Span Resorts Manali

... ridge. During the trek we saw cows, goats, eagles and many 'milkmen', nomadic farmers who live in the hills looking after there cows. It was an amazing experince for us.
We have now checked in to the same hotel in Manali and have decided to stay until Tuesday 29 as there is a festival in Kullu on Monday, and all the Gods from the Valley will be there (be rude not to).

Still aching from trek so not doing much on the weekend

Goodnight folks

... the forest and scrambling over the rocks. It was a great first hike and after reaching a lookout and taking a breather, we headed down following the roads, that as unimaginable as it seems, cars and trucks travel everyday to take goods and people to the houses and homes high on the mountains sides. We've not only had the company of each other, but also the family that lives on the property where we are staying. Hakeem Singh and his wife and two children have been around ...

... deren Gipfel auch jetzt vollstaendig eingeschneit sind. Es gibt allerlei Tiere und schoene Wildbaeche, buddhistische Tempel und zum glueck wenig touristen. Haben uns vorgenommen ein oder zwei treks in der naehe zu unternehmen und uns anschliessend nach Rishikesh zu begeben. Die naechsten Tage werden wohl sehr sehr ruhig. Ist auch mal ganz gut nach der Aufregung der letzten wochen. Viele Gruesse Maddy und Mo

... had been bombed. It started to freak us out once we heard that a shopping center that we frequent had had a bomb go off. We spent the night talking and calling our families and fellow EAPers. We thought we would stay in Manali for a couple extra days, even though we had planned to go back the next day, but the EAP people assured us that it was safe, and encouraged us to go back home. After much deliberation and confusion, we all decided to go back ...

... from the fantasy of comfort. Remove the safety nets, wherever they may be. People strive so desperately to believe in some afterlife. They strive to believe that someone else has an answer. They strive to believe that they are important. The only truth is what is left after this "safety" fantasy is boiled away. There is then only reality, that which we can see, and "That which we cannot see." Acceptance without question of That Which We Cannot See may on the ...

... 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 ...

... an after school class to children too (not women like I expected). I prefer this teaching as it is calmer and the children are really responsive because they come voluntarily. We're all finding the work pretty hard to be honest, idex is not particularly organised so we have to do everything ourselves which is ***********e of us are teachers or have run schools before. But at least we're trying. The kids seem to have a laugh and enjoy the lessons which is the most important thing.

... They were everywhere! Pink apples, green apples - all sizes, n shapes. So damn pretty. Vashist a small town about 3km away from Manali is well known as the town with the natural springs, the key attraction being some kind of a communal bath area in a temple(Vashi Muni) rumored to have medicinal properties. We checked out the bath area for women. The scene before us was hilarious AND frightening at the same time. I ran like a bat ...

... country liquor" which comes in a 750 ml for that cheap price. Always one to sample the local hooch over the imported or imitation stuff made to please the western tourists (who can't seem to detach from their western ways of eating and drinking), I bought a bottle. Still have about a third of it left after 4 days. It is strong, (50%) with a light body and a nice apple taste. Really reminds me of spanish Calvados, which, if you know what is, is a bit like an ...

... spirituality, mysticism--hell, that was one the reasons I came to Indian) and our teacher is 28...I know I shouldn't judge a person by their age, but "hell" who doesn't. Today was rather enlightening. We are thinking about going to Rishikesh, 9 hours south of here. The Beatles built their Ashram and practiced meditation their. Our meditation teacher practiced there. Anywho, I might get to touch the Ganges. I am home in 10 days. Can't believe it.