Hotel Ankit Palace Manali

... spesso si trovano le cabine telefoniche per le chiamate internazionali, dappertutto si trovano ristoranti che espongono cartelli come "italian food" "chinese food" ecc ecc. Nella cittadina e subito nei dintorni si trovano anche alcuni templi hindu e buddhisti in legno e pietra molto frequentati dai pellegrini.<br>Dopo una settimana sperso in mezzo alle montagne sto apprezzando questo cambiamento di stile. Perche' no? Credo rimarro' a Manali ancora un paio di giorni.<br>A presto. <br>

... and both of us suffered from headaches. Luckily we had our sleeping bags to keep us warm otherwise we would have frozen ourselves solid. There were numerous military checkpoints along the way and even a check for swine flu symptoms at one point. Of course i had all the symptoms again. Finally we reached Leh and it was just in the nick of time because most of the passengers were starting to morph into various creatures and the signs of cabin fever had started ...

... put up pictures in a reasonable time. We're especially excited about putting up the pictures for McLeod because everything here is just so damn beautiful. <br><br>At the time of this writing, Bonnaroo is officially over and we're incredibly jealous of everyone who got to wake up and roll out of a tent in Manchester this morning. Please send us emails or facebook/myspace us and tell us everything so we don't feel like we missed out so much. We hope everyone is doing well and you'll hear more from us very soon!

... actually called "The Shesh Besh Cafe") and played for hours while Shawn went hiking. Actually for 2 days straight, that's what we did. We went from one restaurant to the other (really only two) played backgammon, ate and smoked. It was great except for the cold. Especially when it rained and at night. I was so cold that I actually slept in what I wore for the day. Coat and all! I know it sounds kinda gross but I just ...

Still here in this lovely place! The longest weve stayed still so far. We have had a few more relaxing days though one of those involve an 18km or so trek upto Triund a local small mountain top! The views from the top of snowy mountains, accompanied by a cup ...

... it was especially hard choosing to do a meditation retreat instead of traveling, but I think that it will be very good for me. There is just too much to do in India, and with school, I have very limited travel time. This past weekend I traveled into the Himalayas to a city called Manali. Me and some friends found it in a guide book and it sounded cool so we decided to go. We booked our tickets for the "12 hour" bus ride (which took 18 hours) and ...

... will still be in the oven, so to speak. They are going to have to build a bigger house or an addition if they keep on this way, methinks. So it is more of a fare-thee-well than a proper goodbye, I know I am returning most probably this year, so not quite as heart-wrenching as last time. I love these people. A number of months and many thousands of miles on my previous visit I think has stripped me of any apprehension this time round. I'm not flying blind this time ...

... a better vehicle - a 4x4 Toyota Landcruiser with a rather luxurious interior, as opposed to an admittedly quite new, but none-the-less American-branded 2-wheel-drive MPV. And the rapid descent at the end of the Tibet trip still stands out as the nearest I've come to taking part in extreme sports, not just on this trip, but ever. But in most other respects, Leh to Manali knocks Lhasa to Nepal into the proverbial cocked hat. And of those respects which it's both possible and sensible ...

... some go to private school because they are very well-kempt and very well spoken. Yesterday I taught them the pirate song ('I jumped aboard a pirate ship and the captain said to me we're going this way that way forwards and backwards'....etc etc) which went down well and they loved the rum part especially. After this it is often yoga or more washing (again, using a bucket so quite time consuming) or lesson planning or ...

... absolutely knackered but wouldn't let him carry my kit - no way. It got proper steep and I was in agony - but finally we reached the hotel. Out of breath I came across one last obstacle - steps inside - I already had jelly legs from the climb up and so gave in and let the geezer carry my bag up. He picked it up and quickly disappeared - when I ascended the two pathetically small flights I couldn't believe what I saw - the porter was staggering into the lobby in full ...