After returning to London for a few days we were now starting our trip proper, flying to Delhi, India. We were all very excited, the kids really enjoyed the night flight, especially the in flight movies and it was all over very quickly.
We arrived in Delhi early Sunday morning. None of us had been to India before but had been told what to expect. We arrived at our Hotel which we had pre booked, stepping out of the Hotel car into the street was immediately confronted by the dirt and noise of Delhi. We entered the hotel to a calm atmosphere and once checked in we were directed to breakfast whilst our room was made ready. There was fruit, porridge and veg curry on offer, Bob went for the porridge and a first for me was the curry option for breakfast, and was yum. After settling into our room and a few hours’ sleep we ventured for a walk and have to say that even though we had been told it was a bit of a shock, the dust and dirt and smells and noise, the stares and general chaos of the place was amazing. The kids enjoyed dead dog spotting, although the dogs were mostly only asleep, and the cows freely roaming the main roads.
The following day we did a few sights travelled around by Tuk Tuk and even had our ears cleaned out!
Delhi
Amber enjoying and ice cream and Tuk Tuk
We had decided to head north from Delhi before the winter set in and the temperature started to drop in the mountains. We would have liked to have taken the train to Shimla but all through trains were fully booked, so we took a chance and went as far as we could by train and then caught a taxi the last 70kms up to Shimla, 3 1/2 hours of winding road. Shimla is now the capital of Himachal Pradesh but was mostly built by the British as their summer admin centre when things got too hot in Calcuta. Many buildings were built by the British and it felt a little bit like home and felt much cleaner, calmer and a lot colder than Delhi. We got let out of the taxi at the bus station and had a half hour climb up to the main town centre with all our back packs and bags, kids not happy. Finally found a guest house which was another 10 minute hike up more hills. A pretty basic place, we were not all that happy but just grateful to have found somewhere to stay. We had not been aware that this was holiday season for the population of Bengal and this part of India is their favourite destination, almost everything was booked out.
A very English church in Shimla
Just like home in Shimla
Monkeys at the Temple in Shimla
Delivering fridges!
As we had arrived in Shimla the clouds began to gather and it began to cool and felt like we were in the clouds. As we ventured out for a walk and some food, the temperature dropped and by the time we returned to our hotel things were getting very cold and damp. Everything was damp and cold in the rooms and so we tried to snuggle down to bed, Steve with Bobby and Sarah and Amber in another room. We looked at the mildew looking quilt things that lurked in the wardrobe, but only succumbed to these after an hour or so of shivering. I think the kids slept OK but Steve and Sarah certainly didn’t.
No more of this we thought, lets get out of here and find somewhere better. We had however signed up for a 10 day jeep tour of the Kinnau and Spiti valley, leaving Shimla the next day, so we stuck it out for one more night, luckily the temperature improved.
Leaving Shimla the following day we set of with our driver and guide, Vikas for a 6-7 hour drive to Sarahan in the Kinnau Valley. Once on the road it wasn’t long before we realised why a 200k drive should take this long. The roads were not only ‘vertical’ at times but also intermittently unsurfaced or just full of holes, not to mention full of slow trucks hauling cargo up the mountains. Tarmaced roads were now to be a very rare sight.
We arrived in Sarahan, late afternoon and checked in to a very friendly guest house, the whole place was buzzing, and full of Indian tourists, we were the only non- Indian tourists and Bobby in particular with his blond hair was very popular. We were lucky enough to be there on the day of one of the Hindu religious festivals, so there was a good atmosphere and lots going on. The following day we visited the temple where it had all been going on the night before and all had our first blessing from a Hindu priest.
Bob enjoying the market in Sarahan
Kids of the family we stayed with in Sarahan
Outside the temple in Sarahan
Sarah buys a new hat in Sarahan, traditional head wear for the Kinnau
Then it was back on the road further up into the Kinnau valley to Sangla. On the road we started to see bigger mountains and snow capped peaks, the scenery was getting more spectacular. We arrived here 3 or 4 hours later and when we arrived the place was really hectic and looked at first sight a bit of a dump. I asked our guide, what are we doing here? Anyhow we checked in to what seemed to be the last room in the town. Vikas took us for a walk up to the old village and it was like stepping back in time and everything you can imagine in an ancient Himalayan village. Streams running through the village, wooden houses with cows in the front garden, old men and women in traditional clothing, skin like leather.
sights on the road
Bob has some lady admirers
Lovely view from our guest house in Sangla
Lovely view
That night we ventured into the newer part of town for food and Vikas recommended a Tibetan restaurant. We entered the room which was dimly lit, sat down and ordered our food, it really felt like we were in and Indiana Jones movie set in the Himalayas. The food choices as we headed further north were becoming less, our staple diet now was Omelette and stuffed Paraitha for breakfast and veg Thali for dinner, the occasional veg chow mein. Amazingly even the kids are eating some of it!
All food so far for Sarah and myself has been fantastic although a bit samey, Amber has been pretty good trying new stuff, Bobby is proving difficult to please, unless there are chips available – which there aren’t, but he is eating rice and we pad him out in between with dried fruits, milk and juice. Needless to say, we have all lost a bit of weight.
Leaving Sangla that morning we head further up the valley to Chitkul which is the last village in this part of the Kinnau and lies at 3500m. The sun was shining when we arrived but as it set the temperature dropped to just above freezing. At one point it started to snow and the Indian tourists went crazy, I guess they don’t see snow in Calcutta. We all had every item of clothing on we could and were still cold, there was no heating and after dinner at about 7pm we all snuggled up in bed to keep warm. Steve first joined the locals drinking some home made brew a bit like tequila that they drink to keep the chill out, there were the owners/cooks of the guest house and the drivers of the tourists staying there, all snuggled up in a smokey room under duvets. We’d been told that in the last group our driver had taken, an Ozzie guy didn’t know when to stop drinking this hardcore brew and had to be carried to his room. Sarah was pleased to see Steve about an hour and a half later, on two feet!
Much better view from our guest house
It was very cold
very cold
School work must go on
more traffic
In the morning the sun was shining and everything started to warm up, just like one of those crisp skiing mornings when the sky is so blue and the mountains look spectacular. We took a walk into the older part of town and again like you imagine these places, the local people still living a simple life, washing their clothes in the stream, making their own clothes, drying fruits and seeds on their roofs and living off the land.
Bob meets some more new friends in Chitkul
Who is this?
Fab view from the hills above Chitkul
All the trucks are very colourful
We left that afternoon back the way we had come to the main valley road, not a pleasant journey for me, these are roads that cling to the side of the valley wall with 300ft sheer drops just a few feet from the wheels of the jeep. Our lives were totally in the hands of our driver, one slip and we were over the edge, and the Hindu gods of course, half way along the pass we received our second blessing and bindi from a holy man at a roadside temple.
most of the roads were like this
Next stop was the village of Kalpa on the other side of the valley and we stayed in a lovely guest house set in the apple orchards on the sunny hillside. Here we need to arrange our passes to venture in to the Spiti valley. Passes are required by the Indian Government as this area is close to the Chinese/Tibet boarder area. Steve has a cold so we chilling out and enjoying the views across the valley. Kids are catching up on some homework.
