Partial gear failure #2: digestive system

Kullu Valley people are rightly proud of their apples.

After surviving a month’s altitude sickness and the night mini bus from Leh to Manali that follows the switchback, dangerously unmade road over snow-swept Rohtang La (bone-shaking, exhausting and spectacular,  Lonely Planet’s usual hyperbole; I’d accept unhygienic, tiring and cramped), I thought I was going to bound out into Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu Valley like a new being.

Not quite.

The snow on the pass transformed to pouring rain by the time we got to Old Manali and the Dragon Inn so we and our bags were soaked. Whether it was the soaking or the veg burger for lunch, I had typical travellers gastric upset by the end of the first day. 

But thanks to Gastro-stop and 24 hours of plain rice/black tea (the combined patron saints of backpackers) I enjoyed two reduced but good days of local walks around this steep sided forested valley. (Just like the Alps but much cheaper and with Hindu temples.)

First day: Jogini waterfall. September is the apple harvest so walking up to Vashisht, the next backpacker village up and across the river, we picked crunchy red apples off the trees as pickers jogged past, traditional conical baskets on their backs, traditional ‘thump’ lines on their foreheads, and smartphone earpieces firmly plugged in ears.

Hadimba temple

Second day: Nearly to Lama Dugh meadow. Up past the almost Norse-church style Hadimba temple embraced by its deodar forest, following the mule trail that goes eventually to Bhara Bhangal and Dharamsala. We picked our way over granite steps, under walnut and sweet chestnut trees and followed the spring water creek for three hours till I just couldn't walk up hill anymore. 

Thanks to capable, calm Kunsang, Simon’s Zanskar guide from last year who came up from Kullu for 2 days to guide us, we ate our picnic lunch on a rock, and discussed Indian politics and Spiti culture.

Strolling easily back with the view down the valley always in front of us, we found an emu farm. 

But that’s another story.