[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/39302494360/[/flickr]
Our driver Ravi also deserves a mention, such a good companion he was!
It was morning and we had to freshen up and leave the homestay. I took my toothbrush, paste and facewash and headed to the washroom, the helper courteously says ‘Pani nahin hain’ (meaning there is no water). I mean Pani tha, but only to wash our faces not our…hope you guys understand. It was basically an Eco Toilet where we had only tissues at our disposal. Post the first-hand experience of using the Eco Toilet for the very first time, we headed towards the kitchen and fueled up. Today, I was behind the wheel of the Gypsy and man I did enjoy the drive. The roads were narrow but were in proper condition. Our plan was to reach Kibber.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/40216419685/[/flickr]
The roads that lead to Kibber have spectacular and breath taking views
En route we stopped at the Dhankar monastery for a quick round of blessings from the Buddhist monks. We then drove to Kaza helipad where we had lunch. On our drive to Kibber, we did halt at a gas station which happened to be the ‘world’s highest retail outlet’ at 12,270 ft above sea level. We reached Kibber by around 5:30 in the evening and decided to just chill at the homestay for the night. Over dinner, everyone was busy planning the next two days of our stay at Kibber while The Road Less Travelled team was busy sending the spotters and scanners to sight the Snow Leopard. Post dinner, everyone hit the bed in anticipation of spotting the Snow Leopard the next morning.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/39302496570/[/flickr]
I never even dreamt that I would see the Himalayas so close and that too so early in life!
Other fauna found in this belt are the rare Red Fox, Blue Sheep and the Himalayan Ibex. The next morning after a quick breakfast, we drove to the first spot and sighted the Himalayan Ibex. In fact, it is common to spot the Ibex and the Blue Sheep in Kibber but sighting the Snow Leopard and the Red Fox requires a lot of patience. Approximately two and a half hours of searching, we returned disappointed to the homestay for a quick lunch. Post lunch, we drove to another spot to sight the Bhaisahab (Snow Leopard is known as the Bhaisahab among the village people). On the way, we did see some fresh pug marks of the Snow Leopard which got the entire team super excited. Spending 3 hours on the spot, we decided to return (disappointed again) to the homestay as neither we or the spotters and scanners could sight the animal.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/40216421905/[/flickr]
Spiti is truly a heaven for wildlife enthusiasts
On our way back to the homestay, we saw another bunch of travelers waiting to sight the Red Fox. We too decided to wait and at least spot the Red Fox. To our surprise, the Red Fox appeared from nowhere exactly at 5.20 PM (as told by the other travelers) and unfortunately looked at a vehicle and started running for cover. However, a member of our group did manage to get some stills of the Red Fox. The fox visits the village of Kibber almost every day in search of food and we were also told that it eats anything and everything. We still had a day to sight the Snow Leopard and everyone still hoped to find one the next day as we had met other travelers who had spotted the Bhaisahab a few days earlier.
