boardshorts recognising them was easy enough (as I have learned since,
this is only one of seven SA fan items that Tim has packed). Hugs,
greeting, laughter, meeting, mix into Manali morning air. Two days to
make final preparations and explore India's adventure capital. We head
to Kaushal's home to select our technical gear from his store room.
Proudly equipped with mountaineering boots, ice axes, crampons, etc we
set off to discover what else the town has on offer.
On top of the gushing river, splendid mountain views and lush forest
slopes, Manali holds its own surprises and secrets. The hot spring we
find inside a temple is one of them and we grab the opportunity to
take a bath. The abundance of wildly growing ghanja plants that we
pass on our way to the spring is another. On closer investigation we
find that the whole of Manali is covered in weedy Weed. I won't
mention names, but certain team members struggle to conceal their
delight.
The biggest adjustment Mix and I had to make in joining the rest of
the crew is that where we sometimes used to share meals because it was
too much food, the guys order double because they can't eat enough.
And so, at the end of a typical 'so-long-yet-so-short' day, we
conclude the events with a drawn out dinner and open-ended endless
discussion on modesty.
A sunny new day greets us to an early start. Mix and Jon have decided
to rent a motor bike for the day, while Brendan, Matt, Hannes and Tim
join Kaushal for a hike in the forrest. My foot is feeling a lot
better, but Brendan's stern reprimand reminds me that I should still
rest it. So I opt for a lady's day instead and spend the morning in a
beauty salon - waxing my legs, getting a massage and enduring the pain
of eyebrow threading. Following this is shopping in Old Manali, but it
comes to a end when I run into the guys and am swept away to join them
on a river rafting adventure.
We jump on a bus heading to Kullu, with the intention of getting off
at the rafting camp. As the journey gets longer and longer, we start
to suspect that more than one way lead to Kullu and that we caught he
wrong bus. A friendly bus conductor, a river crossing and a hitched
ride later, we eventually find ourselves at the camp. Life jackets on
and off we are to indulge in a short but blissful trip down glacier
river rapids.
The rest is told quickly. A bus ride back, packing madness, midnight
supper and too early a morning. We find ourselves back on Rothang
Pass, stuck in the same muddy traffic jam. On the other side base camp
and no reception await.
--
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