Once again we enjoyed the benefits of having a local friend in unfamiliar surroundings. One of Matthew’s travel guide friends, who works for the same guiding agency in Delhi, happens to be from the Kullu valley, at the foothills of the Himalaya, where we have been spending our time recently. He suggested a few days trekking in the mountains, with him and one of his nephews. Having a local guide on such a trip is great, having a local friend is invaluable. Jagdeesh is a really nice guy, with seemingly endless knowledge of and interest in both local and national Indian culture and issues. I kept thinking how much my Dad would love to meet him.
So we spent 4 days trekking through the himalaya mountains, led by Heman (Jagdeesh’s nephew), who I believe was a mountain goat in a previous life. In his denim jeans and fake Nike runners he put us to shame on the mountain trails. The first day we hiked for 8 hours up over a pass on a trail which it seems only the locals know about. The trail began in a tiny farming village in the mountains which remains untouched by the tourists and modernization that has afflicted so many other mountain towns in the area. As we walked up the trail from the village, Jagdeesh randomly got talking to a lively old lady who turned out to be a distant relative of his. We were all ushered into her farm house for the obligatory cup of chai. She spoke not a word of English, and so the chai was enjoyed with smiles and giggles across the language barrier.
After some knee-wrecking hours hiking up and over a 3,700m pass, we spent the night in officially the weirdest village I’ve ever been to. Malana was first settled thousands of years ago, and its people consider themselves descendants of Alexander the Great. It sits perched on the side of a steep mountain, in a luscious green valley. Until recently it was a long day’s trek to the nearest road, although the people of Malana had no need for a road as they are a very private and insulated community. With only 1000-2000 inhabitants it has it’s own parliament, and refuses to abide by national Indian laws. In a way it acts like a small independent nation in the mountains. It is also home to a very special temple in honour of the most important god in the area. Traditionally the people of Malana received gifts of food from other mountain villages in honour of this god. Another bizarre issue is the Malana law that forbids any outsider (whether Indian or foreign) from touching the people of Malana or their property, with a 1000 rupee fine for those who choose to test the validity of this law. Apparently this has been the way for thousands of years. Along with this goes the reputation the people have of being very unfriendly to outsiders. It makes for a weird and somewhat unnerving experience as a foreigner stepping foot inside the village. Almost impossible to relax. People staring at us as we walk with arms folded through the dirty narrow passages between the houses. I felt like an alien. Or a diseased creature. I bought something from the tiny shop in the village centre. The shop owner put the bag on the ground for me to pick up rather than place anything directly into my hand. I knew the rules before we even entered the village, but this gesture felt so personally insulting that it made me want to cry or shout out: “We are all people no?!”. Matthew reminded me that this concept of untouchable people is all too familiar to Indian people. To me it seems like the ultimate disrespect for another human being, which I suppose is the point…
To be fair, when addressed with a smile and hello, most of the locals responded with the same. And no rules could contain the children of Malana. We were greeted with big smiles by most, with some requesting to have their photo taken, and others in search of chocolate…
Another very prominent and strange aspect of Malana is the fact that cannabis plants grow wild throughout the area. Since the 70′s hippies have found their way there in search of a smoker’s paradise. While many locals continue to live the old primitive mountain way, some have entered the lucrative business of cannabis cultivation, with plantations scattered around the mountains. Such a bizarre combination of ancient and modern in one small mountain village.
The next night we reached Kir Ganga, which consists of an isolated temple and hot spring baths high up in the mountains, surrounded by monkey-infested jungle. It’s a 3-4 hour hike from the nearest village, up through beautiful jungle, past multiple waterfalls. We arrived in darkness and with fading torch light found our way straight to the baths. Such a special experience to sit with the steam rising around you, the stars above, and the dark mountains looming on all sides. With good company surrounding you, and satisfied laughter in the air.
A wonderful few days.
And now we are back in Vashisht, plotting our next adventure together. And this is the magic of India. It is bursting with adventure. There seem to be no laws. And for a foreigner at least, just endless freedom…
(More Photos on the right)
Ha ha, yes, Malana is a ‘special’ place! Would love to go back there some day though. I’m not sure if you know it, but a lot of tourists also ‘disappear’ in that area where Heman took you. Probably related to the sort of plants growing there…
Just heard this mentioned the other day: “India has law – China has order”…
Happy travels!
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