Nagesh Hotel Manali

... down the damn music. So we stood - silent, agitated, cold - looking at the snowflakes flying peacefully in the car's headlines. I'm still not sure what was the idea, but after some 10 minutes another jeep passed, and we started to move just behind it. It's not like it had chains, I believe that it probably had tires with better perforation, or a driver with bigger balls. I still physically remembered that Vespa-on-the-ice sense, and felt very nervous to get ...

... quarter size seats and sway ever so genty with the careening vehicle. Luckily, we took a pot hole ridden, winding mountain road, so we never even felt the gentle caress of sleep. (By the way, Ben moans, and drools in his sleep.)-- (Ben here, the fact that Dave watches me while I sleep is very creepy)


We got to Manali just in time to check in and go back to sleep. it was my turn to sleep on the floor matress, so Ben and Hooper cuddled up ...

... teach you equanimity and patience. This is our last stop, before we head off to Delhi on May 20th to catch our flight to Singapore and then onward to Canada on July 2nd. And it looks like we will be driving the van back to Ontario (a big yipee from Rajiv). I have conceded that it may be fun doing that. I might regret my decision but hey......this will be the last leg of our journey, might as well make it memorable!

... always getting upto mischief and dancing, while beautiful Indian ladies in a mix of traditional dress and more revealing western outfits sort of flirted with him but cos of his awful hair never went any further than that. There were gangsters with guns and knives that were killing random (to me at least) people and the man with the bad hair, the kid and these two ladies were after/running away from. It was really stupid but the bus kept erupting into laughter when the kid ...

... week, this seemed like a good omen and I decided it was all or nothing, I knew Id regret if I didn't try and something inside me wanted the challenge and to see how hard it actually was for myself. I had already filled up with fuel and had 40 extra litres (which annoying added an extra 40kg's of weight to get over the pass) as there was now no petrol for over 500km and I wanted it incase I had to turn back. I set off at 6am at and after not long I ...

... has been thrown off by administration, and now there are hundreds of skinny and hungry wild dogs roaming the streets, eating out of dumpsters, gutters, and streams of sewage, diseased and wounded, many with weeping infections on their backs and sides. These dogs have been known to pack up and get aggressive toward humans, sometimes biting, growing bolder in the night, and bolder still as time passes. Makes one wonder where critical mass will ...

... As we were walking out, we flagged down a jeep that would take us (5 people) to Gramphoo for 500 rupees a head. A bargain for the 8+ hour trip. When we got to the road, however, Gary's friend let us know that he was only going as far as Kaza. So we begged and pleaded and bargained - take the 4 of us for 2,000 rupees. We haggled for 15 minutes and in the end, our man drove away. Thirty seconds later, we're kicking ourselves for not paying the ...

... way... by bus (lucky buggers...not!) Visited Ki Gompa looking all the world like a village on a big rock (which it is) and met a couple of very friendly monks for tea. Spectacular views from the roof. Onwards to Rekong Peo and along the way had to climb this near vertical, rock strewn, with a foot of dust... road (that they were somehow building). Mele had to hop off and I made it half ...

Tout le long de cette incroyable route (qui est aussi très meurtrière, si on remarque le nombre de camions écrasés au fond des ravins), on trouve régulièrement ces panneaux de prévention routière. Je ne sais pas si c'est très efficace pour les conducteurs, mais c'est un moyen comme un autre de passer le temps, pour les passagers des cars. (je n'ai pas pris ces photos, trouvées sur internet).

... I wanted a change of scenery and I wanted to eat some decent fodder. I had a nice room and the hotel was fairly decent if just a bit damp. I watched the cricket in the evenings - England showed no ambition by drawing the first test against Pakistan when it was there for the taking. The hotel also had internet facility which was useful - I'd send a few emails during cricket intervals - the open room was guarded by 'julie' the golden labrador whom I nicknamed the ...