Memory II: Tales of a 100th Grade Nothing

I know I am being bad but I just can't make myself work on the paper anymore. So will continue with the memory series - of which I managed to write just one till now.
So here goes...

Memory II: Spiti Valley, July 2001











Places to be remembered (in order of their appearance in my itinerary 5 years ago)
Manali
Tabo
Kibbar
Kaza


PS: For the first time I take no credit for the phototgraphs: The first one is of the monastery and the next two of Thanka painting in the gompa itself.

Let me play a memory game






Reached the bus station, tired and dirty. As could be expected from two alcoholic dope head friends, neither was there to pick us up from the station. That would have been fine just that didn't know the name of the hotel we were staying in. All we knew was that it was across the
bridge" - whatever that was. That ofcourse did not hinder our baragining with the auto driver "30 nahi hum to 20 denge (for where who knows that!)". Midway saw Ad rolling down the hill with blood shot eyes and vodka breath so decided to save the screaming for later.

The "hotel" turned out to be a half finished little house with no facilities - even the bathroom was not usable in the room Pi and I were sharing. But then that wasn't enuff to dampen our enthu - the sneak peak of the diary entry helped!

Manali is great off season and in the month of July only the real dedicated dopeheads or the adventurous trekkers to Spiti and beyond can be seen stocking up on their supply of hash or trek mix respectively! Our hotel owner (manager cum receptionist cum cleaner cum dope supplier) was a prepetually stoned guy who charged guests random amounts for the room and the tea. He made most of teh money from the Israelis who stayed there and relied on him for the dope supply!My fav was this young Israeli girl who wd have a new guy over every night and wouldn't let us sleep. But she would gurgling "namaste namaste " to us early morning and shoving "stuff" into our mouths in the name of "shivaji ka prasad"!

Night was fun - resturant hopping - the Tracy Chapman store, the one with hanging lamps and low tables. Ofocurse we never reached the "promises you all the vices" Raasta CAfe.

(The pics are of Old Manali, babaji and some tourists strangely trying to horde some 'stuff' from all the freely growing marijuana bushes!)