Diary: Jamshedpur-Manali-Batal-Chandratal Trip

shahronakm

Sad to hear about your experience. It's really dissapointing not to reach your target place. Hope people will learn from your experience & keep an extra day or two as spare in their itinerary.

Ronak.

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jithin_s

i will be heading off next week to manali. Let me see how far i can venture..

@udgoa.. as you said, the journey is important. not the destination. so cheers!

udgoa

jithin, by next week the conditions should be far better. you will make it! post snaps. in fact by next week the road to chandratal itself might be open [but then all fun is lost if you drive right up to chandratal!]

Dilliwala

You mean becos the road is a 4-lane first class highway as shown?

I'll bet anything some part of it is like the Chatru-Batal stretch you got stuck in. Which wud make it a drive I wud certainly enjoy. Er, ok, I'm not an adrenalin junkie, so 'enjoy' may not be the right word. Let's say that's a road I wud look forward to driving on? Er, and backward, and sideways, if I got stuck and the edge was 5 cm away.
Let's just say it wud probably be a test of skill. And nerves.
When can I go?

udgoa

ok, i guess driving would be fun on those roads! but wouldn't trekking be more fun? i don't know, 'cos i never got there! by the way, will post remaining part of diary. [am now in beautiful monsoon hit kerala, near the vayanad hills!]

udgoa

Day 6 (11th June, continued)


Back again. Sorry for the break. In between travel I have a teaching job to do!

OK, so after not being able to cross the Nullah and having decided to jettison the Batal-Chandratal trek, we suddenly had a full day free with us.

That was great! Imagining unexpectedly, suddenly, having a full free day up in the Spiti Valley! We decided therefore to let our vehicle go back and to just walk back to Chhatru (about 14 kms). We started the walk back in unbelievably beautiful terrain. In flat 5 minutes (I swear, believe me!) the disappointment of the un-finished Chandratal trek was forgotten. Some of us made excursions off the track down to the river or up to the rocks.

For me the most enchanting sights and sounds were that of the nomadic shepherds. We met about three of them on our way (they were the only human beings we came across) We would hear the shepherd's sharp whistle from a distance. Then would come into view (up impossible looking slopes) a couple of horses with load on their backs. Then the mass of mountain goats, sheep. And at the front, in the middle and bringing up the rear would be the best sight: the ever-sincere sheep dogs! In fact three of these dogs smelt the aloo parathas that one of us was carrying in a wrapped uo newspaper and came to us. We fed it a piece and kept walking. All the three dogs (supposed to herd the sheep!) deserted their flock and followed us for abuot a km. or so. I kept telling them: "Doggies you will lose your jobs. Go back before your shepherd hires some others!" I guess I got through when I said it the third time. As if on cue, all three stopped dead in their tracks and went back to their flock!

{An aside, how do I post photos on this forum? I wanted to showcase these three doggies!}

And the shepherds? They looked straight out of a biblical scene. Unrattled, calm, at peace, rugged, one with their flock of sheep, horses and dogs. And absolutely one with the land around. When they see you they do not react. Though it might be the first bunch of human beings they might be sighting in hours (and that too strangle looking ugly sights in their beautiful unspoilt surroundings!) they react as if they have been walking along a crowded city street and are passing another bunch of people. But get talking to them and they talk. And they readily offer you a smoke from their chillum. Sharing is what you do not feel guilty about in the vast, wild mountains. It comes naturally to you: there is so much of beauty around, enough for everyone to savour!

After about 6 kms. we reached the rest house at Chotta Dara. It looked like a picnic spot. We decided to relax a bit there. Our vehicle driver too had stopped the vehicle there. The spot was beautiful. Rocks, a tiny stream, the river below, and tiny flowers of various hues, forming little carpeted spaces of blue, yellow, maroon, violet. Chandratal? Who remembered it!

It was so idyllic that we lazed around there for a long while: too long, because the idea of walking back all the way to Chattru did no longer excite some. So we trooped back into the vehicle and drove to Chattru. So much for forward planning in the Spiti Valley. Plans, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months -I guess- don't mean much here. Maybe it is just seasons that you count!

Moral (new morals, after the last post!)

Do not have plans, do not have destinations. Enjoy every moment as it comes. Enjoy every place that you are in. Life is one big, big canvas of beautiful halts. Aim for Chandratal but take whatever comes along!

By the way here is a link of the peaks that you will sight along this walk. In error, I had copied this link into my last post too, without explaining what it was about:

http://hplahaulspiti.gov.in/Peak.htm

joie-de-vivre

Udgoa, a great logue, in fact..a great Description.
Pl. share yr other travel exp. also..