DAY 14, 15, 16: NAKO, TABO

Day 14: Thursday, 5^th June: Kalpa – Pooh – Nako

I left Kalpa and reached Recong Peo to eat. Recong Peo has a bus station, ATM, DC office from where foreigners can get their permits for entering Spiti. I crossed the point of confluence of river Sutlej (from China) and river Spiti, it refreshed memories of my Spiti ride of 2007. 

So I again went to Pooh and met my mechanic and hotel owner, they recognized me or maybe they faked it, but it was good for me. It was like meeting an old friend, though I hardly recognized them but I discussed a few events of 2007 with them. I crossed Khab and heavy rains started pouring, I tried speeding up as I remember that last time just after crossing Maling there was no rain. But my bike’s battery started playing games and bullet started farting a lot. I had no fixed plan so I found myself in a room at some guest house of Nako. Soup and momos greeted me in Nako.

 Nako has a lake formed of fresh water melted from snow peaks, which was what attracted us to Nako in 2007, but we were disappointed at the size of lake or may be not much of snow melted by that time in the month of March. It rained and I could do nothing except feeling a bit bored.

Day 15: 6^th June: Nako - Tabo

A visit to Nako lake and after having my lunch on this day, I left for Tabo. 

Crossed Chango, Sumdo (confluence of river Spiti and river Parechu), Hurling and finally reached Tabo.

The first guest house I could see there was S. Ragbey guest house run by a guy from UP – Sunny and his 

managers. Sunny was there to look after the construction work in his hotel, and I got a room in that newly built guest house for 200 Rs. And while I was sitting there and watching street cricket, a group of bikers from Israel arrived in the town looking for a room. They asked me about the guest house where I stayed and I called Sunny and talked to Israelis and they took 5 rooms in that hotel. Sunny was impressed and he invited me for a drink. A royal Stag and some good Salad awaited me in his cafe. A few of his staff joined us and watched us play chess with some trance music.

An Israeli couple asked me for the way to Leh and I cleared a lot of their doubts about the road leading to Manali – Leh highway, also about various places in Spiti and marked their map. Very soon, I met a few other riders at the café and we discussed about our rides there, the café turned into a bikers’ meeting point for next 2 days.

Sunny was impressed again and he didn’t charged anything from me, now I could eat, drink anything on the menu; instead offered me a job as manager for his Goa hotel in winters and Tabo hotel in summers.

Day 16: Tabo and around

Next morning I visited 1013 year old Tabo monastery and the caves on the mountain facing the town.

Inside a cave

I wanted to meet some local and met an amazing local guy – Sonam at Kunzum top café there in Tabo. He wanted to revive Spitian music and had restored an old guitar by spending 4500 Rs on it. He told me about the tactfully built houses in Spiti. The houses were in accordance with some old architecture, build with mud and cement, were cold resistant and I was told that in 1996 when an earthquake in the region shook government buildings, hospitals; these houses stood tall.

Tabo monastery – 1013 year old has a reason to attract architects from around the world. The paintings inside are made by hand and are very old; no light, photo is allowed to preserve the art.

Tabo Monastery

I was told that Spitian potato is the best in India, apple here is sweeter and juicier than Kinnauri and Shimla apples. Tabo has a school for students up to class 12^th, and Sonam told me about local house stays, Spiti Thali and his plans of setting up a music school.

He had a traditional violin, apricot made guitar with almond skin and goat intestine. He also told me about the compose toilets and usage of dung as fertilizer.

A few kids of Tabo:

Sonam with his traditional guitar

Back in my room, I once thought of going to Pin valley but then I planned to make Kaza as my base for going to pin valley, Kibber and other places.

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