To my surprise, many of the people I met in Manali yesterday have barely ventured out of the small town despite having been there for months. While relaxing to sit at a café and talk, for me it’s also interesting to get out to see the surrounding area, so I rented a bike and hired a guide today to take me south through the valley towards Kullu at the other end.
The ride through the valley was excellent, with no shortage of fantastic views, exhilarating downhill runs, and funny memories. 
At one point my guide Rana’s bottom bracket gave out on a climb up to the hill town of Naggar, and since losing your bottom bracket is like losing your transmission, for the rest of the ride I literally towed him up the hills we encountered so we could both coast down the opposite side. I contemplated asking for a discounted price as a result, but the comic look of two guys biking side by side, one apparently grabbing the other’s arse (but actually the saddle), was worth the extra sweat.
A traditional style home in the Kullu Valley
Most memorable for the day was speaking with Rana at various rests throughout the trip. While of comparably little means, he was immensely proud of his two homes (one a traditional style home that is constructed on a stable so that the living areas are lofted above the snow in the winter…certainly romantic in look but when he brought me inside the 5 foot ceilings didn’t mesh well with my gangly frame) and the life he had built with his wife and young child. On the topic of marriage, like so many others in India the idea of divorce was surprising and alien to him; however he could relate better to my recent situation since he was in a “Love Marriage,” not an arranged one like the vast majority of Indians (which are more or less impossible to dissolve, as far as I understand). When speaking to him about the idea of love, it was funny to see how impossible it was for him to suppress a smile when he spoke about his wife. It was endearing, reassuring and uplifting.
I have read your most recent entries over the past few days and am enjoying them immensely. Thanks for all the time and effort you have invested in sharing your adventure. I read a book several years ago called ‘Up Country” that you should probably read sometime.