Stepping into a dream: A week in Manali
Throughout this past week, my colleague and I had the opportunity to tour Manali, Himachal Pradesh, doing research for components of our work in environmental conservation. I have titled this piece “Stepping into a dream” as that is exactly what it felt like to get off of the bus in Manali; Throughout this article, I plan to describe what makes Manali so incredibly unique as a tourist destination, the challenges it faces, and ways in which we (as tourists) can minimize our personal impacts and ensure this beautiful location remains in tact for future generations. Manali is a resort town located in the Kullu district in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. At an altitude of 2,050 m in the Beas River Valley, most of the commute from Delhi consisted of frightening bus rides up narrow, switchback trails into the mountains. Manali is quite the dreamland for any adventurer; Famous for a paragliders, farmers and mountaineers, Rachel and I decided to get a fix of exhil