Timber Trail Manali

... km, but all the way up. Because there are some hot springs here, there are lots of Indian folks playing with water all around. LP forwarded me to Rainbow Cafe - I liked it a lot. They serve masala chai without sugar - would you believe it?! 
LP mentions the Dusehra festival, which takes place in Kullu, so I asked the waitress what day is that. Happily she knew what I'm talking about and told me that today and tomorrow are the last days ...

... steep cliffs, rolling valleys, adventure and mystery and lush meadows of wild flowers and fragrant fruit orchard in full bloom. Besides, the Beas river with clear water meanders through the town, making Manali truly a paradise on earth for any traveller.After some relaxing days in the very heart of Old Manali with its nice collection of old cow stables, we had to move on, on an incredible busride direction<br>Leh in Laddakh.<br><br>

... 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!

... and waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and huge trees surrounding us. Even the people look and dress so differently here as there are so many Tibetan refugees living here. Ok, and I have to mention more about food as it feels that I've neglected that topic a bit in this blog! I cant get enough momos thesedays - they're just so yum! They're steamed veggie dumplings, often served with a chilli chutney. I think Im getting a bit obsessed, as they were the first thing that I thought ...

... 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 ...

... by bedding mats in their humble house/tent. Jesse and Nir played for them and Adi and I talked with the father and the children. The father had studied science and so spoke English quite well and translated a few funny questions from his daughter. One of the things she asked about was our hair and skin...why were we so white and blond? Was it because we had been kept out of hte sun our whole lives? In the morning when we ...

... for the rickshaw to take me to the mission hospital. Once there, the started me on IV ringer's, ciproflaxin, and numerous other drugs. My temp was down to 95, I was turning slightly blue. I opted for the more expensive private room with the heater, as I could not get warm, and needed rest and hydration. Dayalu stayed the night with me, bringing water, biscuits (cookies) and bananas as soon as I could eat them. One could not ask for a better friend in any country ...

... 500 rupees ($12.50) that the driver wanted. It was a steal, in hindsight. But such is the art of bargaining in India. Instead we got a ride to Kaza for 60 rupees a head, where we were sure to find more willing drivers...right? Wrong. We asked everybody and their mother. There were plenty of jeeps. Many of the drivers were afraid of the rumored landslides and were hiking their prices accordingly - 3500, 5000. And when we tried to negotiate ...

After a 16 hour train journey and 4 hour jeep ride up the mountains, on Saturday morning we arrived in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. I am staying in a nice little house with 2 floors with about 20 other volunteers, we have a terrace and a roof we can sit on and we are surrounded by the mountains and paddy fields 360 degrees around us if that makes sense! It is lovely, really peaceful after delhi and jaipur, mostly sunny but ...

... up the valley(s) would also mean being further and further away from Delhi and subsequent train connections. Infact I felt isolated in Shimla - a feeling I'd never had before - almost cut off! For a few days I agonised over what to do - I'd come to India to see the Himalayas - and so there were times my mind was made up I was going further north, then I felt really bad one night and decided India wasn't going anywhere and that I had seen enough and was going to jump ...