Old Manali trek to remember

THis is part of an e-mail I sent a friend just wanted to post an update of one of my adventures in Himachal Pradesh.

Being in Manali is just too perfect. Our guest house is $8 a night and we have a balcony with a full view of the Himalayas complete with waterfalls. The owners of the guest house also run a farm with goats, cows, and apple and cherry orchards. The temperature is about 70 every day, cooler in the evenings. We took a day long trek into the mountains and when we stopped to ask for directions, the old man we asked (Ram) invited us for tea. It was mint tea, but it was so funny, because even though he invited us, he didn't ahve any ingredients except mint and sugar. We had to walk next door to borrow some tea leaves and then later to borrow some milk. That was even better because the neighbor children had a new puppy only 6 days old. I've never played with a puppy before, it was so sweet. I gave the kids this plastic duck necklace filled with bubble solution from the states (I just packed it for fun) anyhow, they loved it. We went all through the mountains and through an area that looked just like the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff, or how I had imagined it. Tons and tons of goats wandering everywhere on green green grass with rocks and bolders scattered randomly and of course an old rickety bridge that the troll should have been living under. :^) we walked all the way up a mountain to near the top of a waterfall, that I put my feet in, but it was too cold for much more then that. There were some Indian guys that looked like they were going to try to go in, but it was probably about 40 degrees if not colder. Then we walked to Vashist, which has hot springs. There are two for men, one for women. I just put my feet in we didn't pack proper towels for changing and for me the water was tioo hot, also, we were pretty tired by this point. on the walk back we saw a hot air balloon lifting off. The keys on the keyboard are really sticky so some words may not come out right. We also went to Dharamshala (home of the Dali Lama) and saw the Dali lama temple.

Minority on a Bus

Much against the advice of an Indian friend of mine, I took the bus from the area of the city my family friends live in to the city center. My friend’s sister dropped me at the bus stop and they had prepared me with directions. The ride there was simple. I said I wanted a return ticket, there and back and handed the bus conductor (who walks to each person, you don’t pay the driver like in the US) 20 Rupees (44cents). The bus was fairly clear. I didn’t have to share the seat with anyone. I did notice however, the ratio of men to women was around 10 to 1. The ride there was uneventful.
Waiting for the bus on the way back was a little more exciting. I was at the bus stop, sitting on the railing marking the off the queue, when a group of three girls sitting on the railing in front of me glanced back. First one looked over her shoulder and whispered to the other two who looked back as well. Then the real starring began. They would look back and just stare, looking me up and down over and over, as though I was really an alien from another planet, not just another country. After more whispering, one of the girls got the nerve to ask if they could take a picture with me. I was waiting like them, so I thought, sure, why not. Well one picture turned into 6. They wanted a group picture, a picture with each of them individually with me, smiling, and straight faced. None of them spoke English. But we managed to communicate through the small amount of Hindi I know and many gestures. They were so curious about me, I’m sure if I spoke the language properly they would have asked a thousand questions. They also offered to buy me a new bottle of water after I took pictures with them, as mine was almost empty. But I told them it wasn’t necessary. After our main interaction concluded, there was still a long wait for the bus during which they would constantly peek back at me.

My first day

Wow, where to start?! I was just writing to a friend telling her that I feel like jumping up and down and saying “I’m in India! I’m really here!” M was just pointing out the different medical institutes and hospitals you can see from their bedroom widow. They have a great view. Because there is a biomedical institute located in the blocks outside their window, many medicinal plants and trees are gown all around the building and no tall buildings or skyscrapers built there. Their view is lush green leading up to a city skyline.
I promise not to always go into such detail, but this was my fist day. So here’s what happened:
- Friday-3am, Getting through customs was no problem, the airport smelled just like the YMCA locker room; old, chlorine, sweat, and bleach.
- My friend was there to greet me right as I stepped out into the thick tropical air of Mumbai. Many people talk of the smell when you first taste the Indian air. To me, it was a mix of masala spices, pollution and humidity
- It was 3:45am when we drove home so everything was quiet, there were stray dogs here and there, and slum type dwelling along the sides of some roads (as you’ve seen in Slumdog millionaire) but the only thing that actually bothered me was the location where the homeless were sleeping; the street. In between parked taxis and other cars there were people sleeping on mats or blankets they had rolled out. Any drunk driver could easily run them over. And yet they were sound asleep.
- Quiet arrival home to freshen up and crash for a few hours
- Breakfast of granola cereal and milk (that had been cooled in the fridge just for me) and orange juice. They eat on mostly all metal plates here.
- Then there was time for me to give the gifts from friends in the US and I. Most were for the baby of the family, who loved the musical instruments and plastic carpenter set. Its great to watch his interaction with things and the family.
- I went for my first bike ride! Bike=motorcycle in India speak (please don’t worry mom, A’s a great driver and we went slowly) We took a short drive to a road stall where I got my mobile hooked up. $5 for a new sim card and 180minutes. Then we stopped for petrol and an ATM.
- 12:30pm lunch of American style cole slaw, Indian green beans, chapatis and, specially for me, a plain fluffy omelet. And for dessert: mango pulp! Just squeezed from the mango. Its true, Indian mango are far better then their Mexican cousins.
- Napped for a good 3-4hours
- M took walked with me to a small clothing road stall – just like on Devon, there were thousands of shirts and pants, each folded and wrapped in plastic, and stacked to the ceilings, I picked out two cotton shirts, kurtas, and the total for both was 350Rs=$7.50. In Chico's they would go for $60.
- We met A at the parking lot of the apartment building for a trip to the mall
- We stopped in at a department store much like what you would find in the states, except that the first floor was Western style clothing and the upstairs was “ethnic” clothing. On the second floor I tried on a few things. Sizing was surprisingly fine, though it was sometimes hard to find shirts with broad enough shoulders. I walked out with a pretty light pink cotton top with a sort of Nehru collar.
- We stopped for a snack at Costa Coffee, since the baby needed a break. A went to the counter while M, the baby and I sat down. When he returned he smiled and said he ordered an ice cream Sunday. I was sure he was joking, there’s no way they make American style ice cream Sundays, and even if they do, A wouldn’t have ordered that. Double wrong. It was made with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate chips with whipped cream. It was excellent. We all shared. And here I thought I would be chocolate deprived in India.
- Then we grabbed some juice, soda and shampoo and conditioner (the later for me) from Big Bazaar. M described it as the Indian Walmart.
- Once home there was dal (lentils) and rice for dinner, with a veg that tasted somewhat like asparagus, but you could not eat the outer shell, it was too hard, you would just eat the middle and toss the outer layer. There was coke and a tamarind candy-like sweet that I found delicious, much to A’s surprise.
- I unpacked and repacked my things and we all waited for the arrival of A’s younger sister who was arriving from the States just after midnight.
And that was my day in a nutshell.

On my way!

According to the “E-Box” in front of me (E for Etihad), I am now flying over Bucharest, after passing Budapest. The view from the airplane bathroom window tells me that it’s a beautiful, thriving, spring day in Bucharest.

It’s been 9½ hours since take off, and 13½ hours since I arrived at O’Hare. I still can’t believe this is happening, that I’m really going to step off this plane into Abu Dhabi and onto a plane to Mumbai! It feels so surreal. I did remember what I forgot. My hat. ‘Could be worse.’ I can’t sleep at all, though the flight is really lovely, I’m just too excited.

I have to say, this is the nicest flight I have ever taken. I am sitting in the exit row and I can stretch my legs all the way out and rest them on a foot rest connected to the seat in front of me. Now THAT is legroom. The flight attendants are extremely accommodating. They bring around assorted drinks and glasses of water regularly, and I’ve been given/offered snack crackers, an Asian vegetarian meal with pineapple, grapes and watermelon for dessert, a big Klondike bar, any type of coffee or hot chocolate, popcorn or sandwich choice, warm apple crisp, and breakfast hasn’t even been served yet. My movie loving friends will be happy because I watched Memoirs of a Geisha, Little Miss Sunshine and Ratatouille. The plane is very clean and every seat comes with a blanket, pillow, and pack with socks, sleeping mask, and ear plugs. And you don’t need a neck pillow, the headrest bends just perfectly around your head. Well, that’s enough promotion for Etihad.

I will write something much more interesting after breathing-in India and meeting the family friend I will be staying with.