Friday 6 September 2013

Spiti & Chandrataal


I am not much of a writer ... but the vast mountains and lovely people of Spiti made me so...
Its a place unlike any other... it has beauty in every angle and direction. The friendly, no fuss people of the place make it more so. I as a solo traveler to this place - felt completely safe, relaxed and was deeply touched by the experience.
Spiti - Kaza is a jewel hidden behind the green side of Manali hills. Its on the alee side and the road to this place is quite dangerous. The place is cut off from the rest of the world almost the whole year round - however the road opens in first week of July to end October. After that, there's a way to get to this place through Shimla but its wrought with danger. Hence, tourism is best from July to mid Sept as after that the weather starts becoming unpredictable and god forbid if caught in snow storm - there's very little help in this area due to extremely thin population.
I made my trip in Aug 2013. Spiti - Kaza is 6 to 8 hours away from Manali. Reaching Manali from Delhi takes a day. 
Starting with Chandigarh Shatabadi in morning, thereafter a car drive, one only reaches Manali by eve. One needs to do a night stay in Manali. As journey to Kaza takes another 6 to 8 hours hence, its another day ahead. I was with a group of mountaineer friends who were heading that side for trekking, while I for discovering the culture and the place. 
We started early morning by 7 am to our journey to Kaza. The view from Manali to Rohtang is lush beautiful and breath taking. Its one stretch of road thats my eternal favourite - it right out of a dream sequence. Beautiful, green, cloudy, misty and very romantic.


Going ahead, you cross the beautiful Kunzum La on the way. All vehicles irrespective of the faith they follow, stop here and pray for safe journey in the hills. Not stopping here is considered bad luck - and also its the center of the hills - who wouldn't want to stop here for some breathtaking views. 



 The terrain ahead gets quite rough and edgy. Along the way... you see Spiti River .... and some more majestic mountains...Some people call Spiti a poor cousin of LEH!!! Leh is one of my most fav places in the world and I think its like none other. But Spiti is different, the river bed is expansive and flowing right in front of you. To discover the beauty of Leh - one has to step out of the city while here the river follows you in all its majesty. If it has to be compared to Leh - then Spiti is a mystical cousin. 

            

             

This whole magical land is on the alee side of the mountains.. so its a stark contrast from the greenery and mistiness of Rohtang and Manali...
It is also known as cold desert ... which in summers - that is Aug thankfully wasn't very cold.. but awe inspiring beautiful.





The different colors of the mountains, the rawness, the loftiness is definitely worth a life time experience.

We had a quite a few flat tires on the way due to the rocky terrain. But our driver being a native was well prepared for it. My first night in the area was spent in tents along with the mountaineers which was quite an experience as I was doing this for the first time. 


As you can see its picture perfect. I was greeted by this wonderful sight in the morning after I got up and stepped out of my tent. Thereafter, we visited one of the oldest villages in the place called Khibber. It has a population of approx 150 people and also has an old monastery in Khi that's nearby.


In these places life is simple, hassle free. They had no electricity for past 2 months.. and rely on solar power generation. Houses are so well lit that you don't realise the lack of power. 
Later after a day, I separated from my group and went trekking alone. I went trekking to Dhankar lake which is quite a steep trek but a short one. 
There isn't much to the lake, you can skip it if one wants to. The trek since its steep is fun. 



After Dhankar, I moved on to my trek to Langza Komic  from Kaza. 

In Kaza I was staying in this beautiful hotel called Sakhya Abode - which is run by the monastery. Monastery commissions the hotel to a business family and shares the profit with them. The place had Nice large rooms, wonderful hospitality, my stay and tour was taken care by the Incredible Spiti team. Incredible Spiti team is run by natives of Spiti who know the place better than anyone else.. everyone knows them in turn which makes it very reliable and comfy in such a faraway place. Despite the fact that the place had no electricity for more than 2 months, the place is clean, neat and well lit up! you don't realize the lack of power till you closely observe.  
Kaza is the metro city for all the nearby villages. The total population of Kaza would be approx 1000 people and is the only place where you can find electricity - if you ever do. 
The hotels give warm water warmed through traditional hamams of wood. Everyone only gets a bucket of warm water a day. The hotel is right in front of the symbol associated with Spiti - that is these prayer wheels.  
  



The place has beautiful people who understand Hindi well.. the youngsters know English quite well. So communication is not a problem at all.




This is a place with harsh weather conditions. People survive on gen sets, solar and candles...its extreme living conditions with back to basics stuff.. weather is unpredictable, snowstorms happen, roads get blocked.. so if one plans to be here.. one needs a very reliable source who can handle emergencies and take care. People are very cordial, the only safety one needs is from nature. While I was there, the Pin side had flooded away and my mountaineer friend group were headed that side. Incredible Spiti team informed them well in time - which was a huge relief as many people had washed away, and also they helped arranging things for my friends even though they were not using their services. 
A lot of travel agencies call themselves expert in Spiti - but this is the only team I saw at work while I was there. All the work even from Manali was outsourced to them - hence I repeat - one only needs safety from nature here and no one knows it better than locals. So stick to their advice and have a local guide from Kaza with you always and not Manali or any other place.  

In Langza - I did a home stay in one of the traditional houses. The kind that are everywhere in that place. Made of mud, warm and very hospitable.



This 80+ old granny loved that as a girl I was doing a trek alone and exploring the place. She was very warm, hospitable and treated me with some great tea as she realised I love tea! 


Trekking was treated with some great views on the way..

                       
After trekking till Komic, I came down to Kaza - back to my hotel. From there I headed to Tabo. 
Spiti has some amazing monasteries for history enthusiast. Tabo is the oldest monastery in India. It is the most amazing monastery I have seen till date.. and I have seen quite a few. It is called the Ajanta of Himalayas and no photography is allowed inside. 



This was one place I could sit for hours and hours and not get up. Infact, I came to know on visiting that Dalai Lama has chosen Tabo as his retirement place. His Holiness is also visiting Tabo in 2015, for which the whole Spiti is working from 2012. A beautiful monastery unlike any in the world. 

After Tabo, I chose the exit route to Manali via Chandrataal. Words defy me when it comes to this lake.



Reflection of clouds in lake

A lot of people i know tend to compare it to Pangong lake of Leh... well its neither similar in shape, size or feel of it... Chandrataal is different... its subtle, you need to speak to it.. feel it, wait for it show you its layers, colors... its not flashy, not in your face beauty... it unfolds gently... I know this all sounds poetic... but you would too become one.. once you sit near the lake and let it unfold itself... its a beautiful soothing experience, unlike any other... do not go to place thinking of Pangong or any other lake you have seen... as here you dont know what you would find... you might find the clear reflection of mountains, or clear deep blue or a deep disappointing green of a pond... or some colors you wouldn't even think you can see... let it be... sit by the lake, give it sometime... if it knows you are patient... you will know why it is considered an abode of fairies by the locals



Go to Spiti... immerse your senses in beauty!

28 comments:

  1. Beautiful description Yesha...!!!!!!! have fallen in love with this place just via ur narration....As u describe it..its for sure the mystical cousin of LEH... :) :)
    Will definitely plan a trip to this beautiful place soon...

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  2. Thanks Priyanka ... am quite glad you liked it enough to make a plan to go here :)

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    1. thanks yesha, shall i go there with family (2 adult + 1 child 11 yrs + 1 child 3 years)?

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    2. Hi, all depends on what your agenda is for the place. If you plan to trek then 3 yr old child might have a constraint. However, if its short treks around spiti and going to tabo... then i think its just fine. Hope this helped.

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  3. Your blog made me think about another trip to Spiti. Most probably I will be planning my sabbatical for this place :) ... Very well described and inspiring Blog-Post !!!

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  4. Thanks so much for the appreciation VJ... I want to visit the place in winters...as in winters they say the color of the water is deep stark blue and white snow makes a contrast to behold....but then life is very tough those days!

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  5. Wow such a lovely description! i am contemplating on a solo trip to spiti. but dont really know how to go about it.. coul you help?

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    1. Hi Richa... Thanks so much for appreciating! Yes, a solo trip is quite fine for spiti... Am right now in France and will be back in a day! Will respond to you in detail then. Hope that's fine

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  6. Hi... Thank you for such a beautiful and informative blog!! My and friends and I are planning a spiti valley trip around may end, 2016. Would this be a suitable time to go? Or is it advisable only from july to oct?

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    1. Thanks so much for appreciating it. Spiti valley is beautiful and I am not very sure if the road to it from rohtang pass is open in May. As per me, it usually opens in late June. Though you can contact incredible spiti team (I have linked them in this post) and know the dates in May. They would be happy to help on guiding and informing on weather condition. Best to know from them as they are locals for spiti.

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  7. Thanks a lot, your blog has just motivated us all the more to visit spiti asap! I have contacted the incredible spiti team!

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    1. thanks Shrena for appreciating... I hope u have your plans in place for this year. Am sure you will love it. Infact, am planning another trip this year...

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  8. Thanks for this diary, and wish you many happy travels. I stumbled across this while researching for a road trip along the same route. In mid Aug 2016. Any advice?

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    1. Hi Arindam, I would suggest that you plan your trip end of August as there will be lesser number of people in Spiti and its much more fun that way. Let me know if you need any more help. Cheers :)

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    2. thanks so much Arindam, Sorry for the delayed response... glad Vishesh took care of it... I had been traveling and just didn't log in for a long time. Hope to write about my new travels soon...i hope you take the time to read those too!

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  9. THANKS YESHA for this beautiful description...
    after reading this i am planning to visit Spiti very soon.. can i get some information about spiti team..
    please advise...

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    1. Thanks Anit for your compliments... glad Vishesh took care of your query. I had been traveling, and hence just didnt log in. Vishesh and his team are the best to go to for Spiti. Enjoy your travel and hope to read about it all soon from you too!

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  10. THANKS YESHA for this beautiful description...
    after reading this i am planning to visit Spiti very soon.. can i get some information about spiti team..
    please advise...

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    1. Hi Anit, my name is Vishesh and I am part of IncredibleSpiti team. Here is our website- www.incrediblespiti.com. Will look forward to hear from you. Cheers :)

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  12. I was just going through websites, for a trip to the place they call lahaul and spiti, and I found your testimonial on their homepage. Woman, you are an inspiration for many lone women travelers!

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  13. Very beautifully written. I am heading there next week, filled with excitement.

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  14. All the best! Hope u like the place as much or even more than i do! Plz share your experience

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  15. Yesha. I almost had tears reading the last bit about the chandrataal lake. I did a solo trek to kheerganga and was planning a trek to spiti. and now after reading this i am definitely going for it. loved every bit of it. cheers :)

    - Vipanchi Rao

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    1. Thanks so much vipanchi. Wow .. Great to know u trekked alone. Plz share your experience of Spiti too after u do it.

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  16. the weather has really has changed over the years... like leh in oct used to be unimaginable and a year back or so.. i travelled at ease in leh in oct. However, for spiti I still would be apprehensive as it can get some very harsh weather conditions... and population is less, so less help around if required. if you wish to see snow there.. nov should be good.. but ideally wont recommend moving out of kaza which is the main town. going in interiors to tabo and other areas can be very risky.. which are prone to snow storms.

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  17. There are several places in whole world where several people like to visit tours for feel the bliss moments of life. Jalandhar India is the country where most of the abroad people visit every year to study and get to know more about it. India is divides in four parts such are northern India,southern India,eastern India and western India.

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