Chand Baori, the Step Well

Chand Baori & Sariska

While browsing internet I came across a blog which showcased the photographs of Chand Baori, the photograph was so gripping I immediately knew where I am going next. But my wanderlust wasn’t going to satisfy with only Chand Baori, so I kept on googling.

The Chand Baori

Now it seemed a pretty interesting trip (with Sariska and Bhangargh) with jam packed schedule to follow.   Although I had to drop Bhangarh on the last day due to my laziness of waking up early!

After a lazy morning we started towards our first destination Sariska. Soon after we took a left from NH8 somewhere near Bhiwadi, we entered into the Aravali regions. We were accompanied by some awesome views of rustic brown hillocks shining under the gazing Sun. After a comfortable drive of 3.5 hrs, we reached Sariska at around 12 PM.

Very First Sight of Sariska Palace

Sariska Palace was our bet for getting some royal treatment at the Royals of Rajasthan, though it didn’t live up to the expectations. The first Look of the Room was pretty impressive but at a closer look, it needed big time maintenance!

Sariska National Park has a similar topography as Ranthambore, though it’s bigger in area. While visiting Ranthambore I got to know that 3 tigers were relocated from Ranthambore to Sariska last year itself!! I was not very keen on spending 3000 Rs for the Safari as the probability of spotting the Big Cats was pretty less. So we took our own car into the national park till the Hanuman temple (21km) with an entry fees of Rs. 250. The peacocks and monkey can be located in abundance in the park. It’s worth paying a visit to the temple.

Next day we started late for Abhaneri, verified the route with one of the hotel staff, it took us around 1.5 -2 hours.

Baori and Harshatmata Temple were built in the 8th century by the King Chand, the ruler of Abha Nagri. The village was named after the glow (abha in Hindi) which is reflected through the well (Baori) water during full moon nights. It is known pronounced as Abhaneri.

Mere one look at the Boari is enough to boast about the rich heritage & culture Rajasthan has! As soon as we reached near the Baori, a flock of hundreds of pigeon flew (twice) just over our head to change their resting area, probably due to change in the wind or sun.

The Chand boari is a square shaped well, having a total of 3000 stairs symmetrically carved on its 3 sides, contributing to the beautiful Top view of the Boari. Earlier the 4^th side was a ramp, and later the King of Jaipur converted that side into his Summer Palace to get relief from the scorching heat.

The baori is fenced from the other 3 sides, it’s not allowed to enter the well. Three years back only, it was fenced for safety purposes when an Italian women slipped over the inside stairs of the well. Though I was disappointed with that restriction as I couldn’t have a closer look at it, but it didn’t lessen the sheer pleasure of sighting that beautiful piece of architecture.

Our guide told that earlier it used to be a source of ground water but now it was filled with green rain water at the bottom. We strolled around the baori, heard the significance of various statues placed at the nearby corridors and admired its beauty as well as magnificence.

Closer Look at the depth of Chand Baori

Suddenly, I saw a college going girl who seemed modern and (at least) graduate, ignoring all the notice and crossed the fence entered the boari. Despite of the security guard’s and her very own friend’s shouting, she didn’t move out an inch until her “SO CALLED PHOTOGRAPH” was clicked. After this she had a proud smile on her face as if she had won some righteous war. I mean SERIOUSLY!!

Harshatmata Temple against the blueish-grey cloudy background

Harshatmata Temple is dedicated to the goddess Harshat. The temple was destroyed during the Mughal and Turkish invasion in north India. After destruction locals tried to rebuild the temple, but it was never the same. Few pieces and statues are also lying in the forbidden corridors of Chand Baori!!

While returning we were accompanied by some awesome weather with rain, cool breeze, good road, awesome views and soulful music, all the ingredients of peaceful and refreshing drive back to HOME SWEET HOME!! 

Munsiyari.. with an icing of Binsar!!

Generally managers (especially in India) believe that one should not get any holidays apart from Saturday/Sunday/Statutory Holidays (those too, only when you don’t have work)! In such circumstances asking a leave without some medical/legal emergency, without some relatives wedding is like a Non-Bailable Crime and I have been guilty of it not only once but many a times!  And yes, I shall continue to do the same in future also, as I can’t live without travelling to unknown routes, meeting people from different culture, breathing the clean and fresh air of some distant mountains, dipping feet in the cold stream of water.. and the list continues..

As I had recently switched job and took quite a few leaves when I got married (one year back) I started to think about the options I had for taking the leave.  After much of brainstorming I decided to try to convince my boss for the actual reason i.e. travelling. Believe me it was much easier, as I didn’t have to think of a lie for every counter question he asked. That was an unexpectedly pleasant start to my trip planning activities..

Early Morning View at Munsiyari

This time it was Munsiyari, the trekkers paradise and we were not going there for trekking! After the June Floods in UttaraKhand, I had to alter my plan a little, had to drop Dharchula from my itinerary as the road was completely washed-off especially near Jauljibi, so I included Binsar in our trip and struck Dharchula off with a heavy heart, not that I regret it now, as Binsar offered some equally awesome memoirs to remember.

We started from Delhi on Friday night, took a train to Kathgodam, from there on we had pre-booked a taxi. Morning 5.30 AM when the Sun was still asleep under the blanket of dark clouds, we started our road travel.

Total 12 hrs road journey through the broken roads, water crossings, few distant recent landslide areas, unmatched mountain views and awesome monsoon weather of hills, a normal drive through the clouds. We reached Munsiyari at evening 5 PM. If I have to describe the village in one line than: A small and pretty tribal village with a daunting view of Snow covered Pachachuli Peak from almost every nook and corner of the village. You are likely to find a lot of trekking groups as lot of small & long, easy & difficult treks start from here.

The distant landslide enroute munsiyari

Road through clouds

Next day morning I woke up early in the morning, to my luck it was a clear morning with awesome view of the Snow Cladded Mountains. As the day progressed the clouds come up and cover the higher peak. The only things to do in munsiyari either go for a trek or just laze around and embrace the stillness, calmness, and listen our own heart beating against the cool breeze. For a change I did the later..

View from our room

Nandadevi temple is located right in the middle of lush green high mountain peaks and offers some awesomeeeeeee paranomic views of snow covered peaks, The small walk till the temple is through the tall green pine trees. I thought of spending some time at one of the benches but the house flies were guarding the place like anything!

View from Nandadevi Temple.. though covered under clouds but thats a small price you have to pay enjoy weather that awesome

Rainbow on some unknown road @ Munsiyari 

Spent the evening walking around the village, sitting on the edge of some unknown road, watching the sun-set behind those huge Blue Mountains having small patches amber-pink clouds. That pristine sight was captured in my heart for ever and ever!!  To have an un-interrupted encounter with nature, I didn’t carry my camera that evening, to avoid any urge to click the photograph.

Next day we started early morning for Binsar accompanied by some heavenly view and landscapes. We halted at Kali mandir which is supposed to offer some awesome views but by the time we reached there, the entire atmosphere was full of clouds, though there is no comparison of such hilly monsoon weather but we were devoid of some spectacular views. We were walked amidst of clouds, removed our slippers and entered into the old open corridor of temple of Goddess Kali..

Suddenly, our driver stopped the car and pointed towards a distant falls and told that is Birthi Falls, from road it seemed a little far, so we decided that we will walk to have a somewhat closer look and come back.. As I started walking, my feet started itching to reach the falls.

There was not a single soul near the falls or enroute to falls. As we reached near the magnificent and loud falls. The Cool breeze of air, the water mist, the grey cloudy sky gave a feeling of rain though it wasn’t. It was totally worth to climb through that steep and very slippery route, just to experience that surreal environment. 

First Sight of Birthi Falls; I couldn't do any justice while capturing the magnificence but still.. 

It’s not that I haven’t seen huge and magnificent water falls, but there was something different about this one. Maybe it was the (rainy) weather, serenity, calmness & stillness, solitude or it was my state of mind, but it looked Divine!!

The broken road to Heaven

While driving to Binsar, we were accompanied by the Ganges for a long time, also the ‘Sangam’ (confluence) at Bhageshwar can be easily seen while crossing the city. By the time we reached Binsar the Wildlife Sanctuary was closed so we headed straight to our resort. The huge glass window in our room gave an un-interrupted view of the sun-set behind the snow-cladded white peak..

Sunset at Binsar

Early morning we went to the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, while tracking we saw few distant peaks. But could have the paranomic view of the Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Panchachuli, Chaukhamba and Kedarnath because of clouds, but the track itself was worth an early morning walk.

After a filling breakfast we headed to Rahul’s favorite hill station i.e. Nainital, and did some touristy activities such as boating in Naini Lake, visiting the artificial Caves, roaming on the mall road, taking a cycle rikshaw ride on mall road (must do in Nainital) etc..

The everrefreshing beauty: Naini Lake @ Nainital

With this pleasant evening our trip was summed up and we were refreshed to go back to our hectic corporate lives with fixed schedules, until the next holiday!!

Dalhousie..!!

Dalhousie

We reached Dalhousie at 8.00PM with our heads falling below our knees due to the tiredness. There were 200 stairs to reach our room at birds and chirps, immediately I thought of an elevator, and how helpful invention it would have been!!

Anyways I didn’t have that option so had to climb through those stairs. After reaching our room, I took bath and then with immediate effect, fell sick. Still I managed to go to the dinning area, where Mrs. Bhalla gave me medicine and after having dinner I was off to bed.

Starting of stairs towards Birds n Chirps

Early morning I woke up with the chirping of birds and when I opened the door I could see number of small birds of various colors and sizes, hopping from one tree to another and the only audible sound was theirs. At around 6.30AM the bed tea was sent to our room what else one can ask, spent our morning appreciating the serenity of the place and left room around at 10AM.

We headed towards Khajjiar if you are lucky with a clear sky you might get a glimpse of snow covered peaks of Dhauladhar ranges which I witnessed last time, but this time we weren't so lucky. We reached khajjiar in less than an hour time. It is a flat plateau surrounded by tall and thick deodar trees. At the day time it is very commercialized with lot of vendors roaming around for food item, photos, horse riding and other kids games. It is like a crowded picnic spot, but in off season it is worth to pay a visit here.

Khajjiar

Baby Rabbit @ Khajjiar.. Lots of Rabbit were available there, for holding and clicking photos with 10 Rs/person

Two government cottages are also available with night stay facility. Staying here at night it is quite an experience. While staying, if you happen to go towards the forest at night you might listen one or two animal sounds as happened in our case(last year), so it is advised not to venture into the forest at night time. One can spend some time at the flat grassland and enjoy the night full of stars.

Anyways back to our current visit, as me and my husband was spending time looking at the people around suddenly from nowhere a sound came “Oye kya haal chal?” I turned back and realised it is our ex-colleague and friend Gaurav, we don’t get time to see each other in Delhi (in spite of living in the same city), that busy our lives have become!!

But finding him and his family here was a pleasant surprise. We spent some time together exchanged our travel notes, made plans to meet next weekend (which obviously didn’t materialise) and headed to our next destinations. My initial plan was to go towards Chamba and Sach Pass but we dropped it one the sach pass was closed and two Rahul didn’t support the idea of going and coming back from Chamba as we had limited time. So, we took a 'U turn' and went to Kalatop Sanctuary.

Khalatop Wildlife Sanctuary is on the midway while going to Khajjiar from Dalhousie. You can walk through the Sacntuary or can take your car inside by paying a minimal amount of Rs. 200. In cloudy weather walking is a very good option as you will be walking through the mist. 

Not much of wildlife to spot. Few adventure sports (Rappelling & Zipping) are available inside and at the top there is a beautiful forest guest house along with few eating options. Few Bollywood movies has also been shot here.

We opted for the going via car, as we were taking the car ticket for Kala-top Wildlife sanctuary, again Gaurav bumped into us. So we decided to explore it together. We spent some time remembering Old time made fun of each other. Then Gaurav and his family left as they had to go to the Panchpula waterfalls. Myself and Rahul stayed there, walked through the wildlife sanctuary and visited the forest guest house where Bollywood movie “Lootera” was shot.  

@Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary... Forest Guest house where final scenes of Lootera was shot !!

Then we were done sightseeing for the day and headed towards the market to stuff our stomach with Mc-cains & Other junk food selling by the market area of Dalhousie. Next we went to Tibet market, immediately realised that we shouldn’t have come here. The path between the shops is so narrow that even one person cannot pass easily, and you will find only cheap stuff (few items looked second hand to me) being sold out here. We went back to the main market area, sipped coffee in a beautiful small coffee shop, strolled through the market for 3-4 times and called it day, At the homestay we had some awesome homemade food and after spending an hour in our balcony, retired to sleep.


On the way back to Dalhousie

Again the morning was a repeat telecast of previous morning. After breakfast we checked out and got a shock due to the partial and immature rules of  Birds n Chrips when Mrs. Bhalla charged us extra (for breakfast and dinner) despite of it being mentioned otherwise in the confirmation e-mail and when we sought for an explanation she told, that this disparity is because we booked it online and others didn’t. So we paid 800 Rs extra for booking online (Hostel Booker Charges) + Very Expensive Dinner & Breakfast, which inflated our total cost of stay by 50% compared to others. This left us with a feeling of being cheated. Every time I visit a popular and common tourist destination in North India, my belief about the rude, un-courteous and unjust behaviour of people (of such areas) gets reconfirmed with some or the other incident!!

Anyways we went ahead to Pachpula Waterfalls, it was a small 10-15 mins climb towards the waterfalls. A beautiful falls but similar to other sights it was also crowded. After having next round of tea here we headed towards Dainkund Peak and our mood spoiler driver was again in action he stopped the car in the midway, with a phone dialed-up to his boss and expression of denial (to move) on his utterly shrewd face. OHHH MY GODDD!! This guy was now playing on my nerves with his new gestures of lying on our face. Again Rahul had to talk to the Cab owner and explain him that the driver is lying and we haven't visited the place yesterday, then only he drove further.

Finally we reached Dainkund with kind of bad mood. But as soon as we started climbing up the mountain my mood was reset, as the clouds were playing hide and seek to give a blissful sight of the lush green mountains. The trek offered awesome views of the nearby mountains, as the Dainkund peak is one the highest among the nearby hills, good top view of the valley. The total walking time is required to visit the Kali Mandir at the top of the peak is around 1.5 hr - 2 hr (to and fro).

Dainkund Terk

After this we headed back to the city for lunch to walk around thandi and garam sadak, spent time strolling here and there, then left for Pathankot at around 4.30-5.00 to catch our train. On the way, just before entering the city (Pathankot) you will find lot of farm houses which offer good variety of food with nice ambiance. We halted at Mama’s (the only good thing our driver did in entire trip) they served awesome food and nice garden seating was available. With our stomach full till neck we started for the railway station and then to Delhi.

So this was the end journey of Mc-leodganj and Dallhousie except the last bit of nagging at the station which our driver did to complete our experience. Our trip is concluded such an eventful trip with some good, some not so good and some bad experiences*...  But all that makes it a memorable trip, with lot of stories to remember or forget ;-) :-P !!

*All not so good and bad experiences are related people, and their behaviour!!

McLeodganj

We started our journey by taking the train to Pathankot from Tuglakabad (Delhi) at around 10.30PM (please keep a buffer of 15-20 mins extra if you ever are planning to take the train from here). We were supposed to reach Pathankot at 11 AM but thanks to our railway system we were 3 Hrs late.

As soon as I de-boarded the train, the first thing visible was army tanks in huge number, so much so that one entire railway track was occupied only with tanks.

At around 2 PM we started our journey towards Mcleodgunj and within the first 5 mins we realized that its going to be very difficult to handle this adamant driver. Anyways we ignored the fact and reached Mcleodgunj at around 4.30PM.

The first thing was to have lunch. This time I had pre-decided each and every restaurant we were going to eat at. So we went looking for SEED CAFÉ. After walking around 1 km from the main square we reached this small & sidelined café. There was nobody in the café at that time we took one table and the view from the café is just amazing. Fog was playing hide and seek against those huge lush green mountains. All fatigue was gone in just 5 mins after sitting there. We ordered some Italian food and started enjoying the music and view.

Seed Cafe

After spending an hour there, Rahul said let me call the hotel guy to check for the route to hotel and to our shock the manager informed that there has been no bookings done from Expedia against our name. We tried calling Expedia around 50 times, but no one picked up. After paying full money in advance they didn’t even bother to inform/block the room at the hotel. There we were, in the middle of the busy Jogiwara road, with no room and almost all hotels being sold out.

At the back of Seed Café there were few hotels so we went to check in each one of them, just to try our luck. Finally we got a room for one day in Hotel Moon River. I literally loved the room as it had green and refreshing view from the balcony. 

We decided to take a walk along the market and trust me it was a very good experience to walk around the lively and colourful market having shops of antique/junk jewelry,  colourful shawls and woollens, trekking/camping materials, food stalls/ restaurants and what not. I just loved it!!

After spending 2-3 hrs shunting in the market we decided to have dinner and there were so many good options in Mcleodgunj. One can easily get confused where to eat and where not. Finally we decided to eat at Clay Owen at Main square. The ambiance was rustic with clay walls, wall hangings made out of wooden clogs, bamboo shades to hold the bulbs emitting yellow light, open ovens to make wood fired pizza, Tibetan style seating and the soft relaxing music being played at the backdrop. All this  made it a very relaxing and soothing place to have dinner. There is a small sitting area in the balcony of the restaurant also where one can enjoy the dinner. We ordered some thai curry & rice +  khotey momos both of the dishes were delicious and till date I regret not ordering Waffle with ice cream and Chocolate sauce, as it was looking so tempting and every single table on the restaurant had that dish. Anyways we summed up our dinner with that thai curry and rice.

We spent our rest of the evening roaming around the market area, observing people and chit-chatting amongst ourselves and soon we were off to bed to get a good night sleep.

The combination of cool breeze and bright sunlight  gave a refreshing start to a new day full of excitement to complete the trek (Triund) which was left unfinished last time as we took the wrong trek and had to return from the jungle at the night. But first we started-off with some local sight-seeing, which included the Church, Dal Lake (dont go there) and few other points. 

Outserspace of the Church

Glass Paintings at the Church

For Triund one can start trekking from Dharamkot itself/ or hire a vehicle and go till Golu temple and start the trek from there. It is not exactly a trek, but a hike to a fully carved stone path, with a lot of broken stairs. If you start early then it's doable in one day (to and fro). The only troll is the huge broken stairs which drains some energy out of you. There are two midway cafes on the route where you can get tea and basic stuff for eating. Lot of horses (carrying various stuff) climb up the hill along with you. One need to be careful of them, as one of the horses which overtook me got misbalanced while climbing and fell rolling down into the valley.

Triund Trek

You will find 4-5 small shops selling almost everything you might need during the night stay at top of the hill. They even arrange tents and sleeping bags, but it’s better to carry your own as availability of those depends on the number of traveller staying there. During the right season the entire hill is full of tents so much so it becomes difficult to get a place for your tent. So the place is fully crowded if you are looking for secluded place for trek then this is definitely not the place. If you want to trek further, one can go to LAKA Glacier (8Km up and down from triund) or till Khabrotu (4 km up and down from triund) those must be less crowded.

Top of the Triund

My Camp

Sunset At Triund

Our tent was ready when we reached there, we spent our time roaming around the hilltop watching the sun go behind the hills and (on a clear night) making way for moon and stars to shine with full glaze. Along with that listening to one of the groups who was playing some awesome guitar with some beautiful songs. Watching the sky full of stars is one of my favourite time-pass. I did the same for few hrs and then went to sleep. Next day we had to trek down to Golu Temple then according to the time in hand visit one/two places of interest along with the Dalai Lama Temple and then leave for Dharamshala.

Though our driver wasn’t interested to go to any of the places we wanted to see. He tried his level best to spoil our mood and negating to drive to each possible place. It’s a lesson learnt for lifetime whenever I will go on such trips I need to ensure that I get a good driver with bearable attitude.

As a result I was in fully attentive mode and was tracking our car's movement(through GPS) to each kilo meter driven,  as I was afraid he might take us to some notorious place.

Rest of the journey Later.. 

Planning Phase for McLeodgunj & Dalhousie..

Mcleodgunj & Dalhousie

Best time to Travel: March to June & September to November

Itinerary:  Night1: Delhi to Pathankot (8-10 Hrs by Train),

Day2: Pathankot to Mcleodgunj (2-3 Hrs By Car) (Link to Detailed Mcleodganj Experience)

Day3:  Mcleodgunj to Triund (3-6 Hrs by Foot, depends on you)

Day4: Triund to Mcleodgunj (2-4 Hrs by Foot), Mcleodgunj to Dalhousie (4-5 Hrs by Car)

Day5: Dalhousie – Khajjiar (half hrs by Car) (Link to Detailed Dalhousie Experience)

Day6: Pathankot to Delhi (8-10 Hrs by Train)

Planning for the Trip:

I wasn’t much excited about the journey: one because this would be my 2^nd visit there, two because both are very popular destination and must be crowded because of the extra-long weekend. But my husband (Rahul) wanted to go there so I agreed with few initial reservations. How long my reservations can sustain knowing that it’s a tour and that too, to the mountains with a special attraction of 2 Day Trekking to Triund. So, I started planning for the trip, smartly covering the places which were missed in earlier trip ;-)

First thing I did was to book ticket as it was a long weekend it was very difficult to get tickets for such a popular destination, I could manage to get 2 of the last 5 ticket on the only train left with confirmed booking options. Such a relief!!!

Next was to get our hotels booked, which was again a herculean task on those particular dates, I had to go through to each and every website to get the hotels bookings. The only booking I could get was through expedia for a Hotel,  to our despair 3 days after the booking expedia people called us only to inform that there was some fault in their system and there is no room in that hotel. Finally after a lot of hustle bustle we could get a booking for Hotel Natraj and for Dalhousie I booked "Birds & Chirps" to experience a Homestay for the first time. Next was to make arrangements for a guide, camping at Triund and a cab.

Taxi Services: Rana Travels Pathankot, would recommend NOT TO USE Rana Travels for booking taxi not even as last resort

McLeodGanj & Dharamshala:



Sunrise at top of Triund

Tip: Try to get an accommodation at Jogiwara road or at Rangrik (at the road parallel to jogiwara) instead of Bhagsu or Dharamshala. Trust me it is a different experience altogether, a very different culture and lifestyle compared to other hill station in North India.

Places to Stay: Hotel Moon River, Jogipura Road, Meclodgunj – Awesome Hotel with excellent views & hospitality of the staff

If staying in Triund either you can plan for camping or Forest guesthouse (only 3-4 rooms, need to book in advance)

Main Attractions : Dalai Lama Temple, Bhagsu Waterfalls, Bhagsu Nag Temple, St. John church in the Wilderness, Dal Lake, Roaming and shopping on the market street, Triund Trek, Dharamshala Cricket Stadium

Food: Seed Café (Italian Food + one should go for the view), Nicks Kitchen (awesome Italian & Richard Gere’s Favorite restaurant), Clay Owen (rustic ambiance and good Tibetan, Chinese and Thai food) Tibet kitchen (Tibetan Food), Bakery at Main Square.

Dalhousie:




Beautiful Roads at Dalhousie

Tip(s):

1. You can try your luck for booking the two Government Cottages at Kajjiar.
2. If you have some time you can go to Chamba via Khajjiar and return to Dalhousie via Chamera Dam/Lake.
3. If you are adventurist and have 2 extra days then take an excursion to Sach Pass. Please check its accessibility before going there. 
4. You can also go to Bharmour & Manimahesh, around 60km further from Chamba (108 Kms from Dalhousie). It is a hindu pilgrimage sight AKA land of lord Shiva. The scenery and landscape of these places are also exceptional, which is a bonus..

Places to Stay: Birds & Chirps Homestay, Panchpula, Dalhousie – Home amidst tall trees and chirping birds, its literally Birds and Chirps 

Governement Cottages at Khajjiar

Main Attractions: Khajjiar, Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary, Dainkund Peak, Barkota Hill, SaatDhara (don’t go there), Pachpula Waterfalls, Gandhi Chowk (Market Area), St. John's Church, Chamera Lake (enroute to Chamba), Chamunda Devi Temple, Manimahesh Lake, Sach Pass

Detailed travelogue will follow..

Day 7,8,9: The return Journey.. From Kaza - Nako - Kalpa - Chail - Delhi

Itinerary Followed: 

Day1: Delhi - Sarahan (12-13Hrs) 

Day2: Sarahan - Sangla

Day3: Sangla - chhitkul & Rakcham(4 Hrs) - Kalpa (3 Hrs) 

Day4: Kalpa- Tabo (10-11Hrs) 

Day5: Tabo - Kaza (2-3 Hrs) 

Day6: Kaza -Lasar- Kunzum (3-4 Hrs) - Kaza

Kaza to Delhi.. Day7: Kaza - Kalpa (12 Hrs) + Day8: Kalpa - Chail (10-11 Hrs) + Day9: Chail- Delhi (7-8 HRs)

Now we had come to the returning part of our journey. My initial plan was to return via Manali through Kunzumla & Chandrataal, but that could not be implemented as the route wasn’t open. So we had to take the same route while returning.

As per our manager there were few fresh landslides on the route we had to follow, making it more difficult to travel back. On top of it our only working mobile (BSNL) also stopped catching network as the BSNL tower was down due to the storm last night. With a brave heart we started towards Kalpa. Our first halt was supposed to be Tabo for breakfast at the Monastery Café. We ate there and while returning our car got stuck in one the drain passage built on the side of the road of Tabo Village, within no time around 30-40 (almost entire village) people came to rescue us and within 15 mins people lifted our car and pulled it out of that drain. By this time I became a “Big time Fan” of the helping nature of the people residing in this region which is rare to find in metro city like Delhi.

The obvious choice for our next break was Nako Helipad.. as we couldn't halt there earlier.. Helipad at such remote villages are common sight as helicopters remains the only mean of transport or rather rescue whenever the roads gets washed away due to landslides.

Nako Helipad

View @ Nako Helipad

The route till Kalpa was even in the worse condition than before mainly because of the fresh landslide which occurred just a day back, but that made the journey even more adventurous and eventful.. and the feeling of proud pumped our hearts when we saw the sign boards such as below. 

one of the many signboards

After the strenuous drive we reached Kalpa, and stayed at the same hotel but a room with better view so much so that you feel that there is no one in front of those huge snow-capped mountains but you and they are intruding your privacy by giving you a continuous gaze.

While having dinner we got to know that there has been another landslide near Wangtoo and it was so fearsome that people has cancelled their trips and returned back to Shilma. I was scared only with the thought of it as my boss would kill me if I dont attend the office on monday!!

We started at 5 AM to cross cholling through the upsi bypass before it closes for our side of traffic.We managed to do that without much of delay we reached the other side of that bypass. Luckily for us the residue from Wangtoo Landslide had been cleared and we didn’t face any problem because of that.

Spent our evening relaxing in Chail, and walking around the small market place. Next day morning we started off little late as todays’ journey was going to be much easier and smaller compared what we have experienced. With a heavy heart we bade a final goodbye to the mighty Himalayas but only till our next trip which was due in August J J

Day5:The Day Devoted to Monasteries and some highest landmarks ;-)

Itinerary Followed: 

Day1: Delhi - Sarahan (12-13Hrs) 

Day2: Sarahan - Sangla

Day3: Sangla - chhitkul & Rakcham(4 Hrs) - Kalpa (3 Hrs) 

Day4: Kalpa- Tabo (10-11Hrs) 

Day5: Tabo - Kaza (2-3 Hrs) 

Day6: Kaza -Lasar- Kunzum (3-4 Hrs) - Kaza

Day7: Kaza - Kalpa (12 Hrs)

Day8: Kalpa - Chail (10-11 Hrs) 

Day9: Chail- Delhi (7-8 HRs)

Stupas infront of Kaza Monastery

The day started with a small climb on the hill in front of our hotel, towards the caves. The cliffs above the ancient Tabo Monastery have been hollowed out by several caves. These artificial cavities served and still serve as dwellings for monks during the harsh winters of Himalaya. Our guide told us that these caves were used by sages to meditate also.



One of the many Caves @Tabo 

There were N number of such caves around those hills.  Some of the caves have well defined structures and some are small caves barely having any structure and having just enough space for one or at max two people, some have almost black walls some have light markings on the walls. Few paintings are also exhibited in one of the bigger caves managed by the government. By the time we climbed down (at around 8.30 AM) the sun came into its full form, giving the feel of the 12.00PM noon. 

Top View of Tabo Monastery

We went ahead to visit the ancient Tabo Monastery, it is believed to be 2^nd oldest Monastery of the world next only to the Tholing Gompa in Tibet. It was built by a Buddhist king in 996 A.D. and was rebuilt after the earthquake in 1975.

Inside the monastery there is a group of 9 temples and 23 chortens. One group of temples is regarded as earlier construction while yet another group belongs to a later period. There are paintings on the inside walls and roof of the temples.

Stupas inside the monastery

There are many priceless collections of thankas (scroll paintings), manuscripts, well-preserved statues, frescos and extensive murals which cover almost every wall. To preserve the paintings not much of light is allowed inside the temples, our guide showed us with the help of the torch. Our next halt was “The Monastery” Café. We ordered breakfast there: Tibetan bread & Kohtey Momos are must try here..

We were off to Kaza at around 11.30 AM the roads were becoming worse than ever loose rocks keep sliding down the hill, due to the blowing wind but mainly cattle roaming around the hills. So one has to be very careful while driving, keep looking around if stones are shooting down. The Spiti river flowing along the road with shallow, clear waters formed spiral shape, Kris-cross silver snake like figures on the ground which can make anyone’s heart ache to touch it, feel the life through the chilled water, dip your feet to feel the shiver inside your spine, experience the calmness and serenity of the place.

View of Spiti Valley

At Schilling there is a diversion (toward right) for Dhankar, ascend of 15-20Km toward the Dhankar Gompa. Most of the road was newly constructed, but a very narrow road with lots steep elevation turns. The more you ascend, better is the view of valley. After around 30-45mins to drive through the diversion, there lies the Dhankar Gompa standing beautifully at the Corner mount of one the taller hills. The beautiful sand formation (made due to wind erosion) were standing tall at the other side of the road. The Gopma is overlooking the confluence of pin and spiti river and it is one of the most spectacular locations for a Monastery.

Dhankar Monastery

View from Dhankar

After visiting the complex we went down towards Schilling, on the way we met few local taxi drivers and enquired about the route towards Pin Valley & Mud Village, but to our despair there was flood in Pin Valley, even the locals were not travelling to that side of valley, we had to forgo our plan of visiting Pin Valley. We moved ahead towards our final destination “Kaza”. Our Stay again was at “The Grand Dewachen, Rangrik” the hospitality of the hotel staff and Rajinder ji (Owner) was commendable. We realized one thing that people are more courteous, hospitable and friendly in this part of Himachal Pradesh compared to the popular tourist destinations such as Shimla & Manali. Another humble gesture was that the Hotel manager was our guide during our stay in Kaza.

Then we followed the below route: Kaza - Langza – Hikkim – Komik –Kaza

According to our manager Mr Mahinder, Langza was supposed offer the most spectacular views of the entire Spiti Valley. As soon as we started our ascend towards Langza the wind suddenly became colder and colder. The brown barren fields were changing to the green farming fields, looking like well-crafted grass meadows at the slope of the hills. We reached a hilltop, having green meadows of grass, farming fields with combination of greens, violet and brown forming a zig-saw puzzle, small colonies of mud houses painted with white and brown, and snow covered huge mountains surrounded the village from in all the 4 visible directions, we soon realised that Mr. Mahinder was explaining about this beautiful village known as Langza. It feels as if the time has stopped here, the atmosphere is so calm and serene here, you might as well agree to spend your lifetime. The pre-condition might be that you are able to cope up with such high altitudes and extra chilled weather. Before inhabitation of Komik, Langza was the Asia’s highest village where people actually reside. 

Langza

Soon after crossing Langza we reached the hill overlooking Hikkim. The world’s highest Post Office is located in Hikkim, and Indian Post Red Logo claiming the same, can be seen from distance. We didn’t go inside the village and went ahead towards Komik, as we were approaching Komik the wind was becoming chiller and chiller.

Top view of Hikkim

We crossed through small patches of snow covered mountains and finally we reached the top of the hill. Very small village with total population of 114 people and altitude of 4,513 metres from the sea level. The Komik Monastery is situated at one edge of the hill top, Skin of a snow leopard is hanging at the entrance of the Monastery. For some reason Women are not allowed to enter the monastery, so Rahul went inside with a kind Monk who agreed to guide him through the Gompa while I enjoyed some time alone sitting on the edge of the hill, looking at the endless snow covered mountain ranges, without even the slightest of the sound except for the shrieking sound of blowing wind.

Skin of Snow Leopard at the Door of Komik Monastery

We headed back to Kaza via different route which was narrower from earlier, it was from the back side of the same hill, offering some excellent views of Kaza from the top. The vast Spiti River, recently seeded farming fields, the slant rays of the sun (at sunset) giving it all a majestic effect.

One of the Narrow oneway road to Kaza



View from the road side



After coming down we went to Kaza to get some fuel, hopping that the electricity will be there to run the pump. We reached the petrol pump and then realized it is world highest retail outlet, we went to the Kaza monastery to try our luck if it is open, and bingo!! We went inside the monastery, and it’s a newly built monastery with moderns structure and by far the most beautiful monastery I have ever visited.

Front view of Kaza Monastery

The main temple was decorated with bright colors and a wall of golden statues of various Gods. The next day Kalachakra Mandala Ceremony was supposed to happen, for that they made beautiful Sand Mandala. The kind Monk explained the logic behind the ceremony. The Sand Mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. Once the sand mandala is completed the associated ceremonies are performed and mandala is viewed, and after that it is rituastically destroyed to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.



Sand Mandala @ Kaza Monastery

We walked around the village market and then went back to hotel spent some time in the huge Baramdah, had an awesome dinner and retired to sleep at around 9.30PM.

Next day again we had to start early.. Journey of day7 will be followed soon..