I didn't really know what to expect from Kaza, the main town in the remote Spiti Valley, but I certainly wasn't expecting super fast Internet access and electricity 24/7, so I hung back in Manali an extra day just to chill out and check out of real life for a several hours whilst compulsively scrolling [...]
Category: South Asia
Gurdwaras And Hot Springs
So apparently, Shiva and Parvati were wandering around and happened upon present day Manikaran and because it was beautiful they decided to just chill there for eleven hundred years or so. Shiva was meditating and more than likely enjoying the charas of the region, as Parvati bathed in the water. Anyway, she lost her jewelled [...]
Tosh & The Tiny Glacier
Our hike down from Khirganga finally finished at Barshani where there are dhabas so you can rapidly replace all those calories you just burnt before your body thinks you're attempting something healthy and goes into shock. Our next stop was going to be Tosh which is up a hill. Quelle fucking surprise. You can walk [...]
Up The Hill And Down Again
On account of the fact we were already in Kalga we started the hike up to Khirganga from here, and it wasn't even raining. We headed off as soon as we could to take full advantage of the lack of wet stuff falling from the sky. There are two routes up which eventually converge and [...]
Boom Shankar
We'd been assured that the path down to Kasol was easy, "You just go down down," and it was more used than the Malana to Rashol pass and a guide most definitely wouldn't be needed. We set off in the morning and it was indeed down down. It's slightly less simple than anticipated on account [...]
The Joy Of Mauling All The Things
After spending several hours gleaning the advice of Malanan locals we decided to ignore most of it and hike to Rashol (also spelt Rasol) without a guide, because how hard can it be, right? I mean, as you stand at the top of the village and look towards Rashol Pass you can kinda see where [...]
On Being Perceived As Scum
Malana is a fucking weird little place! We'd read about it and kinda knew what to expect when we rocked up, we knew we weren't allowed to touch anything, but no amount of reading about it will prepare you for it. It's certainly an experience. Women will jump away from you, screaming, and children will [...]
Tiny Trekking
You know when you stumble bleary eyed off an overnight bus, tired and hungry and barely keeping murderous urges in check, and hoards of taxi and tuk tuk drivers besiege the exit of the bus insisting they can take you to where ever you want to go for the best price and your irrational, sleep [...]
Trekking To Triund
After lots of research which basically involved accosting anyone who'd been and demanding to know things, we decided to trust that there would indeed be tent accommodation and food at Triund once we got there and all we needed to bring was snacks, drinks and some warm clothing because it gets nippy up there. Oh, [...]
Adventures In Bhagsu
There are about a thousand things to do in the hippy training camp that is Bhagsu in between saluting the sun and having all the blood rush to your head in a decidedly unpleasant manner as you attempt pre-breakfast yoga. Jess had been teaching me macrame. I'd learned a bit of it in Hampi with [...]