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

Day3: Sangla Valley: Chittkul, the most beautiful & last village of Indo-Tibet Border + Signatue Rakcham Walk

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)

Day 3: We started at 5 AM in the morning (1 hr drive) to Chhitkul, the journey itself was giving the glimpse of the pictureous village we were about to reach!!


On the way to Chittkul





Ont the way to Chhitkul

At the very first sight of it, I actually had to pinch myself to believe my eyes.The snow covered speechless white mountains on one side creating an effect as if you have reached end of the world, green mountains one the other side signifying the life in this serene place, river Baspa flowing by the side of it, the farms at the center of those huge mountain and a small village amidst of this heavenly beauty is Chhitkul!!

Dead End, with Snow Covered mountains

Other Side of the Village

At that vary moment I regretted my decision of not coming here the previous day and spending some more time, imagining that sunset would have been an amazing sight. Nevertheless, we spent our time walking around the village speaking to our guide and understanding life and routine of the village. After spending 2 hours there we had our breakfast in the open watching the sun going high up in the sky.

At around 8.30 we started our journey back, headed towards Rakcham village, to do the famous Rakcham walk. The walk was supposed to take 4 hours and we wrongly assumed that it will be a“Walk”.

We realized that, soon we will be out of Gas, so told our driver to go to the nearest petrol pumps to get some fuel, but all in vain as there was no gas in the petrol pumps because of the landslide petrol tankers could not cross tapri. Our last hope was to get some gas at Reckong Peo and we kept our fingers crossed for the same.

We started our walk at around 8.30AM, the surrounding views made us awestruck. The flat brown farming fields, surrounded by the huge mountains, the criss-cross river flowing at the far sight. It was kind off easy walk through those fields.


@ Rakcham Walk

Suddenly out of no where, we entered into the jungle of tall pine trees, having a thin stream of water flowing by our side… As we continued walking we entered the fields of dried plant and as soon as you cross that, there lies the wide open field with Baspa River covering its significant area. We took a halt there for few minutes as our guide told that the walk from there is going to be little tough. It was far more than “little tough” for people like me who are non-climbers rather non-walkers ;-). From there on Bapsa(river) accompanied us through the entire walk.

Baspa: Wide and Open

From there onwards either it was a steep climb up or a steep climb down, through the path full of small & big stones. The landscape was mesmerizing and drastically changing every 15 mins, but it took a troll out of us, so much so that avoid little longer route (going up and then coming down) we took a broken smaller route to save our little energy.

Rakcham Walk

The narrow stone path was broken in the middle, there was a steep valley under that broken route which can be easily seen through the huge crack in the path. We stuck to the mountain and crossed through that gap, to add to our accomplishment, our guide told that he has never ever took anybody from this route :-) :-)

After a few minutes walk, we had to cross a steep, melting glacier. Underneath which a river was flowing and the snow was loose and slippery at places. We had to cross that one by one so that not much weight is on the snow at once. I was dead scared at that moment, we had no option but to walk on the glacier and luckily we crossed it quite comfortably.



The Glacier: though it not looking scary in pic but its very steep ;-)

After crossing the glacier we halted by the riverside, under the shadow of a tree to have lunch, much needed doze of energy and then resumed our walk. Finally at around 2.00 PM we reached the Batseri village, it was a sign of relief. At around 2.30-3.00 PM we reached our camp sight.

Took some rest there and after a refreshing Hot water bath, we started our ride towards Kalpa. As soon as we crossed Karcham the worst patch of road so far, greeted us. The roads are ruined by the JP’s Power Plant Project so much so that the car can’t be driven on a speed more than 20Km/hour and believe me I am not exaggerating not even by 1%.

Finally after two hours of bumpy ride we reached RecKong Peo. A range of snow peaked mountains surrounding us and right at the center of those peaks there lies the “Kinner Kailash peak”, in shape of “Shiv Linga”, covered with snow and rising little higher from the neighboring peaks. There is a 3 days round trek which takes you to the Kinner kailsah, where devotees offer their prayers to the Lord Shiva.

Kinner Kailash Peak: Right in the middle

First thing we did, was to look for the petrol pump (@ Reckong Peo), and luckily enough we got the petrol. As we had to travel to Kaza so the helper filled our tank full unlike few others. We were sorted for next two days’ fuel supply.

We reached our hotel at around 6.30PM with zero energy to do anything including dinner. Lying on the bed watching the sun to set through those orange peaks was the best one could have done and we exactly did the same.

We just ordered few Manchurian and noodles to our room (which tasted real bad) and went to sleep.

More exciting Days to come..

Day 2: Sangla: Beautiful Valley, a Gateway to the Unexplored Land

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)

Our next destination was sangla, and as we knew that there has been land slide near tapri, we started early at 7.20 to avoid any risks.

We made our Thumb rule for the trip start early and reach early. Travelling after dark might be dangerous in this part of Himalayas as the roads are not in good condition, your car can break down anytime, limited supply of petrol at times, most of the area is prone to landslides, not much fellow travelers on this route, scarcely inhabited region, long patches of off-road travel, and if it rains then huge slushes and water puddles greet you with open arms..

As soon as we crossed jeori the tarmac changed dramatically and suddenly we were into a different world all together. Beautiful, narrow (rather very narrow) roads are chiseled through the huge mountains to make a way for you. Certainly it is a very thrilling drive though you have to be very careful while driving and should to salute the workers who built these dangerous paths.

Beautiful Narrow Road Chiseled through the mountain

Road cut through the mountain



The thin line inside the red box the the road

The condition of the road is very good. We quickly covered our distance till tapri by 9.30AM only to know that the pass to the other side is operational as one way at a time. Because of the landslide we were supposed to take an off route through upsi village and this was kind off one way, pass was available every 2 hours from each side. So we had to wait till 11 AM for pass to open. At 9.30 the sun was pitty sharp, but the cool breeze was making the weather bearable. But you have to be really careful for the sun burns incase you are moving out of shade.
Finally at 11.20 AM the road was open for us to pass, as the traffic from other side had been stopped. It took almost an hour to cover that off-route distance of 18KMs. After crossing Tapri we took a right through a bridge (near Karcham) towards Sangla. Though the distance from Karcham to Sangla was around 25 kms but the entire journey was almost off-road, shooting stones from the top is a common sight there. All thanks to the JP’s power project!!

Power Plant Project

Finally we reached the Sangla valley at around 2PM, all our tiredness was gone in just one look of the valley. Beautiful lush green Baspa valley, surrounded by huge green snowcapped mountains, baspa flowing in full current with its crystal clear water, pine trees standing tall on both side of the river and small residential establishments on either side, looked as if we have entered in some fairy land. 

Baspa Valley

We stayed in Kinner Camps and to add to our happiness Lama was there that day for the lunch. We were fortunate enough to have a brief discussion with him. After having lunch (which was DELICEOUS!), we had a detailed discussion with our camp manager on what all should we visit and at what time. He suggested to go to Chhitkul right away and next day for rakcham walk. But because of our laziness we rested in the camp and decided to do both next day morning.

View from our camp

In the evening we went ahead to take a small walk to the village Batseri Village. It was one of the most relaxing walk first by the river side and then through the small and calm roads of the village.

Walk towards Basteri

Baspa River from the Camp

There we reached a temple of Lord Vishnu and were lucky to witness a ritual, where in the two men (villagers) carry the idols of God on their shoulders (there were extended wooden logs attached to the idol on both sides, through which it can be carried on shoulder similar to the “Doli of Indian Bride”), move back & forth and share their problem to the idol of Gods and priest with a hope that their problems will be resolved. At the back of it, the musical instruments creates joyful sounds. I had never witnessed such way of prayer anywhere.

Spent our evening relaxing in the camp with bonfire, music and delicious dinner. We were off to bed early as next day we had to start our day at 5 AM.

Journey of 3rd day will follow soon..

Kinnaur & Spiti Valley

Kinnaur &  Spiti Valley  

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)

Now when Ladakh has become such a popular travel destination, I had to look for another Offbeat location in Himalayas which can be a gateway to another world with exceptional views, different culture, adventurous road travel, untouched / unspoiled beauty and not much commercialization, the obvious choice was Kinnaur and Spiti Valley. I had been longing for this trip for last 4 years now (soon after I returned from Ladakh :-) :-) ) and finally Rahul (my husband) agreed to accompany me on the trip.

So there started the ‘Marathon’ Planning phase with lots of secondary research for the places to be visited and the routes to be followed. First thing I did was to freeze the itinerary depending on the road conditions, landslides occurred recently, opening and closing of passes and many other things, also to have atleast one Plan B if KunzumLa doesn’t open on our travel time, keep 1-2 days extra in our original itinerary to accommodate the longer return path.

As our tenure had two weekends so hotel booking on those dates was bit of a concern, as on those days we were at very famous tourist destinations, so getting the rooms at run time might be a difficult task. Read lots of hotel reviews as I wanted to stay in good hotels, few places in our itinerary were really remote so getting much option/reviews online was really difficult, but somehow we got the best rooms we could have managed.

We were all set for our journey and on Friday evening (6^th June) we started our trip to Spiti Valley with a plan to travel though the most treacherous road in the world.

Friday night we stayed at Kumar Hatti, and considering it is a hilly area, the weather was pleasant during the night. But I couldn’t sleep properly because of the excitement of the upcoming trip.

Day4: Leh...

Day 1: Delhi – Manali (Volvo)

Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)

Day 3: Jispa– Leh (Car)

Day 4: Local Sight Seeing (Car)

Day 5: Leh– Pangong (Car)
Day 6: Pangong – Leh (Car)
Day 7:  Leh – Nubra Valley (Car)
Day 8 & 9: Nubra Valley– Leh (Car) + Leh – Delhi (via flight)

Day4: This was a pretty relaxed day compared to the previous 3 days we had. We started our day at around 10 AM.

Landscape near leh

Moving out of the city Leh

This day we visited Alchi Monastery, Likhir Monastery, Confluence of Indus and Zanskar river. We handed a copy of identity proofs to our driver to get us the inner line permit for Pangong and Nubra, which is easily available.

Near Magnetic Hill

On the way to Alchi we halted at a place having magnetic hill phenomena. If you leave your car in neutral it will start climbing the hill, against the gravity. We actually experienced the phenomena.
  

Confluence of Indus and Zanskar

Then reached Alchi. There are huge prayer wheels outside the monastery and they are filled with prayers printed on paper. It is believed that more you turn the wheel, the more the prayers are recited and sent around the world. Let's turn the wheel for good-luck for our trip....



Alchi Monastery

At the entrance of Likir Gompa

Entrance

Views from the Monastery

Main structure of Alchi Monastery

Outer View of the Monastery

Spent our evening roaming in the local market of Leh.

The Unforgettable Laddakh: Itinerary

Road Trip to Laddakh
Itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi – Manali (Volvo)
Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)
Day 3: Jispa– Leh (Car)
Day 4: Local Sight Seeing (Car)
Day 5: Leh– Pangong (Car)
Day 6: Pangong – Leh (Car)
Day 7:  Leh – Nubra Valley (Car)
Day 8 & 9: Nubra Valley– Leh (Car) + Leh – Delhi (via flight)

Tips for Altitude Sickness: 

• Drink a lot of water while crossing high passes to avoid de-hyderation. 
• If you are prone to altitude sickness, carry garlic soup (if possible)/ juices and keep on sipping time to time help
• If you not feeling well then try to halt at places of lower altitude for example I have heard many people falling sick while staying at Sarchu, other option might be to stay at Jispa 

Excursions: Villages either remote or well connected you enter, any hill you climb, each and every turning of the road will lead you to an excursion to the place full of beautiful landscapes, huge barren mountains, beautiful cloud formations at the deep blue canvas of sky.. 

Still Below are the most famous excursions as ladakh has become a very touristy location (big thanks to bollywood movies showcasing Pangong) you might find a lot of people around!!

TSO Morori, TSO Pangong, Nubra Valley (Hunder & Diskit), TSO Kar. Lamayuru (The moon Village)

Places to visit:

In Leh: Sanchi Stupa, Alchi Monastery, Likhir Monastery, Palace, Confluence of Indus and Zanskar, Local Market, War Museum...

What to eat:
Must try tibetiyan food.. Khotey Momos, Thupka, Thantuk, Tibetiyan Bread, Tigmo and the list to be continued..

The Unforgettable Laddakh: Day 2: Manali to Jispa

Day 1: Delhi – Manali (Volvo)

Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)

Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)

Day 3: Jispa– Leh (Car)

Day 4: Local Sight Seeing (Car)

Day 5: Leh– Pangong (Car)

Day 6: Pangong – Leh (Car)

Day 7:  Leh – Nubra Valley (Car)

Day 8 & 9: Nubra Valley– Leh (Car) + Leh – Delhi (via flight)

Day 2: Next Day we started our journey towards Leh. Our driver told us to start at 4.00 AM to escape from Traffic Jam at RhotangLa* due to the landslide. But we couldn’t make it at 4 and finally we started at 5.00 AM in the morning.



The early morning views of Manali @ 5.30  AM

One of the many lush green mountains @ Manali

We were all sleeping in the car till we reached the landslide area at around 6.30-7 in the morning. Suddenly out of nowhere we saw a huge queue of trucks and cars waiting to go to the other side of the land-slide. We couldn't have done anything about the situation except for starting early (which could have saved 2-3 hrs). As we were stuck, we all got down from the car started roaming on the roads and enjoying the weather..

Queue of Vehicles near the Landslide

View behind the traffic Jam

We were carrying cup noodles which helped a lot in that particular situation. Every now and then small stones were falling from the top, and there was a huge slush on the road making it difficult for vehicles to cross. There were two bulldozers to help vehicles to cross that landslide area. Most of the trucks and small vehicles were pulled or pushed by the bulldozers to cross the landslide area.

The LANDSLIDE

 Finally after spending 9-10 hours there, our Innova managed to cross that slush without the bulldozer’s help. But we had lost precious time and Aakash and summi were feeling sick because of the sharp sun they were exposed to.

RohtangLa Amidst of Clouds

@ Rohtangla

We had to deviate from our original plan of staying in Sarchu. We had to take shelter at Jispa for the night and cover the remaining distance in next day.

On the way to Keylong: 1

On the to Keylong: 2

The place we stayed, Jispa is small village having the river Chandra flowing by one side and a huge mountain range on the other side. The river was 10 mins walk from our hotel, we could easily hear the sound of water from our room. Stay was very comfortable and good break after such long a day. The place is very scenic, it’s a small adobe in the lap of Mother Nature, surrounded by nothing but mountains.  

Somewhere around Jispa

Our hotel was very comfortable, but there was no networks in the mobile phone till you reach Leh. Only BSNL phone will work for some distance. The hotel manager was a very helpful guy, he gave his phone, so that we can make calls to home.

*LA means Pass in Tibetan Language

Stay tuned for the rest of the Journey...

The Unforgettable Laddakh: Day1: Manali (Delhi to Manali)

Day 1: Delhi – Manali (Volvo)

Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)
Day 3: Jispa– Leh (Car)
Day 4: Local Sight Seeing (Car)
Day 5: Leh– Pangong (Car)
Day 6: Pangong – Leh (Car)
Day 7:  Leh – Nubra Valley (Car)
Day 8 & 9: Nubra Valley– Leh (Car) + Leh – Delhi (via flight)

It was in the summer of 2011 and this was the third time I planned my trip to the Serene land of Laddakh. As usual all of my friends backed out from the plan at the last moment. Luckily one of my college friends Aakash was also planning to go to laddakh same time. And I was so eager to go, I pounced upon the opportunity, without even knowing anyone else in that group, though later all of us became very good friends.

Before starting let me intorduce our photographer for the trip: Lalit.. 

Lalit AKA Tiwari ji ;)

 Day 1: Our trip started on Saturday evening when we assembled at Canaught Place and took the volvo from Delhi to Manali. The Volvo was quite comfortable till the time we started ascending the mountains. We had 6 seats for 4 of us me and one other girl (Summi) in the group, quickly grabbed two seats each leaving the 2 boys (Lalit and Aakash) to adjust in 2 seats. That move of ours made our journey much comfortable than expected.. ;-) And we happily went off to sleep after having dinner at some roadside dhaba.

The entire night passed by tossing and turning on the seat. And there comes the Sun peeping from the huge Blue Mountains, pinking the white patches of clouds and slowly covering the entire sky to welcome our arrivals in the Himalayan Region!!

Our bus halted at some dhaba near mandi for tea break. We reached Manali at 7 AM on Sunday Morning, took a hotel with bare minimum facilities, got ready and went ahead to explore Manali… 

We hired a local cab with Rs 800 for a Day tour of manali. Started with visiting Hadimba temple/ Hidimba Temple. It is located at a distance of 1.5 Km from Mall Road amidst of Green Forest. This is one of the oldest temple in manali dedicated to Goddess Hadimba, wife of Bhim (one of the five pandavas). The legend goes that Padavas stayed in Himachal during their exile, and Bhima married Hadimba and they also had a son named Ghatotkacha.

@ Hadimba Temple

Our next destination was vashisht temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and Guru Vashisht. There is also a hot water sulphur spring known for its medicinal power. There is a separate bathing area for men and women.

Vashisht Temple, Manali

Priest @ Temple

Souvenir  shop near the temple

Spending time by the river side is best the best way to utilise your time and if that river is Beas then you can easily be lost in its vibrant flow.

River flowing by the road side

The after a walk at the Mall Road we were off to bed..

The Journey Continues...