Leaving the freaks and weirdos behind.

Vashisht, 13-o4-1994. Probably my last entry in this travellog from this small and picturesque himalayan village, gonna leave all these freaks and weirdos behind. Coming back from Nagar, a stiff 18 km. walk i met this bloke from Down Under i met two months ago in Calcutta having just come over on his first trip to Asia. He was there and then pretty green but now he talks chilam, charras and that sort of shit. The jargon of the experienced chilam smoker. Tomorrow is defitely LEAVING TIME!!!

The chaishop

Vashisht, 12-04-1994. Whenever someone wants to light up a chilam and has the hashish but not the chilam they borrow the chilam from an old grey haired, bearded local who is always around probably for just that purpose. After all when other people borrow your chilam you naturally get a good hit from it too! An ugly frenchman with a nose that resembles a carrot, is also always near waiting for someone to light up a chilam and pass it along, accidendly is always seated in the direction the chilam gets around. The man has got no shame whatsoever and even eats the leftovers from a pancake or any other food people have ordered. You do hold on to your money this way though. A local who looks pretty much 90 % out of this world also behaves as though he is 90 % out of this sorry excistence! He lights up a chilam-if he doesn`t fall asleep in the process-and cleans it out straight after, knocking a fully prepared mix on the table.

Travel Urge

Vashisht, 11-04-1994. I am still not bored with Vashisht but i can feel the travel urge building up inside me again. Had one more run-in with mister Sikh and his Bramin friend today so like last time i challenged them to a batalla de punyo puro but again they chickened out. Like most indians they are not exactly the brave kind induvidually but beware meeting them in a group. However, my "friends" now know i have hair on my teeth.

Hadimba Devi Temple

Vashisht, 10-04-1994. Had a look at the Hadimba Devi Temple today which is just outside Manali in a pine tree forst and looks a bit like some temples i have seen in Kathmandu Valley years ago. Old Manali, a few km. away from Manali is the "other" tourist hang-out but prices in Old Manali are reputedly more expensive as in Vashisht and the people staying here seem of a completely different type as those in Vashisht, no big surprise there.

More of Vashisht architecture

The houses in Vashisht are built of natural stone with a fire hardened wooden veranda that circles the houses, covered by a wooden roof. Ussually a loom can be seen on the veranda together with all sorts of loacl utilities and washing lines. On a sunny day grand father will smoke his waterpipe on the veranda and the family s children use it as a play ground. Small villages in Kulu valley are almost exclusively made up of these house and are quite a nice sight.

Problems with a Sikh tourist

The last couple of days i have been having some problems with a Sikh tourist and his Bramin friend, so getting pissed of with the whole situation i went over to his hotel to face the whole shit head-on challenging them to a fight but they chickened out. No big surprise there.

More Falcons

vashisht, 09-04-1994. Saw more falcons yesterday and today. All the crevices and small holes in the sheer mountain sides and all the small bird life they feast on must make this part of the world an ideal habitat for these predatory birds.