August 20, 2009
10:46pm

Time to actually write something, methinks. We have definitely settled into our travel mode; I think it happened somewhere in Mcleod, maybe two or three days after we arrived there. I remember feeling it just…click, and feel natural, normal to be doing this. We found our travel rhythm.

I guess that comes to mind because I feel like I’m getting back a little more into that gear, going a little further down that road, back to “normal” in that regard; I, who have been so antisocial for so long. I say that because we have just come back “home” after spending basically all afternoon and evening with Kasper, who we had met back in Mcleod, sitting there by himself at the table there in the Green Restaurant. It’s fun, because it’s Ray’s first “travel friend” and it’s fun to know that he’s excited about it. I feel sage and experienced about it in a way that to see his newness to it helps make it fresh for me again too. I think it was no doubt living in Queenstown, where EVERYone was a fellow traveler and thus travel-friend, while obviously it gave me some wondrous memories and at least one wondrous connection (even if we are a bit out of touch now), it did help me lose some of that awareness and…novelty with it all. So it’s nice to be brought back out of that cave a little bit.

Anyway today was a good day, a chill day, a fun day. Ray and I have had some ups and downs already on this trip but it’s to be expected of course, and days like this that are just really…nothin super big or special or anything, but just really nice…it makes me really happy to have him here with me. We’re definitely sorta operating in our own spheres but not in a bad way.

11:11pm
Just went up on the roof to check out the stars and they were pretty cool. You can totally see the Milky Way, though they’re actually not as bright as I would have thought.

Anyway, today was good. We got up leisurely – set the alarm for 8a but didn’t end up getting up til Ray prodded us (me) along at about 9:30a. Stopped at the adventure place again to inquire about canyoning to do it tomorrow, going to go at 1:30p I guess, checked out jackets on the way down towards the river because we figured we need some warm stuff for Leh or for the trip up anyway, then went back to the place we ate yesterday and got some food cuz we were huuuungry. I was a little anxious to go to town to get our bus tickets taken care of but we ate and took our time anyway, played some chess. Ray beat me, the jerk. Actually he beat me yesterday I guess, but he gave me a couple of really good runs today too. I got my juice today – banana and coconut juice, a peanut butter and honey shake, “butter chicken” that definitely WASN’T, rice, naan, Ray got a coconut lassi. Then we walked through the park again and into town, went and got our bus tickets for 1800×2 and to mail our postcards, then to get our passport pics for the Dalai Lama visit taken, then to Chopsticks for a drink and I ended up getting the crispy honey chicken, ate as much as I could but was full about halfway through. Got it to go but ended up not eating it, sadly. While I ate, Ray went to check out shawls for his mom and I read HP on the ebook reader. Then Ray went to get some cash while I sat on a bench in the park and waited.

While I was waiting for him, I saw Kasper walking and called out to him, and he came over and we started chatting. I told him how we were going to go canyoning tomorrow and asked if he wanted to go. He did, and he ended up walking with us back up through the park and then when we got up there about 6:30p he asked if we wanted to join him for dinner, and we planned to meet back at about 7:30p. In the meantime, Ray and I checked out the jackets in like every single shop. He ended up getting fitted for a custom black one, and I found a cool stripey one that is totally not something I’d ever buy back home but that’s the fun of it. I liked a lot of the Nepalese ones; I think I might like to buy another when I get up there. This one the kid said was 750 but I went back to check it out a couple of times and the third time I went back with money and asked if he’d take 600. He said it was a lot less for him but then said ok; I wouldn’t have haggled with him over it but since he agreed right away, I felt ok offering less. I definitely would not be those people back in Mcleod that made such a HUGE fuss over 10 Rs. Really? 21 cents?? I know he was glad to get a sale at least, and I feel really good about it too. So then we met Kasper back at the Moonlight Cafe I think it’s called, and Ray and I shared a spinach pizza, I had a lemon soda and he had a Coke.

Our total was 175 but Kasper put in 200 and we only put in 100, but he said just buy him a coffee when we went for dessert. So we went across the way to Toasted and Roasted and sat there for a bit and Kasper and I had hot chocolates and Ray had a mocha latte. We also got chocolate chip cookies hot out of the oven which were really good and tried the garlic cheese bread that he’d said was good. All that came to 240. We sat there til about 10p, then headed back home and made plans to meet him tomorrow for the canyoning at about 1p. It was nice, fun, something different, and I think we’re definitely “friends” now, rather than just people at the same hotel and on the same bus. Funny the evolution of such relationships, isn’t it? :)

It’s funny, with him being Dutch, there are just a few minutes here and there that remind me very much of Sjoerd and make me miss him. Ha. Dutch. We talked a little bit about the Dutch I know and I was surprised to be able to understand a fair amount of what he said. He’s 31 btw. Weird how 31 isn’t old anymore…….

So, now we’re back and chillin and I’m ready for bed! Havin a good time though, like I said I definitely feel like I’ve clicked into the zone, and this feels normal and natural now. Pretty sweet. Pretty freakin sweet. Just wanna check in on the finances at some point soon and make sure we’re on track to be able to do this trip as and for as long as we hope to. Sure hope so, havin fun now! :)

ps. Oh yeah and I forgot – on our way just after the bridge, there was a little man with a yak! So Ray and I jumped on and took our picture with him and his yak for 50 Rs. Sweet!

Check out the pictures and come with us to do some Fun Things in Manali.