The return from Manali, and the return of the fajitas

I'm back in Tashi Jong now, but I still have things to say about Manali! After my last post, I went off and wandered through the streets, side-streets and markets of the town, which were quite interesting. Whole streets seem dedicated to one single thing, such as shoes, or fruit & veg. I sat outside a tea shop, and was mistakenly given a chai (a welcome mistake, however). I ate that evening at a restaurant recommended by the LP, but was disappointed by my meal. Ok, so I chose my meal at random, but it was still too cheesy, and the chapati and rice were tepid. The best thing about that place were the logo and the owner, who revealed his plans for eliminating Indian corruption (good luck to him) and his disgust for the concrete jungle that Manali has become.

I then met Mike and Bo, and we went off to the Alchemy Lounge, a pub about 5km from Manali. The taxi was a rip-off, but we had no other way of getting there and back, and it was a good pub. Mike was overjoyed at finding some scummy Aussie beer that cost more over here than at home called Victoria Bitter (VB). That night my hotel owner (in Vashisht, if you remember) came up with extra blankets, unasked for, which was very kind.

The next morning I was ridiculously lazy, getting up around 11am (which, I know, is early for you students). I checked out the three temples in Vashisht, which were fairly average really, before having some bright orange veg pakoras at a restaurant that had flies, not-quite-all-there locals, and “special lassi” on the menu. For those what don't know, a “special lassi” is also called a bhang lassi, and is a lassi (a sort of yoghurty drink) laced with bhang (a derivative of marijuana). A quick read of what the LP says on the subject of these drinks is enough to put any would-be users off (it talks about travellers being ill for three days afterwards and getting robbed in states of delirium).

I met up with Mike and Bo again, who were checking into the expensive and fairly swanky looking hotel opposite mine (TVs in the room! What luxury!). In Manali, the two of them spent ridiculous amounts on souvenirs and so on, compared to me, who spent almost nothing.

My hotelier had a very good collection of DVDs (including 'Kids' and 'Dr. Strangelove'); I watched, on his recommendation, 'Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai' which was slightly better than it sounds. In places it was pretty funny, such as an old mafioso mimicking an elk. It was odd to see the mafia, samurai philosophy and black US gangs all mixed up into one film.

That evening I braved the public baths at one of the temples, which was quite good actually. It had water pumped from naturally hot springs in the area.

The next day I went over to see the other two, who were watching, of all things, a US spelling bee. On ESPN. As in the sports channel. We went to the Rainbow Café for a largeish breakfast, before walking back, via shops, to our hotels. I bought (yes, me, buying something!) a hippyish sackcloth hoodie type thing, just to fit in with the Vashisht scene. I went all the way back to Old Manali for a Dylan's cookie (they are good), before heading back into Manali. I saw there a sort of street gig being set up, sponsored by Idea (an Indian mobile company). That was fairly rubbish, so I went to Van Vihar again, which was, this time, full of school kids. Which was bad, because I wanted to go on the swings...

I met up with Mike, Bo and Troy in Manali, where they were debating whether or not to sing in this Idea gig (which was more of a talent scouting thing, it seems). Keen as they were to do 'Waltzing Matilda', they chickened out in the end. We went instead for some food at Chopsticks before Troy left us (their orphanage has a 7pm lockdown).

Back in Vashisht, we went out for dinner to a restaurant called the Freedom Café. I had chicken fajitas which were very nice, but will make a reappearance quite soon. We also got some Foster's, and I gave up on not drinking, though it was only for about two pints' worth. Bo, by the way, is a terrible drinker and was fairly gone after about a pint!

I woke up the next morning very early, to find that those fajitas were not in full agreement with my stomach. During the morning they exited both ways, leaving my feeling less than perfect. I checked out and then had some breakfast (porridge). We went down to Manali and booked our bus tickets for that evening, then hung around Manali doing not very much (internet and eating). We went to the Club House, an HPTDC venture that is basically an overpriced tourist trap. We did some go-karting (for that authentic Manali experience) and played some pool. After a quick dinner at Chopsticks (chowmein) we headed for our buses. Mike didn't travel, in the end, as he felt too ill to travel, so I got the bus back to Tashi Jong alone (we couldn't refund/change tickets or anything like that). The bus ride was fairly dull, though we had to stop twice to change the tyres (worrying? Nah...). I also managed to recolour the side of the bus in another shade of green, only 20km from home. I got to Tashi Jong at 4am, and went straight to sleep.

The next day, Sunday, was lazy and uneventful really. I chilled a bit with the monks and played football. Mike got in in the afternoon. Today we got back into the old routine of teaching and so on. And that, as they say, is that.