Wander through India

DAY XI – RANGRIK TO KE GOMPA ( 92 KM)

DESTINATION : LANGZA / KE GOMPA/HIKKIM/KIBBER

1. This was second day at the Spiti Valley and the agenda was to visit Langza, KE Monastery and Khibber Village and if possible try to also see the villages of Hikkim and Komic.There had been no power the entire previous day and so our camera batteries were in a dangerously low state but then there was nothing that we could do about it.

2. I topped up the petrol once again as today would be my final day out here and I had an early start tomorrow morning towards Lossar and visit Chandertaal.But coming back to the present day , the first destination was Langza which was situated at a diversion just before Kaza if one approaches from Rangrik towards Kaza.One has to take the upper diversion towards Langza and it is a steep climb all the way and as one approaches the Langza village there is suddenly greenery all around .The prominent feature at Langza is the Buddha statue which is overlooking the mountain ranges with the Chau Chau Kang Nilda peak in the background; the princess mountain on which the sun and moon shine.Langza is at a height of 14435 feet. The Gompa was closed when I reached the place but I was happy to have seen the iconic statue of Lord Buddha in a totally serene and majestic sorrounding.After spending around 30 minutes out there we decided to proceed toward Hikkim but then considering that the car had not been topped up with gear oil since the time I had arrived in Kaza I decided not to go towards Hikkim but rather made my way back towards Ke Gompa .The road to Ke Gompa is quite good and one can see the Spiti river in the distance and even Rangrik village on a clear day.Ke Gompa is situated at a height of 13668 ft and is the biggest monastery in the Spiti Valley and is often called as the" Ajanta of the Himalaya."

3. There were not many tourists out there and we were shown around by one of the monks and thereafter we were offered herbal tea. During the time we were interacting with the monks I came to know that in that region every Tibetan household has to send their second born son to the monastery to lead the life of a monk. This was news to me and as I pondered over it I could see young boys already settling into monastic life at such a young age of around 10-12 years. I regarded the visit to Ke Gompa as a very fulfilling visit and worth every inch of my drive to this region. After spending a considerable time over there we decided to move towards Kibber which has the distinction of being the second highest motorable road in the world at 14200 ft.

4. Kibber is a scenic village and we had lunch out there at Tashi Gong Guest House. There is a village ahead of Kibber which can only be accessed by a rope way and it goes by the name Chicchim.Tashigong too is on a diversion on the way to Kibber but the road is only for SUVs. The sedan just could not attempt and at least in the condition in which I was presently with the gear oil leak I did not even wish to considering the odds at stake.

5. We then proceeded back to Kaza and did some shopping at the local market and from there went to the service centre which gave me the welcome news that the spare had indeed arrived and in the next hour or so we were able to renew the defective part and I had a big smile on my lips seeing the INDOMITABLE back on track.

6. Tomorrow we leave this beautiful valley behind and move towards Lossar and beyond and attempt the daunting Kunzum Pass and the famous nallahs at Chotta Dara and Grampoo.

7. Odometer for the day .Rangrik:57159 – Rangrik: 57251