Wood Valley Cottages Manali

Manali - One of the saddest places I have ever been to. So boring, so crowded, so filthy and so drippy all the time. That would be my lasting impression of the place. What made the experience worse was that I was literally at home there. The language was same, the food was same and even the people were the same. And we were having to pay the money to be a part of that! Anyways, on the upside we had a hotel room, a TV(!!) and a bathroom with unlimited hot water ...

My eyes have felt the sting of perspiration on several occasions throughout the day today, as result of the pull of emotions my heart has been experiencing. I just finished reading Three Cups of Tea and am so inspired by what this man has accomplished- a fine example of the beauty of a human heart and desire of will, a man that keeps his promises in a world full of corruption, a ...

... use of the infrastructure that accompanies hippie hangounts. Most notably the food which was absolutely amazing here. In addition to the scads of "english" and "german" bakeries which all seemed to focus strangely enough on croissants, there were inumerable restaurants serving all kinds of fare. Your typical travellers restaurant menu consists of pizza, pasta, perhaps some other continental fare, a few japanese and korean dishes to satisfy those from that region ...

... speed. The stressful clothing one wears in the western world is gone, aired out and fresh from the mountain breeze. The simple life is sinking in, an easy pace in which there is time enough for everything, as long as you give it time. I haven't spoken more than a word or two to anyone who has English as a first language in a couple of weeks, and my own talk has lapsed into a pidgin of english and hindi, enoguh to understand and be ...

... of times, but here, if you haven't spent six months in South America or aren't spending your twelfth holiday in India, you just don't count! First impressions of Manali are that it's a backpackers heaven. All number of facilities, laundry, trek, internet, bakery, restaurant are all crammed into this small town, and the part I'm staying in (Old Manali) is literally packjammed full with Israeli backpackers (even had to change the settings ...

... et ne redemarre plus!!! nous sommes restees arretes une heuere et demi le temps que le bus de 10h30 du soir arrive et nous sommes montes a bord lol du coup elisa et moi etions separees mais au moins nous avions un fauteuil et n avons pas du finir la nuit debout. oui c ca l inde!!! mais bon ya jamais d affolement. ya pas de pb en inde, que des sollutions lol on n etaiernt meme pas affolees. on a juste attendu et zoro est arrive!! lol biz a tous!!!

"Is-rae-li men, Hallelujah!" -- what The Weather Girls didn't sing. ~~~~~ Ahh, Manali! How I love your weed lined streets! Not. But every cloud has a silver lining: in this case it came in the form of an awesome shop selling Kullu shawls at decent prices [Bhuttico]. Oh, and a giant white rabbit in Vashisht. No, seriously! The owner must have ...

... with very fresh air. This is my first proper blog entry so i feel a bit overwhelmed by how much i have seen! Today we have looked around the town and been shown an internet cafe which im writing from now. Anyway, tomorrow we will go and look at the volunteering projects and on Tuesday start work. I only have 1 salwar suit (indian outfit) so today I'm hoping to get another one as we aren't allowed to go out in western ...

... snooker, which Linda has so recently taught me to play. Sitting with one of them and watching his fellow monk sink a good shot, still the both of them dressed in the long maroon-colored robes, I turned to him and joked, "So, that's what they are teaching in that monastery these days? That's my kind of Monastery!" The monk just about doubled over with laughter. A good joke is always appreciated, especially by those who have some peace in their hearts ...

... and I admit I had a good 40 second crying fit. The saving grace was that we were in the middle of a long line of Jeeps and trucks and at the back of the line was an army convoy... we would not be forgotten. Someone had sent for a bulldozer from the army base 20km away, so it would arrive eventually, only there was no communication with the base or the bulldozer, so we had no clue how long we'd wait. Soon, the couple at the front of the Jeep, in full panic-mode, suggested that we ...