Kalpa, India

I stated in our previous blog entry that the roads were the worst that I had ever driven on. I now have to revise my statement a la Homer Simpson, the roads were the worst that I had driven on…..so far….. Given the journey ahead, I don’t think that I can speak in such absolute statements for the remainder of this trip.

The Hindustan Tibet Road to Kalpa was another adventure unto itself. The road was rough, extremely tortuous, rough and exciting. Did I mention rough? You never knew what would come flying around the next corner or what was going greet you at the next switchback. Examples of our drive that day included 1) a near death experience involving a bus, a sheer cliff with a drop of 100’s of metres and an army officer who kept trying to get us to drive closer to the edge of the cliff and 2) a 20km (90 minute) detour to bypass a 2 km stretch of road that had been washed out.

From my whining it might seem like the drive was completely horrible, it wasn’t. The sights were fascinating. As we progressed on our journey, there was a change in the dress and appearance of the people along the way….kerchiefs gave way to hats and people started looking more ‘Tibetan’ in their characteristics as we begin to enter the tribal area of the country. We even passed through an area that is matriarchal: women run the show and are the driven breadwinners in the family.

The Kinner Villa was quite a wonderful hotel. The view was amazing, the rooms were spotless and there was running water and electricity (most of the time). I had my first “Indian-style” shower – you fill a bucket up with hot water and use a cup to shower yourself. It is an extremely efficient way to use precious water.

After having a glass of wine as we watched the sun set on the Grand Himalayas, a few Kalpa villagers put on 2 part show prior to dinner. I think that it was actually the same song twice in a row but I probably missed the subtleties. The second act was definitely more fun though. The best dancers were leading the line dance (at the front of the Conga line). The last girl on the end didn’t know that routine but that did not stop her from having fun. She was laughing and flirting with several of the guys in our group. Now that is what I call dialing a wrong number.

Day 2: Our second day of our stay, we toured 5 villages around the Kinnaur Valley. We started the morning applying for special access visas in Rekong Peo (“A village known by many names”, or so one of our drivers said at the end of the day when we were thinking about skipping the last village). Foreigners must get a special permit in order to travel on the segment of the Hindustan Tibet Road that is nearest Tibet. I am not sure if they are keeping an eye on visitors to make sure that they don’t stir up any trouble with China or if they need a little money towards badly needed infrastructure development for the area.

We returned to Rekong Peo in the afternoon to visit the local police station to be photographed and verified for the visa. The police were performing drills that day and were teaching a class of school children to follow along. I think that they may have been preparing for Independence Day on the 15^th.

Toto Tours Description: (Aug. 10) After breakfast this morning we drive to the village of Kalpa. This spectacular mountain village is reached by a winding road climbing up through pine forests, orchards and fields. Kalpa is the legendary winter home of Shiva, who is said to retire here each winter for meditation. It was once the regional capital, and the views from here across to the mighty Kinnaur Kailash mountain range of the Greater Himalaya are some of the most spectacular in the region. We arrive in time for lunch at our hotel. In the afternoon we take a walk on the Old Hindustan Tibet Road to Roghi Village, considered one among the top ten mountain walks in the entire world. The evening is free. Overnight in Kalpa.

(Aug. 11) After breakfast, enjoy a full day excursion visiting the ancient tribal villages in Kinnaur district, part of the larger Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, located on the border of Tibet. The tribal villages of Chini, Peo, Kothi, Pangi and Telangi each have their own distinct qualities, since the present day Kinnauras do not constitute a homogeneous group but display significant territorial and ethnic diversity. We enjoy lunch at the half point in our day. We return to our lodgings by late afternoon. Overnight again in Kalpa.