Chitkul to Tabo

We loved the guest house in Chitkul! It was the last building in the small village right next to nature preserve land. The view of the valley and the high snow covered mountains with the Baspa River running through it was beautiful. Being near the end of the road there was very little traffic and the peaceful quiet was relaxing. The local villagers were harvesting green peas and kindly gave us handfuls when we passed by them. Most didn't want their picture taken but some said OK. All were very hard working nice people. The owners of the guest house were Manmeet and Manali. A very nice enthusiastic and helpful couple Manmeet loved the nature and the peacefulness of the place and Manali loved having the company of the guests. Since they both had excellent English the visit was good.

Leaving there they both told us that the road ahead was the most dangerous in India and prone to being closed by landslides or large boulders blocking the road. The road was actually not a road but more like a goat path or maybe not even a goat path! It was clinging to the edge of the cliffs above a raging river, the Satluj, with very few guard rails but thankfully not much traffic except for some large trucks and busses which were bad enough since the road was barely one lane. Nothing but blind curves added to the excitement (interpret that as fear and loathing). Rocks of all sizes were in the road having fallen there from the steep slopes and lifts above. - more "excitement" which included coming to sections where both Babu and Lalit constantly watched uphill for rocks coming down while which ever of us was on the outside tried to not look straight down the 1,000 ft + drop to the river below. To hell with rocks from above, down seemed to be the treated threat to the one on the outside! Probably a hundred thousand hair pin turns in the next 10 or 11 hours. By the time we arrived at our guest house in Spiti (pronounced Piti) I was sea sick and went to bed and had to sleep it off. We don't know how the driver Babu got us through this without a meltdown but he did or he went and did it in private. We saw him doing his,prayers as we passed shrines and we joined in also, what could it hurt?

The children are are the most endearing. If they see a camera they want their picture taken, then want to see their likeness on the camera screen. They are quick to smile and play outside their houses, making up games and laughing out loud. I was sitting on our balcony yesterday in Tabo when a young boy came up the hill next to our guesthouse. He bent over to pick up a ball and threw it at a rock which bounced back and hit him in the face. He looked around to see if anyone witnessed his trick and there I was. He was quite embarrassed and ran away--we are all the same aren't we?

We entered the Buddhist area in Nako right before arriving and staying in Tabo. We First heard the Jullay greeting in Tabo. We are In Kaza now. It is very nice to enter this area. We love the Jullay greeting.