Staying high

The number of military posts increased and we knew that we were as close as never before to Tibet (goosebumps!), but all we could see were mighty snowy peaks on the other side of the Spiti...and one ahead which we weren’t aware of but had to climb. Luckily we met two friendly Indians who pulled us half the way up till we saw a nice spot to pitch our tent. They simply attached our bikes to their motorbikes with ropes - what an amazing idea, and what a relaxed ride!

At the back of our minds there was a subtle disgust against the heat down in the plains, and some fear of the chaos we expected of Delhi...but we knew that we had to go there in about 2 weeks. Thus, we tried to spend as much time as possible as high up in the mountains as possible these days.

We found Nako and Kalpa to be great places to do this and spend a lot of time there, took some days off from cycling, relaxed, went for walks through the orchards, talked to the locals and enjoyed spectacular views of the holy Shiva Peak (Kinnur Kailash at 6050m).

By the way, when we described the local agriculture and the accurate fields, we forgot to mention the huge apple orchards and clever irrigation channels they’ve built. However, the farmers are talking about the climate change they are suffering from. There has been a lack of snow in the increasingly warmer winters since a few years, causing a lack of water in the summers and shrinking glaciers. The Himalayas are the area where the recent drinking water problems of India start...Read more