Unplanned Diaries of 2 Soul Sisters. Sangla To Spiti Valley with hint of Parvati Valley 

2. Hitch Hiking to Sangla town

It was 8 a:m in the morning. We patiently waited for 2 hours for the bus. At around 10 a:m, a small Chai shop at the Dam chowki opened. We were delighted to see that & what better food than maggie & chai.

We came to know from Chai wala that there was a landslide in the morning & hence all bus services were stopped for today to clear off the roads.

Well, hitch hiking is always fun. Finally after waiting for some more time, we saw a tempo loaded with stones. I am the anti social one, too shy to take lifts, but my friend completely opposite. She convinced the army guy driving , to drop us till Sangla town. Sitting on the wet stones was quite an experience.

After 1 hour, he dropped us at Sangla town. This place is a gateway to plenty of gorgeous villages uphill. Now we needed to decide which one to go to. This sane army guy had lot of stories to tell, he suggested us camping at chitkul & helped us to get a private taxi at lower rate (800 Rupees).

While we were on the way, 12 km away from Sangla town, we saw one wooden cottage by the river standing all alone & landscapes full of beautiful pink flowers . We decided to not go any further & take a halt wherever we were. This was certainly the most beautiful decision indeed.

3. A Fairy Tale Pink Village - Rakchham.

Name itself was so fascinating & unheard to us. This small village is so heavenly, full of misty mountains & pink Olga Flowers. There is a dreamy long bridge that you need to cross to reach the wooden cottage (Kaillash View Camp). We negotiated this cottage at Rs1500/night.

Go in any direction, you get to see endless green landscapes. We were amidst the mystical meadows of pink flowers and just could not wait to climb one of the valleys to have a closer look at this beauty.

4. Warm Locals at Rakchham

No trip is complete if you don't get to have a deeper look at the culture of the place. While we were walking through another landscape with streams of river flowing amidst tall trees and lush grounds, we came across warm locals of this village. Chatting with them, felt like home.

That magical feeling of crossing river streams, wooden bridges, walking under tall trees & pretty pebbles...

5. Bye to Sangla Valley

It was time to say goodbye to this magical place & move to a different terrain altogether - Spiti Valley. You can take a local bus from Rakchham Village to Reckong Peo from where you can get a direct HRTC bus to Kaza, Spiti Valley. The caretaker guided us through the local bus timings & the stop.

Make sure you reach a day before to Reckong Peo , so as to catch an early morning bus for Kaza. After reaching here, we took a budget hotel with a mountain view (800 Rupees).Kaza is nearly 200 km from Rekong Peo that means easily 8-9 hours journey in ordinary bus. Bus departs around 6:30 - 7 a:m & reaches Kaza around 4-5 p:m .

Next day, we reached Reckong Peo bus stop early at 5:45 a:m so that we can queue first at the ticket counter & get the best seat possible. We took the front 2 seater next to the door in HRTC ordinary bus so that we get the luxury of leg space.

6. Moving to Brown Mountains & Spiti River..

The driver played himachali songs and since I am of Himachali origin , I could understand it and was fun translating for my friend, Runa. Long journey it was, but you never get everlasting experiences in comfort always. We finally reached Kaza around 5 p:m.

We took 2 beds in mixed dorm in a hostel - zostel. As soon as we reached here, I could not wait to jump a small wall of the hostel & walk towards Spiti river to dip our feets..

My no trip is compete without doing yoga in mother nature! try it, it is so liberating...

The Unreal Spiti as I would call it as. It felt as if somebody had put me inside an omnidirectional frame. Always thought I am more of go green person until I realized how much these dry mountains and earth has in it to offer.

7. Kibber Village & KI Monastery, Spiti

We got up in the morning to trek to the village - Kibber. On the way, we diverted to see the very surreal Key/Ki Monastery. We did make some friends here. One was Yoga teacher from Holland - Julley & other one was son of Spiti- Nitin & decided to trek to Kibber together. Long treks & hitch hiking off course, one in a crane & one in a tractor, we were close to our destination. First time I realized, what less oxygen at high altitudes mean , when you walk just 5 mins & you are tired again!

What kept us going was the mesmerizing landscapes & small chats with the locals on the way. Don't forget to carry enough water.

Happy Girls are the prettiest...especially when they manage to trek till the top - Kibber Village. Finally reached! This is the highest motorable village in the world & is also known for snow leopards.

After all the adventures in Spiti, it was time to move to Parvati Valley. Frankly we were little exhausted, so we opted for a shared taxi (Tata sumo) rather than local bus from Spiti to Manali which costed us 1000/person (Its better to book taxi 1 day in advance from any of the local agents in Spiti market)

8. OFF-ROADING on Kaza Manali Route

It was 7 a:m. Bidding a final good bye to Spiti, me & Runa, chose to take the front seat of the shared taxi (old Tata Sumo) alongside the driver. We were 10 of us in it.

Little were we aware of the nasty Spiti - Manali route. It felt like a great off-roading experience with river flowing alongside as well as on the the narrow roads. Just 30 km away from Spiti, we had to stop as there was water clogging on the pebble road . It was strange to us but I think pretty common here. We just took a calm & enjoyed the ultimate stranded experience meanwhile locals helped to clear off the road so that vehicles can move ahead.

Till now we had gotten used to water trails flowing on the rocky roads we were on. We used to get down, take a little walk meanwhile the taxi was slowly making its way. We were sailing or riding , didn't know any more!

9. Heading towards Rohtang Pass

It was 1 p:m & we were still in Lahaul region & now we started to see gradual shift in landscapes , from rustic brown mountains to lush green. Never had I seen such a magical transition. My next few hours just passed by gazing at this & I refused to close my eyes so that I don't miss any of it.

And in few hours, all I could see was dense flora & fauna of vivid varieties surrounded by lush green mountains & misty clouds with water trails running in between the mountains every now & then. We were now crossing Rohtang (50 km from Manali) It was 5 p:m. We had been travelling since 10 hours now.

10. The Hippie Town - Old Manali

The taxi dropped us at Manali bus stop around 6:30 p:m. We knew we wanted to stay somewhere in Old Manali. So we did a little research and took a taxi direct to Zostel which is about 3 km uphill. But we could not get one as it was fully booked. We instead took another stunning place near by - Tigers Eye which had a clear view of mountains and apple orchards .

It was a long day, so we just spent the last few hours of the day in our lavish balcony talking and eating good food. There was a surprise waiting for us tomorrow. My college friend from Delhi, made a sudden plan to join us for last 2 days of our trip.

We woke up early morning at 6 a:m to drizzle so surreal. Bell rang and Swati was here! 3 girls, tripping together sounded even more fun...Today we just wanted to chill in hippie cafes, walk through the apple trees , sit by the river and revive old memories.

We started our day with breakfast at Johnson's Cafe. In later half of the day, we walked down from old manali to manali bus stop & from here took a taxi to go to Solang valley. What's most fascinating was apple orchards all around. Pardon my words, but it was so orgasmic to even look at them. If you ever want to witness this, I would suggest to go during 1st fortnight of August as its then when all apples are ready for harvest.

We picked few lying on ground after seeking permission. We did not know apples could taste like these also! We 3 were numb and just looked at each other while eating them. We ended our day with live music and some Italian food at Cafe 1947.

11. Parvati Valley Awaits - Kheerganga Trek

Early morning we packed our bags to leave for trek to hot water springs - Kheerganga located deep in the Parvati Valley. Fortunately, we met this school teacher, Gopal last night in Manali who used to teach little kids at Kalgha village & he offered to guide us through this trek & also arrange camping for Rs 1500/night including food. He used to do it part time to earn some extra bucks.

We took a taxi from Manali to Barshaini (3-4 Hrs) at 7 a:m, from where we had to start our trek at 11 a:m. Our dear teacher/guide advised us to trek via Kalgha Village & come back via the Fairy forest - Pulga Village, so that we get to experience two different treks.

We started our trek at around 12 p:m. Its a 5-6 hrs trek. This route via Kalgha Village passes through dense forests covered by Deodhar trees. There are multiple waterfalls & bridges on the way. Be watchful of your steps while crossing waterfalls/water trails.

On our way to Kalgha, we also got to meet the students of Gopal. So beautiful, pure, untouched in their own way.

In the evening, we finally reached to the top. I would say, it has become quite commercial. So we somehow climbed a little more where there were lesser number of tents & more empty landscapes. Locals cooked food for us. We spent time playing games with little girls.

12. Nature was Healing - Hot Water Springs

Early morning, we woke up & were really excited to bathe under open sky in hot water spring. There is a separate covered pool for women. You could see the sky & mountains while taking a dip.

It was magical. The nature was healing me & I could not feel any tiredness or pain anymore. It was an exceptional experience and taught me how it feels to be so liberated...

We spent some hours in mystical nature & now it was time to leave back. But the adventure didn't stop here as we now were taking the trek route via Pulga village. This secluded village route had lot to offer - sparkling rivers, oak trees, sight of rare flora and fauna, charismatic mountains and breathtaking trails. Last 9 days were like reconnecting with your inner self. Time flies..

We had a bus to catch at 4 p:m from Kasol to Delhi. We took a local bus from Barshaini to Kasol (1 hour) & we only know how we managed to reach just on time at 3:50 p:m.

Living on the edge is a different high.. Before I pen down, Below are the things that will help you to plan your travel.

A. Travel Tips | B. Getting there | C. Where to Stay| D. Costing

A. Travel Tips for Travelers on Unplanned Trip

1. Carry Cash - Carry sufficient cash as you might not find enough ATMs & even if you do, it might be distant, cashless or queued up.

2. Carry all essentials in bum/fanny bag -I always carry a small bum/fanny bag tucked on to my chest that's super safe & easily accessible. It has my wallet, Ids, glasses, pen, mini notebook, sanitizer, hand tissues, swiss knife, safety pins, nuts/dry fruits small box. Yes it can accommodate all that must haves!

3. Must have Clothes to Carry - Raincoat, warm head band to cover your ears, socks (If your ears & feet are warm, you will never feel cold), fleece warmers (both for upper & bottom), Waterproof trekking shoes, Thin blanket/stole(will help in long travels in local buses), Inflatable neck pillow.

4. Always take buffer time - Simply putting on google maps , your 'to' & 'from' destination, might not give you estimation of correct time here. It's better to cross check once with the bus drivers/locals so that you are prepared both mentally & physically.

P.S- Spiti to Manali shows 4 hours on google maps but let me tell you it took us over 10 hours with only 2 halts in HRTC ordinary bus.

5. Avoid evening travels- It's not worth taking that risk especially if you are solo female traveler due to limited conveyance options, Limited frequency of buses, bad roads & uncertainty in time that you will actually take.

6. Stay Safe during Hitch Hiking - Though people here are really nice , helpful & friendly but you still need to be mindful and watchful.

7. Stay in Hostels - Hostels are not just economical but most of them are located in stunning locations. Also, you meet people from all around the world, share there travel stories. You can book them on hostelworld.com

Don't be shy to interact with the hostel host/owners, they have all the travel info & secret hideouts! Also watch out for hostel pamphlets board that has lot of cool things to do.

B. Getting there

1. Chandigarh To Reckong Peo: Mode - HRTC Ordinary bus, Time- 6 p:m, Duration -14 Hours, Cost- Rs 400

2. Reckong Peo To Kaza: Mode - HRTC Ordinary bus, Time - 7 a:m, Duration- 10 Hrs, Cost- Rs 450

3. Kaza To Manali: Mode -Shared Taxi, Time - 7 a:m, Duration - 10 Hrs,Cost- Rs 1000

4. Manali To Barshaini: Mode - Private Taxi, Time - 7 a:m, Duration - 4 hrs, Cost- Rs 1100 (had to take a private taxi as we had to start the Kheerganga trek at 11 a:m. total taxi cost - Rs 2200, split by 2)

5. Barshaini To Kasol: Mode -Local Bus, Time - 2:30 p:m, Duration - 1 hr,Cost- Rs 50

6. Kasol To Delhi:Mode - AC Volvo Bus, Time - 4 p:m, Duration - 12 hrs, Cost-Rs 1050

7. Other local travel - Rs 500

C. Where I Stayed?

1. Kailash View Camp, Rakcham [1 Day], Cost - 1500/night (fyi, there is only one wooden cottage which we took & rest are tents). You could take Zostel Homes also here.

2. Alpine Nest, Reckong Peo [1 Day], Cost - 800/night

3. Zostel, Kaza, Spiti [2 days], Cost - 600/night/bed in 6 bed mixed dorm.

4. Tiger eye Guest House ,Old Manali [2 days], Cost - 1200/night

5. Camping, Kheerganga [1 day] , Cost - 1500/night/tent including food for two.

D. Costing

Transportation Cost/person - Rs 4550

Stay cost/person - 3900/-

Food Cost/person - Approx 500/day - 3500/-

Total Travel cost/person - 4550 + 3900 + 3500 = Rs 11950/-

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Bella Ciao. Writing my next story...