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Old 17th March 2011, 15:49   #1
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To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

This story begins in the last week of September 2010. It had been 3 months since we came back from our Ladakh trip. But all the extensive tlog writing and photograph posting made it seem like just yesterday that we'd been there. Nevertheless, it was time to hit the road again, and the most pertinent question of all lay in front of us - where do we go this time?

The first plan, hatched on our way back to Delhi from Leh, was to do a Sach Pass run crossing Chamba, Udaipur and Manali in 5 days. However, as the monsoon wore on, it became clear that with lower Lahaul being such a landslide prone area, the plan was out of question. Then came the plan to drive till Auli and do a day-hike to Gorson, but that plan too got chucked due to the monsoon again playing spoilsport.

The next option was Chandratal. It wasn't as if it was the least preferred destination, but we wanted to do something different this time instead of the usual trudge of Delhi - Manali and back. We had done this stretch too many times in the recent past, and wanted a change. However, given our constraints, Chandratal seemed to be our best option. And it did not disappoint.

The trip, which was initially planned for 5 days, had to end a day before. Work, of course, was one of the culprits, but poor camping equipment made us cut down on our camping days to only a single night.

The lake, the magnificent Chandratal, will always remain etched in our memory. Nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, this beautiful lake, surrounded on all sides by hills, becomes visible only when one gets really close to it. The water in the lake is often quite still, making it a very good reflector, and thus one of the prettiest lakes in the region.

The access to the lake too is beautiful, whichever way you want to approach it. One can walk down from Kunzum La till the lake which is about a 12 km trek, or one can climb all the way up till Chandratal from Batal which is again about 14 odd kms. We took the easiest option, drove till 3.5 km before the lake, and hiked the last bit.

The travellers: Aarti & Harsh
The machine: Our very own wild a$$ - Tata Safari 4x4, we call it Kiyang

Day 1: Delhi - Manali : 590 kms - 13.5 hours

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0031024.jpg

Day 2: Manali - Chandratal : 140 hms (drive) + 3.5 kms (hike) - 10.5 hours
To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03921024.jpg

Day 3: Chandratal - Manali : 3.5 kms (hike) + 140 kms (drive) - 11 hours
To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04901024.jpg

Day 4: Manali - Delhi : 590kms - 12.5 hours
To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0041024.jpg
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Old 17th March 2011, 15:59   #2
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Beautiful begining there Harsh. Lovely pics too. Ive read your Tlogs before (as a guest) and loved every bit of it.

Glued to this one already! Bring it on .

OT: The PWD guest house looks fab!
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Old 17th March 2011, 16:00   #3
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Wow, nice pics yaar, the second one is an item number keep'em coming buddy..

Cheers,
Rajesh
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Old 17th March 2011, 16:50   #4
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Beautiful pics Harsh. Chandratal is just out of the world. This lake has been photographed by many. Some of its pics can be found even in National geographic website.

Honestly this is no short outstanding and indeed a professional's click of the lake.
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Old 17th March 2011, 17:10   #5
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Day 1: Delhi - Manali : 590kms - 13.5 hours

Thanks Guys for your comments. Continuing with the story:

Day 1: Delhi - Manali : 590kms - 13.5 hours
--------------------------------------------------

As is tradition, we began our day early and had left home by 4:00 am. The drive till Manali was as unventful, thankfully, as it had been on the past several occasions. Construction on NH1 was going on in full swing, and thus the average speed was not as it used to be. Chandigarh was about to bustle when we crossed it at 7:30 in the morning, thus thankfully we avoided the early morning traffic within the city. The drive till the cut where Himachal begins is getting increasingly better as the construction on the highway nears completion. The stretch from Swarghat to Bilaspur was as pathetic as ever, with slow prowling trucks not giving way at turns and bends. What a horror it is to overtake them! All in all though, it felt as if it was just yesterday when we'd left for our Ladakh trip, driving on the same roads, and it was fun reminiscing about those sweet memories.

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0011024.jpg
The moon was about to set on NH1

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0021024.jpg
Sunrise on NH1
Brunch happened at our usual haunt (HPTDC's Hotel Lake View in Bilaspur) at about 11:00 am or so. The water level in the Gobind Sagar lake was quite high and none of the submerged temples were visible, since they were... err... submerged . The drive to Manali took another 6 hours or so. The sky was mostly clear, and it was only when we reached closer to Kullu that it started drizzling. It cleared up again when we entered Manali.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0041024.jpg
The Beas, just after Pandoh

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0061024.jpg
The Beas

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0071024.jpg
A rainbow formation

We cheked into's Aarti's temple in Manali - The Johnson's Lodge - and then proceeded to for dinner at our favorite joint in Manali, Il Forno. The pizzas they serve are truly out of this world! The rest of the evening was well spent trying my hands on some macro shots, recently inspired by fellow BCMTians, Doctor Sahab (pushpinder) & Rajiv (rkbharat).

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0081024.jpg
Sunflower, is it?

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-0091024.jpg
A flower
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Old 17th March 2011, 18:28   #6
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

We got late in leaving next morning for Rohtang, and managed to leave our hotel only by about 7:15 am or so. I think my intention to take some nice shots of Johnson's lodge only added to the delay in our departure. We just hoped that the traffic further up would not become too much of an issue because of our late departure. The sun was already up by the time we hit the road, and the day was partially cloudy. With the recent rains in the region, the hills were all draped in a lovely shade of green, and the play of sun and clouds added to the charm even more. Thankfully, we had got some sandwiches packed from the German Bakery (the one on the Circuit House road) the evening before. This meant no stoppages before Gramphoo at all.

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_02631024.jpg
The Johnson's Lodge

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0284_pr1024.jpg
The climb begins

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0293_0_1_1_fused1024.jpg
One of the manadatory Kiyang shots

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0299_pr1024.jpg
Up there somewhere near the source of the fall is Marhi

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03041024.jpg
Winding roads to Marhi

We were expecting the road till Marhi to be in good condition, and knew that beyond Marhi we were bound to have a bumpy ride, as is usually the case. However, we were quite surprised to see the road in poor condition after Kothi itself. It seemed that the monsoon was particularly harsh this time around on the roads with a lot of landslides. The road beyond Marhi was unimaginable. This was definitely the worst roads we'd seen till Rohtang in all our trips. The final 17 kms were done in 1st gear, sometimes switching to 4WD to ensure proper grip. And then there were stretches which were so bad that we thought it better to switch to 4L mode to ensure no skidding.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0307_pr1024.jpg
Basking in the morning sun

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0309_pr11024.jpg
Marhi down below

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03111024.jpg
Traf****ed

It took us an hour to do the Manali - Marhi stretch of about 34 km, and another 1.5 hours or so to do the Marhi - Rohtang top stretch of 17 kms! Such was the condition of the road. A minor traffic jam, by Rohtang standards, of about 30 minutes also increased our frustration and hopelessness of the stretch. This was the first time ever we had been stuck in any jam while climbing / descending the mighty pass, and our delayed departure was to be blamed for this. Finally, at about 10:30 am or so, we reached the top, stopped, took a U-turn for the shot below, and then immediately took another U-turn to proceed further towards Gramphoo.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03191024.jpg
At the top

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03201024.jpg
At the top

Thankfully, the descent till Gramphoo was better than the climb to Rohtang, although only marginally. We managed to do this stretch of 15 km in about an hour. A small break was necessary to stretch our shaken selves. After stocking up supplies for the next two days, and with the assumption that the dhaba at Batal might be closed, we proceeded further.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0328_pr1024.jpg
A flag fluttering at Gramphoo dhaba

We had only moved another 2 km, when Aarti saw two vultures basking in the sun just a little off the road. This was quite a sight since these creatures have been pushed to the brink of being endangered due to certain chemicals used by humans on a widespread basis. Thankfully, the usage of the chemical (dieoflenac was it?) was banned a few years ago, and this led to a recovery of their population, specially in the region of Lahaul & Spiti. (Please correct me if I was wrong on any count above, starting from them being vultures).

We braked carefully, not to startle them. However, as soon as we disembarked, they flew out of sight somewhere below the hill. Not willing to give up, I started climbing down the hill on a track and after a 15 min walk was treated to a sight of about 20 of them squatting in the sun. Though focusing on them on my manual focus 70-300mm was difficult, I managed to get some focussed shots. As I inched closer to them, they flew away and were not sighted again during the trip. I ran back to the main road, and thus we had increased the time delay by another 30 min. But it was totally worth it!


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0341_pr1024.jpg
Vultures?

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03461024.jpg
Back on the road, ready to move ahead

The stretch till Spiti is one one of the least inhabited drives I've been upon. Even in the Changthang region one can find Changpas with their tents and flocks. But here, the only people one finds are the locals thriving on running a dhaba on the deserted highway & the PWD guys for road maintenance. Immediately after descending from Gramphoo, the road starts ascending again. The road towards Spiti is less frequented, narrow and has probably never been tarred, but still is in a better state than the Marhi - Gramphoo stretch. The drive is quite beautiful and the beauty lies in the barrenness of the stretch, which some might not appreciate. After ascending for a bit, we again started to descend, with the road now hugging the Chandra river.

Our progress on this stretch was slower than we'd expected. The recently concluded monsoon had been harsh and had taken its toll on the road, with it being marred with potholes, forcing us to keep our speed slow.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03481024.jpg
The road up ahead

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0355_1_0_1_tonemapped1024.jpg
A chorten right next to the road

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0362_1_0_1_tonemapped1024.jpg
Straight roads greeted us at times

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0364_tone-mapped_raw1024.jpg
The Chandra river stayed on our right till Batal, after which it came to our left

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03671024.jpg
At times the terrain turns really rocky, reminding us of the Gaumukh region

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03691024.jpg
The PWD rest house at Chhatru

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03751024.jpg
The massive Bara Shigri glacier in the distance

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03771024.jpg
Red, Brown, Blue & White: Colors of nature

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03791024.jpg
Kiyang

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03821024.jpg
The climb to Kunzum begins

A good three and a half hours later, we reached Batal. It was already 2:30 pm, and we had still an hours' drive left till the parking lot of the lake. And another 1.5 hours of walking till the lake itself. We decided not to take a break for lunch and marched on. The last time we had pitched our tent was after dusk, and that had been a disaster of a pitch. This time we intended to do it while the sun was still up. After crossing the Batal bridge, the climb towards Kunzum began. However, we were not supposed to climb till the pass at all. The detour was hardly 3 km ahead, and our heartbeats started to increase. Tanveer (tsk1979) had warned us that there were some real tough spots on the road till the parking lot. Also, Sha (BCMT id) had mentioned that it had snowed and rained quite heavily a day before. We wondered if reaching till the parking lot would be possible at all, and were quite sure that a challenging 12 km were coming up ahead.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03831024.jpg
The bifurcation towards Chandratal

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03841024.jpg
The road is narrow, but beautiful

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03861024.jpg
Chandra snakes up ahead

And the road did not disappoint, totally living up to its reputation of being really narrow! There were two points on the 12 km stretch where the road was so narrow that Kiyang barely managed to fit on it! Actually the road itself when blasted / made was not supposed to be narrow, but due to landslides there was a big boulder obstructing a part of the road at one point, and another landslide had led to the road giving way and falling into the river at the second narrow point. The first obstacle was more difficult, as being on the driver's side, I had no clue as to how much space I had on the passenger side. It might've been close to 6 inches maybe. So I kept Kiyang as right as possible, so much so that the footboard grazed against the boulder, but the vehicle made it through. Aarti helped, by getting down and navigating, shouting whenever I was erring. The second obstacle was where the edge of the road had fallen off, thus one tyre needed to be on a make-shift arrangement of rocks. It looked sturdy enough, and Aarti even stood over it to check. But still just to be on the safe side, we decided that we will pre-determine the angle of approach and just run through. This way the make-shift pile or rocks will not be bearing the load of Kiyang for too long a period. We did that, and voila! managed to ease through the second obstacle as well.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03881024.jpg
The first really narrow spot

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03901024.jpg
The second really narrow spot

The road throughout was quite narrow, and it would be a nightmare if two jeeps were to pass each other from opposing sides. Reversing would be a dangerous maneuver. However, the road is quite straight and one has a good view of at least 2-3 km up ahead. So we were mentally noting down each corner where two vehicles could theoretically cross each other on the narrow road.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_03921024.jpg
Still someway to go till the parking lot

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04021024.jpg
The road widens, finally

It was not long before we reached the "parking lot". We had expected to find a dhaba there, but were disappointed to find nothing, as due to monsoon, the dhaba guys had packed up and left a week back or so. The porter was now getting ready to pack all the stuff to be carried to the camping site, including tent, food, sleeping bags, etc, weighing in all close to 20 kg... the horrible part was that the porter was none other than yours truly!
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Old 17th March 2011, 18:56   #7
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Truly Amazing. Beautiful place and captured superbly by you.

I hope you have sent across the Safari snaps to Tata Motors to be used in their ads. Good advertisement for Safari.

You have some guts. The narrow roads snaps were scary.
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Old 17th March 2011, 23:14   #8
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Harsh, you are an inspiration guy!! You have no idea the number of people you inspire to duplicate your adventures. Thank you for sharing. One Q, did you travel before or after the floods? Manmohan.
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Old 21st March 2011, 16:12   #9
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Day 2 - Part 2: Trek to Chandertal and night camping

Thanks guys for your kind words. Allow me to continue the log:

Day 2 - Part 2: Trek to Chandertal and night camping
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The tent weighed about 9 kg, the sleeping bags 2.5 kg each, sleeping mats maybe a half a kilo each. Apart from this, medicines, woolens, food, gas, utensils, water, brandy and what not was in the rucksack. I did not weigh it, but it must've been close to 20kg, could've been more. It had been a while since my workout regime had been thrown out of gear, with swimming & squash not happening. Stamina was at an all time low. Still I trudged on. Aarti too was carrying a lot of stuff, as much as she could've. A 3.5 km level walk which should've taken not more than 1 - 1.25 hours took us about a quarter shy of 2 hours! The last time I was this slow while trekking was when I had to carry a weight of about 12-15 kg on the climb to Tapovan.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04051024.jpg
Down below is the parking lot, from where the walk begins

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04061024.jpg
Taking a break, the initial climb was a little steep and my rucksack was etching inside my shoulder

The road till Chandratal used to be till the very end and one had to walk down only about half a km to the lake. That was till an uncomfortable number of tourists realized its existence, and the relative ease with which it can be reached, and hordes of them starting making it a day trip destination from Manali. This resulted in a lot of littering and before long, it was turning into another "Rohtang" dustbin. Thankfully, better sense prevailed, and the road was dug up at several places making it impossible even for a bike to go up all the way till the lake.

The trek would be graded as a "very easy" one. The distance of 3.5 km is hardly anything and there's a moderate ascent from the parking lot, after which one reaches a flat area, but not as flat as a meadow. After this, it is pretty flat or a very gentle gradient at times. And the final half a km is another moderate descent. The walk itself is quite beautiful. We could not click any snaps as we were getting quite late, and thought of capturing it on the way back.

We reached the lake by 5:30 pm and were expecting to find a couple of tents pitched already. Much to our surprise, we could not find even a single soul around! It was getting darker by the minute, and the sun was just about to set. The lake was already under the shadow of the adjacent hill, and it was VERY windy. We decided to get rid of the burden ASAP and took out the tripod and the camera to "make hay while the sun shines". The temperature had plummeted and howling winds had increased the chill factor by at least a factor of 2. Soon after the photo session, it was time to pitch our tent.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04131024.jpg
It was not long when we reached the beautiful lake

The last tent pitch, on the banks of Tso Moriri (reference to that post), had been a disaster, so I had planned to take my time searching for a good camp-spot and take my time to firmly fix the tent. The pitch was good, although the howling winds made the outer fly flutter ferociously against the inner fly. The sound was exactly like the one we'd experienced at Tso Moriri. We were worried that this would rob us of a good night's sleep, which we later realized was the least of our worries. It was evident from the sound of our chattering teeth that we'd grossly underestimated the cold. Even after wearing all our woolens including gloves, mufflers, caps and jackets inside the tent, we couldn't stop shivering. A long night loomed ahead of us. We decided not to waste any more time and heated our ready-to-eat meal of dal and rice. The warmth of the gas cylinder made the inside of the tent quite warm, and by the time dinner was ready, the wind too had subsided. In fact, as we finished our meal, it became quite calm, so much so that reflections were partially visible in the lake when we went out for a night shot.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04261024.jpg
The tent pithed up already, notice the fluttering of the flags! It might give you an idea about the windiness of the place

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04281024.jpg
The view of the grassland towards Batal, away from the lake

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04341024.jpg
Dinner!

Venturing out for a night shot was quite difficult, but that was something that had to be done. Having missed the full moon night by just three days, we knew that moonlight would be sufficient for some good photography. We managed to take as many shots as possible before we could not take the cold any longer, and then zipped ourselves inside the tent to worry about how we were going to endure the night. Although the wind had subsided, the temperature plummeted to -4 to -8 during the night. Even with all our woolens plus the sleeping bag, we were still feeling cold. Sleep came to us both in half an hour to one hour bouts, and we had to light up our stove about 6-8 times during the night to increase warmth inside the tent. Thus we waited for dawn to happen, and move out for some more shots. I prayed for the lake to be still...


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0440_stitch1024.jpg
The night shot, which we had to freeze to take
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Old 21st March 2011, 19:03   #10
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! The last snap takes the cake. Stunning to the core. Absolutely loving it!

I'm sorry, you must have mentioned earlier, but it must have slipped my mind. What camera do you use?

Last edited by Swanand Inamdar : 21st March 2011 at 19:04.
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Old 21st March 2011, 22:53   #11
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Day 3: Chandratal - Manali : 3.5 kms (hike) + 140 kms (drive) - 11 hours

The night was long and cold, and despite wearing 3 layers of clothing plus the sleeping bags, sleep came in bouts of an hour at max. We woke up at 5 am, immediately lighting up the stove for some warmth, as the realization that the time had come to invest in -20 degree C grade sleeping bags dawned on us. Finally, tired of trying to force myself to get some more sleep, I gave up at about 5:30 am, and peered outside to find dawn happening. I could feel that there was no wind whatsoever, and hoped to see the lake absolutely still. At this altitude, even the slightest of activity takes it's own time to happen, and it was only by 6:00 am that I got outside the tent. I knew Aarti was not going to venture out till the sun was shining brightly, so I thought to do a circumference walk of the lake all by myself.

The lake looked beautiful and absolutely still. Thus, needless to say, the reflections were spot on. I would not blabber more about the beauty and let the photographs speak for themselves.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04441024.jpg
The sun starts to appear on the peaks to the left

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04501024.jpg
The tent, the flags and the lake

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04551024.jpg
The walk begins, looking North-East

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04561024.jpg
The fullish-moon about to set in a while

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04601024.jpg
The tent, the flags & their reflections

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04661024.jpg
Up ahead further, looking North-East

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04691024.jpg
Looking back, towards the tents towards South from the Northern most tip of the lake

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_0470_1_2_3_4_tonemapped1024.jpg
One day i swear i will be trekking up towards those mountains, towards Baralacha La

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04761024.jpg
More reflectoins of peaks lying towards west of the lake

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04801024.jpg
Towards North, towards Baralacha La

It was a lazy stroll around the lake, and I made sure that I stopped at each point where I thought I might get a different angle to shoot the lake, and it was only by 8:15 am that I reached back to the camp site. A couple of locals, and some Israelis had reached the lake by that time and had started to take pictures. After saying hello and socializing a bit with all, I returned to the tent to find Aarti wide awake. We both strolled out, lazed out in the sun a bit, and took some more snaps. The decision to head back towards civilization, and not camp again the next night, was unanimous. We both agreed that the night had not been comfortable, and it would be best to move towards Manali, though there was absolutely no rush.


To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04901024.jpg
The sun now completely upon Chandratal, the last point before which reflections began to become hazy

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04911024.jpg
Aarti in a reflective mood

To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal-dsc_04971024.jpg
A couple shot

So, after idling some more, and devouring a breakfast of toasted bread and cheese, we started our trudge back towards the parking lot. The luggage sadly seemed even more heavier this time. :(
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Old 22nd March 2011, 07:46   #12
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

The relfections are simply superb

The lone tent with the flags looks eerie. I shudder to think about me being located at this place alone at night. Stupid question but were you guys scared any time considering that you did not have any other company other than Mother nature and each other?

Rating this thread a well deserved 5 stars.
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Old 22nd March 2011, 11:17   #13
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar View Post
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! The last snap takes the cake. Stunning to the core. Absolutely loving it!

I'm sorry, you must have mentioned earlier, but it must have slipped my mind. What camera do you use?
Thank you Swanand, The camera I use is Nikon D3000 with a stock lens 18-55mm and at that was using a 70-300mm telephone without AF & VR, now I've upgraded to a 55-300mm with AF-S & VR

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitwlele View Post
The relfections are simply superb

The lone tent with the flags looks eerie. I shudder to think about me being located at this place alone at night. Stupid question but were you guys scared any time considering that you did not have any other company other than Mother nature and each other?

Rating this thread a well deserved 5 stars.
Thanks amit for your kind words. It's not so bad being alone at such a place, although the only thing we were worried about was it being so bloody cold. It was eerie to notice that we were the only ones, but that feeling lasted for only about 15 min. We've been such situations before too.
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Old 22nd March 2011, 13:06   #14
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Splendid stuff in this log mate! And plenty of reminiscence for me to enjoy too.

The Johnson Cafe & lodge, great beverages, smoked salmons and "sticky" drives to reach Rohtang, Awesome. And thanks for reminding that I need to get back to the treadmill now.

Trekking from Ch'tal towards Ba'lach La would be awesome. BTW, there's another nice trek towards Chandratal that involves crossing the Hamta Pass and provides great views of Shia Gharu & Chatru glaciers. Pretty sure such treks are gonna be real testing ones.

Been too long since I went to them mountains, darn too long.
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Old 22nd March 2011, 15:31   #15
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Re: To the moon (lake) & back : Chandratal

Wow! This is really an inspiration for us delhites

Really amazing travelogue!! This is what I'd want to do on my 5 day trip but the lack of a 4x4 makes me skeptic :( I wish somebody would tell me that I COULD take my swift diesel here.
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