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Published: August 11th 2009
Kaza (3600 metres) had the feel of a wild west town when we arrived there - it seemed to have just been plonked in the middle of nowhere. It didn't have a lot of character as it was mostly cement houses (it is a government centre) though later we did find a small old town on the other side of the small tributary of the Spiti which flowed through town.. It had as it's backdrop a barren brown mountain which we were to explore the next day. Both of us didn't like Kaza much at all but the three nights we were to spend there were actually to be spent in the area around, using Kaza as a base, so it didn't matter. It was absolutely filthy - the streets were strewn with a lot of rubbish (and that means a LOT as India tends to have a lot of rubbish around it's streets normally). The new monastery which the Dalai Lama had just dedicated was sparkling on top of the hill near the hotel. It was a mass of vibrant colours and we we went to visit it all the monks were taking down the prayer flags and trying to
tidy the site up. They were very proud of the monastery though and even didn't mind me taking photos inside which is usually not allowed. They were all wearing their new robes which were looking a little dusty 3 days after the event.
The hotel we stayed in was new, the young manager very enthusiastic but it still suffered from the same problems of most new buildings in India. Paint splashed over tile work and light fittings, holes in the wall or ceiling where they changed their minds about light positions and the unfinished balcony - meaning it had no railings! We spent the night wandering through town where we found an internet cafe and a German bakery (good chocolate cake).
Next morning, after a light (on food) buffet breakfast (included in the price) which the manager informed us had all eaten by the Italians who got up earlier than we did (another India moment!) we headed up the mountain behind the town. What a trip that turned out to be! We wound around and around - it felt like we were going to the ends of the earth! We were headed to the villages of Hikkim and Komik (at
4200 meters high and considered one of the most beautiful villages in the whole of the Himalayan Ranges) and the monastery there. It was certainly beautiful and we spent a peaceful moment spreading some more of David's ashes between the two villages. David would have loved the wide open spaces up there and the mountains behind the villages which were at heights of over 6700 metres high. Totally awe inspiring and the whole environment made us feel very insignificant. Arriving in the tiny village of Komik we were taken to the monastery (painted in blue, white and brown stripes). The rest of the houses were all traditional as in Nako - white, blue framed windows and heavy brush coverings (for insulation against the winter snows) on their flat roofs. The young monks were very hospitable but once again I was banned from visiting the main temple. This time it was guarded by a stuffed snow leopard with strange eyes. Afterwards the monks took us into their very dark smoke stained kitchen and boiled up some chai for us.
In Hikkim again we were shown their 14 century monastery by a young man - this monastery has no resident monks but
the 14 families who live in Hikkim take turns at caring for it. From the monastery we walked down to the large Buddha which was sitting proudly on his own hilltop below the monastery. It was enormous! Sanju left us there and drove further down the mountain and we walked to the car from the Buddha, soaking in the beauty of the area as we did. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in a place as isolated, no shops and no buses to the bottom. In winter with very deep snow it's even harder to imagine the life people must lead. As we drove away from the villages Sanju pointed out a group of tiny houses on a mountain opposite and told us that we were going to be in that village the next day. We passed a group of trekkers heading up into the mountains - Sanju said they were trekking to Leh - a 15 day trek over mountain passes that were over 5300 meters high. That evening it snowed lightly on the high peaks - it was very noticeable next morning - so the group of trekkers would have had a cold night.
The next day we decided not to spend another night in Kaza but to head to the end of the Spiti Valley and sleep in Losar (4079 meters). It would cut 2 hours of traveling time off what would be a long day in the car next day. But first we experienced one of our most beautiful drives of the trip so far. We were going to Gete which was the village we had seen a long way away the day before. At 4270 metres it is the highest village in the world connected by a road. It took a long time to get there and at the end there wasn't really a road - more a track. We spent a lot of time trying to spot ibex (again with no luck) before arriving in the tiny village of Gete. We could see ladies out collecting manure and working in the fields and whilst we were watching a group of children came out of school and waved to us. There is actually a guest house in the village but unless you're in a hire jeep the only way to get to Gete is by trekking so I guess that's where
their custom comes from All of these villages would only have a tiny population. As we were driving down Sanju pointed out the Buddha we had stood beside the day before - a tiny orange dot in the distance.
We had a coffee at Kibber which used to have the 'highest village' title. Gete to Kibber took about an hour to drive to - not a great distance as the crow flies but an awful lot of turns in the road! Kibber is connected to Kaza by bus and a lot of backpackers stay there. I spoke to some who had been there but had to leave due to altitude sickness. They had come from the opposite direction so had hit the high altitudes early in the circuit, not going up gradually as we had been. We enjoyed the Ki Monastery and in one of the tiny temples there was a wizened very bent up old man squatting as he pushed a very large, and no doubt very heavy, prayer wheel around. The wheel filled the entire temple room except for his little corner. There was also an Italian film crew making a documentary for a travel show at
the monastery. I wander whether they were the Italians which had eaten all the breakfast buffet the day before! We had been told that the monks at this monastery can be quite demanding re tips etc but we had no problems when we visited. I think they were all still on a high from seeing the Dalai Lama and as we were there at lunch time they had better things to do anyway. I love the colours within all the Tibetan monasteries. The detailed wall paintings, the vivid oranges, reds and yellows that the doors and windows are painted and of course all the gorgeous silk brocade hangings within the temples.
We were very pleased that we decided to go to Losar - it was a long drive through some incredibly high gorges and on narrow roads in very bad condition. We had been warned when we booked the tour that the drive from Kaza to Rhotang Pass was very rough. They certainly hadn't exaggerated. Losar was tiny with a few very basic guest houses. We arrived late in the day and spent a happy hour wandering around the tiny village - it was the last time we would see
the blue and white stone houses. In fact most of the next days traveling we saw no houses at all! The lady who owned the guest house cooked us a lovely meal and we went to bed - totally dressed in all our winter woollies as again the bed linen was very dirty! Another night of flea bites as well. But it's all part of the adventure and there is always antihistamine cream.
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Devin
non-member comment
David certainly would have loved it there... Love you both very much and hope you're keeping well. xoxox