Spiti :: Adventure Starts Here

On transit to Spiti from Kinnaur valley, Ganesh, now our new driver of the replacement vehicle, showed a superb command over the vehicle and the roads. His driving was so skillful that, those rocky bumpy roads now suddenly seemed to enjoy our vehicle passing over them. I now felt much relaxed and decided to put on my headphones. Romantic melody alleviated all the anxiety that I had held for some time, caused by our vehicle breakdown earlier on that day. Music now felt very much in rhythm with his beautiful and dexterous maneuvering of the vehicle. My eyes and soul found a resonance with the melody and the beauty of the landscape that brought awe at every turn. Murky Satluj river flowed frolicky with an infinite number of cascades. The gorge deepened as the road climbed up and flattened on its descent. People settlements were now already very rare. After passing one of the last easternmost villages, we stopped by the confluence of the river Spiti and another one that arrived from neighboring China. A long, beautiful, and intimidating pass started right afterward. The deep green from the Kinnaur had already disappeared and the yellow-grey now taking over the entire landscape. On a mountain range in front of us, high clouds had cast their shadows on the ridges. The contrast of golden light, dark shadows, and cloudy blue sky was taking our breath away. I knew that the landscape Eden called Spiti, the one I was long waiting to see, has now begun!

If you found Ladakh beautiful, Spiti is rugged and raw.

If Ladakh is adorned with the blue lakes, Spiti is carved with deep gorges.

If Ladakh has flourishing tourism, Spiti is still happy being itself.

Spiti too practices Buddhism, like in Ladakh. Ancient monasteries govern the small hamlets. The presence of idols like Buddha and Maitreya, dominate most monasteries known as gompas. The stories of Gautam Buddha and many other gods and goddesses including Kali and Tara are painted over the dark walls. These gompas are much quieter. Spiti too has the dry cold desert. However, the mountains are much more intimidating. The presence of snow and the glaciers at their peaks is not something we can miss. But most of all, there is something strange in the air. When I was there, I could feel the wind as if it hasn’t been used to the touch of someone so south, like us. This foreign wind seemed to have the curiosity-filled in it. The goosebumps I got there, I think, are because of the anxiety built up of something unknown, something unexpected that we were going to discover every time.