Chandratal
Trip Start
Jun 30, 2008
1
10
15
Trip End
Jul 28, 2008
In the middle of nowhere,
India
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Woke up 10 minutes before the bus left, but I made it. No seats though, so I had to stand up for 3 hours. Indian busses are not made for people of my height, so my scalp was pounded to a bloody mess before I arrived. That sort of started a headache which was amplified further by the altitude where I got off - 4.500 meters.
I went with Boaz and Annat to Chandratal, Moon Lake, which is a 4 hour trek from the pass. Unbelievable beauty! Big. Extreme. Wow. I recommend everyone to come here. Imagine a big mirror-like lake reflecting snowcovered peaks and clouds. Add to that a magnificient silence deeper than anything I've heard before. Even the simplest thoughts seemed noisy and inappropriate. I was completely blown away to say the least and I quickly forgot about my headache.
i rented a tent in a eco-camp, although it was more like a hotel room. Three layers of insulating blankets, sleeping bags and extra blankets. And room service :) How weird it was to have a three course meal served in a tent. Great food by the way. And there were donkeys, mules and horses grazing around the camp. And huge eagles soaring above - and even cooler - below me. I didn't see any slow leopards and I can't decide whether that's good or bad. I mean you have to die of something, and being eaten by a snow leopard seems like a better way than many others.
The next day we hiked to Battal, which turned out to be two small shops and a single house. I got on a bus to Manali and... no seats. By then I had learned to stand on the staircase to avoid being beaten by the roof.
Chandratal
It was actually a great ride. I got to look out the front window, which made me appreciate how skilled these bus drivers are. I'll bet it's easier to fly a space shuttle. The roads simply disappear sometimes and become part of a waterfall instead. I put my 'Om Namah Shivaya' mantra to use many times, and I wasn't even close to being scared. Yet.Before reaching Manali, we had to go across Rohtang Pass, which is only open for traffic for a few months every year. It is also where every single person in India go to experience snow for the first time. It was packed with Indians on ponies and many other tourists. Unfortunately the road was blocked for a whole hour due to some road work. When we got started again, the driver wanted to get down as fast as possible. And boy do I mean fast! Blowing his horn continuously he threw the bus around blind curves and hairpins. One unfortunate truck driver wouldn't let him pass, which resulted in the weirdest incident I've witnessed in India - and that says a lot.
My bus driver managed to cut the truck off in the middle of a hairpin, forcing both vehicles to a very abrubt stop. Then he jumped out the door and ran to the truck, climbed up to the open window and started beating the shit out of whoever was sitting in there. Only his short legs were sticking out the window, swinging as he dropped his punches. That part was at least semi-funny. But when he got back in the bus and started driving again, it wasn't funny anymore. I was scared. Really scared. Now he mad AND in a hurry.
Not even the road signs were funny anymore. I used to giggle every time we passed a "Please avoid accidents", "Mind the bend, my friend" or some similar signs. But not during that last part. The guys in the back seat were airborne half the time and the rest of us were clinging to whatever part of the bus we could find.
All in all a couple of adventurous days and now that I'm in Manali I'm going to relax for a few days while I figure out where to go next.
M
PS: More photos to come.
Comments
Hver sin side af verden
Kære Nevø.
Vildt at høre om din bustur i bjergene. Godt du kom frem.
Vi nyder highway 1 nord for Los Angeles i en super luksus Cadilac, så de skarpe sving på vejen er vist det eneste, vi har til fælles.
Pas godt på dig selv
Glemte lige afsendernavn
kh
Onkel Christian (Scheel)