Everything felt like a mistake. My mind was numb, blood oozed out of the fingers of my right hand courtesy of the hanging mesh wires on the dangling bridge. It was an indigenous structure made with a combination of stones, branches and twigs with ropes balanced by the weight of a few large stones. The Tsarap Chu …
Stunning Experiences from the Most Remote Monastery in the World – Phuktal Read More »
My curiosity levels had been stoked after visiting the wonderful private museum of Mr. Pangti in Munsyari in the first week of May. There were a number of pictures of Milam village and Johar Valley, bifurcated before/after 1962. I was dumbfounded to hear stories of the rapid decline of one of the oldest and most important …
Basking in the glorious winter sun at my new home in Jaipur just after having come from the Punjab and before leaving for the land of Gaddi shepherds of Bharmour in Himachal Pradesh, my mind wanders back to the thrills of the year gone by. It began with an epic winter trip to Ladakh, which in …
Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) had already resulted in me being alone after just having entered Spiti from Kinnaur. A stroll in Chitkul at 3450m had caused breathlessness to my co-travellers and the short walk to Nako Lake had proven disastrous. The check post officer in Sumdo complicated matters further by asking them ‘Why have you …
Chandrataal Lake and a Night at Chandra Dhaba, Batal Read More »
A sleepy village at other times of the year, Pushkar started to gain prominence as a mythological town adorned with a Bramha Temple. It lies just 15 kilometres away from Ajmer but appears to be a world removed physically as well as geographically, as the vastness of the desert begins from here. The villagers used to gather for a …
Since the passes leading to Ladakh are closed in the winter, the only way to reach is by air over the lofty Himalayas. The surest way to spoil your epic adventure before it even starts is to be unprepared before reaching Leh. I spent considerable time in Ladakh in January this year and realised that …
This is a story of serendipity working its magic for me to explore Munsyari without any specific plan for the same. I had woken up in dire circumstances in a dingy hotel room in the shabby town of Bageshwar. A trip to the loo drained me of any remaining energy. The shared taxi from Almora …
Markha Valley in Ladakh had been beckoning to me for years and I had to oblige, and HOW! In the harsh winters, serendipity had worked its charm to bring me to the snow leopard territory into the Hemis High Altitude National Park. This story appeared in The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine edition. I would love to …
Somewhere close to the Tibetan border, lies a land only a few know about, and even fewer visit. Rudyard Kipling has described Spiti Valley as ‘A world within a world’. It is perhaps the most peaceful, and one of the least populated areas in India. Spiti lies on the Tibetan plateau and has an average …
My original version of the story which was published in HT Brunch Magazine. Tell me which one’s better? Turtuk had been planted in my mind on a random conversation at the Spituk Gustor (Annual Masked dance). I toyed with the idea while on a stroll coupled with icy winter winds blowing in the markets of …
