All through the journey to Batal, the sky was overcast. It left me quite heartbroken. Since last June this has been the fate of all my trips to the Himalayas whether in India or Nepal. I was cribbing to everyone who would care to listen to me. And then as the day progressed, Batal suddenly…
The Mesmerizing Chandratal
After walking for 14 kilometers or so, I was happy to crawl into my tent which others had kindly pitched. Dilip and I were sharing the tent. What I didn’t like though, was the rain. It had been falling incessantly since we started trekking. Only rain in Spiti means light tip tip drops. You will…
The Walk to Chandratal
Ranvir dropped us all on the Batal Chandratal Road all the way till the jeep would go. The road ended suddenly in an abyss which no jeep could bridge. We all got out and happily started walking. We had approximately 14 kilometers to walk before we reached Chandratal. I was the most suspect candidate in…
A Place called Batal in Spiti, India
I was taking the Manali-Kaza Road after seven long years. In 2007 my husband, my elder nephew Dilip and I trekked in the Spiti region. This time Dilip and I were going back to visit Chandratal. In 2007 I so wanted to visit Chnadratal but neither Dilip nor Seshadri were willing to give me company….
Crossing the Pagal Nala after Chhatru, Manali-Spiti Road
After hot rice and daal at Chhatru for lunch, I managed to doze off in the jeep. Ranvir our amicable driver gave a shout after sometime, “Rama dekh jam laga hai” (wake up Rama, there is a traffic jam ahead). Ramakant ji was the head of our trip! His cry woke us all; there were…
Star Struck at Batal, Spiti, india
I was star struck, no literally, this time at Batal in Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. You might have noticed that I vanished for a week, the plan was to visit Chandratal, the stunningly beautiful lake close to Batal. I managed to reach the lake this time though the blue skies eluded me. However, at Batal,…
The Mountains are Calling
It is that time of the year when I head out to mountains. Usually I take two weeks off and go trekking. But this year it was not meant to be. I am just taking one week off and I am not trekking. The original plan was to take two weeks off but then I…
A Village Called Garli
My visit to Garli, Himachal Pradesh (4 km from Pragpur) started on an interesting note. Our driver (and taxi owner) Amit pointed out to a huge home and said this too was being converted in a hotel. When we asked if we could enter, he nodded yes. We checked with a man coming out of…
In and Around Pragpur
In my last post I left of this story just before lunch, when I didn’t want to wake up after our mini adventure. Pragpur is a delightful little town where the pace of life seems to be slow, where there is not too much traffic and where the weather had turned better by afternoon. I…
Reaching Pragpur- A Mini Adventure!
I like visiting places which are not overrun by tourists. Pragpur in Himachal Pradesh falls under that category as of now. I was visiting the Judge’s Court and this was a one night trip. Reaching there was a mini adventure in itself, it should not have been though. But when two women and one clueless driver…