The small town of Manali sprawls at the head of the Kullu valley on the west bank of the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh. I am staying at the Himalayan Country House, a modern, spotless guesthouse at the top of the old town. I have a room with bath, a window overlooking the valley and a broad balcony. At first light, 5am, I delight in sitting on the balcony watching and listening as the town awakes. Manali is beautiful from up here. The barns and houses are a muddle of crudely slated roofs; walls are of wooden beams packed with mortar; most upper floors extend to create a covered walkway with a veranda above and arched windows in intricate carved frames.
It is apples, more than tourism, that have made Manali a prosperous community and the valley floor is lush with orchards. The eastern side of the valley is steeper than the west. A sheer wall of rock soars to the north and is capped with a fringe of pine trees and two small patches of highland meadow. Trails of thin cloud cling to the pine trees. Four cascades divide the mountain. It is less steep directly ahead with more grass and a scattering of deciduous trees and bushes.
Later, cows and a few sheep will spot a high meadow to my right. Manali awakes late. A crow is first to call. It perches on a spike of reinforcing iron projecting from the upper floor of the house next door; this is India so many buildings are half built and I spot an animal, probably a cat, curled on a lone plastic chair on the open top floor of a concrete skeleton way to my left.
The crow is answered by other crows. Dogs bark to each other. Black birds with bright yellow beaks and squeaky cries set up a chorus. A woman's still-sleepy voice comes from the barn below and is accompanied by the smell of kerosene from a stove. A calf bleats. Small, very busy sparrows dart hither and thither; one alights on the balcony rail to inspect me. Grey doves peck on the grey slate.
A few lights still sparkle in the strip of apartment blocks on the far side of the highway. The highway climbs to the 4,000 metre-high Rohtang Pass, connecting the Kullu valley with the Lahaul and Spiti valley, a climb that I fear yet hope to make on my motorcycle in a few days. The sun will appear soon over the mountains, and rickshaws and motorcycles, cars, overburdened trucks and jeeps will drown the background roar of the river.
Someone stirs downstairs, coffee on the boil. Do visit soon. Such small paradises are speedily destroyed.
• The Himalayan Country House (+91 98572 44988, himalayancountryhouse.com) has doubles with bath from around £13 a night; mountain and culture guides available
