Off to Ladakh

A 45 minute up the main road, and then a footpath up the side of the mountain brought me to Vashisht, a tiny tourist town near Manali. The last 10 minutes or so up the stone steps, nothing like the torturous uphills of Khumbu in the Everest region, I have to confess, left me a tad breathlesss.

I lunched on a rooftop cafe looking down on the valley: tofu, steamed potatoes and carrots, washed down with apricot and almond lassi. I developed a taste for tofu in Lhasa. My appetite is most at home in the mountains. I remember Muha didn't use to eat so much on the way to Everest, but developed a massive passion for food along the way. I'm not sure it ever really left him now that he's at sea-level.

I had my meal at a place called World Peace Cafe, which may have more hippy connotations than international conflict resolution. Vashisht is known for its hot springs, baths, and pot smoking. This isn't just apple country; it also grows high-quality cannabis, I understand.

This may be my last post until I get to Leh, in Ladakh. My bus leaves at 11 am tomorrow morning. We should overnight at Keylong, over 3000 metres high, and reach Leh late in the night the following day. I don't know what the road conditions are like at present, but its started to rain again. The Manali to Leh journey is a harrowing one, not without risks, but also a spectacular trans-Himalayan journey with several high altitude mountain passes.

I had a disturbing dream last night, several in fact. When I woke up I was feeling a bit groggy and unenthusiastic. But the walk up to Vashisht and the excellent lunch appear to have lifted up spirits somewhat.