Manali

The starting point of our cycling odyssey, we spent 8 days in Manali riding our bicycles every day and waiting for our friend to join us before heading up the Rohtang Pass. We spent one day riding to the supremely ugly Solan, tourist destination for hand-gliding and riding down a hill in a giant plastic ball. We did very little touristing in Manali, but we did visit the Hadimba temple in old Manali and the Gadhan Thekchokling Gompa, built by Tibetan refugees in New Manali.