I made the journey from Kurseong to Mirik by shared sumo locally called as Syndicate in this region. In Mirik, I stayed at Haamro Ghar Homestay and I highly recommend them if you are planning to visit Mirik. Sumendu Lake is the highlight of this tiny town that is spread around the lake that also boasts of a monastery.

A Journey in Photographs of Two Days in Mirik

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We landed in Istanbul and travelled across Turkey to places like Trabzon, Van, Gaziantep, Izmir, Selçuk, Antalya and traversed across numerous towns and villages in the Turkish countryside. If you are planning a trip to Turkey, here are the links for the posts.

Istanbul : Tips for Backpacking

Trabzon : Travels on the Black Sea Coast

Van : A City of All Day Breakfasts

Gaziantep : UNESCO approved eating!

Photographs and Memories from Travels across Turkey

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It had been a glorious few months in Kasar Devi and we had braved through the winter cold. As soon as February began, we chalked out plans to visit the nearby places for weekend visits.

In the last week of February, we left early morning from our cottage in Kasar Devi and walked to the diversion of the road for Jageshwar near Almora, and were lucky to instantly hitch a ride till Chitai Golu Devta. We paid our respects at the temple and started walking on the road and were lucky again to find another ride that dropped us at Artola – the point from where the road diverted for Jageshwar. I remembered from my earlier visit that it would be a pleasant 2 odd km walk from here as the region around Jageshwar is surrounded by pine and deodhar forests to reach the Dandeshwar Temple.

Since the distance between Almora and Jageshwar is only 35 kms, we didn’t bother to have breakfast when we left from Kasar Devi and figured that it made sense to eat an early lunch along the way or directly after reaching Jageshwar.

In 2015, I had stayed in Jageshwar for a day and someone had mentioned that while Vridhh Jageshwar was quite close to Jageshwar; it was a good 8-10 km distance from the road and there was a diversion road for Vridhh Jageshwar from Artola. In the absence of a proper mode of transport (bus or shared taxi), it wasn’t practical to think of a day visit from Jageshwar to Vridhh Jageshwar and back. I had multiple bags with me and therefore had to sort of plan my travel accordingly.

It was a surreal walk on the road from Artola as there were hardly any vehicles and we reached Dandeshwar Temples at about 1230 pm. We were quite hungry and came across a boutique stay on the way to Jageshwar after crossing Dandeshwar Temple. The dining area looked very inviting and we asked the staff if it was possible to make lunch on order? They said lunch would be simple dal, green leafy vegetables, chapati and rice and would take about 30 minutes to make. We requested them to speed it up as we were super hungry!

Food was out of the world when it arrived after some time and we ate till our stomachs were full! The 250 Rupees per person charge felt absolutely worthwhile. We thanked the staff wholeheartedly, paid them and set on our way. We visited the various temples in the Jageshwar Group of Temples complex; crossed the Jataganga stream to reach the Kuber Temple. Jageshwar town seemed to have expanded and didn’t have the charming feel as earlier so we were already thinking of an alternate plan of stay!

We asked the Pandit Ji at Kuber Temple about the hiking trail for Vridhh Jageshwar temple. It was early afternoon and we had ample time for trying to head somewhere else. Pandit Ji was quite confident and told us that the trail to Vridhh Jageshwar was well marked and pretty straightforward. He estimated that the hiking – trekking trail from Jageshwar to Vridhh Jageshwar is about 3-4 kms and should take between 1.5 to 2 hours maximum. He also told us that there were a couple of homestays right in front of the Vridhh Jageshwar Temple and that we would have no trouble finding a place to stay for the night.

It was about 315 pm when we started our walk from Kuber Temple. There was a proper cemented path with beautiful houses surrounded by early spring flower blooms on the way as the onset of the Jageshwar to Vridhh Jageshwar trek. One of the homes had such an incredible array of flowers – on the pretext of asking about the trail, I ended up asking whether the house was also a homestay! The lady of the house quoted a heavy price and we figured that as a classic trait in Uttarakhand. I stuck to the task of confirming the path and was told that a road is being built and that we should take the walking trail even after the road joins.

We were on the right trail and easily climbed a steady ascent in the initial 15 minutes. The weather was sunny when we had started but quickly began to change with clouds gathering and a breeze starting to blow even before we had reached the first road construction that was said to be our first landmark. I tried asking anyone on the trail where the path joined the bigger road in progress but there was no one to be seen and as if on cue, it started drizzling.

Thankfully, we had carried our rain jackets and since we had a rough idea about the trail, continued walking on the dirt road and kept a look out for a walking trail ascending towards our right. The drizzle was steady and we were overjoyed when a vehicle appeared on the road and was kind enough to stop for us. The gentleman was a local who said he was aware of the correct trail to Vridhh Jageshwar and informed us that it is easily identifiable.

We were ecstatic to spot red rhododendron blooming flowers in the forest and even though the road was dusty, the drizzle came as a welcome delight with the smell of petrichor. Even though it was only around 4-415 pm, it started feeling a bit dark in the forested region and we heaved a sigh of relief when we finally saw a hiking trail emerge from the road. It was a sharp ascent and although I was still uncertain about us being on the right path, the occasional raindrops and cold breeze ensured that we kept going ahead rather than second guess.

After about 20-30 minutes the light improved as we climbed higher and were relieved to notice that the drizzle had stopped and the sun had started peeping through the clouds. The rhododendron flowers looked even more beautiful after having a shower in the rain. We clicked a few pictures and I made a mental calculation that there was daylight till 630 pm at least. Even if we were on the wrong trail, our general hiking direction was in the region of Vridhh Jageshwar Temple and we were quite confident about making it to a homestay before dark.

Just as I was starting to get worried about not reaching Vridhh Jageshwar nor seeing any signs if we were on the right trail, we came across a stone boundary and there were multiple trails branching from that place. It was getting super confusing and for a minute I contemplated turning back and just getting back to safety in Jageshwar since we knew the way back. As a distraction, we decided to take a small rest break sitting on the stone boundary and were pleased when a dog came from somewhere.

The presence of a dog increased the possibility of a settlement nearby and my joy knew no bounds when a group of women carrying firewood appeared from nowhere and told us that we might have missed the correct trail but pointed us to a path and said that we will hardly take 15-20 odd minutes to reach Vridhh Jageshwar Temple. It was about 515 pm and we thanked the ladies and rushed on the trail. We had a spring in our step and relief on our minds now that we finally knew that we were about to reach Vridhh Jageshwar Temple and that there were 2 homestay options there.

Within no time we reached a road-head where the road had very recently been laid with tar and for a moment wondered if we had to go left or right but google maps quickly solved the problem. Recent development in the remote areas means there is hardly any place left without mobile network and internet connectivity. The weather had totally cleared and the sun was out. We were in front of the Vridhh Jageshwar Temple and there were only a handful of buildings.

I had assumed that this was a temple town but the solitude felt even more pronounced when we saw that there were only a total of 4-5 buildings that comprised Vridhh Jageshwar! We were shown the room at one of the homestays and were quoted a reasonable price of INR 500-600. It was a basic but pretty comfortable room with an attached bathroom and the owner was soft spoken and a kind hearted man. The homestay doubled up as a dhaba with a general store and the owner lived there with his wife. We requested him for an early dinner of freshly cooked dal, vegetables, rotis at 730 pm and quickly asked him if there was a chance of attending either the evening or the morning aarti at the Vridhh Jageshwar Temple?!

He looked at the watch and asked us to rush to the temple as it was about to be 6 pm and the evening aarti would begin anytime now! We were having a great day and loved this piece of information and quickly walked to the Vridhh Jageshwar Temple. The evening colours in the sky were simply out of the world and the horizon was being painted in yellow and orange hues. Since we were at a much higher altitude, the air felt cleaner and colder and the green hills completed a pretty picture.

The temple was a massive stone structure and the architecture style was similar to the bigger temples in the Jageshwar Group of temples. The Vridhh Jageshwar Temple pre-dates the Jageshwar temples and is said to have been established in 7-8th Century AD. The evening aarti was about to begin and it felt peaceful and calm as there were no other pilgrims or visitors at Vridhh Jageshwar. There is a certain charm about visiting places off the main tourist circuit and we were quite pleased with being able to sit in the aarti and feel the mantras being chanted.

After 30 odd minutes the evening aarti was over, we thanked the Pandit Ji and spent some time gazing at the stupendous after-sunset views. We were super hungry and walked back to our homestay which also doubled up as a general store and a dhaba where pilgrims and visitors could get food made on order. It was almost 7 pm and food was going to take a little longer to get ready so we went to the room and aired it out a little. A bit of fresh air in closed rooms always works wonders. While Jageshwar felt hot during daytime, there was a proper chill in the air in Vridhh Jageshwar and it was not even night yet.

We were quite relieved when the owner uncle handed us an electric rod to heat water (if we needed it). The night skies from the homestay terrace were incredible in the absence of any light pollution in Vridhh Jageshwar. There was a solar powered light at the Vridhh Jageshwar temple but that was hidden by a big tree in the homestay compound. The electricity conked off and decided to give us an even more epic view of the stars. We weren’t complaining and went to the dhaba area when the food was ready.

It was nice to see a proper family run place and aunty was making hot chapatis. We gobbled up the offerings as we had nothing to eat after the fabulous lunch in the afternoon. The wind had really picked up and it felt like a thunderstorm was on its way. We ate well, thanked uncle and aunty wholeheartedly and went back downstairs to our room. It had started to get cloudy and funnily enough the electricity came back!

There was full 4G internet connectivity and it felt nice to lie down in the warmth indoors and do some aimless scrolling. We slept well, after all the body had a nice workout with the hike and was pretty tired.

It was a spectacular morning as the weather had cleared and a stunning 180 degree view of the Himalayan ranges awaited when we were going to the temple for the morning darshan and aarti. There were crystal clear views of Mount Trishul, Nanda Devi and other peaks. We were overjoyed and requested for aloo paranthas for breakfast and enjoyed them in the outdoor sun with the splendid views. Even though the original idea was to leave back for Kasar Devi early morning, it was a delay that felt totally worthwhile.

Someone mentioned that Vridhh Jageshwar lies on an old trekking/hiking route commonly used by pilgrims and it is possible to continue via walking trails to reach other important temples in the region. At around 11, we started walking towards Panuanaula (next sizeable village on the road) and I came across a signboard and a trail towards Jageshwar Dham which mentioned the walking distance as 3 kms. We quickly understood that we had surely got lost in the jungle yesterday and made it to Vridhh Jageshwar by a much longer and confusing trail. A shared taxi duly arrived and we got a ride till Panuanaula.

I don’t remember the exact sequence but it was rhododendron flower season and we got down at a place called Toli where there are a couple of local shops that make fresh squashes. The homestay uncle in Vridhh Jageshwar had given a reference of one of the squash makers and we ended up picking a number of bottles of the various varieties that they recommended. The prices were also quite reasonable, we thanked the owners and caught one of the numerous shared taxis bound for Almora.

It was a feeling of contentment and satisfaction to come back to our cottage in Kasar Devi!

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Even though we stayed in Raison, Kullu Valley for 5 months – we had never ever thought of shifting here (or anywhere else) for good. The semi-nomadic style of being able to live for a few months in any place we wanted did feel very appealing but after having stayed out of the rented Delhi home for almost 1.5 years, and paying the rent and salaries was too much. It was as if the stars had aligned when our friends were also keen on moving to a better place in the nearby area of South Delhi. When all four of us discussed this possibility; it resulted in a mutual decision of giving the landlady a notice of 1 month and that we would empty the Delhi home by 31 October.

Of course, none of us had even looked at a home yet and it was a bit easier with regards to home searching in Delhi with brokers around. The real struggle would start when we had to go home searching in Kullu Valley. I began by calling a few homestay owners in the 10-15 kms stretch from Bandrol to Katrain because that is where we were keen to live. We were not keen to live on the Naggar side of the road because that was where the outsiders of the valley lived and also it would be too cold for the winter. A few locals were encouraging and asked me to meet them when we came to Kullu Valley; the common consensus was that we would only find a home we liked if we found it ourself rather than hoping for divine intervention.

We went to Leh and were surprised to see it packed with tourists even in mid-October. It was a lucky journey when we were able to make it to Manali by a shared taxi from Leh on 15th October. It snowed on the high passes in the evening and the Manali-Leh road was promptly closed for vehicular traffic. Our aim was to find and finalise a home in 10-12 days and then head to Delhi so that we could empty the Delhi home. Thakur bhai (from Yuthok) had arranged our stay at his relatives homestay that was located adjacent to the road in the centre of Kullu and Manali. He was correct in figuring that a conveniently located home would enable us to explore more options. We started going and seeing prospective homes and finally after a week had shortlisted 2-3 options. The kindness of the owner triumphed over everything else and we finalised a 2nd floor home located in an orchard – conveniently located just a minute away from the NH3 in Dobhi Village, Kullu Valley.

7 November : Autumn feels, the trees had begun to shed their leaves and the wind was piercing cold everyday; as if it was preparing us for the colder winter. The skies were a shade of dark blue and the days were nice and crisp. The sunshine felt nice but the time of sunrise started to shift. There was a massive temperature change from the plains to Kullu Valley in the first week of November. The diwali pollution had got me in trouble in Jaipur/Delhi and the sudden cold after reaching Kullu Valley in the night caused a troublesome chest congestion that would only go after a few weeks. The house had been properly cleaned and we just had to come and start living. Of course, to make it feel like home we were to set it up and hang paintings on the walls. We had carried some paintings with us and got lucky when the electrician who came to fit the television agreed to drill the holes for the paintings. Since it was a brand new home and we were the first people to actually live in it – we were not keen on hammering the nails since all it would do is damage the paint on the walls.

Home in Dobhi, Kullu Valley

Online e-commerce had done well with all the companies delivering products and groceries in Kullu Valley as we had experienced last year in the lockdown. It made sense to create an order for basic necessities so that we would have a ready supply of groceries even before we reached. Basically, when we got to our home, a package with tea leaves, sugar, pasta, poha, oil was already there and we had carried the rest of the necessities like wheat flour, masalas, grains and pulses with us in the car in a small package. It only added to our happiness quotient when we saw that the kitchen was well stocked with utensils, casseroles, plates, gas connection with a cylinder, and all the other necessary accessories one might need. We had also carried a variety of teas; like Darjeeling tea, green tea, nettle tea, bergamot tea, and other local herbal teas procured from Uttarakhand.

Everyday troubles when you live in the mountains

Finding a home to live in Kullu Valley was difficult alright, but what seemed even more difficult was managing the workload. The 3 meals have to be cooked, the utensils have to be scrubbed clean (did I mention the freezing water), the house has to be made in order. Every little detail had been taken care of in the 3 bedroom home; viz. mattresses, bedsheets, quilts, sofa set, chairs and tables, bed-side tables, utensils, pots, pans and boxes in the kitchen, mosquito nets on the windows and doors. Our kind homeowner had even set the home with carpets and bed runners, extra bedsheets and even towels. We were floored by their gesture and ultimately ended up returning the carpets and bed runners (we had carried our own), the extra bedsheets and the towels. It is a testament to the kindness of these local Kullvi folks that they end up doing so much for strangers; even though they are not obligated to do so.

The sun rises from behind the mountains opposite to our home and directly hits the bedroom at about 815 am. Only when the sun lights up the room, do I rush to get up from the bed and quickly wear the jackets to start making the tea. Winter months mean there is less availability of cow milk and we make regular enquiries with the locals for 1 litre of fresh cow milk everyday. The first few days we take the easy way out by buying the 1 litre milk tetra packs. The kitchen feels quite cold and my hands freeze when I wash the ginger and then grate it with the cheese grater. It takes 15 odd minutes for the tea to be made and that is enough time for the kettle to warm up the drinking water and set up the table with biscuits/accompaniments for chai. Good morning tea is the pre-requisite for a nice day and I take extra effort in ensuring it always turns out good.

Chilling in Manali (as locals)

Even though the plant nursery guy doesn’t recommend buying money plants since there is every likelihood of them not surviving the cold; we buy a couple of money plants and also get a few succulents planted in earthen pots. The aim is to just feel that there is a bit of life around us. Thankfully, our friends are still at Yuthok Homestay when we arrive here and they come every few days so that we have a bit of non-fussy social life without making an effort. Once or twice, we go to Manali for live music and beer at Johnson’s Café and spend a nice Sunday afternoon at Martin’s in Shanag. It is nice to head to these places for a change.

Even though the sun is strong and shining in the balcony and we sometimes drink chai while soaking in the sunshine, the chilly wind would soon ensure that it became rare to sit peacefully in the outdoors for tea. Breakfast preparations would be simple and quick and it would usually be poha, upma or seviyan. We would take utmost care to use as less utensils as possible and would mostly eat breakfast from the pan itself (if practically possible). The wooden roof in our room traps the warmth of the sun and makes it nice and cosy. It is soon work time and we work on our respective laptops; the third room has been converted into a work room with a study table (and the storage cabinets serve a very useful purpose for ‘Indilocal.’

We would try to keep a very simple menu for lunch in the form of either dall or some vegetable to be eaten with rice or roti. I was in charge of figuring and planning the lunch and barring a few hits and misses we managed well. Making rotis was a big challenge and it was soon decided that the best idea was to eat rice for lunch and occasionally go to the nearby dhabas / restaurants / eateries whenever we missed roti too much. We have plenty of options with regards to eateries within our walking distance. The sun would shift to the big balcony at lunch time and if the wind was in control, we would try to enjoy lunch in the abundant sunshine. Post lunch, we tried to go for a customary 30 minute walk/stroll while the sun was still out. Evening time after 5 pm meant a rousing cold wind and we would have to make sure to wear an extra jacket and cover our head with a cap.

Thankfully we had a kettle because it was almost necessary to drink warm water all the time. The sun would go behind the mountain at about 330 pm; and the funny part was that there would be abundant sunshine till 430 pm only 10 minutes walk from our home. Life here felt like a perfect mix of urban and rural; we had the highway if we wanted to go anywhere to Kullu or Manali or we could just go in the big balcony on the other side of the house and be blissfully away from civilisation. Professional work would always get done like it does; evening tea making was a point of debate and although we would want to drink it – the fact that we had only 1 tea pot meant someone had to wash it! Sometimes, we would bicker and fight and tell each other ‘It’s your turn, it’s your turn,’ because the tea pot had to be cleaned and it was almost stupid to start the next day without chai first thing in the morning.

Thankfully, our landlord had installed a semi-automatic washing machine because if washing clothes is a task, then it is an even bigger task with cold water in the winters! Of course we had geysers in both the bathrooms and the kitchen as well but the mix of hot and cold is never really perfect and within a few weeks my fingers started having minor cuts as a result of the mix of the hot and cold water!

On top of it, as soon as we reached the Kullu Valley home, I fell sick – I was anyway not feeling quite well due to the pollution. So the burden of unpacking and setting up the home felt even more troublesome and I tried to compensate for it after 3-4 days when I started feeling a bit better. We ended up charting a plan for our daily activities and divided the work so that we would fight less and enjoy more! Of course, it was enriching to be able to experience autumn colours and watch the paragliders float in the evening sky while we sipped our tea. After 10 days or so, our landlord helped us by asking one of his relatives to deliver 1 litre of fresh cow milk to us every morning. We were overjoyed! I have always believed when you live somewhere, it is very important to do things like a local and a daily supply of milk is an important part of life here.

Eateries in Kullu Valley

We kept making plans for short day hikes and even ended up discovering a few village paths for going on walks. It is no fun to walk with vehicles passing you by and we enjoyed the joys of ambling along on different local trails. After settling into life in the new home in Kullu Valley, we began to enjoy the new routine and also started going out to the nearby eateries. Sometimes, if we felt like eating paranthas we would go early in the morning to the roadside Shubham Dhaba for piping hot tandoori aloo, mooli and paneer paranthas served with curd and chickpeas curry. There would be days when we would seek the indoor warmth of Crimson Restaurant for dinner and have a simple vegetable with chapatis. When we went on our walks, once we saw a new roadside eatery that had just opened and ended up eating delicious siddus with chutney and ghee.

We had kept the lookout on for a help who would come and cook a meal for us and do the utensils but it seemed that such luxuries were hard to come by in Kullu Valley. Wherever we asked, it was understood that here everyone did their own work and that the concept of house help did not exist at all. I had known that it would be difficult to find someone to do the house work, but had no inkling that it would prove to be almost impossible. We were pretty clear that we didn’t want a full time help because it just becomes too much of a hassle to make staying arrangements for the help. Since the windows and the doors would largely remain closed through the winter, the house wouldn’t accumulate much dust and there was no real need of regular cleaning.

As the days progressed into weeks and we completed our first month of living in the new home, we felt a proud sense of accomplishment. We had somehow managed to organise our daily lives, figure the food, wash the utensils efficiently, go on long walks everyday; and still make time to enjoy the sunset colours with the evening chai. The weather turned colder in December but we were prepared for it; and were really looking forward to have our friends from Dehradun visit us in the end of December. We had planned to go on holiday in the second half of December and perhaps it was that happy feeling that enabled us to sail through the first two weeks of December. Or maybe it was the new OTG that we had ordered that really seemed to make life easier!

Baking = Happiness

The aroma of baking would spread around the house and there is no better feeling in the world than the warmth and coziness of a home during the winters. We had put table lamps with warm lights around the hall and in the bedrooms as well and coupled with the wooden roof, it exuded a calm and welcoming feel. The nearby Roots Café made excellent ragi bread and bajra bread and sometimes we would pick the multigrain bread from Bread of Life Bakery close to Manali. The vegetables in November were mostly locally grown (radish, spinach etc) and tasted better than their counterparts grown with pesticides in the Indian plains. Open toasts made with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and paneer were turning out to be quite amazing and to make life easier we would eat them straight from the oven tray. The paneer in Kullu Valley is especially good and always freshly made.

We had got into the habit of early dinners and also figured with time that if a special dish was being made, it made sense to make extra quantity of the same since it was cold and nothing would go bad. It made wonders with the dash of confidence after the successful cooking experiments and that enabled us to successfully make thukpa (from memory, having seen the preparations umpteen number of times at Yuthok). The black peas were procured from Spiti Valley and there was one time when the thukpa we made lasted us for 3 evening meals! During the cold winters, there’s nothing like an early evening soupy dinner that warms you up from the inside and is not heavy as well.

Persimmon in the Winters

The stiff breeze in the afternoons caused the remaining leaves to fall off the trees and that also meant that the last hanging ripe persimmons on the trees had to be picked up or risk getting rotten. I bought 10 kg persimmons (that turned out to be 7.5kg) from the fresh picking going on in an orchard close to our home. These were safely kept aside to be eaten as 1-2 pieces everyday in the sunshine. Persimmons can cause a cold if eaten in inclement, stormy weather and I had to be especially careful with the not-yet-fully-cured coughing. The fact remains that persimmons are super healthy fruits (largely pesticide free) and make for a nice snack in the afternoons.

Things would get really chilly when it rained every few days and we would see snow on the nearby mountaintops with every spell of rain. The locals said it was a a sign of an early winter when the daffodils / nargis flowers bloomed earlier than usual and we were merry with arranging a vase full of daffodils gifted to us by our landlord’s son! The nargis flowers had a peculiar, sweet fragrance and lasted us for a full 25 days. Of course, there is a lone flower seller in Kullu and we would occasionally buy flowers from there for decoration. One of the days, we also entered Reliance Smart Point in Kullu and that also meant we would use e-commerce very sparingly from now on for groceries, as everything was available at a much cheaper price than amazon.

The cold meant there was no possibility of us trying to set the curd, so we would make kheer every now and then. When we felt the need for more sweets and snacks, I researched online and found some companies delivering namkeens from Jaipur, Mysore Pak from Almond House (Hyderabad) and I personally made a few phone calls to get a few kilos of desi ghee sweets straight from Jaisalmer. India Post is quite reasonable for couriers with sizeable weight. We had carried a number of gajak boxes from Jaipur for near and dear ones as a diwali gift and due to unavailability of a few of these folks who had gone elsewhere, we always had healthy sesame and jaggery gajak from Narayanji, Jaipur!

The trees slowly but steadily shed their leaves and were rendered bare by the middle of December. The views of the snow capped mountains kept getting better as it got colder and with the floating paragliders the evening sky looked especially enticing. It was a strange sight to see the bare apple trees surrounding us and for a change even seeing the vehicles on the road gave us a semblance of belonging. We could clearly see the road from our front balcony now that there were no leaves on the trees. It was fun to see the tourists come in droves in the packed Volvos even as the threat of covid resurfaced again. The news of our friends arriving from Dehradun post-Christmas brought a wave of cheer and we began setting up their room in anticipation.

Holidays in December

We went on long walks on the holiday, baked recipes like persimmon bread, cookies, muffins (for Nilza), pesto pasta with fresh basil procured from Manali, Chettinad egg curry, ate chole puri at Behl Sweets in the rain and at Sapna Sweets in Kullu, spent lazy afternoons at Roots Café in Bandrol, made and drank a lot of mulled wine, watched a lot of movies, stayed warm while it kept raining continuously for 4-5 days. On one of the long walks, it was a memorable time when we remembered to buy a Christmas tree and decorated it with pine cones. The days got shorter and shorter and I remember that the sun rose at 8:50 some days and would set at 2:50 in the afternoon.

In between, our earlier milk lady had sold her cow and after a few days break; with the help of a neighbour we were able to secure supply of fresh cow milk from another home. Since there was plenty of extra milk, our friends from Dehradun taught us how to make ricotta cheese. With this new skill under my belt, we made ragi and bajra bread open toast sandwiches. After wondering where to go in the touristy rush of the new year, it turned out to be a fabulous trip to Jana when we decided to stay at a cottage in the woods with a grand view of the snow mountains. When we went for a walk in the evening, the weather gods fulfilled our wish as we witnessed a fresh flurry of snowfall. In no time, the road turned white and after enjoying the snowfall for a good hour we returned to the warmth of our cottage when it was still daylight. It was a memorable evening with copious amounts of Morpheus Xo and an adrenaline rush next morning to drive back on the slippery road in the snow.

Day trip to Lahaul

In a first, there was the added thrill of having a Kullu number Thar and everybody decided that now that we had a 4*4 wheel drive, it made sense for me to learn driving on snow. Even though we knew that there was a huge possibility of a traffic jam while going and coming back from Lahaul – we decided to go! Of course there was a massive traffic jam at Solang Valley, the fact that we had a local number car meant we weren’t stuck for too long and reached the other side of Atal Tunnel soon. The road was totally snow bound and I engaged the 4 wheel drive for the snowy and slippery stretch. It was bone chilling cold in Lahaul and we were pleased to eat paranthas and momos for brunch/lunch at the only open eatery in Keylong.

The original plan was to stay in a nice homestay in Jispa / Keylong but when we reached Jispa it turned out to be a scene of a locked village and there was not a soul to be seen. We did enjoy the drive though and were greeted by a number of frozen waterfalls amid the blue skies. The traffic jam while coming back was a pointer to the scene while going back and we tried to be smarter by leaving early from Lahaul. It didn’t really matter though and we were stuck in Solang Valley for another 2 odd hours and were so tired that I didn’t want to sit in the car even for going to a restaurant for dinner! Nevertheless, we had a gala time observing the behaviour of the tourists who were piling snow on their stationery vehicles and a lot of tourists looked funny with the jumpsuits in bright colours.

First Snowfall in the Kullu Valley home

After this adventure, we decided to spend a few quiet days at home so that we would not get stuck in more traffic jams! Our friends left for Sainj Valley on 2nd January and we missed having them. It was back to routine now and the holiday did feel like a welcome break once it was over. The two meals a day routine was on and finally it seemed that the days started getting bigger and sunrise time was advancing by a minute every few days. Our Dehradun friends had really wished for snowfall and it seemed their wish was a bit late in coming true when the weather started turning bad from 8th January. It rained continuously for 2-3 days and became frighteningly cold and since we were unable to go out, we baked apple crumble from the apples given by the neighbours. On 9th January, it started snowing on the nearby mountains and the nearby village was shrouded in a blanket of white. In the night, I kept looking out of the window but it seemed as if there was no activity.

When we woke up next morning, it was eerily silent – I pulled the curtains and saw the most astonishing sight. It was snowing heavily and we were in the midst of a white landscape. We called our near and dear ones on video call and shared the joy of the first snowfall in the new year with everyone. It stopped snowing in the afternoon but the white landscape remained till the next morning. Once the snow melted, it lent a fragrant feel to the surroundings and it was magical to go on walks nearby when the sun was out and the views were crystal clear. We had a memorable time celebrating ‘Saja’ or makar sankranti when we were invited by Yuthok Homestay Thakur family for lunch. I had a minor discomfort of a strange skin infection that would stay with me for the next month or so!

On one of the many walks, we ended up venturing to Palrabling – a Tibetan colony in Dobhi located by the river. It was a pleasant surprise to visit the monastery and meet old Tibetan men and women. The sky colours were turning dramatic during sunset whenever the weather was stormy. I was terribly missing fresh haldi ki sabji and my wish was answered when the vegetable seller in Manali had fresh turmeric! One of the days we invited Yuthok Homestay family and sister for lunch and were able to make spinach and ricotta quiche and a snack! They liked it and thankfully we had the Jaisalmer ghotua remaining. We were glad that they came and asked uncle and aunty to definitely come next time. In the last week of January, we saw the first signs of life when we noticed fresh yellow flowers sprout from the ground where there was plenty of sun.

We only had a small electric heater in our home to combat the winter cold but we would rarely use that and preferred to be clothed well and snuggle under 3 layers of blankets. Landlord uncle came to the rescue when they installed a tandoor bukhari in the glass room upstairs. It was fun to sit in the warmth of the tandoor when it was snowing outside!

On 31st January, we were out for our everyday walk and had an epiphany – that we should try going to a nearby cottage and asking the staff there if they were looking for part-time work. It was a big stroke of luck that we found the caretaker couple who were out of work the same day and the guy agreed to come for work to our home the next day. He turned out to be a fantastic cook and seemed to be the answer to all our troubles! He told us that either him or his wife would come everyday and we were very happy with the excellent food that they made and the ease with which the utensils were getting done.

Driving to Manali in snow

We had more bad weather as February started and now that I had successfully driven the thar on the snowy roads of Lahaul, we made a plan of a staycation in Manali and booked 1 night at a nice English cottage. It snowed and snowed for 2 days and when we left for Manali from Dobhi, it was snowing heavily like a snowstorm and we actually wondered if it made sense to go. Then it dawned on us that this might turn out to be the last snowfall of the winter for us and it was now or never! The locals in Manali were really kind and helped me navigate the slippery snow and we somehow made it to the snowed out English cottage! I heaved a sigh of relief after we parked the car and noticed that it had snowed about 3-4 feet and the cars parked 2-3 days ago were completely covered in snow. We had a grand time in the snow and I was very happy to see a properly snowed out forest in Manali.

It took a lot of manoeuvring and patience to drive back from the slippery roads of Manali next day and again I thank the locals who helped me navigate the car in my slow speed! Once we were back in Dobhi, it felt like the weather had shifted. It was only the first week of February and the grass was green everywhere now that the rain had watered the ground and the sun enabled growth of new life. We baked an apple pie in celebration and it turned out to be quite amazing! The nights were even colder once the skies cleared but the days were nice and warm and the sunshine in the big balcony felt like a lifesaver. We ate our first palak patta chaat of the season at Roots Café and started going out more during the day to make ample use of the sunshine. Now finally we thought that the house work was being managed well and that gave us a chance to enjoy more. The arrival of strawberries and raspberries in the markets of Kullu – Manali gave us a lot of cheer and we made breakfasts of chia seed bowls!

From Kullu Valley to Tamil Nadu in March

We were missing South Indian food very much and ended up booking return flight tickets to Chennai. The plan was to relax and enjoy the relatively warmer weather of Pondicherry-Auroville and explore Chettinad and Madurai or Trichy. It was furiously cold when we sat in the Volvo bus to Delhi; took a cab directly to Delhi airport and reached quite early for an afternoon flight. Once we got down in Chennai, the heat turned out to be so much more than we anticipated and I was having an especially difficult time. The months of living in cold weather meant I wasn’t sweating and the body was just getting overheated. We figured it would be better to take it slow and thats what we did throughout the trip – ensuring a calm but memorable experience.

When we had left from Kullu Valley the trees were still barren and there was the anticipation of the plum blossoms turning the entire valley white in 2-3 weeks. We didn’t want to miss it for the world and planned our holiday around it. Our landlord called us when we had landed in Delhi and said, ‘The plum blossoms are here and if you don’t come soon, you will miss them!’ We were overjoyed on hearing this and told him that we were returning the next day.

We are welcomed by the most epic sight of the white plum blossoms and the occasional pink peach blossoms the next morning after reaching Kullu Valley. Our house help tells us that the weather had suddenly turned appreciably hotter once we left for Chennai. I am happy to be sweating again in the pleasant and bearable Kullu heat.

When we meet landlord uncle, he says, ‘You have spent the entire winter in Kullu Valley, so you totally deserve the joys of spring now!’

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Also, the theory of Chettinad food being spicy was also turned on its head after a few meals; the spice levels being quite mild and the use of spices was to flavour the food in a balanced manner than to make it overpowering to the palate! Isn’t this what travel is all about? To let us experience for real what we have only read so far.

After about an year and a half of ‘living’ in the mountains; spending last winter in Kasar Devi, Uttarakhand – and then the next year in Kullu Valley; we were really missing the raw feel of travelling in unfamiliar territory and thereby ended up booking tickets to Chennai. At the outset; it felt like a sea change upon landing in Tamil Nadu. The weather was comparatively mild in Pondicherry and Auroville and that sort of allowed us to somehow adjust to the unusually hot weather in March.

The drive from Pondicherry to Chettinad was memorable as it was overcast the entire day and that turned the countryside into a veritable shade of green. We left from Pondicherry at about 8 am after a quick breakfast of idli, sambar vadas from a roadside stall. On one of the short stops, it was nice to sip sweet tender coconut water and bite into chunks of plump sugarcane sticks being sold on the road.

It started pouring as we neared Tiruchirappalli, and it made for an excellent stop at a small coffee shop on the way – it advertised Kumbakonam degree coffee and it definitely had a unique strong flavour to the steaming mugs of coffee. We saw men and women working in the submerged paddy fields and as we neared Visalam, I had a short glimpse of a fort on a rocky outcrop and made a mental note of asking more about it.

We were shown the way to the palatial Chettinad Room and informed that lunch was ready to be served in the aptly named ‘Sapadu Shala’, (literally food room). The welcome drink Chukku kaapi made with dry ginger and palm jaggery was tantalising in taste. Lunch was served in a banana leaf and included a delicious array of dishes that made me wish I had a bigger appetite / stomach!

The Sapadu Shala was housed in a traditional Chettiar kitchen and it was a memorable sight to notice that traditional brass utensils were used for cooking as well as for decor to provide an authentic experience of a Chettinad mansion. The dishes served are homemade lemon pickle, onion pachadi, kar paavakai varuval (bitter gourd fritters), podalangai poriyal (stir fry snake gourd), kodamilagai mandi (capsicum+garlic mix), pookose poriyal (cauliflower stir-fry), vazhakkai varuval (raw banana snack), nei sadham (ghee rice), aavarakai sambar (broad beans sambar), sundavatha kulambu (bitter berries mix), rasam, curd and payasam.

My biggest and most pleasant surprise at Visalam was the abundance of greenery in the outdoor spaces and the riot of bougainvillea blooms in different colours like white, purple, red, pink, yellow (maybe I missed a few other colours!). The flowers spread like a carpet on the grass and with the breeze blowing in the open air courtyard spread bouts of happiness. I spotted eclectic cast iron chairs in the ‘garden café’ – the usual haunt for breakfast at Visalam.

One of the doors opened to bring forth the sight of the swimming pool and after the longest break largely caused to covid; it called for a short tryst in the welcoming cool waters. The sunset colours were most epic as we climbed up on one of the rooftops for a better view. As night fell, the sound of cicadas filled the air reminding us that we were in a palatial home alright; with the right mix of nature’s gifts.

Siva (staff at Visalam) charted out next day’s plan and since the weather was excellent for the time being, we decided to go on a leisurely heritage walk across Kanadukathan. The staff at Visalam is mostly employed locally and it is delightful to hear their anecdotes while they narrate the stories. I was astounded at the grandness of the Chettiar homes (built between 1850 to 1950) and when Siva pointed out that some of the homes were so huge that 1 home covered an entire street; I had to actually go back and check every street to confirm the same and it indeed turned out to be true.

Some of the mansions owned by the Chettiars had 60 odd rooms (a few even boast of 100 rooms) and a typical mansion would have a garden and their own well. The Chettiar mansions were opulent with use of teak, chandeliers and glass from Burma, Belgium and Murano (Italy) respectively and a hallmark of these houses was the intricate wooden work on the doors, pillars and even on the ceiling.  

A common theme among the mansions was that almost all of them seemed to be uninhabited. Siva took us across to a mansion that was in a family dispute and had an immaculately maintained half part of the house while the other half was in a derelict and crumbling condition. We also came across village ponds with temples constructed around them that served as water sources in the earlier days and also in the present times with well maintained clean water.

Evening was fast approaching and even though we felt like continuing the walk; the lure of fresh filter coffee was bait enough for us to return to Visalam. From 4 to 6-630 pm in the evening and 7 to 10 am in the morning, Geetha (staff at Visalam) is in charge of tea and coffee and I have no hesitation in saying that the filter coffee and masala tea at Visalam was the best during our entire Tamil Nadu trip.

Dinner was served under the skies by the pool and was an exotic mix of traditional ingredients made in a fusion style – all thanks to the chefs and Siva. The attention to detail was so immaculate and the experience so nicely personalised, I was compelled to ask Siva if there was a menu for guests or if he was a champion in reading their minds and knowing what they wanted to eat! It is the norm to eat a little more than usual when you are in Chettinad and that necessitated a walk around the pool. After gazing at the stars for a while, we decided to call it a night and slept in the cozy four-post bed looking at the Burma teak ceiling.

We woke up and rushed to get our dose of morning chai and filter coffee and ended up walking bare-feet in the lawn while listening to birdsong. It is delightfully relaxing and while Siva has made a hectic to-see list for the day; I am mentally prepared to take it slow. We have a light breakfast of the usual idli, podi dosa, uttapam, ragi upma and leave at 10 am.

What to see in Chettinad?

Athangudi Palace – Athangudi Periya Veedu

Hardly 10 odd minutes drive from Kanadukathan, the Athangudi Palace is a stunning Chettiar mansion with a dazzling hall. There are 2 young women at the entrance who ask for a 50 Rupee entry fee but language issues mean I couldn’t really ask them about the history of the Palace and resign myself to internet research for more details. Most of the rooms of the Periya Veedu are closed but it is the main hall that is the highlight here; and it comes as no surprise that it is a popular shooting location.

Athangudi Tiles

The defining feature of the mansions of Chettinad is the use of exclusively handmade tiles made in Athangudi and our next stop was to visit a tile maker. I spotted a tour group bus outside their premises and the eagerness of one of the managers to get us to ‘make our own tiles’ rather than simply explaining how the tiles were made meant we went for a quick perusal by ourselves and figured the different stages of the designing of these unique handmade tiles. The Athangudi tiles come with colourful patterns and are used on the floors, on the walls or even on the ceiling!

Sri Solai Aandavar Temple

It was nice to visit a temple in this part of the country and observe the rich architecture. There were a lot of locals also visiting the temple and the shaded part was a welcome break from the relentless sun.

Visalam Owners House, Kottaiyur

Aachi (Visalam House’s owner) is wonderful to talk to and she made sure we were shown nook and corner of the grand house. The hall had a grand ceiling decorated with yalis (mythical creature) and the inner courtyard with majestic round pillars made with Burma teak. She asked for a buttermilk to be served to us to serve as a coolant. Aachi affectionately means – grandmother.

Murukku Factory

This place in Kottaiyur was very authentic and ladies were frying murukku on firewood and making other sweets and snacks. We bought a packet of freshly packed murukku and wondered what all did they make! Later, after coming back Siva remarked that the ladies also made adirasam (a traditional sweet in Tamil Nadu.)

Karaikudi Cotton Weavers

Chettinad and Karaikudi region have a rich history of cotton weaving on handloom. We visited one of the cotton weavers and saw the excellent quality of sarees they wove.

Karaikudi Antique Market

A cluster of shops on the Muneeswaran Kovil street, Kallukatti in Karaikudi is more popularly known as the Karaikudi Antique market courtesy of the stuff sold coming from Chettiar mansions. The collection in some of the shops is excellent but the prices are quite inflated. Honestly, I think the shops have understood the game and quote 20 times the price of a product leaving you with almost no chance of buying it at a fair price.

It is excruciatingly hot with the sun beating down today and with no clouds to shield us, we get back to Visalam at 3 pm and immediately request for curd rice to be made for lunch. Siva is disappointed, having planned an elaborate meal for us. He coaxes us into sharing a vegetarian platter on a banana leaf, along-with the curd rice of course! I am especially enamoured by the carrot payasam.

We are advised to rest for a while because it is very hot outside. Once evening descends, we go for a short walk exploring the streets of Kanadukathan and are happily surprised at stumbling upon more Chettinadu mansions. There’s a curious looking place and it turns out to be a merchant selling freshly cold pressed coconut oil, groundnut oil and sesame oil. It is an especially pleasing sight when we see a spectacular sunset with the sun as a huge ball of fire. We come back to Visalam and wonder how will we manage to go to Madurai which is said to be even hotter than Chettinad!

Dinner is served early and is a simple affair for our tired tummies. We call it a night and wake up early the next day to enjoy seconds of the excellent masala chai.

CGH Earth Visalam, Kanadukathan

Visalam was a house built by KVAL Ramanathan Chettiar for his eldest daughter, Visalakshi, more than 100 years ago. Visalam has been splendidly restored by CGH Earth keeping in mind the aesthetics of the traditional architecture of the Chettiars. The Chettiar community of this region were prosperous traders and their palatial houses are standing testaments to their sense of class. Visalam is a fine example of the Chettiar’s aesthetic sense that was grand in its conception and painstaking in its details. Visalam is a heritage Chettiar mansion preserved in time and and today it is almost like a respected museum, having preserved almost everything of its original character and interiors from the time it was built. The furniture is period in style, flawlessly crafted and made from the finest Burma teak.

Contact : Phone – +91 484 4261711, Website : www.cghearth.com/visalam
Email – contact@cghearth.com  

Chettinad region is similar to Shekhawati not only in the arid and dry weather conditions but also in the stories of its inhabitants – Nattukottai Chettiars are businessmen who made their fortunes through businesses in Southeast Asia; mostly in Burma, Malaysia and Singapore. They used to trade in timber, gems, salt and precious metals. There are about 74 villages and an estimated 15000 mansions in Chettinad in the present time boasting of the use Carrara marble Venetian chandeliers from Italy, British ornamental steelwork from Birmingham and fine Burmese teak.

Note : I stayed at Visalam on a collaboration. The words and opinions on this blog are my own, as always.

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Since the sumo hasn’t started yet, we are not aware of its dilapidated condition. The engine seems to be in a perpetual state of repair and the doors feel like they can come off anytime! We wait (as if we could do any better) and are pleased to come across a Lal chai seller on the street. Sumo guy is good to go after we are joined by 2 young schoolgirls headed to their homes. There is no need to keep our bags on the carrier since there is plenty of room in the back. 

We are on our way to Mon at 730 am and choose to ignore the piece of information that the first sumo has left at 530 am. It is the sumo guy’s first trip to Mon after a break of more than a month. There is also a Nagaland State Transport (NST) bus that runs from Sonari to Mon but thats supposed to be scheduled to leave at 11 am; this time means that by the time we reach Mon, the shared sumo to Longwa would already have left. 

Whenever we tell or ask a local in Sonari about heading to Nagaland, they tell us to eat well in Assam itself because we wont find anything to eat in Nagaland! The sumo guy halts for a while and we are still in Assam near a tea garden town; I finally ask a local why they say that we won’t be able to eat anything in Nagaland? Pat comes the reply, ‘The Nagas in Mon eat everything that moves’, I’ve heard that before and let out a small chuckle. 

The aroma of fried pooris and a dry potato vegetable being freshly made along with chapatis on a tawa is enticing and I ask the street seller to serve me a plate. It turns out to be delicious and I adhere to the golden rule of eating while its possible! We are hopeful of reaching Mon in time to sort out the permit issue and figure a way for the shared taxi to Longwa. However, the sumo guy was as laid back as one can be and kept stopping and chatting with almost every other passerby on the road. Anyhow, the tea garden town is nicer and I decide to make good use of the stop to eat! 

I eat to my hearts content and am pleasantly surprised when the amount to pay is a measly 40/50 Rupees. The sumo guy is simply going around and meeting everyone and asking what the rates of corruption are! We would later come to know all about the corruption later; that the sumo guys are supposed to pay the road mafia for an entire month and only then can they ply with passengers from Sonari to Mon. Since it was just the start of the month, we were sort of caught in the wrong date and witness to a prevalent system of bribery. 

His friend has also bought some stuff (maybe to be sold in Nagaland.) We start again and the landscape keeps getting greener and the civilisation is non-existent. The road continues and we enter Nagaland at Tizit gate. There’s a bridge and a big Naga symbol proclaiming ‘Welcome to Mon district, land of Ahng Nagaland’. 

It already feels like a different world with rudimentary tin structures functioning as dhabas and shops selling bare essential commodities; villagers carrying guns and our frail sumo guy stopping to be checked where every vehicle is stationed. There is a police check post; I notice the truck guys running to the police check post with more cash than documents! The locals are chewing betel nut and roaming around in shorts. I am unsure what to do with no permit in hand, and one of the police guys on the road signals us to come to the check post. 

The 2 local Naga girls are let off without any questions and we are asked for permits. The check post is in reality a makeshift police chowki, I tell the Konyak officer that we are coming from Arunachal and don’t have a permit. He starts making a day pass for us and asks us for everyone’s aadhar cards. The details are filled without a fuss, just as I am beginning to think he’s a very helpful police officer I notice the truck guy paying 800 Rupees for entering through the check post. I try telling him to make a 2-3 day permit for us as we intend to only stay for that duration in Mon district but he reasons that he’s only authorised to give a 1 day temporary permit.

He says it can be easily extended in Mon Police Station. I thank him, grab the permit documents and rush to the sumo before he can change his mind and ask for some money! The assistant of the police officer turns out to be a shrewd chap and quickly catches us before we start the sumo. Our lazy sumo driver doesn’t help by not being around and I end up going back to the police chowki and am asked for 200 Rupees per person as a fee. I sheepishly ask the police officer where is the 200 Rs. rule written and slip a 500 Rupee note towards him. 

I had made small talk about Hornbill Festival and other parts of Nagaland like Pfutsero, Kohima, Mokokchung so maybe he was a bit kinder but still pocketed the 500 Rupees and continued chewing on the betel nut. We also asked him if the Mon Police Station guy will try to take money from us to extend our permits. He mumbles that we should tell him that the money has already been paid in Tizit. According to him, it was a routine procedure for us of extending our permits and that it won’t take much time. 

We felt triumphant and sat in the sumo with a haughty air! One of the meagre establishments doubling up as a dao maker seems to be making omelettes served in dirty plates and charging a princely sum of 100 Rupees for his troubles! 

I notice the time on the watch and figure that we have hardly covered 15 kilometres and inspite of already spending close to 2 hours on the road! The date is 2 October, starting of the month so the sumo guy has to pay everyone and everywhere and get a pass. Gandhi Jayanti celebrations and a cleaning campaign by the school kids feels like an alien proceeding in this far off region of Nagaland. 

On the road, signs of Christianity are quite prevalent with signboards and messages. I spot the Tizit Village Baptist Church and a big signboard proclaiming ‘Christ is the head of Tizit Village’. As always, I have my eye on everything on the road and excitedly make a mental note when a road bifurcates towards the village of Shangsa. 

The sumo guy has to stop every 15-20 minutes to pay a bribe to the officials. While we were earlier laughing and enjoying the game, we get bored of it in no time and ask him more details. He tells us that most of the bribe takers are the police folks and mentions that they take 300-500 Rupees. We wonder how the sumo guy makes money, and then he makes us understand that after paying all the bribes he will get a badge to be put on the vehicle that essentially means he has paid for the month and can make as many trips as he wants! 

The road itself is in okay-ish shape, much better than we anticipated. There is a tar road in some places and big potholes are the norm otherwise. After a while of more paying of bribes, the sumo guy finally gets a tag of monthly pass on the windshield. I think its a total payment of INR 2500-3000 and it seems kind of ok that he won’t really have to pay anything for the entire month. 

The Naga girls are quite angry with him and even called their parents to complain about the sumo guy along with the sumo number! When we finally sit back and assume that now we will straight head to Mon town, some Naga locals stop the sumo and ask the driver to come out. We are a little perturbed but it turns out to be just a friendly encounter! The Naga schoolgirls have been chit-chatting non-stop and we can’t understand head or tail of the conversation!  

It was quite humid when we had started from Sonari in the morning but has now progressed to a pleasant breeze as we neared Mon. Mon town felt like it was situated on a hillock. The sumo guy tells us that there are many Rajasthani traders settled in Mon, that indeed comes as a big surprise. We tried telling him to drop us near the Police Station in Mon but he advised that we would be better off first booking our seats on the Mon to Longwa shared sumo. Our arrival in Mon was further delayed when some other sumo drivers informed our sumo guy that some sort of checking was going on and we ended up reaching Mon only by a supremely bumpy road in the jungle! 

It turns out to be a good decision as there are only 4 seats left (Inr 170 per seat) on the Mon to Longwa shared sumo and the sumo counter guy tells us that the last sumo of the day will leave at 2 pm. We have reached at 1215 pm and there seems to be plenty of time to find the Police Station and extend the permit. Two of us ask the way to the Police Station in Mon and make an uphill climb to reach an open sort of area and the Police Station is right across us. 

The locals line up the road near the sumo counter and are selling exotic looking fruits and vegetables. The prices are also quite cheap and if we were staying in Mon, I would definitely have picked up something. I spot a fancy looking eatery in the market. It is about a kilometre long uphill climb to the Police Station and once inside I speak to the officer in-charge for extending our permits. He demands to see all 4 of us! 

We tell him that 2 people are a little older and therefore they are waiting at the Sumo Counter. We ask him for a 3 day permit extension but he doesn’t seem very keen on more than 2 days extension. In a troublesome turn of events, he asks me the name of my local guide and our place of stay. We are asked for our id’s and he notes down the details in a register. In reality, we have not booked anything and haven’t spoken to anybody either but my mind reacts quickly and I tell the Police Officer that we have contacted Longsha Wangnao from Longwa and he is our contact. 

The Police officer then asks me to note down the contact of Longsha and I am able to note down his number from my research. I have my heart in my mouth when the Police officer makes a call but thankfully due to the terrible mobile network in Mon, the call doesn’t go through. He narrates a past experience of some tourists from Bangalore who accidentally ventured into Myanmar and were captured by a terrorist group. Then the Army had to get involved and ultimately all this gets the Police Guys in trouble. So, he wants to make doubly sure we don’t venture where we are not supposed to be. 

In a lighter vein, the Police officer tells us that there is nothing to see in Longwa or Mon district and that we must get out of here soon. Along with another officer, they seemingly make a funny joke on us. He tries to call Longsha again and thankfully Longsha’s phone is out of network! I worry thinking what might have happened if the call had connected and Longsha saying that he had no booking with him. 

Finally, the Police officer stamps the extension papers and tells us to revisit the Police station in Mon when we come back from Longwa. We grab the papers and rush to the sumo counter, whilst I kept trying to call Longsha all the time. The bad network issues persist and I am unable to connect with him even though the phone sometimes rings. The time is about 115 now and we are super hungry and a bit tense as well! 

We reach the sumo counter and are relieved to know that the sumo number has been given and that we will leave in some time. There’s another sumo for Longwa stationed and all sorts of packages like chickens, potatoes and groceries are being piled up on the carrier. I am finally able to connect with Longsha and tell him to book 2 rooms for us and also tell him about the Police officer trying to call him. He confirms that he has not had any contact with any Police guy and that our rooms are booked for INR 800 per room. Longsha tells me that he is also in Mon for his daughter’s function in school and that his brother Nockao will receive us in Longwa. 

We heave a collective sigh of relief and head to a nearby ramshackle eatery. I had spotted an inviting bakery in the main market but decided not to buy anything being almost certain that the stuff made will be from maida only. The tea shop opposite to the sumo counter is a safer bet since it is close-by. There’s only tea and rusks on offer and I am pleased when the tea turns out to be actually good. I thank the relatively friendly owners and step out to buy a bottle of water, where I am asked for INR 30 for a bottle of water with an MRP of INR 20 because I am an ‘Indian’.

It is fun to sit at the shared sumo counter and indulge in people watching – most locals carry guns in a sling! At the stroke of 2 pm, our shared sumo arrives and we are supremely excited to get out of Mon. I happen to chat with a Social Worker for the church who lives as a tenant in Longsha’s home. He assures me that we will be dropped exactly in front of Longsha’s house in Longwa and that we need not worry about the location. 

Everyone’s bags are hauled up on the carrier of the sumo and we sit in the back even though our seat numbers are of the middle seat. We are stuffed with onions, potatoes, chickens and meat in the back beneath our feet under the seat. There is no space to even think about stretching our legs but we are happy to just get out of Mon and will bear the hardship. A passing conversation with someone confirms the fact that there are many Rajasthani businessmen settled in Mon since a long time and they pay protection money to be safe! 

I come across a signboard in the market. Network Travels and Lucky Travels in Mon seem to run a few services too. Mon to Wakching 12 noon, Mon to Shiyong 12 noon, Mon to Naginimora 12 noon, Mon to Dimapur 3 pm – Night Service. We finally start our journey to Longwa at about 220 pm and are told that the 40 odd km distance will take 2 hours. The road is predictably in bad shape and almost merges with the green forest. It is broken in patches but still better than the Sonari to Mon road. The road is maintained by BRO (Border Roads Organisation) because this region shares a border with Burma (Myanmar). 

After 1 hour of the journey, the sumo stops at a local dhaba where the ladies are selling farm produce. The bananas are massive in size and are priced at INR 5 per piece. The guavas are tiny and are packed in polythene bags and are sold for INR 10 per polythene (about 15-18 pieces in a polythene). Also on offer are squash, bamboo shoots, chillies, locally brewed alcohol, cassava, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, small pineapples, beans and papaya. I am ecstatic to buy the guavas and bananas to satiate my hunger. They are nice and fresh and taste super yummy as well. 

We are back on the road, it is a quiet and peaceful drive. Apparently there are more than 50 villages of the headhunters in Mon district and about 15 villages where we can still come across headhunters. The sumo stops right at the entrance of Longwa and we are dropped at Longsha’s home which is located near the Helipad. It is a nice big road where 2 vehicles can easily cross. 

Nockao (Longsha’s brother) welcomes us and shows us the way to our rooms. They are located in an annexe, it is a concrete building which is opposite to the main house. The rooms itself are bare bones basic, there is no water supply in the bathrooms! It is about to get dark, so we put our bags and make ourselves acquainted with the layout of the room. 

Nockao takes us to the main house. It is a huge home made in the traditional style with ample use of wood, bamboo and thatched leaves. There are exquisitely carved figures of a Konyak tribal man & woman at the entrance of the house and also a log drum. The first room after we enter is like a hall with a massive ceiling. There is a carrom-board in the room and there are souvenirs for sale spread on a table. We keep walking curiously in the dimly lit interiors and come to the kitchen part. Across the house, the walls are occupied with wooden artwork in different shapes, designs and traditionally carved hangings. 

Among the souvenirs are necklaces, wooden masks, smoking pipes, metal masks, statues, bone work, necklaces made from bones, paintings and rustic art on wood. Longsha’s traditional home in Longwa indeed feels like a different world. Nockao plays church gospel songs on his phone. The kitchen area is very dark and the layout feels very common in the northeast – There’s a hearth with a sizeable hanging 2 layered logs of wood and varieties of meat hanging near the fire (to smoke it over a period of time). It reminds me of an Apatani kitchen! 

Nockao’s parents and a cousin is also sitting around the kitchen and we share illegible conversations as the parents don’t understand hindi or english while we don’t understand Naga. Nockao informs us that while everyone in the village is a Konyak, Wangnao is a title given to the chiefs of a clan. Longsha is the eldest brother and happens to be a local leader in this part of town. Nockao is 25 years old and we are surprised to know that his mom and dad are almost 70 years old but are very strong and well built.

We tip-toe around the house and notice skulls of bison and other wild animals with a wood painted panel depicting hunting, kitchen fire, and scenes from daily life. Through broken conversations, we come to know that Nockao’s father took part in a headhunting victory but didn’t take a head. Mom is quite chirpy and starts cooking a vegetarian dinner for us. We are served locally grown black tea in plastic mugs. 

I try to fix the price for food with Nockao since the room prices have been cleared with Longsha. My prior experience with ambiguity hasn’t been so good and although he agrees to my offer of the total price of INR 1200 for 2 people including food and a guiding fee of INR 1000 for the village tour the next day, there is no proper confirmation and I know that there will be a surprise whenever we ask for the bill payment before leaving! I can blame it on the corruption in the entire region and a homestay in Nagaland is no exception. 

Nockao’s dad shows us the pig stable where the pig is being kept and fed for the Christmas Feast. His food is the massive bark of the root of the banana tree; they boil it with many nutritious things and feed him. The pig is so huge that it is almost scary to look at it. Before it goes totally dark, we go for a quick walk to the outskirts of the village near the helipad. We cross a few old houses with the same pattern of thatched roof made from palm leaves, and made from bamboo. The houses look very big and sturdy though, in my mind I am comparing them to the Adi Longhouses in Along, Arunachal Pradesh. 

My ever inquisitive mind finds out that a road near Longwa leads to the villages of Phumching & Nyahnyu. There are Tangnyu and Chen Town villages from Mon accessible by a road. A steady drizzle continues and the pitter patter of rain accompanies us everywhere in the lush greenery. The road itself is full of big potholes and slush. We figure that its better to use these open spaces for peeing rather than using a washroom with no water supply. The weather in Longwa is misty and foggy and we are able to see a faint outline of the evening colours amid the dense cloud cover. 

We hear Church songs from one of the homes on our way back; Christian missionaries are said to have played a big part in the decline of headhunting in Longwa and everyone in the region practises Christianity now. The sky clears a little bit and we see nice landscapes with the last light of the day; there are rolling hills interspersed with fields and homes. Every farm has a small grain storage space and a small house to stay during the harvest. It is getting a bit chilly and we are glad to return to the warmth of the fire in the darkness. 

The locals in Longwa are not really friendly as such; whoever comes to the kitchen meeting others doesn’t bother greeting us. I ask Nockao about Longwa’s opium addiction and he triumphantly tells us that the locals of Longwa have decided to put an end to the opium menace and that Longwa has been opium free for the last 3 months or so. He also supports this with facts that the Young Konyak’s Association (Longsha is an influential member of that) has very strict rules. 

Dinner is served even before 7 pm. There is a wide variety of dishes. Eggs, locally grown white rice, fried potatoes, leaves curry, spinach, dall and a kuzhumbu chutney from Sri Krishna Sweets that a friend has carried from Chennai! Contrary to what we were warned against in Assam, the food has turned out to very tasty and we end up eating in copious quantities. The locals in Longwa grow a variety of veggies and leaves and also white rice, brown rice and red rice and they are all extremely tasty and healthy. 

Since Longsha’s family is quite accustomed to having tourists they keep oil and masalas for tempering; otherwise the Konyak food (like most parts of Nagaland) is predominantly boiled with almost no masalas. We thank the family for a grand dinner while Nockao is listening to Church gospel songs. The villagers take turns to play the carrom and it looks like winners to stay and losers go out as the rules. We are served black tea post dinner and the mom explains that every household grows their own tea leaves in the rolling hills of Longwa. 

We tell Nockao that we will need his services as a guide to accompany us in Longwa and say good night to everyone else. There is electricity, so we head to our rooms and chit-chat for a bit and then head off to sleep after charging our devices. We aim to head back to Mon and Sonari day after tomorrow by the 7 am shared sumo that leaves from Longwa. We try and sleep and are made aware of the not-so-clean-beds and blankets. Thankfully, all of us are pretty tired and somehow make do with the circumstances. 

We wake up early after a good night’s sleep and have a chai first thing early in the morning. It is a glorious day with blue skies and clouds forming in the far distance. The hills are gentle and rolling and lush green; we can also spot some other Konyak villages as well. There are a few homes being made with tins while most of the new construction is in concrete. We set off with Nockao to walk around Longwa. 

Kids are roaming about with their slings and trying to hit birds. At first, we wonder if they are actually trying to hit the birds but later when we see locals sporting hats made from monkey hair, we realise maybe the birds are a delicacy for the kids to eat! Who knows, after all the Nagas are known to eat anything and everything that moves! The kids are quite rowdy and ill-mannered and threaten to hit us when we request them not to kill the birds. 

Although most locals are not keen on conversations; sometimes when we end up talking, they invariably ask ‘Are you from India?’, as if they genuinely believe that currently Nagaland is not on Indian soil. Anyway, it is well known that the village of Longwa lies both in Myanmar and India and the Angh (King’s home) straddles the boundaries of both nations. 

There’s an army check point in the middle of the town; Longwa is a massive village with about 300-400 homes. The army guys get our entry done & check our permits. There seem to be different routes in the village and one can see Myanmar locals freely roam around on a peculiar sort of bike – Canda. We continue our walk to the India – Myanmar border stone from 1970-71. One side of the border is Myanmar and the other side is India. We sit for a while and enjoy the proceedings; it is stark sunshine while the other part of the valley is covered in clouds. 

Except the army check post, there is no visible security at the border stone. A church can be seen from this raised platform and many houses of the spread out village of Longwa. It is nice and sunny, and a pleasant breeze is blowing too! Myanmar seems even more densely forested as we look from this vantage point. No wonder the police guy had tried to make sure we are with a local in Longwa as its easy to get lost in the jungles of Myanmar if someone loses their way. 

There are flowers of different colours blooming where we stand. Only a dirt road is visible in the rudimentary infrastructure of Myanmar. Even the locals in Longwa are driving a Canda bike (maybe its made in China). There are numerous BRO signboards as we wander around town. Every kid in Longwa carries a beautiful colourful bag. I have seen these bags across the northeast and every tribe seems to have a different pattern and design. One common thing is that these are all woven on a backstrap loom. 

On the walk across Longwa, we come across 2-3 other headhunters as well. They can be distinctly identified by their facial tattoos and the fact that they show signs of irrational behaviour of hiding when they spot a camera or a tourist. There are a number of shops in Longwa; paan shop, grocery shop, tailor, essentials, petrol is sold in 1 litre bottles. Apparently, the only outsider in the entire village is one guy from Shekhawati, Rajasthan! He runs a shop there but funnily enough I miss meeting him. 

It would have been fascinating to converse with him and discuss why did he decide to do business in Longwa, of all places! We are fascinated to know that locals here require no permit or visa to go to Myanmar and the same goes for Myanmar locals into Nagaland. It is a novel feeling to be able to notice homes located inside the boundary of Myanmar. The Primary School in Longwa seems like a newly built structure and its fun to see kids playing football without a care in the world. 

We keep walking and reach the Angh’s house in Longwa (Angh means King in the Konyak dialect). It is a unique house, with half of it located in India and half in Myanmar. Its a popular joke that the king of Longwa eats in India and sleeps in Myanmar as the kitchen is in India and his bedroom is in Myanmar! The house has a sort-of a museum status; among many interesting things the bed is antique with wood carvings. There’s a proper log drum kept in the house as well. Skulls of many different types of animals are spread throughout the house. A signboard outside the house informs visitors that the house has been refurbished and built with Government’s help. 

Once we get to the other side of the Angh’s house, there are a number of souvenir sellers sitting in the verandah. On show are tribal accessories like necklaces, bracelets, statues, bone accessories, metal masks, bags and wooden mugs and masks and figurines. The prices quoted are quite exorbitant but I presume that the exclusivity of the stuff warrants them. The locally made traditional Naga jewellery seems to be reasonably priced and I end up buying quite a few of the stuff. 

Among the 3-4 sellers, only 1 seems to know the prices of the products. It is super jumbling to try and buy anything as conversations don’t have a common language and they keep disagreeing after agreeing with the price! I also spot an army officer in making a bargain to buy some souvenirs. Just outside the Angh’s house, I come across a signboard for a nicely built homestay – just in time because I wanted to pee badly! 

It starts drizzling as soon as we are back to continue our walk in Longwa. We still continue and reach the end of the village, where the landscape is a pretty shade of green with the clouds and red flowers. There’s an army camp close to the end of the road and we turn back from there. There’s a sizeable Morung with hanging skulls to our right and I take the chance to ask Nockao to tell us more about it, as its anyway drizzling and a chance for us to do things differently. The morung is empty right now and seems to be hardly used except a few occasions. 

Since we started quite early and the rain has changed the usual course of the exploration in Longwa, we end up getting back to our homestay and are pleased to know that its lunch time! For all the talk of us going hungry in Nagaland, we are actually relishing the food. There’s an array of local dishes for lunch – red rice, leaves, potatoes, salad, squash, dall. The red rice is extremely delicious and light. We eat in copious quantities and relax for a while. 

Nockao asks us if we want to visit a few headhunters in the vicinity. We go and meet 1-2 headhunters but the story has been so overdone, all of us are not really interested especially when we are told that we can click as many photographs as we want for a pre-agreed price. One thing is certain, nobody seems to be into the opium habit anymore. Nockao disappears after some time; we spot him with a bunch of Indian day-tourists who must have been staying in Mon. So much for being a guide for the whole day, I think to myself. 

Aunty gives us black tea; it is about 3 pm and the Indian tourists are going clickety-clack with their cameras – A headhunter is posing with a metal necklace and traditional earrings. I am not to be left behind a click a solitary photograph since the group has already paid for this. You are expected to pay INR 200 when you meet / photograph a headhunter. We head out in the direction of the helipad now that the rain has stopped. 

The sky is bathed in mellow colours. The sun is playing hide and seek and the intermittent periods of sunshine make the greenery look even more beautiful. It is easily the most surreal evening of the entire trip in Nagaland. A few local boys are also loitering around since we are near a school and for a change we are able to converse normally with them. It is an epic sunset with yellow, orange and pink hues and is unbelievably beautiful the rolling hills and as if on cue, we decide to make our way out of Longwa the next day. 

We make it back to the homestay and request for an early dinner and also to book 4 seats in the earliest sumo for Mon. There is a little bit of daylight left so we rush to pack our bags so that we are prepared to leave early morning even if there is no electricity in the night. Dinner is yummy as usual and I ask Nockao to buy 1 kg of red rice. He is ecstatic that we have liked their local produce and tells me its only 20 Rs. per kilo and that I don’t have to pay for it. 

He makes a huge bill for us though and even though we had discussed a flat rate of INR 1200 per room including food, the bill comes with a separate 200 INR per meal charge! We pay the required amount (no point bothering) and chat with Nockao’s mom and dad and thank them. Longsha has some work in Mon, so he doesn’t come during our stay and we are unable to meet our saviour. 

We say our goodnights and go off to sleep. The shared taxi duly arrives at 7 am. We load our bags and leave after having a quick round of black tea. The seats are super comfortable since the sumo is not full and there is ample space to sit. We are repeatedly told that Aoling festival in April is the best time to be in Longwa when the Konyaks are dressed at their traditional best. We discuss that it would be fun to return someday if the bureaucracy wasn’t that difficult! 

The shared sumo stops in the same place and this time I decide to let go of buying anything. We reach Mon at 10 am, delayed for some time because there was a roadblock on the way. I am hoping that the Mon to Sonari shared taxis will be available easily. Alas, that is not to be! We are left with no choice but to ask at the taxi stand for a ride to Sonari. We are quoted the most outrageous prices on the planet – a battered van asks for 10,000 INR without flinching an eyelid! I get a bit angry and tell him he should have asked for INR 20,000 since he has to come back as well. Haha. 

Someone takes us for ransom and seemingly we have no choice but to pay INR 300 per seat for a shared sumo to Tizit. We reach Tizit at 1 pm. It is a breeze from Tizit to Sonari as we get a ride in an auto for a total of INR 200. As soon as we are near Assam, the prices show a semblance of normalcy. 

Bye bye Longwa. Perhaps, we will return someday in our own cars to try and explore some of the far off villages. 

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Once the rains started in the latter part of July, the humid weather became more pleasant but there was still that characteristically sticky weather that deterred whenever I thought of a hike. Also, there was also the small matter of me ending up with an upset tummy after excess consumption of plum and then pears. There were minor hiccups with apricots and peaches but that is just me at my best – eating fruits like only I can do! With the added incentive of being in an orchard at Yuthok Homestay, it would have been surprising if I had remained sober and not given in to temptation of the fruit trees in my vicinity.

My friend and Yuthok House host, Rajeshwar Thakur had mentioned Mahling Day Hike and Rani Sui Lake but both those required prior planning and that ensured we struck them off our ‘plan’. One fine Saturday morning when we were having chai, Thakur mentioned that we could walk to Jana … Yes, we could walk to Jana directly from Raison. It sounded perfect; because of the fact that we wouldn’t have to catch a bus or drive anywhere but could start walking straight after breakfast at home. Of course, there was the small matter of it being an entirely uphill hike and the fact that there was no well-marked trail.

A comfort factor that ultimately settled the decision was the presence of locals on the hike from Raison to Jana – locals own orchards along the trail and have houses along the trail. That meant we could ask for help in case we ended up losing our way. So, we had an extra tingmo while eating breakfast and packed a few apples and pears for the hike. We had estimated that we would take about 5-6 hours to reach Jana village since the locals take about 2 hours. Our worst-case scenario assumption was that even if we get there by 4-430, the popularity of the waterfall at Jana would mean there would be plenty of chances for us to hitch a ride on our way back.

So, at 1030 we started walking from our orchard home in Raison and crossed the bridge in Raison Bazaar to make it to the other side. The breeze felt nice in the cloudy weather but soon the sun would be out and we would be huffing and puffing for every step. Anyhow, we ascended the first shortcut and got to the main road. While we were sipping chai in the morning, Thakur had indicated the electric pole from where we were supposed to start hiking to Raugi village and then Jana village. There were 2-3 groups of locals sitting by the side of the road and waiting for the bus.

Not to miss a chance, I went and spoke separately to the 2 groups and one group pointed to the start of the trail to us and told us that we should only ask for the trail to Jana village. I posed all the possible questions to them and got the information that the trail crosses many houses and there is nothing to worry about; if we went through Raugi village it will just take longer; that the trail will keep climbing and there will never be a straight patch. As soon as we started ascending, the humidity factor came into the picture. The sun was out after only 3 turns and we couldn’t have been happier to be walking amidst a pine/deodhar forest. There was a nice trail in the jungle and like always the first 30 odd minutes were a little difficult. Sweat trickled down my face and my tee-shirt was wet in no time.

We figured that it could get very tiring if we continued this way and therefore decided to enjoy the shade whenever we got a chance. On the way, we met a gentleman catching up his breath in the shade and munching on (still) raw apples. I asked him about the way and he confirmed that there was only one trail to Jana and even if we missed the trail in a few places, the presence of homes and people working in the orchards along the way would ensure we had little chance of getting lost. I thanked him and we too sat in the shade; it was a sort of a vantage point and we enjoyed a grand aerial view of Kullu Valley with the lush greenery and clouds floating around and Beas river meandering through the divine setting.

The break got us thinking rationally and we were clear now that we needed to rest every 10 minutes. After all, hikes are meant to be enjoyable and if all we are thinking of is reaching the destination, then we need to do things differently. The gentleman we had met was unsure about the distance / time taken till Jana but remarked that we won’t take till 4 pm to get there. We were overjoyed to cross a section full of apple trees and ripe mariposa plums waiting to be picked. A local lady was in quite a rush and was speaking on the phone on the downhill walk; I figured she would have all the answers and politely queried her if the same trail would continue to Jana village? She put the phone on hold, gave us 2 mariposa plums and told us that we need not change the trail anywhere and that we would anyhow reach Jana village by about 2 pm.

We were overjoyed with this piece of information and it seemed the weather gods also started to become a little favourable when the sun was covered by clouds. It was a welcome change and hiking just became more pleasurable when we figured that we could actually relax and not get unduly worried about reaching Jana and then making our way back. We crossed a number of houses to our left and right on the way up and noticed that we left Raugi village to our right. Since the idea was to make it to Jana village we didn’t bother asking about the way to Raugi village.

As we continued on the trail, we encountered a newly cut road on different corners but it was totally a dirt road and there was no vehicle to be seen. I had to rely on past experiences and remember that a walking trail would always be visible where the previous walking trail ends and even if it was faint we would continue and later realise it was the correct path. We went on an incorrect trail 2-3 times halfway to Jana village but were lucky that whenever we felt like we should retrace our path and turn back, a house was always seen and they would guide us on the correct path.

So it was close to a village called Dhama that we met a gentleman just chilling in the shade. We had only half litre of water left and it was only 30 minutes past noon; I asked him if there was a water source nearby? He offered to fill the water bottle from his home since the water source was quite a distance away. I walked with him and was super happy to see grandma at a wooden home and cauliflower freshly picked from the fields. Grandma scolded me in her own sweet manner and suggested that we must rest for a while to avoid the sun that had just come out!

We chatted for a while; it was a fun conversation when I could barely understand what grandma meant when she spoke in her Kullvi dialect but she was so kind she gave a cauliflower and waved us goodbye! I have kind of missed these random encounters on the road that were so often a hallmark of my travels. The gentleman showed us the way to the main trail to Jana and informed that we should hardly take 1 hour to reach Jana village from his home. The distance from Raison to Jana village by road is 31 Kms and here we were walking by the classic old trail that was the only way of reaching Jana before the road was built.

We crossed some confusing sections on our way to Jana village and just as we thought we would lose our way again, we met a local who was collecting dried leaves in a bag to be used as a warm bed for the cow. I gave him an apple from our orchard and he started leading the way for us. Just as we made a final ascent and saw the houses of Jana village in front of us, it was about 120 pm and we couldn’t believe our eyes! We had covered almost 6.5 kms of steep uphill climb in less than 3 hours. The local reminded me that there are 2 temples in Jana village, one is an ancient temple and another is the recently built one that is on the way to the Jana waterfall.

The ancient temple reminded me of the visit to Jana village in 2014. There were a few concrete houses visible at the start of the village close to the road-head. A number of villagers had gathered near the road and were loading a camper with fresh cauliflower packed in boxes. We made a small conversation and they were astounded to hear that we had walked from Raison! The locals congratulated us and said that nobody does that anymore. With a spring in our step, we entered the lush greenery of Jana village.

After crossing a few newly built houses, we were amidst huge wooden homes that were at least 100-200 years old. Jana village boasts of some of the oldest houses in Kullu Valley. The locals were very welcoming and it was with a happy surprise that we saw an ice-cream seller in Jana Village. Young and old alike were eating away at the ice-creams and the seller was happy with the rousing business! It reminded me that there may not be an ice-cream shop in the remote villages of Kullu Valley but development and roads mean the ice-cream guys come to the village itself! A few elder men were still wearing their smart woollen jackets and trousers and I felt as if my old travels never ended. I had a nice conversation with them maintaining a safe distance and it just felt so normal to forget about the pandemic at hand.

We walked to the new temple made of wood that turned out to be so huge that I couldn’t even capture it in the phone camera. I ogled at the richly carved doors in wood and clicked a few photographs. The weather was simply perfect with a thick layer of cloud over the horizon and the green fields looked stunning with the fog in the background. We had got to Jana village well before our estimated time and looked forward to a yummy lunch at Mani Ram Dhaba at Jana Waterfalls.

We kept walking and joined the main road to Jana Waterfall after one final sharp ascent. On the way a few locals that I spoke to said that other dhabas had also come up and that everyone served similar fare. I had heard a few accounts that suggested Jana Waterfall had become a very popular place even for the locals. It was fun to walk on the dirt road through the dense forest that remains one of my favourite forests in the entire Kullu Valley. As we reached the waterfalls, I saw one Sachin Thakur dhaba at the start. To its left, there was a trickling small waterfall and I instantly rushed there to wash my face with the cold water and feel refreshed.

The owner Ramesh Thakur was taking a walk outside and over a short conversation congratulated us on hiking up from Raison in such a short time! It was a fun conversation and while we were walking to Mani Ram Dhaba, the honesty with which Ramesh Bhai said that his food is better made me do a u-turn and we were sitting at the other dhaba instead. I had spotted a tempo traveller at Mani Ram Dhaba that of course had a better location right beside the waterfall but the instinct had spoken in favour of Sachin Thakur Dhaba.

Ramesh Thakur’s wife laid out 4 bowls of accompaniments on the table – desi ghee, jaggery powder, green chutney and home-made lingdi ka achaar (fiddlehead fern pickle). The thalis for the other table for local tourists who came after us was served quickly and we were told that the food is being made fresh for us as I had requested Ramesh bhai that we are in no hurry and that good food is our only criteria! We relished the thalis that were laid out in front of us – makki ki roti, sarson ka saag, kadhi, rajma, locally grown red rice, and poppy seeds siddu. Since we had eaten perfect siddus every other week at Yuthok Homestay in Raison, we asked for an extra makki ki roti in exchange of the Siddu!

The food turned out to be incredibly yummy and I thanked Ramesh Thakur and his wife numerous times. The jaggery powder mixed with ghee was a deadly combination to be eaten with the makke ki roti. The rajma, kadhi and sarson ka saag were excellent too and the lingdi ka achaar was a nice surprise. The siddu was a little spicy and with the spicy green chutney gave a nice kick! Ramesh Thakur was generous and only took 300 INR for the 2 thalis, less than his usual rate. He said because we had walked all the way from Raison, we were entitled to a discount! I took a few photos of him and the dhaba and promised to share the review for prospective travellers.

The dirt road looked very beautiful in the mist and we debated for a while if we wanted to walk a bit ahead and feel the calm but since it was a Sunday there would be no return bus from Jana in the evening. That was reason enough for us to think about returning even if it was only 3 pm. We started walking back to Jana village and kept a timeline for ourselves that if we got a ride till Naggar village, we would go back by the road but if we didn’t get a ride in a vehicle, then we would hike back to Raison from Jana village.

As luck would have it, we walked all the way back to Raison. The downhill hike was relatively easier and we were back in the orchard home of Yuthok Homestay at about 5-515 pm.

Memorable hike if you are living in Kullu Valley for a long time and want to see an old village!

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We were overjoyed to be at Thakur’s home which felt nice and cosy even though the homestay in Bathad was quite comfortable. It is a fun time at his home as the kids of the extended family are visiting for the holidays and creating a nice ruckus! There is an excellent open space with an old chorten outside the spacious cottage. We take this opportunity to have a warm bath and freshen ourselves. Thakur’s mother asks us to sit in the living room with a warm bukhari and extends a plate filled with walnuts and dry fruits. Dinner is homemade; yummy and simple. There is no fixed plan for the next day and we decide to keep our options open!

In the morning, I make moka pot coffee for everyone. Even Thakur’s mom likes it. Thakur’s daughter Nilza and her cousin are playing a game tiger-prey in the kitchen! We have had a cozy night’s sleep in the cottage and even though it is cold, the heater has served its purpose. The home is called Yuthok Homestay and it is an old colonial-looking place where a Tibetan Yogi stayed. Yuthok House is also mentioned in a book and Thakur shows us a copy of the old book.

In the nearby orchard, I spot a persimmon tree! It is locally called Japani Fal. The weather seems to have cleared and we are in bright sunshine now! Breakfast is served at 915 am and is given in beautiful bronze plates and the paranthas are in a bamboo box! Freshly plucked nargis flowers (daffodils) are laid out on the table in a vase. There is homemade persimmon pickle to eat along-with the paranthas and we relish it with great delight. We have another round of tea sitting in the garden near the chorten, enjoying the sunshine!

We pack our backpacks; thank the family, and tell them we will be back in a day or two! Thakur suggests that we try and make it to Jana village; even though the road is surely closed with plenty of snow around. We take a shortcut from Raison to get to the other side of the road (Naggar side) across Beas river. Kais Monastery looks beautiful in the sunshine with chota lamas (novices) studying. Some of the lamas are from far off places. Prayer lamps are being lit up in a separate room and even after seeing the same setting in countless monasteries, I am excited! It feels pleasant in the sun and I take a chance to walk around and appreciate the lovely doors of Kais Monastery.

We thank the lamas and continue in the gypsy to Jana village. The road is full of snow and it is a very pretty scene with the dense jungle and 1-2 feet of snow on the road! Snow clearing work is on and we park the gypsy in a safe spot and start walking. It is an ascending road and as we near the cut to Sonaugi village, we realise that the path is very slippery. Lack of sunshine on the road means that the snow has frozen solid and repeated movement of locals has made it even more slippery now! It results in a few funny moments but no damage is done and we continue walking!

In a few minutes, we decide to give up the idea of staying in Jana village and start walking back to where the gypsy is parked. It is already past 1 pm and we figure that we should choose a more doable hike! The downward walk is spectacular with memorable views of the snowy apple fields and faraway mountain peaks. We decide to head to Naggar and possibly make our way to Rumsu. As soon as we cross Naggar, we spot snow on the pataal stone roofs of the homes. It is a pretty sight and the weather seems to be holding up for the moment.

We park the gypsy around 2-3 kms before Rumsu and notice that a lot of vehicles are also parked there itself. Thakur narrates to us why it is important to park in the right place because sometimes sudden heavy snowfall might mean that the car is stuck with no way out until the snow melts. We start our walk to Rumsu along the road; there are tyre marks on the road and some patches feel very slippery. After walking for about an hour or so; we start seeing the houses of Rumsu village and have views of the other side of the valley – villages of Halan I & Hallan II.

Thakur knows a local who also runs a travel company and a homestay. We therefore do not look around and directly walk to the homestay. Rumsu village is totally white and the snow glistens in the intermittent periods of sunshine. Clouds are also building up in the sky and we are glad to have made it well in daylight. It looks like a modern village with most of the buildings constructed in concrete. The area around Jamlu Devta Temple Complex is slippery because a lot of the villagers have walked from there.

We slip and slide on the snow and make it to the homestay. It is owned by a local by the name of Padam and he takes us to his home. Kids in Rumsu village are skating, sliding on slopes wooden equipments. There is only one feisty girl playing this game in the gang of boys! All the sliding has resulted in the path becoming incredibly difficult to navigate. We somehow make sure not to fall and Padam ushers us to a huge room in the basement of the house. It is a wooden traditional home (earlier the room was used as an animal shed!) and it feels a little claustrophobic because there is no fresh source of air.

The ceiling is very low and the wood panelling makes the room feel warm. It is quite cold in Rumsu once the sun disappears and a stiff breeze starts blowing. Padam also brings a blower-heater from somewhere but the room is nicely warm and we say we don’t need it. The open part outside the home has a fabulous valley view with snowed out slopes. The open courtyard also has views of traditional Himachali homes designed in the Kath Kuni style.

There is a bit of sunshine still visible on the nearby slopes. It is about 5 pm and we are very hungry. Padam bhai helps us with fresh pooris and home made pickle as a snack! We are also given chai with it and end up relishing the timely snack. Padam bhai has asked for 400 Rupees per person including food and we tell him we will only stay for a day.

We go roaming around for a bit and enjoy the timeless feel of Rumsu village. Some of us are understandably tired after the incessant walking throughout the day! We can feel the profound silence as darkness descends in Rumsu. Whenever we step out for filling water or using the bathroom, we are privy to a sky full of stars. Dinner is yummy vegetable curry, dall, chapati and we have our fill! We eat at 7 pm and decide to sleep early because all of us are very tired.

It is surreal sight when we wake up the next morning at about 7 am. Rumsu village is in a total white out and heavy snowfall seems to be continuing since early morning. The valley below cannot be seen because the snow flurries are in full force. I love looking at the railings that have a fresh helping of snow which slides off when the weight becomes too much! The snowflakes are sizeable in size and we ask for a second round of tea in big glasses. One might think that after having experienced fresh snowfall in Shangarh and Bathad, we might be bored of it. That doesn’t seem to be the case though as we love the white scenes in Rumsu.

Rumsu feels like a white wonderland with its traditional houses and the chimneys billowing out smoke from the fires of the tandoor bukhari that are invariably running in every home. The chairs left in the open are laden with snow, and even the water tanks and ladders are full of white snow! We take our chai glasses and go outside to stand under the roof and sip hot tea with the valley view. The snowfall stops for a while and thats when the clearest views of the morning are.

Breakfast is served at 9 am, and that seems to be the cue for the snowfall to resume again after a brief break! The kids had just begun to play games and skate but now they have to scurry back to their homes. We sit huddled in the room and tell each other that we have been really lucky to experience snowfall in 3 different villages on this trip. When we open the door of the room and look outside, it feels like a scene from Narnia. The clock strikes 11 am and ideally we would like to leave from Rumsu now and reach Thakur’s home for the next leg of our journey.

We are waiting for the snow to stop falling and have packed our bags to leave. We briefly wonder if the snowfall doesn’t stop we might have to live in Rumsu for another night! It finally stops snowing at 1230 and we start walking right away. Its good that we don’t wait for the perfect weather as it is dull and overcast and the clouds come into Rumsu as soon as we have crossed the temple area. Now we are on the main road and there are no chances of getting stuck.

Some of the locals are taking out their flock of sheep for grazing, it is a surreal sight in the snow. Kids continue playing and making the path slippery again! Snow hangs on apple trees, the branches are bare with no leaves. We cross the Jamlu Devta Temple area of Rumsu at about 1 pm and realise that it is much easier to walk on fresh snow as compared to melting or hard – frozen snow. There are massive pine and deodhar trees on the way and the whiteout feels even more majestic. The valley in front of us is covered in clouds and it is quite an unbelievable sight.

We also spot a few locals beginning their walk and realise that we are the first ones to step foot on the fresh snow once again. There are a few cute and furry dogs on the way. We are wary of the fact that it might start snowing again and that would cause our bags to get wet. On the road, there are a few tyre marks visible in the snow. Roofs of houses and windshields of cars are fully covered in white snow. I spot a Royal Enfield covered in snow; it looks gorgeous! The views of the other side of the valley become clear.

Some locals tell us that this was the heaviest snowfall in the last 4-5 days. I am excited when we encounter a lost sheep on the road; it looks very cute with the whiteness around. The landscape looks surreal and there is total peace and silence in the valley. Thakur is a little worried if the gypsy is stuck with the snowfall.

We still have a long way to go and are delighted to notice that the weather is clearing. Our only breaks are for photography and we continue walking. A jeep crosses us and after that we walk in the middle of the tyre marks. It is nice fun but becomes a little tiring sometimes. There is finally a glimpse of blue skies as we near the parking place. Thakur has parked at the right place. If the gypsy was parked any farther, there would have been chances of it getting stuck.

We directly head to Naggar Castle to celebrate our last week of epic wanderings! There is snow in the courtyard of Naggar Castle and on the roof too. The sun is out and the peaks on all other sides glisten brightly under the blue skies. The wood and stone building of Naggar Castle has great carvings and makes it worthy of a historical sight. The cast iron chairs and tables kept outside are covered in snow. Since it is winter, there is a discount scheme at Naggar Castle that is run by HPTDC as a heritage hotel. We briefly tinker with the idea of staying there since the cheapest rooms are priced at about 1200 Rs. but decide to just eat lunch with the epic views.

There are a number of day visitors and they are savouring the valley views from the open spaces. From the table in the restaurant there are framed views of the snowy mountains. Surely, Naggar Castle has one of the best views in entire Kullu Valley. The prices at the restaurant are on the higher side but thats ok for the epic sights. We are 4 of us and have a late lunch at about 3-30 pm. Anyway, we only have to go to Thakur’s home for the night so there is no rush. The food turns out to be excellent and that caps a fine exploration of Rumsu. We are all very pleased with how things turned out.

When the car stops in Naggar, my friends buy some handicrafts as gifts for Thakur’s family. When we reach Raison, the snow at Thakur’s home has already melted away and the weather is absolutely clear now. We sit in the garden adjacent to the orchard and enjoy our evening tea. Hellos with the family are exchanged and we tell them that we had a wonderful time.

Goodbye snowy Rumsu!

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We thanked the gentleman in Nyoma, paid more than we he asked for and started walking towards the main road at around 9 am. It felt nice to walk in the sun but waiting in the shade turned out to be a difficult task. A lot of people started gathering at the two shops on the main road; and almost everyone was waiting for the bus. The locals informed us that the bus to Leh will come after 1030 am. We almost got confused whether we should head back to Leh and skip the idea of Chumathang.

Sometimes, when you don’t have fixed plans the choice of options can prove to be a daunting challenge.

Thankfully, the predicament never came to pass and we get a ride in a sumo headed to Chumathang. The scenery is surreal and the Indus river to the left is entirely frozen. It is surprising that even after spending a good amount of time in offbeat lands across Ladakh on this trip; we are in awe of the stark barren landscape near Mahe Bridge as we neared Chumathang. I am fascinated to come across a Losar ritual of the Changpa nomads, they have their rebo tents near the road. The biggest festival for the Ladakhis – Losar (Ladakhi new year) is round the corner and all of Ladakh is gearing up to celebrate Losar.

The sumo makes a few stops to drop a few locals and pick up some passengers too. It turned out to be a sort of shared taxi and we figured that we would also pay money after reaching Chumathang. We are dropped at the tiny market of Chumathang on the road at about 1230 pm and I begin my search for Zotpa Uncle at Lamying Restaurant and General Store and the aunty.

They were at the restaurant itself and aunty immediately recognised me from my furry hat. I reminded her that I had come there in July and fondly recollected those moments. We discuss the price for the room and ask her if the room would be warm or not? Uncle tells us that the homestay room is exceptionally warm and that there is running hot water in the bathroom. It felt too good to be true and we agreed to pay 1200 Rupees including all meals. It is amazing when a few more locals from Chumathang come by and recognise me from my hat!

We put our bags in the room and quickly go to the glass restaurant for lunch. Aunty makes delicious food and we enjoy a welcome relaxed time! Apparently, there is no electricity in Chumathang and the abundant sunshine will disappear across the hill at about 230 pm. I am keen on having a hot water bath (the previous opportunity was almost a week or so ago in Panamik) and locals direct us to the hot water spring bath in Chumathang. The common rooms are located on a side of the frozen Indus river and there is a big pipe coming directly from the hot water springs.

It turns out to be an ok-ok experience with the hot water as the flow of the water is not consistent and I end up having a short bath. I figure the bath is best had in our own bathroom that is with the room. The family switches on the generator and it results in an epic time to see running water coming out from a tap after what feels like an eternity. Uncle also shows us how to set the heating temperature inside the room and we are ecstatic to realise that this sort of central heating would cost more than 5000 Rupees in a hotel in Leh.

I was overjoyed to be able to experience this indigenous system of local heating using the natural geothermal energy and the thought of a relaxing evening felt so inviting!

We head to a wooden bridge across the Indus River that led to homes in Chumathang village. A new bridge had also been constructed and it seemed like locals hardly used the old wooden bridge in Chumathang. It was surrounded by prayer flags and with the frozen Indus river beneath us felt like the perfect setting. The sun had already gone for the day and even though it was nice and bright, the breeze that blew was so cold that I thought my fingers would come off!

The bridge made a creaking sound when we walked and it was fun to click pictures, make a short video and just sit on the bridge and observe the patterns of the Indus river. The houses of Chumathang village are visible and the sunlight is falling directly on a small monastery located nearby on a hillock. As it got colder after the clock crossed 4 pm, we decided to call it a day in terms of adventure and headed back to the homestay.

Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VZqpvj4HCw

The bed was super comfortable and the sheets and blankets were super clean. The room was already warm and we lie down and reflected on what an epic winter trip this had been! It felt unbelievable that the natural hot water spring was being put to good use! There were still 3 days for our return flight from Leh to Delhi and we were also looking forward to witnessing the Losar Celebrations in Leh.

We opted for an early dinner at 7 pm and as usual aunty made delicious food. There was dall, aloo-gobhi, chapati and rice and I made it a point to eat as if it was a feast! Even the restaurant was heated with pipes running through the corners. There were a few cats roaming around the area; they were home cats of aunty and uncle! We chatted with uncle for a while and thanked him for letting us stay. He also mentioned that he was constructing a new building that would serve as a hotel in Chumathang.

We went back to the room and were super surprised to see it was quite warm. I am chuckling as I write this but I change into a tee-shirt and shorts. We felt that we deserved every bit of luxury that was on offer!

A million stars shined in Chumathang in the night when the generator was switched off. The temperature close to the frozen Indus river would have easily crossed -30 degree celsius that night.

We snored happily.

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When we woke up next morning at the homestay in Tsaga, the weather turns bad and the sun decides to have a day off. Our water bottle was kept outside the room and we noticed that it was completely frozen! There is a festive atmosphere in the village and an archery competition is going to be held. A few of the locals took us to the venue, which was a covered area since the wind blowing otherwise would take the arrows anywhere.

Read the previous posts from this journey :

Durbuk to Merak Village – Winter in Ladakh

Winter in Ladakh : Revisiting Turtuk from Leh

I was pretty excited to see the archery competition and even waited for a while for it to start. Finally the sun peeked through the clouds, and I thought that could rush things up. We left from Tsaga village at around 10 am and the festival was still getting started at that time! The home guy, Gyurmed has a pickup camper and agrees to drop us till the Loma Bend. He has some work at the Tara ITBP Check post and we pay him 500 INR. He is kind and also gives us basic breakfast at home even though his sister had to go out for some work.

I am very keen on making it to Hanle and Gyurmed suggests he can drop us to Hanle but we don’t want to trouble him further and decide to get down at Loma Bend itself. The scenery is epic here; the semi-frozen Indus River makes an appearance and the road to Rhongo and Hanle goes past a bridge over the Indus river at Loma. It is a photograph for the purists and my camera refuses to work and only clicks blank photographs! I wonder if it has something to do with the cold of the previous night.

Loma Bend is an army and ITBP Check Post and has a sizeable camp since it is strategically located at a 3 way junction. The road continues straight for Mahe bridge from Loma Bend and another goes to Chushul, while crossing the bridge would mean heading into Rhongo, Koyul, Demchok and Hanle. We have the required permits to head to Hanle, and simply wait for a ride. Thats our only target of the day and finding a homestay to stay at Hanle.

We keep our backpacks on a bench near the check post and chat up intermittently with the army guys. The clock keeps ticking and crosses noon and then 1 pm and all the vehicles that have come till now have only gone to either Chushul side or Mahe side. Not even one vehicle has crossed the bridge. Since it is a manned check-post, the army guys have told us that we should get a ride in any of the vehicles that comes since they all have to compulsorily stop.

It seems our luck with hitching rides in winter in Ladakh has finally run out in the last few days and we embrace the difficulty with grace. One of the senior Army officers sees us waiting since morning and asks us to have lunch at one of the Army domes. We are grateful to him and tell the check post guy to make sure to stop if there’s a vehicle heading to Hanle. The food is excellent and we are served dal makhani loaded with ghee, a vegetable curry and chapati. We relish the delicious food and thank them!

The officer comes and chats with us for a bit and offers us dairy milk chocolates. We tell him the food is incredibly tasty and he tells us that since it is a harsh climate, they make sure to eat ghee in the winter. We take 2 dairy milk chocolates from him and resume our waiting at Loma Bend Check Post. With food in my belly, I walk around for a bit and see the dust flying when the wind speed increases. It starts getting dangerously cold once the sun starts shifting from above.

We wonder till what time should be wait at Loma Bend and run the risk of not getting any ride to anywhere in the evening. Would the army guys help us with the stay there if such a scenario happened? All such thoughts run through our heads and we decide to make sure we go to the other side of Mahe if we are not able to get a ride across the bridge in due course of time.

At 3 pm, a bus headed to Koyul comes by and we decide to jump on it. There are many villagers from Koyul on the bus and we are hopeful of finding a homestay there. Since Losar Celebrations are beginning, the locals tell us that they are currently hosting relatives and that we shouldn’t come. It is a simple indication for us and even though a camper going to Rhongo comes later, we decide to not sit in the open space in the carrier since the wind has already become unforgivingly cold.

Now, we are looking for a ride to any of the villages on the Mahe side. The check post guys are confused but we tell them sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to; so we have to make do with an alternate plan. It is past 330 pm and seems like all the vehicles for the day have gone!

We spot a jeep coming from Tsaga side and get excited when it is headed to Mahe. It is an Army jeep and is occupied by an Army officer who is in charge of the flag meet with the Chinese. He has just come back from the flat meet itself that happens somewhere around Chushul and is especially kind to give us a ride. He is surprised to see tourists braving it out in these remote regions in the winter in Ladakh and perhaps takes pity on us.

We wave thanks to the Loma Bend check post guys and continue in the jeep. I ask the officer to drop us outside Nyoma village (on the road itself) and that we will be able to find a homestay since it is a sizeable village. He is a thorough gentleman and gets down from the jeep at one of the shops on the main road near Nyoma village and asks the locals about a homestay. We are given the name of one Tenzin Chospa in Nyoma.

We thank the Army officer with our hearts and tell him we will find a homestay in Nyoma and not to worry about us. Nyoma village is a 15 minute walk from where we are and see the perfectly perched monastery on a cliff and continue walking. A few locals are also walking and we get lucky to get a ride in a local’s maruti 800 car. We ask him about the homestay of one Tenzin Chospa and he tells us that he knows the home.

We reach the main square in Nyoma village which is just a small cluster of shops and the gentleman simply continues and takes us to his house. It is utterly confusing for us when he gives us tea. The time is around 430 pm and after a long day of waiting, we want to get to a homestay and just be. He is an old man and only when his young daughter comes, we realise he has already decided to host us in a newly built annexe.

We are floored by the helpful nature of the Ladakhi locals and I have tears in my eyes. Uncle’s behaviour is a bit confusing but he is very kind and takes us to the very comfortable room in a newly built concrete building. The room is quite cold but heavy quilts and a gas powered heater are kept. He also fills water in the bucket in the bathroom. We fold our hands and thank him.

His home is quite old and was built in the traditional Ladakhi home style. The kitchen was very small and maybe thats why he offered to send our dinner in the room itself. We implored him to not take any trouble but he said it will be easier for them to serve us dinner in the room and we accepted the same.

We lie down in bed and just recollected what a monumental a day it had been! Even though it might appear that we were not able to get to our destination of Hanle in the winter, the village of Nyoma was just as well! The room becomes quite warm once the gas cylinder heater is powered on and dinner is served in hot casseroles. Food is very yummy and we have our fill.

It is a cold cold night but we sleep comfortably in the warm blankets. In the morning, the water in the bathroom is frozen; but it doesn’t matter.

Our hearts have been warmed.

We thank the homestay family; pay them and take their leave. We walk to the main road and sit at the dhaba at about 9 am. There is also a petrol pump here which looks surreal in the vast outdoors. We plan to reach Chumathang, hardly 20 kms away – a town with hot water springs and a heated ‘hotel’. We decide our adventure in Ladakhi winters is over even though there are still 5 days for our return flight. We want some basic comforts now and I happen to know just the right place in Chumathang!

There are omelettes for breakfast and we gobble them up. The bus to Chumathang comes at 1030 am.

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