That's Lonely Planet's description of our trip across the Himalayas bound for Manali - it is no understatement!!
Ruth was suspicious and I excited about the journey ahead. Ruth was right to worry, it was like going on a roller coaster for 36 hours whilst being strapped to a massage chair and breathing through a straw. Although, when arriving in Manali we were both still excited about what we had just been through, it is just the most incredible landscape to have travelled through.
We crossed 3 passes above 5000m with the second highest motorable pass in the world being the first. Big sweeps of green and copper red bands of sand, divided by curved fins of rock, defined the landscape at first. After taking a few nervous steps at 5291m (highest we've ever been), the moon landscape ahead was filled with hollow-eyed, tough as nails, real MEN constructing the 'road' ahead. In Europe, you build the road first and then open it. Here you just go for it and hope that whoever looks after you up there is alert!
The landscape ahead was stunning but bleak and our driver set about the task of hurtling our swaying bus down and around endless hairpin bends, free wheeling to avoid using our squeaky brakes and passing convoys of hilariously decorated lorries with the wheels balancing millimetres from the edge. I kept telling myself that he also has a family he wants to come home to...
As the journey continued the landscape changed to the most incredible mushroom like rock formations, probably carved out from centuries of sandblasting winds, before soaring cliffs, with years of climbing potential, defined a narrow canyon. We passed bizzare tented villages where people were making a living from selling simple meals and snacks before hurtling down the hill again. The road got worse! as the rock changed to a loose slate but the rise was more steady this time and we eventually arrived at the last 5000m pass feeling slightly dizzy.
Dropping down again and moving further south, the drizzled started and the roads turned to mud. By this point we didn't really care although the poor lady in front was by now vomitting out the window. When we arrived in Keylong the small group left on the bus (some weirdos got off in the middle of nowhere, literally, to go hiking) was socially cemented as we had shared this strange experience together. We had a great meal together in our filthy stop-over for the night, and topped it off with an intellectual debate on world religions, before crashing into bed.
By 6am the next morning we were back on the bus. The mud got worse as the rain intensified and we climbed the last pass. The other side slowly revealed itself through steamy clouds rising from the dense and lush forests clinging to the steep hills. Waterfalls gushing out from everywhere and the view was like something from a mythical picture. We eventually arrived in Manali where our new found friend Smita looked after us, and put us up in her favourite place - a nice little guest house set in an apple orchard overlooking the river. We celebrated our arrival (and survival) with local trout lunch whilst promising to visit lovely Smita in the Andamans later on in the trip. Every adventure seems to come with meeting brilliant people!!
