Life as a Local
I wheezed my way to Butit’s place, which was going to be my home for the next 3 nights. Two months of Yoga doesn’t necessarily prepare you for a hike at 4200 m. Is the darkness due to deficiency of light or of oxygen in my body ? I wondered. The entrance to Butit’s house was a small green door that struggled to accommodate an average built Indian man. All the winter layering only added to the woes. The door opened to a dimly-lit passage, which smelt of spices, dust, and cow-dung. Bending was the only way to avoid banging my head with the ceiling. Heavy backpack and bent back made me gasp for air. The passage seemed overcrowded with 3 adults and 4 backpacks. “Please don’t expect any luxuries in the homestays. Houses in Demul are basic. That’s how you live like a local in Spiti.” Ishita Khanna, founder of Ecosphere had warned us before we left Kaza. Cheap stays on my travels aren’t new to me. Whenever my accommodation crosses the 3-digit mark, ‘traveler-not