The countryside on the bus from Manali to Leh is stunning. It varies between the green vegetation and granite of Manali, streaked with waterfalls, to the other-planet like rocky desert of Ladakh. If you are doing this 16-18 hour journey in one go, it's best to do it in both directions as the first few hours are lost in the dark. If you fancy doing it on a motorbike or bicycle... remember the oncoming drivers on the narrow mountain roads may be so tired they can barely keep track of what they are doing, and propped up with drugs. In my case the bus driver was further stressed by misfortune. On one of the permanent temporary bridges a loose metal plate smashed the fuel tank (at the time I had no suspicions). The diesel drained over the road in just 100m, but with amazing good fortune the last few litres pour over the road just as we pull up into a town. The smell of fuel gave me a clue as to the incident shortly before the noisy pointing crowd that gathered around the bus. The Indian tourists suggest all is over (a new bus from Manali will take half a day), but I joke that this is India, we'll be off in a few minutes with the fuel hose stuffed into a bucket of diesel. And so it is, in a few minutes the fuel hose is cut and loosely sealed into a container of diesel inside the bus using bits of plastic and cloth. Along with the various messy reflillings this ensures a thorough diesel fumigation for the rest of the journey. By the time we reach the muddy climb for the Rotang pass, the drivers eyes look heavy. He sits in the wrong gear in a daydream. In case this trip looks too romantic, remember that being India there will be someone in the front seat is being sick for near the entire journey, giving the left side of a bus a streaky decal.
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