Busride and First Day in Manali

Wow. Manali was absolutely amazing. I think again, I'll share only the highlights and some of my thoughts that occurred to me along the way. Jean Marc made the astute observation that I talk a lot in the blog (which may be discouraging my readership). In that case, I'll try and keep it short and simple.

The Busride is worth commenting about in brief, mostly for the irony. Since foreign tourist season in Manali ended with summertime, the arrival of fall and winter brings the honeymooners who take advantage of off-season hotel prices and million-dollar views. So my busride up to Manali consisted of me, and a whole bunch of newlywed couples, henna'd hands and all. As the bus began winding uphill into the Himalayan foothills, the new husbands got their first taste of married life - holding their wives' hair back as they puked into plastic baggies. For the better part of 7 hours. Isn't love grand? I'm glad years of traveling have made my stomach pretty strong. Thanks Mom and Dad for all the busrides through the hills of Europe.

Manali is the last settlement in the Kullu Valley - the Valley of the Gods. And judging by the spectacular views from basically every point on the hillside, with the formidable snow-capped Himalayas in the distance, it's little wonder the ancients believed that this is where the Gods lived. Only they could survive the Himalayas, and only a place as beautiful as these valleys could be their sporting grounds.

My 'hotel' room had a million-dollar view of the Beas River - it flowed right by my window. A pretty good deal considering I paid no more than $7 a night for the room. But travels for the hotels? My first stop was a Tibetan monastery - the Nyingmapa Gompa. As I walked up to it I realized that it was the first time, despite my numerous previous visits to India, that I had seen a tibetan prayer flag. The main sanctum of the monastery was really interesting. The image in the center was most obviously Buddha (duh) but there were a couple of other murti-like images on the sides. One looked particularly angry - the carved skulls did wonders to that end. The visit ended up being a lesson in the fusion of Hinduism and Buddhism. One of the elderly gentlemen seated in the monastery saw my puzzled look and explained that they were Mahayana Buddhists, who acknowledge Buddha as a teacher - not a deity like the Hinayana Buddhists do. You can imagine my surprise when he said that angry-looking murti was a Vishnuswarup - a form of Vishnu. I asked how Vishnu fit into the picture considering that most Hindus believe Him to be God. Do you pray to him? Where does he fall into the Buddhist line of thought? He said that Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, like Buddha are all believed to be great teachers. You can pray to them and they may grant your wishes, but they are not deities. Interesting to see how despite Buddha's attempt at a clean break through the "Middle Way" Hinduism has worked its way back into Buddhist thought.

I weaved my way through a beautiful nature park that the government was obviously trying very hard to preserve. The Rs. 5/- entry gave access to a 4 sq. km park filled with virgin forests and beaten down walking trails. I walked and walked and walked, and for half and hour didn't see a single other person. That kind of silence is amazing. As I came to the back side of the park (and society), I realized I was quite nearby the Hadimba Temple. For those of you not versed in Mahabharat lore, Hadimba is a rakshasa (demoness), who, in disguising herself as a beautiful woman (I'm sure some believe that ALL beautiful women are this way...) woos and bears the son of Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers. Their son, Ghatotkacha - half demon, half demi-God, and as a result very powerful - would be killed by Karna's only brahmastra (an arrow that will destroy any target), which Karna was saving to kill Arjuna. The temple itself looked like a fusion between pagoda and something else, and, being wooden, came out looking like something Native American. On my way out after having darshan, I was accosted by two young men that came up close to me and started whispering if I wanted to buy something. Remembering that tourists have disappeared from Manali in drug-related incidents, I figured they were trying to sell me drugs, and so I quickly walked away. About a 100 yards later, another two guys came up and asked me the same thing - and I finally heard what they were selling. Not drugs. Black market... Kesar? Why would I want to buy saffron on the black market? When I started laughing at them, they left me alone. Then came the ladies with the Angora rabbits. Didn't realize temple visits could be so humorous.

The last stop was the Temple of Manu. In the Indian tradition, Manu is the first man. Interestingly enough, he survives an epic flood that inundates the earth and, saving a number of species of animals along with him, repopulates the earth. Sound familiar? It is said that Manu meditated on the spot where the temple is built. It's a pretty temple and (prior to there being a large development around it) has a spectacular view of the Kullu Valley. I wanted to meditate there too. But it was getting dark and Old Manali doesn't have any street lights.

Hm... so much for short and simple.