DEV BHOOMI - Day 10

13th. July 2010.

Its day 10 of our trip. Wake up at 4.45 am., to get ready for the drive to Chandratal. This is going to be the highlight of the day. Its very cold outside the room. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the night, the electricity had gone. So there goes the comfort of hot water! Reluctantly get out of bed and force myself to enter the bathroom. Hopefully there should be some warm water coming out of the tap. Sure enough the water is not freezing cold like the temperature outside. Have a wash and change into my clothes, including thermal pants, et al.

Wake Arshad and Dinesh. Dinesh says that he may not be able to make it, as he has a splitting headache. That is really very bad news for us. Arshad and me are first timers as far as this area is concerned. All through the journey we have been pretty comfortable, knowing that Dinesh is there, as a doctor as well as a person who has traveled these parts. Not having him around is going to be major drawback. I get him the medicine box, that was left in the car last night. Arshad and me contemplate as to what we should do. We decide to continue to Chandratal anyways. (Jo Bhi Hoga Dekha Jayega! Allah Mallik!)

The tea arrives on the dot at 5.30 am. I click some snaps of the mountains from the room window. Really magnificent. Its nearing 6.00 am. and we are still at the hotel. From the look on Dinesh's face, it appears that he is really not well. He doesn't have his cup of tea also. I finish that too. We tell the attendant, that only two of us will be going to Chandratal and Dinesh will be staying back as he is not feeling well.

Head down to start the car and warm it up before leaving. Do a quick check on the tires, oil, coolant, etc. All well, we are good to go. Start the car, reverse and surprise of surprise, there is Dinesh with his camera bag. We ask him, "Whats up?" and he says, "Headache or no Headache, who wants to be cooped up in a hotel room and miss Chandratal!" So we are back to the full complement of travelers. Looks like this is going to be a good day!

Finally depart from the hotel at 6.45 am. (I know thats late!) Drive on some relatively good roads past the villages of Rangrik, Khurik, Morang, Hull, Pongmo, Kiato, Hansa. The river Spiti runs alongside the road, most of the time. Reach the village of Lossar at around 8.20 am. All papers have to be shown at the Police Check Post here and all details are noted down. When I mention that we are headed to Chandratal, the cop on duty tells me that the road maybe closed! (Not again. Is this trip going to be a case of not being able to reach anywhere??) I pry for more details and he tells me that there has been snowfall in that area. He also gives me an absolute shocker saying, "Last week a group of tourist were returning from Chandratal in a hired Sumo and at a certain point, the road collapsed after they had crossed it." The cop is not sure if the road has been relaid/ redone. (Typical lack of communications!). I ask him if anyone else has managed to reach Chandratal after that, and he says, not that he knows of. Maybe people have come from the other side (Gramphoo) and gone there, or maybe hikers have been there. But he is sure that no vehicle has gone from Lossar side in the last few days.

Quick discussion with the guys and we decide to proceed to Chandratal either way. We will take it as it comes. Maximum, if we can't progress by car, we will trek it! Brave words indeed! We decide to have tea and something to eat before leaving for Chandratal. It is roughly around 50 kms. from here, with practically no villages in between. So this would be our last chance to grab something to eat. Of course we have the food rations in the car, but we will use that at Chandratal or during the trek. We order teas and bread butter from the small dhaba adjacent to the police check post. The owner is kind enough to heat the slices of bread and apply butter. So we had toast butter and tea. Dinesh's headache has still not subsided. Before eating, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but with food in my stomach, feel better.

We leave after about 30 mins., heading to KunzumLa. Lossar is roughly at 3900 mts above MSL and KunzumLa is at 4550 mts above MSL. So its basically a climb and a steep one at that. We pass a Himachal Transport Corporation bus, that is mired in slush and looks like it has been here for quite some time. We reach KunzumLa at 9.40. Get out of the car for some photos and a visit to the temple. I realise breathing is a bit difficult here, as I get out of the car and start walking. Back of my mind, I keep wondering if I will be able to trek to Chandratal if the need arises.

Kunzum Peak hidden behind clouds.

We move from KunzumLa after around 10 mins., heading towards Bataal. After a drive of about 3 kms, we come across our first sighting of ice. Its been quite some time since I saw and held ice this close. (The last was in the year 1978, at Sonamarg, Gulmarg and Rohtang). Arshad, it was his first time experiencing ice this close, ever! So here we were like two small children all excited! I stop the car to take a few picture, with Arshad posing and then me doing the same. Dinesh is pretty amused with our antics. He also gets out of the car, to click some snaps.

After around 15 mins, we finally decide to move on towards Chandratal our main destination for the day. The sky is pretty cloudy, chances of the sun appearing look pretty remote. 6 kms from this place we reach a T junction, road to the left leads to Bataal, while the right goes to Chandratal. There is board at the junction giving direction. It also mentions the distance from this point to Chandratal is 13 kms., with an added note stating that this a Jeep road. (My Q here, does the Bolero qualify as a Jeep?) Since there was no one to answer my queries, we decide to proceed. A few metres down the road, and I am convinced, about this being a Jeep road. Only problem, when they took measurements it must have been of the older jeeps, like the Cj3 etc.! The Bolero just about managed to fit on the road, the new alloys did not help! The mountains on one side, and the valley on the other. If you drive too much towards the right, you risk being scraped by the mountains, too much on the left and you are in the air. Dinesh and me were getting out of the car constantly, to give Arshad directions (sort of like spotters in an OTR) through the really narrow patches. Though both of us had cameras, in our anxiety, we did not click a single snap! At one point of time, I even contemplated turning back and not taking a risk. This would have been the place the cop at Lossar, had told us about, where the road had collapsed. Well the road had been repaired, but someone took the instructions of the Jeep road, quite literally I think. He must have measured either a Willys or a Cj3B, cos nearly 3/4th. of the left side tires of the Bolero were literally in the air. Towards the right was a huge mound of rock, and the left side was thin air. Besides that, the rebuilt portion was raised, much like a speed breaker, only much higher. The trick was to gather momentum, keep the steering absolutely straight and go over the mound in one motion. With Dinesh and me guiding Arshad, he executed the manoeuvre perfectly. Immediately after that he (Arshad) got out of the car, to see what he had crossed and to catch his breath! There wasn't even a place to turnaround, not even a three point turn. So we continued forward. As we neared Chandratal the road got slightly better, or rather we were more or less at the same level as the Chandra river, no longer a deep valley to the left! What a relief! A 13 km. stretch from the T junction took us approximately 1hr.20mins. to cover.

We finally reached the spot, where we would have to park the vehicle and proceed on foot towards Chandratal. Its almost a 2 km. walk from here. We just take some essentials with us, some biscuits, fruits, dryfruits, cameras and water to drink and head out. We are at an altitude of almost 4300 mts. above MSL. Its a laboured walk towards Chandratal. But the views totally make up for it. Dinesh is off, taking some pics using his tripod, while Arshad and me walk on the path, which will hopefully lead us to Chandratal. Its a climb nonetheless and progress is slow. We come upon many small waterbodies, and debate between the two of us, if we have reached the lake. We decide we haven't! In the distance we see a very large water body, parts of which are frozen. Is that Chandratal? If it is, it is really going to take a very long walk to reach there. At this altitude, probably a good two hours. Luckily for us the path veers towards the right.

Kunzum Peak, without cloud cover

We keep walking on the path, along its twists and turns and finally get a glimpse of the Moon Lake -CHANDRATAL. Dinesh is already on the banks of the lake, taking snaps! Surely he must have taken another route, cos I'm sure, we left him much behind at the parking. We wave out to him. I have already spotted a camp a little away from the banks of the lake. There are nearly a dozen foreigners, who have trekked here from Bataal. They probably would be spending the night here. There is also a small tent, with a board proclaiming it to be a restaurant/cafe. Whatever it may be, I'm sure I'll get my fix of tea here. Shout out to Dinesh and ask him if he wants tea, which as expected he refuses. There are a few tables and chairs outside the tent. Arshad and me rest our butts and order tea. The walk was tiring, really tiring!

Finish our teas and head back to banks of the lake to take some more snaps of the Lake and the the surrounding mountains. Dinesh is nowhere to be seen! We assume that he has gone somewhere out of our line of sight to take some pictures. I take some snaps of the lake. The water is really very cold. We wait for Dinesh to return, so that we can take some snaps together.

Dinesh does not return for a very long time. Arshad and me are beginning to get a little worried. Maybe he was not feeling well and he has returned to the car? But that is not possible, we would have seen him pass us by. We decide to head back to the cafe and grab something to eat as it is almost 1.00 pm. We are hoping that Dinesh will join us there. At the cafe we order for Maggi noodles. While the noodles are being prepared, Dinesh arrives and also orders for a Maggi for himself. On telling him, that we were worried about his whereabouts, he tells us that he had gone on to other side of the lake to click a few snaps and while at it, he also took a dip in the lake! So the crazy Doc is at it again! I ask about his headache and he says, "What Headache?" I leave it at that. The noodles arrive, we quickly have them, while they are still hot and order for teas, Double lemon tea for Dinesh, Strong for Arshad and Light for me.

Its almost 2.00 pm, we should be leaving now, if we have to go to Kye Monastery and Kibber! As we are leaving the cafe owner asks us to fill our details in a log book given to him by the WWF - Shimla. Probably a way for the WWF to keep a check on the people visiting Chandratal! We pay up at the cafe and start heading back to the car, taking a different path to reach the car. The walk is as tiring, as it was while coming to the lake. I'm actually sweating by the time I reach the car and really want to remove my jacket, but am advised against doing so by Dinesh. I guess he is right. Its still cold!

Get into the drivers seat and start the car to head back to Kaza. The time is 2.30 am. Back again on the same narrow road heading to the Bataal junction, with Dinesh and Arshad acting as spotters this time around. We cross all the dangerous spots we encountered on the way in, with Dinesh and Arshad doing a brilliant job of spotting! (I was still pretty freaked out and scared. A recitation of Hanuman Chalisa also happened, in my mind ofcourse). Reach the Bataal junction at 3.15 pm. (45 mins, not bad!) and we are finally off the jeep road and onto a proper road. (Road conditions are the same, only its wider and some more space to manoeuvre in case of oncoming traffic!)

Pass KunzumLa and come to the spot where the Himachal Transport bus is mired. There is another HTC bus now, with some people, probably to tow out the bus. We stop and are told by the guys, that the bus has been stuck here for the last 5 days and that there is a JCB on its way up, to help pull out the stuck bus. We wish them all the best and move on. A few kms. ahead the JCB passes us by. After driving some distance, we are stopped by a group of a dozen people. They have been working on the road widening for the P.W.D. and need a lift back to Lossar. Their mode of transportation back to Lossar was the JCB and that has gone to pull out the bus. Unfortunately we can't take back all the people. They suggest that we should at least take the 4 ladies in the group to Lossar. Rearrange the luggage and make place for the ladies to sit. Its a tight fit. We move on and at the first tight turn, I feel the wheels touching the wheel wells with a sickening crunch! Have the shock absorbers failed, have the bushings gone? I keep on driving, can't do much now, at least have to reach Lossar! It happens a couple of more times. Maybe its the added weight!

Reach Losar at around 4.30 pm. Drop of the ladies, who thank us profusely! At the Police check post, give all the details again. The same cop manning the post (Mr. Sanjeev Kumar) is glad to know that we could make it all the way to Chandratal. He informs us that we are the first private 4 wheel vehicle to make it to Chandratal and back this season! (To be verified!) Time for a small celebration, some tea and biscuits at the restaurant will be great. Some of the locals are admiring or rather inspecting the tires on the jeep. I click a few snaps of local children. Sanjeev Kumar, enquires if a Tempo Traveller with foreign tourists can make it to Chandratal and I say "No way!"

Its almost 20mins., that we have been at Lossar, time to move on. Looks like Kye and Kibber is out of the question now. It will take us almost an hour & a half, to get to the Rangrik turnoff, from this point, going by the morning times. Will have to do it tomorrow, even though it means driving back from Kaza! We drive on towards Kaza, passing the village of Hansa. Somewhere between Hansa and Kiato are stopped by 4 ladies (again?). They want a ride back to Kaza. We oblige. Get talking with them. The bus has still not arrived and they have to get back home. They had come all the way here for farming. We ask about, what would have happened, if they hadn't got a ride back and they say, that they would have walked to the next village and spent the night there and then caught a bus back to Kaza the next morning! They make it sound so simple! I can' imagine the kind of hardships these people face, and especially during the winter months. Lack of communication, transport, etc! Its a tough life here! Stop a few times to take snaps of the surroundings. The shock absorber problem still exists, especially at sharp turns! Decide to drive a little slow at turns, to prevent major damage.

Drive on, take a wrong turn at the village of Pongmo and instead bypassing the village, I'm driving through. One of the ladies gets down at Pongmo and very graciously invites us to her home for a cup of tea, which we very politely decline. Its 6.05 pm and we would like to reach Kaza before the day ends and it becomes dark! The remaining ladies are quite interested in knowing, what would make sane people like us, leave a beautiful city like Bombay and come to this Godforsaken place! (Maybe we are insane, but they don't know how wrong they are! Bombay and beautiful?) I for one, would like to exchange places with them! (Thinking of some way to generate enough income to stay in a place like this and just explore!)

Reach Kaza town at around 7.00 pm. Drop off the ladies, near the Hotel. Next time around come with your families they suggest and stay with us! (That's a plan!). Park the car and head to our room, but not before ordering tea! It has been a great day and we have been very lucky, to get a chance to see Chandratal! All in all a very fulfilling day! Dinesh is feeling much better, no more headache! Thankfully the heater switch had been left on and there was electricity the whole day, so there is hot water in the tap.

All of us have our bath and get fresh! Have the served tea and order for dinner, veg for Arshad and Dinesh, while I decide to try out Lamb Thupka! Discuss the plans for tomorrow. Places to be visited and the final destination for the night. Go to the restaurant for our dinner at around 9.00 pm. Finish our meal by around 9.45 pm. Come back to our room. Switch on the T.V. to see some news. Nothing of interest, except for the story of the Octopus predicting the World cup results. (Gosh, I'm sick of seeing the same thing over and over again! There should be some sort of ban on repeating stories/ news. My thoughts entirely!). Switch over to Star Movies, some movie showing, can't recollect the name. Don't even know what time I went off to sleep.

To be continued....................................