Kaza and Beyond...

I left the blog 1 year back at my last post of Kaza and as I left the mountains and joined my city life it consumed me again with all its lust and commodity love. I always wanted to finish this blog though as this trip is-was and will be very close to my heart..After 1 year here I am, trying to recollect the journey and aiming to finish the blog...

14 kms from Kaza was Langza which brought us to a tall Buddha statue made around 2005 which is placed in front of 500 years old temple..the temple has Ibex horns whch I guess is worshiped over there. We halted there, got ourselves photographed , prayed and moved ahead...

The view from the temple is as breath taking as the temple and the saute itself...

Our journey continued for the day and we finally arrived at Komic,the highest village in the world with a road having a population of 114 people.. We visited the Komic Tangyud monastery and offered our prayers in the monastery. Serene is the word to describe the experience in Komic.

the beauty surrounding is mind blowing...you feel that the nature has taken you int confidence and you are a part of it now..the next photo is taken on mobile, the sheer vibrancy of the photo is an evidence of the natural beauty of the place, I know i am using the word beauty a lot of time but that's how my experience has been...Beautiful...

we moved ahead to another monastery some where between Key and Kibber. I am unable to find the name of the monastery even after rigorous Google search..

We reached the monastery with the thought of offering a prayer but found the gate closed, disappointed as we started heading back a monk spotted us, called us back, opened the doors to us,welcomed us, showed the inside of the monastery, offered a prayer for us..all done in an unique friendly manner that you can expect only in the mountains..It was one of the best prayer of our life. We were elated with the experience and it refreshed our souls...

I still thank the monk/lama from the bottom of my heart for such an experience...

we headed off with our satisfied and rejuvenated souls for lunch at Norling guest house..Maggi was awesome the tea was energetic..We headed off to Key monastery which was closed by the time we reached but it was not dis heartening because of the prior experience we had on that day...

We headed on our way back...the weather started becoming bad and it was raining, we decided to take shelter for the night.We started looking for hotels and all were full, finally we managed to get just one room for ourselves and we all 5 of us settled in for the night.The warm dinner gave way to a deep sleep..We will be heading back for Manali the next morning...

Kunzum Pass to Kaza..

Kunzum Pass is 122 km from Manali and is located at an altitude 15060 ft. It connects Lahul and Spiti Valley of the Himachal Pradesh.
It is also the home of Kunzum Mata and locals believe that you should cir-cum-navigate the holy place when your are passing the Kunzum pass for Good Luck.

 22nd August 2016: We left Chandra Tal for Kaza and on the way we came across the Kunzum pass..The mountains are not green but husky brown. The first thing you see even before you see the temple are the prayer flags, abundant prayer flags on the rugged path to the temple of the goddess..The wind blowing the prayer flags,.prayer in the air..the calmness..the silence..the emptiness..all giving rise to a divine feeling..A respectful feeling..An admiring feeling for the almighty for make nature so vivid ,so beautiful and so refreshing.

We offered our prayer to Kunzum Mata, tried putting coins on the rock with out it falling, (we all failed except my friend) and headed towards Kaza. The road is absent, so its completely off road and the entire ride is bumpy..its like being in one of those rides in the amusement parks, right-left-up-down all the way..The weather started becoming clear and we saw the blue sky..(mesmerizing and beautiful)..Though the UV exposure is very high still we all periodically can't keep our eyes of the beautiful blue sky which enhances the rugged nature;s beauty..The sky reveled us its utmost beauty in the coming days.

The rugged, off-road, bumpy,stomach churning ride finally brought us to the welcoming Spiti gate in Lossar..

Hungry and tired we had to fill our stomach..Omprakash suggested Singaling where we feasted on parathas..We used the restroom and got ready to head towards Kaza..We spotted desert rose..

The small habitat looks beautiful, it gives a feeling of 'out of country'.

Fuel for the body enabled us to carry our journey forward towards Kaza.

We were able to find a few screws for our bike from a local mechanic in Kaza..

Kaza was our night halt for the day, after an initial hunt we got a nice hotel named Hotel Deyzor..

Good night rest , great food,courteous staffs revitalized us for our onward journey.The hotel walls bear a lot of wise and befitting writings..

Only mobile network you will get in this part of India is that of BSNL, so if you are planning to explore this beautiful place be equipped with one..

The night sky exposed us to the galaxy of stars while the morning mountain view of the cold mountain took me and my imagination to some wild west movie sets...

We fueled our vehicle at the highest retail/retail petrol pump of the world @12270 ft Indian Oil petrol pump. We were surprised to see a lot of local Maruti 800 cruising seamlessly in this high altitude.

 Refueled body and vehicles started our onward journey towards Komic..

Chandra Tal.. The Moon Lake

Chandra Tal is situated in the Spiti part of the Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.The name of the lake originates from its crescent shape. It is situated at an altitude of about 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) in the Himalayas.
20th August 2016: We started early, Me and my friend on Bike and Our better halves on a gypsy with Om Prakash..The moment we hit the road rain welcomed us again, out came our rain gears and off we went towards the 
Moon lake..
The plan was to cross Rohtang Pass and reach Chandra Tal after crossing Chattru and Batal (127 kms). The moment we crossed Rohtang Pass we realized that we have to travel the rest of the journey off-road.. We did not got a proper stretch until Kaza after this..So till Chandra Tal more than 100kms Off road..Adventure at its best..The first stretch which welcomed us was mud..thick mud..heavy mud..which was adventurous but injurious to our beloved bike which we realized later..

 The bike wrestled through the mud to take us to Chattru..11100 ft and 120 inhabitants..Nature have started to reveal her beauty to her, we were fascinated..with each passing day this fascination became awestruck at her beauty..We halted briefly for a quick refreshment and photo break after which we headed on our way to Batal..

Somewhere in between the bike started to tell us about its ailment, a damaged gear shift..We stopped at a deserted place,which looked like a spot where the Hollywood horror movie Hills Have Eyes might have got its inspiration from to amend our gear..we were deceived by luck as the only screw head to open the gear was not in our tool kit, rest we had everything..we decided to ride till Batal and then decide on the future course of action..Rough road with occasional streams running over the road and very shallow water bodies were crossed to reach Batal..

As per local opinion since PWD was in-charge of this area roads have not been developed,since recently BRO has taken over they are very hopeful that the entire stretch will be amended over a period of time in the immediate distant future.

Batal gave us the opportunity to have tea from a stall which are owned by heroes, A couple who have helped stranded tourist over several days and have also helped in rescue of several when nature was demonstrating its furious side to the helpless tourists..

 Indian Army have a STD booth over there and they gladly allow civilians to use it as Airtel,Vodafone or Idea have no network over there..

Much to my friend's dismay we had to keep the bike over there as it was not in proper health to accompany us to Chandra Tal, there are no mechanics available till Kaza..So we had to depart with our beloved ride..We all accommodated in the Gypsy and headed to Chandra Tal-The Moon Lake..

This truthfulness that you are observing over here is what I have learnt from the mountains..

The road to Chandra Tal is a no-road actually, Its a narrow strip where our experienced friend Omprakash had no issue in maneuvering the gypsy.

 When we reached Chandra Tal , Nature has dimmed its light to give way to night fall..We were to live in tents and that itself excited us ..We were to live in Tenzing Camp, which is an array of white tents..

The bathroom is also a tent, the restaurant ( a make-shift serving area) is also a tent..We spotted a Yak also in the vicinity..We saw the wondeful sight of a snow capped mountain top drenched in the sunlight from a setting sun..wow..beautiful..

After our enthusiasm to live in tent subsided slightly and enthusiastic photo-session was over we really felt the chill of the place along with the scarcity of breathable oxygen in the air..I struggled to breathe till late at night..We made an unsuccessful attempt to visit Chandra Tal at night and we all decided to return in the morning with full health..We were served Rice,Dal and Paneer in the restaurant tent..The night was chilly and even slightest of activity would leave me gasping for air due to low oxygen level..Going to bathroom at night can be painstaking as well as energy sucking..The cold,oxygen deprived,tent-staying night faded away to give way to a gloomy,rainy morning..

21st August: Early morning tea and the last few km to Chandra Tal followed by a small trekking (we were sipping on fruit juices while trekking to avoid any more fatigue) brought us to Chandra Tal..The path had stone piles to indicate if we are on the right path..made by some ever helping mountain soul..

Even in the gloomy morning she was beautiful..She was unable to reflect the blue sky and was grey as she reflected the clouds but we could make out the transparency and the various shades of the Moon Lake.We were mesmerized..We tried to capture her beauty in our cameras ( as much as we can) before we bid her good bye..

The beautiful and mesmerizing Moon-Lake, the freezing night, the tent life..the narrow path, the mountain peak..the small trekking..the company of friends..what else can one wish for??If this is travelling I am ready to become a traveler for eternity..

Himachal Road-trip..A journey to Remember- Till Manali..

Rudyard Kipling called SPITI "a world with-in a world" and it is not hard to understand why..
The giant rock mountains around could not have been carved by any mortal hand but only by the force of wind and water over millenia. In Spiti you will learn that there is another path into the future-a path based on co-evolution between humans and earth. At first the traveler will only see the harsh life but give yourself time and you'll see the rare kind of purity the people live with. For the adventure traveler Spiti is a virtual "Natural theme park", there are seemingly endless array of activities to be enjoyed in the mountains..there is truth in each word quoted by The Shepherd..Spiti is beautiful in its own right and Spiti has that air of purity which reflects in every mortals of Spiti..

For the occasional bike enthusiast and travelers like us I would like to quote  Cesare Pavese whose words express our view about travelling:

"Travelling is a brutality, it forces you to trust strangers and lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky-all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it"...

A long term commitment to a dear friend about a road trip on bike to mountains became a journey to remember when my friend Tapojjwal choose the Spiti route from Delhi..
It all started with a text from him about the ride, which I agreed..The tough part that is to convince my boss and my wife was so smooth that I became assured that the whole universe is conspiring for the Success of the trip..After a day and careful consideration, y friend wanted our wives to join also, obviously in a car, and we two,like old times will cover the entire journey by bike, a proposal my wife accepted readily..With all signals Green I booked our flight ticket from Pune to Delhi for 17th August. The plan was to halt in my friend's house and enjoy the couples hospitality on 17th and leave on our bike journey on 18th..Our wives will meet us in Manali on 18th Morning as they will take a Himachal Tourism bus on 17th night and reach Manali on 18th morning..

17th August 2016: After we boarded the flight both me and my wife was very excited about the trip..the moment we landed in Delhi I felt like home (I have spent more than 5 of my growing years in Delhi with Tapojjwal and one of my other friend by the name of Prosenjit)..Delhi, I realized will always be nostalgic for me though I might never go back to that city for work again...
Metro route took us effortlessly and quickly from Aerocity to Nirman Vihar, The area was more nostalgic to both of us as that was the area we lived in after our marriage..in-spite of the heavy luggage we walked around to back to the past and relive it in our heads for sometime..The journey of a lifetime had began..even before we realized it...
After a long walk with the heavy luggage we took a rickshaw to my friends house..his wife who is also a friend to me and my wife extended her warm hospitality, a hospitality which is the strong forte of Bengali wives which our friend Anulekha has perfected to perfection..She was with us in college and as we settled memories came rushing back again in each and every conversation we made awaiting Tapojjwal's return from work..We waited-hunger took over-we feasted on delicious food including Hilsa prepared by Anulekha-awaited for Tapojjwal's return
Once my friend came back we took the 10 yeras young bike for final modifications and servicing so that the Old sport can survive the mountains..It has tripped till Leh-Ladak in its hay-days..We went to a place from where our professional journey began, Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, Dariyagunj..meet our old teachers and seniors..felt happy and blessed..meanwhile while the bike was getting serviced we got our helmets adjusted and fixed with new visors..Had coffee in CCD,Dariyagunj..took back the serviced bike with all spare parts that we can possible carry and headed back for Nirman Vihar..On our way back we caught up with another old friend Amit Gupta in his optical store I@Care near Nirman Vihar, We missed Prosenjit as we thought he was in Kolkata..apologized to him..really regret the lost opportunity of meeting another very old friend..The reunion would have been complete if he we would have meet that day or if he would have came with us on the trip,,Nostalgic 17th ended with a heavy dinner and sound sleep...

 18th August: The ten years old TVS Apache was as eager as us to hit the highway..We woke up early but lethargically left at around 10:30..It was raining but it was not enough to dampen our spirits..we hit the highway in our rain-gears..The saddle bags, one of which contained essential clothing and the other which contained Bike-repair tools were also wrapped up to avoid rainwater from soaking in. Immediately as one hits the Highway one becomes at least 5 years younger loosing all worries including financial ones..I assume that what makes travellers addicted towards travelling inspire of the brutality it enforces on one both mentally and physically..
First stop was Pahalwan Dhaba for a tasty treat of Paratha with generous serving of butter, A food I used to take as a staple breakfast many years back along with tea..After we finished the tasty treat we headed back on the highway..

We kept on the road with the Idea of making it all the way to Manali that day or at least till Sunder-Nagar..But we were unable to ride more than 80-100 kms at a stretch owing to un-comfort-ability  induced by the saddle bag to the pillion rider..
We crossed Panipat, Karnal,Kurukshetra,Ambala with short water-tea-photo breaks and took a bit more lengthy halt at CCD ,Chaklan just after entering Chandigarh at around 5 P.M.

Sore backs were rested, stomach was refilled, Cold coffee was sipped with the realization that we wont be able to make it to Manali that day as we were reluctant to ride at night..Target Sunder-Nagar
We rode, crossed Ludhiana..Hilly road welcomed us..we stopped for a refuel and rode again until the surrounding became pitch black and Sunder-Nagar again became a distant dream..We decided to halt at Bilaspur at HPTDC Hotel Lake View..Excellent Chicken curry-Roti marked the end of the day where our biker spirit and sore back were put to rest for the night..We decided to leave early the next day so that we can reach Manali ASAP as our wives are expected to reach by 10.30 max the next morning..We realized this unplanned un-certainty is what a road trip is all about and went to bed with smiling faces..


 19th August 2016: As we woke up and removed our room curtains we were greeted by a wonderful sight, the sight of Nature..we had to pause for photos, teas and selfies before we start at around 8.

 We rode, stopped around 10.45 for breakfast, Got comforted by the news that our wives have reached Manali and checked -in the hotel with the help of our friend in Manali, Omprakash. We then crossed Sunder-Nagar, crossed Mandi, Kullu and finally reached Manali at around 1 P.M. the odometer in our Apache showed 582 kms

We reached our hotel, Rajput Royal Cottage at Suru,a beautiful hotel with excellent view ,courteous staffs and great food (the below photo is from our room balcony) . We were greeted by Omprakash and immediately you notice the behavior difference between people of mountains and people of plains..Omprakash always so polite,so composed,so calm.United with better halves we had some refreshments we took our bike for check up and our wives for a short Manali trip. We dropped our bike for servicing and went to the Mall road..the heart of the place..

We had to get our permissions done for the trip and Omprakash aided by his nephew took care of the paper-work while we took a tour of the nature park..getting ourselves soaked in Nature..acclimatizing with nature..

Royal Enfield tours are very popular and renting a Royal Enfield has become so much easier in the mountains.My love for this Bike-Make forced me to upload this photographs here..

Mall-Roaming, food in-taking , photographing , Chatting..and finally returning to hotel to have a dual bath in Bath tub.Self- Cleaning was followed by tasty dinner and a deep sleep in a cosy bed..Next day we will ride higher and destination was ChandraTal..