At The Highest Cricket Ground in the World

From the Gurdwara Sahib at Chail, we walked on to what was once the highest cricket ground in the world. It was about two kilometres away but seemed farther while walking up the winding mountain roads that often rose steeply. I used Google Maps to navigate. It guided us to near the ground and then seemed to lose its way. We had to ask passers-by, including a few local Rashtriya Military School students, for directions. 

Ultimately, when we got there, it turned out that it no longer was a cricket ground but had been converted into a playground for the Military School students. Basketball courts and football fields had been built over it. There was no signboard to announce that it once had been a cricket ground. One announced that it was a restricted area owned by the Indian Army, so we did not venture too far inside. I could see what must have been the pavilion and stands in the distance but could not go closer to take a picture because of the restrictions.

While on the way, we found nearly half of a short stretch of the road leading to the part of town where the former cricket ground was had been swept away as the soil on the hillside where it had been built was gone, probably during a heavy spell of rain. So, only two-wheelers or pedestrians could go across. We crossed the stretch gingerly. 

Earlier, most of the way, there were tall Deodar trees on the slopes on both sides of the road. There were knee- to waist-high shrubs beneath them; the entire slopes were green. It also meant it was impossible to photograph the valley below or the hills in the distance through the thick vegetation. I could only take pictures when we reached a model farm of the Himachal Pradesh horticulture department, where the tall trees had been cut off to make way for flower and fruit beds. I clicked away happily when we got there. 

Except at 2 to 3 places on the way and back, we were the only ones walking on the road, and it was great to experience the clean mountain air and serenity without the kind of hustle and bustle back home in the Delhi NCR. It was an overcast day, and even when the sun peeped out of the clouds, the sunlight was filtered through the tall trees, and not much reached us.

While my father had to take several breaks while walking up to the ground, he walked continuously on the way back as it was mostly downhill. 

Soon, we were at Chail's main market, where we had lunch before returning to our hotel.