Essentials to bring with you on your trip to Spiti

I always note down what I should or going to bring with me before I start packing clothes. Since this trip was a bit of a rush plan, I made several mistakes of "bringing" NOT so important items with me and "not bringing" important items with me. These are probably the advice for those who want to backpack into Kinnaur and Spiti Valley, staying at cheap guesthouse and travel on local transportation. (I didn't list out every single "a must" items here though)  

So, from my experience, what are those essentials that you need to bring with you? 

- Torch is important because the electricity in India got cut off regularly (several times a day), and to take inside some temples to see mural paintings (but take small size only).

- Wet tissue is very handy. I used Cussons Baby Wipes, which is alcohol free. It doesn't dry out after you opened the pack like other brands and it has very nice tea tree oil scent (it does have tea tree oil as natural antibacterial). You can use it for almost every cleaning purposes, from cleaning any parts of your body to cleaning toilet seat (in hotel room)!

- Tissue paper (toilet paper) is a must. Just take good quality of a roll-type and take out the paper roll in the middle. Almost every places I stayed did not provide toilet/tissue paper! Also, climate change causes nasty sneeze and it is important. 

- Woolen cap and gloves are good if you want to travel to Spiti before June, or even in June. The weather depends much on the amount of snowfalls that year. It's highland and it's freezing cold, you just need to keep your head and hands as warm as possible. Night socks are also good but Himachal people produced very cute wool socks and sell them for only 150 Rupees/pair. 

-  Zip-lock bag for storing anything, from local snacks, left over food, soaps, etc.

- More than 2 packs of Paracetamol as it runs out much quicker than you thought! And other soar-throat/ coughing medication! Actually there are always drugstore in most towns along this route and they also have these basic medicines. However, just to avoid getting worse during your journey, you'd better carry with you from home. Travelling in this part of the country doesn't give you much stomach problem (unlike other part of India). Perhaps you tend to eat less curry (or not at all) and all the Tibetan flour and noodles thing are made fresh and hot everytime! 

- Medicated balm or any kind of liquid inhaler (herbal oil) is good. Balm is probably better as you can also use it as for insect repellent or ointment for muscle ache, as well as inhaling when you are in crowded place. I got bee sting right on the top of my head. Luckily it didn't get into my scalp. I applied medicated balm immediately to prevent irritation. 

- Plastic bag or personal shopping bag as some grocery stores do not provide bags.

- Pillow case, just to cover the pillow at any hotels/guesthouses you stay. But if you have sleeping bag, you can just protect your whole body in that shell. However, some people don't like to carry big sleeping bag that takes up lots of space, lightweight blanket (like the kind they handed you on your flight) and light pillow case are good enough (I don't think the bed sheet/ blanket/ pillow case are changed regularly though).

- Adapter, for charging your camera/ phone, etc, and do not forget to bring the charger! Don't laugh because I once forgot camera's charger when visiting Penang (as part of my site research). It was terrible as I was there for collecting information, especially taking photos, and had to worry about running out of battery! Proper size of SD card is important too. I always meet other traveller (at least one in each trip), who kept deleting photos just only to clear up some space, that's painful!

- Clothesline (+ few clothes peg), you can find a cheap clothesline (like 20Baht) at local market near your home. I bought mine at Tang Hua Seng supermarket. You don't have to wait until you have washed your clothes but you can just use it to hang towels/ scarves/ anything at all. 

- Facial moisturizer/cream, and it's better to bring the one that can heal chapped or severely dry skin. I just brought regular facial lotion and it didn't help at all. The skin on my face looked terribly dry. Keep in your mind that it's not only cold weather, but it's really dry air! Lip balm that has healing quality is a must too. For body or hands, baby oil or Vaseline Petroleum Jelly is good.

- Small towels - you wouldn't want to carry big towels for travel? You shouldn't! But it's also important to bring your own towels because most guesthouses do not provide towels. Or if they do, will you use it? 

- Scarves or shawls that are big enough to cover your head. This is important for travelling in India. If you forget to bring with you, you can easily buy one in the market. You can use them to protect you from cold wind/ weather but it's also good to cover your head when sleeping on night bus journey. 

- Lightweight water bottle - some people just drink directly from the mineral water bottle that they bought. But I prefer to have my own bottle with me as I can fill in juices to drink during a long walk or take it in any restaurants without feeling bad (of not ordering mineral water). It's lightweight and lock-lock brand do the trick well as it didn't spill at all! 

- Small bars of soap - just don't carry liquid soap when travelling, most people just didn't think about this. Sometimes you might think there are plenty of sample bottles in your cabinet and the weight of shower gel bottle gets lighter after each use, so why not! Actually, bar soap is much better as it's solid and not messy after used. I would suggest you take several small bars (like you normally find in hotel's room), as you can just leave the used one behind. 

- Good SPF facial sunscreen - you will travel higher and the air will be clearer, so there are more chances of getting direct sun light. Also, when it's cold, you probably just want to stay out in the sun to get warmer. Do not forget to apply sunscreen on your face everyday. 

- Notebook and pen - it's good to have a small (pocket size or smaller) notebook with you to write down all important information, e.g. phone number, address, hotel names, travel info. You can also track down your travel expense here and keep it as your diary too. 

- Slippers are a must. Take off your sneakers, boots, or trekking shoes, and put on slippers when you are back to the guesthouse room. Most places are covered in carpet and that is pretty dusty. You also wouldn't want to walk around barefoot or leave traces of dust from your outdoor shoes around. Slippers are good that you can also wear inside the shower or toilet too. 

- Enough cash, especially you should spare some of them in small notes. I always find that most travellers prefer to carry less money or traveller's cheque with them, so they need to get to the ATM or bank in big town and that's always a problem for them. You will be charged hundred Baht or so when withdrawing money from ATM, so think well.  

- Sunglasses are really essential in this mountainous region. It's too bright out there, especially when you gaze at snowcapped mountain or whitewashed Tibetan houses. Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses. 

And what items that probably stay at the bottom of your backpack for the rest of the trip?

- Spoon and fork - well, you probably laugh at this. Normally whenever I travel, I always bring a travel-sized spoon + fork with me, so that I can easily grasp food along the road and eat it there (it works really well in Thailand's upcountry, where you regularly find yummy Thai dessert at roadside). But come on, this is India, you just need clean hands to do so!

- Cigarette and lighter, in case you are a smoker, be aware that smoking is strictly prohibited in public here. It is very difficult to find a place that you can smoke freely. Maybe, to quit smoking is a lot easier! Moreover, the air is so thin that you wouldn't be bothered taking more Nicotine to block your lung. For lighter, it's cheap and easy to buy here but regular matches are better choice in this kind of weather (if you need to buy one). 

- Make-up: mascara, eye-liner, brush-on, lipstick, perfume - all are useless in mountain area. Your skin will get too dry to apply more colour over. 

- Mosquito repellent, yes, it's cold and you wear dozens of clothes to make you warm. I actually didn't notice any mosquitos there but even though there are, they can't get through those piles of clothes on your body!
- Hand sanitizer - this will be necessary if you are travelling to a country, where there is outbreak of severe influenza/disease. I mean, wet tissue does not only do the 'anti-bacterial' job, but also clean the dust/dirtiness too.  

- Hat, regular hat, because it's cold and I normally wear the hood of my jacket or hoodie top instead. For guys, you probably bought your outfits (trousers/ shirt/ jacket/ hat/ boots) from trekking equipment's stores and most of them look pretty much in military style. Don't wear the whole set of these outfits because you are not really in the jungle and also not really in the troops. Be careful though, Indian military officers are everywhere. You don't want to misunderstand them!

- Body sunscreen - this is essential only if you are going to visit other towns or other regions of India, where you can wear short sleeves. If you come directly to this region, there is no where on your arms and legs left to apply sunscreen because they will be covered by jumper or jacket. For me, I wore light long-sleeve shirt when I was travelling in other regions/ towns, and the shirt's sleeves can basically protect you from the sun. 

-  Books - I normally carry a book or two with me when I travel somewhere, hoping I will have a relaxing time for some readings. Travel here is different. The journey is too tough and tiring. You will fall asleep as soon as you reach your room. What about reading on the bus or train? that's even worse choice. In case you are not in a hurry and can just chill out there, carry a notebook and a good pen instead. Write down your travel journal or do some sketches.