Day 1 - Chennai to Chandigarh | Sat,10Sep2022
MAA 07:45 to BLR 08:40 - ( Transit in
Bangalore ) - BLR 10:35 to IXC 13:25
It starts with me (Mathi) and my wife (Nisreen) starting our trip
from Chennai in the morning and landing at the Chandigarh airport in the
afternoon, hoping to reach Manali on the same day.
Chandigarh
Airport to ISBT
(sector 43 bus terminal) is a 20-30 min drive, buses
from Chandigarh to Manali are available from sector 17 and
43, but frequency will be more from 43 (every bus which departs from 17 also
goes via ISBT- 43.)
The airport taxi costs a bit too much , so we chose to hire an
auto (the auto drivers are friendly but theyr'e also a little tricky to
deal with). They were trying to convince us to take a day trip around
Chandigarh but we were determined to reach Manali the same day, so we
requested them to drop us in the bus terminal.
We had lunch in the Chandigarh bus stand where no one would speak English or even Hindi. It is really nice that they stick to their native tongue but unfortunately we had a difficult time getting information regarding the transport to Manali. I already knew it was not going to be easy but at the same time I was not at all interested in booking a taxi for the long journey uphill. I could have booked a private bus through an app but all the buses in the Chandigarh to Manali route were 8 hour long night buses, there were almost no buses in the day time.
The stalls were giving tokens for the
buses but they give the token only once the bus arrives. It was getting late as
we waited in the bus terminal for over 2 hrs at least. The much awaited direct
bus to Manali didn't show up so
we jumped into a bus that was going to Mandi ( located on the way to manali).
The token system was a failure, people flooded the stall counter and the token
guy lost his temperament. He said "ok everyone get into the bus and get
the tickets directly from the conductor". It was stupid.
Route: Chandigargh (1,053 ft) to Ropar-kiratpur-sundernagar - Mandi (2,493ft)
We
managed to book a stay in Mandi while on the bus travel. It was supposed to be
a 6-7 hours journey to Mandi but It took longer than that.
Travel tip : HRTC (Ordinary/Semi Deluxe /Deluxe) buses are the best to travel over hilly areas, they're relatively safer than private buses.
The
bus paused for dinner and reached Mandi very late. We stayed overnight in a
very simple hotel. Restaurants were closing soon and I luckily managed to get
some Roti sabji for dinner.
Day 2 – The morning was beautiful, we had booked an early morning private bus (zing) from Mandi to Manali. We got a free ride (ticketing hadn't started yet) from the hotel to the main bus stand in a public bus which came by. We had tea at one of the bus stand tea shops while watching the sparrows (the first batch of customers always get greeted well). We waited for the bus from 6 am and the bus came an hour late. The sleepy youngsters in the bus from Delhi were waking up and eating the left over snacks. The bus stopped for breakfast in a roadside restaurant somewhere around 10 am. The passengers who were heading towards Jibhi, tirthan and sainj valley got down near the Aut - tunnel (3kms long dangerous tunnel).
Aut is 19 kms before Bhuntar and 3 hours from Manali)
Distance between Aut to Tirthan Valley is 30 kms
The bus crossed Bhuntar and reached the beautiful Kullu
valley in an hour. There
were apple markets all the way from Kullu to Manali. The zing bus lounge and
parking was 4kms before the main town of Manali and we had to hire an
auto (10 mins) to finally reach the Manali HPTDC bus stand (6,725 ft). The plan was to hire a bike
and start our journey towards Kaza (the capital of Spiti valley) immediately as
we were already half a day behind our schedule.
We had lunch (Amritsari kulcha) in the famous Mall
road market just adjacent to the bus stand and also left a part of our luggage
to be stored in the HPTDC cloak room till we come back from Spiti.
Immediately
after lunch we walked to Biker point (bike rental service) managed by Mr.
Pyar singh thakur to hire a RE Himalayan bike, We asked them to
fit a luggage carrier (an extra accessory to carry the luggage comfortably) in
the bike, popularly known in these areas as the Ladakh carrier. We
spent around half an hour inspecting the condition of the bike and fitting the
carrier. We brought the bunjee straps with us from Chennai
so that we don't have to hire everything in Manali. Once we got the bike (8400
Rs for 7 days), we visited the most famous Hadimba temple which
was nearby. The forest trail near the temple with the deodar cedar trees and
the beautiful big rocks was indeed wonderful despite the many
tourists. The water from the pipe in the entrance of the temple was gloriously
refreshing. This place is full of peddlers trying to make a living by selling
products like Kesar (saffron), honey, Kullu caps etc. They also sell various
fun activities like getting dressed in the traditional Himachal attire, yak
rides, photos with bunny rabbits etc.
We filled the petrol tank as the next petrol station is only at Kaza (spiti valley), 200 kms and 10-12 hrs away.
We left Manali around 4 pm and drove along the beautiful Beas river, the Jogini falls was visible in the long. By the time we started driving up the hair pin bends we could feel the temperature dropping. We stopped near Solang valley (8,400ft) to put on the jackets, gloves, face covers etc.. It is not possible to drive further without the help of these.
Solang valley is a very popular winter paradise.
Our initial plan was to reach Manali in the morning, acquire the Rohtang pass permit and reach the Lahul valley through the insanely popular Rohtang pass. But as I explained earlier we were able to reach Manali only in the afternoon and our best option was to take the Atal tunnel to reach Lahul valley before dark (it saves a lot of time compared to the Rohtang pass.)
Travel tip : it is best to visit Rohtang pass on the way back from spiti rather than on the way to spiti as there is no need for the pass permits for those who are travelling from spiti to manali. Also its better to avoid the rohtang pass in the weekends when it will be crowded
Manali – via Atal Tunnel – Khoksar (41 KMs) – Gramphu (46 KMs)
Manali – Marhi (37 KMs) – Rohtang Pass (51 KMs) – Gramphu (66 KMs)
It was time to say good bye to the Beas river which was accompanying us from Mandi.
The Atal tunnel was well managed and well lit with repetitive speed limit warnings. We were so excited to travel through the tunnel but it seemed like never ending and after a point we couldn't resist anticipating the daylight to appear at the end of the 9 Kms long tunnel.
It is the highest highway single-tube tunnel above 10,000 ft (3,048 m) in the world.
Reaching the end of the tunnel and entering the Lahul valley was one of the best moments of the trip. At the exit of the Atal tunnel, the road splits into two, towards Sissu ( a popular tourist town on the way to Ladakh) on the left and towards Koksar (a small village on the way to Spiti) on the right.
Now we were in the company of the Chenab river and reached Koksar (10,302ft) for the evening tea amidst the cabbage farms.
Travel tip : We have to be well prepared in advance with the addresses and phone numbers of guest houses and homestays in these areas because internet or phone connectivity is not available. BSNL has signal coverage but don't depend on it.
It started drizzling and we were worried a bit, luckily we found a homestay near the Koksar forest range. The host, a friendly lady welcomed us with the honey lemon ginger tea as soon as we decided to stay there. So we had the second tea of the evening in a lovely balcony, mesmerised by the sight of vehicles crossing the valley in the far.
As per Census 2011, The district of Lahaul & Spiti is the 3rd least populated district in India and the 2nd least densely populated district in India.
Day 3 – The only way we would survive the day is by starting early. After checking out from the homestay around 6 am, we realised the bike was exposed to the dew throughout the night and the seat was damp. Anyways we managed to ride the bike by spreading some plastic covers on the seat. We were stopped at Koksar check post where the guards asked us to fill in our details on a note book. Most of us crossing this check post for the first time in our life wouldn't be prepared for what lies ahead. Anyhow the check post opened and we drove past the officials, soon there'll be a revelation on whether we under estimated or over estimated our guts.
(While we were planning for the trip, we had come across several articles and blogs mentioning the road condition from Gramphu to Batal. It is one of the most treacherous highway roads between two popular tourist destinations).
We were driving upwards on a well laid road in a very beautiful place.
It was only after an hour of driving that we realised we might be on the wrong route, immediately we felt the extra chill in our spine because this day was all about saving time and we might have already wasted the most crucial hours of the journey. We were at the top of some mountain and in fact it was the Rohtang pass.
We had crossed the Rohtang top (12.058 ft), also crossed the Rani nallah, and reached Marhi (11,020 ft). How much petrol and time did we lose in this stupid mistake ?
It was 10 am by the time we reached all the way down to Gramphu after wasting over an hour (60 kms) on the wrong road. We now realised, the road to Kaza (Spiti valley) was on the left side of Gramphu while the road we took by mistake to Rohtang was on the right. The road to Kaza was marked by a rusty direction board which is easy to miss. It is the only road to Kaza but no one would acknowledge it as a road on seeing it. Anyways we were on the way to Kaza, manifesting the path while proceeding into the unknown. The kaza road had already got us focused on survival but we couldn't shrug off the beauty of Rohtang from our immediate memory, we never could!
Khoksar to Gramphu is 5 kms
Gramphu to Chhatru is 16 kms
Chhatru to Chota Dhara is 17 kms
Chota Dhara to Battal is 15 kms
Battal to Kunzum Pass is 18 kms
Kunzum Pass to Losar is 20 kms
Losar – Kaza ( capital of spiti )is 51 kms
The next place on the map after Gramphu was Chhatru but we did not see it passing, we could only see the vast nothingness of this semi arid, high altitude cold desert. We were living in the moment as we drove between boulders with a conviction, this is the way !
We came across a place which could be Chota Dhara; we had lost track of time while driving through the many small streams and a few mad streams called nallahs.
Travel tip: Its better to remove our shoes while crossing these nallahs or else we might have to travel the whole day with a wet feet.
The continuously bumpy ride on the gravel, pebbles and other rocks deserved a break and in the afternoon we were able to see two dhabas where some vehicles were parked. It was Batal.
Starting very early in the morning saved our day despite the time wasted heading towards Rohtang by mistake.
Travel tip : Starting the journey to Kaza from Manali is tougher because it is 41 kms longer via Atal tunnel and 70 kms longer via Rohtang pass compared to Starting the journey from Koksar.
Batal is the only place for food in this route where we should decide between rajma chawal and dal makhani chawal. It is truly an oasis with rest rooms, water and some ordinary snacks.
Travel tips : The manali to kaza road is free from snow only from mid-May to October. This is the only time this road will be available to access. The only other route to visit spiti valley which is open all around the year is the shimla to kaza road ( 422 kms , 2- 3 days)
After spending close to 45 mins in Batal we started off towards Kaza around 1: 45 pm.
The Chenab river will bid adieu to us here at the bridge in Batal and we will be accompanied by the Spiti river after this point.
we wanted to see the Chandrataal lake to which a small deviation needs to be taken from the main route but we missed the entry point to Chandrataal lake and went straightaway to the Kunzum pass (14,100 feet). There was also an other couple riding a RE classic 350 scratching their head after missing the way to Chandrataal.
Then we asked a team of bikers at the Kunzum stupas and they said we have to go back a few Kms to see Chandrataal and it is not a good idea to visit the lake now if we are intended to reach Kaza by evening.
It is a sentiment of the travelers in the Spiti circuit to express their gratitude at the Kunzum stupas.
From where we were located, reaching chandrataal and coming back will take over 2.5 hrs of travel time and one more hour to relax at the lake. We should not have missed the entry point, there's no point going back now. I was also not interested in staying overnight at the chandrataal camp site ( in one of their tents).
Travel tip : The duration of the trip according to the google maps is not reliable, it takes around 10 hrs to reach Kaza from Koksar and around 12 hrs from Manali.
The road condition in Kunzum is not the worst but it is the most dangerous (too steep and constituted by loose mud). We missed the Chandrataal lake but we were still in the right direction to Spiti, perfectly aligned towards Kaza. We decided we could catch up with Chandrataal lake while on the way back to Manali (after a few days), the downwards slope from Kunzum to Losar also demands extreme caution.
We reached Losar (13,418 ft) by around 4 pm and had a milk tea, wondering if it was cow's milk or yak milk.
Travel tip: The road gets better from Losar towards kaza through the many villages like Kiamo, Hansa, Kiato, Pangmo, Hull, Hal, Moorang, Sumling, Khurik etc.
Travel tip : The buddha statue mounted on a hill in Rangrik is real, it is not a hallucination. Also don't confuse it with the Buddha statue of Langza.
The key
monastery was visible on the far left, the majestic Spiti valley connects with
our primal instincts and resonates a truly divine feeling immediately as we
enter.
On reaching Kaza (11,980ft) around 6 pm, it started to rain and both of us were losing patience especially after what we had gone through the whole day. We called a few home stays to check the availability/prices and finally chose to stay at the "Kunzum home stay".
The host was yet again a very friendly lady, the ginger lemon honey tea was ready, there was a dog of course and this time we did not forget to protect the bike seat from the dew.
Travel tip : We were getting accustomed with the bunjee cords, our bags fell down a few times during the journey but soon we became experts at luggage safety and maintenance. We had a bluetooth speaker and we wouldn't have made it this far without the songs.
After some rest, it was time to explore the town market. Quickly after shopping a few essential things we found this restaurant/cafe called "Taste of spiti" where we ordered thenthuk and some nice momos.
"We should have chosen the regular thukpa instead of the thenthuk" was my first remark.
We walked back to the homestay after getting a glimpse of
the hipster vibe that Kaza has especially with its many cafes like the sol
cafe, himalayan cafe, cafe piti, cafe zomsa etc. It is also one of the best places for stargazing as most
part of the town doesn't have any lights. Least light pollution and high altitude allows the leisure
observation of celestial objects in the night sky.
Day 4 –We started off towards Mudh in the morning which is 50 kms away in the pin valley. We continued along the Spiti river on the main road till the Attargo bridge which connects Kaza to the Pin valley national park. We took a right turn to cross the bridge and here starts the road to the Mudh village..
We are accompanied by the Pin river in this route.
The route: Attargo to Gulling – 16 Kms, Gulling to Mikkim via kungri gompa – 3.5 Kms, Mikkim to Mud village– 15 Kms.
We stopped at the most beautiful Kungri gompa and the prayer hall was full. The villagers were casually listening to the sermons, free from any sophistication or tension. They were genuinely happy in that cultural gathering. We sat in a corner silently for some 20 minutes, not trying to meditate or anything and some of the monks welcomed us with a smile.
Kungri gompa - the main centre of the Nyingma-pa sect in Spiti, the 2nd oldest monastery in spiti.
It is noted for its sword dance by the buzhens of Mud village.
Mudh is the last inhabited village of the pin valley.
The journey to the Mudh village (12,139 ft) was very peaceful with many impressive bridges across the beautiful Pin river. As soon as we reached the village, we booked a room in the Pin Parvati hotel. There was a group of Mumbai based Tamil people, most of them in their forties or fifties staying at the Tara homestay.
We had lunch in a nearby restaurant and visited the hanging
bridge in the evening. Beyond the suspension bridge there's a trek route to a
place marked in the google maps as the valley of colours. We hiked for sometime
in that trail witnessing the lifestyle of the people of Mudh village who were
surprised that we came all the way from Tamilnadu to see their village.
The Mudh village was getting ready for the winter. People were busy covering the roofs of their houses with bundles of dry grass (thatching). WINTER IS COMING !
We had tea (of course the ginger lemon honey tea) in Tara cafe and an early dinner in the other restaurant (the same place where we had lunch that afternoon). Our hotel room had a big glass window allowing us to keep an eye on the beautiful blue green colours of the landscape but it also made the room very cold. Electricity supply was not consistent, so we had to charge the phones, power banks, speaker etc. whenever there's a chance.
Day 5 – We had breakfast in Tara cafe and the day's plan was to reach Tabo (65 kms away).
The road to Tabo is renowned for shooting stones and land slides. The landscape changed its shape and form every half an hour and the danger was ever persistent due to the unreliable roads.
We are again accompanied by the Spiti river.
We saw the workers, mostly women picking up the stones from the road on a daily basis. The closer we got to Tabo we could see the yellow flowered trees on both sides of the road. Around 5kms before Tabo I noticed the sound of the bike getting odd and the performance dropping. The worst thing to happen on a Spiti trip is tyre puncture.
Travel tips: The irony of hiring a bike to spiti or ladakh is that, you will need an adventure bike like the himalayan (400 cc) or the 350 - 500 cc bullet bikes to carry the load up the mountains. But these off road bikes don't usually come with tubeless tyres because they have spoked wheels and not alloy wheels. Alloy wheels might break due to the impact it takes while cruising through stones along the way. So one has to be ready with a puncture kit or extra tubes in case of emergency.
We did not have the privilege of carrying an extra tube with us and it is not easy to change tubes in a bike wheel ourself. All i had was a compact tyre inflator device which can be powered from the bike's battery. Anyways once i suspected the puncture, we drove all the way to Tabo without stopping because i knew there was a puncture repair shop in Tabo, It was at the very entrance gate of Tabo (10,761 ft).
This was pure luck and the mechanical expert patched the tyre with extra rubber to avoid any more punctures and also filled the tyre with extra air pressure saying it is the ideal thing to do in the mountain roads.
So after an hour in the puncture repair shop, we had lunch at the tiger den restaurant. The slight drizzling of rain dint stop us from visiting the Tabo monastery which has a beautiful garden and an apple orchid. The Tabo caves where the monks used to meditate was also visible from the monastery
Tabo Mud Monastery - the oldest continuously functional gompa in the Indian union, tantric vajrayana sect.
Wiki data: Tabo was built as a 'daughter' monastery of the Tholing Monastery in Ngari, western Tibet. This royal dynasty was instrumental in re-introducing the Indian Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet. Tabo is noted for being the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in both India and the Himalayas
Our next plan was to visit the Dhankar monastery on the way back to Kaza.
Tabo to Kaza is 48 kms, 2 Hours drive.
Tabo to Dhankar monastery is 31 kms
The Dhankar monastery (12,467 ft)was on the top of a hill and i was checking the fuel meter all the way up as the punctured ride to Tabo might have consumed a lot of petrol. The view from the hill was ethereal, we could see the the rivers from spiti valley and pin valley merge together to create a painting.
By the time we reached the Dhankar monastery, it was raining a little bit but the sight of the monastery clinging over the mountain made us forget the rain.
Travel tips: Spiti valley is a Rain shadown region, it is a cold desert that doesn't face heavy rain but it is better to have a poncho in case of minor downpours.
There were a lot of Kids living the disciplined monk life, chanting prayers and serving tea in the 1200 year old monastery while the rain continued to drizzle.
Dhankar monastery - the old capital of spiti, Gelug sect.
Wiki data : Dhankar was the traditional capital of the Spiti Valley Kingdom during the 17th century and has some features dating back to the 12th century. It was the seat of the early rulers of Spiti, the Nonos
Afterwards when we started driving down, the rainfall was a bit more than the usual drizzle. We found cover under a tree for fifteen minutes till the rain calmed down.
We started off to kaza, to stay at the Kunzum homestay for a second time.
Dhankar to Kaza is around 35 kms
That night we had a better exploration of the Kaza market and had dinner at the himalayan cafe. We ordered the yogi's bowl and the seabuckthorn berry tea.
Day 6 – The morning strolls in Kaza were the best part of the trip, our breakfast was again in the himalayan cafe as they had a really good menu.
(Kaza town)
We were looking forward for a relaxed drive to Langza (14,435ft) where there was a big Buddha statue; it is one of the main landmarks in Spiti valley. The road to Langza was fantastic compared to the other roads in the region; it was such a relaxing drive all the way to the top as we expected.
The Snow clad mountains decorated the small village and I was wishing to see some wildlife on the way, especially the ibex (wild goat) but that dint happen. Langza is also popular for the fossils (200 millions years old), the place used to be submerged under the Tethys sea. The locals sell fossils to tourists, mostly the spiral shaped ammonites. After taking a few photos and relaxing under the majestic Buddha statue we moved onto have breakfast in the spaceship café. Many of the cafes in the Spiti valley are run by volunteers, organised by the Spiti ecosphere voluntourism programme. We had a simple maggi noodles with ginger lemon honey tea.
We can also choose hot ginger lemon honey water instead of the ginger lemon honey tea depending on the mood.
The Mumbai based chennai group with whom we got familiar with in Mudh were also there at this cafe in langza, They were surprised at our audacity to visit such risky places in a bike without the perfect riding gears compared to the professional bikers who are fully protected while visiting the valley. They were also very concerned, whether we informed our parents about the nature of the trip. See, this is the problem with small talks ..
While on the road from Langza to Komic we had to stop for a few minutes because of the hailstones shower, it took a few seconds for us to understand what was happening. We thought it was a hard rain but small balls of ice were falling from the sky like marbles.
Anyways we reached the Komic monastery (14,806ft) which
is just half an hour away from Langza.
Its called the Tangyud monastery, located in the komic village and it belongs to the Sakya sect of Buddhism.
Wiki data: The monastery itself was apparently badly damaged in the earthquake of 1972. This monastery was several times robbed around 1920-1940 by the thief and robbers from Kashmir and other parts of the areas. They took all the gold and broke all the statues and monks had to run away from the monastic to save their lives.
It was quiet and peaceful, especially in the interiors. The tourists visiting Langza will most probably go to Komic next and then to Hikkim (the village has an high altitude post office). We had no interest in seeing the highest post office in the world, so we chose to drive back to Kaza but we realised the Key monastery was not very far. The road to Key Gompa and the road to Rangrik (Gramphu -Batal road) splits near the Spiti valley bridge.
Kye(kee/key)Gompa
- a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelugpa sect.
Wiki data: Kye was attacked by the Mongols (17th century), it was sacked again
during the wars between Ladakh and Kulu (1830). it was severely damaged by the
Dogra army and also suffered more damage from the Sikhs (1841). It was ravaged
by fire (1840s) and a violent earthquake caused further damage in1975.
The Kee Monastery is covered with paintings and murals of the 14th century monastic architecture which developed as the result of Chinese influence.
It has a collection of ancient murals and books.
It accommodates nearly 250 monks,
Its heads are the reincarnations of Guru Rinpoche. The current head of Kee Monastery is the 19th birth of Guru Rinpoche.
This monastery had so many chambers with small windows like a fort. We couldn't resist the temptation to sit and meditate or at least pretend. It was very busy as the people from surrounding villages were flocking there for some auspicious event. The tourist crowd was comparatively very less.
There were a group of tourists listening to a monk lecturing about life, the monk paused his lecture to offer me herbal tea but i replied "no" accompanied by a "thank you" in the most polite way I could. Maybe he wanted us to be a part of his audience but i was more interested in the back door of the monastery that opens to a vast scenery, it was truly majestic.
Anything about Spiti valley cannot be comprised in words, may be the pictures speak better. We came down for lunch to the "taste of lahaul" restaurant, it was late afternoon but they said they will cook for us if we can wait for sometime. We met a group of friendly guys from Bangalore in here. They had entered spiti through the shimla route (self driving in their car) and wanted to exit through the Manali side. They were worried about the Kaza to Manali road which I said is very bad. After lunch, me and my wife Nisreen spent some time clicking photographs of the key monastery from the restaurant's terrace.
Travel tip : The best view of the monastery is from the top of a hill near the gette village.
We had tea on the way back to Kaza in the Kunga hotel, refreshing ourselves again with the lemon ginger honey mix. They had a good map of the places to visit in Spiti valley.
On reaching Kaza we had some rest in the Kunzum home stay
and the special dish for dinner was the butter pepper chicken in Himalayan
café.
Day7 – Today we're leaving Kaza and so we strolled through the Kaza market for the final time looking for souvenirs. We then checked out from the homestay and went straight to the fuel station to fill the petrol tank for the travel till Manali.
Just 5 mins away from the high altitude Indian oil petrol bunk (12,270ft) is the Spiti souvenir shop which had a good collection at a fixed rate. The prayer wheels were quite pricey but we bought a few T shirts, shawls, prayer flags and hanging scrolls. We also asked for the Seabuckthorn berry which they had in one liter and two liter bottles (in liquid form). We were expecting powder packets but they only had the liquid juice which will definitely leak in our bumpy bike travel.
Sea buck thorn grows wild in the banks of spiti river and it has medical properties, the seabuckthorn market is growing and it can reach a pan india market like aloe vera.
Anyways we did not want to miss Chandrataal this time.
Travel tip : it is best to stay in Losar to visit Chandrataal from the kaza to manali direction,
Kaza to Losar is 58 kms, 2 hrs drive.
Losar to Chandrataal is 36 kms and might take 2.5 hrs to reach.
losar to kunzum pass is 17 kms
kunzum to chandrataal is 19 kms
On the way to Losar we saw a lot of wild shrubs and berries, we even collected a few berries which looked like Seabuckthorn but we were not sure.
We reached Losar in time for the afternoon lunch and we found a place to stay called the Khyentsey Home Stay. The owner of the place had a kid and a dog, he was very straightforward in his deal.
The electricity is provided through a generator till 10pm in the homestays in Losar.
Our stay was located in a very beautiful field between the tall mountains. The farmers were harvesting wheat/barley, they also cultivate green peas in this region. Watching the mountains became our main activity as the sunlight was struggling to cut through the dense mist of the evening.
We had both the lunch and dinner in kunzom dhaba, a small place run by a lady and her 2 yr old kid. We kept the kid occupied while she cooked the meal. We had to inform in advance regarding the dinner because they might close the kitchen early as they don't get many customers. The 5 minute drive from the home stay to the restaurant was itself a difficult experience after dark. It was dangerously cold and silent.
The total population of Losar according to the 2011 census was just 320 people out of which 52 % are female and 18% are kids below 6 yrs of age.
Day 8 – In the morning we had to leave early, the owner of the place was not home and so we paid the money to the kid and left the place. After 20 minutes on the road we met the owner coming in the opposite direction in his small maruti car. He always leaves early in the morning and drives till Kunzum to check if any tourists are stranded in emergency situations. He is a part of the rescue squad that helps tourists who get caught in the merciless side of nature at untimely hours. We thanked him for the homestay and braced ourselves for the tough drive ahead.
The task of the day was to reach Manali. (We also met one of the guys from the Bangalore gang whom we saw at the restaurant near the Key gompa (they entered Spiti through the Shimla side). He dint recognise us because he was in a tensed situation. By the information we got from this guy, they had eventually attempted at exiting Spiti valley through the Manali side the previous day and their car had suffered a breakdown near one of the nallahs (streams). So he has come to Losar to find necessary spare parts and mechanical help, his friends are waiting in Chandrataal and their car was somewhere else. He requested us to pass a message to his friends regarding the car repair.
We reached the Kunzum top at a slow and steady speed.
This time we did not miss the entry point to chandrataal, there was a direction board set up by the BRO (border roads organisation). The chandrataal road is very narrow and the sides are steep without railings. Any small mistake could result in a steep fall and the water crossing on the road is also quite a challenge.
Somehow we reached the chandrataal lake (14,100ft), it is a 15- 20 mins walk from the parking area to the lake.
We saw a few tourists sitting down, holding their head to the altitude sickness.
Travel tip:
The altitude sickness called as AMS ( Acute mountains sickness) affects some
people when they visit high places which are above 10,000 ft. This is why a
Spiti itinerary should have consideration for the altitude, especially the
places where we stay in the trip. We can’t just travel from Manali (6725 ft) to the kunzum pass or chandrataal lake directly and decide to stay there on the same day. The
altitude difference could lead to the sickness which can be brutal and even
life threatening sometimes. Tourists are advised to take a course of Diamox tablets
before starting the trip. We can get the prescription advice at any pharmacy in
Himachal pradesh.
Me and
Nisreen took one tablet each before starting the trip but forgot about it as
the travel progressed. Maybe we dint need it after all but it could be a life
saver for some tourists.
(The three
guys from Bangalore were sitting near the Chandrataal vehicle parking area waiting
for that friend to return from Losar. They were very happy and relieved to get
an update from him through us).
We then
walked towards the Chandrataal Lake, there is truly something spiritual about
high altitude lakes. It was like a Godly entity residing on the top of the
great mountains and there are also some stories of UFO sightings in
Chandtrataal Lake.
This lake changes its colour between blue green and brown including the variety of shades in between as the clouds move above, also depending on the time of the day. There were some serious photographers setting up the camera on tripods, doing the Time Lapse photography and some were hiking up the hills around the lake. The shadow of the clouds passing over the mountains was a sight to behold.
After the chandrataal experience, we had our lunch in Batal, The place has two Dhabas, the popular one is the Chacha chachi dhaba run by an old couple who've been running it for around 50 years, they had once rescued some travellers from a storm by risking their own life. Travellers who wish to stay near the Chandrataal lake either stay in the Chandrataal camps or in this dhaba in Batal.
As soon as we finished our lunch, severe wind and drizzling started. We had a poncho in our bag which was not used so far and so we decided to try it out. Just unfolding the thing and wearing it in the middle of the wind really tested our patience. One half of the day's task is completed but the tougher half was waiting to test us. Especially the Batal to Chhatru stretch or vice versa is a mission impossible dead reckoning situation (This road is a river bed full of large stones, loose gravel and criss-cross water streams) which we experienced once already (while entering the spiti valley) and we were doing it again for a second time to exit the Spiti valley.
The drizzling slowed down after an hour and we met the Bangalore guys again as
they were sitting comfortably inside their car while it was being carried
slowly on a tow truck, finally rescued out of their misery.
Once again we lost track of time, the road gets comparatively better after Chhatru and we were steadily moving somewhere near Gramphu. Suddenly around 4:30 pm the tar road was back, finding the tar road after travelling through the Gramphu - Batal route from Kaza is like getting a foot massage after a pilgrimage walk. The rain was trying to threaten us with a sensitive drizzle but we were not bothered because of the joy of achievement we felt at that moment.
The Road was pristine and we were able to reach Manali through the Atal tunnel by around 6pm. We were transitioning into the next phase of the trip, a whole another week that's going to be spent in the the hippy vibes of the Parvati valley. We both were covered in dust and mud from the travel and were desperately in need for the tea which we had in the café evergreen, a river side café in old Manali. We discussed about the choice of hostels in Old Manali as nothing was pre booked due to the uncertainty in each and every day of the trip.
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