Kullu - The Valley of the Gods

We took a long time arriving in The Valley of the Gods . The drive from Palampur  to Mandi was stunning ... steep valleys plunging to glacier colored rivers, strewn with huge boulders; terraced emerald hillsides dotted with painted mud-brick houses resembling daubings from a Roy de Maistre palette; winding ribbons of road which offered unending surprises around each bend.

The rambunctious township of Mandi was the halfway point and from there the road became almost impassable. Unseasonably late snow falls and torrential rain had caused numerous large landslides, wash aways and a continuous carpet of potholes and rivulets. Added to that were the major roadworks on this remote and mountainous Himalaya region. 

We spent five bone shattering hours traveling a distance of 100 kms but, once committed, there was literally no way of turning back ... the road was barely one car width, bounded by a precipitous fall on one side and a partially avalanched mountain on the other! Best to focus on the way ahead and trust in the incredible skill, cooperation and patience of Indian drivers. 

We reached Kullu late, in the dim grey light of dusk with rain splattering the road and an icy chill settling into the air. Our accommodation was remote - 3 kms from Kullu proper - balanced on the side of a rugged mountain slope and overlooking the distant valley below. It had been advertised as a romantic, hilltop retreat complete with apple orchards and divine, local home cooking. 

Our first inkling that things were less than perfect was the locked gate. We finally roused the manager via phone who showed us to our room ... upstairs in a Himalayan style building which was probably rustic and welcoming in the heat of summer but was gloomy and amazingly cold that night. Flimsy curtains almost spanned the windows; glass doors almost closed off the verandah and bathroom; the bed was nearly long enough for me (but oh poor Alan!); the bedding, which we finally found stuffed in a cupboard, had seen much better days; the single bar heater barely took the chill off the bedroom;  the drinking glasses were so dirty that they were opaque and stuck to the tray which housed them! Romantic? Maybe not the adjective we'd have chosen right then.

Ok, time to chill (literally) and embrace this change in our level of accommodation. With much trepidation we went to reception to check in. "Please order your dinner now" came the request in very broken English. Sure. We made a few tentative attempts. "Not available" was the response to every one. Basil  Fawlty could have written the script for how the conversation played out. Finally we decided on dal and rice ... the only thing available it seemed. 

From there on our stay was simply Fawlty Towers. The food was so disgusting that even our driver warned against eating it,  so we spent the day out exploring and drove 15 kms to eat dinner at a restaurant in Kullu ... excellent choice! After two nights in our short, hammock bellied bed we'd had enough. We left a day early and headed back to Mandi for a night, where we found a mediocre hotel beside the river which had a firm, flat bed and edible food. It seemed like heaven!

Now we're in Shimla, the summer capital during the times of the Raj, and are enjoying many long walks, steep climbs and fine weather ... plus a hotel which is user friendly! On Wednesday we move on to Chandigarh  for two nights where they'll be a dramatic rise in temperatures and a chance to witness the colorful ceremony of Holi. That should be fun!

Time to find somewhere to dine tonight so love to all,

Namaste, 

Alan and Michele xx