Location: Himachal Pradesh Tour. Date: 6th June - 19th June 2010

06/06/10

The toy train up to Shimla was a long and slow six hours, but the higher we got the views became more and more spectacular, as the landscape change to forests of native Himalayan pines and Oaks. Typically we had arrived again on a weekend and the place was buzzing with Indian tourists at the local summer festival. We took the first friendly tout to offer us a room and march half an hour up hill with him through all the people to find the place. The room was a little pricey at 1100 rupees, but it was huge and had awesome views of Shimla and the surrounding hills. The towns is nestled on the ridge and has small market streets down one side. The roads are mainly banned for cars, so even with all the people it is still a pleasurble place to walk around. On the second day we went to the local travel agent that our tout and his friend Javed had suggested. Javed wasnt there but we met with Mushtaq and Nazir and drank Kasmiris tea with them as they showed us a couple of tour options. We were sold on both, but decided to go with one through Himachal Pradesh to see the Himalayas and old monestrys, although Kashmir sounds great and is still in the back of our minds. We found out the next day Javed would likely be our guide, and he took us on a walk around Shimla. We went for a bout 4 hours and he kept a heck of a pace. We went through the quiet Glen area and saw some great hill views. There was also an big old castle/house, built completely from stones bought up the hills by donkeys before there was better transport to the area. Being here a few days it is easy to see why the British made this their summer capital when they ruled India. The climate would be far nicer than Calcutta in summer, and the views are spectacular in every direction.

07/06/10

As we hand wrote most of the following part of the blog it is both a description of what we done and a collection of thoughts at the time. Hopefully most of it makes sense.

Started Himachal Pradesh Tour.

Guide: Javed. Jeep, and driver: Narpat.

Canadians: Adam & Kristy

Drove to Narkanda where we did a 1 hour trek up to 3400m. Drove through Sutlej Valley, trecherous! Stayed the night in Sarahan (2600m) raining and Misty.

Rollercoaster roads, bumping weaving,staying right on the edge. Deep valleys, high peaks, landslides, and we drove along the side of the cliff for a few hours.

People still everywhere, side of the road, middle of a rockslide valley. People waiting for a bus or just cruising? Road workers, fruit pickers, farmers, or just cruisers?

Houses, shops, towns, gardens, all on the edge of cliffs. Some have even slipped off.

Drive up high before walking higher. First breaths of air at altitude almost suffocating.

Wet, cold, but far from miserable.

08/06/10

Started with walk around Sarahan. Drove to Sangla Valley. Did crazy trek to 4250m to see a pond. Returned in dark and rain, quite cold and wet. Stayed in Rakcham.

More rollercoaster roads this time covered in mud, grey thick slippery clay mud, Views more stunning, with snow topped peaks surrounding us. Pity for the clouds blocking their true majesty.

Javed is a mountain goat hiking machine that struggles with the concept of how long one minute actually is. New rule is to at least double times and distances with whatever Javed suggests.

Narpat is super concentration driver, negotiating trumultuous conditions, with some Aqua party hits to help concentrate.

Our hike in the rain: far too wet, a little too dark, and generally crazy...but such a good sense of achievement to hit the 4250m mark.

09/06/10

Spent morning in Rakcham acommo trying to dry out from previous days hike, toasting our shoes in fronting of the fire and hoping our only sweatshirts will hurry up and dry.

Drove to Chitkul (3450m) for two hour walk along river to army outpost that is the last one before the Tibet border, only 37km to Tibet, but over some steep Himalaya mountains. Rain started again on way back.

Simple pleasures: Feet soaking in a bucket of hot water, clothes drying by the heater. How do the locals manage with neither, I guess fire is their best friend. Glacial water sure must be cold, even a hot shower out of a bucket does not keep us warm for long.

Sure we will get closer to Tibet but still hard to imagine we were only 37km away, maybe we could go set the Tibetan people free. "First the guards will stop you, then they will capture you, and then they will shoot you if you try to run" said Javed at the checkpost. Chinas safefor another day. Only commandos in those mountains, patrolling the inner line.

Did we come to India to get cold and wet? Does it matter?

10/06/10

Better views of the mountains when we awoke after the second night in Rakcham. Drove to Reckong Peo to get inner line permits before heading to Kalpa. Balcony room with more spectacular views. Kinner Kalaish and the Shivling stone. Very cute town with Buddhist and Hindu temples that we did a short walk to.

Maybe the clouds and rain are following us, but in fact we are just lucky to have the clouds break to allow us views of such wonderful mountains.

A special place for Hinduism, Shivas winter resting place is in view. But many people are Buddhist? The two religions seem so intertwined in the region that even Javed answers "yes" when asked on seperate occaisions if the people are Hindu, or if they are Buddhist. Most certainly some of the most beautiful displays of both religions. Peaceful and respectful, but still with plenty of colour and pomp and ceremony.

Fields of green, weed growing wild.


Side of the road, in a paddock, next to the shop, in the temple.Orchard valleys, snow covered peaks, crazy towns and temples. What to look at next?

11/06/10

Awoke in Kalpa to the best views we have had of Kinner Kalaish. A majestic 6200m mountain that includes in its peaks the Shivling stone. This is where the god Shiva came to rest and smoke during the winter and there are shivling stones based on this in temples throughout India. We went for a 2 and half hour walk along valley road, in the sun with tremendous mountain views and deep valleys.

When did science overtake religion as the best way to explin things? Has it even in many minds in many places in the world? Maybe the best story tellers ever have shaped the minds of the world through their "holy" writings, the Koran, the Bible, the Ramayana, etc. But are these writings just collections and adaptions of the same ideas? Most certainly. So how can people still believe in them now we have such good science. It seems quite obvious these were just early attempts to explain things and teach people morals.

I can see that shivling stone smoking. Eeiry grey clouds float around it like big puffs of smoke.

12/06/10

Leaving Kalpa and heading to Nako the roads just keep getting more and more hair-raising. Costantly on the side of cliff faces and rockslides. The view changed from the green pines and vegetation of the Kinnaur valley to the rocky mountainous slopes synonomous with the Spiti vally. Nako is a cute town and we stayed at Lakeview guesthouse, with views overlooking the sacred lake. We walked in jandals up a couple of hundred metres to a number of stupas overlooking the town. Almost 360 degree views of snow capped mountains at that height. With Nako about 3800m this was now our second time over 4000m, higher than mt Cook in NZ. Great Tibetan food in this town and the people are all very Tibetan looking in origin. (no electricity).

These places just get more surreal and more beautiful. "Do we ever have to go home" Tess says.

As we head more into the desert the number of people decrease, no orchards to sustain them here, not even so much work fo rthe road workers with no water to wash the road away. Each small village just has a river valley and a few fields of peas as they grow best in this area.

No electricity doesnt matter for a night but could quickly become annoying for multiple nights. Good old Javed for making a fire to heat the water for us to soak our feet in. This maybe why no electricity was no so bad also.

Tibetan people make the best Tibetan food.

13/06/10

Awoke in Nako with no electricity, but had a quick splash of water thanks to Javed's hot water. Great Tibetan breakfast before hitting the road to Tabo. More crazy and dangerous roads and a look at a 300 year old mummified lady. Tabo is nestled right down at river level in the Spiti valley. There are a lot of old caves where Buddhists came to pray and the centre of the town has a mud walled momestry that is over 1000 years old. Went for walk to caves then back around down the river with Javed.Narpat has such skinny arms for someone who steers our big jeep around such sharp corners with no power steering.

14/06/10

Tess went to Buddhist prayer ceeremony at Tabo monestry at 6.30am. A dim lit room with a row of monks muttering and chanting. Sitting crosslegged, getting pins and needles, the faces of the Buddhas staring out from the dark.

We all visited Tabo monastery to see three prayer rooms with their walls covered in Buddhist murals and statues of various reincarnations of Buddha and other deities.

Drove to Dhankar (3600m) Has a crazy monastery perched on top of a steep hill and the name means palace on the hill.
Went for hike to a lake about 4500m. Just the right amount of work for the lungs. After walk to the lake went to check out monastery on the hill. Another old one, close to 100 years with plenty of crazy murals. Would be great to be allowed to get photos of them.

Long wait (2 hours) as staff were new and first day of new menu. No electricity again.

Maybe Javeds heights are a little off but him and Adam are crazy after doing a fast trek up to touch the snow (500m) and on return Javed said they were like "mountain leopards".

Many of these roads seem very similar. Maybe if there were better roads, and cars, 100 years ago then there wouldn't be so many. Lucky that wasnt the case otherwise we wouldnt have so much cool shit to look at and these awesome little villages may no longer exist.

Living with no electricity hasnt been too hard (Javed has come through with hot water every morning) but jeez I am missing the football world cup.

15/06/10

A quick drive to Kaza (Spiti's biggest town with about 500 people). Then (as the Kunzum La Pass is closed due to snow and we are going to have to back track) we headed up to Kibber. At 4200m this was known as the highest town in the world with a road and electricity. There is now suposedly one higher in India and the highest is over the mountains in Tibet. Lunch here then up a few hundred metres to about 4500m.

On the way back to Kaza we stopped at Ki Monestry. Quite a big one with support from the US. Perched up on top of a hill, it can hold up to 300 monks and had about 150 when we were there. We had a good tour by the temple keeper in his "Michigan" sweatshirt and robes. Many rooms, one with a huge prayer wheel, the place where the Dalai Lama sleeps when he visits. the ahses of the thirs reincarnation of Recham Zango and tea with the Monk.

Dinner in old Kaza market and thena couple of whiskys with Javed back at the hotel without electricity.

16/06/10

A big day of back tracking. Went back two days to Tabo for breakfast. Eventually after over eight hours driving we were back in Kalpa. Tess finds the roads up over the hill past Nako as the most scary and the most exhilarating. As the landscape changes from the rocky desert of the Spiti valley and turns slowly back into the greener Kinnaur district, this is the area most prone for rock and land slides. We encounter one with the bulldozers clearing it, luckily. It only takes about 10mins for them to remove some huge rocks.

Super bumpy roads and Narpat is slightly faster, but still super safe.

A couple of whiskys with dinner and great news to hear NZ's draw in their first world cup game. Hoping tomorrows drive is not so long as we head into some new territory.

The roadworkers in these areas must have the most unrewarding jobs. As quickly as they clear the roads or make new roads, the weather comes and crashes it down. They all have their little patch where they work and most will work on that area of road for their entire lives. men, women and children, all working together. Doing everything from sweeping stones off, to breaking up huge rocks with small hammers, to laying tarseal and operating steam rollers. There are certainly many hard and dirty jobs in India but this is one you have to admire for the fortitude of the people who do it.

Averaging 30kph makes it hard to get anywhere fast.

Narpat is a legend and was happy to have a couple of whiskeysd after his solid concentration stint of driving.

17/06/10.

Another eight hours in the jeep. Some backtracking, heading down below 1000m, then into new territory in the Kullu district. Over the Jeori pass (3250m) and down again to stop in small village of Jibhi. A very green and lush valley, with fruit much riper than in other places and many different types of trees and plants. Watched the locals up a power pole rewiring for an hour or so, then we were super happy a couple of hours later when they finally restored the electricity. Great locally cooked food for dinner.

18/06/10

Went for a 15 minute walk to a beautiful local waterfall. The ferny undergrowth and native tree species reminding us a lot of New Zealand.

Then we hit the road for another full day in the jeep, the official last day of our tour, on our way to Manali. Lots of busiest traffic and head high pot plants lining the roads. Being Friday evening by the time we arrived, Manali was super Indian tourist busy and we were quite pleased Javed new a quiet place by the river. We went out for Pizza and Beer with all six of our tour party, and were more than happy to shout Narpat and Javed a bit of a diiferent sort of a dinner for their Indian Pallettes.

19/06/10

Adam decided to stay in Manalli, but Jared, Tessa and canadian Kristy have decided to go with Javed to see where he calls "paradise on earth", his home state of Kashmir. This meant we left Manali early for our last day with Narpat and the jeep. He drove us the 8 hours to Dharamshala (actually Mcleodgang, just up the hill), which is the home of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan governemnt in exile. Being the weekend the place was super crowded with tourists and luckily we finally got a room. After such a good experience with pizza and beer the previous night we ended up heading out and doing it again, just with the four of us this time, Jared, Tess, Kristy and Javed. We will be spending two nights in Mcleodgang to catch up with laundry and internet, then we will head off with Javed to Kashmir. We will be staying a few nights on houseboat, and doing some treking around. Then what we are looking forward to most is that we have been invited to stay at Javeds village and go to his sisters wedding, which is a huge event. We will hopefully have plenty more photos and updates after this all in about 10days time, as we again are not expecting a lot of internet access for a while.





Map of the Himachal Pradesh Tour

View Larger Map