It's been over a month since I last wrote on this blog, and I've now learned the hard way that I need to try to update this thing more often. I could write an entire book just describing what I've done the past 5 weeks, but I'll try to condense it by listing the places I visited, and some of the highlights. And while I do feel that I was able to fully explore and appreciate all the places I visited in the time I spent there, if I had more time available in India, I would've likely stayed in each place at least twice as long.
Dharamsala - The Home of the Dalai Lama.
I spent roughly 3 weeks amongst the three towns outlying Dharamsala; McLeod Ganj, Dharamkot, and Bagsu.
We took a few day hikes during our time there, some to waterfalls, some to nice viewpoints. And on every single hike, at least one random dog joined along to guide us safely there and back.
Dharamsala also has a great music scene, and every night there were jam sessions going on at different cafes. I heard a plethora of foreign instruments, including my favorite, the pantam.
In Upper Bagsu, we often sat at the Zion Cafe, where you could often find Baba Jee sitting with the tourists, imparting his wisdom upon them while he was on vacation. I even saw him sitting at the internet cafe once, which was quite a funny sight to see, when you consider the fact that he looks something like this.
On the night we left Dharamsala, as we were waiting for our bus, a jeep full of drunk Indians parked their jeep by us, jumped out with the music blasting, and danced in front of the shining headlights. They invited us to join, to which we happily obliged them, knowing they would be very pleased to see our "Westernized" dancing styles, and try to imitate us.
Manali
Realizing that I only had about 1.5 months left in Northern India, and lots more I wanted to see and do, I decided it was time to start making moves, and used my 4 days in Manali to thoroughly explore the 3 connecting cities (New Manali, Old Manali, and Vashist). Coincidentally, the day we arrived in Manali there was a party going on, and for a change I was able to find some friends to have a few drinks with, instead of drinking alone (which I sadly have had to succumb to a few times so far).
We also spent a day at a carnival/4th-rate amusement park of sorts in the woods around Old Manali, which was quite interesting.
Kasol
Like Manali, Kasol is more of a hub city than a place to stay for a very long time. I left Manali on my own, to meet some friends I had traveled with briefly a few weeks previously. After 2 days in Kasol, we were ready to head to the mountains, hopping (or rather, trudging along with our bags) from village to village. Our first stop was Pulga, where I unfortunately had to battle an unpleasant stomach bug on the first day. But besides that, the village was a quiet, relaxing place, with a "fairy forest" and waterfall to keep us busy during the days there. And like most villages in India which do not have much electricity, showers are taken with a hot bucket of water. It may not sound ideal, but it's surprisingly fun (once in a while). On our last night in Pulga, we slaughtered some chickens and had ourselves a nice bbq in the forest.
After three days, we decided to hike up to Khirganga, a 5-hour uphill climb that broke my back from all the weight I was carrying. But for the first time on my trip, I arrived at a place that truly didn't have any electricity. Generators and solar power were saved for the evenings, so the stereo would have enough juice to play. During the day, you could find total silence by just wandering away from the 4 guest houses the village contains. And once again, unfortunately, I got sick up in the mountains. Luckily for me, the draw of Khirganga is not just the amazing view, but also the hot springs located on the mountain. A 20-minute dip every evening, with a hot spring shower afterwards was the best medicine for my cold (especially considering I didn't bring my first-aid kit with me, so the hot spring was all I had).
From Khirganga, we headed down to Tosh to meet up with some other friends. And once again, we spent our days exploring new waterfalls and sights around the village.
Now I'm back in Kasol, ready to depart for Manali tomorrow, and then continue North. I have about a month left in India before I head to Thailand, and now it seems like time is tight. I will likely have to sacrifice visiting a place or two, but I'm not thinking about it too much, and will just let the chips fall as they may. After 2+ months of traveling, I have started to understand how to get the most out of my trip, and not get caught up in the triviality of deciding what to do and where to go. I also have stopped getting shocked on a daily basis by situations and people I encounter. After all, it's India. And in India, sab kuch milega (everything is possible).
It's funny how in India, you continue to see the same people you saw or met somewhere previously on the trip, months later and hundreds of miles away. You never really say goodbye to other travelers in India, only "see you later." The exception to that is those travelers who are at the end of their trips, and are heading home soon. That is something to which I can not relate, as I can't even picture getting on my plane back to Israel, and subsequently, New Jersey. And while I am leaving India soon, I do plan on returning to explore the South of India after my stint in Southeast Asia. So to India, I will also not be saying goodbye, but instead, "see you later."
