INDIA DISPATCH: Lynsey Dyer checks in

On Monday, April 3rd, I was in Jackson with no travel plans in sight. Five days later, I was in India! After three of the craziest days of phone calls, emails, visas and logistics, I somehow (thanks, Rossi!) jumped into a last minute spot to join Alison Gannett in Manali, India for a two-week ski trip.

Wow, what an adventure. I can't even begin to describe this last 15-hour drive of death from Delhi up to Manali, way up in the Himalayas. From dead people to dead cows to dead...I'm not sure. There are hundreds of sleeping people on the side of the one-lane with two lanes and sometimes three-lane road. In the middle of it all are chickens, cows, huge trucks, bikers pulling carts, goat herders, oncoming passing traffic, and even an elephant. At one point Scott (our photographer) decided to try to sleep because he figured it would be less painful to go that way. No really, it's so National Geographic. Fortunately, no guns. The people have been very friendly, but I think it's been a while since they've seen fake blond "highlights". Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the monkeys, stray dogs, and overturned trucks and tourist busses? I have so many diesel fumes and dust and whatever up my nose and in my lungs that I can't stop coughing. There's no way we're making that drive again--we'll fly out to get back. Heli tomorrow, it should be okay, but it got super warm a couple of days ago with new snow on top so they're being really cautious.

Now that I'm here in Manali, it is really amazing. After all that, I never imagined it possible (and am feeling pretty guilty) to find a five star resort situated next to a river with four helis parked outside at our becken call. All the flowers are blooming outside and it's 70 degrees! The views are unreal--we're looking up to these majestic (not very snowy, from what I can see) peaks. Anyways I'm here and alive and now very well fed and watered. It's gonna be great!-Lynsey Dyer

Indian chicken.