Komic, Himachal Pradesh, India
Komic : Altitude - 4587 mtrs , 15000 ft.
I am at the "top" of my trip. Komic advertises itself as the highest village in the world you can reach by a motorable road. I have no idea if this is true or not - its probably not - but it does feel as if I have reached the roof of the world !
The highest road you can drive on in the world, is the Khardung La Pass in Ladakh - that's at an altitude of above 5400 mtrs. But, its just a pass; no people there. The highest permanently inhabited village in the world is La Rinconada in Peru at 5130 metres. This is an oddity that exists only because of gold mining. Then there is a clutch of about half a dozen places in Tibet and Qinghai provinces of China which are between 4700 mtrs and 5000 mtrs. In India, Korzok in Ladakh and Komic here vie for the "title" of the highest village in India ; both are at about 4600 mtrs, 15000 ft.
Komic too is a charming small village ,of only about 100 residents. Its similar to the other high altitude settlements that I have been to. Clutch of mud houses , agriculture being the main occupation and with tourism now contributing to winter income in the form of snow leopard seekers.
Even here there are homestays. Potato and peas, along with barley seem to be the main crops. I had no idea potato grows best at high altitudes.
There's a cute little temple and a monastery even here. Amazing.
The drive to Komic was sensational. I have uploaded a sample dashcam footage so that you can ride with me for a little while. Again, there was snow on both sides of the dirt road and the vistas were arresting. I am starting to get "used" to seeing such beauty.
This is the highest I will climb. Thankfully, no AMS even now and I can breathe easier (pun intended). This is a trekkers paradise if you can take the altitude. Youngsters reading this blog should really consider coming here and trekking. You will be blown away by how pretty it is. And then after a hundred treks, you might just see a fleeting shadow that might be the tail of the snow leopard !
In one of the highest villages in the world, I reached my high on this trip.
Shachi
2018-10-08
Playing catch-up and haven’t read all the older posts - but this is stunning! And a homestay here with some basic vegetarian fare? Wow I’m impressed!! Hurray for no AMS!! Years ago, when we were in Kashmir, I remember my grandma struggling to breath well and our bus driver gave her a shot of brandy. I was taking care of her in the bus while others went aight seeing. I think it was my first exposure to alcohol, thankfully as a medicinal use :)!!
Anne in Salem
2018-10-09
These homes seem to be fairly good-sized, assuming the windows indicate different rooms. Do multiple generations share a home, or is the size necessary for insulation or fuel storage? You mention trekking and pursuing the snow leopard. Is there no skiing?
indigoite
2018-10-09
Brandy for AMS ?? !!!!!! Wow. Thats the exact opposite of what to give . I think your grandma might have just wanted some stimulation though !!!
indigoite
2018-10-09
@Anne - Oh yes - everybody stays together. These are mostly joint families. And some of that space is for storage of food too. They don't need a freezer or cold store :):)
Sandhya Sriram
2018-10-10
What a beautiful video, what a peaceful drive... there is an app called calm that supposedly gets you to see stuff like rain falling, river flowing etc to calm the mind. This had the same effect... amazing... how do you find your way around by the way.. I am sure google maps doesn’t work in these places.
indigoite
2018-10-10
@Sandhya - Yup. There are a few more of the hill drive videos that I have stored and I have no doubt that as the years go by, I will resee them and think of the time I was in the mountains. Google maps works surprisingly well, but I can always ask somebody; the great advantage of India is that there is always someone to ask.
Suja
2018-10-10
Loved the drive! Outstanding scenery, such desolate beauty! A 'high'light of your trip no doubt (my pun is equally bad :)) All this is too far from the comfort I look for in my holidays so I am very content doing armchair travelling with you!
indigoite
2018-10-11
@Suja - Its actually not far from your comfort zone. If you can tolerate the bumpy ride, the places, including the accomodation, will all meet your famed test ! But then Switzerland has so much more charm in the mountains - why come here for that
MCS
2018-10-11
The dashcam video was beautiful. Very divine. Thanks Ramesh for sharing