Have you ever thought that you will take pictures and it will be used for Laptop Wallpaper/Postcard/Home screen etc..? As a kid I had always admired the tulips in Windows XP (Which was taken in Skagit Valley, Washington, United States) and wondered to see those with my eyes one day. Yes one day I will be there too, But for now Let’s go back to my Spiti days.

It was our last day in Kaza, Previous night everyone was complaining that they’re not getting hot water after I take shower. I told them to have have shower first and I will take shower last and went to the common room. Our host had put on Tibetan Mantras. We talked about Tibetan music and shared playlists each other, He asked about Kerala and was trying to know if Kerala was near to Hubli, Karnataka. We packed our breakfast and said adieu to our hosts and left Kaza.

When we reached Key Monastery it was packed with people as there was religious function taking place at the monastery. We started to explore the monastery and started to search for the famous Key monastery photo spot. Some of us went in one direction and Myself, Krishan and Kirti went to another. We found a good spot of monastery and spend some time there. After some time the other group reached the hill above us. Myself and Krishnan climbed towards them and there was a alpha dog on our way. We tried to spend some time with the dog, but the dog was not interested.

After the photoshoots we went back to the monastery, On the way we found some wild berries which was very delicious. We left to Chicham bridge which is the highest bridge in Asia. When we reached Chicham bridge I had started to feel down as the trip was coming to an end. Some of us were shooting reels and I decided to spend some lone time there and started to walk alone, But Jyothi aunty tagged along and we talked about various things and then I saw one person flying his drone a hill and I also joined. It had a good view of Chicham bridge and I sat along the edges and enjoyed the view.

We stopped at a random village for lunch, the restaurant was packed with people and we had to wait, There were farms and some of us went to explore the farm. There was a calf and Krishnan started to pet it and it started to suck on his thumb. The calf was very hungry and started to sniff all of us thinking us as his mother. During lunch we met with two amazing ladies and there team who were doing Spiti expedition on electric scooter which was going to be a record.

On the way to Chandratal we stopped at Kunzum Pass, I was haunted by my past. I stepped down from the traveler and started to walk alone without waiting for anyone, I needed my lone time. The cold wind was giving me shivers throughout my body, I was feeling numb, Then I thought “Why am I holding down to my past, When I’m surrounded with good people at 14,931ft with the most amazing views and the wind that make me feel each part of my body alive. I was lad and thankful to where I have reached and moreover to the people who has left and stayed in my life.

We left to Chandratal and the road was empty mostly with landscapes changing every minute. When we reached Chandratal it was drizzling, We took our jackets, umbrella and jumped out of the traveler. As small groups we started to descend to the lake. There were many groups who were climbing up and they assured it won’t rain heavily. Jyothi aunty was taking her time to walk, I walked a few steps ahead of her making sure she is with me and encouraging her to walk.

We spend some time and started to climb back, some of them have already left and were walking slowly as the rain and wind decided to show it’s glory. I was switching umbrella from one hand to another in a minute as I didn’t had any gloves (I had frostbite due to this) . Wear proper layers if you’re going to a place like this and don’t be a idiot like me. As I climbed back to the traveler I was shivering and was mostly wet. We reached our camps and it was pitch dark and we couldn’t find a person who knew our camp.

After sometime roaming around we found our camps and got settled in. the first thing I did was to change the wet clothes and opened the Sula white wine gulped it down to stop the shivering, it was not working. We asked our host to put all the beds in one tent(We got two) and helped the host with moving of beds. Shivering was increasing and we decided to go to the common area where there was camp fire. We sat down the near the fire and calmed down.

After dinner we spend some time with other campers sharing old monk, local stories, playing games. It was very fun, there was a game in which who ever loses had to drink one peg and everyone was losing the game conciously to have a drink. We came back to our tent and started to plan the next trip everyone wanted to visit Kashmir. When I woke up the next day some of our room mates had already went to have breakfast. After breakfast, We took some camp photos and roamed around the camp.

It was a long day ahead we started our journey towards our last destination which was Manali. We reached Manali around 4pm via Atal Tunnel and was so tired and settled into the room. By 6:30 we went out and started to explore the nearby places in Naggarville. When we reached the market it was already closed and we cam back to our hostel. There was a cafe near to our hostel myself, Juhi and Sonali went to check if they had cheesecake. We sat at there rooftop restaurant having cheesecake and talking about our trips. I went to sleep early that day as I was waking up early for continous days.

The next day I woke up early and went for a morning walk, there were dogs accompanying me at each turn. The dogs made me feel like home and I had started to miss my tiger(my dog name) now. I walked around 5 km one way without knowing I had reached this much area. On the way back I fed the dogs which accompanied me. Juhi had already visited the Naggarville palace and she showed me and Jyothi aunty around the palace.

We checked out by 11 and went to Manali for shopping. I tried Paper roast from one of the restaurant in Manali it was not good. We got to bus station by 3pm there were many local apple vendors trying to sell apples. We got ourselves apples from one vendor and she was so happy and even shared her number to buy apples from her on our next visit to Manali. By 4pm we started our journey back to Delhi.

As usual, I woke up early and went for a walk to explore Kaza. Every side was covered with huge mountains and early sun rays were not reaching the place. The road was empty but full of dogs. There were two packs of dogs, I have never seen this many dogs in a pack. They were having their territory war, it was fun watching them chase one pack by the other. Both the pack of dogs were led by an Alpha dog, I have only seen in movies about the alpha wolf but didn’t know they existed with dogs also. I walked around capturing the beauty of the mountains and reached back at our stay.

Our hosts were awake by now and they offered me coffee. I sat in the common room where a song was playing. The song was so calming and I felt being in a trance. I asked our host about the song and he told me it is a Tibetan mantra song and shared with me the youtube link of that song (it’s one of my favorite songs now). By now one by one everyone was down at the common area. We parceled our breakfast and went for our expedition, There were many exciting places we were going to cover today.

Our first stop was at Dhankar Monastery (Dhang or dang means cliff, and kar or khar means fort. Hence Dhangkar means fort on a cliff), The monastery is situated at an elevation of 3,894 metres (12,774 feet) in the Spiti Valley above Dhankar Village, between the towns of Kaza and Tabo. Dhankar was the traditional capital of the Spiti Valley Kingdom during the 17th century and has some features dating back to the 12th century. It was the seat of the early rulers of Spiti, the Nonos, who had the right to cultivate the government lands nearby and were required to keep the fort in repair.

We reached the entrance which is situated at the new monastery and got down. The old monastery was closed as the lamas had come to the new monastery for prayer. Niharika went ahead and talked to the monks and got us an opportunity to see the old monastery. Two young monks accompanied and took us to the old monastery. They were very energetic and showed us inside the monastery. Only 20 people were allowed at a time into the monastery due to the earthquake which happened earlier destroyed and made unstable most parts of the old monastery. We got a chance to meditate inside the monastery and Niharika helped us to feel the energy there. We all left with that energy to our next destination.

We reached Komic Monastery but it was closed and we continued our Journey towards Langza. It was drizzling when we reached Langza. We could see the back of the statue. I was looking towards visiting the statue for a long time. One fact I came to know later is that the village in which the statue is situated only has 3 houses and it has the highest voting both also.

Our next destination was Hikkim and I have already collected the addresses of my friends and colleagues. Hikkim has the highest post in the world. We had to hike down, to reach the post office and got postcards from the postmaster. The postmaster is being stationed therefrom 1983. We wrote down our thoughts in a hurry as the post office was going to close.

Our actual plan was to visit Key Monastery also, but we changed our plans and went back to Kaza as it was already late. On the way, stopped and spend some time on the road as it had a beautiful view of Spiti valley.

We went shopping at Kaza when we reached. Some of us went to buy a cake. We were throwing a surprise birthday party for Sonali by midnight.

Someone was knocking at the door for some time with half-open eyes I opened the door. Avinash was there dressed asking “Why are you guys not ready?”. I tried to open my eyes and walked towards the washroom to get ready. I was not feeling well and I could feel something running inside my stomach. My mind was telling me to vomit it out, Somehow I got ready and went downstairs to have breakfast. Some part of me knew that I would be okay if I eat something. I tried to take a bite of sandwich and started to chew it. But my mind was keep telling me to vomit it out. At last I stopped trying to eat and went back to my room.

Karthik and Krishan came asking me what happened and I told them that I’m not feeling well. Karthick made me energy drink and asked me to stay hydrated. I took the energy drink with me and got into the Traveler. Krishan came with lemons and asked me to suck on it till I feel better. I did that for sometime and in between I fell asleep (I’m thankful for having this caring people on my trip).

I woke up when the traveler stopped and got to know that we have reached Nako Monastery our first stop towards Kaza. I was better compared to morning, I was not able walk around. Krishan and Kirti went ahead to explore the monastery and others roamed in front of the monastery. I walked outside the monastery and stared at the mountains. Juhi came and asked “Do you feel like a ant, when you see the mountains?” I said “yes” and we stood there admiring the view.

We all got back to the traveler when Krishan came back from the monastery. Apparently there was a Lake inside the monastery and he spend some time over there. He told it was peaceful sitting there alone. We continued our journey towards Kaza and I dozed off again.

When I woke up next, we were reaching Gue Monastery and I could see the monastery ahead. When we reached it seemed like the monastery was under renovation. Niharika got down and asked around and got to know that the mummy is transferred to a temporary building nearby and we can visit that.

Gue Monastery is located near a small village around 35 Kms from Tabo Monastery and is famous for 500 year old mummy of Sangha Tenzin, a Buddhist monk who is believed to have started his mummification process while he was still alive. The monastery is located very near the Indo Tibetan border and is surrounded on all side by mountains. This is a very rare example of natural mummification as most mummies we read about are mummified by embalming and then being wrapped in linen cloth. The natural process of mummification is used by monks by slow process of starvation in a seated position. The dead body is then placed in underground chamber for 3 years to continue the drying process. Only 30 such mummies have been found till date and most on them in Japan. The mummy of Sangha Tenzin is remarkably well preserved with skin and hair intact.

We stopped nearby a restaurant in Gue village and had lunch and then resumed our journey towards Tabo Monastery. Tabo monastery had a different vibe, Above the monastery there are a number of caves carved into the cliff face and used by monks for meditation. There were young monks who were playing around football and kabadi. I bought Spiti Shawl, Tibetan flags from a local shop. We played with the young monks and talked to them. Some of them wanted to see the oustside world and play games on mobile phones.

We continoued our journey towards Kaza and reached by 7 or 8pm. After Dinner some of us went for a walk and ended up visiting the nearby Zostel. They allowed us to use the common area. Myself and Karthick had a round of carroms and he won. Then we all played Bluff. I ordered Sea buckthorn tea (Must try) as it was famous and it is very refreshing.

We went back to our hotel and played bluff and Dumb Charades. Most of the movie names were in hindi. I got to act the move “Sanam teri Kasam”. Luckily on my second act, Kirti guessed the name correctly and we won the match.

I woke before my alarm and took a shower. We were leaving for Chitkul by 8 am. Before that, I had to find the waterfall which was calling to me. I got ready by 5:30 am and put on a jacket and woke up Karthik saying that I’m heading out. No one was awake at the hotel, I went past the gate and took a left, and walked towards the direction of the water roars that I heard on the previous day.

Some of the villagers were also walking in the same direction, I was so thrilled to see the beautiful mountains which surrounded me. I put on my hoodie and kept my hands in my pockets to keep it warm. I was capturing each and every detail of the mountains. Some were covered with snow, some were covered with trees, some were getting the first rays of sunlight.

After each step, I could hear the roaring sound getting closer, then I saw the bridge and the river flowing ahead of me. Water was so white that it seemed like milk. I stood at the bridge having a soul orgasm (The river, its roaring sound, first rays of sunlight at mountains, wind chill). 

There was a narrow trail to climb ahead along the river bed and the next thing I did was climb those tracks for some time and reached a place where there was only a river and thick trees all around. I went and sat down on a boulder. I was so happy that I took this trip, I thanked God by saying a prayer. I don’t know how much time I spent there, the time just went by.

When I climbed down, I saw some bikers standing on the bridge and Karthik posing on their bikes. The bikers were doing a Spiti expedition on bikes and were on their way to Chitkul. By now it was around 8 am and Karthik suggested heading back to our hotel and we did that.

On the way, we could see trees covered with hay and were wondering if it is something of a ritual. When we reached the hotel our host was standing out and we enquired about it to him. He said it is not a ritual and people are drying the hay for winter. During the winter the entire area will be covered with snow and they won’t be able to get out of the house for months. When we asked about the hotel, He said during winter the hotel will remain closed only.

After breakfast, I was standing outside the hotel and decided to take a small walk, and this time I took a right. There were several small children playing around. The house’s architecture was completely different from what we see in Kerala. Then a shepherd went past me with cows. I was admiring the houses and suddenly heard shouting. The shepherd was making the cows climb the mountain with his sound and the cows were climbing very well. 

I went back to our hotel, By now everyone was down and getting into the traveler. Our next destination was Chitkul but my mind was still at the waterfall I found. On our way to Chitkul, We could see beautiful places alongside the Baspa river. Chitkul is the last village on the Hindustan-Tibet border. We tried to take a reel at the border and it was a flop. Then we headed back to the Chitkul village. From the village, we could trek down to the Baspa river and we all started to descend.

There was something about that place, The view we had was amazing, everyone was taking pictures, Some went along the river bed and spent some time walking and taking photos. Everyone was having their own alone time and it was amazing to spend time with people who don’t ruin your lone time. I was blessed with amazing co-travelers.

The trek up was a bit difficult for everyone, after reaching the top everyone was trying to catch their breaths. After taking some rest we took a tour of the village and resumed our journey to our next destination Kalpa. We stopped at Reckong Peo for lunch which is the capital of the Kinnaur District. After lunch, we resumed our Journey our next destination was Suicide Point, Roghi. We went to the village and decided to walk back to Suicide Point which was like a 1km walk.

On our small walk to suicide point, Sonali and Avinash were energetically talking about the Kedarnath trek. I asked Juhi about her Meghalaya trip and especially about the Nongriat village and Rainbow falls which is my favorite place in Meghalaya. Apparently, she covered both places in one day itself. Spending some time at the suicide point we left for our Hotel in Kalpa. When we reached the hotel it was sunset time. From the hotel, we could see the last rays of sun hitting the mountain. It was a view worth living for and we could see Kinnaur Kailash from the hotel.

We reached Shimla by 7 in the morning we waited for our traveler. Our plan was to get freshen up from the ISBT, New bus stand. But our driver suggested that we are already late and we can get freshen up on our way to Sangla.

After an hour’s drive, we stopped at a restaurant to freshen up and have lunch. The backside of the restaurant had an amazing view and It was mesmerizing.

During our Breakfast, We had a proper Introduction of everyone, Everyone was going on the Spiti expedition for the first time and was thrilled. After breakfast, we continued our journey to Sangla. The view on the way was changing rapidly and then we started to see Apple farms everywhere. We were going through a place called Theog and suddenly the traveler stopped. Some of them were getting down, I asked what was happening and they said they were just going to look around the apple farms. I also got down as I haven’t seen an apple farm in my entire life. It was something thrilling.

It was apple harvesting season and some were harvesting on top of a hill, We couldn’t see who they were. We climbed up to have a good view. A puppy came along with us and Juhi was afraid of the puppy. Puppy followed me and reached the top. there was a small steak step in ahead of us. Karthik climbed up first and a guard dog started to bark, we could only hear the barking. The people who were harvesting told us it is okay and we can come forward. I climbed up and went to the place where they were harvesting. I had a small chat with them and asked if my friends can also come to this point, they replied “why not, it is perfectly fine” I signaled my friends to come over. We asked for some apples, they told me to pick from the basket which they have collected. I took 2-3 apples and started to walk back. Then the girl who was plucking asked me to stop and asked to take more. She asked if we have a bag to carry apples and I said “No, We will put apples in our pockets and hands”.

We thanked them and left, But my hands and heart were full of the love and affection shown by the farmers. You guys have my heart.

We continued our Journey to Sangla eating apples in traveler. By afternoon we reached Rampur and visited Padam Palace and spent some time there and continued our journey. We were stopped because of land sliding/blasting happening ahead. Sun was at full power and we couldn’t sit inside the traveler and get down. People on Himachal Pradesh are used to this land sliding and blasting and they were chilling around. We took rescue in the shade of the traveler and waited for an hour. One good thing is that we were surrounded by the nature all along and it made us calm.

By evening we stopped at a Dhaba and had lunch and continued our journey. We could see the last rays of the sun hitting on the highest mountain and it was an amazing view. The roads were getting dangerous as we were going on one side were hills that seemed like they may slide any moment and on the other side was steep (This was the road for the entire Spiti valley expedition). It was also pitch dark and couldn’t seem to figure out what is happening, Now we knew why our driver was rushing to reach our hotel before the night.

Somehow we passed by our Hotel and went ahead for some time we crossed a bridge when we were nearing our hotel. I could feel the cool breeze and hear the roaring of the river nearby. I figured out there should be a small waterfall near our hotel, I decided to wake up early and look for the waterfall. We got settled into our rooms and had our Dinner, Most of the dishes were new to me and I tried a few. All the boys were allocated to one room and the girls another. We started to talk about each other and get to know each other, But my mind was on the waterfall and I have to wake up early. I asked anyone is interested in going for a morning walk, Only Karthik showed interest and we went to sleep.

I was checking my phone every 5 minutes for the past 1 hour, Why isn’t the RTPCR result not yet received. Did I input my phone number wrongly? I was getting anxious minute by minute, it’s only a few hours left to start my journey and all my bookings are done. What if I become covid positive?

On the way back, I brought the mandatory items which were mentioned in the itinerary.  I had only left a few hours to catch my train to Ernakulam. I had an overnight train to Ernakulam and from there a flight to Delhi. After packings, I Informed Mom about Dad’s medicines and marked them for her.

By 9 pm we left for the train station in our car, When we reached the train station there was a new self point called I love Trivandrum. It’s been two years since I have been to these parts of the town. I went into the train station hoping that the AC waiting hall is still open and it seemed it was also closed from the pandemic. I waited in the common area and before the pandemic, this place was crowded with people. Now there were only a few people and when I got on the train it was also half empty. 

I got down at Aluva which is the nearest railway station to Cochin Airport suddenly a person approached me and asked “Are you going to the airport?”. I said and we started to walk together. His next question made me stop on my way. He asked, “In which Battalion are you in?” I said I’m not army personnel and I’m going to Himachal for my Vacation. Things got weirder after that and I walked ahead and called for an auto.

Reaching the airport I went through the thermal scanning and asked I can enter, I was 5 hours earlier for my flight. After the baggage drop in I roamed inside the airport and waited with the book Ready Player Two. By 9 am they started the onboarding and we were provided with face masks. My seat was in front of the emergency exit. the Airhostes came and asked if I’m willing to be a part of the emergency exit team. I said yes and I was offered the nearby seat to the emergency exit. It was like a free upgrade with a lot of leg space. The flight reached Delhi around 12 pm.

Delhi airport was connected with Delhi metro and I took the metro to reach Zostel to freshen up. The bus from Delhi to Himachal was only by 9 pm I had time. When I came out of the New Delhi Railway station metro stop, I was like where should I go from here. the place was crowded, I opened google maps and searched for Zostel, it showed a five minutes walk and I decided to walk and ended up at a dead end. I asked around and some people showed me the way and started to walk on the sidewalk, suddenly something touched my arms and went past me. Before I realise what was happening the bike went ahead honking everyone to move from the sidewalk.

Then only I saw the traffic block, people were driving their vehicles to overpass the traffic block through sidewalks. I wanted to kick them out of there and decided not to and resumed my walk to the Zostel. Delhi Zostel had a different vibe, I got freshened up and decide to visit Connaught place (CP) as I had some hours before my bus. After roaming around in CP for two-three hours I came back and rested for some time.

My phone started to ring and Avinash was on the other end. He asked if we can go together to the pickup point as he was staying near to my place. I said yes and we started our journey to the pickup point by 7:30 pm. We were the first to arrive at the pickup point and the rest of them were on the way. We started to talk about the places we visited. Avinash was from Lucknow, I asked him about Lucknow and the places we can visit in Lucknow. He was happy to answer my questions. He shared his time in Chennai and the trips he took to Uttrakhand. I noted all of those and added them to the bucket list.

After some time Karthik arrived, He is working in SAP Pune and had arrived in Delhi the previous day. He stayed with his friend in Noida. He and his friend had intended to join the trip. Unfortunately, his friend had to cancel at the last time as a medical emergency came up. Hearing this I thought about my Ladakh trip which got canceled like this.
Then Krishan and Kirti arrived, it was crowded in our place and they decided to go and wait at the bus waiting area. Then a car came and parked next to us from it Jyothi and Juhi got down. Juhi was from Mumbai and Jyothi was from Delhi itself. After 5 minutes Sonali and our captain Niharika arrived. They both were from Delhi itself. We formed a small circle with all of them and everyone started to talk to each other.

Let me give you an overview of how all these people from different places came to contact. Niharika is a well-known know Youtuber and Instagrammer. We all follow or know a person who follows her. She is the one who organized this Spiti Valley expedition with the IAmAdventure tour and travels team.  

The bus arrived late by an hour and we started our Journey to Shimla. From Shimla, our Spiti Expedition starts.