himalayan road trip

Immediately upon getting off the bus in Manali, we were bombarded by guys trying to get us to stay at their hotel and take their jeep to Leh. We shopped around, and tried hard to book a more comfortable van but none were available. So, we collapsed in a hotel room and planned to leave at two in the morning by jeep. We were told we'd arrive around 6 p.m. Now, realizing that nothing in India goes according to schedule, I did not really believe that. But what happened was utterly ridiculous, even by my relaxed standards.

Firstly, the jeep was crammed with ten people. four in the back -- indian guys smoking pot incessantly. four in the middle seat where there should have been three, including one large indian man. the driver, an unwieldy stick shift, and two more in the front seat. secondly, the roads are hideous. unpaved, rocky, sandy, wet, bumpy, awful. our driver went so slow, partly because the jeep was old and just wouldn't accelerate that much, partly because he was being cautious. which i was grateful for, but by 6 p.m., our estimated time of arrival, we were only half way there! by this point, i was feeling ill. i threw up out the window of the jeep, due to a combination of altitude, rocky road and possible some bad food. the indian girl who didn't speak english started sobbing loudly for about half an hour. i think we were all on the verge of a nervous breakdown. thankfully, we stopped for the night. but our "hotel" was actually a large plastic tent with a bunch of futon beds laid out in one room. i laid down and fell asleep immediately, after being covered in many blankets by the tibetan lady who worked there. i had to get up twice in the night to use the facilities -- a.k.a. go outside and poop. it was very cold and i was very underdressed, but the blankets were nice and warm.

in the morning, i had plain tea and some cookies and immediately threw them up. so, i couldn't even hold down water yet i was so dehydrated. the rest of the trip was rough but the roads got better. we reached leh at 1 p.m. yesterday, found a nice guest house with attached bathrooms and hot showers, and commenced to relax. ahhhhh, so nice to be still. i successfully ate dinner and slept well last night. i am most definitely going to catch an airplane back to delhi. never, never want to drive along that road again. though the sights were amazing, and i took lots of pictures which i will post upon my return to the states.

along the road, the only forms of entertainment were the mountain views and the hilarious road signs. the driver played bollywood movie music on cassette which was sometimes annoying, sometimes strangely soothing. you definitely could not read. you'd get carsick just sitting there, i was proof of that. anyway, here are some of my favorite signs:

-after drinking whiskey, driving is risky
-enjoy the scenery, protect the greenery
-when the going gets tough, the tough gets going
-safety on the road means 'safe tea' at home
-if you love her, divorce speed
-darling i like you, but not so fast
-don't gossip, let him drive