Kaza, India

Summary: We drove through the mountains taking in the ever-changing topography. During our travels and our stay in Kaza we visited multiple stunning monasteries perched on mountains overlooking vallies stretched out below. Kaza was a major stop on the Silk Road that still continues to have a booming market today. Kaza houses the highest gas station in the world. Other arguably “highest experiences” were a visit to Kibber, the highest road-connected village in the world and a drive along the highest road in the world. At our isolated hotel, the Dewachan Resort, we were treated to a Spiti Valley speciality, a shortened version of the Ceremony of the Breaking of the Stone. This is a Buddhist morality play that includes acting, singing, multiple piercings, that frees the evil spirit inside.

Drive: The scenery along the drive from Tabo to Kaza was spectacular. I kept seeing areas that reminded me of scenes from other countries: the mountains of Cappadocia in Turkey, the Grand Canyon in the US and even bits of the European Alps.

Monasteries: On the initial drive, we stopped to see the Lhalung monastery. It was a small village monastery that was said to be built overnight when a monk planted a stick in the ground from which a willow tree magically sprouted. It was a lovely monastery but the thing that is making it memorable for me was the lama having an argument with our (local) tour guide. The lama was not happy with the translation that was being provided and made no attempt to hide his discontent.

Two stunning monasteries were the Dhankar and Ki. Both were situated high on hills overlooking their respective vallies but the Ki was particulary stunning. The wide open, barren space leading up to the Ki monastery made for amazing views (and really great pictures).

Kaza: We spent 2 hour wandering around the old Silk Road stop of Kaza. It’s still a booming place with lots of excitement generated in a frontier market town. One of its claims to fame is the fact that Kaza is home to the “highest gas station in the world.”

Our (local) guide told us to meet up with our drivers in 2 hours’ time at the main road “just straight at the end of the road right there” pointing along the main street of the market. Around the 2 hour mark, we tried to find our way to road, taking 3 different paths and ending up in people’s back yard each time. After meeting up with a few of our traveling companions along the way, we called for a mutiny and walked back to the bus stop at the other end of town and waited for them to find us. Only one out of the 11 travelers actually found their way to meet with the drivers. While having a relaxed, ‘come what may’ attitude is admirable when taking part in adventure travel, the lack of organizational detail and local knowledge of our guide was really starting to upset our American, Canadian and Australian sensibilities!

Dewachan Resort: After not having water and electricity at our previous hotel, the Dewachan Resort seemed to be the best hotel in the entire universe. We had a spectacular view of the Ki Monastery through our hotel window.

The staff was extremely friendly. The manager was a very tall (and very cute) guy in his early 20’s. He heads off to Goa every year to avoid the winter. He certainly seemed to know how to use his warm smile and looks to his advantage – I am sure the Russian girls in Goa don’t stand a chance when he turns on the charm.

Scott, Andre and I went for a walk after the long drive. Unfortunately, the long valley results in near hurricane force winds in the evening and the dry, dry barren landscape results in large amounts of blowing dust. They charge hundreds of dollars to perform facial microdermabrasion in doctors offices – we got whole body dermabrasion for free!

Buchen of Spiti/ Disciples of a Crazy Saint: We were treated to a special (and somewhat disturbing) ceremony at our hotel. We witnessed the Ceremony of the Breaking of the Stone. The ceremony can only performed by Buddhist monks who have spent a minimum of 3 years meditating in a cave. The entire ceremony takes several hours (we saw the abridged version) and includes religious ceremonies, theatrical presentations (a Buddhist morality play), comedy relief, singing, chanting and several piercings. The first piercing episode occurs when the monk has a cape fixed to his shoulders with pins. He then takes a large brass ornamental pin and pierces the skin in front of his Adam ’s apple prior to beginning a complicated sword dance. The sword dance ends with him pushing the tips of his swords into his abdomen and the jumping on them in several locations among the crowd. (You should have seen the faces of the uninitiated audience for those parts!) The finale occurs when a huge slab of rock is placed on the abdomen of a worshiper. The monk then uses a large stone to break the slab releasing the evil spirit inside.

Toto Description:
Day 1: Rise early to join the monks in their morning Puja (prayer) ceremony at the Tabo monastery (a 5-minute walk through the village). After breakfast we drive to Dhankar, the ancient capital of Spiti where the 12th century hill top fort of Dhankar Gompa (at 12,500 feet) dominates the Spiti Valley. This monastery celebrated a millennium in 2004 with the Dalai Lama.
Afterwards we drive to Lhalung, a magnificent little village of just 45 houses with a small monastery. The unusually rich interior of Lhalung’s main prayer hall suggests that the temple was designed as a Chokhor site, a place for learning and debate, as opposed to a simple chapel for worship by the local people. We continue driving to the current capital, Kaza, which was once the commercial headquarters of the traditional Silk Road. Upon arrival, the remainder of the day is free to relax. Overnight in Kaza.
Day 2: Today is the day for all things designated the “highest,” including the first highest road-connected village in Asia, Kibber, the highest vehicle fuel outlet in the world in Kaza, and the highest oldest monastery, the Ki Gompa, housing the oldest and largest collection of Thankha paintings in the world. Our drive will take us along spectacular Himalaya scenery, while we explore life on the top of the world. We return to our lodgings in Kaza for a free evening and another overnight stay.