Pin Valley National Park, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaMudh : Altitude 3850 mtr ; 12600 ft
The Pin Valley National Park is a Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve of incredible beauty.
It has sparse vegetation - mostly alpine trees, and is the natural habitat of the highly endangered Snow Leopard and the Siberian Ibex. No chance of seeing them of course. The Snow Leopard is the most elusive enimal in the world to sight and there are only a very few left. In any case they "come down" only in the depth of winter.
To really experience the place will mean at least a couple of days. This is one of the places I had to axe because of the disruptions in schedule, but I at least made a token visit. To the charming village of Mudh.
Mudh is the base for serious trekkers. There are trekking routes of all categories of difficulty here. Homestays abound. It is bitterly cold and the village is a simple small village. But very tourist savvy as the trekkers have been coming here for many years.
It was a tough road to get to Mudh. Just a mud trail. Desolate for most parts. And when I reached the village itself, it was breathtaking. People live amongst such incredible beauty, but lead simple lives. As seems to be the staple here , the "economy" is fashioned out of agricultue and tourism. The villagers are not poor by Indian standards. The challenge is living in such a remote place , at high altitude and bitter cold. No wonder, the people are hardy.
Despite the tiring drive, I am glad I came to Mudh. If you come here, stay for 2 days and do a little trek.
I am already falling in love with Spiti. Should I even come back ? !
Sandhya Sriram
2018-10-04
finally spotted your companion, can we have a selfie with all the warm clothes on :) can’t imagine how a ramesh 3 sizes wider would look like
Suja
2018-10-04
Sandhya took the words out of my mouth! I was going to say 'selfie le le re' :) The mountain people everywhere are a hardy lot - I speak of the Gurkhas, the old timers in Switzerland, of the mountain men in Canada, the Indian tribes in Peru etc. You have come upon people like that I am thinking.
indigoite
2018-10-04
@Sandhya - Ha ha. Why would you want me to spoil a beautiful setting with an ugly mug shot of me !!
indigoite
2018-10-04
@Suja - See comment above ! Yes, mountain people everywhere are hardy. They have to be to withstand both the altitude and the cold.
Anne in Salem
2018-10-07
It must be refreshing to spend time among such people - not worried about the latest antics of a celebrity, following the newest trends, or about outdoing each other. I suppose giving your companion a bath would be tricky in such cold weather! Yes - a selfie!!! And your food posts barely pass muster . . .
indigoite
2018-10-07
@Anne - Oh yes. Their perspectives on life are completely different. And unfortunately the car is dirty, mucky and filthy on the outside. No point in washing for within the next 10 minutes it will be back to the same condition. Such are the roads. When I come down to the plains, a long car wash is certainly called for.
Vinod
2018-10-08
Awesome pics!
indigoite
2018-10-08
@Vinod - :)
Shachi
2018-10-08
We need a selfie Ramesh!!