OLD MANALI
Our next goal was The Spiti Valley,
but this year, although grossly hot in Amritsar and south, the Himalayas have
been unseasonably cold; too cold to go wandering off in the hinterlands of one
of the more primitive mountainous areas of India with no heat and very few
modern facilities.
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| My favourite hotel in Old Manali |
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| A view from my veranda - music, a reefer, and friends |
Instead, off we went to Old Manali
by car.
It is ten-hour drive along
circuitous roads that follow the local river.
Even with a Vomistop pill I was carsick, but by avoiding food the rest
of the way, I arrived at Old Manali in reasonably good shape.
The owner of my favorite hotel, The Dragon
Hotel just happened to be on hand to welcome me back,and Jane and I were soon
comfortably settled in our separate rooms.
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| Dragon Hotel's long veranda |
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My friends, the owner and Clement who runs the
restaurant |
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| Old Manali main Street at 5 in the morning |
What does one do in Old Manali,
nothing, except enjoy the view, have Ayurvedic massages and reflexology, ride
or at least take pictures of Yaks, go for long walks, and go parasailing if the kiosks are opened over at Solvang, which they were not: union problems. Also, I eat
the river fish but that’s a personal indulgence.
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| Olive Garden, never empty morning to night |
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| Old Manali Pashmina cooprative |
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| The looms |
Old Manali is best enjoyed through
pictures, so here are a few photos of one of my favorite stops in northern
India.
One lovely walk:
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| A passerby carrying barley |
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| A three hundred year old house |
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| Another 3 hundred year old house |
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| A mountain view |
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| view of the river |
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| A great place for a tea |
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