In “Kalpa” – chillin’ in The Him

We left Shimla for the first leg of our bike trip after a photo call with the hotel staff who wanted to pose with us and our bikes. We started climbing immediately and it lasted for the next couple of hours. I didn’t fel too great after being ill for the previous days, the weather was hot, I was losing fluids by the pint and it was all rather uncomfortable. The road the levelled off as we passed through many little shabby little villages, stopping occasionally for a pepsi, the people were all smiles and waves and a few even stopped us so they could pose for pictures while their freinds snapped us with their mobile phones (yes, they’re everywhere!). I even made the mistake of letting one hyper-active local have a go on my bike, the saddle was way too high, the weight on the bike too heavy, he wobbled up and down the road at which point I caught him and kicked off him off  before he fell over a cliff

We pushed on for a few more miles before the road started to climb again, now I was really feeling the pinch, feeling sick and cramping up. The plan was to ride to a village called Narkanda, but we stopped about 10 miles short, I was wasted and the weather was closing in. We got some food, but i couldn’t eat – I was still sick.

Luckilly we found a cool little place to camp, in the grounds of an upmarket guest house and the owner allowed us to use the kitchen and bathroom facilities. I ended the day on a downer praying to Shiva that i could shake this sickness!

 We started the next day with a steady 10 mile climb to Narkanda, there were frequent roadworks and we were eating dust, I still felt rough and hadn’t slept well in the tent the night before. We rolled in to Narkanda at lunch time, at 2800m we were in the clouds, it was chilly and there was a strong scent of marajuana in the air, with the plants growing everywhere (a sight which has become very common over recent days).

After a few cups of chai we left the clouds of Narkanda and went straight in to a fantastic 20 mile downhill ride, through conifer and ceder forests with monkeys and more marajuana plants , we started to boil as the tempertaure soared from 21 to 35 deg C as we desecended down to 1100m to meet the the Sutlej river, a rapid mud coloured torrent flowing in from Tibet.

We followed the rivero on a tough, up and down road spotted with occasional landslides and rockfalls for about 25 miles until we reached Rampur. I still had a sick stomach and no appetite, I was feeling below par and all I wanted was a bed and sleep. I managed to get some soup down me and slid into bed feeling crap.

I woke up feeling as bad as when i went to sleep, we cycled about 4 miles and we decided to abandon for the day after I was violently sick at the side of the road. I was still ill and needed to get better. We hired a jeep to take us to our next destination “Kalpa” and we decided we were not going to leave until i was fit and ready.

So, as i sit here writing, I’m in beautiful little Kalpa, a Kinnauri tribal village where few white faces are seen and the tibetan looking, earing wearing locals (men and women) observe you with a reserved curiosity. I’ve spent a couple of days sitting on the balcony of our little guesthouse, reading, chilling and catching glimpses of the holy mountain Kinner Kailash, 6000 meters in all it’s glory, a glory which rarely reveals itself due to the monsoon clouds. I feel much better now, my appetite is returning and I’m even considering eating a curry later. I’ve had my first beer in 5 days and the only beer i could get was a super-strong “Zingaro” – the label reads like this…..

“for thousands of years we have seen brave men ride horses. We have heard their stories of courage, pride and hard fought victories. Zingaro strong beer is a celebration of these victories. It has the strength of 100 horses. And the spirit of brave men. Men like you.”….

We are heading off to the Spiti valley in the next day or two out of the monsoon cloud and into the desert, where the mountains are huge and the skies are bigger – Zingaro! – I’m taking a six-pack!

until the next time.

some pics….

Kalpa – view from balcony

Kalpa – view from balcony 2

Rekong – village next to kalpa