It was our Day 1 at Kaza. After ten hours of journey the previous day, we were tired to another extreme. Body parts felt disoriented after the journey we took from Manali to Kaza. Special Thanks to be given to the total unkempt road from Manali-Batal-Losar, where it appeared that there was no road and our Traveller was ferrying on rocks and stones only. The journey was scenic but quite adventurous.

We had not been totally acclimatized to the new place perched at 12500 feet(which is totally not recommended- Please ensure you have at least a day of proper rest until you feel comfortable at the new altitude and your breathing appears to be normal). Even after 7-8 hours of proper sleep, the breathing pattern was faster and there was a moderate headache among all of us who were to take the journey that day( My SPO₂ level was at 72) .At the Himalayan Café, I chose to have a bread, omelette and poha. I was extremely hungry and waited for the food to arrive soon. Vishakha, our host there, suggested us to have Sea Buckthorn Chai instead of Coffee, which would help us keep the body warm. After having a cup of it, we felt much better. Having thanked her for such an amazing suggestion, we boarded our Traveller and left for the first destination of the day- Pin Valley National Park.

I felt as if the headache kept increasing with the height we were attaining during the journey. I could not hold myself with that intensity of pain in head, and asked Jagjeet Ji (our driver) to stop at a corner of the road. So he stopped at a safe location on that road and I threw up as soon as I got out of the vehicle. I felt a sense of relief and vibe as if I could enjoy now on. My head did not feel banging, and we crossed the bridge that let us to Pin Valley National Park.

With the eroded standing rocks and mountainous crevice that are a characteristic feature of Spiti Valley on one side, we saw greenish blue colored Pin river on the other side, flowing in its full glory. I had made an assumption that National Park would be a forested area just like the other ones like Jim Corbett and all, but it was same as the road that we undertook while crossing that bridge before entering the Park. Only difference was that any developmental work like setting up of commercial stays, restaurants, or hunting activities and even grazing was not allowed there( these are true of other National Parks you hear). In the hapless expectation of spotting a snow leopard there, my eyes were tired after looking even at the farthest rocks on the mountain. Since the leopards camouflage entirely with the tone of rocks, spotting one is difficult in summers. Snow provides an excellent condition of catching their sight. I could not see any of the fauna as mentioned on the board describing flora and fauna of PVNP.  Since there was a significant green patch on the borders of the road, and the valley surrounding the river, I assumed they consisted of many medicinal plant and herbs, flowers, and spices, that were mentioned at the entrance. (A good sight for people from Botany background, who could spot even the rarest plants!)

After a while, just before we were about to reach the periphery of the park(as we started to see few human settlements at a distance), we saw huge snow clad  mountains at a distance which houses the glacier from where the Pin River originates. Surrounding it were barren rock mountains extending to great heights with few stretches of wilderness in green. It was surreal- there was a sight everyone dreams of- the snow mountains with river flowing beneath, and few houses on the far edge. It appeared as if the drawings that we used to make in childhood, of home, river and inverted V mountains were coming true.

We started to spot the tree of Peas(matar), Buckwheat, and crops of Barley(jow) in the fields, that grew in frequency just as we were about to enter the village. The rivers also started to appear at quite a distance from here on. After few more minutes of travelling, we entered the main gates of second oldest monastery of Lahaul Spiti region- The Kungri Monastery.

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Our travel expert- Tenzin, who sat just behind me, updated that it was the only monastery that entire region that followed Nyingmapa  Buddhism . Later on , I came to know that this sect was the oldest form of Tibetan Buddhism – the one dedicated to Tantrayana or Vajrayana. In the wake of COVID situation, there were not much of tourists there. Apart from us- the three girls visiting the monastery, there were just two other bikers.

We entered through main gate and saw a building with rooms for monks on the three side with their dark red clothes drying in the verandas and a Prayer Hall in the center. As the main entrance to door of the Prayer Hall was shut, I decided to look at the colorful frescos and paintings on the wall outside the hall- some had faded and some appeared to have been colored recently.

The entire area was dedicated to different forms of Guru Rinpoche or popularly known as Guru Padmasambhava in India. He is believed to have taught at the famous Nalanda University during 8^th century and is considered the founder of Tantric School of Buddhism in Tibet. Extending from one corner of the wall to other, were the eight manifestations that Guru Rinpoche is believed to have lived during his life time. All his exemplification are believed to have shown the eight quantum energy fields in Physics. Painting of Dorje Drolo with wild wrathful Vajra in one hand,  Sangye Dradok with lion roar, and other such forms prevalent in Tantrayana filled the walls with multitude of colors. It felt as if the Buddhist culture was given a life through these paintings, so that people could live in the zone.

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After few moments, a resident monk of some 14-15 years of age came and opened the doors of Prayer Hall. We took off our shoes outside the sanctum, and entered the area which was total awe for a first time visitor like me. On the two sides of the hall, was a huge shelf that contained several small statues of Buddha and openings for the windows to let the air in. In the centre was huge golden plated statue of Gautam Buddha with a calm face, with Guru Rinpoche on his right having an aggressive facial tone and a female deity on the right. (Considering the fact that it was a Tantric Monastery, the female deity could be Tara-the female counterpart of Bodhisattva, as she held a lotus twig in her left hand signifying her spiritual purity). The entire chamber was filled with red coloured pillars with decorated golden motifs on the edges and ceiling of similar colour magnitude. After clicking pictures of the wonderful place and absorbing the various hues of Buddhist culture, we headed off to the last destination of the day- Mudh Village.

Mudh Village, is a quaint serene village housing a small population of around 250 people. Surrounded by yellow flowered fields among the greens, with children playing on the streets, it was a visual treat! We stopped to have our lunch at one of the famous homestays there- Tara Homestay. We were greeted by a very humble lady who owned the homestay, and offered us to choose from the option she had for lunch. Heenika and I ordered for a Maggie, and others chose the very specialty of hills- Rajma Chawal and Pullow. After having quite a day, we all waited with our empty stomach for the lunch to arrive. It took to our surprise that food was literally the tastiest one, freshly prepared and hot even in such a cold temperature. Meanwhile all of us had quick chat and bonded over this feast from topics relating to the local culture, cuisine and geography of the place. Our mouth were filled with appreciation for the young lady who prepared the food in such a short time as per our taste preferences, with utmost cleanliness and hygiene in the kitchen.

We strayed out of the homestay towards the terrace(which I would have regretted not visiting). From the terrace lined with the colorful prayer flag, what I  saw was -the view of snowy mountain right in front of me. It appeared like a scene straight out of the movies. Both, Heenika and I, shot a small clip for our Instagram Reels and I danced my heart out like a child just to feel the beauty of moment I was in. Playing that folky tune and track from Krishh- Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, that Bollywood thing, of strong gushing winds, colorful surrounding, huge mountains, and river was getting hell real! That was the moment which I always dreamt of living in- My idea of Romanticism- Me and those Snow covered Pinnacles. Remembering those moments, I feel that we should sometimes let ourselves free, untangle ourselves of the thought of what others may think of us- it should be our happy zone, our zone of contentment- the one that we cannot show to everyone but whenever we think about it- we should have a sense of relief within.

But, you cannot sustain that chillness of the wind without sweater even in the afternoons of Mudh.    😛

All those happy heroic moments, were soon getting covered up in light headache that I had started to feel again.

Who cares!!

At the end what matters is- I had my little moment of happiness!

Afterall, two glasses of the Single Malt – the local drink made out of barley- cured me of the headache at last.

We returned back to Kaza and cherished the three pearls of Spiti we visited that day. The headache that prevailed since last night had precipitated after this magic potion. I could sleep peacefully that night 😊