An Adventure from the roads less travelled - a motorcycle trip to Spiti - Part 3 of 3

For part 1 click here and for part 2 click here

"Whatever it is you're seeking won't come in the form you're expecting." - Haruki Murakami

Day 6/ Kaza to Batal/ 140 kms

It was an experience, filling our tanks from the only petrol pump in Kaza, which by the way is the worlds highest petrol pump at 12,270 feet. And strangely, the fuel dispenser is out dated, with one having to manually calculate the price of fuel dispensed. With the attendant taking his own sweet time to calculate the fuel price rounding off to the nearest zero, you could only stand, wonder and show some displeasure. There was nowhere else to go. The next petrol pump is 250 kms away beyond Rothang.

The day’s plan was to cross Kunzum Pass, visit the Chandratal lake and stay at the famous Chacha Chachi’s at Batal. 

After crossing the boundaries of Kaza, we continued to be on the right side of the Spiti river by not crossing the enticing bridge. Rode 14 scenic kms uphill till we reached the famous monastery of the Spiti region. With my motorcycle head lamp dangling with the glass broken, I was damn cautious of my ride. 

The majestic Key Monastery

Key is one of the oldest and largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Located at an altitude of 13,600 ft, it offers the serenest view overlooking the valley and the Spiti River. The main difference between Key and other monasteries of Spiti is the higher number of monk population present here. 

One interesting fact about Spiti, is that the 2^nd boy child of every family becomes a monk. They are mostly sent to the coveted Key monastery where the lamas get their schooling. At the age of 14, when most of us would be grappling with the nuances of newly found puberty, they would be getting ready to swear celibacy throughout their lives. One of the reasons for the low population of this place besides the harsh living conditions.

The monks had just finished their breakfast when we entered the monastery. Spent some serene time inside the precincts. After that, we descended from the backside of the monastery along the huge steps through the lanes that housed the non distinctive lama quarters. It took us to a spot where you could get the best view of the majestic monastery and the valley.

7 kms from Key, was the moderately commercialised village of Kibber at a height of 14,200 ft. With a population of 366, it is the most populated village that we visited in Spiti. A budget Homestay here is a good option for travellers to explore the local culture. A definite miss at our end. 

Kibber Village with the identical houses

Crossed right through the Kibber village on our motorcycles. The village with identical houses looked so beautiful and inviting that I had already started missing Spiti and its exotic villages.

The dried up spiti river

After the scenic Losar village on the way, we started our steep ascent to Kunzum pass. This pass, that connects the Lahul and Spiti valley, remains open only for 4 months of the year from mid June to mid October. The place was mainly dominated with fluttering colorful prayer flags and the Kunzum devi temple. Every passing vehicle would drive around the temple which they believe would protect them in the rest of the journey

Kunzum pass at 15,060 feet

Although, mountain passes look scenic with the view of white snow capped nearby mountains and the stunning valleys and river down below, but they are not like any other spaces. To begin with, they are windy, there is a genuine lack of oxygen because of the high altitude and they are prone to landslides. And this was undoubtedly the windiest place that I have ever been. After spending a good half an hour trying to help a fellow biker with some extra engine oil, I started feeling cold, dizzy and weak. 

Just after descending the Kunzum pass, a narrow road at the right turn takes you to Chandrataal at a distance of 14 kms. A further descend of 2 kms would take you to Batal. 

At this point, we got divided. Ravi, Jogi, Jaat and Sachin would be venturing across Rothang and would be staying at Manali. Crossing this stretch at night was definitely a risky affair. Apart from the dangerous roads, the freezing temperatures at night doesn't  leave you with any scope of error. Myself, Rahul and Yogesh had decided to take it easy. We would visit Chandratal and stay at Batal.

The roads to Chandrataal are non existent. One has to pray hard not to fall. We had to travel over big boulders most of the time and then cross a couple of big naalas to reach the base from where there is another 3 kms trek to the lake.

The calm water that reflected the bluest sky with different shades and hues is a delight to the sore eyes.  Surrounded by mountains, the place was as close to heaven. The best part is that the place has been maintained as it is. There were no vendors, no camping no littering and no signboards.

The heavenly Chandratal Lake

We travelled back the 14 kms and descended the 2 kms to reach Batal. This place was mainly dominated by the famous Chacha Chachi Dhaba run by a very humble couple who were in their late 50s.

The sun had already set at 6 pm. It became freezing cold. Stay was in one of the 7 feet wide huts.The long bed with tattered and hard mattress occupied 90% of the room. With our saddle bags occupying the remaining 10 % space, we were left with no space to stand.

Constructed with loosely stacked stones as walls and plastic sheets for the roof and door, the hut looked incapable of blocking out the freezing wind at night. My only hope was in the smelly, soggy blankets that were dumped in abundance. With no light in the room, you could only guess, how dirty and stained they would be.

The Chacha Chachi dhaba

After dumping the saddle bags, we parked ourselves for the evening at the relatively warm Dhaba. Although the place resembled to that of any traditional dhaba, but at heart it was more of a biker’s café. The steady influx and efflux of bikers kept the place vibrant. The cold, sloppy and dusty bikers came with their fresh stories while we cozied, sipping on the hot tea.

Menu for dinner is fixed. You can just order the poor looking thali with rice, daal and an aloo ki sabzi. However, the endless array of chips and biscuit packets in the shelves did provide ample snacking option.

After our early dinner at 8, we started discussing about the dreaded 65 kms between Batal and Gramphu. Everyone, we have met till this point of time, had sworn about this dreaded road that I had started wondering, how bad it could be.

Three guys from our biker group, who had earlier visited Chandratal through Manali had some really bad experience to share. They were stranded in this road due to a clutch failure, only to be rescued later by a cement truck at night.  The worst nightmare of every biker.

Gaurav, an experienced biker from Mumbai, who had a blue honda CBR, who had done Leh-Manali circuit 4 times, seemed terrified after hearing the stories.

Srinivasan, a biker from Bangalore, claimed to have encountered waist high water while coming from Manali, the same evening. Yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration on his part. But crossing at night is the most stupidest thing one could do. The melting snow creates flooded roads as the day progresses. The key is to start early in the morning.

  

In the midst of all these happening, entered a group of college students. With the absence of any riding gear, just the jacket pocket to keep their hands warm and a mere layer of denim to protect them from the deadliest falls against the rocks, they seemed more than confident. The 14 odd people made themselves comfortable without caring much about anybody in the café. One of them started rolling joints at a table while Chachi kept a steady glance on him.

“You people are staying here tonight?”

“No, we will be going back to Manali” replied the guy, who seemed troubled fixing the broken visor of his helmet.

“We had a clutch failure while coming from Kaza. That’s why we are this late,” another guy added

“Do you have any idea about the road ahead? There is waist high water at this time!“

“We have experience, it doesn’t matter,” he replied and looked at us with an expression that demanded staggered admiration.

There are dumbasses, there are cool people and then there is everyone in between. So, if you ever find both of the extremes at the same place, that’s a Eureka moment, enough to run around naked at the sub zero temperature and freeze your balls off. Or, you can just call it a day and head off to your cold and soggy hut.

Day 7/ Batal to Mandi/ 240 kms

I woke stiff, unrested with the signature mild headache in the gloomy morning with a dispiriting prospect of a tough day ahead on the road.

The temperature had a real dip at night.
"Hey Bhole Shankar! aaj raat paar karwa de. Kal ka toh main dekh lunga," I heard Rahul praying hard last night.

We left at 7 30 am after our breakfast.

This is the worst patch of road probably in any part of the world. There were rocks; sharp ones which could easily puncture the tires; the unforgiving slippery kind; the gigantic kind, smack in the middle of the road; and the smaller ones which were comparatively easier to navigate on. But there were rocks everywhere. And yes, there were naalas; some were ankle deep and some were knee deep. 

Courtesy devil on wheels

Pagal Naala (courtesy internet)

So we rode along non existent roads, over different kind of rocks, across deep, naalas and miles and miles of barren mountains. We just rode. And no matter, how many prayers you say to how many Gods, you are still bound to fall. With an average speed of around 10 kms per hour, there was nowhere to escape but to endure.

Deadly as it might be, this road that connects Manali and Kaza is the lifeline of Spiti. You could see a lot of trucks carrying goods to Kaza. But this route would close down within a week after the first snowfall at Kunzum pass. Spiti would become less accessible. It would look more beautiful though, glistening in the winter snow, reflecting the winter sun. 

Finally, at the end of 4 hrs of non stop vibration, and a couple of falls in the naalas, we finally saw the tarmac. The Gramphu sign board at the junction of the Leh-Manali Highway was a sight to behold. This signalled that our owes were all over and also  marked an end to the incredible Spiti adventure. 

The Gramphu Junction

We took a left towards Rothang pass. A right would have taken towards Keylong and Leh. The engine started knocking as I climbed towards Rohtang. I revved up my throttle while I down shifted to 3rd gear. I pulled up the visor and let the chilly wind in.  

For part 1 click here and for part 2 click here

An Adventure from the roads less travelled - a motorcycle trip to Spiti - Part 2 of 3

For part 1 click here and for part 3 click here

For me, the most inescapable moments are when I find myself lost in nature. The moments that are so pure that they are capable of dissolving away the rest of the world. Moments, that are hard to escape but when you do, you just remember that you have forgotten to slow down your motorcycle at a turn and its too fucking late.

There are times, when there is no escape, you have to fall .Then when you fall , just fall safe!

Day 3 /Reckong Peo to Nako/ 103 kms

The view of Reckong Peo in the morning

In the morning breakfast, Shravan had treated us with the biggest omlette parathan known to mankind. Shravan, the care taker of the lodge had also entertained us with the numerous Spiti videos. You named a place in Spiti and he reaches out to his pockets in a quick movement that resembled the act of pulling out a gun. And there came the humongous cell phone with the Jio connection for watching uninterrupted youtube videos. It seemed, he really wanted to makeup for the unprofessional accommodation last night.

Reckong Peo, administrative HQ of Kinnaur District, is the last petrol Pump before Kaza. We refueled our bikes from the sole petrol pump in town. This is also the point where you make that last call back home. There is no cellular connectivity beyond Reckong Peo, unless if you are carrying a BSNL SIM card.

We rode with our new found biker friends whom we met last night.The roads till pooh were bad! If I was on a bus, I surely would have puked my guts out. Not to mention that I was about to choke on my own burp (if that is practically possible) from the half digested food, while getting vibrated on the bike. 

These were the better roads on this stretch

Just before reaching pooh, we had to register our bikes at a check post at Ribba. The roads leading to Khab, the rendezvous point of Sutlej and the Spiti River, were equally bad.

However, the ascent of Kazigs with numerous hair pin bends was the highlight of the day.  The Kazigs is a stretch of 7 zigzag roads which resemble the Ghata loops of Leh-Manali Highway. The newly laid roads were smooth as smooth could be. And the view? You have to see it to believe it. It felt that we were riding at the top of the world with all the mountains beneath us. We had pulled over a thrilling 70 kmph on these roads. That seemed like a big risk on the hindsight. A small slide on the gravels would have been a 60 feet drop down to the valley.

The ascent of Kazigs ( courtesy BCM touring)

A small 1 km road on the right from the highway took us to Nako our destination for today. Although, you could reach Kaza the same day from Recong Peo, a stay at Nako is highly recommended. There are two advantages to it. The first is that you get to enjoy the amazing view of Nako for a longer time and the 2^nd is that you get a full day on the road from Nako to Kaza where you could visit other places on the way.

Located at a height of 12000 feet, Nako is one of the cleanest villages I have ever seen. 

View of Nako from the Hill Top

First time in the trip, we got ourselves good beds and clean rooms at a small lodge right at the starting of the Village.

At Nako, we spent most of our time in the small restaurant run by the nicest lady in the village. Rest of the time we were busy getting drunk.  

Day 4/ Nako  to Kaza/ 111 kms

Consecutive three nights of alcohol specially at this height of 12,000 feet also throws in some AMS symptoms for free. The throbbing pain in my head had the potential to make me backtrack to Reckong peo and then to Shimla. This is typically, the point when u swear of no more alcohol in the trip.

First thing in the morning was having a bar of chocolate and a Diamox 250 mg, the life saving pill. Followed that with a lemon tea and a stroll around the serene village which put me back into the game.

The later half of the morning time was spent looking at Vasu and his friends who were all over the ground covered with grease and dust. They were figuring out how to replace a punctured bike tube. Vasu, who was a biker from Mandi appeared so stoned yet rugged enough to survive any situation. He was intently meditative in the whole process. He ordered his friends with a hoarse tone while he figured out which tool size would open up the tyres. It was quiet surprising, that a place like Nako didn't have a bike mechanic.

View of Nako Lake in the morning seemed like a painting

We started for Kaza late at 10 am after that not so sumptuous but delicious breakfast in the small restaurant run by the nicest lady in the village. 

A few kilometers before Tabo, is the village of Sumdo which is the point where you enter spiti. We had to register our bikes at this checkpoint. 

Just after Sumdo, a colourful cemented arch invited us into the village of Gue. The earthquake of 1975 had opened up the tomb which had the mummified body of Sangha Tenzin. The 500 years old mummy is now housed at a  monastery in Gue.

An 11 km drive along a narrow road took us to Gue which hardly has a score of houses. The monastery was situated at the far end of the village above a hill.

The newly built non operational Gue Monastery. The mummy was housed in the small house at the left.

The mummified monk- disturbingly peaceful

The mummy kept inside the glass chamber, with the empty eye sockets, the perfectly preserved teeth & skin, surprisingly, looked to be at peace.

According to locals, to free his village from a plague of scorpions, the monk had undergone natural mummification which in simplified language is a suicidal process through slow starvation.

Entry to Tabo. Every prominent village in Spiti has this colourful gate that invites you

We had our lunch break at Tabo, at a restaurant that served the best mutton momos in the world (now, that is subjective and debatable). 

Tabo is a small town situated in a valley at the banks of the Spiti river which houses more than a 1000 years old Tabo monastery, the would be retirement abode for the Dalai Lama. Unlike the other monasteries which are on hills, this is located in the plains. Unfortunately, we decided to only take a glimpse from the outside and head to Kaza.

Roughly around 20 kms from Tabo a signboard points you towards the Dhankar Village. And this would be the right time to introduce the fellow biker who had received an SMS regarding his boss marking him as absconded. He was so distressed that he raced all the way to Kaza, 2 hours ahead of the group (which we didn't know at that time) while we waited at the junction of the road leading to Dhankar monastery. I thought taking a long leave is simple: inform your boss in advance, complete your projects on time and pay your colleagues a portion of your monthly salary to keep the show running until you are back.

After the futile wait of an hour or so, we left the main highway and took the 11 kms road going uphill towards the right. 

Entry and Exit gate to Dhankar Village

Dhankar, the capital of Spiti in the 17th century had a strategic Fort, which got destroyed in the 1975 earthquake (almost all the stories of Spiti have always got something to do with the faithful 1975 earthquake).

The main attractions here are the 2 monasteries and a lake. The new Monastery is located right at the start of the village while the old one is located a few meters ahead.

The brand new Dhankar Monastery

The dilapidated old Dhankar monastery as seen from the new one

The old Dhankar monastery was in shambles with visitors not allowed in certain parts. The monastery has been selected as the 100 most endangered monuments by Worlds Monuments Fund. 

It was getting dark. We could not visit the Dhankar lake (courtesy, the wasted hour while waiting for the fellow biker) which was an hour’s trek away at a height of 13,500 ft.  Later, I saw a video clip of the serene lake from a fellow biker and it was definitely worth a visit.

The roads from Dhankar to Kaza are some of the most scenic in the trip. As we motorcycled our way to Kaza, I marveled at the view of the straightest roads with barren fields flanked by mountains on both sides. The Spiti river, sparkling in the setting sun, showed more elegance now. 

The roads leading to Kaza

After a lot of goof ups, we finally arranged to fix our stay at New Kaza hotel, our first decent accommodation in the last 4 days. 

Day 5/ Rest Day- Kaza/ 0 kms

The mud roads which govern most of the stretches to reach the villages in this part

A 40-minute uphill drive from the town took us to Hikkim, where you have the worlds highest Post Office at 14,400 feet. 

Hikkim - Highest Post Office in the world

Rinchin Chering, the postman at Hikkim was a humble man and showed us around the office. It looked more like a house from inside then a regular post office. He told us how the govt. of India in 1983 had setup his residence as a post office and he has been the postmaster of this place ever since. 

Komic, the worlds Highest village connected with motorable road

Next stop was Komic which was just 3 kms and 5 mins away. Located at 15,050 feet, its famous for being the worlds highest village connected by a motorable road. 

Komic monastery

The Monastery here, is said to be 500 years old. With only a handful of houses and a mere 114 people living here, its one of the least populated villages.

Langza, the fossil Village

7 kms away from Komik, was Langza Village at a height of 14, 400 ft, primarily dominated by the statue of Lord Buddha, overlooking the valley. Famous for its marine fossils, it is also known as the fossil village.

The large buddha statue dominating the Langza village

After completing our village tour, we returned back to Kaza. Today was also a bike repair day and our bikes desperately needed some TLC. With a broken head lamp and a bent leg guard, my motorcycle actually needed more than that.

We went to find the only mechanic in Kaza, who was drunk at 1 in the afternoon and couldn’t be found anywhere. After an hour of waiting, he arrived in a semi drunken state. He seemed not pleased to have found so many people waiting for him.

While, our bikes were getting repaired, we had ample amount of time to explore the town and the market.

Main market, Kaza, incase you are wondering how Kaza looks like

In the evening, we stumbled upon a walk in birthday celebration. It seemed that everyone was invited to that party.  We were literally dragged to be a part of the celebration. This is something interesting and unique about the Spiti culture. Every kid of the valley gets one huge birthday party in his lifetime, where all the villagers join. This also explains a lot about the bond among villagers in Spiti.

There are few  good cafes/restaurants to explore at Kaza . 

Himalayan Cafe serves the best food in town

Sol Cafe, Kaza

Sol café being the best of them. With the interesting ambience and the prettiest girl with the brightest smile greeting you at the counter, you are bound to fall in love with this small café. 
For part 1 click here and for part 3 click here