On the Buddha Trail (3) ::::::Nako
Here's a 3rd one, after the first two :On the Buddha Trail (1) ::::::Tabo
On the Buddha Trail (2) ::::::Kibber
The bus reached Kaza in an hour's time from Kibber, and was heading to Nako and we decided to further our travels.
However, the bus had trouble with its gearbox and we had wait for sometime while it got fixed. The only thought I had at the moment was to thank someone, for having reached Kaza in one piece.
Savoured hot cups of chai and glucose biscuits as we waited for the bus to get fixed but after 2 hours both the driver and mechanic decided that they couldn't do a quick fix and all of us had to transfer to another bus.
The journey from Kaza to Nako takes about 4hours or so and passes through some really beautiful sceneries of rugged mountains with patches of green in between and glimpses of first snow at a distance.The bus also stops at the Tabo busstop on the way.
Both (Gottfried and me) were the only tourists from Kaza but some Swiss girls got up at Tabo and were also heading to Nako. On the way the bus stopped for a nice lunch break at a roadside dhaba.
The bus had some tough terrian to cover with a broken down lorry and only an inch of space to pass it and also some tough landslide filled roads with loose rocks and one mistake would have meant a drop down 1000s of feet. I had a few really scary moments initially or got the fear pangs, but I started having full faith in these drivers when I realised it's not just my life but their's and 50 other passengers at stake.
These drivers would beat any F1 driver any given day. I was also really impressed by the Govt. bus system available everywhere at really low costs and the drivers doing a fabulous job driving under tough conditions and expecting very little in return.
The bus reached Nako around 4pm and immediately one is transported into another vision of heaven, just like other places. We had to walk a bit from the bus station in search of the Guesthouses and the travelers along with me were feeling the effect of the altitude with breathlessness, thankfully I was o.k.Suddenly, there was a rush for rooms with travelers/tourists having descended into Nako , with bunch of jeeps and 6 of us from bus trying to get rooms. Walked around and the usual rooms that would cost around 200Rs were being let out for 400Rs. However, walking around a bit and asking some locals led me to a new guesthouse with 2 rooms which was available for 250Rs and with no other place in sight both me and Gottfried , my travelling partner for few days took it up.
We kept our backpacks in our rooms and headed to the Nako Monastery. The village with a population of around 400 and a monastery which is more than 800 years old has a place in history. The stark and simple exterior of the Monastery will surprise you when you see the beautiful naturally pained murals inside.The monastery main gate was closed but as we walked around the village I saw a lady outside her house and spoke to her. She welcomed us inside her house, that was built the traditional way and was really warm inside and was such a welcome change from the freezing cold outside. She added more firewood to the chulah and made some tea and puri's for us. It was such a nice gesture from a total stranger, I don't see it happen in the cities i travel in!! She had her granddaughter Jyoti (the spitians have a hindu and a Tibetan name) with her. I took a few pics. of them and have promised to send it to them since she none(She wasn't literate but I was able to get the address the next day from another neighbour) . After the chai, she took us to the Gompas, opened it up and walked us to each of the Gompa where she lit the evening lamp. I remember my grandmother doing the same every evening as the sunset. Photography is again prohibited inside and one gets transported to centuries old paintings that have stood the test of time. That night food ran out at the restaurant with too many travellers around, and we had to survive on instant soup. For all the stereotypes of only few folks being loud and boisterous, we found a bunch of really loud Belgians at the resturant spoiling the silence and beauty of this place.
I could hardly sleep that night (It was really cold and moist) , it was only the next morning that I realised that the rooms which were new had cemented walls that were still moist and not ready.
We wanted to attend the early morning monastery prayers but when we reached there around 6AM, it was still closed and so we walked around the rustic little village with tiny little lanes. It was again freezing cold and none of the chai shops(2-3 only) were open, however like the previous day a villager suddenly called us into his house for tea. I was again overwhelmed by these villagers , who live such a basic and rustic life and still have such warmth in them.We met the three generations of the family all staying in a room that turned into a kitchen as well. These houses built the old way were much warmer than the modern cement guesthouse that we stayed in .
The grandmother took out some vegetable momos and biscuits as well.
As we walked around after a much awaited morning cup of tea and snacks we discovered some of the century old houses and tiny lanes and very friendly people.There were also some kids playing cricket early morning.
The lake that we came across wasn't that huge, though had heard some travellers mentioning that earlier.
We spent some more time exploring Nako and decided to head out later that day since the room wasn't very comfortable and no other available. I only wish I could have spent some more time there. I just loved the village and the people there. It's such an ideal life there !!
We took a bus to Rekong Peo that took around 6hrs . We reached there late evening along with the swiss girls and I had to decide whether to goto Sangla or some place. I decided not to head to Sangla and to proceed to Simla (main bus hub) first and then decide on a further destination. Gottfried also decided on the same and we both decided not to stay at Rekong Peo after having seen the place and Guesthouse from outside.So we took the next bus to Simla that took us another 10hours. It was a little tough traveling for almost the entire day in those buses ,on the tough and sometimes non-existent roads but I survived it :)
Checked into a Guesthouse in Simla once we reached . It wasn't the ideal one and just hated the people,chaos, traffic and the insistent request for rooms and potters as we walked around Simla. I was surprised to have heard it as a tourist destination.The bus station was also a bit chaotic and also very crowded. We decided to head out as fast we could, I got my tickets to Dharmsala and Gottfried to Delhi from where he would decide on his next destination with another month in India. He drew me a map of MacLeod and also told me the nearby places I could hike to and visit. Really very helpful. There ended some wonderful days spent traveling from Kibber. Who knows our paths might cross again someday!
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