Them mountains still call me once in a while

Its roughly four in the morning and Dandy and me are slowly trudging our way towards the bus stop from Kaku's place. We had reached Shimla the previous night to a fantastically warm reception; it was our first taste of a hospitality which has to be experienced to be believed. We were now taking the 14 hour bus ride to Negi's place: a tiny village called Speelow in Kinnaur district.

Earlier, we had taken a bus from Delhi to Shimla through HP's simple and effective bus ticketing site. Earlier still, I had watched a IPL match in Jaipur and gotten my wallet stolen. Frantic phone calls answered by supremely stupid people who asked whether you could recite your 14-digit personal code, sir? But that is a sad tale for another time.

The original plan was to spend a night in Shimla and then leave the next morning but, as Dandy pointed out, now that we had made it so far we may as well go the distance. So there we were, shivering in the morning and waiting for the bus. Which came. We sat in. And it moved.

Roughly 11 hours later we were in the District HQ of Rekong Peo or Poh. Funnily named place with a market set up against this brilliant backdrop of slow splashed mountains. The sky is of a blue which you can only see in the mountains and the air smells like good air. Clean and cold and filled with life. This is where a lot of the trekkers stock up on supplies and porters and stuff.

Another bus took us to Speelow and from then on we were the super special guests of the Negi. Which means unlimited amounts of butter tea, specially made food and strolls through orchards of apples and dry fruits.

A bit about Negi's food. Bloody amazing but I think one has to take towards it. Either you like it or you don't. There is this one dish: balls made of flour which you dip in bowls of home made butter. Brilliant. And the meat tastes like proper meat. Negi's made these superb mutton-momos and we had it around the fire. And in the night, before you sleep, one big glass of hot, fresh milk. Like FRESH. Like, "see yonder cow?" that fresh! Superb.

As I write, I realise that it is impossible to put it all in words.

Down the valley, the river flows and in the early mornings that is all you can hear. High above, on the other side you get glimpses of tall, tall mountains covered with patches of snow. Negi's home is so old, his parents cant recollect when it was built. Made of wood, it has this giant pillar in the centre of the living room/kitchen/parents room. The pillar is smooth, ageless and I like to lean on it as Negi's father starts the fire. The stove is fired with wood, and its all warm inside and the butter tea tastes so good.

We go for a couple of walks through Negi's fields. He points out this fruit, and that flower and I am again reminded of how little I know. We pluck dry fruits off the branches and put them in our pockets, munch on them along the way. Dandy struggles through the moutaineous region and extra-mean Negi purposely takes the longest route.

One day we go to Nako lake, about three hours away and pretty close to the Chinese border. Nako is this tiny village pretty bloody high up. The landscape is like a dessert, dry and barren. The wind cuts into you and the roads wind through countless hairpin bends. Over here, the roads are cut through mountains and they are real narrow and twisty. On one side the valley falls steeply towards the river. That's a photo of Nako lake on the top. Here is another one:


Nako is pretty enough to make you breathless. No really. The lake itself is so high up that I had a bit of a tough time breathing. A few steps and you have to take a break. But its just so pretty. There is this one photo taken by Negi; the lake against the mountains and the prayer flags fluttering in the cold wind. Gorgeous.

Here, one shits in fields of green. As you sit, the crops sway and you can hear the silence. Like really hear it.

Another day we walk to the orchards high above. There is a tiny hut at the top for the times when planting season comes along. The workers stay here. For now this is where the dogs are fed. We sit on a ledge and look at the valley down below. High, high above this eagle glides in circles. I am happy and I am alive.

A few nights later, we leave. This time Negi is accompanying us to Sangla valley and his mama's place at Jhakari (or something like that). Along the way we pass by humongous hydro-electric projects. Large trucks carrying away rubble and roads ruined by over-use. Sangla valley is gorgeous and the people there especially so. Ms. Worlds' all over the place. And the babies have those red cheeks and its all you can do to avoid pulling at them.

From Jhakri, dandy and me head back to Shimla. He leaves immediately, while I spend a couple of nights in Shimla, walking around, staring at the Delhi/Chandigarh crowd which invades this place over the weekend. Shimla has still not been completely tourist-fkd and there are a couple of places which are super-peaceful and nice. On the main road [Mall road i think] there are these benches where you can simply sit and watch the world stroll by. Brilliant concept.

My money is fast depleting and I am forced to be super careful about where I eat. Which sucks ass. Take the night bus to Delhi [terrible idea since driver wanted to play catch-catch with other buses] and crash at friend's place. Have lunch with Sonoo [who is in Delhi for a vacation to Hrishikesh] and her friends, revel in how "socially connected" I am and then take a Delhi Metro ride to the station.

My first Rajdhani train ride takes me to Howrah station and then a couple of nights in the city I love. Scooby's mom makes this brillaint dish of this veggi stuffed with minced mutton. A few days later, Comte and me are off to explore the North East. Or that was the plan.


Yeah I know this is a bit of an abrupt ending but those mountains still call me once in a while. I want to hear them again.

Have posted the pictures in two separate FB albums: here and here. Or you can view the non-commented pics here:

Negi land