Well it is quite difficult to praise as we strictly believe in praises can be harmful and can do crazy things to your brain, especially if the person is close or family. I couldn't help but say that this travelogue has come out very well. Now it maybe because I still have fresh memories of the place and the people but nevertheless you have been able to summarize it neatly. I know when one travels, the place makes a lot of difference to your mood but it is essential that you get your travel mate right, especially in long trips. In this case, I have hit the jackpot :-). BP is as cool as a cucumber and will never refuse to anything that you think of(I still remember that he seemed as excited as me when we did Kandaghat to Chitkul and back in a day). Coming to Spiti, if you haven't yet visited this place you simply have no clue what we are talking about. It was very difficult for BlackPearl to get me back home as I was trying to find out ways to stay back. Every day I used to talk to someone and I would get ideas which I thought were so real and fantastic that it can be materialized very easily. I told myself that I just need some determination and patience. So one day I thought I can teach in Sagnam, the next day I thought I can be an architect in Ghungri monastery, some other day I thought that I could do greenhouse farming as it did not seem difficult to me at all and so on and so forth. This is what Spiti can do to your mind. It can put a spell on you which defies reasoning. I believe it's mainly because of the people. They are still so happy and innocent! Sometimes you might feel that there is more to than what meets your eye, but every-time you will be proved wrong and for once you feel so happy that you are proved wrong.
Few people who are etched forever in my memory are
1. 'Lama Tendup' of Lalung monastery,his window glass was cracked and to fix it he had put 2 small J&J band-aids :-), he is more than 80 and believes that we will surely meet in future.
2. 'Rigzin' of Phukchong whose simplicity and niceness can blow one away. She wanted to give us everything that she had at home to make us feel comfortable, just the way our moms do when we meet them.
3. 'Meme' of Kaza, an octogenarian, bespectacled, always carrying a bead around his hand and one who can be spotted anywhere in the town of Kaza. One minute he will be standing in the queue waiting to offer prayers to High Lama and the very other minute he will be seen chasing Simba, the Saint Bernard. Every morning he used to greet me with a warm broad smile(with missing dentures) and broken bits of Hindi, which made my day.
4. 'Karan' of Chandigarh , I would rather call him Karan of Spiti, as he has become more of a Spitian now. He will strike you as a very impressive man the moment you meet him. He is well read, well traveled, has excellent inter personal skills and can make you feel at home instantly. Deyzor is 'Deyzor' because of him. He will come up with plans according to your stamina and style. Food that they serve is fantastic and you will not have to step out. Rooms smell fresh and have personalized touch to it, you feel that you are in good hands. If it is Kaza then it has to be Deyzor.
5. 'Raj' of Tabo, if you have watched 'Small Wonder' and remember Vicki, then Raj is our desi version of Vicki. He can cook like a master chef, he can run a chain of hotels, he can guide you to different off-beat places, he doesn't sleep, doesn't take breaks. Of-course he cannot be a human! Especially to a Bengali who loves to spend her day just by talking, this seemed robotic! The only difference with Vicki was that Raj always has a smile.
6. 'Sahil' of Losar, well I will be damned if I do not name him. He is not a Spitian and doesn't claim to be one. I think we spoke less and fought more. He is one person with whom you will never feel bored as you do not have to be overtly sweet. One can say what one feels like. He is carefree, stubborn, stuck-up but also very capable, learned and an excellent friend to have. We had unlimited cups of coffee and tea in Nomadic Cottage and he always made sure that we were warm and cozy. He gave us the best room of his Cottage, the 'greenhouse' and it was simply superb!
Phew, I spoke too much. This 'comment' might just get bigger than the travelogue itself
. But I am not done yet.
I would thank 2 people who helped me immensely with the planning. The travelogues that they had written were self sufficient. ADC da and khan_sultan. I took the pointers of hotels from Khan_Sultan's TL and route planning from ADC das. He is of a different league, he did all this in 2008! Last I had heard of him was when he was doing N Korea.
I wish he starts writing again.
So to wrap it up, one should do Spiti in all the 4 seasons. It looks and feels different and will keep you gaping. Of-course one has to research well before traveling especially during winters and take necessary precautions, but it will be worth it. We did miss out on some places especially towards the border, so will be doing that in our next trip to Spiti with Meghna and PapaBravo
Quote:
Originally Posted by PapaBravo What a TL !! Just made a trip to Spiti & returned back in half an hour. Now no planning for 2018. Everything is available here. It's a full guide on how to do Spiti the best way.
Superb pictures of you two & the landscapes. One has to enjoy the place like you guys did.
We have to do this together now !!
Rated 6 stars. |
We need to do this during the winters. It will be superbly fun!