Manali

Trip Start Jun 30, 2008
1
11
15
Trip End Jul 28, 2008


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow
Where I stayed
Manu Guest House
(Manali hotels)

Flag of India  , Himachal Pradesh,
Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Here I am in Manali.
Five years have passed since I was last here, and a lot has changed. Not for better or for worse, but different. Old Manali has grown considerably and the backpacker scene is growing. Living here is easy, as long as I don't think about how this place must have looked 10 years ago. Anyway, the surrounding landscape is breathtaking with its hazy peaks, many beautiful waterfalls and cedar forests.

New Manali is ugly as always, but I did venture into the concrete jungle to buy shawls and presents. Sending parcels home from India is an experience in itself. First you need to find a tailor to make a bag for your stuff, sealed with wax and everything. Then you spend an hour trying to write all the necessary details on the fabric. Then the guy at the post office tells you that it's impossible to read. You then go find someone who sells magic markers and repeat the writing process Weed forest, Manali
Weed forest, Manali
 . Then you hand your parcel to the postoffice, and while analyzing the odds of its arrival at the destination, you pay more for the sending than what the contents is worth.

Next I went to the nearby tourist village of Vashisht because I had read about a great healer there. I had an hour of Reiki healing and the result is astonishing. Impossible to explain, although "very emotional" seems fitting. Walking home to Old Manali after the healing session, some sort of transformation took place. I released a few tears and felt lighter immediately.

I'm going over there tonight as well, to get some info. Right now I'm considering staying in Manali until I have to head home. I might want to take a healing course (Reiki One)  and maybe some cooking courses. So far I've been moving almost constantly and only stayed at the same spot for a few days. Now I feel more like staying put and enjoying the easy life while learning useful stuff. Nothing is certain though.

Oh, there are now more pictures uploaded (Chandratal and Kibber/Ki).

Bye for now,
M
Slideshow Print this entry