I was not intending to blog about our journey to Manali, but I also was not anticipating the adventure that follows. The plan was for our the three of us, Katherine, Uma (our host) and myself to travel by bus to Manali, leaving Delhi at 6pm, and arriving around 9am. We boarded the bus with our dinner and prepared for a long and uneventful trip. The volvo bus was fairly comfortable with reclining chairs and foot rests, however, Katherine’s footrest did not work, and my seat reclined gradually at it’s own will. I found myself apologizing to the passengers behind me and setting it upright again every so often. As we headed north, Uma pointed out sights along the way: old Delhi, Ghandhi’s memorial, the Red Fort, slums, and off we went with darkness quickly setting in. The driver put on a Bollywood comedy which was funny, but somewhat hard 
to follow. Of course, it was a pirated copy so it froze up a couple of times and we never finished it. After our first rest stop, the three of us fell asleep, I with my chair fully reclined, not by choice. The next time I woke, the bus was pulled over to the side of the road and both drivers were working on something with the engine. I’m not sure what was wrong, but scenarios of us having to transfer to another bus began to run through my head. I was taking it all in between dozes and eventually we were moving again. After passing Chandigarh, the road began to wind up through hills, and we would occasionally wake to a turn taken too quickly or a sudden brake. In the early morning hours, Katherine and I woke to see one of our drivers beating up the driver of a truck that was parked in the road in front of us. Another driver ran out and a full on fist fight was taking place before our eyes (we were in the second row). Eventually the fighting stopped, but the yelling continued until the truck driver moved out of our way. We’re not exactly sure what happened to begin with, but we were relieved to be on our way again. We made an early morning rest stop for chai and toilets around 5:30 at which point we were already enjoying the cool, fresh mountain morning. We dozed a little more and then again, I woke to a stopped bus. This time we were behind a line of parked trucks. As it turns out there was a landslide up ahead that was completely blocking the road. We waited for about 2 hours before traffic started moving again, and very slowly at that. It was about another hour before we made it to the land slide 3 km down the road. At least it didn’t look like anyone was hurt and we were in a beautiful spot to be stranded.
to follow. Of course, it was a pirated copy so it froze up a couple of times and we never finished it. After our first rest stop, the three of us fell asleep, I with my chair fully reclined, not by choice. The next time I woke, the bus was pulled over to the side of the road and both drivers were working on something with the engine. I’m not sure what was wrong, but scenarios of us having to transfer to another bus began to run through my head. I was taking it all in between dozes and eventually we were moving again. After passing Chandigarh, the road began to wind up through hills, and we would occasionally wake to a turn taken too quickly or a sudden brake. In the early morning hours, Katherine and I woke to see one of our drivers beating up the driver of a truck that was parked in the road in front of us. Another driver ran out and a full on fist fight was taking place before our eyes (we were in the second row). Eventually the fighting stopped, but the yelling continued until the truck driver moved out of our way. We’re not exactly sure what happened to begin with, but we were relieved to be on our way again. We made an early morning rest stop for chai and toilets around 5:30 at which point we were already enjoying the cool, fresh mountain morning. We dozed a little more and then again, I woke to a stopped bus. This time we were behind a line of parked trucks. As it turns out there was a landslide up ahead that was completely blocking the road. We waited for about 2 hours before traffic started moving again, and very slowly at that. It was about another hour before we made it to the land slide 3 km down the road. At least it didn’t look like anyone was hurt and we were in a beautiful spot to be stranded.
The mountains here are so steep and green and there are rapids that cut through them. After we were finally on our way, at least 3 hours behind schedule, we still had a few traffic hang ups, but for the most part were moving. After each sign for Manali our anticipation for the journey’s end grew. We passed several apple orchards and apple markets, as it is a big industry here. Wool shawls are also a popular product. About 20 km outside of Manali the bus came to a jolting stop. There was a bus in front of us that had scraped against a minivan. As was expected, both drivers got out and began to fight...not argue, just fight. Thankfully, no one from our bus got out to join in, and after a short while we were on our way again. Only 20 km left, what more can happen in 20 km!? We’ve dodged cows on narrow mountain roads, made a few close passes with other trucks and busses, passed through a couple of cleared land slides, witnessed two fist fights, had car trouble, and my seat will not stay up! "Please, Lord, let us arrive there quickly and safely,” I prayed. We were all the more eager to arrive in Manali and convinced that after surviving the journey, God must surely want us here! Thank the Lord, we have arrived at last, 4 hours behind schedule. We have been welcomed in to this beautiful home and we can hear the children outside playing on the blacktop as they wait for dinner. We are surrounded by mountains, and we can see a waterfall from our window. Thank you, God for brining us here safely, please use us to serve You through serving the children here.
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