A Teaser… Burning colors of Spiti Valley…

Day 4 – 8th October, 2011 | Kaza – Kinnaur Valley – Shimla – Delhi

We woke up around 6.30 AM, soon packed up bags, got ready and by 7.15 AM we were at the restaurant’s table for the breakfast. I was feeling well today and AMS symptoms seemed to have resided by now along with headache. In the restaurant, a family was sitting aside us abusing the people who flocked the hotel yesterday for all sough of nuisance they created. The guy was with National Geographic and appeared pretty knowledgeable about the terrain. Meanwhile, our breakfast got ready he told us that they will be heading Keylong today via Kunzam Pass as the roads were still clear despite last night snowfall. Considering this in between, we were also discussing the possibilities of going via Kunzam Pass to Manali. Some arguments here and there about why we returned and finally there were two options out of which one to choose. We go Manali via Kunzam Pass and stay overnight at Manali with comfortable ride to Delhi day after OR we go via Kinnaur – Shimla today and with a non-stop drive, reach Delhi in the morning tomorrow …

After quite fight of 15 minute including all if’s and but’s by 8.00 AM were back on road to Tabo – Kinnaur from Kaza. I was pretty excited for this challenge, as driving one of the most adventurous roads in India, that too non stop to Delhi all the way from Kaza, is quite a tough ask. Generally, people cover it in three days … But, the challenge was well accepted and the idea was simple, no stops up to Rampur where we will have meal for the day. We drive through the beautiful burning colors of Spiti Valley looked so mesmerizing that there are no words to express them…

Morning views of Kaza…

Beautiful burning colors of Spiti Valley…

Beautiful burning and reflecting colors of Spiti Valley…

Spiti River flows with color of purity…

Spiti River flows with color of purity…

Wide view of Kaza Valley…

A road so narrow…

Soil eroded sculptures of Spiti Valley…

Dark clouds surround Tabo village as we leave…

We made good progress and soon we hit Tabo where we inquired about buying the Spitian apples as they were super delicious. People told us that we cannot get them as all the orchards are now under the control of contractors or agents and they export them directly. They asked us to come back by mid-September next year as by that time villagers have control over the crop and can give us at that time. Bargaining with contractors meant rocket high prices, so after asking one of them who quoted 4500 for 28 KGs we though coming back next year will be a better idea … The beauty was never lasting and every curve around I forced myself to stop and click but we had a mammoth task ahead of non-stop drive to Delhi which I never thought in my life … By 11.00 AM we reached Sumdo ITBP checkpost where we registered our names again along with vehicle’s registration and bid adieus to Spiti Valley for the year 2011.

Running all the way…

How about measuring the path…

After Sumdo, Kinnaur Valley started and the roads started to deteriorate towards Chango. Ahead of Chango, we drive through the steep ascent towards Malling Nalla and the views started to turn beautiful and beautiful as well kept ascending. Again heart beats rise as we came close to Malling Nalla, a 24X7X365 landslide prone zone on Hindustan – Tibet Highway. This time it was pretty easy and with little direction suggestions from outside we were able to go through it without any glitch …

Some facts on NH – 22 and Hindustan – Tibet Highway (read IM thread here for more info):

As we left Spiti Valley behind at Sumdo…

Shialkhar Village between Chango and Sumdo…

A lonely house just ahead of Chango…

BRO Creates, Connects and Cares… So, true…

Curving its way up towards deadly Malling Nalla…

What a view just before Malling Nalla…

By 12.15 PM, we crossed Nako village which was again a beautiful sight to cross, though of stopping by for the lunch but decided against it as none of us felt hungry at that time. We kept running almost alone on the road upto now with one or two bike / pick-ups here and there. Ka – Loops were again a pleasure to drive and we soon hit the Khab bridge without any trouble at all. We decided to buy some eatables from Puh General store but as we reached Puh we found it closed. Some highly influential person of Kinnaur region had passed-away that day in Reckong Peo and most things were closed including taxis to pay condolence to the great soul, as told by one of the locals. Nevertheless, we kept running and as we reached towards Akpa bridge after registering ourselves at Jangi ITBP post, the weather had started to turn harsh with dark clouds all over the place and extremely strong wind gushing through the roads.

Prayers on stones at Nako Village…

Driving in Kinnaur Valley in bad weather is generally something you should always avoid but perhaps we never had the choice. It appeared snow was falling al over the Kinner Kailash range and soon it started to drizzle on the highway too. The road conditions between Akpa and Powari were in horrible state as we knew but we kept driving. After a while on the rough roads, with slight drizzle pouring down and strong wind blowing dust from the mountains, we saw a person standing and watching something up towards the hills. It appeared some casual thing to me, but as I passed by him there was a big rock right in the middle of the road and as soon as I realized the mountain aside is sliding down … PANIC SET IN… I couldn’t put reverse gear and there was no going forward too , but eventually, the reversed gear got in and in one go I reversed the car to safety location. The man standing in the middle immediately stopped two foreigners riding their cycles and hurried to push the rock in the middle of road down into the river. He asked us to leave immediately as the mountain may come down any time in this bad weather and we knew no one will come to clear the road as everything was shutdown today. In one go, I pushed the throttle and zoomed passed the landslide prone region, soon followed by that taxi driver and two foreigners. We thanked him and move ahead. One scary experience finally …

Ahh… Glad to find green color after long time..

A stream flowing down into Satluj River…

Dark clouds as we near Reckong Peo…

Somewhere in Kinnaur Valley…

The incident meant we need to keep running even in this bad weather and I obliged by maintain some good speed no matter how the road condition was. Petrol Pump at Powari was also closed but we had enough to reach Rampur where we eventually refueled. The drizzle became heavy as we reached Jeori where I gave a pain killer to my cousin Dhruv who was having severe pain in the ear and we bought some wafers and cold drinks to help us. It was dark but we finally reached Rampur at 7.45 PM after 12 Hrs of non-stop drive from Kaza. We were happy with the progress considering lot of photography breaks which we took in between. It meant we will reach Delhi after driving overnight by about 9 AM next day. This time we stopped at other HPTDC property, Bushahar Regency at Rampur for our dinner. Dinner was good that day or perhaps we were hungry too much, ate well, had a cup of tea and on the road we were by 9 PM.

Twilight of Dusk near Jeori…

It was still raining with loud thunderstorm and lighting. At first it looked threatening but I like driving in hills at night because it is much easier owing to least traffic as well as you can see the headlight around the corner. Of course, you should try this if you have earlier experience of driving in hills at night and you are not interested in the beautiful views on offer. After offering prayers to Lord Hanuman at Rampur we were cruising alone on the road… Every one was asleep by the time we reached Narkanda but I managed to hold on. The night was cold and between Narkanda and Shimla the road conditions were bad but we need to continue. There came Theog from where till 2 KMs ahead of Kufri the road conditions were too pathetic and I had trouble descending the car near Kufri. Somehow managed without any skid and we ran by-passing Shimla in the hope to find some tea-stall open for a cup of tea. But, everything was closed. Now, I was feeling sleepy too but by that time Neeraj woke up and I asked him to drive. My sleep was short-lived as we were stopped by police near a checkpost at Shogi just ahead of Shimla for verification of  documents and licenses. Well, I asked why this checking at night the police guy told 6-7 cars have been stolen from Shimla in last 3 days and I said OK. Meanwhile, he asked us from where we were coming, I said Kaza. The guys writing there and the one who asked, repeated together “Aaj kahan se aa rahe ho?? (We are asking from where are you coming, today??)”… I replied again “Kaza” and we are going to Delhi .. They immediately said OK go but take care while driving and if possible stay overnight at some hotel …

Jai Jai Jai Bajrang Bali…

Theog town at night…

I couldn’t not fall asleep again and soon we encountered some rash strange vehicles running into us without speeding down, 3-4 headlights blinding us… Passed one, passed two, passed three and nothing was visible due to smoke they emitted. I realized that those were gypsies or participants of one of the major Himalayan rally which was about to start in few days. I perhaps thought I was wrong in admiring these chaps. (I wrote a detailed account on such spoiling sport here at: Motor Rallies | A Gimmick, Cursing Himalayan Nature) … Anyhow, after the smoke settled we moved after offering some helping verbs for them. The drive was pretty easy and soon we crossed Kalka, Zirakpur, Ambala to join NH –1 leading all the way to New Delhi. Our last stop of the trip was our usual, Neelkanth Resorts and Restaurant right after Karnal, 10-15 minutes after passing Savoy Greens. We reached there at 5.30 AM types and had a good, tasty breakfast. We started ahead towards home and after a drive for 15-20 odd KMs getting back to main road from one of the many diversions went tricky at high speed due to which I bumped the rear left wheel into a pot hole. Result was flat tyre and moreover a bent wheel rim … Thank god axle didn’t broke as the pot hole was deep and car was around 90 KMPH when it bumped into it. At first I though ale has all gone for money but god was with us. In a matter of few minutes there were three more cars getting down in similar fashion. I guess it was a known trouble point because within 5 minutes each car was offered helped by some locals for changing the tyre or getting new one etc etc. … But for us, it was moment of frustration and matter of changing the spare tyre … I was disappointed as I could have saved it by driving slow or not taking last second shift from the diversion. But, nevertheless it had to happen, so it did. As we reached, Delhi Border at 8.00 AM types I was feeling too much sleepy and asked Neeraj again to drive us home from there. Finally, we all reached back home after 1.30 Hrs of traffic loaded driving within Delhi and eventually the dream non-stop 26 Hrs drive from Kaza – Kinnaur Valley – Delhi was a reality for me and my friends.

I hope you enjoyed this short Spiti Sprint with such long descriptive parts and I hope I didn’t let you feel any boredom

End of this travel tale!!!

A Teaser… Narrow roads with deep gorges, The truth of Sach Pass

Moksha’s Solo Bike Tour to Pangi Valley & Sach Pass

When I look back, I really don’t think so I could do it alone but then things just happen in life, without any planning or expectations.

I, normally, prefer to take a mechanic with me when I am touring any unknown territory especially high mountain region. But this time, it wasn’t meant to be like that. I wanted to tour Pangi valley so that I could design a different itinerary for my clients and I did hear that it was a beautiful, very challenging and adventurous route. I had been trying to check this route since last year but somehow I couldn’t make it.

I was determined to go for it this year so that I could put my new itinerary on my website. I did talk with my mechanic about that and he did agree to go along with me but he wanted me to postponed the tour till end of Sept. It so happened that I had two clients from Israel and they were to do a motor-biking tour to Leh and they were taking a mechanic and back up vehicle till Rohtang Pass which was supposed to be very tough with deep mud for more than ten kilometers. I got ready with them as I didn’t want to miss my recce tour. We all left on 7th Sept. early morning. Rohtang pass was again a big pain and it took us three hours to cross it. Luckily, there was no rain at that point of time.

All alone with my beautiful bike

We all went together till Tandi which was nearly 105km from Manali. It was the first and only petrol station in the entire area. I got my bike and two five liter cans filled up and from there I turned towards Udaipur which was 45km further. The road was good but single all the way with many beautiful streams and waterfalls . The valley was very deep and steep with river Chandra Bhaga flowing along. I couldn’t get much information about this entire route. I only knew that it was going to be a hard trip. On the way I could see small villages and all with beautiful and massive houses. I got the impression that they might be guest houses but when I asked a young woman on the way, she informed me that they were all personal homes. I was amazed to see those big and beautiful buildings. I reached Udaipur at 7.30pm and it was already dark. I was told that there were only govt. guest houses available. I was tired by this time and after locating a PWD guest house, I parked my bike inside and sat there waiting for the caretaker to come whom I couldn’t find at the outset. Thank God I didn’t have to wait for a long time. He was reluctant to give me any room without a proper reservation. Somehow, I could manage to get one. The guest house was huge and rooms were comfortable and properly maintained. There was no provision for food and I was informed that I could go to a nearby dhaba. There were two more young guys staying in that guest house and both were from HCL. They were going to check the nearby restaurant. I requested them to get some food for me and they were happy to do that for me. Later, we sat together and had a lot of discussions and a good dinner.

My beautiful bike… my best companion, never fails me anywhere

My next destination was Killar, a comparatively big town and a sub-division. The other towns on the way were Tindi and Shore. The road to Killar was all gravel and dusty with a lot of waterfalls to cross. One particular waterfall was too deep with a lot of small stones. Thank God there were a few young boys around and one of them helped me pushing my bike out of that waterfall. I had lunch on the way and everywhere people were tremendously amazed at me, seeing a woman riding alone in high mountains. I was stopped by a young woman near Shore and she thought I was a man riding a bike. She asked me for a lift and when she realized I was a woman, she laughed a lot. She was very sweet and offered me two fresh apples which she was carrying. Later, again a Nepali young boy stopped me for a lift. He was very nice and when we approached Killar, the main town was up 3km from the main road, he guided me straight into PWD rest house. The best thing I like in travelling is..getting a chance to meet wonderful and different people. I was able to get a room without much hassle. Killar was a beautiful place with nature all around. Local people were very helpful and interesting. I had plans to stay just for a night there but next day the weather was not clear so I decided to spend another day . I rode around the city in search of a mechanic shop but there was none. My bike was full of mud so I did the washing myself, checked engine oil, put more petrol in the tank, cleaned the plug, making my bike ready for a next day’s rough and tough ride. Next day, I started early morning towards sach pass which was around 50km. I just can’t put into words how the ride was. Practically no road, full of big stones, deep gorges, thick forests, snow peaked mountains, massive waterfalls, everything offering mammoth challenges, riding in that area was more of a spiritual experience.

I ride a 350cc electra bike and I have travelled everywhere on this bike, carrying my bags on it and I never had any problem. But this time I felt that riding a 500cc might have been a better idea on tough roads as there was a point where my bike got struck into big stones on uphill side and I was not able to push it. I could see a few laborers’ tents at a distance. I blew the horn again and again and one man came out of a tent and he could understand that I was asking for help. He came and pushed my bike. Later I stopped near their tents and they offered tea to me which was extremely good. Looking around, I found that the laborer’s tents were in very depleted conditions. I was wondering how they must be living under those conditions.

Killar a big town in Pangi Valley

Before Sach pass, there was a check post. When I stopped there, I young guy walked towards me and started talking in broken English. I smiled and asked him in Hindi if he was thinking that I was a foreigner. He was so surprised that he was speechless for sometimes. There was a big tent and inside was the check post. I was asked to show my identification. There were nearly 10-12 men and they were all looking at me and one of them commented that he was so happy to see an Indian woman doing something different. I had a cup of tea there and by the time I started my journey again, it had started raining already. The road was all muddy but somehow I could control my bike. I had to ride my bike on first gear all the way to sach pass. There I could see a few vehicle stranded due to landslide. I had to stop there. I could have made my way out of this but there were a bus and a jeep parked in such a way that even a bike couldn’t pass. I had no option but to wait for the machine to come and clear the road which eventually came after two hours waiting. By this time, the rain was heavy and while riding the bike, I got fully drenched even though I was wearing my rain gears, I was feeling too cold and just wanted to stop some place where I could at least warm up my hands which were freezing and making me pretty uncomfortable.

Beautiful view from the road to Tissa

The ride from sach pass to the next check post was extremely tough in heavy rain. The road was coming down and it was very steep with sharp curves. Thank God it stopped raining when I reached the next check post. There was a very strict security and a policeman was taking video pictures of each and every vehicle and traveler. I got the same reaction from all of them…big surprise..a woman..on the bike..riding alone. I got down from my bike and entered a nearby tea shop, taking off my wet gloves. My hands were so cold that I requested a young police person to rub them. He helped me very happily. This time I realized that I was starved also as I started my journey without a breakfast. I had a hot tea with two boiled eggs. The head of this post informed me that I was the first woman in the world to cross sach pass alone on a bike. I was delighted to know that and I said,’ That’s record now’. They were all very nice and hospitable. I checked the further route with them and started my ride again. To my amazement, just after half a kilometer from this post, there were massive water falls on the road. The scene was breathtaking. I could see the force of water and big stones on the road. I wasn’t sure I could cross it without a help. Slowly, I tried to control the balance of my bike making my way in this waterfall. I had to stop my bike in the middle of it. I put it on side stand and took a few pictures, waited for some help to come by but I couldn’t see anybody coming left or right. I cleared a few stones ahead of my bike and loudly asked God to help me because if I had lost my balance and the bike would have gone down in the water and then I couldn’t have lifted it with a lot of baggage on it. I started my bike, putting my both feet firmly on the ground, lightly holding my front wheel break and slowly pushing my bike ahead. I had a big sigh of relief when I came out of that waterfall. By now, the sun was out and my wet clothes were not bothering me much. The next a few kilometers were very beautiful, lush green valley in which clouds were moving like a white feather in the air. The scenery was awesome. I was supposed to stay at Tissa, a small town on the way to Chamba. But i topped at Bairagarh which was a small village with a beautiful PWD rest house. It had also a small Dhaba, running by an incredible local lady and the food was very delicious. I had a good rest at this place.

The biggest and longest water crossing after Sach Pass

Next day, I had breakfast at the same Dhaba and started towards Chamba which was 100km from this village. Tarmac single road starts from here. It took only 4 hours for me to reach Chamba which was a big city. I had never been there so I went around the place on my bike. Here also I checked into Circuit house which was an old palace, very beautiful but poorly maintained. The caretaker of this guest house was a funny guy. Manali was nearly 400km from Chamba. Next day, I started from Chamba and came via Jot, Nurpur, Palampur, Mandi, Kullu, straight to Manali, ridding my bike for 12 hours.

River Raavi in Chamba Valley

It was a wonderful and a lifetime experience for me. Thanks to my dearest bike which didn’t fail me anywhere and of course God was always with me and sent me help as and when it was needed. Yes, it feels just incredible.

A Teaser… The WOW Landscape between Kaza and Losar…

Day 3 – 7th October, 2011 | Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Losar – Kaza

We were already running late for the day as quite some time had been wasted in getting bookings for Tabo next day and detecting the puncture. We wanted to explore much more than what was left for us in the day. So, we decided to explore Ki – Kibber and then move towards Losar to stay for rest of the day. Before diving into the story, some facts about Ki and Kibber –

Ki Monastery

Ki monastery, is about 14 KMs away from Kaza at an altitude of 4116 Meters. When you drive towards Losar from Kaza there comes a bridge from where the straight road leads to Ki – Kibber and the left goes towards Rangrik and further towards Losar across that bridge. Ki is the oldest monastery and the biggest monastery of Spiti Valley. It is built atop a hill and portrays a combination of a monastery and a fort. The monastery has some really beautiful scriptures and paintings of Lord Buddha and other gods. The Ki gompa is also famous for its priceless collection of ancient thangkas, including Tibetan silk thangkas upto 800 years old and frescoes depicting the life of Padmasambhava. There is a Ki Village that comes just before the Ki monastery. There is a guest house at Ki monastery as well where you can stay for the day. The views from this vantage point are just breathtaking from where you can also view Rangrik Village across the Spiti River.

Ki Monastery for you…

Kibber

About 9-10 KMs from Ki Monastery and at an altitude of 4205 Meters, there lies a village named Kibber. Kibber claims itself as the highest village in the world. However, there is another village about 7 KMs east of Kibber by the name Gette at an altitude of 4270 Mtrs and then there is Komic which is further higher. So, I am not sure how true these claims are as I assume there might be more villages in (may be in Tibet) which might prove these claims false enough but not known to us. But, may be the second fact associated with Kibber being second highest village in Asia (Komic being highest) connected by bus service could be true. Anyways, you will surely enjoy the drive from Ki monastery to Kibber where the road is not that paved but the views are nice once you reach Kibber. Spend some time in this timeless village as well to feel the culture around. The houses in Kibber village are unique to Spiti as most of them are made of stones instead of mud or brick used extensively in other parts of the Spiti Valley. The vistas surrounding the Kibber and Gette villages are all mountains of limestone rocks which adds more colours to this beautiful valley.

Aparted… Kibber Village for you…

Coming back to the story, the drive upto Ki village was purely amazing with great panoramic views around. Once, we reach this little Ki village the Ki monastery looking uphill was a treat to watch. After couple of snaps we reached Ki monastery. Now, for the first time I was feeling a bit uneasy, very uneasy I shall say. I knew from inside that it was AMS and the itinerary we had due to lack of number of days, it was bound to happen but I tried my best to keep myself exploring the place, enjoy the views and ignore any symptoms. views from the top were simply superb. However, after spending about half an hour at the monastery it was time to go to Kibber village. I was feeling more uneasy by that time with headache and fatigue and decided to quit driving. Saurabh took the wheel from me and by the time we reached Kibber, the dark clouds covered the sky. Kibber was a very nice and calm village and again the views of the limestone studded mountains were quite amazing. Infact the view of Chicham Village from Kibber just appeared as nuts on the chocolate colored mountains, very beautiful.

Path leading to Ki and Kibber…

How fast can you run…Path leading to Ki and Kibber…

Ki Monastery for you… Yes, Devil’s Angel too…

Assorted… A View from Ki Monastery…

Rangrik village as seen from Ki Monastery…

Postbox at Ki Monastery…

Roads Looping towards Ki Monastery…

Symbol of peace, flying high at Ki Monastery…

Chichcham Village as seen from Kibber Village, I guess…

A lonely house at Kibber Village…

Confused, they stand…

The fight started for going towards Losar or going back to Kaza and take rest. I was concerned more of bad weather and getting stuck incase there was havey snowfall. Also, Losar is at an altitude of 4079 Meters which was above Kaza by almost 400 Mtrs. Considering symptoms of AMS which I was having at that time, I was very much reluctant to go towards Losar. But, somehow my travel-mates thought I am feared of weather and Ladakh jinx still haunts me. (I felt why not it should haunt me after getting stuck in 2010 Flashfloods of Leh – Ladakh. If you missed the story then read here) So, majority won and we started towards Losar only. I was not feeling well to drive still so Saurbh kept driving. I must say if you hadn’t been on Losar – Kaza route then you had missed the real beauty of Spiti Valley. The views are just extra ordinary, I will say. Whenever you plan to visit Spiti Valley then do not ever miss the drive between Losar and Kaza. As we passed Rangrik, Sumling, Moorang, Hull, Pangmo, Kiato villages but as we approached Hansa weather turned too bad and my nose was also bleeding. After few arguments with each other we finally decided (guess only me ) to move back to Kaza. But, yes the drive was simply superb there and after reaching Kaza it started raining too. The cold was too much that evening and hunt for hotel begun. On reference from one of our friends we decided to inquire at Hotel Snow Lion or Hotel Sakya Abode as both are run by same person. Unfortunately, both of them were completely booked, thanks to Durga Puja rush of tourists from West Bengal and Kolkata. But, we got an extremely decent and comfortable Homestay actually run by the same guy who runs the other two… It indeed was a nice property and my complete rview will follow later.

Road towards Kaza from Losar…

Road towards Losar from Kaza…

Too much dark clouds, time to return Kaza…

Dark clouds ahead towards Losar…

Dark clouds behind towards Kaza too…

Scary roads between Kaza and Losar…

Naturally textured… between Kaza and Losar…

Tilted, is the world here…

Rough or bad roads between Kaza and Losar…

Curving its way towards Kaza from Losar…

After checkin we rushed to restaurant of the hotel on the road itself and decided to have many things to eat … My headache was still there and I knew it will only go after sleeping or taking a bath. We had good time there and at about 7 PM types the Aunty, whose home we were staying came to the house. She offered some super delicious Spiti Apples and Almonds… The apples tasted so great that I never had such apples before in my life. It was time for dinner and we went to the hotel. Unluckily there was a marriage at some nearby village due to which whole electricity of Kaza town was feed to that village … Never saw such arrangement of even electricity and it is rightly said “Perhaps, it happens only in India!!” … So, it was all dark and chilly at Kaza that night. As we were taking dinner the whole lot of people came in started shouting, running here and there, within seconds the place was all fussy but we kept our cool and concentrated on finishing dinner. Finally, we came to know that they are the ones who had booked the entire hotel and had rough day coming from Keylong to Kaza via Kunzam Pass where they had two three punctures on Battal – Kunzum Pass stretch … The Kunzum Pass – Battal – Chattru – Gramphu stretch had always been like that with unpaved roads having sharp stones on them. You rarely goes past them without puncture as we saw on our Chandratal trip in 2009. (Read more about my Chandratal Snow Trek Adventure at the link here)… We couldn’t agree more with them and took their fussiness and restlessness as an after math of such awesome journey between Kaza and Keylong … In anycase, it hardly mattered as we didn’t have to sleep in the hotel … After eating dinner and a walk around the Kaza streets in dark we went back to hotel, had some chit-chats before calling off this very long and adventurous day for us

End of this part!!!

A Teaser… Vistas worth dying for at Pin Valley…

Day 3 – 7th October, 2011 | Mud Village – Pin Valley – Kaza

After some quality time at Mud Village in Pin Valley with children and other locals, we started towards Kaza first to get some Pet Puja (brunch) and then to get the tyre fixed. There was nothing much to do apart from enjoying the vistas – barren, beautiful, colourful and what not. We enjoyed every bit of the drive throughout the Pin Valley to Attargoo. From Attargoo, we took left towards Kaza (about 19 KMs away) on state highway where we were joined by the Spiti River again alongside highway. As we bypassed the turn/ Y fork towards Lingti Valley (sadly due to less days in hand ) the views started to widen up more and more. It was a feeling of being in heaven and nowhere else. The whole journey upto now produced some marvellous views of Spiti Valley and there was nothing much but to capture them in the camera.

Vistas we are leaving behind at Pin Valley…

Tailing Village bridge in Spiti Valley…

Beauty keeps getting better in Pin Valley…

Beauty keeps getting better in Pin Valley

Sagnam Village in Pin Valley…

Magical Colors as we exit Pin Valley…

The Devil’s Angel… Sitting Low…

Naturally Painted Colors in Pin Valley…

Soon we reached Kaza entrance gate, where on the left there was Maruti Suzuki Workshop … Hats off to the guys for opening it earlier his year I guess as working in such extreme conditions is some challenge. However, I am not sure if it remains open in the winters or not. As the cars are not allowed to enter Kaza town, we parked our car at the bus stand. The highway was running staright upwards from the bus stand towards Ki – Kibber, Rangrik, Losar, Kunzum Pass etc. But, for us our hungry stomach was shouting for some good food. I had heard lot about Khyoma restaurant but at that odd hour of the day they only had Thupka to serve which we didn’t want. We explored town for more restaurant and most of them had closed the kitchen for paranthas and stuff, only thupka or nothing. Meanwhile, we bought some juices, chocolates, wafers etc. to keep us satisfied in such long drives … As we were strolling back towards the car we found one shop serving Chole Bhathuras … Without wasting a second we ordered four plates and they were quite decent in taste.

Leading to Heaven…

Heaven starts here I believe…

Inside Heaven…

Further inside Heaven…

A breather for Devil’s Angel…

Kaza welcomes DeViL…

It was time to check out some mechanic to get the puncture fixed. Everyone told that we will find one ahead of Petrol Pump of Kaza on Kaza – Losar road. Since, we were running out of fuel as well so we decided to refuel on the world’s highest petrol pump as claimed by Indian Oil Corp. The machine installed at the petrol pump didn’t have the meter for amount to be paid. It just shows the quantity which you need to first note and then using calculator find the cost of the fuel you took … Seems quite old one. The guy at the petrol pump told us that mechanic is just 100 meters ahead and we need to take a sloping down road where he had a huge setup. He tried level best to find the puncture but no luck at all. After about 15-20 minutes of inspection again and again nothing was found and he filled the air to the required pressure in all tiers. We were quite confused too but at least mentally satisfied that there was no puncture. We had plans to stay at Tabo on the way back the very next day, so decided to take bookings from PWD Office at Kaza. After doing all formalities we came to know that there is only one room that can be offered to us at Tabo and no room available even at Poh PWD rest house. They asked us to check with some other GOVT. department (I forgot the name) whose office was also close to PWD Office just at backside of Kaza Petrol Pump. There as well we had no luck because the officer who had to approve the bookings was out of town. After wasting quite some time in running office to office, it was time to leave for Ki – Kibber and finally our stay at Losar.

Highest Petrol Pump in the World at Kaza… as claimed by IOC…

End of this part!!!

Teaser… A Chorten at Mud Village in Pin Valley

Day 3 – 7th October, 2011 | Pin Valley | Sagnam – Mud Village

It was an extremely cold night at Sagnam in Pin Valley but good that we 4 slept on one double bed and it kept the warmth, though a bit tight and uncomfortable. Somehow there was lot of disturbance at night around the window of our room. No one dared to go out and check the reason for it. It was 6.30 AM, I was awake but still the disturbance was coming as if someone is searching something. After getting read and waking up everyone I decided to go out and capture the early sunlight on the magical mountains in Pin Valley. As I came out, saw a donkey couple searching things beside our window and yes this was the disturbance throughout the night … There was a chilling breeze blowing making my nose and fingers numb but I still walked around the streets near Sagnam, PWD Rest House. The landscape was just outstanding, the helipad looked great with majestic views at the backdrop. The red colour school add the magical colour, to the landscape which kept changing with the emerging rays of sunlight. The feeling to capture such landscape was something that cannot be expressed but the cold forced me to go back inside and start winding up from Sagnam to move in the interiors of Pin Valley, the Mud village.

Sagnam PWD Rest House, Pin Valley… Our night stay…

Colors of Fall or Autumn in Pin Valley…

Early morning views at Sagnam Village…

Helipad at Sagnam Village…

Sun and Shade Playing Together…

Sun and Shade Playing Together…

As I went inside, I forced everyone to wake up again especially Dhruv and Saurabh (the lazy ones) and get ready as soon as possible. Again the penalty was missing the breakfast and hitting the state highway. Our target was clear for the day, first we need to explore the Pin Valley and drive may be upto Mud Village, then start journey back to explore places around Kaza like Ki – Kibber and finally end the day at Losar. We started for Mud village, about 16 KMs from Sagnam, with less air pressure in the front tyre … The roads were not that great, infact no tarmac was present at all. At places the road was in bad bad shape but nothing worse as compared to what we have experienced so far. We cruised along the Pin River and infact we were the only soul traveling at that time of the day. The breath-taking views changed with each rounding curve topped with pure aqua green colored Pin River.

The colors of Autumn Again… So bright, so refreshing…

The colors of Autumn Again… So bright, so refreshing…

The views in the entire Pin Valley including Mud village were just majestic, and they valley is mostly virgin, serene, barren and beautiful. Pin valley is the base for Pin Valley National Park which is the natural habitat of the Snow Leopard and Himalayan Ibex. After about 35 minutes or so, we reached Mud village and temperature was still 5 degree Celsius even though the sun was shining bright by that time. We parked the car aside and I must tell you that it was one of the most beautiful car parking I have ever seen … It was time to explore village and check if there is some place to take breakfast. Mud Village in Pin Valley, over the years have become the base for tourist, travelers and backpackers. The very reason that you find many guest houses present at Mud Village and some under development for the coming year. The major reason being Mud village also acts as the base for trekking route towards or from Pin-Parvati Pass or Bhabha Valley.

The prayer flags at Mud Village…

Testing his muscle power…

Trying to axe him…

A splendid view at Mud Village…

Road ends somewhere up there ahead of Mud Village…

Streets of Mud Village…

Ever seen such beautiful parking???

That is Mud village for you…

The walk through the Mud village upto the school was very rejuvenating. The locals there at Mud village were so humble, down to earth and had smiles all over their faces. Living in such harsh conditions with least amount of facilities is always a challenge and salute to the spirit of such people. We interacted with quite a few people, had talks about their lives in harsh winters and then it was time to give gifts to the children present around. As soon as we started distributing the crayons and sketch pens, there were many who started coming out of their house. The smiles on those faces were just priceless, I shall say and I was feeling glad from inside that we added a little joy to their day. Within no time all packets were distributed and we kept 4-5 of them to distribute in Kaza. Being known for their hospitality, on the child asked us to wait as he went home to get a cup of tea for us. It is the basic human nature that was so afresh among the locals at Pin Valley and I was just feeling myself in the remote villages of Leh – Ladakh.

Children at Mud Village…

Children at Mud Village…

Children at Mud Village…

Big Boss of Chillar Party at Mud Village…

A beautiful smile from a child at Mud Village…

Expressions says it all…

A breif chit-chat at a beautiful place…

Finally Framing Four of us together…

There were couple of food joints open at Mud Village but we hold us back because Kaza was not very and we wanted to have a brunch to save some time for the day. After spending some quality time at Mud Village, it was time to leave towards Kaza where we planned to first get something to eat and then get that puncture tyre fixed.

The Journey ahead-

End of this part!!!

Teaser… Leading us to heaven…

Day 2 – 6th October, 2011 | Nako Lake – Chango – Sumdo – Tabo – Pin Valley

After spending some quality time it was moment to live from Nako Village. Visit to Nako village and Nako lake was a quiet little surprise which we did cherish the whole day. Our target was to reach Tabo that day only and may be even see Dhankar and come back to take rest at Tabo because of its lower altitude. However, the dreaded Malling Nalla was waiting for us. To give you a background, Malling Nalla is 365 days, 12 months, 24 Hrs landslide zone … When it is raining or perhaps snow is melting, especially in June – July and that too in noon time, you just have to be lucky enough to cross this deadly passage. Nevertheless, for us it was neither raining nor snow melting time and we had inquired about the water level in it and everyone had told us that there is nothing much in Malling Nalla. 

Meanwhile, I was looking out for views for finding a place to take a panoramic shot of Nako helipad as seen in many pictures, suddenly out of nowhere the road disappeared as I turned my eyes on it. … There was a huge bump as the car crashed into that big pothole. It appeared that the car must have atleast damaged a lot under the belly … But, thankfully only one rubber was out of frame between body and bumper below. After thanking god we moved ahead and I was now paying full attention on the road only As soon as we saw a little temple aside the road, we knew that Malling has arrived. The tension started as I have learnt from the past that we should never trust what locales say as for them everything is piece of cake when driving in hills. The initial climb was a bit steep, though not much but I made a mistake in tension of putting a break right on the ascent just to ask about the water level from one of the labour working there. Then, what?? Car just refused to climb … We reversed towards temple and after gaining momentum again started the climb. We can see the whole mountain towards right with loose soil and stratum ready to fall on us. Everywhere we looked, the mountain was similar in natureand I was feeling that is why it is called all time landslide zone. At one spot, the road was pretty narrow and labours were working on one side to maintain and there were rocks lying there on the road. I knew the dZire GC will find it hard to clear them so asked everyone to step out and come along after I cross that stretch. The tension was building up as I started hearing the sound of water and when I reached there I took a great sigh of relief as the water level was indeed too low and crossing it with little care to avoid rocks beneath was not much difficult task. In the whole exercise, I forgot to stop the car for my travel mates and hence they had to get wet into the chilling cold waters of Maling  Nalla … I was hearing the oohhs and aaahhss as they crossed the nalla. It was indeed funny for me and as soon as they got into car there were some sweet little words or statements showering on me … But, after enjoying the story for couple of minutes and thanking god again we were on the way towards Tabo.

Unusual soil formations, just ahead of Malling Nalla…

As we crossed malling nalla we started to descent towards Chango, a place where you will find loads of apple orchards. The descent was quite steep at places and I had to drive carefully to reach Chango but the views were just mind blowing. As we reached Chango, Dhruv could not resist to step out of the car and plucked one apple from the nearby orchard. We warned him that we will deny any relations if someone will catch him … Meanwhile he went greedy and after plucking one apple, he was trying for more and meanwhile the owner/caretaker stepped out .. I started giving him the signal by blowing horn but he thought we are asking him to come back … Meanwhile the caretaker, coming towards him but by continuous horns Dhruv managed to escape at last moment. We tried to apologize by waving our hands to the owner/caretaker … It was only after entering the car Dhruv realized the someone was watching him and he managed to escape. Anyways, the apple tasted nice and sweet and most importantly so fresh.

After sometime, we reached Sumdo and a board saying “Welcome to Spiti Valley…” and smiles on our face. Sumdo is the place where Spiti Valley starts and Kinnaur Valley ends. At Sumdo, you need to register yourself again at police checkpost as the region fall under Inner Line permit zone or near LAC (Line of Actual Control) and Foreigners need to submit their copy permits at Sumdo (Refer link here for more details). The most interesting part for us was the Y-Fork that leads you uphill to Kaurik. Kaurik is a mysterious place which was deserted some 25-28 years back in earthquake/flash floods and now you can find ruins of the place if you are ready to hike a bit once the road ends after about 19 KMs. Beyond Kaurik, there is a village called Lepcha which requires you to further hike about an hour or so. Lepcha is the last place in India you can reach and ahead lies Tibet beyond the Indo-Tibet Border ends. Anyhow, Kaurik falls under a restricted area as far as I know and permits are hard to find for Kaurik. So, best bet is to land there and ask the permissions from army guys if you can pass through. If they say yes, then go ahead and explore this amzing mysterious place in Spiti Valley … Enough of background, we were short of time so we continued on NH-22 towards Tabo.

Sumdo checkpost from where the Spiti valley starts…

Yet Another… Road towards Heaven…

Finally the views from Spiti Valley starts alongside Spiti River…

The white queen… raring to enter and explore the land of dragons and monks…

Soon, came the diversion towards Geyu where the famous 550+ year old mummy lies. It is said that hair  and perhaps nails of that mummy are still growing but I am not pretty sure about this fact … Again, with stones on our heart , we bypassed the turn and continued towards Tabo. Deep inside my heart I was feeling when will I come back to explore all these leftover places as 4 days are not enough to explore all this … The views and colors of Spiti were making us feel WOW!! and we can smell that Tabo was nearing. There were two kids who wanted the lift and we quickly let us in as we had a space for one. We reached Tabo, dropped both kids and rushed to the famous Tabo monastery. Tabo is a timeless place I felt, there is so much to feel there. Soon, the Tabo Monastery will make it to world’s heritage list (more info here)… The experience of exploring the monastery, the helipad and Tabo town was pretty soothing + refreshing. After exploring the place we started searching the accommodation because I wanted to stay at lower height to acclimatize, as compared to Kaza or Pin Valley. To our bad luck we could not find one, PWD rest house rejected the request too as they were running booked …

The Geyu diversion where the 550+ odd year old mummy resides…

The colors of Spiti Valley…

Leading us to heaven….

Flowers from Tabo…

A Chorten at Tabo Monastery… soon it will be on world’s heritage list…

A Chorten at Tabo Monastery…

Another Chorten at Tabo Monastery…

The Prayer Wheels… Always rotate them in clockwise direction

Tabo Monastery at Tabo Village…

A Flag, Flying High at Tabo Monastery….

A view from Tabo Helipad…

Another view from Tabo Helipad…

Whatever snow is left is present far away…

We did see some home stays in Tabo but we were interested in staying at PWD Rest House only and since there was ample daylight left, we thought we can reach Poh about 12-15 KMs ahead. There was a rest house at Poh which was vacant but the caretaker asked us to go to Pin Valley and stay there because though he was willing to give rooms but told us that if someone comes up even in the middle of night with booking slips then we need to vacate the rooms. Now, both Tabo (~3000 Mtrs) and Poh (~3200 Mtrs) were out of order. Pin Valley is about 3600 Mtrs which is too much for a second night stay and surely there was a call around for Acute Mountain Sickness, AMS (read here more about AMS and its importance)… But, we had no choice than to move ahead because the  daylight was running. Soon we hit Attargoo from where a state highway goes to Pin Valley across the bridge on the left side. Kaza was about 19 KMs and so was Sagnam in Pin Valley approximately. But, we were interested in Pin Valley so decided to move to beautifully located PWD Rest House at Sagnam which we have seen in the pictures over the net. The roads in the pin valley were not that great and with little day light left we reached Sagnam, PWD Rest House. Again the same story of booking started and vacating the rooms at night if someone comes with slip … But, this time we were more determined to convince the caretaker there. We tried everything but he was insisting us to go to Mud where we can surely find homestays. Finally, after much pursuance he agreed with a condition that we need to vacate if someone comes in (We knew no one will after dark ). Temperatures had dipped considerably and my car’s temperature meter was reading 2 degree Celsius … I bet it was much colder than that but now we had a room to sleep. This time there was only one room but guess it was good to beat the cold. We had Maggies with us which Dhruv and Saurabh went to prepare immediately. At night the caretaker prepared nice Dal Rice and mix vegetable. We loved it to the core and went to sleep within no time. But, I must say, the wind was too chilly that evening and it was a very cold night later…

The Journey ahead-

End of this part!!!

A Teaser… That’s Nako Lake for you…

Day 2 – 6th October, 2011 | Ribba – Puh – Khab Bridge – Nako Lake

It was 6.30 AM when my eyes shutters opened at PWD Rest House of Ribba, Kinnaur Valley. I knew it will be late now as we decided to leave by 7 AM for another long day ahead. In matter of second I was out of my bed shouting on the other room to wake up lazy kids Saurabh and Dhruv. Neeraj being sincere was awake and started getting ready and by 7.15 AM we both were downstairs to load the luggage in the car. The front tyre of the car was leaking air and it was too low, about 18-20 PSI I guess. I inquired around and there was no mechanic open but I thought it will make it to next mechanic shop for sure. So, without much worries we ordered Tea with fans at a tea shack nearby PWD Rest House. As expected, there were no signs of Saurabh and Dhruv even by 7.45 AM. Finally, Dhruv came out but Saurabh was still bathing in the room as we settled the bill with Saikalan at PWD Rest House. Being late meant he won’t be getting anything to eat or drink as a penalty and had to wait for the next food stop.

Apple Orchards at Ribba, Kinnaur Valley…

PWD Rest House at Ribba, Kinnaur Valley…

Finally at 8.10 AM the white queen was running to join the Hindustan – Tibet Highway which was about 2 KMs away. We crossed the famous 350-feet long Akpa bridge and after driving few 100 Mtrs on the left side of River Satluj, we had to register ourselves with vehicle number at the Lippa – Jangi police checkpost for the first time. This meant we are into the Inner Line zone now where foreigners are required to present the inner line permits. The rules for Indians are relaxed in this part of the region unlike Ladakh and you just need to present the Photo ID may be preferably, driving license with vehicle registration number. After 10 minutes of this formality we were running again on the highway. I never saw Satluj river as beautiful as it was running aside us and boasting the shades of aqua green color. There was no reason to stop and take some pictures with it.

The Akpa Bridge in Kinnaur Valley…

The AQUA Colored Satluj River…

The Threesome…

The Satluj River flowing towards Shimla…

The white queen… still intact…

I was more concerned of the low air pressure and unavailability of mechanic shop so far. The guys at police checkpost had told us that we will not find anything before Spillow, so our next target was to reach Spillow. Roads started to deteriorate as we moved and I also had the read that road from Spillow to Dubling was in really poor shape but even before Spillow the roads were bad. We reached Spillow village and saw that one and only puncture repair shop closed … Now, we knew more bad roads are coming and Puh was still far away, however one of the pick-up drivers had confirmed that we will get the mechanic at Puh just ahead of Puh general store. After some really bad roads, we were finally there at Puh and thank god the power was also present along with the mechanic just aside of the highway. He confirmed that the large puncture was leaking and for the first time I saw puncture being repaired without removing the tyre from the car but in the end it was a clever tip. He told us that though he will put two fixes side by side but due to bad roads this will again wear out after a day or two since the cut is too wide. We didn’t have any choice than to accept the fact and leave it on the destiny …
Meanwhile we searched for some dhabha around and only came to know that we need to go upwards about 2 KMs towards Puh Village to get some food. We were not in the mood to go off track owing to the late start and decided to check out the Puh General Store. By general store, you must be imagining the local grocery shops with house hold items. Wait!!! The shop was a true general store in real sense as it was selling items ranging from day to day household ones to confectionaries to hardware material to metal sheets to PETROL / DIESEL to what not … He He He, guess this is how things work in such remote locations. Nevertheless, we bought many eggs, maggie, Amul Cool Cafe tins, some cold drinks etc. and only 2 of the 4 Amul Cafes had non-expired dates but WHO CARES!! … We were on the move again and steering was feeling too light now owing to correct air pressure in the wheels and driving was more fun.

Puncture repair shop at Puh Village in Kinnaur Valley…

Meanwhile the roads had started to improve considerably from Puh itself it was indeed a pleasure to drive into the Trans-Himalayan range. Saurabh in between was getting restless for something to eat, food may be and I knew nothing is available before Nako but he insisted to take the route towards Khab Village, a diversion from main highway towards Shipki La pass and Namgia village. I have seen in the pics that Khab was a deserted places and we will not find anything there but still took Saurabh’s option as an opportunity to drive much closer to Tibet. Shipki La pass, about 25 KMs from Khab village (which was 5KMs from the diversion), though is motorable but due to army restrictions no one is allowed to go towards it being right on the border of India and Tibet (China). One cannot get the permits to visit Shipki La pass with ease and if you really want then landing just there would and happy mood of army personals would be your best bet. But, keep in mind that the land is forbidden ahead of Namgia and better be prepared for any sought of interrogation or happy venturing!! As we were near to Khab village few locals coming confirmed that we will not find anything and it is better not to waste time and head towards Nako to eat something. Disappointed we took the U-Turn down towards the main highway running aside river Satluj.

China is not far away from here… On the way to Namgia / Khab Villages…

Hindustan Tibet Highway running way below aside Satluj River…

Posing for the good with awesome backdrop…

The diversion only meant we were much delayed for the long awaited brunch by about 40 minutes or so. Soon, we were at the first highlight of the trip, the famous Khab Bridge and the carved mountains ahead of it. At Khab bridge, one witness the confluence of Sutluj and Spiti rivers and is also one of the rarest examples where you enter the Trans-Himalayan range without crossing over any high mountain pass … Driving through the carved roads is just an amazing feeling which cannot be described in words and there was a tense moment when the road was broken with loose soil + very narrow with steep climb making the white queen skid. But, with over caution and care and of course, god’s grace the patch was safely cleared. We reached the hair pin bends of Kah loops about 10 KMs in length, which will ascend us to Hangrang Valley and further to Nako village. The road was black top, tarred all the way to the top and further to Nako village through these Kah loops.

The famous carved roads near Khab Bridge…

The white queen… still intact…

It was time for us to get into the photo frame…

They really love to sit on the roads…

The road ahead near Kah Loops…

Kah Loops or Zigs ends at Kah Village, Kinnaur Valley…

We really enjoyed the drive through Kah loops where the land was totally arid and barren without least or almost nil traffic on the roads. There are surely the roads less travelled of trans Himalayan region. We enjoyed various photo shoots – on,in,side,top etc everywhere on those roads with breathtaking backdrops. Finally, we reached the Dhabha in front of Nako Helipad to have first meal of the day. Nako village and Nako lake was ahead of dhabha about 1 KM away from the NH-22. But, first we wanted badly something to eat. We ordered omelet, no lots of omelets … The wind was chilly and was blowing at great velocity, may be, if you help it will take you away atleast from the helipad. The views from Nako helipad were just mind boggling. We enjoyed the brunch in the form of omelets and many cups of tea. Feeling satisfied from the stomachs we were ready to move towards Spiti at about 1 PM with malling nalla torturing in minds. However, as we saw just board stating Nako Lake – 1 KM, we said why not give it a chance since the destination of the day was just 50 KMs ahead that is Tabo …

Towards Hangrang Valley, I guess…

Sitting High and Pretty… The White Queen…

The Dhabha near Nako Village Helipad…

We decided to visit the Nako lake and to our surprise the Nako lake had beautiful, vibrant colors at this time of the year “Autumn”. It turned out to be the major highlight of the day so far and the place was giving a feel so close to nature that I just couldn’t help myself to get away from the place. We spent about half an hour around the lake and it felt so amazing, just out of the world. I wished I always lived here with such breath taking vistas at the backside of the village giving it more flavours of a dream location. However, every dream has to end with a wake up call and for us it was from big bengalis group who entered from every direction they found … We knew it was time to leave and move on for the final drive of the day.

That’s beautiful Nako Village for you…

A Ripple Effect… Nako Lake…

Reflecting the vistas… Nako Lake…

Can’t say what he was upto …

A perfect couple near Nako Lake…

The Journey ahead-

End of this part!!!

Day 1 – 5th October, 2011 | Shimla – Rampur – Powari – Ribba

After a good buns and nice sweet sweet tea, we were heading towards Rampur which was our next stop for the brunch as the dhabha had Fagu didn’t offer much scope for complete breakfast. As we continued till Theog the road conditions were not that great and frankly was not enjoying the ride so far due to beating sunshine … Just before we reached Narkanda, the road started to improve considerably and then it was like a smooth run to Rampur where I took a break and my cousin Dhruv took the wheel for good 2 Hrs upto Rampur. I was asleep finally and didn’t know what happened for about an hour or so. When I woke up I said, it was treat to see Satluj has joined us very near to the road. This meant couple of photo breaks and also that Rampur is nearing. At about 12 PM were there at Bhushahar Regency, HPTDC Rampur. When we went inside they told they do not have anything and will resume the kitchen services after an hour or so. But, Café Satluj, HPTDC was few meters ahead, so we went we did on our last trip to Kinnaur Valley. The difference between Café Satluj, HPTDC and Bushahar Regency, HPTDC is that which the former is a Bar cum restaurant while latter provides accommodation and has restaurant but NO bar …

A lonely house near Narkanda…

He wanted a much needed profile photo …

Narkanda looking calm and soothing…

Cutting through the hills… The River Satluj…

The other side of Satluj…

Running along the side walls…

Perhaps I am wondering how much we have covered so far …

Guys at Café Satluj took too much time to serve the meals but we were happy to watch the drama between a finicky old foreigner lady and his guide… Not sure why that lady was upset but perhaps because they (old lady and their group) didn’t get the permits to Kinnaur-Spiti valley due to holiday … Nevertheless, in about half-hour we had our brunch served at the tables and next half an hour it took to take it down … Finally, satisfied we were about to move for the final run of the day… But, even after various confirmations in between with the entire group about the nature daily calls and other freshen up activities while we were watching the drama, Saurabh said: “I will come in 2 minutes”. We said OK and went to sit in the car, the clock ticked 1.20 PM and still there were no signs of Saurabh … We went down in the loo to confirm, he again said “two minutes” but the whole procedure took about 20-25 odd minutes when he finally showed up… But thank god he did eventually, we had to understand and also we were glad he was not hungry again …

As the river Satluj comes next to your side near Rampur…

An empty glass…

Our usual meal spot… HPTDC Cafe Satluj, Rampur…

Time was running for us and Puh was still more than 100 KMs away. It looked unlikely that we will reach Puh today so we decided to go as far as possible and may be make Jangi as our destination for the night halt. The Kinnaur Dwar welcomed us to Dev Bhoomi… Then, there were few trademark Kinnaur – Spiti pictures along the carved mountains and the roads or the ledge… We crossed Bhawanagar in no time and it refreshed our memories again of the last trip when no one offered accommodation to us and had to sleep in the car in front of a hotel at Kalpa right in the middle of the night … This time we didn’t need one, so we zoom past the town. As the roads black Tar from roads started to become invisible we assumed that we have entered the JayPee Dam Projects area around Wangtoo, Tapri, Karcham… This time one of the road after bridge from where we took left last year towards Kalpa had been changed and this led us to the confusion where we hit the barrier of some Dam project. The security guard said that that part of the road is now under Dam and we need to go straight on the other side of the bridge. That road will connect us back to Peo road. I guess all this happened between Wangtoo and Karcham but cannot recall the exact locations… Nevertheless, as soon as we entered that part of the road, the road conditions further deteriorated and up to Reckong Peo there were some really narrow landslide zones which required great caution and care. I let everyone because many idiots just keep honking even if you are driving at 40+ in hills though the roads left us drive not more than 20-25 …

The roads less travelled…

Making its way… through the mountains…

Perhaps he desperately wanted to be in frame with the background …

Finally, we crossed the diversion to Reckong Peo on Hindustan Tibet Highway and it was like 4.15 PM types. In between, we refueled at Powari petrol pump for the second time in the day (first at Narkanda). Though we had fuel but Powari Petrol station is one that should not be missed because then after Powari one can find Petrol only at Kaza about 180+ KMs type. So, when you plan Spiti then do not miss Powari Petrol pump to tank up the fuel. Getting back to the story, well now were finally into the unknown zone which we had not travelled before. We abandoned our last trip to Spiti at Kinnaur due to a massive landslide at Puh. The road from Powari to Akpa was in one hell of a shape, perhaps the ugliest of the all we had today. The progress was pathetically slow and sunlight had started to fade… May be some portion of the speed was taken up due to the unfamiliarity of the roads as it was the first time I was driving on it… Puh was good 50+ odd KMs left and it was unlikely now and hence we were looking for either Jangi or Ribba only. Finally, it took about an hour to drive through that pathetic 18 odd KMs from Powari to the diversion on the right hand side that takes you to Ribba. We knew there was a PWD Rest House at Ribba and even after having horrors on the last trip with PWD Rest Houses, we wanted to still check them out …

Sunlight is still intact and its far way to go…

The reservoir of Karcham Dam (I guess)…

Only single vehicle allowed on all bridges from now on…

Ribba, is a small village located about 2KMs from the main highway and had full of apple orchards… There were trucks all over down on the highway near Ribba diversion and as many of them were present on the sides of Ribba village. Yes, it was the apple season and they all were waiting for their turn to get loaded. Since, the connecting road was too narrow just as I though what will happen if some truck will come from the other side and bingooo … there was one right on the next blind curve. The guy was really nice and adjusted to our needs accordingly and helped us pass after 3-4 back-forth sessions… sigh of relief. It was almost dark now by the time we reached PWD Rest House. The doubt was still hanging over the head, will we get the room this time.

Well, this time we were a little more confident as there was no girl with us. The caretaker (nice person: Saikalaan) after smiling, telling ifs and buts, finally agreed may be seeing fatigue written all over our faces. The prime concern for him was food that how he will prepare the food for so many guests… We convinced that first we won’t ate too much and second that we will cook something or the other ourselves. He agreed and happily gave us one room… Without wasting anytime, we parked the car and took our luggage inside to straighten the legs and the backbones one the bed… After about half an hour, Dhruv and Saurabh went to the local shop and got lots of Maggie(s) and cooked them in kitchen. I don’t like Maggie much so ate little portion of it and went on to relax mode. We still had one room only and it was not sufficient for 4 of us to sleep on one bed after such a long drive… But, we held on to ourselves till we were done with the dinner (Dal Fry, Rice, Mix Veg and Chapatis) prepared by Saikalaan. Finally, before going to bed we managed the other vacant room from Saikalaan and for which we thanked him in a good manner … It was finally the end of a long long Day 1 and I still cannot recall how and when I went to the sleep …

The Journey ahead-

End of this part!!!

After a successful snow trek to Tunganath temple in March 2011, the time was quickly running out for all my travel plans of the year. It was nothing but a serious and curious wait for my little super kid to arrive in this world. Finally, by god’s grace and wishes from the loved ones/relatives/friends etc. we were finally blessed with a little super hero, Pratyaksh … Things had settled down for me and my wife and so did my little hero in this newly introduced cosmetic world. September end was nearing and I was just wondering will this year go deserted in terms of travel. It was like now or next year but ever since his birth I had started missing my wife and little hero too much. No trans Himalayan trip was possible with little days in hand and then I thought of Spiti Valley but for that too I had a 9 day detailed plan waiting to be executed. Questions were still confusing me in all dimensions. There were so many leaves already planned for family commitments and so many already taken. Then, a call from my brother-in-law “any plans for October?” and in one go I said let’s go to Spiti Valley

Spiti Valley had been there for a very long time. Ever since I started traveling seriously with my trekking trip to Chandratal two years ago, I always wanted to see how Tabo or Kaza looks like, how Pin Valley looks like, why people call Hindustan Tibet highway to be most adventurous road in the country like Manali – Leh Highway… This was the time but I again thought, will 5 days be enough? I had already attempted to visit Spiti Valley three times before where two times I had to turn back due to bad weather or landslides on Hindustan Tibet road and one time I couldn’t even leave home. It was yet another risky plan with no buffer days and very less margin of error. But, I was determined to do Spiti in these 5 days in hand. I knew it will never be as comprehensive as I planned earlier but yes of course I was sure that it will satisfy my huger/itch to drive on trans-Himalayan roads this year, explore the entire Hindustan – Tibet highway and visit some of the famous places in Spiti Valley including Kaza, Tabo, Pin Valley.

Day 1 – 5th October, 2011 | Delhi – Shimla – Fagu

Finally, the day had come when packing was done after cross checking with my things to carry list and we were all set to leave for Spiti Valley but on Day 1 itself there was some confusion. We earlier thought of leaving on 4th October evening around 8 PM and then decided to leave at 2 AM in the morning so that we all had a little sleep. But, it was 8 PM and we haven’t slept a bit and then I called everyone up to tell them that we are leaving in an hour considering it will be waste of time to leave at 2 AM. So, by 10 PM on 4th October after bidding good bye to everyone including wifey and a kiss to the little hero, me and my cousin=Dhruv was running on road in the white queen (my car: dZire) to pick my friend=Neeraj and my brother-in-law=Saurabh from their respective homes. They were confused a bit too with this sudden time change but finally agreed on the timings and were ready on the doors. After picking both of them by 11.20 PM we were running on National Highway – 1. The usual stop was at Zhilmil Dhabha, Karnal for quick tea + parantha stop and by 1.40 AM we were there at Karnal. After the ever delicious tea + mix paranthas + sandwiches we were out on NH-1 again by 2.15 AM. For the nth time I missed the road going to Zirakpur again and turned towards NH-1 that goes to Jalandhar but this time we were carrying a phone based GPS to log the trails. The offline map showed that there is a U-Turn which will ultimately connect us to NH-22 on the other side. (NH-22 running through Shimla, Kinnaur Valley, Spiti Valley is the highway that is also termed as Hindustan – Tibet road as it connects Shimla (India) to Tibet via Shipki La pass. Currently, the last point on Hindustan – Tibet road is Kaurik as no civilian is allowed to go further from Kaurik towards Shipki La pass). I presume that wrong turn we took through Lehli was a bit longer as it ultimately connected us to Zirakpur only and that too after paying the toll …

Things were packed up along with many colors and eateries for local children

As our National Highway – 1(NH-1) looks at night

Our usual stoppage… Zhilmil Dhabha, Karnal

Anyways we soon passed Panchkula and to our surprise the flyovers were functional now which meant no time being wasted in negotiating pot holes from Zirakpur to Kalka. Before kalka, Saurabh went out to withdraw some money from the available ATMs and suddenly disappeared from the ATM . After a hustle-bustle, we came to know he escaped our eyes to the ATM few 100 Mtrs down the lane … Soon, we were again running on NH-22. The drive till now on both NH-1 and NH-22 was smooth enough without any major traffic snarls. It was about 4.20 AM and we passed the border to enter into Himachal Pradesh. The feeling to be back in the foothills of Himalayas after a good 6-7 months was simply lovely and tender. As we continued to drive for an hour through Solan via Barog there was dense cloud covering the highway making the visibility almost very poor. Somehow slowly, slowly we managed to pass by it and reach Solan as the daylight broke. The twilight was extremely beautiful projecting great silhouttes and soon the sun was up, high and handsome as we reached Shimla around 7 AM in the morning. Our target was to reach Fagu first for a breakfast meal and have a breather of a stop so as to continue with the long journey throughout the day. Overall target of the day was Puh in Kinnaur Valley but by the speed we were heading it was looking unlikely for the time being. The road after Shimla started to detriorate to hell and just before Kufri it was very much non existent with potholes as size of a crater. We managed to pass them slowly, slowly with so many jerks but still it didn’t break the sleep of my other travel mates … At around 8.15 AM we reach Fagu and enjoyed the breakfast meal at dhabha where we had buns and a nice cup of tea or two each . Then, after 30 minutes or so we were ready to move ahead for the rest of the day towards Puh, Kinnaur Valley.

Visibility was poor or shall I say hard to find roads

The White Queen… Taking a little breather

Dhruv: Perhaps, sharing some tips for driving a scooter to Spiti

Neeraj: Playing the spoil sport

A Sunrise in Shimla

A Sunrise in Shimla… A Broader View

A Tarred Road… It was hard to find them after Shimla

The Journey ahead-

End of this part!!!

Day 4 | 13th March, 2011 | Driving back from Ukhimath to Delhi

It was 6 AM in the morning and we all were ready to go back home. The snow trek to Tunganath and the reflections at Deoria Tal are going to be remembered for a very long time to come. We asked Umeid (cook) to prepare the breakfast and checked out the other Umeid too. He was also awake and over with the last night’s hangover … All of us quickly wrapped up the breakfast and after settling the final bill at Ukhimath, GMVN, bid adieus to the place and lovely people whom we met. We had to drop Umeid at Kund from where he will get the bus or shared taxi to his home town. Since, the roads were empty about 7 AM so we made quick progress to Kund. We dropped Umeid and shared some warm good bye words to see him off. He was really good and we too enjoyed with him.

Last sunset of the trip…

While coming to Ukhimath we missed the Syal Saur for a cup of tea on the banks of Mandakini river. But, this time we were not going to miss the place and entered the Tourist Village at Syal Saur. Tourist Village is nothing but Rest House, GMVN at Syal Saur right on the banks of Mandakini river. We ordered cup of tea each and went down to the river banks to enjoy the water. The views from the Syal Saur were extremely nice and we were regretting that we did not stay there. The place was very calm and peaceful, idle if you’re looking to relax a bit. It was certain that next time we will surely spend a day at this place named Syal Saur. After about half an hour of fun, it was time to call off the day and kick-off our run to home, New Delhi.

Early morning Kedar Peak views…

Mandakini River…

Going home and smiles are back…

Enjoying Mandakini River at Syal Saur…

Almost touching it…

The roads till Agustmuni are amazing and after that slowly deteriorates towards Rudra Prayag. As we crossed traffic mess in Rudra Prayag and further Khankra Bend, there was a major landslide which put our drive to a halt. The rocks were still falling as the efforts were made to clear the road and about 50 minutes were wasted standing there. The heat was turning our heads now and almost required AC to be switched ON as we approached Srinagar. Rudra Prayag to Srinagar is good road only in patches with majority in below average shape. We had to take fuel from Srinagar which was too much hot for the woolens we were wearing. Time to get rid of the woolens and continue with the drive. There was nothing but an excitement to reach back home …

Roads enroute…

The Alaknanda River…

Landslide…

Board says it all…

Jai Shiv Shankar…

After Dev Prayag, the roads improved considerably and we made much quicker progress until Haridwar. Owing to weekend Shivpuri and Rishikesh were packed with the people coming from NCR types to enjoy the thrill of rafting, after all it was season time … About 5.30 PM we crossed Haridwar and decided to stop for the lunch at Bikanerwala/Bikano or Moolchand Resort at Mujjaffar Nagar. Well, the traffic was too much after Haridwar which slowed us considerably and ultimately we stopped for dinner at Bikanerwala / Bikano. Well, the food was really good and of course we enjoyed it a lot being hungry for almost 12 Hrs. The Wold Cup match between India v/s South Africa was ON and we enjoyed for about an hour with food there. Around 8 PM, started the long run towards Delhi first by cruising through the newly laid roads between Meerut and Mujjaffar Nagar and then getting stuck in the traffic jam at Ghaziabad. Finally, we reached Delhi disappointingly as India lost the match in the last over … but anyways they won the work cup though … I dropped both Himanshu and Neeraj, picked my wife from the in-laws home to finally end the trip at my home around 12.30 AM …

I hope you liked the triplog and its pictures too.