Sangla Valley: Part 1 (The Beginning..)

Himachal Pradesh (HP) is one of the states in India which is always bustling with flocks of tourists and travelers round the year..And why not? HP boasts of all five mountain ranges that comprise the mighty Himalaya, making it the best state in India for me.This great Himalaya is carved by Beas, Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi along with their innumerous tributaries to form resplendent and beautiful valleys like Kullu, Chamba, Kangra, Lahaul and Kinnaur. Elevation varies from some few hundred meters to some 7000 meters. It is the state where people live in houses built on impossible slopes of mountains, simultaneously in a hut at the bank of a river alone in solitude. It is the state where one hardly finds a road that stretches over a half kilometer without a bend. This treacherous but awesome terrain has got its own color because of diverse culture it possesses from pretty old monasteries and temples. Well to state awesomeness of this state from a traveler point of view, just put your finger anywhere on the map of HP with your eyes closed and literally go there without any hesitation because every place in HP has something incredible waiting to be known to you :)

I have been to HP once before October 2011..To Chamba and Dalhousie in March 2010..After making some great trips to some other places like Ladakh, Rajasthan and North East, I decided to go for the second expedition to HP. As I said earlier, any place in HP can be chosen blindly. But I didn't do that :p I came to know about Sangla valley, a part of Kinnaur valley from one of my friends, Nikhil Joshi. He said that this valley is relatively unknown and less visited by travelers, so still maintaining its raw charm. And till then, I was also completely oblivious of it. And so my destination for mid -semester recess of October got fixed! I love to go to the places which are relatively less known. After reaching there, I felt that many of the people visiting HP were also not aware of Sangla valley, looking at the number of tourists at Sangla and comparing it to the number of tourists visiting rest of HP.

So a call for a trip was made..Finally, eight enthusiastic people set off for Sangla..The plan was simple from October 1-October 8..I'll focus mainly on "Sangla" part of this trip in upcoming posts.

Itinerary:

A church at the ridge in Shimla :)

1) Meet at Delhi.

2) Shimla via Chandigarh.

3) Then Sangla (230 kms from Shimla).

4) A two days Sangla-Kanda trek (24kms) and Chitkul, a beautiful place near Sangla.

5) And if time permits, visit Kalpa.

The preparation for this trip was minimal. I booked Youth hostel at Shimla in advance, but that was unnecessary. First, hotel was not worth the money though it offers great view from balcony and second, no need to book hotels in advance for Shimla. We didn't book hotels for any other places. We had our first stay at meticulously planned Chandigarh with a late night visit to Sukhna lake. Next day we made our way to Shimla. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the tickets for trains for Shimla from Kalka. A train journey to Shimla from Kalka is highly recommended, but a road trip to Shimla is also equally recommended :p 

Road to Jakhu temple..

Our entry in Shimla was happened to be preparation for Sangla trek..Carrying a lot of luggage from lower part of the Shimla to the hotel at the upper part situated on the other side :p But our efforts were praised by unexpected rains, making weather soothing, soft and more pleasant. The visit to Jakhu temple tested our stamina on steep climb through mysterious trees, giving a feel of increased age :p  The best evening for me till now was waiting for us at the ridge where a fantastic military band lost in the fog, was playing amazing instrumentals on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), which ultimately created moods for ballroom dance in an empty balcony :) The atmosphere at that time was so cheerful and enthralling that the evening cannot be erased from memories in whole life. The best part of Shimla is the ridge, with a magnificent church, free from any kind of vehicle traffic, allowing people to take hassle free walks :) The benches were there to sit and talk leisurely simultaneously enjoying pleasant surrounding. Photos in traditional dress were taken. A pizza night arrived in front of town hall..But everything of course cannot go smooth..We faced much difficulty to find a vehicle for Sangla for next day..Because of some cycling event, many of the vehicles were already booked..At late night, we finally managed a vehicle for whole 5 days ahead, Shimla - Sangla - Shimla. At the end, a perfect day at perfect Shimla had a perfect ending..The day went to a peaceful sleep after many games of cards!! :):)

The Eight :)
Top row from left: Chetan, Sanket, Prachita, Kedar
Next row from left: Sonali, Prashant, Manali, Onkar

Some Numerical Info:
Hotels at Chandigarh: Rs.500/- per double bedded room per day (we adjusted 3 per room).

Hotel at Shimla (Youth Hostel): Rs. 1100/- per 4 bedded room per day.

Vehicle (Tavera I guess) : Rs. 14000/- for Shimla - Sangla - Kalpa - Shimla (around 550kms)
Actual cost could have been Rs. 8000/- if booked directly, Rs. 6000/- was taken by travel agent :-o. 

Ladakh : Part 5 (Kargil - Leh)

Kargil - Leh is around 230kms in distance..Normally takes 6-8 hours and we were not in a hurry to rush to Leh as we had enough time in our hand..So we decided to resume a little late in the morning from Kargil..Also, we wanted to recover from the fatigue caused us traveling more than 12 hours on the previous day day and that too starting at 4AM..So we got fresh and cruised our way to Leh around 9AM..As soon as we were out of Kargil town, we crossed Indus for the first time and she was accompanying us on the right side then..Very soon, the typical characteristics of Ladakh region appeared before us.. the typical characteristics which were till then only seen in photos & videos, only heard in the third person..Barren desert look like mountains wearing snow caps!! They looked simple but mighty and beautiful to me..It is a paradise for those who love mountains and their panoramic views..Ladakh offers them, many of them one after another..And mind them! They are Karakoram and Himalaya! One of the mightiest mountains in the whole world!

Kargil..A start to Ladakh..

The famous landscapes of Ladakh..

The road just after Kargil was pretty rough..But we had already acquainted ourselves to such roads, so no problems now :) We kept moving at 30km/hr, curiously stalking at the amazing terrain which were not seen in person by any of us before..It was literally like "Dreams come true" kind of situation for me :) I was unable to take my eyes off the mountains and its surroundings..Traffic was rather heavy and filled with plenty of trucks..The road was dusty..But nobody cared about that..Everybody was busy observing new world with awe!!

I personally classify Ladakh into two regions from a traveling point of view..Zanskar and non-Zanskar..Zanskar valley is situated in highly remote area..Accessible for a short window of time in year..Mountain range called Zanskar Range acts as a main barrier..A dedicated trip is quite possible for beautiful Zanskar region, but we were not onto it at that time..Maybe some time later in future :) Road to Zanskar start after Kargil..The other goes to Leh..

After some time, we stopped for breakfast..Till that time, road had become smoother and pretty green vegetation made their presence amidst barren landscapes..

Barren lands are not alone, they have company :)

Towns are situated at the oasis in deserted Ladakh..

 Soon the road became awesome and with that the landscapes..

Road in the heaven..

Everyone was excited..Environment was filled with a some kind of magical happiness..was feeling like accomplishing a big achievement to me if I'm not exaggerating..We all were already pretty excited by sort of trekking experience in Pahalgam and we wanted some more..We were looking for a chance..And in some time, we got it!! We stopped at a random spot, at which some kind manageable climbing seemed possible.. So we got out of the vehicle immediately and began our so called adventure :p Yess, an adventure at least for us..We were newbie at trekking with zero trekking experience, for whom climbing that hill was an uphill task.. We climbed a bit and soon it became pretty steep for us.. Four of us stopped considering its steepness and lack of our experience..Two of us moved on.. With the support of each other and tiring efforts at high altitude, I and Dhruva, somehow managed to climb that steep portion and reached the top of the hill which offered us enough plain space at least to stand comfortably.. Till then, I was focusing on climbing..Reaching on top, I glanced 360 degrees around me and the view simply stupefied me!! That was the most beautiful view of my life till then and I have never seen such an elegant Himalaya till today!! There were ranges of barren hills one after another..And snowy mountains behind those..a long and curvy road piercing them towards Leh!! Following pictures might introduce you to that phenomenal nature..

The best view I have ever captured!!

In an effort to capture above view ;)

After experiencing mesmerizing surroundings, we started climbing down..To my surprise it was far difficult than climbing up..One-step miss placed or lost balance, you will find yourself at the bottom within some seconds (possibly dead :o).. We literally climbed down sitting on our hips :p We got down finally safely with a sigh of relief..That was not less than a great adventure for me!

As we were preparing to hit the road once again, a group of people overtook us..They were also going to Leh like us..The only difference was, we were going in a vehicle sitting comfortably and they were going on the bicycle!! Bicycling at an average height of 11000 feet is not certainly a joke and business of those with weak hearts!! They certainly deserved our salute..

The real adventurers!! Hats off!!

It was around 1PM..We were hungry..Finding a restaurant on this route is a difficult task since finding towns on this road is itself a rare event..We approached a town where we bought some snacks and to our great surprise the shopper did not charge a single extra penny over MRP!! That too in such a remote region!! An incident worth remembering.. As we continued our climbing the altitudes and approaching snow clad peaks which seemed far some time back, we were accompanied by rain and amidst the rain we reached Fotula, the highest point on Srinagar - Leh road..

Fotula..

As we went on moving further and further, the more amazing surrounding became..We reached a spot where mountains were colored naturally in golden patch..

The Golden mountain!!

A breathtaking but worth taking way!

Then followed famously "Jalebi mode" (Jalebi is an Indian cuisine which is spiral in shape)..

The curves of Jalebi mode..

Can't resist myself to put another snap :)

After completing Jalebi mode, we left rough road behind and met very very smooth road..We hit 80km/hr from 30km/hr..We soon crossed Lamayuru..Terrain became relatively flat and less dangerous..Long and long plains cut in the middle by an endless road could be seen..We were approaching Leh..

Are we really in Himalaya?? Doesn't seem so :p

Before Leh, around 30km, there is a holy place for Sikh known as Pathar Sahib..It has an interesting story related to it..There used to be a demon living on the mountain and he used to kill people in the valley..Guru Nanak Dev arrived in Ladakh and was asked to help by the people..Demon seeing Guru Nanak Dev praying one day, hurled a large stone at him, but the stone became soft like a wax as soon as it touched Guru Nanak Dev and an impression of him was formed on the stone..Amazed and frightened by this, demon accepted his defeat.. That stone can be seen in the Gurudwara with the impression of Guru Nanak Dev..

Pathar Sahib..

The same area is also famously known for "Magnetic Hills"..It is alleged that the hill possesses magnetic properties which pull vehicles..But it is confirmed that it is only an optical illusion and nothing else..

In the middle of all these excitements, the clock was ticking to 6 PM and we arrived at Leh, known as a capital and the biggest city of Ladakh region.. We were feeling  little bit exhausted due to high altitude sickness..We soon found a good hotel costing Rs. 450 per night per room for 3 persons in a room.. Cheaper option is to find guest houses..There are plenty of them, costing around Rs. 300 per room per night..Leh is full of all amenities from ATM, Bank, Internet to multi cuisine hotels..We got fresh and stepped out for dinner..The weather had become windy and cold, but it was quite pleasant..

Finally Leh!!

The day was an extraordinary day..We were introduced to an entirely different and very beautiful region of the world which deeply amused us..We climbed around 14000 ft, moved on dangerous rough curves with the company of elegant hills and magnificent Indus river..Climbed down to Leh at 11500 ft..We were yet to be awakened from the resplendent memories of that day, we fell asleep to awake next day to see more of the heavenly Ladakh further :)