More exploring in the Kullu Valley

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The lizards love the slate on the verandah in the morning sun. I counted at least seven there this morning. They seem to have quite a pecking order as to who has what spot.

After a hearty breakfast of pancakes AND omelette we trotted down the hill and meet our driver to go to Solang, a few miles further up the valley. The road to the right headed to the high passes that lead to Lei and Ladakh - an adventure for another trip. They are currently building a tunnel which will reduce the 3-4 hour road trip to more like 45 minutes. Solang has one of the first ski fields in India however Sonny pointed out all the heliski-ing slopes. He works as a guide for adventure tours both here and in Switzerland. This includes finding and setting up locations for movies in the mountains locally.

We ambled down a back road for an hour or so. There is a lot of building going on, mainly to cater for the Indian tourists. It is bringing a lot of change to the area, some of it good - more jobs and money but also more traffic, pollution etc.

The Buddhist influence can be seen here with mandalas in some doorways, prayer flags in many places and a lot of the labourers in the apple orchards are from Nepal.

We had lunch back at 'our' village and I ran interference while Liz did some shopping. This means I wander around asking lots of question so she can look at what she wants in peace. Then I get to do the haggling for her.

Tonight, after dinner, Dugli presented us each with a beautiful locally made shawl. We have really been made to feel part of the family and looked after so well. They have put up with all our dumb, invasive questions and made us feel so welcome. It will be sad to leave.

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