Nako, India

Summary: We drove the Hindustan Tibet Road (the most treacherous road in the world) to get to our campsite in Nako, located in the Spiti Valley. Na-go means Gateway of the Pilgrims and was a major stop on a pilgrimage pathway for Buddhists. After walking through the village the first afternoon to see a series of temples including that of Guru RImpoche (Buddha of the Himalayas), Scott, Dan and I walked to the top of the surrounding hills to visit a prayer wheel and a series of stupas.

Hindustan-Tibet Road: We drove further into the mountains on the Hindustan Tibet Road. I am not sure advertising it as “the most treacherous road in the world” is really the best idea but I am sure they know what they are doing.

Besides landslides, waterfalls and showering gravel, the road was covered with catchy public service announcements. My favourites included, “Mountains are pleasure when you drive with leisure” and “Time is money but life is precious”.

Driving on these roads have given me an improved understanding of a few things including the scope of what the road services try to accomplish and the Indian mentality.

The Border Road Organization (BRO – Big Brother is Watching) tries to maintain and expand hundreds of kilometres of roads with ever increasing traffic in an unstable environment. Indians are generally known for having a relaxed, laid back approach to life. I guess when you have so many people and you are at the mercy of nature, you have to be relaxed – especially when you are driving. The ‘chaos’ that I have seen on the roads is actually an orchestrated ballet of drivers who are trying to get where they need to go while dealing with vastly underdeveloped infrastructure while being aware of other drivers around them doing the same. They expect to have other vehicles approach them head on in their lane and they react accordingly. When you have 2 cars trying to pass through roads that are barely larger than 1 vehicle and there is a drop of hundreds on metres off to the side, you must be patient and understanding.

We passed through the checkpoint at Puh to head to the village of Nako.

Nako (aka Nago): We arrived at our campsite in Nako. It is our closest stay to the Tibet (China) border and our first taste of altitude. We are staying at a campsite for the night. The series of tents are erected on platforms and there is a rough bathroom that includes a toilet in the back of the tent. To take a shower, you leave your bucket outside in the morning (OR the evening, not both) and they will bring it back filled with hot water so that you can take an Indian style shower. There was a light in the tent but the electricity only came on sporadically (a foreshadowing of what was to come).

Na go means (something like) ‘Gateway of the Pilgrams’ in Tibetan (this is the closest that we come to Tibet/China during our travels). There are a series of temples in the Spiti Valley that were part of a Buddhist pilgrimage. “The Great Translator”, Guru Rimpoche was said to have built 108 temples in one night. We visited the temple built to celebrate the arrival of Guru RImpoche on his tigert that includes paw and foot prints.

The village is quite picturesque with a distinctly Tibetan style of architecture. We walked through it to visit a number of temples. Whenever we passed close to a field, the villagers would fill our pockets full of the regional specialty, pods filled with sweet, delectable peas.

After the walk with the group, Scott, Dan and I hiked up to a solar powered prayer wheel at the top of a hill and then on to a series of stupas on another hill. Between the height of the hills (~3500 m) and the fact that I haven’t done any cardio for at least a year, the walk just about killed me! It was worth it for the view and the feeling of accomplishment though. We also got to chat with a couple of lovely British teenagers who were visiting the area with their family. They were among the most articulate, bright and well-mannered young adults that I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Toto Tours Description: The village of Nako lies at an altitude of 11,890 feet, high above the vast stretch of the Spiti Valley. It is a very important center of Buddhism in the region. There are seven temples belonging to different periods of Buddhism from the 11th and 12th centuries distributed throughout the village, including a monastic complex on its western edge. Boasting four temples and a number of additional buildings, this complex preserves the earliest artistic heritage. The austere and unornamented exteriors of the buildings give little hint of the important artistic and spiritual legacy that lies within these walls. We also visit the temple of Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava), The Buddha of the Himalaya, who legend has it landed on a piece of rock riding his Tiger. This rock has imprints of the tiger paw and his foot print. Overnight in Nako at a Tented Camp