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2003-06-12 - Katrain (Day 58)

In driving up one of the side roads into the mountains, I come upon the most picturesque little village that I have seen yet. Nestled in a little valley surrounded by snow-covered peaks on all sides, the village of just a few buildings has a mountain stream running right through its center and fields around it. I pull the bike over and walk into the general store feeling the eyes turn and watch me as I go past. I walk into the general store, buy some chocolate and sit on the steps watching the village goings on. I am there five minutes when a man comes walking up to the store, heads right for me, sits down and asks if I would like some chai. This is the owner of the store and after asking about the bike, he points over to a corrugated metal shed just over from the store and tells me there are 12 Enfield's in there. He keeps the bikes for a bunch of English guys who come once or twice a year and have taken a 99-year lease on a house overlooking the village. Here I thought I was in the middle of nowhere and it seems that many other people have been to "nowhere" long before me.

The owner is a very interesting sort and after chatting a while he tells me that the views from the top of the road are incredible and to my surprise jumps on the back and rides up the 3 km to the end of the road. It is looking into a village completely separated from the road by a ravine, which can only be crossed by horse. There are about 200 people living in this little village with the only way to get supplies up and down in carrying them and by horse. As the main road is not that far away, its probably not that bad compared to some of the other villages even further back, but to me it really drives home how hard some of the basic necessities of life are for people living in some of the remote villages. The picture of trying to walkup this ravine in winter when it is covered in ice and snow.

The shop owner turns out to be the picture of the prosperous businessman owning not just the shop, but also an apple orchard, two taxis, the building rented by the local telephone exchange and a guesthouse in Manali. Amusing the people one will meet just sitting on the steps of the general store.

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