Road To Sangla
Enough of the traffic misery in the Klang Valley, lets go to the Sangla valley, in Himachal Pradesh. It took us almost 4 hours to get to Sangla, from Sarahan. Sangla is at an altitude of 8671ft. The heavy breakfast at Sarahan, lasted till we reached Sangla.
Through The Mountain We Go Around
School Children On A Earth Day Awareness March
(Caught this as we were passing a village enroute to Sangla)
We when straight to our hotel, to check in but for whatever reason the person who attended to us was totally blur or perhaps he was zoned out. Anyway he told us to wait till two other guys came. Upon giving our passport, to our absolute surprise, one young chap quipped, Selamat Datang ('Welcome' in the Malay language). This chap was a Nepali, who had been working in Melaka for almost 4 years, and he speaks fluent Malay. After that the hospitality extended to us was simply great. During summer many Nepali's come over to different parts of India to work in the hospitality industry.
The Nepali Host in Attendance
This hotel we stayed is surrounded by apple orchads, with Mount Kinnaur Kailash as our backdrop. Kinnaur is known as the land of apples and God. Did you know that this mountain is considered by both Hindus's and Buddhist to be very sacred and is believed to be the exact point of the abode of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati? At the peak of this mountain, a trident like monolithic structure exists, which has become a pilgrimage site for the brave, as it requires 14 km challenging trekking to an altitude of 17200feet. Well I told Greeeja, that we will keep this trekking for another day. But the mountain itself was a sight to behold.
Kinnaur Kailash
Another View of Kinnaur Kailash
Actually the above photo is the view from our room. Just imagine getting up in the morning looking at this sight, WOW.
After a simple lunch, we were already in our Tempo, heading to Chitkul Village. Chitkul is often known as the last village of India, nestled at an altitude of 11319ft. The reason Chitkul is known so is because it is the last village in the Indo-Tibetan route and the first village at the Baspa Valley. Though it is merely 22 km from Sangla, but it took slightly more than 2 hours to reach this scenic spot.
The Untamed Baspa River
The Baspa Valley is also a popular spot for Camping during Summer
The Untamed 3
We were totally taken aback looking at this wonderful landscape. It was simply magnificent, We just felt that we were one with nature.
The Untamed 4
On one side of river Baspa we can see the snow-clad Himalayas and on the other side of is fresh pine forest. The water was crystal clear, perhaps it was the melting glaciers from the Himalayas.
The Untamed 5
There two very important temples located in Chitkul, one is the Bering Nag Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Mathi Temple dedicated to the wife of Lord Badhrinath. The uniqueness of these two temples are that they are built using walnut wood. The festival of Fulaich which is celebrated in the month of September is a major activity in spring. Unfortunately I must say that we were not fortunate enough to see both the temples. Perhaps next time.
The Untamed 6
The Untamed 7
Mr Neghi's Tea Stall
Guess what, at this spot, we met Mr Neghi, who runs a tea stall. Business was brisk, and we had to wait for a good 20 minutes to get our freshly brewed tea. His hot selling item for the day was Maggi instant noodles. I guess with the cold wind, instant noodle would be comfort food. Mr Neghi is from Chitkul village, and he says he sets up his stall about 11.00am and operates it till sun down. The spot we were standing is popular amongst campers. There are tents set up during summer and rented out to visitors.
The Washerman
On the way back to Sangla, we bumped into this washerman with his donkeys resting by the river. The doggo on the foreground stood guard to his flock, watching our moves as we tried to take some photos.
On the way back in the evening, just about 1km from Sangla our TEMPO encountered a flat tyre. Actually a stone tore through the rubber. Our driver Vicky was quick to realise it, stopped the vehicle and manage to bring it to side of the road and got the tyre changed. Meanwhile we became traffic wardens signaling other vehicles to drive slowly.
Vicky Unscrewing The Spare Tire
By the time we reached the hotel, we were dead tired, and hungry too. To add to the circumstances we actually had a large family from Gujarat as guest at the hotel too. Interestingly the head of the family approached us during dinner and requested that the chicken curry not to be served on the buffet table as they were vegetarians. We obliged and the hotel staffs brought the chicken directly to our table. They were a friendly bunch, and from there on we kept bumping into them till our journey in Himachal Pradesh ended.
Besides the magnificent sights to behold, we also met many other tourists along the way, some were good company, others were a darn nuisance. But then hey this is a creation that does not belong to anybody. Everybody has the right to be where they are. With greater prosperity, it leads to greater wanting to explore. The expectations, perceptions and appreciation of every individual who travels, definitely will be different, hence expecting everyone on our journey to be like minded, would be more a wish than reality.
To me it was accepting people as they are, not wanting neither to be judgmental or overly critical, because it only disturbs my mental state. We came here with an open mind, without specific expectations. Greeja and I just went with the flow, accepting it as it came, and I must tell that never a day was dissapointing, it was like everyday was a new beginning.
A Local Pondering At The Edge of The Road
I wouldn't know what was running in that lady's mind, but whatever it was she looked serene. I don't know whether it is the place or its people there seemed to be a state of tranquility about them despite living in such harsh conditions. I just then realised, never a problem that is so big that it should stop one from living. Take it in a stride, don't be intimidated by others, neither should we be affected by behaviour of others, because both are something that is not within our control. We should then, be in total control of ourselves, if we can change the behaviour of others, it is well and good, if we see the best in others, no harm in adopting it, but if we can't do both, the best thing to do is to avoid the interaction.
Somehow it dawns to me the saying of Ramana Maharshi, "be still, do nothing". This adventure has questioned me about "who am I", more than ever before.
I am Not Sure What I Was Doing or Thinking at That Point
(Mount Kinnaur Kailash)
ravivarmmankkanniappan@0105160720223.0567° N, 101.5851° E
......look out for part 4 of my adventure.....
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