You see whatever this is that nature has carved into a mountainside.
You see vast #ridges
I'm going to now try and take you through the grandeur that is the #SpitiValley between #Nako and #Tabo. We did the route on Tuesday, but I've been avoiding putting up pics.
Pictures and videos are too small the capture the vastness, the other worldliness of this place. The only way to know it is to bite the blue pill and come on over to see it for yourself.
Pictures and videos are too small the capture the vastness, the other worldliness of this place. The only way to know it is to bite the blue pill and come on over to see it for yourself.
M1: How does dad look?
M2: Obese
#savage #burn #thuglife
M1: So rude.
M2: There was this chart in school with height and recommended body weight and according to that chart I think dad is...
M2: Obese
#savage #burn #thuglife
M1: So rude.
M2: There was this chart in school with height and recommended body weight and according to that chart I think dad is...
Some pics from the #Tabo #monastery. We experienced the monastery and left #Tabo yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. By the evening we had reached #Kaza. We spent our evening in the most beautiful café ever (more on that later).
This morning we left Kaza for #PinValley. We reached Mud (मुध) village and then turned around. Then we drove through #Tabo and #Nako to #Pooh.
We have lots and lots of pics to share. Will try my best with the limited connectivity we have. Also pics from the phone and the camera have gotten mixed up, so the time lines are a little off. @ Tabo Monastery
This morning we left Kaza for #PinValley. We reached Mud (मुध) village and then turned around. Then we drove through #Tabo and #Nako to #Pooh.
We have lots and lots of pics to share. Will try my best with the limited connectivity we have. Also pics from the phone and the camera have gotten mixed up, so the time lines are a little off. @ Tabo Monastery
More pics from the sunrise at #Kasauli @ Kasauli
Me: Do you know what B.R.O. stands for?
M1: Bro seriously?
M1: Bro seriously?
Turned on my laptop after a week to write down some notes.
My laptop: No backup for 10 days
Me: No work for ten days 😛
(Have limited connectivity again. But communication between Instagram and Facebook went down so a few @caravahan posts have gone missing from FB. Still on the road so I can only fix this tonight or tomorrow.)
My laptop: No backup for 10 days
Me: No work for ten days 😛
(Have limited connectivity again. But communication between Instagram and Facebook went down so a few @caravahan posts have gone missing from FB. Still on the road so I can only fix this tonight or tomorrow.)
(This is a racist post)
Driving on the mountains, you need to follow some rules. When you approach an #HP vehicle that is driving in the same direction as you, the driver will find a suitable spot where you can pass, and give you the right turn indicator as a signal to pass/overtake. When an #HP vehicle approaches you from the other direction, as soon as they see you, they will typically stop. You should also stop, and if you don’t, the driver will raise their palm to signal you to stop. The two drivers will then find the closest place where they can pass each other safely. If the spot is between the two vehicles, both will move forward and approach the spot. If the spot is behind one of them, they will slowly reverse. They key here is patience.
Vehicles from #PB, #HR and #UP are in a great hurry and don’t want to stop. They approach you all the way, even if you’ve stopped. Then they grumble, and grudingly roll back if that is the best move. #DL vehicles are of course the worst. More often that not, these are populated entirely by men, either young men or middle aged ones. Once they have approached you, till their bumper literally touches yours, the driver will rev the engine, while the others roll down their windows to indicate how many men are in the car. The attitude is “अब तो यो गाड़ी पीछे ना जाएगी”. This is not just risky, it is a huge waste of time for everyone on the road.
Locals tell me that they are especially polite and cautious with non #HP vehicles. They know that we don’t know what to do. Occassionally some commerical #HP vehicles have lost patience with me. That is because I am overly cautious and always maintain a one foot margin to the edge of the road, no matter the situation. #HP guys will not flinch even when half their wheel goes over the edge. I am no daredevil.
Driving on the mountains, you need to follow some rules. When you approach an #HP vehicle that is driving in the same direction as you, the driver will find a suitable spot where you can pass, and give you the right turn indicator as a signal to pass/overtake. When an #HP vehicle approaches you from the other direction, as soon as they see you, they will typically stop. You should also stop, and if you don’t, the driver will raise their palm to signal you to stop. The two drivers will then find the closest place where they can pass each other safely. If the spot is between the two vehicles, both will move forward and approach the spot. If the spot is behind one of them, they will slowly reverse. They key here is patience.
Vehicles from #PB, #HR and #UP are in a great hurry and don’t want to stop. They approach you all the way, even if you’ve stopped. Then they grumble, and grudingly roll back if that is the best move. #DL vehicles are of course the worst. More often that not, these are populated entirely by men, either young men or middle aged ones. Once they have approached you, till their bumper literally touches yours, the driver will rev the engine, while the others roll down their windows to indicate how many men are in the car. The attitude is “अब तो यो गाड़ी पीछे ना जाएगी”. This is not just risky, it is a huge waste of time for everyone on the road.
Locals tell me that they are especially polite and cautious with non #HP vehicles. They know that we don’t know what to do. Occassionally some commerical #HP vehicles have lost patience with me. That is because I am overly cautious and always maintain a one foot margin to the edge of the road, no matter the situation. #HP guys will not flinch even when half their wheel goes over the edge. I am no daredevil.
Turned on my laptop after a week to write down some notes.
My laptop: No backup for 10 days
Me: No work for ten days 😛
My laptop: No backup for 10 days
Me: No work for ten days 😛
On NH505 between Karchham and Nako:
M1: This road is so broken. How can it be a National Highway?
Me: There is construction work going on, so it is broken in places. But where the road work is complete, the tarmac is as smooth as the best road in the world. They even go around manually sweeping the roads every day, to remove the stones that have fallen from the mountains above.
People from all over the country have gathered to build this road for you. Engineers, military people, and poor labourers. All of them are slogging here in the most inhospitable conditions, covered in dust, with the sun beating down on them and the wind howling all around. Every time our vehicle passes, they stop their work and move to the side. One one side is a steep fall, on the other side rocks can fall down on them. The poor labourers must be working for a few hundred rupees a day, their poor children playing beside them with rocks. The children are unwashed, unkempt, sunburnt, and when the cars whizz past they throw up little sharp pieces of stone that hit them. Yet they are all working relentlessly.
M1: Ouch!
We can never have enough #gratitude and #respect for what #nature and #mankind give us. I try as much as possible to make my children be #thankful for all they have, and to be aware of their privilege. Sometimes that ends up in rants like these.
M1: This road is so broken. How can it be a National Highway?
Me: There is construction work going on, so it is broken in places. But where the road work is complete, the tarmac is as smooth as the best road in the world. They even go around manually sweeping the roads every day, to remove the stones that have fallen from the mountains above.
People from all over the country have gathered to build this road for you. Engineers, military people, and poor labourers. All of them are slogging here in the most inhospitable conditions, covered in dust, with the sun beating down on them and the wind howling all around. Every time our vehicle passes, they stop their work and move to the side. One one side is a steep fall, on the other side rocks can fall down on them. The poor labourers must be working for a few hundred rupees a day, their poor children playing beside them with rocks. The children are unwashed, unkempt, sunburnt, and when the cars whizz past they throw up little sharp pieces of stone that hit them. Yet they are all working relentlessly.
M1: Ouch!
We can never have enough #gratitude and #respect for what #nature and #mankind give us. I try as much as possible to make my children be #thankful for all they have, and to be aware of their privilege. Sometimes that ends up in rants like these.
#Nako
Butter doesn't need refrigeration round here, even at 30°C ambient. Apparently it's the dry weather that keeps it unspoilt.
We haven't bought any packaged water since we started. We have been refilling our bottles and managing with that. On the way up to Tabo we have purchased two 5L jerry cans as backup.
It takes a special kind of stupid to come to the mountains and buy bottled "mineral water". Everywhere we go there are natural water springs and glacial rivers. My kids have had to learn to not be queasy about drinking water that doesn't come out of an RO machine or plastic bottle.
#Aquafina #Kinley and #Bisleri don't have a patent on clean water. They do have a patent on trashing the planet with plastic waste. We should only use them when absolutely necessary. I see tourists buying 12 packs of Bisleri for ₹240 because "Oh, its only ₹240". It's not. It's you coming to 3,000+ meters and leaving your trash here for perpetuity.
It takes a special kind of stupid to come to the mountains and buy bottled "mineral water". Everywhere we go there are natural water springs and glacial rivers. My kids have had to learn to not be queasy about drinking water that doesn't come out of an RO machine or plastic bottle.
#Aquafina #Kinley and #Bisleri don't have a patent on clean water. They do have a patent on trashing the planet with plastic waste. We should only use them when absolutely necessary. I see tourists buying 12 packs of Bisleri for ₹240 because "Oh, its only ₹240". It's not. It's you coming to 3,000+ meters and leaving your trash here for perpetuity.
A #highaltitude #game of #cricket at #Nako
Lots of #donkeys in #Nako today
#blast
#shovel
#dump
#build #road
#shovel
#dump
#build #road
The kids have not watched a single minute of T. V. or video, or used a smartphone, since we started. All kids need is constructive engagement.
Perfectly nice brand new concrete bridge lies unused while we had to go over a rattly, noisy, scary #metal #bridge. @ Morang, Himachal Pradesh, India
M2 noticed that this is how our #route looks in #satellite view.
Been #riding beside the #sutlej for an hour now.
Been #riding beside the #sutlej for an hour now.
Now accepting #roadtrip #song #recommendations
Nowhere near the most spectacular #overhang we have encountered so far. But the one safest to photograph 😀
We lost our way on the road to #Tabo. Looks like it wasn't such a bad thing 😀
It's the #journey not the destination!
#travel #instatravel #India #incredibleindia #mountains @ Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh
It's the #journey not the destination!
#travel #instatravel #India #incredibleindia #mountains @ Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh
This is a very #scenic, #idyllic spot. I'm unable to capture its #beauty with my phone. There are some winding stairs, a narrow path, a stone cabin. A stream flows through the place. The kind of location authors picture with words in stories.
We are #ontheroadagain. Let's see where we reach today.
We are #ontheroadagain. Let's see where we reach today.
Last night when we came back from dinner, we found our #caravan boxed in by a couple of other cars. We were anyway gonna sleep here tonight, so it didn't matter. However, being a city dweller, I was quite uneasy about being trapped in my spot.
In the morning I asked someone for help. She pointed out that most cars have the cellphone number of the owner printed on the car. And yes indeed, the cars blocking me were stickered. Before I could call the owner, he came and took his car away.
#Himachal is so safe that people put their numbers on their cars 😲. In Gurgaon you'd get stalked.
In the morning I asked someone for help. She pointed out that most cars have the cellphone number of the owner printed on the car. And yes indeed, the cars blocking me were stickered. Before I could call the owner, he came and took his car away.
#Himachal is so safe that people put their numbers on their cars 😲. In Gurgaon you'd get stalked.
What's the first thing you see when you slide out of bed in the morning?
#cowsofinstagram 😂
दरवाज़े और दीवारें
Monster flower gonna get you tonight.
#HimachalPradesh
#HimachalPradesh
Tonight we #dine at a #fancy #buffet. A little luxury doesn't take away from the #vanlife #experience.
Since you people are clearly suckers for the #sound of #flowing #water
#HimachalPradesh #experientialtravel
#HimachalPradesh #experientialtravel
More hero गिरी
#kidsofinstagram #kidstravel #travelwithkids #HimachalPradesh
#kidsofinstagram #kidstravel #travelwithkids #HimachalPradesh
लकड़ा हमारा hero है
#kidsofinstagram #kidstravel #kids
#kidsofinstagram #kidstravel #kids
As you folks would have noticed by now, we went for a #village #walk.
Walking through villages is always the high point of any trip I make to the mountains, whether it is Himachal, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya or Assam.
We made friends with some boys from the village. 5am tomorrow they're gonna take us to a glacier nearby. Can't wait.
#HimachalTourism #HimachalPradesh @ Sangla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Walking through villages is always the high point of any trip I make to the mountains, whether it is Himachal, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya or Assam.
We made friends with some boys from the village. 5am tomorrow they're gonna take us to a glacier nearby. Can't wait.
#HimachalTourism #HimachalPradesh @ Sangla, Himachal Pradesh, India
#Moar #trees
#TheHiddenLifeOfTrees
#TheHiddenLifeOfTrees
#GooglePhotos has been itching to get in on my #Instagram game
आज हमने कई दरख़्तों से दोस्ती की 😊
#TheHiddenLifeOfTrees
#TheHiddenLifeOfTrees
#dogs #dogsofinstagram #goodboy #HimachalPradesh
बड़े बड़े ताले और छोटी छोटी खिड़कियाँ। क्या हैं यह?
#locks #lock #window
#HimachalPradesh
#locks #lock #window
#HimachalPradesh
The colourful buntings you see in our pictures are made by @[1018426225:2048:Meenakshi] and her lovely team of women. They are made entirely of waste and upcycled material. The colours are beautiful. She makes all kinds of lovely things for your home. And if you're a woman then she makes gear for you too. Please buy her stuff and do the world a good deed. The colourful cushion you see in the pics is also made by her. She ships to you. And she will take all your old clothes and कतरनs from you.
Remember, if you're not supporting a startup or small business, if you're not buying local, if you're not upcycling, then you're rotten to the core and the babayaga will eat you on Christmas night.
https://www.facebook.com/theusemeworks/
https://www.usemeworks.com/
Thank you @[690926200:2048:Shruti] for asking.
Remember, if you're not supporting a startup or small business, if you're not buying local, if you're not upcycling, then you're rotten to the core and the babayaga will eat you on Christmas night.
https://www.facebook.com/theusemeworks/
https://www.usemeworks.com/
Thank you @[690926200:2048:Shruti] for asking.
+1 would trade my #caravan to live in a #tinyhouse above a #stream with the sounds of #flowingwater and #childrenplaying in the #school #playground next door.
#ताला #lock
#portal
#गाँव #village
#apple #orchards
+1 would make this the logo for our products. Rugged like these rocks.
For #geography wonks. In this one pic you see #clouds, #snowcappedmountains, #glaciers, melting #snow and #moraine, a glacial #stream, and a #river
This is all because of you, Suresh Arunachalam.
Guys I'm having a hard time keeping up with your comments. Don't mind if I don't respond. I may have a roadtrip and two excited kids to attend to. In any case I will lose signal soon.
Guys I'm having a hard time keeping up with your comments. Don't mind if I don't respond. I may have a roadtrip and two excited kids to attend to. In any case I will lose signal soon.
In the night the kids left the bag outside 🙄. At day break cows came along and spread the garbage. As I awoke the sarpanch, a lady, came up and said she'd been waiting for me to wake up. This isn't done, she said. I told her this isn't out garbage, my kids cleaned up the forest. I also told her we will clean up again as soon as the kids are up. She told us where the area garbage dump is and told us to dump the garbage there only. As we were leaving Raksham, she stopped our car and checked on us again. She was also checking on residents of Raksham about their garbage.
Boss lady. Rock star only. Polite but firm. Would totally make her CEO of Fortune 500 company.
Boss lady. Rock star only. Polite but firm. Would totally make her CEO of Fortune 500 company.
A moving painting with sound
Like a #painting
More #mountains for you.
Chitkul!
#vanlife #kidsofinstagram #kidstravel #travelwithkids
#vanlife #kidsofinstagram #kidstravel #travelwithkids
We are all tired this morning. Sleeping in the #tent 🎪 wasn't anywhere as comfortable as sleeping in the #van 🚐. In fact I have had better sleep 🛏 in the #van than I usually do at home. It was chilly at night, but were warm in our bags. It is super hot this morning - the air is cool but the mountain 🏔️ sun ☀ is beating down on us.
The kids are sleepily stuffing the sleeping bags. I can't be bothered to arrange the #gear exactly as I'd originally laid it out. The crate wasn't letting the shotgun seat slide back as much as it can, so we've put the cooler (which is smaller) in its place. The books in the crate are now in the cooler 😬
The crate and the table are now on top of the bed. This likely will #fail on broken roads. But it's worth a try. Anyway no one sits on the bed while we are moving. Per @umeshunni 's suggestion I've tied down the table.
So we've prioritised passenger comfort over gear stability. Let's see what happens.
The kids are sleepily stuffing the sleeping bags. I can't be bothered to arrange the #gear exactly as I'd originally laid it out. The crate wasn't letting the shotgun seat slide back as much as it can, so we've put the cooler (which is smaller) in its place. The books in the crate are now in the cooler 😬
The crate and the table are now on top of the bed. This likely will #fail on broken roads. But it's worth a try. Anyway no one sits on the bed while we are moving. Per @umeshunni 's suggestion I've tied down the table.
So we've prioritised passenger comfort over gear stability. Let's see what happens.
#mountains #snowcappedmountains
Kailash Parvat
कैलाश पर्वत
The awe of it
कैलाश पर्वत
The awe of it
I think I'll just let the kids sleep in this morning. We are on #vacation. Why the rush?
#campinglife #vacationwithkids #campingwithkids #kidstravel
#campinglife #vacationwithkids #campingwithkids #kidstravel
I like our Coleman instant tent, because it's literally instant. Up in sixty second. But it has no rainfly. Which means all night it was soaking in dew. This morning it's dripping wet. You touch it from the inside and water drains on to you, your electronics and books.
Gotta fashion a rainfly for this guy.
Late start to the morning. Gotta unpack and go now. Chitkul calls.
#vanlife #campinglife
Gotta fashion a rainfly for this guy.
Late start to the morning. Gotta unpack and go now. Chitkul calls.
#vanlife #campinglife