Decided not to wait for pass to open. We took the 280km 280Rp 10+ hour trip from Kaza to Peo. We set off 07:30 with the rare luxury of seats for the whole journey! It is a measure of the trip/driver when you count the numbers of sprayed vomit down the side of the bus! We were, as ever, the only Europeans on the trip. The rickety old 50s bus rattled through the road-cum-track shaking us to bits. We passed under the amazing Dhankar Monastery high in the Himalayan peaks - a real treat. We did our first back-tracking through both Tabo and Nako, where we had stayed previously. The road got dustier, the bus got smellier and we got more tired as the jouney progressed. More landslides were cleared rapidly by digger drivers. We had a breakfast stop fof a Stuffed Paratha/Thali brekky for 60Rp in total! Soooo tasty - spicy curd, bean dahl and 2 x stuffed parathas made fresh at the roadside stove. Sheryl even had a 5Rp chai to wash it down. We reached Peo at 6pm. With nobody willing to help me lift down 40+kg of bags I had to drop them back first from the roof, I wasn't too pleased. We checked in at Ridang Hotel - 500Rp. Quick dinner then early night. Next day we found out a 'local' bus to Manali left at 5pm - so we checked out then took a short bus ride 2km to the Stand. Again we booked seats and got the bags on board. At 349Rp it was a 350Km - 18hr bus ride.... from hell.... We set off a little after 5pm with a rally driving bus driver. He basically drove just like me in a 10 ton, 50 yr old bus for 18hrs... all credit - we lived to tell the tale. In the daylight he raced across rock and shale like it was tarmac, overtaking all and sundry. When it rained - with his severely cracked wind screen - he had no wipers.. when it was dark thankfully he had lights! With a full bus we were all thrown to and fro. Sleep was not an option. We tried to get some rest, but Sheryl would wake when her head hit the metal window handle (she still has a lump!). On through the dark we weaved - still rally style - up through pitch back unlit tracks (or National Highway..) watching the lights ahead pick out stone cliffs or trees or steep drops. It was mind numbing, but we coped, somehow. As the sun rose around 5am we hit Mandi - 150km left. We managed to grit our teeth and bare it for the last leg. Eventually at 10:45 we hit Manali. Our expectation of a rural idyll with few people was shattered when we were stuck in huge traffic jam on a narrow track heading to the centre. First impressions were not good, but..... wait and see...