By Divya Rai.
Editor's Note: Divya travelled amongst to Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh inward June 2013, together with shares her experience here.
The outset thought that strikes you lot almost Spiti is that it is non for the average tourist. The province of surrealism promises amazing adventures -- but alone for those who receive got an adventurous streak inward them. After all, “the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come upward to see.”
If you lot wishing to become to Spiti, you lot must get down yesteryear carrying no images together with expectations -- this volition allow you lot come upward dorsum amongst a backpack total of your ain laid of unforgettable experiences. And what a slap-up seto f experiences it is: the terrain, the views, the weather condition together with the nutrient go out a lasting affect on the sternest of souls!
Ours was a 6-day trip starting from Manali together with nosotros had been wisely advised yesteryear to locomote solo (i.e. without bringing along people nosotros already knew). This helped us bond amongst a novel laid of people who shared our hobbies together with interests. In all fairness, taking friends along mightiness fifty-fifty kill it for you.
Our grouping of ix people was outpouring to Spiti from Manali together with dorsum to Manali again. Initially, I was really apprehensive almost travelling to a province of no-cellphone-connectivity together with rugged terrain. Little was I to know that, during the journey, these 2 factors would live the most of import reasons for making my trip worthwhile.
We started from Manali on 22nd June. We were upward fifty-fifty earlier the Sun was, since starting early on helps inward dealing amongst the unpredictable factors that come upward bundled amongst a terrain similar Spiti’s. It was an amazing, tiring yet fulfilling 12 hours journeying to Kaza. We had taken Diamox [a medicine for height sickness] together with acclimatisation wasn’t much of a problem. H5N1 few of us who were withal feeling uneasy were improve the side yesteryear side twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum when nosotros reached Tabo, which is it a lower height than Kaza. There was also an selection for a trek to the Dhanker lake, which all of us took together with completed successfully -- despite diverse levels of fitness, or lack of it.
The most interesting parts of the trip were the home-stays inward 2 villages -- Demul together with Komik. One needs to live welcoming to the thought of living together with experiencing rural-life for a twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum or 2 without comparison it to the 1 nosotros Pb inward our cities. Or, fifty-fifty if you lot do, you lot involve to query “why is it so” instead of beingness condescending almost it.
Try together with alive the experience amongst all your senses: the sight, sounds, smells, temperature at diverse times inward a day, at diverse places. Or the cool breeze together with harsh Sun against your pare at the same time. Not beingness camera-obsessed helps also -- inward non missing the experience of observing it amongst your naked eyes.
To become from Demul to Komik, nosotros undertook a Yak safari. Those of us who didn’t desire to ride the yaks had the selection of riding horses. It was a trek of xiv kms. Throughout the course of pedagogy of the journey, later every mount or two, a landscape totally dissimilar from the previous 1 would unfold itself similar the go of a magician. But then, is in that location a defter wizard than Mother Nature herself?
All the while, it is imperative that you lot remain aware of your body’s powerfulness to acclimatise together with non ignore whatsoever subtle hints it mightiness live trying to convey to you. Trekking, safari, cycling etc. must alone live undertaken if you lot experience absolutely comfortable -- breathlessness or whatsoever other form of discomfort must non live ignored.
A few of us chose to wheel from Langza to Kaza, which is 17 kms on a rocky landscape, albeit amongst a proper road. Since it is completely downhill, you lot actually nothing through the entire route together with the 17 kms flash yesteryear sooner than you lot know.
We also enjoyed Spitian cuisine -- something you lot must endeavour when you lot are there. The foodie inward you lot volition experience blessed. Give the local liquor a shot too!
Of all the monasteries nosotros visited, Kyee monastery was (and is) my favourite -- mayhap because of the quaint agency it is perched on a mount slope.
Kaza also happened to live the final halt on our Spiti trip. (You volition run across a remarkable increase inward the grade of ease amongst the sparse air when you lot are dorsum to Kaza from the entire trip, equally compared to the outset day.)
I excogitation to see Spiti over again presently since 1 trip is also brusk to familiarise oneself amongst this artwork of the Almighty. In the yr 2014, the honourable Dalai Lama is slated to see -- that would live an splendid fourth dimension to go!
Author Bio: Divya is an entrepreneur amongst a passion for travelling together with is, inward her words, "currently footloose together with fancy-free". Find to a greater extent than of her locomote writings on her blog.
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