Spiti Valley Itenary

Overview
When we visited Manali in Dec 2009 we found ourselves interested in the different modes to explore Himachal especially the cold desert area of the Spiti Valley, Leh and Ladakh.

One can go trekking to this area (with/without mules to carry baggage), drive through , visit via jeep safari ( where the items for camping are in a separate vehicle ), a camper van .... :) Everything can be arranged provided you have the time and ofcourse the money !!! :)

With a child we decided to go for the drive option with bookings in relevant hotels at the appropriate destinations. Our itenary was for 15 days and we would explore the Kinnaur Valley, Pin Valley and Spiti Valley. Our route was - Delhi - Narkanda - Sangla - Kalpa - Tabo - Kaza - Chandratal - Manali - Sojha - Delhi. [ Full itenary at the end of this post ]

We checked out many tour operators for this but finally we decided to go with Banjara Camp & Retreats. [ http://banjaracamps.com/ ] One was the cost factor, second was the inputs received from friends, third it seemed to make sense since at three prominent halts we would be staying at their properties - Sangla , Kaza and Sojha.

I must say we were very happy with Banjara. We had a problem with the driver they had assigned but when we complained about him they promptly swung into action. Within 30 min of our complaint they arranged for the driver to be changed. I expected them to ask us to adjust for the remaining days .. but they did not do so. Their properties were also very good. Scenic locations of the retreats and very courteous staff.

This drive can also be done in 10 days I have heard. But we took the leisurely route. The other alternate we checked out was travelling from Sangla to Kaza and then onwards to Leh/Ladakh. But it seemed a little rushed to us so we dropped it.  The route would have been Shimla - Sangla - Tabo - Kaza - Jispa - Serchu - Leh. Would have included Nubra Valley and Panging Tso lake.

I think this was a great blessing for us. We headed out of the Kaza area just one day before the Leh cloudburst. So may be someone up there ensured we did not do this route !!!!

Observations, Travel Tips

• Carry woolens, thermal wear no matter what time of the year. The weather is completely unpredicatble. One spell of rain can mean very chilly nights.
• July to August are the best months for Spiti Valley while May - June is the best time for the Kinnaur Valley.
• Check how comfortable the driver is driving these dangerous roads. I would consider the road to Chandratal ( very very narrow road jutting out of the mountain side ; just a dirt track ) , the road to Tabo via Maling ( rocky bedstreams and landslide area ) as well as the road to Kunzum pass ( again swift flowing rocky riverstreams ) very treacherous.
• Be mentally prepared for delays that span days. Many a times it may entail a complete change of itenary. So have a Plan B, Plan C and sometimes even Plan D in mind.
• Be prepared to be cut off from civilzation at any point of time. The roads to Spiti Valley from Kinnaur side or from the Kunzum pass side can get cut off at any time due to landslides, rock slides and streams.
• From Nako onwards electricity is a problem. [ Check your camera batteries !!! ]. We did not have electricity till we reached Manali.
• Try to cross the Kunzum pass early - the streams formed due to ice melting will be more full as the day passes.
• Carry snacks and shawls in case you are stuck somewhere without being able to move forwards or backwards !!!! Keep a first aid kit handy.
• We did not face any altitude sickness with our itenary but that may still be something to consider.
• BSNL is the only mobile that works after Puh ( enroute Nako ) till Manali. Can consider getting a prepaid card.Still sometimes even BSNL fails in these areas.

 Itenary:
Day 1
Jul 24: Delhi- Narkanda- Pick up from airport at 10 am. - 11 hrs drive – halt Narkanda

Day 2
Jul 25: Narkanda- Sangla via Sarahan - 8 hrs drive – halt Sangla

Day 3
Jul 26: Sangla – Chitkul ( Nagasthi ) – halt Sangla

Day 4
Jul 27: Sangla- Rakcham trek– halt Sangla

Day 5
Jul 28: Sangla- Kalpa (Kinner Kailash range views) - halt in Kalpa

Day 6
Jul 29: Kalpa- Tabo Via Nako - 7 hrs – halt Tabo

Day 7
Jul 30: Tabo- Dhankar- Kaza - 5 hrs – halt Kaza

Day 8
Jul 31: Kaza- Ki, Kibber Gete or [ LangKa, Hikim and Comic villages ] – halt Kaza

Day 9
Aug 01: Kaza- Pin Valley National Park drive – till Mudh – halt Kaza

Day 10
Aug 02: Kaza- Kunzum- Chandratal- 4 hrs drive and 4 hrs hike - camping at Chandratal

Day 11
Aug 03: Chandratal- Batal- Manali- 8-9 hrs drive. May be problems at Rohtang pass with traffic jams. – halt Manali

Day 12
Aug 04: Manali- Sojha - 4 hrs drive - Halt Sojha – Jalori Pass

Day 13
Aug 05: Sojha – Raghupur Fort - Halt Sojha

Day 14
Aug 06: Sojha - Relax / Sereoslkar lake - Halt Sojha

Day 15
Aug 07: Sojha- Delhi- 12-13 hrs. Late evening flight out.

Design and Usage ....

"Everything is designed. Few things are designed well" - Brian Reed

Designing is an ubiquitous activity. Yet in so many instances it almost seems like design is disconnected from usage. In the midst of following fads - the entire purpose of design gets lost !!

We went to a restaurant .... and it seemed like everything that could be wrong ... was wrong !!!!

1. The play area for children was in a dark dim corner ... ?? Could not see the children ... much less the playground artifacts ... what kind of child safe zone is this ?

2. The entire restaurant was mostly dark ... in this dim dark world -- there were pathways ... which had unexpected dips in levels with no visual demarcation .... plus the natural stones had plenty of unevenness to cause stubbing !! An invitation to people and children to fall on their face !!!

3. The low seating was atrocious ... I don't have back pain and yet I found it difficult to keep leaning forward at that angle to reach for my food !!!

4. Candle light dinner ..... aaah .... supposedly romantic .... it seems the designer forgot that candle light dinner does not mean ... we be unable to see the food or the menu !!! :) IMHO candle lit dinner should be just enough that it hides flaws and creates a glow instead .. with adequate dim lighting to ensure you can see what you eat and most importantly the expression on the other person's face ... after all this is why it is supposed to be romantic right ? More often than not this generally this means a smaller table ... most restaurants never get this balance right ... !!!!

And I can go on and on ...For a restaurant of that kind .. food is just one of the things that it is rated on !!! :) The entire design seemed to ignore the people who would come to the restaurant and be served !! :)

If design is intelligence made visible .. I definitely saw no sign of it .... And this is a hep & happening place here ... sometimes I wonder .... :)

We had an architect who was interested in designing our bathroom lighting with expensive lighting and extensive work details .... the point forgotten - the said design would make the bathroom dimly lit !!!

This same person refused to keep the kitchen platform at a comfort level for me ... said the height that was chosen was standard. But this so-called-standard would give me a pain the neck while cutting vegetables and a gas cylinder could not fit underneath it either !!!! What kind of standard was this ? Standards are there for a reason ... but if it does not help towards an easy usage of the object ...... what is the point ...  ??

Have you come across a website where what the company is about is buried under so much flash .... that it takes forever to get to the core [ we would rather go elsewhere thank you ]. I would think that if under 5 seconds you don't know what the website is about ... most people would just skip ....

Aesthetics are very important no doubt .. but while designing these aesthetics .... it is important to remember ...designing should always be connected to the purpose of its usage... otherwise after the novelty is gone... it may well find  itself out of favor too ....

After all - "Good design keeps the user happy, the manufacturer in the black and the aesthete unoffended" -  Raymond Loewy

Grief - Short note

 

"There is many a word that causes a tear in the eye .. but the saddest of them all is the simplest word 'goodbye'".

 

Lately I feel I am getting lots of bad news ... first from a friend involved in an accident that wiped half his family away.

 

Next from an acquaintance who lost her hubby ... 1 month after their wedding ... just after they came back from their honeymoon. Another teen lost his dad .... and ....... I don't think I need to add more.

 

In all these instances .. there seems to be a common thread. Insensitivity of the people who come to offer condolences.

 

• One person asks details about the accident
• Another person asks - How do you feel about your dad ? Do you miss him ? [ Er .. what kind of question is this ? Really ??? ]
• The girl is being consoled with ... "It is ok .. you are young .. you can always marry again " !
• I was told - "It is ok .. you have another sister "

 I do understand that to a large extent many people feel awkward and helpless knowing that no words can assuage the pain and one can really do nothing .... so I sincerely believe my friend was trying to tell me .. I still had another sibling to hold on to .... and did not mean to sound as if one sister was the same as another .... like interchangeable objects ....

 

But on the whole .. while people have different ways of handling grief .. I would think some things are common when one approaches them -

 

• If you don't know what to say .. it is better to just say .. you don't know what to say ...

• Not many people like to rehash the loss ..... get the clues from the demeanor of the person ... and keep quiet when you get this edict

• Last and definitely not the least ... every person is unique so the anguish the departure of that person brings is also unique .... the age, the situation in life .... does not matter ... only how much that person was loved.

So whether it is a still-born child, a 5 month old baby, a 6 yr old boy, a teen girl, a father , a grandmother etc ... the age has nothing to do with acute sense of distress ... and nor can one person be replaced with another !!!!

 

At most for a person who is old you might be able to face the bereavement with a degree of equanimity because you believe they have lived a long and [ hopefully ] happy life. But that may not really dull the pain ...

 

So when one visits a person in sorrow it is time to take a step back and make a conscious decision to try and be more perceptive.

Like my friend told me during my difficult time ..... "Letting go has never been easy but holding on can be just as difficult. Yet strength is (sometimes) measured not by holding on but by letting go."

Simple pleasures ... Raindrops and Roses .....

- Watch sunrise near the sea where there is clarity and the full sun can be seen ... the change from darkness to light is amazing .....

- Watch mists roll down a hill ... these are especially more beautiful when there are tea estates on the hill ....

- Feel snow flakes falling on your upturned face

- Sit for hours in the waters of a natural hot geyser .... :)

- Camp out in a place where you can gaze at the sky with a zillion stars from a spot far away from any light ...

- See the brilliant fall colors ....

- Smell the earth after the first rain ....

- Drive a bike when it is raining ...

- Walk in the rain .... :)

- Take deep breaths in the fresh crisp mountain air ...

- See a complete bow of a rainbow across a field or road ......

- Watch the full moon rise ...

- Smell the intoxicating aroma of sandalwood / jasmine / roses ....

- Sit on the steps of a train and watch the passing scenery [ be careful the door does not close on you !!! ]

- Sit in a quiet spot in a temple and listen to the temple bells ... and feel peace stealing on you ....

- Drive/Walk on a lonely road with flame of the forest [ Gulmohar ] trees in full bloom on either side ...

- Relax with your feet in a cold water stream ....

- Sit under a jacaranda tree in full bloom ... be enveloped in the heady scent of those lovely violet flowers ...

- Drive on a desert road ... with blue skies .. and a handy deep blue lake on one side .... :) ... all those rich browns and blues are beautiful .....

- See the majestic northern lights .... in silent contemplation ....

- Scuba dive in turquoise waters with brilliant corals and bright tropical fishes in various hues ....

- Sky dive .. through a cold cloud ... :)

- Experience the quietness when parachuting ...

- Have hot chocolate in front of a fire [ no other lights in the room ]

and and and .............. these are a few of my favourite things ..... :)