgh. I told her about how Dunedin's street layout was a carbon copy of Edinburgh, and she told me that I must visit, then. I think she's right :)
This area of the Himalayas was very clearly a melding of Tibetan and Indian culture. I tried local foods, and could see from the clothing of people around me that this was an intersection of peoples. Tibetan prayer flags were abundant, too.
Thinking about my friends in DC, I noticed some cherry blossoms! And then, Caryl Sue . . . just for you--Bollywood in action!
It was too early to leave, but I had to get to Delhi to catch a plane to Africa! And I thought after the bus ride fiasco on the way up, that I should leave a day of buffer time just in case.
Ah! As soon as I saw those yellow flowers, I rushed to comment "Those flowers have a starring role in every Bollywood movie! The romantic leads always run through them, and it's always AWESOME!" Then I see an actual film set! Ah!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're taking the time to see India (and east Africa, now). The picnic around the bus is terrific, and you're a good sport as always.
I can't believe you used to walk to Pine Hill...
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