Shimla to Manali
Trip Start
May 31, 2008
1
8
33
Trip End
Jul 31, 2009
Manali,
Himachal Pradesh,
India
Thursday, June 26, 2008
After two days trying to find two more people for a trek yesterday Will and I gave up yesterday and booked a bus to Manali hoping for better things.
I woke up early this morning at the YMCA in Shimla after checking out of Hotel Eve the night before. I think that place was starting to depress me. It had served its purpose but it was time to move on. The fact that the owner of the family run business had died late last week suddenly didn't help things - everyone was in a state of shock - heavy vibes - time to get out.
The biggest wake up call from meeting some travelers to move on with was how much I was getting over-charged at Hotel Eve, Admittedly it was en-suite but at 1000 rupees per night (84 rupees to the pound at present) the 310 I got charged in the YMCA made Shimla more tolerable for another night. Shimla was increasingly heaving with Indian tourists and it was doing both mine and Will's head in as well as Dan, a newley qualified Doctor we met from Leeds who had only been there a day!
I set off from the hostel with a little trepidation at my first Indian bus ride but once we were rolling and with my MP3 was on shuffle I didn't look back. I felt liberated.
The road to Manali is a trip. The initial foothills which are very 'Shimla' soon give way to a constant companion of a river system which in places is awesome in it's scale. The Indian government have latched on and at one stage we crossed a bridge which was above a HydroElectricity generator. I've seen one before in NZ but never one this size, this thing was HUGE. As the river got broader the mountain streams feeding in graduated also and I was stunned to feel dwarfed by the size of the rocks which had appeared at intersections of the river, some of them were three stories high and seemed to have been washed down the mountsain! As the bus careered around bends at break neck speed making full use of its suspension I peered down at the river from both VERY high and low feeling a little more aware of my own mortality than the previous four weeks in Shimla. Always a good thing.
Special mention must go to a troop of monkeys I saw playing in the water. They were going for it, throwing themselves in with vigour. I spied them from a distance but even from so far away I was amazed by the distance they were able to project themselves into the water. I guess they're usually aiming for the closest tree which is usually not usually so far, but in the water BOY it looked like those critters could PROJECT themselves!
After a final stop at a river side campsite village where the local women were restraining a man from beating a child (always entertaining to watch ?) we arrived nearly 10 hours after departure in Manali... and what a contrast to Shimla. I'd say one always feels like they've arrived somewhere when you get out of the cab from the bus stop next to a pungent marijuana plant! But seriously, it wasn't luck that found me sniffing in sweet Mary Jane, the old sticky icky is everywhere! In fact I'd say that from half way to Manali from Shimla we could smell weed in the air. It's ferocious in it's domination as a plant species in this region!
A Kiwi called Nick found us a taxi which brought me to my bed for the night at the 'Orchard House' guest house which for 300 rupees a night is lush. It's a bit like hobbit land round here in Old Manali, away from the main town there are vegetable patches and dirt tracks flanked by barns and piles of firewood all surrounded by pine forests and mountainous scenery. The air is clear, there are no cars beeping horns, it's relatively cool (probably 25 degrees) and the place is totally geared towards westerners - heaps of Israelis and Hippies here - the total polar opposite of Shimla which was starting to feel like an Indian Benidorm.
So - a result, I feel like I'm really travelling at last and it's like putting on a pair of old shoes. There is more to be experienced here tomorrow - walking, rafting and maybe even ZORBING before heading on again. Can't wait!
PS - special mention to my peeps at or heading to Glastonbury for the festival this weekend. Depite all my conjecture about travelling, there really is only one place to be on the planet this weekend and that is the Vale of Avalon. ENJOY you lucky people, hope JZ rocks the joint! Peace out.
