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Apple orchards Sangla Valley |
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Meadows Sarahan-Kalpa-Sangla valley |
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Awesome Sangla Valley |
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Road to Sangla Valley |
Once again gently I knocked the door of Rami Chan's room at Hotel Kinner Kailash, Kalpa. Waited for some more time and slowly turned the knob. It opened. Inside, the room was in semi darkness. On the other side of an antique looking cupboard was Rami Chan. His hand slowly slid down the back of the girl who was pressed up against him and came to rest on her bottom. She was wearing a pink top that exposed the broad expense of her skin above a low slung trouser.
I stood completely still!
He bent his head and kissed on her forehead, continued kissing on the side then front of her neck and chin . She tossed her head back in a reflux. I narrowed my eyes in dimly lit room and thought she looked 'hot and sexy'. I coughed. Startled, the girl ducked away from him.
Realizing that it was me, Rami Chan muttered something inaudible.
'Hi', I said
. 'Sorry, the door was open' After she had left, we settled down with our drinks, a sharp Indian whiskey "8PM".
'Who was she?' I asked.
'Who was who?'
His explanation was bullshit except that she was from the next room in the hotel and Rami Chan had fixed her up in few hours after our arrival.
'Mr Instant', I thought.
Rami Chan as called lovingly, real name being Ramesh Chandra was a dear friend of mine like Tommy Singh for many years creating a 'Traveling Trio' of us.
Kalpa: Early in the morning we came out of the hotel to witness an incredible sight. Wow! My goodness! The scintillating golden rays of rising sun on the holy and mighty snow draped peaks of Kinner Kailash stunned us. It was a true welcome for us amidst the refreshingly fragrant atmosphere. The great mountain of Kinner Kailash was supposed to be a mythical abode of God Lord Shiva.
It was a heated discussion at the breakfast table on why "yes" and why "no" to go for an encirclement trek (parikrma) at the base of the holy mountain which had an adjoining seventy feet tall rock formation resembling "Shiva lingum" and to see the peak of Raldang (5499 m) on the same stretch where it's said
dead people of Kinnaur live!!Sadly we couldn't make it due to our time constrains
We took a bit easy that day in
Kalpa visiting upland pastures through deodar and chilgoza pine (pinus gerardiana) trees, old temples in near by
Chini village and Buddhist monastery of HU-BU-LANKAR gompa founded in 950-1055 AD.
Journey to Sangla Valley:
Next day we started on our Sangla Valley tour. Little we knew that the journey would be remembered for the rest of our lives for it's grandeur and magnificence! Starting back on the route through which we had arrived at Kalpa, we crossed
Recong Peo, small bustling town, the present HQ of Kinnaur district and then on NH 22 to
Karcham (1800 M), the gateway to
Sangla valley. It was an fairly an unimpressive start at the beginning. The the road became treacherous, narrow and steep at a place near
Tranda. Soon we were climbing over deep gorges with a view of sheer rock walls falling 500 meters or more to the river. It was an awesome sight and shocking. Amazingly we saw Chilgoza pines determined to grow on the rocks producing tasty kernel neoza or chilgoza.
After this corridor, like curtain tossed aside, valley bursts open at place called
Kupa! From here, every turn and angle reveled a valley that was strikingly beautiful. And then we reached
Sangla village (2620 M) in the valley, 18 km from
Karcham. The entire route was dotted with quaint little houses, temples and smiling people.
I notice with an awe that Sangla village was under the shadow of mighty Raldang peak of greater Himalaya range.
We went straight to our place,
Banjara Camps. It was a beautiful place with luxury tents having all the modern facilities, though expensive!
On the following day we walked along the gushing river called
Baspa. As it was a home of trout, we spent some time in fishing. The houses, temples (finest in the valley), the riotous green filled with orchards of apricots, peaches and apples were a sheer delight. And women? Like apples!! Hardly I remember such beautiful walks in a divine surroundings.
Kamru:
A kilometer or so we went to a village called Kamru and it's fort which was the original seat of it's rulers,
"Bushairs". Kamru was also known for it's apple orchards producing finest apples in India
Chitkul:Then we proceeded to
Chitkul (3350 M), our final destination. This was the last inhibited place. We had our tea at the small stall and walked around. The beauty of nature and an isolated atmosphere haunted us. Chitkul had a magical powers to cast a spell, I felt. We visited a 1000 years old statue of Pramukh Buddha, housed in a temple.
I tried to look beyond
Chitkul. An unknown world...a cold desert probably... a vast rarefied Himalayan expanse..
It was a dream! I saw that it fell from the clouds! A piece of heaven!
Route: Delhi-Chandigarh-Shimla-Narkanda-Rampur-Karcham-Tour to Sangla valley begins.
Best time to visit: April-October ( temp- 3C to 15C)
Foreigners: No permits required till Kalpa and for Sangla valley
Hotels and Camps: A/ Kalpa: Hotel Kinner Kailash, A HPTDC establishment-
http://hptdc.nic.in/B/ Sangla:
1. Banjara camps-
http://www.banjaracamps.com2. Baikunth Adventure camp-
http://www.nivalink.com/baikunthcamp/index.htmlbaikunthcamp@nivalink.com
There are other budget hotels in Sangla village.
STD Code:
01786