The day began early today and even before any
of us had had a bite to eat, we ventured into the architecturally breathtaking
and aesthetically gorgeous Naggar Castle, which fortunately lay right next to
the hotel where we had bunked for the night. I have visited this castle many
many times over the past decade or so that I have travelling down this road,
and it never fails to amaze me. The construction is such that no earthquake can
demolish it. Made of wood and stone, no mortar or nails or other binding has
been used. And the Jagti Patti Temple inside the complex, though a small one,
is supposed to be Judgement God for all of Kullu. The carvings are exquisite and
a lot of locals start their day by paying obeisance at the temple.
Breakfast was bread and eggs for me, followed
by the customary glass of tea after which we headed towards Manali. First stop
was at the Hadimba Temple, another architectural marvel. And forest surrounding
it is as tall as the eye can see.
There were sundry things to be purchased,
which I proceeded to do, Manali being the last point where one can stock up.
The one most important purchase was toilet rolls.
A couple of hours in Manali and then we
stopped at Vashishth to take in the temple there and the hot water springs. It
was late and I was starting to lose my patience with the camera team. All I
needed was enough footage to make a short film, and these boys were intent not
only making a feature film, but one that would win an Oscar. Consequently, by
the time we hit the Leh road and started climbing, we had lost light and it was
dark by the time we hit Gulaba.
This road is fabulous and a great one to
drive on. The surrounding hills are green with conifers, the Kullu Valley is a
breathtaking sight and the road up to Rohtang just marvellous. I was not about
to lose out on the opportunity of capturing all this on film.
Beas Nallah is where I am now, at a little
over 10,700 feet and there are a bunch of locals here who run small eateries.
In their makeshift tents there are beds where one can bunk. As long as one is
not too finicky about hygiene and cleanliness and sharing the quarters with
sundry other people, one is very comfortable. I have slept in these shacks many
times and have always enjoyed it.
As luck would have it, all the shacks (there
are four of them here) were full. The night would have to be out in the open,
with just a tarp sheet preventing us from getting a view of the night sky, and
open on three sides to the elements. There is a lake next to where we are
camping, and it just might rain. It will be cold and I hope the support team
manages the night. Here’s wishing them an adventurer’s night out.
From almost 11,000 feet, at Beas Nallah, this
is me signing off. Good night and sweet dreams to you as I prepare to snuggle
inside my sleeping bag trying to trap all the body heat inside. Cheers.
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