I had been waiting to see #Khab since Ameen had spoken of it in hushed tones and in awe. And it is awe inspiring to see two distinct, powerful rivers come rushing headlong into a crossroads-gorge from two different mountain-sides, merge, race side by side for a distance and then proceed as the #Sutlej – even mightier, even stronger in character and even more mercurial in temper.
The #Spiti is a river with churning ash-gray waters. The Sutlej is a massive body of animated, restless waters which are also gray but turn the colour of burnished gold when it rains in the higher reaches.
And at Khab, you can see both the rivers in their glory – the Spiti flowing in from its own valley and the Sutlej flowing in through the border of Himachal and Tibet from its source in the Mansarovar Lake in Tibet.
The Spiti river and the road into Spiti Valley; Photo: Sanjay Mukherjee
The ash-gray Spiti river headed to Khab; Photo: Sanjay Mukherjee
The burnished gold Sutlej coming down from near Shipki La higher up the mountain; Photo: Sanjay Mukherjee
Looking out towards the route that the Sutlej comes down from; Photo: Sanjay Mukherjee
The confluence of Sutlej and Spiti rivers at Khab and the road going towards the Spiti Valley; Photo: Sanjay Mukherjee
Sutlej and Spiti river meeting at Khab; Photo: Sanjay Mukherjee
