Here are some impressions from my recent trip to Sarahan, Kalpa and Spiti Valley
- Banjara Camps did a great job of arranging the trip as usual. Special thanks to Kavitha. Thanks to Rajesh for a great lunch at their office. You can check out details about Banjara Camps at http://www.banjaracamps.com- I finally figured out after 3 years as to how we reached Sangla from Shoja!!We had done this drive 3 years back
- The first place we stopped was Khairighat. This was more for the overnight stay. The aloo paranthas at this place were best in the trip according to Ranjani and Harini, who survived mainly on aloo paranthas
- Did a one station ride in the Toy Train. Nice views along the way.
- Our first major stop was Sarahan, which is a lovely place with a great view of the Srikand mountain range in front of you. The Bhimakali temple is worth a visit. I would highly recommend people to visit Sarahan
- We followed Sutlej from near Rampur, all the way till Khab. After Khab, we followed Spiti. There is no greater pleasure than running along with the river
- Sutlej is dirty and so is Spiti during this season. They turn clear during winter months it seems
- The next stop was Kalpa. Lot of greenery around Kalpa. We also saw the Kinner Kailash range. There is a rock on one of the mountains, which when viewed from far away, changes colors!!! The driver showed us the rock much before we reached Kalpa and we could see the changing colors. The strange thing was it was not changing colors due to change in the sunlight. It was happening on its own!!! Great experience to see this from that place and then from Kalpa. Couldn't see that the next day as the whole place was crowded
- The HPTDC hotel in Kalpa was very good. It got the best stay rating from Ranjani and Harini since it was duplex one and they had the top room all for themselves!!!
- Stopped at a charming waterfall on way to Tabo from Kalpa
- Visited Nako en route to Tabo. The Nako lake is the most photogenic lake I have ever seen. It looks very normal when seen nearby but in photos it looks amazing
- Saw the 'sangam' of Sutlej and Spiti at Khab. Sutlej comes in from Tibet and Spiti from the Spiti Valley. If we had climbed up one of the hills here we could have seen Tibet. But civilians are not allowed beyond a point. It is still a thrilling experience to know that beyond the hills you are seeing lies a foreign country
- We stopped on the banks of the Spiti River along the way. Gayathri and Ranjani found a rock which they christened 'Lion King' rock. Apparently, the lion in the movie stands on a similar looking rock.- Most of the villages on the way to Tabo have population of 75 to 230 people. Way less than the people in one multi storied apartment complex in Bangalore!!
- The most thrilling part of the trip, according to Ranjani, was the crossing of Tinku naala, when the water was in full flow
- Saw some zillion stars in the night sky. Pollution does not exist here
- The drive to Dhankar Monastery and the view from there is superb. You can see the Pin River joining Spiti River from here.
- Visited the highest inhabited village called Kibber. We saw the Ki monastery on the way but did not go in. You can clearly see and feel the remoteness of these places.
- Saw a Himalayan Red Fox during our drive to Ki. Took lot of snaps. The fox almost merges with the surroundings- Also saw a bunch of Bharal or Himalayan Blue Sheep on our way
- Tabo and Kaza remind you of Ladhak. The same sort of landscape, wide open spaces and lack of greenery. The only difference is that in Ladhak, everything is far bigger
- When we were returning back to Kalpa from Tabo, Gayathri remarked, "Aah. Now it feels we are back in civilization", after seeing some greenery near Kalpa
- Could not visit Pin Valley as the roads were not in great condition. Looks like if you were to see wildlife in Pin valley, you must trek.- Good food everywhere. In HPTDC hotels, in Tabo and in Banjara Camps in Kaza. Very tasty North Indian food. Anyone going from down South should be prepared to eat North Indian food
- Driver stopped at a couple of places along the way for lunch. The ambience was nothing to shout about but the food was very good. I had instructed him that to me food mattered more than the ambience!!
- The most surprising part of the journey was the inability to get a good cup of tea!!! I mean, if at all you expect some good tea, it is in North India but it was not to be. We can't expect it in Spiti Valley since it is too remote and doesn't have much cattle. They depend on Amul tetra packs for milk. But you do expect it in Chandigarh or Narkanda or Shimla but everyone has now started using tea bags!!! The guy in Chandigarh station told me that given the rush, they did not want to 'make' tea. Hence tea bags!! It looks like people just want to have the satisfaction of having had something called tea. Hot and sweet is all they seem to look for. Otherwise I cannot explain how people can accept tea bags!!
- Overall a great trip. A bit exhausting because we kept driving all the 10 days but some amount of physical pain has to be endured if you want to see these lovely places.
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