Read Day 5 here. The good thing was, that the next morning we all had boarded the bus at 5:50am. We were on our way from Kaza to Manali, and wanted to reach Manali at a decent time.
On your way to and from the Spiti Valley, you would observe these man-made stone structures, set up right on one side of the main road. Depending on which side of the road it is kept on, the driver of the vehicle is supposed to drive around it, instead of past it. The “mantras” in the stone structure are then supposed to bless the journey ahead. I observed that our driver followed the rule very religiously.
On our way from Kaza To Manali
For the most part of the journey, we were either sleeping or observing the drive silently. Perhaps we were too tired and a bit emotionally worn-out to be chit-chatting. We stopped at Losar for breakfast and then Chhatru for lunch.
The Famed Rohtang Pass Traffic Jam
We did not hit any traffic until Rohtang Pass, where suddenly we found ourselves in the middle of a traffic jam, coupled with zero-visibility fog. At home, in Bareilly, the zero-visibility fog is my favorite weather of the season as you are free to roam around the town without bothering to dress up. It, however, did not look like a bright sight at Rohtang pass.
People visiting the pass had parked their cars right on the road itself, thereby further blocking the traffic. We could see tourists all around us in various forms- families, groups of students, honeymooners, etc. Of the lot, the most interesting ones to watch were the honeymooners.
Amidst the horrible traffic jam, even the photographers were making a quick buck. Chai-walas and Maggi-walas thought that this was just the time for us to re-fuel ourselves, and everything was delivered to the people sitting in their respective vehicles, while still being stuck in the jam.
It was total mayhem.
We were back to the reality of chaos that life normally is.
The Honeymooners At Rohtang Pass
One such particularly interesting sight to behold was a newly-married couple who were being clicked by a professional photographer. The photographer suggested that the couple balance themselves on two rocks, la-titanic-pose. Interestingly, the rocks in question were sloping into the nothingness of the gorge. All of us (including our bus-driver) watched with bated breath as the couple balanced themselves and posed just the way their photographer had asked them to.
You could call me a little too practical, but the entire idea seemed a bit too much of an adventure to me. I still do not think that I could spot what the two giant rocks were supported on and it could easily slip into nothingness any minute, taking the lovers along with it.
As the photo-op got over, and the lovers hopped back onto the main road. Co-incidentally, the traffic too started moving. We all focused back on the zero-visibility road ahead, while mentally replaying and disapproving of what we had just seen.
In all fairness, I now think that we collectively disapproved of it because our entire Spiti adventure paled in comparison to the heroism we had just beheld in the name of love. Within seconds, it had us feeling that anything that we had done in Spiti (trekking, swimming, cycling) in the name of adventure, was nullified by this pair’s antics. Our addiction to adrenalin rush was mocking us right in the face.
The Rohtang pass traffic jam lasted for about 45 minutes. We took a chai break for about 20 minutes. This is where our phones reconnected us with the reality with had left behind. As our emails and messages from the last six days started filtering in, one part of me was ready to turn back to Spiti and never come back again!
Finally, Manali
We reached Manali at about 5:30 pm. Checked into our hotel and freshened up and had an early dinner of sorts. We lazed around the place, just generally trying to collect ourselves from the 12-hour journey we had undertaken. Some of us hung around at the hotel cafe, while others took a walk around the market.
This was also the moment when all of us were suddenly reminded of our families and friends back home and hence began the eternal struggle for shopping for perfect gifts to be carried back.
At 11:00 pm, we called it a day. It was time to streamline things, as we all were heading out to our respective worlds in the next 48 hours.
P.S:
Metrics:
Kaza>Losar>Kunzum Pass>Battal>Chhatru>Gramphoo>Manali
Here they are:
Distance between Kaza to Old Manali: 210kms
And the distance between Kaza to Losar: 61kms
Distance between Losar and Kunzum Pass: 20kms
Also, distance between Kunzum Pass and Battal: Someone please update
Distance between Battal and Chhatru: 32kms
And the distance between Chhatru and Gramphoo: 18kms
Distance between Gramphoo to Old Manali: 67kms
 (Kaza To Manali)){kind=link}
I’m off to Spiti in some days! So excited to be in this world that you’ve written about.
Enjoy Shikha! I have left a part of my soul in Spiti, it seems. 😀
My only two cents of gyaan to you would be, read about it all you can, but go without any presumptions or image in your head.
Are you solo-travelling? 😀
Thank you. Part of the journey is alone, then accompanying a friend I’ll be meeting for the first time! Just the public transport part is worrisome, might have to book a cab for the whole 10-12 days. Super excited 🙂
That would be fun! 😀
Figure out the transport from IndiaMike/Fb pages no? As in if someone is driving down on the dates coinciding with yours, just tag along :p
On Fb, you can ask on The Himalayan Club, maybe.
Otherwise, if you are OK doing the tough way, then at about 5:00am or so, a bus goes to Kaza from Old Manali, daily. Google about it.
Let me know in case you need some help. 🙂
Hi, a nice write up..! An interesting story. I am planning a trip to Kaza (via Narkanda however) sometime in August.. Trying to get information where ever possible.
My query is, is there any place, where you might get bicycles on rent in and around Kaza? Mine is gonna be more of a back pack trip, so there isnt much of a prior booking.. Any pointers here would help.
Sudersan
Thanks Sudersan,
Try getting in touch with Spiti Ecosphere maybe, and ask? Or you take it from a local, at a fee, for a few days?
🙂
Umm, i dont really want to get in touch with any “organisation” per se! but asking the locals, sounds like a plan..! assuming they ll trust a total stranger with their bicycle! 😛
They will. Smaller towns have more soul than many of the jazzy metros. Me thinks.
Maybe, you have a point!
🙂
Wow, well written. I am going on 11th July 2015. Thanks for info.
Thank you, Vivek. 🙂