Kinnaur Spiti Lahaul Exploring In Paradise

The  road passes through thick forest and wildlife abounds even at the roadside. At  this point I’d stopped to observe vultures devouring a buffalo that had fallen  over the edge higher up.

No:  5 Takes an engine-cooling break. Jalori is one of the longest steepest passes I’ve  ridden in N India.

Village  houses perched on steep mountain sides, built of wood and stone to withstand  harsh winters.

Near clear  skies en-route to Sarahan home of the BhimaKali Temple, rich in wood carvings  and with its unique stone and wood – earthquake-proof construction.

The  Bhimakali Temple with characteristic Indian Lamp Post positioned just to get in  the way of a nice photo. Would you like to stay in the Temple?

Further up the Satluj river the road narrows in places to create these carved out sections. The drop to the river base is too deep to contemplate.

Local  lifestyles have changed little in this valley, until recent developments of  apple orchards and tourism local people lead very simple lives.

Another  section of cliff-hanger road. This particular section was hairy enough to make  me get off and think about it before riding on!

In the distance apple orchards cling to the edge of dusty mountain sides. The apples are packed in the orchards and sent by cable in boxes across the valley to waiting trucks and jeeps.

Nako is probably the most beautiful village in all India or so I thought to myself when I first went there. Staying in the tented camp here is camping deluxe and was the obvious choice for me.

The  road follows the river on the right side, you can just see the road disappearing  in a notch lower down.

Spiti  Valley coming, gradually the scenery changes, the trees thin to nothing and  desert starts its imposition.

Until  Ki monastery appears, perched as they are in these parts atop a rocky peak.

Beyond  the pass, Kusum La behind, ahead lies an empty wilderness, no road and the odd  broken truck.

Rocky  road surfaces test your riding skills, jar your bones and invite punctures every  minute of the way. This is a place in which to ride with care.

I stopped  for tea with this truck crew, while the ‘truck helper’ changed a burst tyre. They  had hauled the digger all the way from Palampur, at a cost of 80,000 rupees.

The  Chandra River valley, remote, barren and beautiful.

Entering  Lahaul, small fields of peas hang precariously on the edge of nothing. Rhotang La is still a long way off.