Manali Resorts

... br>Trekking to Brighu lake (4200m) is an easy way to see the area. (3 day round trip).<br><br>Paragliding and skiing can be done too. I'll stick to trekking personally.<br>The people here are the best, very nice indeed. And more helpful than in Delhi where people told me rubbish if they didn't know the way somewhere.<br><br>Vashisht! Internet cybercafes litter the streets of this sleepy little satellite of manali. The ...

... s very safe!!! we met the organiser and he asked us how long we'd like to go up for... of course the longer you're up the more you pay. we went middle of the road and were up for five minutes. you walk up the hill face and some other young fellas carry the parachute for you which is good as i was out of breath anyway with the walk up! severely unfit! anyway they attached all the necessary equipment and when i ask where i hold on the ...

... to Sarojini Nagar and I did my customary shopping there. Had lunch and we were back to our hotel for a short nap, before we headed to the airport. Flight back was uneventful. I was back home in Bangalore and ready to come to work the next day. It was back to the usual routine from here on, but something had changed. I had fulfilled my dream of 4 years, done something to remember for the rest of my life and knew that this was just the start for many more such memories.

... then began our hike back down. We arrived back in McLeod Ganj around 4 PM. I immediately went to find something to eat while the others showered and rested a bit. After eating I got back to the guest house, showered and went to nap for a bit. Annina, Sara and Eyal took off to find something to eat. Within an hour this incredible storm began raging outside. The wind was blowing quite hard and there was lightning as well. The power ...

... instead for the hammock at my guest house, and enjoyed a nice read. The second day, the four of us climbed up 2,500 ft to Rashol, a town in the mountains with no road access. In fact, the path we took to the top was the main access path. I love towns without roads because they're so peaceful, and Rashol was no exception. Michal had met some Israelis at the top who were tending a 'garden' of sorts ...

... both pine trees and deciduous trees. The combination of which creates stunningly green meadows with amazing vistas often filled with the apple orchards that the area is famous for. There are great hiking trails that traverse the steep hillsides up towards hidden valleys and remote villages. We only took some short day hikes and unfortunately missed some of the world class trekking that draws hiking enthusiasts from all over the world. Last but not least on the ...

... I don't miss it at all, but sometimes, as tonight, I feel as though I may want to toss back a beer with someone at least from France or Germany to renew my connection with my own euro-american roots. Hence it's "chopsticks" tonight, the local "chinese" restaurant and one of the two or three that you can get a beer with your meal in during the off-season. No more Khyber after their mutton masala almost killed me last week! Thinking ...

... into our pre booked cottage and were waiting for us eagerly. We were also by now tired of our long journey and were eagerly waiting for this long car travel to end. And we did, 20 minutes later we also checked into this beautiful cottage of ours. We now bid farewell to our driver with a lot of excess baggage and it was now sleeping time. I woke well past 4 PM and started to feel enchanted by weather. Frankly weather in Bangalore is very pleasant and ...

... and we stumbled across a farm where about 20 new goats had been born. We went to see them and they started to follow us everywhere, eating our trousers! At night we listened to the tibetan trekking guides (and also a shepperd who joined in) singing local songs, they had great rustic voices. One guy does performances in macleod. They kept asking us to sing but we were a bit rubbish in comparison. Me and Alex stayed up a bit later and listened to their stories of their ...

... on a dirt track, sleeping in your jocks in a single bed with another bloke, while sweating like a pig is actually quite a... bonding experience. 17 hours later we were in manali!! Manali is beautiful. A hill station and the summer home of stacks of tourists! It is the place to chill. Everything is chill, so we just... well, chilled! sat around, talked about what we might do, watched soccer, and ate cake (there was a german bakery next door). Manali is also the drugs ...