Casa del cra... not as good

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It is a gloomy day today. We had to leave the awesome pad this morning and move into the tourist hotel far away from the hiltonesque Johnsones lodge. We haven't really done anything except stay in the lounge watching movies all day. We sat and watched three in one go. I know. In India and we watched American films! Mind you, try going on www.johnsonslodge.com and check the flat out. Its fantastic. There is no snow like in the pictures but I am the one flying the helicopter. We did go for a walk to the national park in Manali where we saw lots of trees which are huge. After that we walked all the way down to a place called 'cafe on the rock' where loads of lizards live. One lizard was about 2 foot long and was on top of this wall. I went close to take a picture and it lept off at me clawing and biting my neck. Blood oozed out and....not really, I just wanted to type something interesting and all the films made my imagination go wild. The boys have been out and got some tailor made suits for a mear 30 pounds and the girls got some traditional wear that weren't quite Sahris but were close.

We got a bit bored today and decided that Manali was getting too claustrophobic. We decided to head of to a place called...hmm i cant remember it begins with an M. It has all of these natural springs popping up everywhere so steam is released into the freezing air which is caused by the fast flowing river. There are quite a few choice bridges that cross it and when i say ropey, they are. Of course I'm captain sensible, performed a risk assessment (fully trained by Mrs Bodily) and decided to walk further up the river to find the nice steel and concrete one. This town, oh oh oh its called Manikaran! Just asked a local. It has a completely off the beaten track feel about it. I would say that it is honest. By that I mean that there are only three white people whom I have seen today and we are rock stars. Everyone wants a picture with the funny albinos. Also there is an abundence of religious attractions and once inside the locals are showing you different aspects of the temple, helping you understand it and then just chatting to us. Granted its not exactly Jeremy Paxman stuff but the atmosphere is welcoming. Except for the few that think we are ghosts.

Our group are getting excited as we meet up with the rest of the group tomorrow and we start our rest and relaxation period. Yeah I am laughing too. We have done 2 weeks of that already. I have spoken with the leader and they are all doing fine and are just looking forward to a nice hot shower.

Hopefully this meets you all safe and sound

Speak soon
Nick

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