Today I woke up at 7:45 A.M and decided to go get some breakfast and walk around. After walking through the town for half an hour I went to a ‘dhaba’ and ate paranthas with dahi and chane. I also drank some tea and then trudged back to the hotel and started packing up. My plan was to leave as soon as possible from the hotel room and explore further before leaving for the bus stand. But sloth got the better of me and I decided to enjoy the comforts of my room for a while longer before I left. I stretched out the packing as long as I could and finally left the hotel at 11:29 A.M. The day before, I had intentionally walked a few kilometers down from the bus station to the market square to book a hotel room because this would force me to walk all the way back up again.
I turned in my keys and talked to the manager of the hotel for a while before leaving and then was on my way to the bus stand. I slowly walked up the hill and the high altitude and the heavy bag were taking their toll on my unfit self. I walked in measured steps and kept my breathing stable and soon it wasn’t that bad. I stopped a few times to take pictures of the landscapes and of the town but really there wasn’t anything very interesting in Reckong-Peo.
I reached the bus stop at 12:26 and found a lot of empty buses and no drivers or conductors in sight. Since the schedule said that the bus to Sangla was leaving at 1 P.M, I just hung back and waited for someone to manifest. Eventually a conductor showed up and pointed me to the place where the bus to Sangla would be leaving from. I went and stood outside the empty bus just to be the first in line so I could get the seat of my choice. At about 12:50 the driver opened up the bus and I rushed inside and settled into a window seat. As I stated before, the HRTC people are very punctual and the bus started off promptly at 1:00 P.M. The bus was relatively empty since most of the people boarding the bus got on at the market square. I was glad once again for having walked up to the bus station because if I had waited in the market square I’m pretty sure I’d have gotten a bad seat or would have had to go part of the journey standing. After picking up the crowd at the market square the bus rolled out of Reckong-Peo and began its journey towards Sangla.
The initial part of the journey was mostly déjà-vu since we were going back on the same route. After crossing the Shongtong Bridge, however, we got onto the road headed for Sangla. This time the roads weren’t as good and were full of rubble and dust. The views were still spectacular with natural waterfalls, valleys and the river in full flow, but all the work being done on the side put out a lot of dust and clouded the landscape.
We passed Poari and a little while after I could witness the beginnings of the huge power plant at Karcham. It started with a massive stone structure that looked like it was a super villain’s fortress. I kept watching and as we moved on further I could see the huge imprint that the power plant left on the village. It looked more like an industrial area than anything and that is the result of a 300 MW power plant sitting smack in the middle of nature I guess. I don’t know the benefit VS cost ratio of the power plant so I’ll keep my opinions to myself. From Karcham the roads were good once again as a result of JP Associates’ supposed benevolence. It was a short ride thereafter and a little while later I got off at Sangla.
The first impression of the town wasn’t that great, but the views of the Sangla valley more than make up for the dullness of the town. The bus ride had taken 2 and a half hours and I was famished. I decided to seek out a place to stay and found one with a decent room for 200 bucks a night. I paid for two nights, moved in, and then went out to the market to get myself something to eat. It was a Sunday and also 4:15 P.M so there weren’t many establishments serving lunch save for the hotels that had restaurants built into them.
I visited one of them and ate a mediocre meal that cost way too much and came back to the hotel. I went to the internet cafe next to upload a journal entry and also to figure out how to connect my GPRS mobile to my PC so that I could get online. After an hour of trial and error I finally figured it out and came back elated. It was already 6:25 P.M though and I was fast losing light so I decided to go for a long walk. I walked in the direction of Rakcham for about half an hour and then turned back. I got a firsthand view of the outer village and also some traditional wood housing as well. Somewhere in the middle of all of this I spotted a poster of Sangla that boasted of virgin environs. I remembered the diesel vehicles, the thick power lines, the construction sites, the noise and the dust and thought that apparently being raped only a little still allowed you to call yourself virgin.
I found my way back to Sangla at about 8:15 P.M and talked to a few friends back home. When I finished the time was 8:45 and I tried to seek out dinner but all of the regular establishments had already shut down shop. Apparently shops close down very early in Sangla and I had no choice but to return to that restaurant and eat another overpriced meal. There was also a bar present at this restaurant and I had to literally force myself to look away to avoid the temptation of wanting a peg of whiskey. There were two Russian guys at the restaurant who took some time in communicating what they wanted for dinner. I amused myself watching them try to communicate to the local that they wanted the food to be less spicy. I finished eating and then headed out to a small stall to have some tea. I love pahaadi tea and always try and have as much as I can. While I was drinking my tea a dog came up to me and looked at me inquiringly. I bought a couple of biscuits and fed them to him. After I was done he escorted me back to the hotel and I wrote the journal entry and read some Kafka. Tomorrow I wake up early and explore all there is to explore in Sangla and if there’s a chance, I’ll try and reach Sangla Kanda. Until then, cheers!
Lessons Learnt:
1) Always take the bus from the origin point i.e. the bus stop. This will ensure that you get a seat of your choice. If you wait at another place to board you might not get a seat let alone a seat of your choice.
2) Establishments in Sangla close as early as 8:45, so plan your dinner accordingly.
3) Feed a stray dog. It feels good and he’ll be your best friend for the duration of time you’re there.
If you want a cab this is a must visit blog for you!!
ReplyDeleteDelhi to Chandigarh Taxi