We arrived in Manali last night from Shimla. Although the distance is just under 300km the journey took 9 hours. When we weren’t avoiding snakes, reptiles, cows, monkeys, dogs and people, we were dodging dump trucks, other buses, cars, motorcycles and even a bicycle (we saw that guy we met in Delhi who rode his bike from Austria). With the windy road, continuous bumps, near head on collisions and sheer cliff drop offs, we were wondering how we would fare by the end of the day. Surprisingly, the trip didn’t seem all that long. Our driver stopped for breakfast and lunch and we ate the best Indian food as of yet. He also stopped at a beautiful roadside temple as did most other drivers, pulling onto the side of a narrow highway and blocking the traffic, to ring the bell and say a prayer, perhaps the reason we arrived safe. Manali is beautiful and clean and the cheapest place so far. We have a nice room overlooking the river for just under $10 a night.
