Day 5 – Sangla – Nako
Day 5 of the expedition dawned upon us today we were heading to the village of Nako, a distance of 133 kms from Sangla. Our convoy set off at 8 am sharp, which had become the norm now. The best part of the group was that everyone was punctual and that made the drive even more pleasant. We again drove along the Satluj river the non existent roads that we were now used to, heading towards Pooh. On the way we had a lunch break at Kalpa. The restaurant offered a beautiful view of the Kinnaur Kailash peak.
We proceeded towards Nako post lunch and came across some interesting and witty sign boards by the Border Roads Organization. One of my favourites was ‘Don’t be Gama in the land of the Lama’ which prompted interesting discussions on the radio with Hari. And of course how can we forget the ‘You are travelling on the world’s most treacherous road’ sign. We all got down to get a touristy picture taken with the sign board. As we climbed higher the roads got better and soon we were on smooth tarmac and we finally reached our night halt at Kinner Camps. While most of the group were allotted tents, I along with the Lead and Float managed to get rooms overlooking the beautiful Nako lake. We were now at an altitude of 12,014 ft and its mind boggling how breathless a few steps taken on foot makes you at this height. The chilly evening had us gather around a bonfire and Shantaji, the owner of Kinner Camps had some wonderful stories to tell us about Nako village and it was wonderful to hear him. We later proceeded to the dining room where not only a fabulous dinner was waiting for us, but we also got introduced to Sangha, Shantaji’s Tibetan Mastiff dog. A gentle giant and a total fur ball, it didn’t take long for everyone to fall in love with him. Post dinner, everyone retired to their respective tents and rooms for a good night’s sleep.
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