August 21: Free-range Marijuana in Manali.

Continuing our trip up north to Leh, we stopped in Manali to enjoy a nature break. Set at just above 6,000 ft elevation, it was cool and very pleasant. Good strolling in this town.

Here's Christi on top of the bus en route to Manali. Sitting on top allows much better scenic views ...and avoids the sardine-packed inside. This is "men's break" as a bunch of guys hop off the bus to take care of "nature's call." As Tauru was doing this, he took this photo. Well, that is ...after his nature's meditation.

We go for a nature stroll through the luscious woods of Manali. Tauru enjoys investigating nature to understand the mechanisms of life and the order of the universe. "But what this?" he ponders.

"This is a free-range weed," Christi explains. "They grow wild here in this part of India. The Indians call it charas, and your friends back home call it ...."

Now Tauru understands life and the universe better.

Christi is proud of her student, and Tauru thanks the charas for giving him greater insight into the workings of the Big Guy (a.k.a., the Bee-Gee). (Note: This stuff is all over this part of India. A tea shop man we hung out with said, "I stand up at 6 AM, go to bathroom, make chai, and roll joint." This is his mantra for life.)