Quality Inn River Country Resort Manali

... It was NOT a hostel one could easily stumble across. It was situated right at the top of Manali and could only be reached by taking on a mini-hike via a Manalian foot path.However, once reached the views from this hostel were second to none; A lake ran through the edge of the hostel's grounds and nestled amongst the green of the mountains were a dozen, simple rooms and various seating areas which offered nothing more than a seat from which to view nature's beauty ...

... absolutely saturated from head to toe! there was no need for the rain coatsas they did nothing to help us! we headed back to the hotel to dry off and consider what to do for dinner and eventually decided the pasta and baked potatoes we'd read about were too good to miss so we headed back out tfor dinner surprisingly to find sunshine! had a lovely beer and dinner and back home to bed to rest for another long drive was ahead of us tomorrow!

... and use the internet. I was able to post my pictures and update my blogs as well. I had some banoffee pie (it was amazing) and a Limca. I went back to the hotel and put my computer away and then walked out into the city streets again. I bought a pretty bracelet for RS$100 and then went to this place called Punjab Dhaba restaurant . I had been planning on just sitting there and drinking a lemon soda before trying to meet with the others. While I was at my table waiting for my ...

... Miss Jilly's BIG 22 in super style! Although illness set in for Amelia and we were all a little under the weather for the BIG bday, we managed an early morning boat trip along the Ganges at sunrise, saw some of the ghats and spent the day with a band of Brits we met at our hotel! Said a sad goodbye to our third amigo(Amelia)and off we went to a brand new country, culture and culinary adventure... XXX

... basically jumping of a mountain with a parachute open. After a treacherous jeep ride up and around the tiny road (with nothing to keep you from plummeting to your death), we then trekked up to the peak of the mountain where the take off point was. And honestly we were soooo happy that we didn't have to take the jeep back down the mountain (yes, we would rather jump off a mountain than that)! After relaxing and ...

... in a jeep and see the same landscape? My thoughts exactly. Here are some pics from the ride... Manali is located in a valley on the Beas River. Another mostly Buddhist area with many Tibetan refugees. One day I visited a couple Buddhist Gompas (monasteries). The following day I hiked up a hill to the side of town to see Hadimba Temple set in the ...

... windy day, so all the families were out doing the washing. Oh, and in other news, by the way Dayalu has found himself a girl, and they are to "make marry!" This was top secret until yesterday, so I couldn't share for fear of a leak. Hey, you never know who reads these things. Washing Day at the Ram complex. It's windy and sunny, a perfect combo for drying clothes, although the stronger gusts carry some things away to be chased by whomever is closest. Washing begins with a wet-down ...

... of normal things written elsewhere, but his most important thrust was on Mental toughness. As per him, it is good to face some problems and over come them. And alas, that was going to be the most important factor in days to come. My wife was sipping her Ginger tea along with Atharva only to be sternly told to concentrate on advices. She was certainly going to be very thankful to them in near future. We bid farewell to Rahul, I personally promised to build up ...

... and then one team won. Felt like a school disco and was quite random, and the indian guides were having a good ol' boogie. I have mixed views about the indian guides at the camp. They are all men except 1 woman (there's about 10 of them), and a few of them are having romances with the western volunteers. This wouldn't normally happen in their culture so I can't help feeling that they're taking advantage of their job a bit! They make the most of being in a western ...

... rather useful catch and hurled it straight back at me..........no - I'm joking of course - the ashtray hit the target and they all scampered off. I kept both door and window firmly closed thereafter. The damp seemed a problem - but maybe it wasn't so bad, perhaps it was just the coolness and altitude that exagerrated the feeling for me. It certainly was cool - perhaps getting up to the mid twenties c in the day and dropping to low teens at night, I found myself with ...