Manali experience

Sabine: My day started earlier than Julia's. I favoured my hidden passion rock climbing (You may have seen me in the movie Cliffhanger) in the morning after the semi finals which ended here at 3 a.m. :-(
We went to a rock in the Kullu Valley. As I was the only person, the instructor was constantly chasing me up (no complaint, but exhausting after a while). I needed some time to regain confidence, trust in my shoes and avoid thinking about the hight. After 5 hours I got a decent sun burn and the knowledge to give rock climbing a new start. It was so relaxing and exciting at the same time....
If we can manage, we will post a pic. --- Here we go!


Julia: As most of you would imagine I went for the alternative program of the day - having a late breakfast, strolling through the village and doing some people watching, reading a book, as well as just being lazy, all to prepare for what was yet to come...
SHOPPING for local tibetan handicrafts (Manali has one of the highest concentration of Tibetan refugees). You can bet that Sabine was part of this again, after she had relaxed from the climbing tour with a bucket shower.

Taking a bath in the Temple

The place where we stay features hot springs and a unique quality of water. We went to the local temple late in the evening, where the locals gather to have a bath & a chat.
The atmosphere was very special. A mix of Tibetan, Buddhist & Hindu Indian women & travellers were joined in the ladies section. There is a smaller 'pool', as well as places to fill a bucket, for a shower.
The steam from the hot water created a pretty surreal and warm (in the sense of relating together) ambience.

Tonight we're off to Leh in Ladhak, our 'destination' for this trip. We're looking forward to at least another 18 hour drive. So you won't hear much of us over the next couple of days.