Kaza, Mcleod Ganj, and Manali

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I'm now in Kaza, a remote location in the N.W. Indian Himalaya. It's so remote that it takes 12 hours by bus to travel only 200 kilometers from Manali. The views were terrifying, we crossed one mountain pass from the rain shadow side to the arid region I'm in now. The dirt roads were rained out in places on the switch-backs, and accommodate two-way traffic. We passed two wrecked cargo trucks, from the looks of them they fell down the mountain. No guard rails.
I'm leaving today at 4:30 for Mud (pronounced "Mood") but mud is all I really expect to find there, as it is even more difficult to reach. Kyle, Jake and I are going to trek down Pin Valley and over Baba pass. We hooked up with two guys from the South and we're going to make this trip together, with the guide we'll hire that will make us a party of 6 with two donkeys.
Emily stayed behind in the town of Mcleod Ganj to the west of here. During our stay there we participated in two English conversation classes. I had the luck to speak with five Tibetan monks who spoke English well enough to give me tips on meditation. We plan to return to Mcleod Ganj on October 1st to take a class with the Dhali Lama. It will last five days, and is free.

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Comments

[Katie Newman]

So lucky!
A class with the Dalai Lama? Oh my. That's a story you'll be able to tell for a long time to come.