It
takes a spirit of adventure and a brave heart to drive though some of the
deadliest roads to reach this most serene and gorgeous turquoise lake. After a
bumpy ride of 70 km from Gemur through steams, mountain carved pathways and
pebble roads we reached our campsite which is 3 kms from the lake. The last 12
km drive was literally driving on the stones, on a narrow path and through
small streams of water that could have swept us with them, if they so desired.
We reached Parasol Camp by evening exhausted at the same time delighted that we survived the deadly drive. The winds were getting chilly and in spite of the warm hospitality of our host Bishan ji, who entertained us with stories from the mountains and cooked us a homely dinner, the weather was getting the better of us and we were eager to get into our tents and get warn inside the thick blankets.
The
next morning we head to the gorgeous Chandrataal Lake with Sonu ( Bishan’s
brother). The lake is breathtaking. The 5 km Parikrama (a clockwise
circumambulation) around the lake is highly recommended and can be done with
reasonable level of fitness. The sun was out and colors of the lake were
magical. The Parikrama is usually taken by Buddhists. At places we met the
piles of stones that Buddhist believers put as a way of marking the path for
those who follow.
Half
way through the Parikrama we met 2 shepherds who had put up a small tent where
they sat while their sheep grazed. One of them was preparing Ghee.
They offered us a cup of tea and though we did not speak the same language we
sat for a while and experienced their little world.
As
we were returning we met Bishan who had head off early in the morning with
Murli, a solo traveler who was on sabbatical from work and exploring the
Himalayas. We had a quick photo session and bid adieus. Hope to
cross paths again soon.
We
were off to our next destination – Kaza.
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