A very belated post, for a birthday back in July, but needs to be documented. Had a fantastic dinner at Cocotte, menu specially put together by Head Chef Anthony Yeoh. No one does chicken as well as he does!

 

This does not happen. Daddy carrying a child!  MUST.DOCUMENT.PHOTO.EVIDENCE!

Cookyn with Mervyn is now known as just Cookyn Inc.

Came across some photos on my computer with the girls earlier this year.

 On the menu

1. Pesto and butter escargots

2. Mushroom mille-feuille

3. Pan fried dory

4, Chocolate and berry tart

 

 

Danli & I got great Bali 2-to-go deal on Singapore Airlines, so we jumped at the opportunity to get out of the island for a long weekend of just doing nothing.

We were graciously hosted by Mark, good friend of sisters Jaclynn and Angie. Us four girls in a room equates to alot of gossiping, laughs and heart-to-hearts. Simple holiday with good company.

 

 

To past time in the car, we talk, share ghost stories from our university days, play dai-di, snack, sleep and play CHARADES!

Conclusion: Tobs will never make a penny as a mime.

Time to say goodbye to India. It wasn’t bittersweet, just bitter. Life is so much simpler and basic in India, I wasn’t looking forward to going back to the 9-5 worker bee life in the concrete jungle. It was only 9 days, but we really packed a lot of things into those 9 days.

 

Top experiences in no particular order:

• Water rafting in Manali
• Zorbing with Roh at Solang Nola
• Horticulture lesson on Marijuana
• Waking up in the morning on the balcony of a guesthouse in Banjar
• Amazing views on Nako Valley
• Paragliding

And so this was it. En route – Singapore.

With the amount of commentary, photos, videos and information about India, it sounds like I’m an ambassador for Incredible India! or Jet Airways! I should have been. Otherwise a host for a travel documentary?! For now, my few loyal readers are my audience. Thanks for sticking around. More travel journals coming up on Bali, Sikkim, Laos and Bintan.

Roh wanted to treat us for a good lunch on the last day, but because we weren’t dressed appropriately, we got turned away from the Oberoi in Shimla. Plan B was the Radisson Hotel, where I saw all the Royal Enfields.

 

We reached Delhi in the evening. We returned the rented car, bid farewell and tipped Sooki our driver, travelled to our homestay to drop off our bags and then headed to a nearby arcade for dinner.

Last meal before we were on the plane back to Singapore, we all decided to go to a nice Indian restaurant. By India’s standard, this place was considered posh! Our meal only came up to about S$25 per person and we still had A LOT leftover, which we then packed and fed the hungry stray dogs outside

We reflected on the amazing time we shared, the highs and the lows. Can’t believe me and Elz were flying off the next morning already!

 

Parked at the lobby of the Radisson Hotel Shimla were close to 50 Royal Enfields. These bikes are like the adventure traveller’s dream! Cross country bike tour on a such a legacy piece of machinery.

 

Royal Enfield motorcycles had been sold in India from 1949. In 1955, the Indian government looked for a suitable motorcycle for its police and army, for use patrolling the country’s border. The Bullet was chosen as the most suitable bike for the job.

The original english company ceased production in 1970 and the company was dissolved in 1971. But not beforeiIn 1956, Enfield of India started assembling Bullet motorcycles under licence from UK components, and by 1962 were manufacturing complete bikes.

Enfield of India bought the rights to use the Royal Enfield name in 1995. Royal Enfield production, based in Chennai, continues and Royal Enfield is now the oldest motorcycle brand in the world still in production with the Bullet model enjoying the longest motorcycle production run of all time.

Source: Wikipedia

I would love to travel cross country ala ‘Che’ on his La Poderosa (“The Mighty One”). And the only reasons why I’m not on the next plane out doing a motorcycle tour are:

1. I don’t have a license

2. Motorcycles in general puts you in high risk of getting really hurt in an accident.

3. You need years of experience to handle Himalayan road scenarios

4. My parents would kill me before I can set foot on the plane.

Mountain biking is as close to it as I can get.

I can dream. Maybe one day.

 

…you have friends like us! Lesson learnt Roh, never leave your camera unattended

It’s time to leave paa-para-paradise.

 

Onwards!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*UPDATE – Embedded a new video at the bottom of this post.

After the morning trek and some well-deserved breakfast, we walked down the road to get the tourism tent. A few plastic chairs, a table and some brochures make up the village “tourism office”. For a small fee, we can get a guide to take us around to the important monuments and sites in Nako.

 

Nako is really like how described it “a green oasis in Spiti’s high altitude desert”. Here’s some nice-to-know facts:

• The potato fields of the village sustains the local population.
• Tourism is becoming their new means of livelihood
• the lone school has plenty of kids but seems to have problems finding teachers willing to work there.

source: India Travel Blog

 

We were in Nako at a good time, during their short summer season from June-September. Time for cultivation of food grains, livestock for the long winters ahead. Cultivation is difficult due to its harsh conditions, but people have found a way to make it work. Summer is the best time to visit Nako, and the villagers have catered to the influx of tourism by opening up homestays as part of its community-based eco tourism.

 

Our first stop was Nako Lake, a small but beautiful milky green holy lake. The water was still, mirroring the granduer of the mountains behind the village houses. It freezes in winter and ice skating is enjoyed on this lake. With what sort of skates? I have no idea. Nako Lake is a pilgrim destination for Buddhists.

 

Our guided walk took us to noted sacred sites in the village including little nooks and caves which have been visited by known lamas and saints. Near the lake there is a footprint-like impression ascribed to the saint Padmasambhava. Apparently there is a waterfall nearby which has snow water falling like a river of milk. Legend says that it is a heavenly realm of fairies.

 

 

 

It was incredibly peaceful walking through the small village. Life was simple and traditional. Gompa’s, donkeys, people working fields. Housing architecture are mostly made out of stone, and some pathways are lined with prayer stones.

 

 

The Nako Monastery, situated in the village was allegedly founded by Ringchen Zangpo in 996 AD. But in recent years, a new temple was built. Entry is free, donations are appreciated.

Travel Tip: Respect

Always walk clock-wise around temples and chortens, and keep your right side facing them. Don’t touch them with your left hand. Nako doesn’t see much tourist traffic so tread lightly and be discreet and polite.

Source: Wikitravel

 

It almost didn’t feel like a guided tour, until we were taken to a souvenir shop. But we were fine with it. They don’t get much traffic up here, and it’s their source of livelihood. We had a long chat with the owner pictured below.

Time was then running short. I bought some prayer flags and beads for Mike who I thought would appreciate the gift and its origins. Can’t believe our trip was coming to an end so quickly.

 

*Update – I’ve added a video at the end of this post. No music. Just raw sound from the footage.

Hello world! Where have I been? I almost forgot my login to the blog! Business resumes, next day in India.

It’s Day 7 and we had long journey back to Delhi. We needed to do massive mileage if we wanted to catch our flight the next morning. We decided not to sleep in for too long and ventured around camp for a morning trek up the mountain/hill.

Right outside our guesthouse/tents were several rocky paths that led upwards towards the peak. Not knowing where it would lead us, we just kept walking with the goal in mind to reach some Chortens (Stupas) we saw from afar.

Roh had woken up way before us and was already at the top waiting for us. Elz wanted to sleep in a bit longer and enjoy the view from the tents. Tobs went solo so that leaves me and Sas to find our way up there. We laced up our boots, packed some water, and started climbing.

It looked a lot easier than it seemed. The first 30mins seemed OK. There was definitely a shortness of breath due to the altitude and thiness of the air. And because the incline was steep, it was not long before we felt a bit giddy. We took a couple of breaks just to make sure we were hydrated and we were OK to carry on. Those breaks gave us a great opportunity to stop and look around and breathe in the crisp morning air.

You will not get anything as clean as this. Unpolluted, fresh Himalayan air.

 

 

Steps of pea shoot fields. Organic at its best.

 

 

Finally we reached the Chortens. We swivelled around to look at the view and Oh my gawd, it absolutely took my breath away.

 

It was one of the most beautiful views I have EVER seen in my life. The pictures below are not filtered at all, and even then, it’s not doing justice to the real thing. If it’s anything, THIS view has made every hurdle, obstacle and setbacks on this trip worth it. I could have shed a tear.

Nature is so so beautiful. Why did it take me so long to reconnect with you! I had a moment then. You can call it spiritual or perhaps a high altitude delirium, but I felt at peace and one with the universe.

Till today, I would sometimes close my eyes and imagine that spot again. It brings me so much peace.

 

We stayed there for awhile, in silence. Watched the clouds roll across the range.

 

 

I’ve been going through bouts of depression for the past few years, and it was only that moment that I realised the healing quality of nature, and how it was able to lift all that burden and negative energy away.

 

 

Casualties during the trek. The sole of my boot came off. Thank goodness this happened on the last day of the trip and I still had a pair of chucks for the last leg of the journey. Got these boots about 10yrs ago for a trek to Nepal, holidaying in the UK and now through adventures in India.

 

Nature, our place in the universe and the circle of life:

Yea, I am one with all I see,

With wind and wave, with pine and palm;

Their very elements in me

Are fused to make me what I am.

Through me their common life-stream flows,

And when I yield this human breath,

In leaf and blossom, bud and rose,

Live on I will….

There is no Death.

~ Robert Service

 

THIS was the BEST day of our trip. It was a sweet surprise at how beautiful this place was. It was like uncovering a hidden treasure.

The day started off really early with us packing up the car and heading back down to Reckong Peo to get our border passes sorted.

For those wanting to travel near the borders of India and Tibet, you need to get clearance from the tourist office. The problem is, there is no guarantee. Whether you get the pass depends on the whether the chief officer is in to sign the papers, and even if he is in, whether he is in a good mood to approve it or not.

This didn’t bode well with our plans. We already detoured once with the Rohtang Pass being blocked, we couldn’t afford another day of delays if we were going to get back to Delhi in time for our flight out of India. So we had to work out plan B just in case.

We got the the tourist office, got the paperwork done, provided our passport photocopies and photos, now all we could do is wait. There were about 5 other groups of travellers who were waiting for the approval. One Israeli family said they have been waiting since yesterday!

 

 

 

 

 

While waiting, we played cards, had breakfast, went into the square and threw the rugby ball around. This was when we started gathering a crowd. Little kids from the top of the hill came down and watched, itching to be part of the fun. So we asked them all to join us!

Soon we had a circle of about 20 kids and adults in the game. It was wonderful to hear the laughter and see the smiles on their faces. It was then I had my ‘moment’ of realization on what I wanted to do in my life in terms of a career. More on that in a future post.

A few hours had passed, and we had our lucky break. Chief officer was coming into the office today, and he gave us an ok to proceed!

 

 

 

 

 

So we drove…and drove. And as we drove further up the mountains, something amazing happened. It was like we crossed into a different dimension. The sky turned a magnificent deep cobalt blue, the sun rays between the clouds made it feel like the universe was lighting the way to paradise. And to all of our absolute surprise and amazement, we truly felt like we have reached paradise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing prepared us for the beauty we experienced that day. I guess it’s because we DIDN’T google image the place, it WASN’T part of the plan, and we had NO expectations. We found a great guesthouse overlooking the mountain range called Kinnaur House.

 

 

 

 

Nako (3600m) is a small village in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India. It lies in the sensitive restricted zone along the border with Tibet, hence why we required an Inner Line Permit to travel through. That, coupled with its remote location and limited tourist infrastructure, makes it a little-visited but rewarding destination.

 

Kinnaur guesthouses were actually tents. Not camping tents, but more like luxury permanent tents. They were huge and made out of canvas. The tents looked like they were custom made, even allowing for an extension at the back for the toilet. You unzip the tent and inside was a large king sized bed, rattan chairs and a dresser. Walk in further and there is another zipped door that reveals the bathroom which is semi-outdoor. There is a cold water tap, sink, and a seated toilet.

 

There were chairs outside the tents which faced the mountains, and we all just sat there, silent, absolutely dumb-founded that we had discovered this place.

 

It’s hard for me to describe everything in a blog post, i admit i’m not a creative writer, but I try my best to paint the picture for you as best as i can with all my senses.

Eyes: I did something different for this post. I just could not bear to put them into a collage and cut the size by half. These pictures had to be displayed in full glory as it deserves.

 

 

Sounds: Light wind causes the wheat in the field just a few metres below us to whistle, while it’s being tendered by a mother while her child plays among the grass. You hear the mother shout out to the hills above, and soon you’d hear a reply from another woman, and yet another. But it wasn’t an angry shout, it almost sounded melodic, like they were singing a hillsong. And the others echoed the reply in song.

 

 

Feel: It’s chilly, and the cool breeze rummages through your hair every few seconds. The sun is just setting, but it still casts a warmth on your face to keep you comfortable.

 

Smell: fresh and crisp. There’s no vehicle in sight, no garbage pill or stagnant drain. The only smell is of a hint of burning firewood from the kitchens cooking up plates of delicious momos.

 

Before the sun sets, we decided to take a short trek to one of the high points near the guesthouse. Remember when you’re trekking, don’t just look down on the ground. Stop, and look around. I think many times I forget that it’s not about getting to the top, but to savour as much of the journey up.

 

When we reached the top, there were strings and strings of prayer flags flapping in the wind. And slowly the sun set behind us and the moon and stars appeared.

 

 

 

 

Time to head back down to our guesthouse before it gets too dark to walk down. Hardly any light here after dark.

 

Back at the guesthouse, we were the only group in the dining hall. We ordered hot momos, soups and curry and ended the day around the campfire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just before we turned in for the night, we all played a few rounds of cards with wide grins on our faces recollecting what a fantastic day we had. Here’s a video which captured most of the day’s activities.

Roh and Tobs discuss who gets which side of the bed.

The next leg was the long drive from Jalori Pass to Reckong Peo and Kalpa. We spent so much time in the car, I’m glad we had moments to get out and stretch and take photos.

One might say it’s silly to be stuck in the car all day, but unfortunately to get to the beautiful places, it’s always a bit more difficult to get to. Today, what we thought would be a scenic day of driving on fairly good roads turned into a dusty, disheartening affair.

The first part of the journey was fine, lots of trees, hills, and friendly villagers. Then after awhile past the Jalori Pass, the rivers were now a murky grey or light brown in colour? It was only after a few km upstream we realised it was coming from the giant hydro-dam construction. The construction went on for kilometres, roads were in terrible conditions; pot-holed, rocky and dusty. You can’t open your windows because you would have hotdust-boxed your car.

It’s quite sad that huge companies are destroying the landscape with the construction of dams. There are arguments for and against such developments; social, economic and environmental, but what we saw today was just a sad process to see kilometres of countryside swept away by eroded banks. What it will look like in a couple of years? I don’t know.

We reached Reckong Peo in the late afternoon, checking in at the Tourist Information centre to find out situation about hill passes for our next leg. Reckong Peo, also simply known as Peo by the locals, is the capital of Kinnaur district at a height of 2,290 metres from sea level.

Next on our list, is finding somewhere to stay. We drove up some more to a little town called Kalpa and settle on a hotel called Hotel Royal Voyages. It was basic, but clean enough for a nights sleep. It had fantastic views of the snow clad Kinaur Kailesh peaks, and was quiet, away from the bustle of the town below.

Before we turned in for the night, we all took a late night stroll in pitch black up the path. We found a nice spot where we sat on a ledge, laid down, one hand behind our heads, the other holding a bottle of local beer. We laid there chatting, and watched the shooting stars.

By the end of the day, I was absolutely spent. The picture below says it all.

Clan Stuart or Stewart
When i went to Scotland a few years back, we did a bit of research on our family tartan colours. My great great grandfather was a scotsman from the Royal Stewarts Clan, so I did a bit of googling and found our colours.

The history of the Stewarts clan is amazing! Way way waayyy down the bloodline, is Mary Queen of Scotts and Queen Anne! Hah ok, it’s back in the 1500s & 1700s, but it’s still interesting to see where the Grays came from.

No guessing where he gets his plafulness from. Daddy gets payback one day while relaxing by the pool.

Fish eye lens silliness in Manali while waiting for brekkie.

Clockwise from top left: Saskia, Elzena, Rohit, Tobias.