Sumdo – Kaurik –
Lepcha – Sumdo – Gue – Tabo – Kaza
Overnight, my painful
diarrhea didn’t let me sleep and made me visit the rest room multiple times. My
brother asked about my condition in the morning at which I replied negative and
he promptly requested for onsite Nursing Assistant who observed my tongue and
gave me ORS along with Norcin TZ for my stomach cramps. I had just puked while
trying to brush so skipped the shave and bath routine going directly to the
toast-chai plate.
 |
| Looking North from Sumdo |
 |
| Looking South from Sumdo |
 |
| Diarrhea is not a Good Sickness to pick when Travelling |
 |
| Dining Hall & Lounge |
The 2IC Sir
definitely must have been surprised at seeing us ready “before” 08:00 and
instructed the Chef to keep the breakfast ready by 09:00 till we return from
Kaurik. I balked at the one hour return estimate and enquired with him but he
shrugged like it was nothing for him. We were already getting jitters at
knowing the fact that he himself would need to go to show us the Border Post.
We kept silent and just waited ready on the main road for his next
instructions.
And to our big
surprise, he himself took the driving wheel and cruised past the bifurcation
towards Kaurik. We had kept our expectations low that we’d be able to see
Kaurik only but not Lepcha. However, as we left the Kaurik – 0 Milestone, our
souls silently regaled from within, at the thought of reaching Lepcha very
soon. And technically, the road did not even end at Lepcha. It went to the Left
of the Border Ridge for a village and a U-Turn separate road. He said after
taking the U-turn: “Look that is the Border Post. Make it Quick.”
We jumped at the
realization and then out of the Blue Gypsy running almost at the historic
moment of our lives towards the Border Post. Running in our minds – our actual
on-ground speed was a meager 3 kmph though. As we entered the Lepcha border
post, the memories from internet pictures flashed in front of me and I started
comparing. I kept touching the point markers all around as if recalling them from
my last visit here in my previous life. As my brother was cleared by an
Assistant to click pictures of the Tibetan Villages Ghumar & Churup, the
2IC Sir entered the post forbidding the Camera. Hence, no pictures!
We were briefed
about the situation, circumstances and other usual things about the Chinese by
the ITBP personnel present there and even pointed us to a Chinese JCB clearing
the rubble to make way for the road. As we turned around, we just kept
relishing the moment that we were in. Since we were being driven around by such
a senior official, we could not gather the courage to ask him to stop at Lepcha
– 0 milestone or Kaurik – 0 milestone. Albeit, the ice broke and the talking
started on our way back as he even braked the car very hard to show us an Ibex.
We again jumped outside the gypsy but the ibex was gone down the cliff. We
chased it and caught a glimpse but could not get a picture.
Sir then
continued to tell us the legend of the Sugar Point which tells about a sepoy
shouting “Chini Aaye Chini Aaye” of which his British Officer asked for
translation and the other Indian officer translated “Sugar has come. Sugar has
come.” And hence, the Sugar point came to be known so because the Chinese Army
had proceeded to this point. In fact, after visiting there, we came to know
that the Road and Indian territory ended at Sugar Point after Kaurik where you
can see the original International Border Fence and that is why the Road
Chainage officially ends at Kaurik. Later during the 1960s, the territory from
Kaurik to Lepcha was captured from China (We were surprised ourselves at this
fact considering we always take Indian Army lightly as compared to the People’s
Liberation Army of China).
Upon our return,
we joined the Officers’ table for Breakfast as the team prepared to patrol
their road segment today. After a quick picture, 2IC Sir appointed a local to
accompany us up to Gue Village to ensure we get the temple key beforehand and
we did from a lady of the village. The 2 people on a road cabling job assignment
who had taken a hitch-hike with us from Sumdo to Kaza expressed their
overwhelmed shock at visiting the Gue Mummy. The village itself seemed like a
quaint place to live.
 |
| Rotating the Head-Girl's Wheel at Gue Village |
 |
| Gue Mummy |
 |
| Gue Mummy |
 |
| Our Horse atop Gue Temple Citadel |
 |
| The Sumdo BRO Employee & The Head-Girl of Gue Village |
 |
| Gue Village from Gue Temple |
 |
| Gue Dwar |
 |
| Gue to Tabo |
 |
| Rohtang Top showing its Name for the First Time at Tabo |
Continuing our
journey, we reached Tabo at 13:00 and as we made our way to the Monastery, we
found it closed. We were already quite tired – probably not with just today –
but with the trip and needed rest (especially me with the diarrhea). This was
the primary reason that I had requested my brother to skip Dhankar, Mud &
Langza and straight away get to Kaza today. Having made up our mind to skip the
closed Tabo monastery also, somebody told us that it was closed for Lunch till
14:00. We used this time to have a Thukpa lunch at the Monastery Guest House
and try locating the Forest Station about which I had heard from one of my
Uncles-in-Law who had once been stationed at the Lari Station.
 |
| Estd AD 996 |
 |
| Tabo Monastery |
 |
| Sachinji pointing to the Ancient Tabo Caves on the Cliff |
 |
| Thukpa Lunch at Tabo Monastery Guest House |
 |
| Time to Cross the Spiti: Tabo Bridge |
I was,
meanwhile, struggling with my ORS water bottle and coverless Camera when our
wait was finally answered by a harried monk at 14:30. Here, I want to share
with you, a thought that came to my mind after observing 3 monks who entered
the Monastery Guest House for their afternoon Tea with Sunglasses and Large
mobile phones in their hands (one of them was the latest iPhone). I later
remarked “I take priesthood (any religion) as a life-choice of sacrifice or as
a practice of contentment – limit tending to zero needs. I might be wrong but
somehow the swanky shades and large smart phones do not match up with a
content/sacrificial life. I also recall a monk whom I had observed at Leh
Shanti Stupa back in 2007 helping a young Caucasian woman climb the staircase
openly flirting with her. To me, this was very close to the kind of blasphemy I
have observed in Hindu Temples and Muslim Mosques since childhood and have
developed an aversion towards them since then. Is this religious treason
catching up on Buddhism as well? Albeit, I have always argued that hunger is
the most supreme power of all – so much that it forces a Buddhist non-believer
in violence kill the available animal for food in harsh non-arable terrains”
 |
| Spiti carving out the Landscape before Kaza |
 |
| Don't Be Gama in the Land of Lama |
 |
| Neat Structure before Shichling |
Coming back to
our journey, it was a good fulfillment to finally take a complete round of
monastery. Not a fan of paintings, I tried to instill their importance in me by
imagining the number of years they have endured. Driving along the Spiti and
appreciating the uncountable Sarchu-like eroded formations, we soon came across
the Kaza Gate and the Authorized Maruti Service Station adjacent to the BRO
Camp. As directed, we proceeded directly to the Kay Cee Lodge opposite the
Monastery and unloaded into the best room on the GF itself, just in time. This
was to be our base for the next 3 nights.
 |
| Eroded Cliffs before Kaza |
 |
| Welcome to Kaza! |
As soon as we settled in, there seemed to be a
barrage of young hitch-hikers reaching Kaza from different part of North India.
Not very late into the evening, the 2IC Sir walked into our Lodge to bid a
final goodbye for the trip. Late into the evening when the power had departed,
the travelers got talking in the candle light. We met a young girl, Yeshaswini,
a doctor couple’s daughter from Delhi along with her 4 male friends cribbing
about how none of her female friends joined her for such an arduous trip. We
met 3 young men, cousins, from different towns of Punjab – Bathinda, Morinda
& Patiala – wearing shorts in 10°C, who had hitch-hiked their way for free
from Chandigarh till Kaza. Yeshaswini joined Ritesh (the temporary cook at the
Lodge) in the kitchen while others chalked out a fund-raising plan to sponsor
their onward trek to ChandraTal and their return home. It was an awareness hour
for me realizing that one does not need the money or a detailed plan for
traveling – just the will! We retired in complete darkness for the day, blowing
out the candles, to rest for a journey that had been so good so far.
