Our journey took 10 hours with only 2 stops en route so we were ready for a shower and a relax when we arrived! Manila is known as a good basis for trekking in the Himalayas, and for jeep tours to the local Tibetan monasteries and tribe villages. When we arrived we were told that the mountain pass to these destinations hasn't yet opened as the snow hasn't cleared ( it's about 5000m above sea level) so we were not able to do the things that we had planned- a bit frustrating after a 10 hour bus journey! However the place is very peaceful, a small village set in the alpine foothills with the snow capped Himalayas as a backdrop so it seamed like a nice place to stay and gather our thoughts for a few days.
We spent a day exploring the village and the main town of Manali, then on our second day decided to go for a hike up the hills towards the Solyman valley. We left our village in the companion of a big yellow dog and passed through the oldest part of the village with old timber houses with thick slate roofs. We continued up the path through a forest and somehow managed to lose the main track and ended up on a small track going through people's back yards and orchards. We ended up on a hillside with some cows and their shepherds before we realised that we were a bit lost! Our dog started to worry a cow tethered to a rock and so we were asked by a farmer to 'get off his land'- or so we think, he was actually just waving his arms about and shouting a bit! We decided to let our dog take the lead and he guided us down the valley and back to some sort of civilisation. On the way we passed a big house with a happy looking b**** in the garden; after about 4 hours of walking with us our dog companion decided it was time to leave us and stayed behind with his new friend.
Early the next morning we took a taxi up towards the Rhotan Pass some 50 km away ( the one which is still closed due to the snow) with some mountain bikes we had rented and cycled back down. The roads was very windy with steep drops but our main concern was the other drivers on the road- this is a popular spot for holidaying Indians whom have never seen snow before. They hire snowsuits and boots in the local villages ( it's really not very cold, a bit over the top!) and then go and see the snow. The brave ones strap on some ski's, we didn't see anyone going down but it didn't look too safe as the slopes go right onto the road! In their eagerness to get up there we also saw some people travelling up in the boot of cars and on the roof! We had a few more obligatory 'snaps' (we've now realised that people aren't asking if they can slap us which is what it sounds like with an Indian accent) with some Indian tourists and continued down on our way. We arrived back in Old Manali and spent the rest of the afternoon wrapped up in blankets on the balcony reading books and admiring the view.
The next morning it was Ben's birthday and we had booked to go parasailing in the nearby Solyman valley. As soon as we arrived we were accosted by an Indian family wanting us to take their baby for a photo. The baby wasn't so pleased to be handed over but we did get a photo. We then took the ski lift up the mountain to the setting off point for the parasailing. There was a bit of a queue for the take off and we had to wait a little while for the wind to pick up. As we waited we watched an Indian girl try to take off. She ran a couple of steps and then sat down expecting the parachute to lift her up and her guide toppled over her. We were getting a bit concerned that there wasn't enough wind as a large Indian man in a purple 80's snowsuit ran about 2 steps, fell forward and slid down the mountain face first with the guide on his back for about 30 meters before taking off. Though this was quite hilarious to watch as the man had almost taken a superman pose with his arms outstretched it was now Gwenno's turn to go and she didn't fancy getting scraped by mud and rocks on the way down. She tried to persuade the guide to take her from a ridge higher up but he assured her that it would be fine that she just needed to run fast and not sit until he said so. As it turned out the take off was fine as Gwenno managed to stay upright long enough for take off- all the running down hills chasing sheep as a young girl has obviously paid off! The ride down was over quite quickly and though the scenery was quite fantastic parasailing doesn't have the same sort of adrenaline rush as other things we have done. As Gwenno waited at the bottom of the hill the guide went back up the mountain to take Ben down. After seeing a few people take off Ben was confident that he knew what was going on. He got into his cradle with straps around his arms and legs while his guide attached him to the parachute and then told him to run. At some point during Ben's eager running one of the leg straps came loose and he had to do an emergency stop just before take off! Not exactly filled with confidence but knowing he needed to get off the mountain Ben went for it again and this time took off with no problems. At this point Gwenno was waiting at the bottom getting a little concerned that Ben was taking so long and was stood chatting to some Korean people that had jumped at the same time. The next thing the group knew, there were two big feet heading straight our way as Ben was coming in to land and we had to make a run for it! We both enjoyed the activity but felt that the safety standards weren't quite up to scratch!
We returned to Old Manali for a coffee and chocolate brownie ice cream for the birthday boy. We headed to Manali town to get some more cash, do a but of last minute shopping and get some nice pizza as a treat. By the time we got back to our hostel there was just enough time for a few beers on the balcony and at our favourite bar; the People cafe before bedtime. The next morning we were up early in order to catch our bus to our next destination. We have both really loved Manali and will hopefully return one day!