[I.M. Boggled]

Lure of cannabis behind Kullu's missing foreigners?

Shimla | August 12, 2005 12:46:59 PM IST

Picture-postcard settings and the lure of cheap and quality cannabis draw hordes of foreign tourists to Kullu Valley in the western Himalayas. But not all of them return home - some simply disappear without a trace.

Australian Daniel Mount Whitten went missing earlier this month, the 17th foreigner to have disappeared in the last 13 years. Britain-based NGO Fair Trials Abroad says the number could be as high as 50 but authorities in Kullu, 240 km from this north Indian resort town, deny this.

"The police have carried out helicopter searches to look for the missing Australian. His sister Dalia and officials of his insurance company (Harell Insurance Company) have also joined the effort," said Kullu district police chief Anand Pratap Singh.

"We have ruled out foul play for the moment. The search is continuing," Singh added.

Almost 50,000 foreign tourists visit the picturesque valley every year. In the last five years, young Israelis have been the largest number of foreigners descending on the valley.

Even Whitten is half Israeli.

The Kullu valley is notorious for cannabis smuggling to all corners of the Western world. The cannabis crop grows in abundance despite the police and the narcotics wing launching several campaigns to destroy it.

Satellite imagery is also being relied on to locate cannabis-growing areas.

Police have stepped up their fight against cannabis. In 2002 and 2003, 545 kg of cannabis was seized - the heaviest in the decade so far. More than 270 people, including 75 foreigners, were arrested.

The police say many foreigners overstay in the valley and some marry locals to legalise their stay. Others aimlessly roam the valley from village to village, often venturing into the high mountains.

Last year a Swedish woman's frozen body was found on a Himalayan glacier in Lahul, almost 25 years after she went missing in the region.

i've read about that...i think i'd check out goa....

[Flower Pot]

.. i wouldnt go to Goa.. or Thailand again.. unless you are into over commercialised fucke** up scenes.. they both died 15 years ago.. and neither are relaxed in view of smoking..heavy jail time awaits
I can recomend Guatamala.. o boy.. and Tulum in Mexico on the Caribean..

doesn't sound like any vacation spot i would like to visit..

[naga_sadu]

.. i wouldnt go to Goa.. or Thailand again.. unless you are into over commercialised fucke** up scenes.. they both died 15 years ago.. and neither are relaxed in view of smoking..heavy jail time awaits
I can recomend Guatamala.. o boy.. and Tulum in Mexico on the Caribean..

I'd like to set a few things straight:

Ha ha ha ha ha, heavy jail terms in India for smoking, yeah RIGHT! Thailand yes but India, no! Locals know best Even if u do get caught, it's for some backsheesh (bribe), nothing more. Like $20 on average for foreigners. PPl get heavy jail terms when they get into smuggling. As long as u don't have kilos of shit on you nobody cares. But if u do, this is when things turn nasty. So just use ur common sense...

For crying out loud, there are licensed cannabis shops in India.

https://images.google.com/images?q=bh...=Search+Images

I dunno about the orig. article describing Parvathi valley neither. I frequent the area often and I've had a BLAST every time I've been there. I don't recall myself dissapearing either. I mean- I've travelled the world quite a bit and I can tell 'ya...Parvathi valley rates one of the best. I can attest to that.

Of course, in all places safety precautions must be taken and this is not only in India. I wouldn't walk around @ night at Crenshaw Boulevard if I didn't know ppl there for example. But whatever article which says that smoking laws in India aren't laxed don't know what they're talking about.

Go to Manali and look outside the police station and you won't be surprised to see a wild ganja plant growing there. "Small timers" are harassed for bribes only. I'm sure an average Westerner can afford $20...

If you haven't visited Parvathi Valley, you're surely missing out on something! Another misconception is Kashmir. There are 600,000 paramilitary troops stationed there but none of 'em seemed to care about a pot smoker. Two cheers for that, I guess...anyways, Parvati valley is ++++++++++++++. Check it out.

[naga_sadu]

Maybe they want to dissapear

You summed it all up in 1 sentence, General!!!!!!!!

I can take 'ya to some villages down in Parvati valley and the inhabitants will not resemble a South Asian at all. It's not uncommon for some tourists to go extreme. Depends on the ppl. Some just wanna smoke shitloads daily and be left alone and don't care about money, microwave ovens, A/C, cars, flushing toilets etc...it's not uncommon for these ppls to ditch their passports and stay on indifinately.

Some become Vagabonds. Others settle down w/ a local family w/ protection. Some others even join Sadus etc. Seriously guys- Parvathi valley is very safe by and large (unless you walk around with large sums of money and/ or kilos of drugs).

[Verite]

Sure, sure. No one wants to entertain the thought that just maybe Jeff Probst is a cannibal and no one is missing?

[naga_sadu]

Ha ha ha that guy on survivor lol...

Speaking about missing "tourists"... I'm pretty dang sure that a European city or a North American city has seen way more than 17 "tourists missing" in 13 years, I guarantee that. All's good in the valley though...

[Verite]

The valley folk says most tourists taste just like chicken.

I had a very rough time in Vancouver,Stayed at a "bed and breakfast" that turned out to be a nark's nest.America had already moved in!In the end I was lucky to be alive;drugged,robbed and deserted. Been to Asia many times,been run over,robbed and deserted. As we all know humans can become very desperate and will do extremely bad things,in any country.Including our very own home sweet home! Jump,jump,jump Nyabinghi!