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As we retraced our steps zigzagging back down into the main Kinnaur valley from Sarahan towards Sangla we could clearly see (and hear) the turbid waters of the river Sutlej, powerfully racing along the valley floor, forcing its way past huge semi submerged boulders equivalent in size to small houses and family cars. At this point near Jeori the river is over 100 feet wide and its raw energy commanded our attention as it gouged its path through the relatively narrow space between two massive Himalayan 'Walls'. This 'squeezing' of the river is the reason for its ability to earn money and its propensity for violent flooding. This river had destroyed roads, bridges and erased entire villages killing thousands of people in August of 2001 when a flash flood had caused it to rise over 100 feet in just a couple of hours.

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It is responsible for draining the entire Kinnaur valley region and the sheer volume of water moving so ferociously is a truly impressive sight. Many hydroelectric facilities along its upper reaches harness its power to generate electricity, cash, and more than a little controversy, as many local communities see these facilities as scarring the natural beauty of the region. This situation is compounded by the fact that many of the stations are privately owned and so much of the profit and associated benefits are not seen by the areas inhabitants, a major promised benefit was their supposed ability to help prevent flooding.

We passed many such facilities on our drive up towards Sangla both in operation and under construction, Naresh our guide told us many more were planned...a prospect that concerned him.

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The kinnaur valley is hemmed in by mountains, rising in the south are the Garhwal Himalaya, to the east the central Tibetan massif and in the north the dramatic Zanskar range. We were heading east into the Sangla valley dominated by the dazzling peak of Kinnaur Kailash rising to an impressive 6,050 metres (well over 18,000 feet) and reputedly one of the most beautiful valleys in the entire Himalaya. As we drove alongside the boiling waters of the Sutlej it began to turn from a rich dirty brown to an elephant gray, a result of the changing terrain, we were beginning to enter the remoter stretches of the river (its source is in Tibet) and a mountainous area that is often cut off from the outside world for months at a time, simply by the power of the regions climate... snows in winter and floods in summer.

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We continued to crisscross over the river from one side of the valley to the other using a variety of bridges; some suspended by cables (straight out of an 'Indiana Jones' movie) others resembling giant Maccano sets. Maneuvering around huge natural features that dictated our path we started to climb up steeply, winding half way up the valley side.

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