2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 6: Killer Kaza To Majestic Manali

Day 6

To my amazement, we were all ready to roll at 5.15am. This was the closest we’d come to our predefined departure times throughout the trip. When I glanced at the infotainment screen, which was glare-free at that moment, it read 8 degree Celsius at the bottom and ‘3 Peg - Sherry Mann’ in the middle. In my defence, you need energetic songs to stay active during the wee hours. Moreover, our convoy’s overgrown affection for the song made me fall for it all over again. 

Another unwelcome development was a tyre pressure warning light that popped up in the instrument cluster. It was the first time that the car demanded attention. After a quick physical inspection, we found the tyres to be fine and were conveniently asked to ignore the warning by the support team.

After completing the rest of the checklist - headlights and radio on - we hit the road running to complete a 235km drive to our final stop in Manali. Our first scheduled stop was at Kunzum pass, which, at 15,060 feet, was the highest point that our herd would cross. By the time we got there, the sun had been out for at least a couple of hours and thanks to it, we could clearly see the snow-clad mountains. It was the first time that the view on all sides was dominated by white mountains and not sandy or rocky ones. To add some icing on the cake, literally, there was a light snowfall as well.

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A tasty breakfast was overwhelmed with a cup of tea that dethroned the one I had in Komik village. It was a cup of tea-coloured lukewarm water with no taste resemblance to the concept of what is commonly accepted as tea. Gutted to the core, I went to visit the establishment at the centre of the area. It was like a temple but since it didn’t have any godly figures in it, you couldn’t call it one. What it did have was a superstitious belief on a stone that has magnetic powers. We were asked to just place a coin on the stone and leave it. If it sticks, the gods above will listen to you and if it doesn’t, you can keep trying. Mine didn’t stick but it rolled down on the other side and kicked down a coin to place itself. Not sure what to make of it!

At around 9.45am, we started our journey towards Chandratal, which meant taking a detour from the road that leads to Manali. Right before we reached there, a radio call came from our convoy lead saying: “We’ll be parking our cars around 2km away from the lake as there is no track that leads there.” After the brutal track that brought us to the car park, it was time to step out and do some more drooling.

The walking trek that led towards the lake wasn’t very steep and hence everyone went for it. The Chandratal Lake, which is also known as the Moon Lake, was like a hidden jewel in the deserted place. The water was so clear that we could see the lake bed. Also, it was so cold that we couldn’t feel our hands for about 20 minutes after touching it.

At around 12:30pm, the convoy started the return leg to join the main road, which was still tar-less. Up until now, the ride had introduced us to all the possible squeaks and noises that a car’s cabin can make on its own. I think if you use the word tarmac here, locals would probably die laughing. We were so in tune with the place and the experience of it that if a smoother driving surface momentarily greeted us, we felt out of place!

The traumatic drive towards Batal village, home to our lunch halt, took nearly two hours before we were given a much-needed break. A small eating joint known as Chacha Chachi Chandra Dhabha treated us with delicious raajma chawal, daal chawal and Maggi noodles. The dhaba operates for only four months in a year, serving food and arranging accommodation for travellers, until winter stomps the place with its sub-zero degree vengeance.

Serving people since 1970, the duo who runs the place are also known as the saviour couple of Spiti. Why? In mid-2010, a heavy snowfall in the region rendered 106 tourists stuck, out of which 37 weren’t Indian nationals. In a situation where snow outside the dhaba was as deep as 4.5 feet, and with a Delhi boy on the verge of leaving to the heavens, the couple kept everyone warm and well fed for eight whole days. That’s when the rescue team arrived. A similar situation occurred in the year 1998 as well, when the godsend duo saved the lives of 48 tourists. Respect!

While I was covered with goosebumps on learning the heroic stories, I was bombarded with a bad piece of news. The roads, I was told by the support team, will get worse from here. In my head, I couldn’t even comprehend a level lower to what we had driven through to get to Batal. As soon as we started driving, we were told that the path that leads to Manali wasn’t really a road. It was a dried-up riverbed that also features in the Raid De Himalaya rally. And you know what, the support team was right. The discomfort levels were off the charts. But we bore it all and so did the car.

The torture only came to a stop when we joined the Manali-Leh highway and started to climb towards Rohtang Pass. Since it was raining in the area and the light was fading fast, I couldn’t relive the beauty of Rohtang. After crossing Rohtang, in a village called Gulaba, our mobile phones came to life. We made out stop for tea, which I skipped based on the trend analysis, in a town called Marhi. From there, the drive to the hotel in Manali took about one hour and in that drive, I was astonished how the Scorpio still felt as tight and as comfortable as it did on the first day of expedition. Frankly speaking, I was floored by it.

It was only by 8.30pm that the convoy started to roll into the Jimmy Johnson hotel in Manali. We had been on the move, albeit with a few stops, for about 15 hours. I was broken and so were many others. And although many partied in a room somewhere in the hotel’s premises, I called it a night as soon as I checked in.

Part 1: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 1: Cheerful Chandigarh To Neat Narkanda

Part 2: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 2: Neat Narkanda To Serene Sangla

Part 3: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 3: Serene Sangla To Nippy Nako

Part 4: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 4: Nippy Nako To Killer Kaza

Part 5: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 5: Spiti Valley Explored

Part 7: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 7: A Day In Manali And Then Back To Chandigarh