14/10 – Rainy Kullu

We took it easy this morning, after driving all day yesterday we both needed some rest (and our clothes needed to dry). We left our room at check out time: 12 pm, with a bit more dry clothes (except my hoody and jeans AKA my ONLY warm clothes). Today is grey again… Our phones is telling us rain (but had say so for the last 2 days, so we might get lucky again!). We left our luggages in the lobby and headed for something to eat and also the bus station.

We toured the town, found the judicial courts complex (out in the street!!)! After that we crossed the Dussehra field (Dussehra is a massive celebration where all the Gods of the Kullu Valley meet in Kullu). Dussehra celebrations are happening in a week, and people are already getting things ready for it. We met some women working on a choregraphy, so we stopped and watched for a while. When it became a bit too repetitive, we headed down the bazaar.

Need a layer?

Getting ready for Dussehra

I like the bazaar, it is a narrow lane, full of tiny shops who are selling everything. Plus what I like is that it is not only for tourist, mostly Indians buy things there. We seem to be the only whites in Kullu, so we are attracting a lot of gazes. At the end of the bazaar, you cross a foot bridge and arrived on the other side of Kullu where the bus station stands.

walking down the bazaar

Crossing the bridge

It was a bit tricky to get information, all the sign were in Hindi and when we queued at the till, 15 Indians kept jumping in front of us to buy tickets… It was like a race or more like a wrestling match, Indians 10 – Whities 0. We managed to enquire about a bus to Naggar, no direct bus goes there, so we have to take one to Patlikuhal, and then take a Rickshaw or a taxi.

Bus timetable in Hindu

We still had time, so we decided to go and see the temple recommended by the guide book. It is called Raghunath Temple and is dedicated to Rama and Sita. We had to go up a steep hill and then in tiny streets, but in the end we found it, in between houses. Same ritual as ever, taking our shoes and socks off and then enter the temple. There was a big group of students with their teachers inside it. So we stayed away, looking at the different statues and paintings.

Raghunath Temple

Soon the students started asking us to take picture with them. Damien always says no, I don’t always mind saying yes. But very quickly 1 photo becomes 20 photos… So I took pictures with students and also with the teachers, it made everyone happy and it took only 5 minutes of my time. After they left the temple was quiet again.

We went back down the hill, pass the bus station, crossed the bridge and through the bazaar. We saw a Chinese “restaurant” that seemed nice and popular with the locals. We went in, ordered momos (some kind of dumplings) and chowmein (noodles) all of it veggy of course (meat is not to be trusted in India) and got 2 free hot and sour soup (Damien was hungry enough for both of them). Lunch was nice, by the time we finished eating, it was raining outside… (of course our raincoat were in our big bags…).

elicious lunch!

We decided to run back to the hotel, going from stall to stall in the bazaar to avoid being too soaked (especially went my real warm closed are already wet and I can’t afford to have this clothes wet too). We made it, and were not so wet. We stayed in the lobby of the hotel with internet and caught up on emails, Instagram… until the rain stopped.

Around 4.30pm, we left the hotel and headed for the bus station, found quite easily a bus for Manali, which will stop in Patlikuhal. We had seats and there was still space, but before the bus left (5 minutes later), it was already so full. We had our big bags, and it was not easy to make space for everyone. For our 1^st experience of local bus it was quite intense. We had LOADS of stares, people behind me pulled my hair a few times (I guess they were checking if my blond hair were real!), experienced some traffic jam due to a road accident (not including our bus luckily). But we made it alive and arrived 1h later. The guy selling the tickets nicely indicated to us when we arrived in P.

our 1st local bus

for once the view of the valley is clear...

1st snow pick!!!!

We left the bus and stud by the side of the road for a while to assess the situation. Rickshaw on our right, taxis on our left (charging us Rs 150 to go up to Naggar) and a group of white people in front of us. So we aimed for them, unfortunately they are Russian and have no English (those damn Russians!!). Luckily I told them “Naggar” (name of the village we wanted to go) and one of them pointed at the bus and even asked the people inside if it was a bus for Naggar, it was so we went in. 

The bus was no way near full so we stayed parked for a while. Then a second bus pulled in, in front of us. A few of our passengers quickly changed bus, 2 minutes later we decided to do the same. Now none of the 2 buses were full enough to go, if only everyone picked one bus we could actually leave!!! (but no, this is India…). After a few hesitations (that the bus behind might actually leave before the one we were in now), our bus decided to head for Naggar!

30 minutes to cross a part of P. then cross the river and finally drive up the hill. Here we were: Naggar! What an adventure!! As soon as we left the bus, ready to assess the situation once again a hippy looking westerner and a small child asked us where we wanted to go, we told him the castle and he pointed towards the hill in front of us. The bus just left, but he told us that we could go up, it was not that long if we took the short cut. He explained how to get the short cut and off we were.

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Short cut: take the stairs between two houses, this led to a dirt path, which led on top of a building site (some kind of flat roof), then climb a bit of a steep dirt path (kind of muddy after today’s rain and full of giant black slugs…), there you reach the 1^st stretch of the normal road (we gained 15 minutes!!). Then you follow the road for a little while and reached a fork. Keep you left and take the smaller and much steeper road. You will pass a Temple and then some kind of village. Keep following it until you reach a flat area, which is actually the main road again (15 more minutes saved!) where you had our hotel on the left (and a convenient store) and the castle on the right.

roof of a building site

steep road

Temple

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Happy to be finally arrived at our destination and just before the sunset. We are given keys and they show us our room. We decide to have a look at the roof-terrace and met an old German lady and her 10 year old dog. She leaves near Chandigarh and spend 5 months of the year in Naggar and thus for the last 15 years, she used to always stay in the hotel but in the last 2 years she bought her own place in the village. She is still a loyal client of the restaurant. This story gives us good hope that we are in a good place!

Before deciding to spend all our money in one place, we wanted to see what was around, so we headed for the castle, which is now a fancy hotel with restaurant). We found the place empty and a bit pricy. So we went back to our place and checked the menu. Food seems fine and cheap.

night view of the Castle courtyard

We ordered one meal for two, as I started to feel poor: 1 Paneer Butter Masala, 1 Rice, 1 plain Naan, 1 water, 1 Mint Tea (AMAZING!!!), 1 Chai (=Masala Tea). It was delicious! We went off to bed pretty early with our 4 covers!

Slept in a double bed in Sheetal Hotel, in Naggar.