Nako to Tabo (17/05/11)

Nako to Tabo (17/05/11)

I woke up at 6:30 A.M because of the slight dehydration caused by the alcohol yesterday. I gulped down the water and looked outside to find pleasant weather and cloud cover. Having had no opportunity to explore the village yesterday I went out for a bit to see what this place was all about. I walked to the inside of the village and found several dry fields and forlorn looking houses and establishments. I quickly turned in the other direction and started walking out of Nako in the direction of Shilkar and there were some views of the mountains but otherwise it was generally devoid of anything interesting. The sun started blazing down and I quickly ran back to the refuge of the hotel.

I decided to have breakfast and this was to be my fondest memory of Nako. For some reason I was feeling ravenous and I settled down for a large meal. I tried the Tibetan Butter Tea which is basically salted tea with melted butter. The taste was odd but certainly not disagreeable and I ordered some Tibetan bread to go along with it. My hunger still not satiated, I ordered an egg parantha and then finally a tall glass of milk tea to wash it all down. This was one of the best meals of my trip. Over breakfast I talked to the hotel owner to see if it was worth staying another day in Nako or not. From what I got from the conversation I decided it wasn’t worth staying and that I’d travel to Tabo.

The bus was at approximately 12 P.M and I had a couple of hours to kill so I went back to my beloved Don Quixote. At 11:30 A.M I descended and sat in front of the hotel (which happened to be a few meters away from the bus stop) waiting for the bus to Tabo. The owner also joined me and we conversed at length about odd topics. He made it sound like Tabo and Kaza would also be as bad as Nako and that I might not like it. I went through a moment of doubt at this stage and seriously considered taking the bus back to Reckong-Peo and then Kalpa and spend the rest of my days there. While I was thinking this the bus to Peo came and stood in my line of vision and it was all I could do to resist the temptation of getting on it. The bus passed and I was a little uncertain of my choice but now all reflection was moot so I just waited for the bus to Tabo.

The bus showed up at 1:30 P.M and it was completely packed. This time I ran straight to the back and climbed onto the top of the bus and tied my bag down. Then I pushed my way into the bus and stood for the rest of the trip. The bus trip would have been unbearable if not for my Ipod. I switched it on, cranked up the volume, and just stared out of the windows avoiding all the noise and people pushing against me and stepping on my feet. The bus stopped at Chango and Sumdo so that the foreigners could have their ILP’s checked. It also stopped at Hurling for a small evening tea break. At about Hurling I noticed two foreigners following us on two Thunderbirds and I envied them greatly. All along the trip I had been looking at the roads and thinking about how nice it would have been on a bike; maybe next time.

We passed through the Tabo wildlife reserve and then finally we reached the Tabo bus stop. I scampered to the top of the bus and, more gracefully this time, managed to descend with my bag. A couple of foreigners also got off the bus and the three of us looked in different directions in search of a room. There was a guy at the bus stand and he told me rooms were available in a guest house directly adjacent. The foreigners and I, independently, decided to check it out and looked at the rooms. The guy said the room was for Rs. 400 but I brought him down to Rs. 250 and settled on it. I guess I could have gotten him down to Rs. 200, but the room was nice and the guys who ran the place seemed like good people, so I let it be.

I parked my bag in the room and went to the reception desk to talk to the guys. They informed me that I was, literally, the first guest of the season and they felt it propitious that it was an Indian. I discovered that the guys were from Delhi and they ran the place for 6 months and then worked in Goa for the rest of year. They were good company and I spent a while talking to them. One of the guys was going out to get provisions and he offered to show me around. After tidying up a bit I left with him and he pointed me in the direction of the main attractions and then left me to explore on my own.

I walked to the monastery first and admired it from the outside but I didn’t go in because I wanted to go at a time when I wasn’t tired and could explore more freely. I walked for a while taking in the topography of the place and then walked out of Tabo to the Tabo Bridge and then turned back. Tabo is full of guest houses and one can find accommodation in the range of Rs. 50 (Monastery dormitory) – Rs. 4500 (Dewachen Resort). There were also local guides for hire if one wanted to go trekking. Tabo is a beautiful place with great views of the mountains and with abundant greenery in sight. It also is famous for producing apples. I enjoyed the walk thoroughly and returned to the hotel, drank the rest of the RS bottle, and fell into a deep slumber.