Manali
I'm now in Manali which is the last major settlement before the Himalayas, things are much better and easier to digest. To be more specific, a small village a couple of kilometres down called Vashishat(Pronounced Vasheesht). The place is just full of hippies from mostly Germany, Eastern Europe and Japan. I've sort of befriended two of them so I'm really proud of myself. To make things better, because of the proximity to Tibet and China, there are Tibetans and gompas around as well.
Things are still really challenging, I still feel so separate from everyone else and everything is just so different. Every day consists of constant budgeting and making sure everything is as safe as it can be and no one is going to take advantage of you. You have all sorts of animals wandering around the narrow streets, people carrying all sorts of things, snake charmers, wild dogs sleeping along the streets in the shade... and yes... wild charas :)
In the Himalayan states marijuana grows wild. And not just a few plants spread around... there are fields upon fields of the stuff... forests of the stuff, large patches behind restaurants, hotels, anywhere and everywhere. It's unbelievable! Now I see why it has been called grass! That said I'm not terribly interested in taking advantage of it... I'm just not here for that and there are lawful risks involved. I'll stay with my lassi and meditation :)
I think one of the happiest things about India is that it truly can be as beautiful as it was depicted in Baraka. In the morning everyone is at the public baths, people are ringing the temple bell with incense burning and Eastern music dancing in the air. It's a lot more as well... and not all of it is pleasant but a lot is just something that I need to adapt to coming from the far west to the far east.
Well, an English fellow named Stewart asked me to climb a snow-peaked mountain outside of the town in the next couple of days.. he isn't sure it can be done and I'm pretty sure we don't have nearly enough experience... but well.. it sounds like fun :)
Things are still really challenging, I still feel so separate from everyone else and everything is just so different. Every day consists of constant budgeting and making sure everything is as safe as it can be and no one is going to take advantage of you. You have all sorts of animals wandering around the narrow streets, people carrying all sorts of things, snake charmers, wild dogs sleeping along the streets in the shade... and yes... wild charas :)
In the Himalayan states marijuana grows wild. And not just a few plants spread around... there are fields upon fields of the stuff... forests of the stuff, large patches behind restaurants, hotels, anywhere and everywhere. It's unbelievable! Now I see why it has been called grass! That said I'm not terribly interested in taking advantage of it... I'm just not here for that and there are lawful risks involved. I'll stay with my lassi and meditation :)
I think one of the happiest things about India is that it truly can be as beautiful as it was depicted in Baraka. In the morning everyone is at the public baths, people are ringing the temple bell with incense burning and Eastern music dancing in the air. It's a lot more as well... and not all of it is pleasant but a lot is just something that I need to adapt to coming from the far west to the far east.
Well, an English fellow named Stewart asked me to climb a snow-peaked mountain outside of the town in the next couple of days.. he isn't sure it can be done and I'm pretty sure we don't have nearly enough experience... but well.. it sounds like fun :)