-Rudyard Kipling on Spiti in Kim

There are a few places in India that evoke an almost magical awe. Ladakh has long been one. The Thar desert is another. The upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh, likewise. Right up there, in the very select shortlist of awe inspiring places, is Spiti.

This is a high altitude cold desert. There is no green - the landscape is all brown and more resembles a Martian landscape rather than anything earthly. Very thinly populated, for after all, life is very hard. The entire district is above 3000 mtrs in altitude and some villages are at more than 4500 mtrs. Tourists were not allowed into the region until the mid 1990s. Roads were virtually non existent then and most of the time the area was snow bound. But now the roads are motorable, at least upto the district headquarters of Kaza. It is only recently that travellers have been coming in numbers - but it's only the serious travellers who come here. Bikers abound ; its almost a rite of passage for a serious biker to do a Spiti ride. Drivers like me come of course. There is the odd cyclist too - I am completely thunderstruck by them, these guys are bicycling at 4000 mtrs !! Good Lord.

I'll get you an intro into Spiti from the landscapes below.

I am driving on the "most treacherous road in the world". Now I understand why it is called so. For sheer driving it's not that treacherous although there are sections that will scare the hell out of anybody not used to driving in the hills. It is hugely treacherous for two reasons. One  is landslides. There are landslides and caveins galore, everywhere. When that happens, the road gets blocked and after they are cleared (which is just an earth mover chucking whatever has fallen down into the valley), the road is completely destroyed. The second and more acute problem is that of stones falling (called shooting stones here). Stones, big and small are continously falling on to the road from above. You have to drive with one eye looking up ! I should however say that as a Bangalorean, it was not a problem for me as I do the same in Bangalore too- after all a two wheeler in that blessed city will come and hit your car from any of the 360 degrees !!

I have entered Spiti. The heart is beating faster - literally, as the oxygen levels deplete, and figuratively, as I am in for a very special experience.