Aug. 31, 2008. Recovery from Delhi-Manali bus.

What a hellish bus ride from Delhi to Manali. I am definitely getting too old for these. After a hot taxi ride to the Delhi bus pickup, near the closest Metro Stop to Pahargang, we (P.S. and myself) get on the bus 45 minutes late and pay an extra 50 rupee luggage surcharge. The base price was 1100 rupees. I initially sat next to P.S., then moved to an empty window seat with an empty seat next store. The bus had 2 + 2 seating and was only about half full. Volvo AC sleeper. The first real stop was at about 10 PM...45 minutes at an odd upscale dhaba with temple-like bathrooms. There was a very nice young Indian couple on the bus that treated me to a little food (I ran into them in Manali 3-4 days later at the end of their long weekend at the Shere-E-Punjab restaurant). The man's name was roughly Karin and he worked as an outsource guy for IBM. Usha, his wife, was a flight attendant for Kingfisher. We were the only non-Indians on the bus except for a pair of Korean young women. We had another quick stop at 6 AM at Sundernagar. Then a hellish final bit to Manali arriving about 11 AM. In all perhaps 6:30 PM to 11 AM, mostly on the road. A little monsoon rain, a little heat lightening, a lotta roadslide action. It was a good thing it was dark, and it is a good thing we have all day Monday and Tuesday to mellow out.

Upon arrival in Manali, we were dumped out of the bus and some tourist touts assailed us. I just told them in Hindi, Hum apna dost L milenge. The stopped them cold. We called L.C. from the phone booth and he picked us up 5 minutes later. He had been waiting at the other bus stop. This was characteristic of his sense of duty: Joel had called him from Delhi and asked him to be there waiting for us.

Ah---teeth brushed, bathroom, etc. We are at Johnson Hotel. We have not yet (nor did we ever) meet Piya Johnson, whom Joel described as an Anglo-Indian and a friend. There are no bad smells and plenty of hot water. The cost is about $40 US a night, quite expensive. Food is also expensive but according to Joel, safe. The temperature is perfect in Manali, about 60-65 F. The hotel is quiet. Peter is in the next room. I just had tea and it is a little hard to sleep. L has invited us to dinner tonight at his house.

6:30 PM. Wow, P.S. strikes me as a total gear-head. Ecstasies concerning his solar charges and cameras. This pre-figured some intense camera and gear discussions on the trek! I took a 2 hour walk up the street, did some email, and gossiped in Hindi with everyone I could. In one direction it is 1.5 Km to Hadimba temple, and in the other direction about 1.5 Km to Manu temple. I chatted with a very nice guy at his bookstore. (Various botanical observations about the local flora). I am having a bit of a brain melt related to Hindi immersion and sleep deprivation. The Johnson Hotel seems to favor trance music...I want some Jerry.

10:45 PM. P.S. and myself had dinner with L.C., his with "Y" and their 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter. They have an aya (house-girl, child care) who is about 15 and comes from an area 2 days south of Delhi. L.C. lives in the Tibetan area of Manali on the east side of the Beas, just up from the main bridges and on the beginning of the Manali-Leh highway. We went upstairs to his living area; I think the lower area is a store-room. We were seated on nice carpets with a low table in front of us. Cold beer was provided. Y brought out several excellent courses of Indian food. There was a large bed in the main room and the kids slept happily while we talked. L.C. has a TV/DVD. He told of wanting to go to the US and of the problems getting a passport. From what I understood, he has lost some money to an unscrupulous operator show seemed to promise help getting a passport. Y has a sister in the US and has herself travelled to France. She attending teacher training in south India and is employed know at a monastery-based boarding school (we travelled there the next day). On the whole it was really a treat to visit L.C. in his home.