July2024- Spiti Valley- So surreal, So unique!

When you've admired a lesser known place since ages... It most probably will only remain in your thoughts. It may never turn into reality...

But exceptions do happen.... And when they do... It is magical 🤩

A trip to Spiti Valley- a dream that I cherished since quite a few years... With just the idea of being closer to nature!

So this is how it happened: It was a casual day at office... A casual "चल टपरी पे चलते हैं"... A casual "Bore हो रहा है यार"... A casual "कहीं चलते हैं यार".... A casual "Spiti valley चलें ?"... A casual "हां चल"... "पक्का?"... "हां पक्का!"... And then it was no more casual!!
No convincing needed- no conflicts of destination- no more discussions- only executions 😃 Super smooth decision 😎 

The spiti circuit- as it is called- was the itinerary that was chalked out... Chandigarh - Shimla - Narkanda - Chitkul - Nako - Tabo - Kaza - Chandrataal - Manali - Jibhi - Chandigarh.... That's what we planned to do!!!
Not too long a list right 😉 

And then started all the research- the MUST TRY Himachali dishes: Paranthas, Rajma - Chawal, Momos, Thukpa, and once again- Siddu- though my friends did not like it... I njoyed it to the fullest 😋
Watching vlogs, looking for places to stay, enroute site seeing,  things to do and how and where... Woww! All of that was also so much fun!!
Where places like Nako Tabo Kaza were completely unheard of until a few days back.... Now these names were easily dancing on our toungues!!

AND... all set we were ✌ 

29th June it was- we reached Chandigarh early morning and our stomachs had already started calling out to us 😛 What better way to start your vacay than having a breakfast of the delicious Haveli Paranthas- extra मक्खन मारके- and lassi मलाई मारके... A super yummmmmmy आरंभ of the journey 😋

With heavy stomachs and satisfied souls, we headed towards Narkanda which was our first halt- via Shimla, Theog, Rampur, the beautiful roads, beautiful pine trees, beautiful jungles, etc etc, and that kept taking me back to old memories of my earlier unforgettable trip 😍 

By the time we reached Narkanda we were dead tired from the overnight journey and the full day travel. "The Mountain Nest" was where we were nestled in comfortably! The first thing I wanted to check was the balcony.... and wowwww!! The view that the balcony had to offer us was enough to recharge our batteries- massive apple orchards amidst the lush green valleys, for as far as the sight could take us!! Those apple laden trees were truly the sweetest treat to the eyes.. felt like total पैसा वसूल 😅
And as the evening slowly grew into night, the struggle to keep our eyes open and India playing the T20 worldcup finale.. both grew tougher...the body finally gave up and we entered into a snoring competition 😴😵 

Day 2 was the day for Chitkul - the last village of India- last village because that defines the border between India and Tibet (now how exciting is that!! 😻 ) This is where the Shimla district ends and we enter Kinnaur.

The journey from Narkanda to Chitkul was a full day travel of almost 7-8 hours. Initially it did seem

too long- but trust me the journey did not feel one bit tiring or boring 🤗  The mandatory photoshoot stops, chai stops, just like that stops... Enroute we stopped at a cave like structure- emerging from the mountains and half covering the roads- as though carved for some movie scene, just that this was natural and truly mesmerizing- nature never fails to amaze me with the surprises it has in store!!  This gave us the feeling ये तो बस शुरुवात है.... आगे आगे देखो होता है क्या  😎

"The Wanderer's Nest" in Chitkul was where we wandered into close to sunset time... starting to get slightly chilly.. but full of excitement!! Couldn't wait to checkin and get back to explore the village for however long the daylight would allow us to!! The short sweet exploration concluded with the most tasty गर्मागर्म पकोड़े in the cold chilly night- leaving us even more excited about what lay in store for the next day!!

Filled with eagerness to step out and view the most beautiful village in India- जिसके बारेमे बहुत पढ़ा था... सुना था....Chitkul- here I am 🤗 

Day 3- We started to walk and first visited a small Monastery there. The houses around were pretty big...but the doors seemed tiny- all made out of wood. We kept walking, adoring the beauty of this tiny village, cute houses with no symmetry whatsoever, the mud paths, water flowing right in the middle of the paths, every step showing us something more beautiful than the earlier!! Heartfelt footsteps were our map and we kept walking and walking, until we reached right on top of the village- And what do we see here... शायद जन्नत ऐसी ही होगी 💖 ...All lush greenery, surrounded by mountains, river flowing through, houses in the middle, a picture straight out of fairyland!! No words to explain .... Simply woww 🥰
This was Chitkul- adorned by simplicity and graced by beauty 😍 

The only thing that could bring us back to reality was our stomach pleading for breakfast that was planned to happen at the most famous "हिंदुस्तान का आखरी ढाबा".

Feeling तृप्त after having our first maggi and rajma-chawal of the trip 😜 we proceeded towards Nako where we had booked at the Tangaa homestay. Nako- another tiny village- walk 2 kms and you will cover the entire village 😇.
Defined by serene monastery, a calm lake, tiny market- Nako is a quiet place with lovely people 🤗

Day 4- Following day was to Kaza via Tabo. Loaded with paranthas and bidding adieu to our sweet hosts, began our journey- through the serpentine and beautifully maintained roads, carved through the

mountains making it as picturesque as possible!!

The wide landscapes, scenic mountains in all possible shades of brown... the abundant sky, and the most stunning views- just like a canvas painted in brown... Never knew browns could be so beautiful!!

Dhankar Monastry

Gue Monastry

Enroute we visited some of the most beautiful monasteries - Gue Monastery (where you can witness a preserved mummy), Tabo Monastery - another place filled with peace and serenity- and the Dhankar Monastery- a most prominent Google place you see when it comes to Spiti!

Having paid visits to all these and again being astounded by the beautiful nature, we reached to Kaza- Him Shelter was where we had booked our shelter!
The 6-7 hours of travel could not hold us back in the room- a quick freshening up, strong coffee and the mention of market- was all it took us to step out again... Yes.. you heard it right... Shopping time it was 😅 From beautiful souvenirs to cute tees to some warm wollens, this market had a lot- no wonder we spent almost 3 hours here when none of us intended to buy anything 😉

Day 5- was reserved for the Kaza site seeing..We visited the Key Monastery- one of the biggest monasteries..

Buddha statue at Langza

Langza- known for its gigantic Buddha statue overlooking the spiti valley (approximately 14000 ft tall) seemed like a place straight out of a movie- the peace and tranquility on the face of Buddha is like a never seen before sight 😇🙇

Nautanki @Chicham bridge!

Kaza proudly boasts to be home to many of the world's highest'ssssss...!!

Be it the world's highest post office at Hikkim, the world's highest motorable road at Kibber, the world's highest village called Komic(with a population of approx 150... Yes that's right... 150 people 😁) the world's highest suspension bridge- the Chicham bridge, Or be it our spirits.... Everything was at its highest!!
At 14000 feet above sea level, I was on top of the world.... Pun intended!!

Day 6- Chandratal or the moon lake- the much awaited attraction of this trip!!

Enroute was a quick 10 mins halt (that ended up in ONLY an hour long one because of our photo nautanki 😜) at the Kunzum Pass- and Ooo boy! What a place it was.... Super beautiful mountains , super serene wind, super magical valleys!! 

Kunzum Pass

लगा जैसे हवा के इन हल्के झोंको के बीच बर्फीले पहाड़ों ने हरी चादर ओढ़ ली है 😍🥰

And then Chandratal it was... As thrilled as we were to go to the lake, staying in the tent was equally exciting.
The small 10-15 mins trek from the parking lot to the lake is absolutely worth it! The first glimpse of the lake feels straight out of a painting and leaves a lasting impact 🥰  The locals have a belief that angels visit this serene lake on auspicious occasions 😇 

Be it a belief or a fact... but the lake is definitely angelic!! 

The beautiful Chandrataal lake

The blue green waterbody embraced by the

glorious mountains is a view to behold!!! Full of peace and calmness... The cool breeze planting a playful kiss on the waters...  The water as cold as ice but so warm and welcoming 🤗
An experience that cannot be described..  can only be felt 😇 

The thrill of staying in the tent only got wilder in the night when the temperatures dropped to about 2-3 degrees...
Bundled in sweaters, jackets, shawl, cap, gloves and moving around with chattering teeth and shivering us... Completely cutoff from the world - no network - in the middle of nowhere - only close to the nature - Wow what an adventure that was...!  
The night had its own beauty to flaunt! The celestial magic during star gazing was a complete once in a lifetime experience 🥰 
The sky looked a jet black canvas- and overloaded with stars like tiny white dots.... the milky way making its presence felt slightly... What a sight to witness!! Literally heavenly 😇

Unable to hold the winds, we got back into our beds and I kept thinking... Am I really seeing this... or is it a dream...? Until gradually I sank into my own sweet dreams!! 

Day 7 was to start the descend to Manali. The morning weather was not too promising- cold winds and clouds descended low with a slight drizzle, we had to drop the idea of visiting the lake again. Instead we started off with the dancing journey- The roads were really really crazy bad but I thoroughly enjoyed all of the 5-6 hours of drive... Error dashing through that rough terrain- the driving skills are truly commendable!! 

The Manali plan was more of a relaxing one- now the abundant beauty did not seem to excite is anymore! While a visit to the mall road was a must- the yummy food served at Snow Village where we stayed was superhit 😎

The following day 8 was further down to Jibhi at The Cozy Cabin!

And guess what - as if all this was not enough , we did a paragliding adventure at Kullu... OOOOO WHAT FUN IT WASSSSS 💃👻 

The complete spiti valley trip felt like a dream... 

A dream come true.. 💓

Everyday a new place, new experience, new beauty, new friends 😜

To summarise what I really really felt and experienced....

"मेरा दिल, कहीं दूर..... पहाड़ों में खो गया ... 😍 "

Never thought- the mountains would bring such peace

Never thought- a long lost dream would become a reality...
Never thought- the mention of Chitkulle would have such a lasting impact!!


ऐ खुदा ये बता

है तू कोई कलाकर या है कोई जादूगार..

तेरे अजूबों का करता राहु मैं दीदार!
हर कदम तेरे करिश्मों का दीवाना बन जाता हूं मैं...
तेरी ऐसी कारीगरी का मोहताज बन जाता हूं मैं!!!

I really really Do!!

The belief only gets stronger.... 

ऐसा राज तो नसीब से मिलता है!!

This time again- Physically I returned... but my heart stayed back.. 💖