Stacy and I had always wanted to see the Himalayas so we planned a quick trip to Manali. Manali is a city north of Delhi in the foothills of the mountains. We had 2 choices of how to spend our vacation, do the tourist thing and go see “places” or try a trek. With Elise and Preston in tow we knew a trek would be difficult but if you’ve ever vacationed with kids you know that even sightseeing is work also. So we figured what the heck. It turned out to be a great decision. We had found a little outfit that arranged treks. High Adventure Tour We picked a 3 day after seeing another blog about a family that had used the same outfitter. Bracy Family Travels We booked the trek, flights, and hotel for our arrival and departure nights and off we went.
We flew from Bangalore to Delhi and from Dehli to Chandigarh. It is an 8 hour drive from Chandigarh, through Punjab then up into Himachal Pradesh. Preston and Elise took a minute to get a long for a photo in the Delhi airport.
We arrived at the Chandigarh airport. Its a quaint little thing. I wish I would have taken pictures. The weather was HOT! I mean Bangalore is warm but we finally experienced the north central heat. Our driver told us it was about 40 C. Whats that in Fahrenheit? I couldn’t recall the formula that someone had rattled off to me at home but all I knew was that it was HOT!. The internet told me later that it was over 104 degrees. We got on our way and left Chandigarh. Since we were thirsty and its legal in India, we had to stop for some suds. We found the local brand:
Yes, Godfather Lite Beer. Awesome!
On we went with our 6 pack for the road. Motoring through the sweltering heat of Pujab and seeing northern India for the first time was really neat. Its very different from southern India… at least what I could see from the speeding mini van with a beer in my hand with 2 kids yelling in the back seat :-). After a couple hours we started seeing low mountains. An hour later we headed into HP.
Up into the mountains we went. We wove through the switchbacks at excessive speeds. It seems to be the way drivers drive here no matter where they are. Even after a year and many road trips I was still white knuckling while passing large truck around blind corners up hills. There were a few trucks down the hill sides that had made bad moves and went over. It was a little freaky. I didn’t think this drive could get anymore nerve racking…and then the sun went down. We didn’t slow down. We flew over hills and around blind turns, through little towns and villages at the same speed.. always honking and dodging but never slowing down. Once we were actually on the shoulder of the opposite lane of traffic. We had dodged an oncoming bus and then a cow in the middle of the road. Our driver’s foot never touched the brake pedal… only honked. Crazy. I peered behind me into the back seat to see what Stacy thought. She was sitting there with her eyes as big as cue balls and her mouth open but not saying anything. There were several instances where I could have sworn we were going to take a turn and fly off the side of the cliff into oblivion. But it seemed the driver ALWAYS knew where the road was going to turn and what was behind every little rise and drop. I asked him how often he had made this trip. “Hundreds of times” he said. I felt better. But still there were unknown obstacles to be aware of also. Like this heard of sheep just strolling down the middle of the highway:
There were several of these sheep caravans that consisted of hundreds of sheep and a few sheep herders. They took up the whole road. And the sheep herders wear Tommy. So stylish. We arrived in Manali safely. Checked into the hotel and got a good nights sleep before our trek. The next morning we awoke and had breakfast at the cafe. Johnson Hotel and Cafe. Here is where we had breakfast:
We took our time in the morning since the outfitter was right up the street from us. Elise and Preston helped with the gardening (we did not receive a discount for their labor):
Here is a view outside the Johnson Hotel compound wall (The third sign “High Adventure Tours” was our outfitter):
Preston liked the local dog and Himachal hats:
We packed up the jeep and we were off. Local construction:
Lucky home owner:
We arrived at a gate. I guess only construction vehicles and organized trek van’s can pass. We weren’t with an organized trek? Guess not organized enough. The guards were not feeling generous that day nor would they accept a little “extra something’ to let us through the gate to continue driving. We unpacked and hung out while waiting for our guide, Kushal, to arrange horses. There was a trampoline and some orb’s and 4wheelers for entertainment. During the winter this is quite the ski destination as it has one lift. Just one :-).
Preston and Elise enjoyed the trampoline:
Once the horses were arranged with the horse guy,Kushab (he doesn’t have a website :-)), we began our walk from the local hang out spot. The kids really enjoyed the horse ride.. for a little bit.
As is customary for children, the fascination with the horse ride wore out quickly. That was not the plan. Myself, the porter, Kumal, and Kushal became the new horses. We took frequent brakes. We moved slow. But I was impressed. Preston seemed to be quite OK with walking and Elise was happy between riding the horses interchangeably. We made it to the camp:
Kushal suggested that since there were a few other groups we should continue on a bit to another spot where no one would be. It seemed like a great idea. Then Kushab said he would not go any further because the path was no good for his horse. Kushal said “Ill carry the kids”. That was a generous offer but Elise wasn’t cooperating. I carried her as far as I could. Preston was doing a great job hiking on his own. He led the group. Stacy and I, on the other hand, fell behind. It was apparent that a “moderate” trek was more than we were physically prepared for. Sherpa Kumal took Elise and disappeared up ahead. He was fast. After some rough terrain, steep climbs, mud, and a river crossing we were at our spot. The mess tent was quickly set up.
We set up our tents:
The pack horses took a break for dinner and then disappeared:
We had dinner
sat by the fire
and went to bed. We awoke the next morning to a beautiful clear sky and some great scenery and breakfast.
We packed up and took a short day hike up to the snow line. The kids loved seeing the snow and did some sledding.
Elise with her buddy Sherpa Kumal:
Stacy sleds:
They became soaked and that was the end of sledding and the day trek. None to soon either as the clouds moved in. Things cooled down quick and it started raining. We started a little fire and tried to dry out the shoes.
Kushal gave Elise a horn to take her mind off of the cold.. He soon regretted it 
Sherpa Kumal carried Elise and was always waaaay ahead of us. When we caught of the two of them were sitting on the ridge goofing off:
Then we headed back to camp before sundown. We had another great dinner on the floor of the mess tent. We were all tired so we headed to bed early. The next morning we found it was still raining. It actually was sleeting snow/rain. It made packing the tents and the horses difficult and the kids were miserable. I carried Preston out of camp because his feet had gotten so cold it hurt to walk. Elise rode on Sherpa again. I’ll spare the details but this day was not the highlight of the trip. But we took the bad with the good. We made it out alive and with all of our fingers and toes. We also realized that we were woefully unprepared for trekking in the Himalaya’s. But Kushal reassured us that he had taken less prepared people trekking. I felt somewhat better. And after 2 servings of lasagna, a pizza, trout fingers a cold King Fisher at Johnson’s Cafe I felt much better. We decided to stay in the hotel and sit by the fire for the rest of the day when we got back. We had to dry out all of our clothes and pack to go home the next day. The ride back to Chandigarh was a lot like the ride to Manali. Fast and chaotic.
The mountain drive was better during the day but when we hit Punjab on flat ground, traffic was horrible. Our driver seemed to be a skilled passer but had a habit of slamming on the gas and slamming on the breaks rapidly. I think we were all quite carsick and happy to be getting on a nice safe airplane headed for Bangalore. If you haven’t seen enough photos there are more here:
More Photo’s Here
