Trip to Kedarnath Ji and Tungnath Ji

 Started from 4th of June bus from ISBT at 9:30

Recahed back on 10th June morning 4:30am.

Recording  entire  flow of events that occurred during that Trip

Preparation Phase-

So this trip was planned by me as I have heard so much about Kedarnath Ji and I was eager to visit there. Since May - July is the prime season , so I thought I should visit that time . This time also I was thinking of travelling solo but my brother who just completed 12th wanted a trek/outing , so I decided that we 2 would be going. I started to get information from net as to where to stay, food, clothes, hotels, searching forums, asking questions of fb groups related to travel. It really becomes a hectic process when you try to plan something and since I was dependent on public transport, so I have to plan each and every thing accordingly and also keep the required buffer. Since this was a prime season of people coming to pay homage to Lord Shiva, I decided to pre-book hotels, bus tickets, stay at kedarnath ji . Also, I did an online registration at chardham yatra portal to avoid queues at venue.  Some of my friends did pay a visit to Kedarnath ji in May, so I got some tips from them . I booked a hotel at Sitapur which was 2km from Sonprayag from where we can get shared cabs to Gaurikund (4-5 km) and trek starts from Gaurikund. Since I was not able to get hotels in Sonprayag , I chose Sitapur for stay.  I got bus from ISBT to Guptkashi and after that, there were shared cabs available till Sonprayag/Sitapur.  Booked beds at Kedarnath ji as suggested by one of my colleagues. So, after kedarnath ji , I was infact planning to go to Tungnath ji and take my brother at Chandrashila and show him the beautiful 360 view of mountains from there.

Day 1- 4th June

Bags were packed and we need to reach Kashmere Gate ISBT Terminal at around 9:00 PM to catch bus towards Guptkashi. My brother was insisted by one of his friends to tag along and so, we were finally 3 people - me, my brother and his friend going for this trip. Since I was the eldest among them , I need to take care of everything (Responsibilities again on my shoulder )!!Phew!

We catch the bus on time and tucked our bags at respective cabinets .

Day 2- 5th June

Bus made a halt at some point midway at around 1:00 AM at a dhaba. We got out , I ordered a thali and had my dinner , then we got in and the bus resumes its journey . At around 7 am in morning, we reached Haridwar , then Rishikesh after that . The mountains came into view now and my brother ( this was his first trip to mountains) was fascinated by the ranges and he did have a privilege to enjoy the beauty as he was sitting near to window seat. At Devprayag, I showed them the point where the 2 rivers were merging .After some time,The bus halted at Srinagar where we had Tea and snacks.  Then came Rudraprayag, Augustmuni and finally the bus completed its journey at Guptkashi at around 12:30 afternoon. We deboarded the bus and had the lunch from a local dhaba. Then we enquired with some locals as to how we can reach Sitapur from Guptkashi.  There were jeeps available that ferry between Guptkashi and Sitapur but due to tourist rush and traffic in hills, these were not easy to get. Finally, after an hour or so, we got a jeep which could take us to our hotel in Sitapur. We were more than halfway towards our destination and there we realised that there was a 4-5km traffic jam after that and we were sitting in jeeps for more than 1:30 hrs . We decided to cover the rest of the journey by foot as we don't have any other option left . We were already tired after a long bus journey and this traffic jam was making it even worse. It was tiring but refreshing at the same time as I was smitten by the aura of the place. I could even see helicopters whirring above us to take yatris to the pilgrimage.  So after 30-40 mins of walk , we reached the hotel at Sitapur.  

I already booked a room for us earlier by paying a certain amount. We checked in and rested for a while .The time was around 5pm evening, so we decided that we would start the journey to Kedarnath ji by tomorrow early morning.

From our room , we had a beautiful view of the Mandakini river flowing across the region. Sitapur is a village and the locals livelihood stands on the tourism that flows mainly from May to June. All the residents have turned up their houses as tourist accommodations / hotels . They even serve food and other imp. Things for tourist.  Going in into these places at peak time which is primarily May -June may cost you more than the off peak months.  We were so exhausted that we landed right on the bed as soon as we got a room.  We have planned to start our journey to kedarnath ji by tomorrow early morning and our goal was to reach the shrine by evening. After resting for some time, we quickly freshened up. I went out to talk to locals and to gather information that may be important for tomorrow journey. Also, I shopped for some essentials that we do require. The place was quite serene and the cool breeze with rustling from water waves that attack the shore is what makes it quite enchanting. The people are quite helpful , friendly and jovial. I think this is what the city dwellers may learn from these simple people. I got myself a raincover as a protective cover incase of rain during the trek. The hotel staff arranged a simple meal for us and we had the same in our room.

We got to bed early so as to rise early as we do have a long trek ahead of us tomorrow.

Day 3 - 6th June

We rose early at around 4:00 am. We started arranging our backpacks and taking in turns to use washroom to freshen up. After paying the hotel room expenses , we walked out of the hotel and landed at a dhabba nearby to have a quick breakfast. After that we started our walk to Sonprayag as we were told that we would be able to get a jeep from there that would take us to Gaurikund and Gaurikund is the starting place of the long trek to the shrine.

Sometimes I was amazed as to how I could get up early when I am travelling whereas when I am at my home , I am always a lazy brat sleeping too long. Well the travel has some excitement factor that kept me on toes and that may have triggered my senses to wake up early :)

When we are halfway to Sonprayag , we could see a stream of cars packing the road and one of the buses was not able to cross as the car was causing a hindrance. This has lead to a still stop at that junction. Neither that bus was able to move further nor the other travellers on foot. The car owner was nowhere to be seen. I think the people who visit the places should keep in mind as to where they are parking their vehicles . Despite of the fact that Sonprayag has a huge place down the hill to park cars , the road was filled with cars at one side.  

Somehow, the bus was asked to reverse and the travellers could make their way forward. We reached sonprayag and I could see a huge line of people getting their registration from the adjacent police station since that was mandatory. Well, I did that online for my group and so, we went forward only to see a huge line again of people waiting for their turn to get boarded to the jeeps inorder to reach Gaurikund. I was not accustomed to these huge lines . I went ahead just to see how long it will take us to come forward. Well, I figured out that it won't be less than 2-3 hours when we would be able to reach at the front. So, we all decided that we would walk by foot to Gaurikund.

Since it's early morning and our spirits were high, we started the trek from that junction. We were joined by some other like minded people and we started to ascend. It took us around an hour or so to reach at Gaurikund as I checked the clock which was pointing now to 8 am. 

Gaurikund is the last place upto which you could travel by jeep / personal car. After that , you need to be on your own. You can also avail ponies and palkies from here. The place  has been reconstructed after the floods and it too has some hotels for tourists.  Apart from the cold mandakini river flowing , there is a kund which contains hot water. People bathe in this kund and consider the same as auspicious.  We quickly found a cloak room and decided to put some bags there to lessen the load for the trek. After that we had a tea at the dhabba and then resumed our journey to the shrine.

I could see almost hundred ponies at what looks to be their shelter. The distance of kedarnath shrine from Gaurikund is 14km. I thought that I would easily be able to complete the same in 6-7hours as I have some experience from earlier treks. The only novice we have in our group is my younger sibling . This was his first trek to hills and he was already excited about this trek after watching Kedarnath movie.    

Well, we started at around 9 am from Gaurikund , initial ascend was normal ,there is a single passage  for both people on foot and those for ponies. SO you better make way for the ponies inorder to avoid them kicking you out. The trek path was crowded as expected due to the busy season. I saw a disabled man covering the path by lifting his torso through his hands , his faith and determination could never be stalled by lack of limbs in his body.  At one place in trek , I saw a small waterfall gushing out from a height from the opposite mountain. I also met some small waterfalls in the trek and drank water from them.  We could easily find some small shops , resting places and some small temples belonging to different gods in the course of the trek. 

The main fuel for most of those on foot was the nimbu paani that was served after every Km or so.  

Nothing is better than that on any sunny day to energise your body. 

 The network coverage for Vodafone was available upto some extent of the trek (2-4 kms).

The weather was playing its turns to turn sunny or cloudy . I could now see the snow peaked mountains lying far ahead.    

While my brother and his friend were lagging behind me, I have covered quite some distance. I met some people on the way and decided to be part of their team just to be high in spirits as it is good to be in a team rather than walking alone.  After some point, I crossed the bridge on the river . I laid down myself on the shore of the river for some time just to relax and enjoy the warmth of the river. The river here has a good speed so it is not advisable to step into the river as it could kick you out and you can possibly land on the stone boulders lying across or in the river. I took some pictures, made a video covering the surroundings and the bursting river and stood up to resume my journey.

So, now as we have ascended and descended the previous mountain , the bridge now shows me at the beginning of another mountain which  I need to ascend. The width of the track here is quite wide with respect to the earlier one mainly because as this was the new path that was created after the 2013 floods. I could hear people enchanting various names of Lord Shiva and rejoicing while traversing the path. Whenever I was exhausted and needed some strength, I too enchanted Lord Shiva to give me strength. I lost the group I became a part of earlier , so now I was walking alone , catching in somebody or the other on the way up.  After some point , I decided to rest and wait for the other 2 group members.  One of them arrived after 20-30 minutes but my younger sibling was nowhere to be seen. Well, I was a bit worried not that he may have lost path but on the fact that may be if he has abandoned the trek. Well , I and the other one waited for my brother for quite some time , then he comes walking slowly , catching a breath here  and there . Now, we all were halfway through the journey and the sun is taking its toll. I requested both of the them to be with each other and to ascend as they wish to , there is no need to hurry. Enjoy the journey , the peaks , the river flowing and the cool breeze . But I was in a hurry as I needed to reach the shrine by 5-6 PM.        

So, I resumed the trek and met the same group people I befriended earlier and joined them. Now, it has started to drizzle , we started covering ourselves with what we have. The drizzling lasted for 10-20 minutes . We started taking shortcuts following the locals.  Shortcuts ( going through the mountain path rather than the paved path) are strenuous but you do reach quickly as opposed to the  paved path. For first timers, I wouldn't recommend these shortcuts and I should not have even tried that but I wanted to cover the distance as soon as possible. At one point of the time in these shortcuts , there is a small stream flowing and we have to cross that patiently as if we step on rock wrongly , we might end up down the mountain. That was quite scary but I managed to do so with proper precautions. After that I only took shortcuts that appear to be less risky and more fruitful, otherwise , I stick to the paved path. At every 2-3 km, the tent toilets and the medicine facilities were available. 

After some time , I came cross a bed of frozen snow and some workers were removing the snow from the paved path in order to make the way for tourists and the ponies. Be careful when you are stepping on these frozen snow patches , they are treacherous. We should not hurry while crossing these snowy patches .Also, the more height you gain, less  the oxygen you get and you should take some rest and not strain yourself. So, I was quick to take breaks whenever I felt and the idea is not to take long breaks . Take small breaks of 5-10mins and then move , if you take long breaks it is difficult to  continue the momentum. 

The sun appears to have taken some rest and the weather got a bit chilly.  I was awed by the beauty of these snowy peaked mountains . I was so tempted to climb to them and see what's on the other side or just sit and be with nature for some time. I am not able to comprehend as to why the peace prevails in these places as if by our very nature we are bound to be with nature and as close we get to it, we find our hidden nectar , our tranquility, our joy and the feeling of oneness. To me, this was not just a religious trip , it was a way to get back to my joy, way to remind me that there's more to life than just chasing after money . Let's just break these thoughts and get back to the place,

There were clouds and the mist was all around. I could see some helicopters whizzing past us and how eloquent they appear in the valley. There were police officials controlling the traffic of ponies at some places and even fining those who are practicing the trade even though they are underage. Most of the locals are being supported by this business. Some ponies do lose their balance here and there and often they slip, it is not easy to man those ponies but the masters do maintain good command on these animals. Apart from ponies, there is a horizontal (bagghi )type thing  which 4 people carry and one person/ 1 child can sit in the required seat. Then there are porters that can carry 1 person on their backs in a wooden basket.

I checked with people returning and it appears that I was close to the temple place. I found a tea stall and asked for a tea.  I can't miss a tea in this eloquent weather and in this chilly winds. Post that, I started my journey upwards and finally made a stop when I reached the helipad place where the helicopters in pair were transporting people to enable them to have darshan. There were government guest houses mostly and they can be booked online. I already booked the beds online for the night just to avoid the hassle.  These guest houses were powered by solar panels employed on the rooftops. I checked my watch and it was close to 5:15 PM and as the sun was nowhere, the weather was bit chilly.  I  could see the Kedarnath temple from that distance. The snowy peaked mountains right behind the temple are magnificent and majestic.

I went to the GMVN guest house, showed my online tickets and got my beds and rested for some minutes and finally started my journey towards the temple. I just could not wait any more longer to unravel this beautiful place. I was totally mesmerized by the place. There is an icy cold mandakini river flowing from those majestic mountains down to the valley. It was so icy cold that I could not place my hand in it for 1-2 minutes , yet I could see people bathing in them and that too in evening.

I could see a long line of pilgrims waiting for the darshan. Since , I wanted to explore the place and not do darshan right ahead, I started following the other way to reach the temple which is through those big stairs.  I could see the damaged properties which were the result of the 2013 floods. 

Finally, the long wait was over and the magnificent and famous kedarnath temple was just right in front of me with the Nandi (Bull) facing the temple side.  There are 2 entrances to the temple, one was used to cater to the people waiting in long lines and the other one catered the VIPs ( the helicopter ones). Right behind the temple is the famous stone that helped in keeping the temple intact by directing the water current to flow sideways and thus saving the temple parisar. That stone(shila) at the rear side is marked with photographs of people who lost their lives in those floods (not sure).The other adjacent side is marked with saffron tilaks as the stone is also worshipped.

Just to the left of the temple on the adjacent mountain, there is a  temple of Lord bhairava who is worshipped and is considered as one of the guards of the temple.(not sure). I tried to capture some good shots with my phone. The fencing was in place so as to avoid any future mishaps and some work was also under construction . How picturesque was this temple surrounded by the mighty mountains. After spending some time and rejoicing the aura, I realized that I need to reach to the guest house and see if two of my group members have finally reached or not. I started towards the guest house and found that the two were finally there , utterly exhausted and lying on the beds.

The aarti would be performed at around 7:30 and I need to rush as I couldn't miss that. I enquired if they were willing to join me but they were not able to get up from their beds. Well, I was not that tired or may be the place has infused an enthusiasm in me and I no longer was paying heed to any stiffness or numbness in my legs. 

I reached at the temple spot again in midst of the chants of Lord Shiva. Lights were out and the temple was appearing to be a golden shinning dome. There was a rush of the people but I managed to get a place somewhat near to temple. The gates were open and since the crowd was not looming at the gate end , I could see the deity from the distance partially and a another small nandi in the temple. The large bell was rung continuously and the air was filled with chants of the aarti. 

After the aarti was over, I quickly reached to the guest house. Now, I unpacked my bag and shoved my body in the blanket to get some warmth and finally some rest. After some time, we decided to have dinner and call off the day. Both of them decided to dine in the guest house canteen and I decided to take a walk and explore some options as I was not that hungry and could suffice for a maggi and a hot tea. The lights were hardly there as the solar panels appear to be the only source of electricity . So, with my phone light I marched on. Finally got the required at a stall near the temple area. The local pahadi people always captivate me with their benevolence and warmth. It is not easy to operate stalls at night as the temperatures drops low. But still they operate as people lined up for the darshan gets to these stalls to refresh themselves. These people are always at service and they don't demand high charges for their service whereas they are in a position to get what they want.

To them the service matters most than the monetary benefit they get out of that. 

From one of the pilgrims, I get to know that people were waiting in queue for darshan since 7-8 hours and finally got to pay their homage to the deity. Though there is a token system but it was hardly followed. I think a proper system needs to be developed and implemented well so as to avoid these long waiting hours. We didn't register ourselves into the queue as we could see a long queue already lined up and it was hard to get darshan at that day.  After the tea , I started descending so as to get back to the guest house canteen. Well , two of my mates did manage to get the thali but the puri was dry and cold ( can't help it as the temp was lower) . They did manage to satiate their hunger and we return to our beds . There were few lights that were on , even in our bedded room we don't seem to have access to the electricity, so we were operating by the torchlight of our mobiles. 

Note - It is advisable to register for the guest house beds online earlier before your visit as it is hard to find the beds later as the accommodation is less and turnover is more, so most of the people end up being in make shift tents .

Our plan next morning was to try to get darshan of the deity, Some people advise that we should be in queue as early as possible tomorrow morning . Well, I didn't care about that as our bodies need rest and I don't want any of us to be in queue so early in morning due to the freezing temperature.

My idea was to relax and enjoy the aura. There is no point in getting to the queue early in morning and then ending up deteriorating your health. I didn't even removed my jacket and pulled 2 blankets over me to get some warmth. It was my first experience getting into a zone where the temperature was dropping near to 0. 

Day 4 - 7th June 

I woke up early at around 5:30 am. As expected , there was a chill in the air but it was manageable. From my guest house area, I could clearly see the top of the majestic mountain that was shining behind the temple area. That snow peaked mountain was challenging the sun and the sun rays were being blocked by its mighty figure. The sun rays were illuminating the top ridge area and it was one of those moments that a photographer yearns for. Orange hue decorating the top snowy ridge of the mountain.  Slowly , the sun keeps gaining the height and finally illuminated the whole area.

After our daily chores , we headed to the temple area to join the queue lined up for darshan. The queue was shorter than what I had seen yesterday. So, we quickly lined up to be a part of the queue. In rounds, we went for tea and breakfast so that we can safeguard our position in the queue. It was 6:30 AM when we lined up for the queue and till 9:00 AM, we haven't moved close enough. I was frustrated with this snarling and lack of proper administration by authorities. Some people were allegedly moving forward even though they came late and that lead to we being making little progress. 

We don't have arrangements for the accommodation for that day as I thought that we would be able to do darshan easily and then trek back to Gaurikund. My other 2 mates were adamant and wanted to have darshan, I too wanted that but in that situation, if we would have been there at the queue , we won't be able to have darshan till 2-3 pm. It was not like I don't wanted to have darshan , I do wanted that but that was not possible given the improper administration. So, I made up mind to drop the idea of darshan and instead use pray outside the temple area and pay homages. I reasoned the same with my fellow mates and we got out of the queue. 

We reached out to the stalls to get the pooja thali and we initiated our pooja outside the temple right beside the Nandi ji famous figure. Since God is everywhere and it does not matter that you pay homage outside the temple or inside. What matters most is with how much sincerity and love you pay the same . The whole parisar is like an enlightened place and I could feel the positive vibes . 

After the pooja , I showed them the temple parisar and the famous shila and the big Shiv Trishula.

After they are done with their round of photographs and selfies, we made up our mind to start our descend so as to reach Gaurikund by evening. We reached to the local stalls for getting some memento like the Kedarnath Ji pics ,small rings etc.

We checked out of the guest house at around 10:15 AM and started the descend. I showed them the chilly vibrant mandakini river flowing with full vigour. We paid our homage to the river. By then, the sun was illuminating the whole valley with its rays. I took the rucksack of my younger sibling since that was way heavier than any of the bags we had . We did have an option to leave some things out but due to the adamant nature of my brother, we need to take the bag up and now , he was repenting his decision. Now, he was not in a position to take this back down. He was a bit tired and that was understandable from the fact that we had a hectic yesterday where we travelled almost 25km from Sonprayag to Kedarnath ji on foot. I advised him to stick with the his fellow friend and start the descend slowly as we do have enough time to reach Gaurikund by evening. With Lord Shiva Chants , we started descending and this time I was closely following them either right behind them or just some meters ahead. Boosting the morale was essential and for that I do need to stick closely to them. With some stops, we finally managed to cover more than half of the descend. I noticed some pain in my leg and found out that a blister was appearing at the back of my right toe and it needs to be looked upon. I checked with the doctor in one of the camps and he gave me some ORS and some medicine that could help in hydrating body and reliving the pain.

At one point of time, I thought that I was ahead of the boys , so I rested for a while at one of the stops . After a half hour or so, I was getting restless since I thought that they were not that much far behind, after 15 mins , I got a signal in my mobile and called my brother only to find out that they had reached Gaurikund and were inturn waiting for me. I started descending and this time my pace was quick which should not be . I was deliberately not slowing my descend so as to reach Gaurikund soon.  Later evening, that quick steps had led to some twisting of my ankle and I need to apply balm for reliving the pain. So, a note to my self - always carefully descend the mountains.

I finally reached at Gaurikund around 4:00 pm.  I found the other two at a local shop where we put up our bags yesterday so as to decrease our baggage for the uphill climb. We got our bags and checked the belongings and finally crashed at a tea shop . Post that , we started descending to a stop where we could get the jeeps to Sonprayag. We reached the place only to find out that we have a long queue right in front of us waiting for their turns to board the jeeps. It was a long queue. We reached to the front of the queue where the people were boarding the jeeps inorder to try our luck of boarding any.

But we were not able to do so.  Finally , the only option left was to travel by foot to sonprayag and thus started the next phase of descend. This was most tiresome as we were tired and we were just dragging ourselves so that we could reach to any nearby hotels and crash as early as possible.

I kept reminding myself that only a km is left and I can cover that up easily. The only companion I found relishing is the beautiful mandakini river flowing right beneath. We were able to reach Sonprayag by 5:30 PM. We decided to opt for the same hotel in Sitapur village. From Sonprayag , we reached to the hotel in Sitapur around 6 PM and enquired about the room and got one. We got the same room that we checked out earlier. We crashed the beds 

Day 5- 8th June (Saturday) -Tungnath Visit

---to be continued

Tungnath-Chandrashila Trek

Its been a while that I haven't gone to any of the treks after my solo trek. So, this year in April , I decided to go for Tungnath- Chandrshila trek in Chopta (Uttarakhand).

Luckily, this time ,2 of my friends decided to accompany me. So, I researched about the trek and made an itinerary for 4 days .

First Day -April14

Delhi to Rishikesh

We boarded our bus to Rishikesh from ISBT. I tried to ask the uttarakhand bus dept people about the details of the bus , but they refused that this is not their bus and then I got to know that I booked a UP State transport bus which will take us from Delhi to Saharanpur and then to Rishikesh. But more important is that we boarded our bus on time@ 8 am . As there was a bit of rush due to highways being constructed in saharanpur, so we faced heavy traffic jam which inturn delayed our bus to reach rishikesh on time. We reached 2 hours late , i.e, @ 5:45 pm @rishikesh bus stand. Since I know that we won't be able to get any bus or jeep to Rudraprayag( our next stop) as they go in before 4 or 5 pm, so we decided to take a room in rishikesh and spend the evening there. Took a decent room near triveni ghat in 500 bucks. Then we went to see aarti  at triveni ghat, spent some time there by sitting beside the river on banks. When we immersed our feet in water, it was too cold but after some time, we got accustomed to it. We clicked some selfies and photographs and then @ around 8:45 , we headed back to search for some decent restaurant to fill our bellies. We had our fill and then we purchased some snacks and drinks for tomorrow hectic travel journey and got back to our room.

I got to know from hotel caretaker that we could easily get a jeeep to rudraprayag from here @ around 5 am tomoroow morning and he can fix one for us. So, he called the jeep owner and fixed 3 seats for 4:30 sharp tomorrow morning.We all slept early so as to get up at 3:30 in morning.

Day2 -April 15

Rishikesh to Rudraprayag by bus

We got ready @ around 4:15 in morning, waiting for our jeep to come . We had tea from the stall near our hotel and ate some biscuits.  We waited for around 1 hour for the jeep owner, but he didn't respond positively to our calls , so inturn we tried searching for other jeeps and buses. But we weren't able to get any jeeps as april is a marriage season there and most of the jeeps are there and the rest are prebooked by rafting camps .

So, finally  as we weren't able to get any jeep, so we decided to go by bus to Rudraprayag as we were losing time and we need to cover a considerable distance to reach chopta by 3 pm.

So, we boarded bus @ 6 am for Rudraparayag costing 200/head.  I met one of the locals in the bus and he told me that he was returning from delhi as all his luggage and money was stolen at ISBT and he  wasn't bale to get it back. He went there for a job, but the person who need to ascort him didn't reach there. I felt sorry for him that such innocent village people are being cheated by the goons in town. He told me that he went by himself to Madhmaheshwar ( can reach there by reaching Ukhimath- then to unaina and then a 2 day trek through different villages to reach this abode). He offered his services as porter if I wanted to go to Madhmaheshwar, though I was tempted but I need to cover Tungnath first, so I declined that.

We reached @ 8 am in Devprayag ( 70km from Rishikesh). It is where the two rivers meet- Bhagirathi and Alaknanda with a beautiful temple of Rama -Raghunath Temple.

Then @ around 11 am we reached Rudraprayag (140km from Rishikesh). Immediately, we boarded a jeep from there to Ukhimath . We met several people here and they suggested different places like Gopeshwar, Annuisui Mandir etc. that can be in our list. So finally, we reached @ 1pm at ukhimath.

But real problem started here as we got to know that there is no vehicle going to chopta from here due to all jeeps being deployed in marriage and the bus was also not available. But , kudos to our luck , that we find 5 fellow travellers who have alreadt arranged for a local jeep that could take us to chopta @ 90/head. So, out of them 3 were locals , which later became our trek buddies. One of them was from garhwal and the other two were from Rudraprayag. So, we recahed Chopta @ 3pm and then to our surprise, found out that the place was a little crowded . We  were finding it difficult to get rooms but somehow, we manages to get a room where 6 people could fit in @ 200/head. We had our lunch and then we roamed to the beautiful meadows to click some shots. We clicked some selfies and group photos. We watched the sunset from there and I clicked some panoramas.

Then as the evening started to fall in, it was getting colder n colder. We reached the local shop , whose owner rented us the room and he lit a bonfire for all of us and  we enjoyed its warmth. There , we met one of the person, who was travelling from Sari village (Deorari tal) 8am through Rohini Bugyal forests to reach chopta @ 3 pm. HE told us that he camped yesterday @ Deorari tal and started early morning for chopta. Deorari tal is a lake whose depth can't be measured by anyone till now and you could easily see the reflections of the mighty mountains in its waters and enjoy the night there. We went to our rooms then and wrapped jackets to protect from cold. We could easily see the constellations and the bright stars sparkling from our room .We easily spotted the Dhruv Tara. We all engaged in  conversations in our room accompanied by room owner. Then at around 11:30 pm, we went to the local shop to eat dinner and we got some cold rice and dal @ that time also, thanks to the  hospitability of the locals. I could see the mountains from the shop drenched in white moonlight and I took a moment to capture that as I was mesmerized by the beauty .

We all decided to start trek by 3:30 am or 4 am if  we got up early as we wanted to see the sunrise from chandrashila top.

Day 3 - Trek to Tungnath -Chandrashila

As we all slept late at night, so we were not able to start trek at 4 am, also it might not be possible at that time as we were not equipped with warm clothes and the temperature was low. Also, we would also need a guide as it would be dark and we could easily lost our way. But , we all started our trek at 6:30 am morning .

We just took the essentials with us and left the rest in the room. It was still cold at that moment and we were not able to see the sun yet and the moon is still visible as we were starting our trek.

The mountains, the valleys , the weather , it all appeared to be perfect and I was tempted to click some pics .

We didn't follow the paved path instead we took some shortcuts at starting of our trek which saved our time but it also drained our energy. As we were ascending slowly, we were able to see the mountains clearly drenched in white snow. The rays of the sun on the mountains made them look majestic.

…….To be continued 

Solo Trip To McleodGanj, Triund Hill

I have been thinking lately to pen down my experiences on my solo trip.

Here it goes :

Initial Preparation:

I knew nothing about nothing. So, I started making list of places that I will be covering near Mcleodganj and Dharamshala. Since I have a long weekend and I am not able to make a good itinerary for a good 5 days, so there is some appointment of wasting my holidays. So , I started exploring more,reading blogs on travelling and finally came to a conclusion to make a trip of 3 days.

Also, purchased raincoat , a traveller bag and new shoes for me.

After that, I started asking some of my close friends whether they would be available on these dates .No positive replies from anyone, so ultimately decided to go solo. It was always like a yes or no kind of situation. Sometimes I think that lets wait for some more months and then others would be available to accompany me and it would be safe and cheaper but I was on a verge of frustration and wanted to breathe in fresh air and give myself a good break. So, I decided that I should book a hotel beforehand and inturn that would be a guarantee that I would not cancel this trip. So booked a hotel in Mcleod(Pink house) just  1 week before the trip dates and then booked a bus ticket from Delhi to Dharamshala.

So bus was booked for 5th July night so that I would reach Dharamshala by 8-9 am in the morning and then could easily check in at the hotel before 12 am.

Leaving Delhi on 5th July Night

I was not so excited as I was in a state of confusion,fear and there was a feeling that I should not do this but I told myself that its okay , the trip would be good and I just need to reach my destination. Took a metro to Kashmere Gate Bus Terminal and reached there at around 9 pm. I was not aware about the location from where I would catch the Himachal Bus. So, I asked at The Himachal Bus counter and got to know that the buses wait downstairs at pillar No.22. I got excited now after seeing the Terminal and then I started running downstairs to reach to the bus.Reached there, got the seat and arranged my bags. But a family requested me to move to  the seat just at the back of my current seat as they want to sit together, so shifted to that shift and rearranged my bags. A hawker selling books caught my attention.

I had a look at some of the books and asked for the price of one. He was selling paperbacks at a higher rate but I wanted to buy a book from him . So, I told myself that I am already low on budget and I should refrain myself from books for just these 4- 5 days.

Bus Journey

Started at 9:30 pm. Reached a Dhaba by around 12:30 pm,I had dinner there.After that, Bus entered in Punjab and then saw Anantpur Sahib and then the famous dam.I was trying to get some sleep but as always, I was just able to close my eyes for few minutes and then look outside my window seat to catch some glimpses.

At around 5:30 am, reached somewhere after Chinttpurni Mata Mandir and after that reached Dharamshala at around 8:30 am.

Got to know that Mcleodganj is 10 kms from dharamshala. Reached Mcleod.

The weather was cool and I was mesmerized by the beauty of the place.

Somehow reached Hotel at around 9:30 , asked the owner whether I could checkin early. The hotel owner was a nice person and he did allow me to checkin early.The room was quite good and it has exceeded my expectations. I was so excited that I didn't even rest and started unpacking and then after daily routines,I was ready for my first destination,i.e, Chamunda devi Temple.

Chamunda devi Temple.

Got to know that I could reach this temple by Dharamshala in just 1 hour. So quicky reached dharamshala and boarded a bus to temple. Reached Temple. It was really a must visit place and I am glad that I visited there though I took it as an optional in my itinerary. There was a beautiful waterfall near the temple from where a natural spring was flowing . I moved there and immersed my feets in the cool water to just enjoy the spring.

HPCA Stadium & War Memorial

From temple, I reached dharamshala again. I was so hungry that I grabbed 2 burgers from a hawker and ate both of them hastily. Since , I was left with some time and was not in a mood to get back to hotel, so I made my mind to visit HPCA stadium .It was at a good distance from bus stop but I wanted to travel on foot.

I passed by policestations, libraries, university, govt.schools and playgrounds.

I unknowingly reached at the front gate of HPCA stadium and the entry was allowed from a second gate at the backside just adjacent to the college. I was already drenched in sweat as the weather has changed from a cool one to a hot.

Somehow reached there, I didn't find it too extraordinary, it appeared to me just like other stadiums . I was disappointed as I was walking from nearly 45 mins to reach here. After that, I decided to go to War Memorial, which was just 2 kms from Stadium. There was a INR 10 ticket to enter the Memorial site. It was maintained in a good fashion by the authorities. Names of Soldiers (who lost their lives in wars) were engraved on a wall . I found it better option than the Stadium. It was 5 pm by my watch. Since, I didn't take any rest in the morning and was constantly chasing my itinerary

Places, so I decided to go back to hotel and take some rest .

Reached  Hotel, took some rest, arranged my clothes. After that, I went to the terrace of the hotel inorder to enjoy the mountain view from there. Saw a foreigner girl sketching at the terrace of the adjoining hotel and completely engrossed in what she is doing.

I was a bit frustrated as I was sad as there were no friends there to accompany me and I am not able to make any new friends yet . I was even cursing my idea of coming solo . It happens with me and I was kind of feeling lonely as there was nobody to talk to , so I decided to roam the streets and satiate my hunger.

So finally at night , I was fighting in my mind as to why I decided to come solo for this trip and already gave 100 opinions as to why this idea would fail further. Neverthless, I reasoned myself out and decided that lets complete what I have in my itinerary. So, decided to go for Triund trek and start as early as possible as the plan was to return back to hotel.

Day 2-

Next day, I got ready around 7:45 and left hotel to look out for an auto that could drop me to Dharamkot which is the starting point of trek.  Autos can drop you a little further as well from Dharamkot but the fare was high and I decided that I want to trek as much as possible so Dharamkot was chosen as the starting point of trek.

Auto did drop me there . There was just a shop there and down the hill, there were homestays. I started Trek and realised that the surface was built up for the donkeys with hard rocks here and there and it took some effort to cross those . I could see nobody there trekking , just some random monkeys trying to scare me. 

Finally reached to a small mandir  at around 9am after 30 mins trek , that is the spot where the autos drop you usually .

There is a checkpost where you need to fill an entry with your name as a kind of check that local authorities maintained for people going for Triund trek.

Finally started trekking . The weather was hot but as I started climbing , I came across a point where I could literally see the whole city of Mcleodganj and could identify the HPCA stadium from top. It was mesmerizing for me . A caution alert for new trekkies , please trek as close to mountain side as possible as the fencing is not proper , so avoid going to any extreme ends.

After some odd 30 mins, I rested and met some people from different states. They were having their joints and they asked them out of courtesy which I politely declined. I had some chitchat with those trekkies and decided to resume the trek . The weather was changing now from hot humid to a bit cloudy . I was in awe of the nature's beauty as I came across the streams downhill and the various facets of beautiful nature. I did savour those moments as I was not rushing my steps and I know that I could easily complete the trek and can come back to hotel easily before sunset.

After some 40 -45 mins, I decided to halt at a tea shop to savour the tea. I came across 2 people who were from Delhi and I started having a conversation with them. I came to know that they too started early morning and were having plans to stay at the hill for the night . I decided to tag along with them . Now we all were trekking to reach triund and stopping at places that captivated us during the trek. At certain point in trek , we were kind of lost interms of what path to take and we headed towards a wrong path which we quickly realized . Luckily some fellow travellers helped us to the right path and we started trekking further  and finally we reached the Triund Hill at around 12pm .

At triund hill , there was just 1 local shop , a small shiva temple , a govt rest room and some makeshift tents. We were not able to see the mountains from the the hill top since they were shrouded by a thick layer of clouds. The experience was satisfying since I was not sure whether I would be able to do this solo ,I was at peace for a moment and was trying to soak in the vibes. It was decided among us that we would be going higher from there to Snowline which would take another 2-3 hours. I didn't have plans to even stay at the hilltop , I was supposed to reach triund and came back to hotel. Also, I was not carrying enough cash for the expenses. So, I was not sure whether to go further or return. Though I do want to go further and explore but I didn’t have enough funds to do that . Soon, these guys suggested that they would pay upfront and then the expense  can be settled later.

After enjoying the ambience of triundhill for around 2 hours, we started to trek to Snowline. The area is not mapped clearly , so we need to look out for some arrows or carvings on the rocks in the path . These carvings/signs were made by travellers indeed to help other travellers . We passed some dense areas and down the hill , I was again mesmerized by the beauty of the vegetation. We did encounter some small shrines of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in our path.

Soon, we reached a valley and I have no words to describe the tranquility of that place. It was a kind of place where you can sit down and just observe the things around you and let yourself be engulfed by the surroundings.  But we continued further as we do need to reach Snowline before Sunset . Finally , we walked for 30-40 mins and could see a local shop and realized that we have reached the spot.

At Snowline-

It was the only shop there with 3- 4 men sitting inside that.  We had a word with caretaker and enquired as to whether we can get a tent and some food for night .  We got a sturdy tent where we unloaded our backpacks and took some rest . We were soon accompanied by the chirping of birds downhill. Cameras came out and the explorer in us kicked in to explore the place more. We could see the mighty Dhauladhar ranges kissed by the rays of the sun . Sun was finally setting down and we need to get some woods to make a bonfire. So, we were accompanied by a local downhill to get some woods. You need to watch your steps as you go downhill as the speed needs to be controlled . We finally got some woods , a bonfire was set with the help of caretaker. Chai came in and the night was starting to take its toll. The weather  was turning out to be cold , bonfire was indeed helping us to keep warm.  We were soon engulfed by an indefinite number of stars and a couple of galaxies . I have experienced nothing like this before . It was one of the beautiful nights of my life where I was soaked in white light of shining stars. I was astonished ,surprised and tired. I could not take my eyes off the sky.  Though I was tired and wanted to go to sleep but I could not miss this . Hours passed by and I kept staring at the sky . There was a certain amount of energy at that place . The galaxy was such a rare sight for my eyes and I kept looking at it for a long time. Both of these people I was travelling with were good photographers as well. They were busy in getting the right setup and in finding a moment to capture and they indeed capture that beautiful galaxy along with our illuminated tent. Finally, we decided to call off for the day and headed towards our tent to get a good sleep. At night, a creature came in from downhill to look out for some food and we could hear its growling , I was afraid for a moment but we didn't move and  it went its way. It was a chilly night. I was not able to sleep and I woke up early just to see the first rays of sun kissing the mighty mountains. 

We paid the caretaker and thanked him for his help. We decided to move down the hill to Triund and reached Triund at around 12 in noon.  Chai kicked in and cameras flashed to capture the aura. There's a cliff at triund where most people capture the moment. I too was asked to sit on that cliff but I was a little afraid as I thought that I might fall from that, so I sat but not close to cliff and as soon as the pic was taken, I hurried back.

Finally , its time for me to part with my new friends . Numbers were exchanged and they asked me to move with them to a homestay in Bhagsu . I quickly agreed as I need to move out of my hotel. I started descending the hill . I was at peace with myself for coming up to this place , so all the ramblings and questionings that my mind was engaging with at the first night was blown to pieces. When you descend, try to have a check on your pace because you shouldn't rush down the hill as you may stumble upon something and lose the grip.  I kept check at my pace at various ends just to ensure that I am not moving fast downhill . Rain came in and I draped myself in my raincoat. It was such a great weather and I was enjoying each moment. Finally , I reached my hotel and found couple of my messages from Dad. I gave a call to him and ensured that I am safe , there's no network at hills and that's why we go there to cutoff from the chatter.

Bhagsunath -

After having a nice bath and a good food, I decided to pack my stuff and check out of hotel and join my friends staying at the homestay. Checked out and found an auto from  main square to drop me to a near spot from where I could walk upto the place.  I lost the sense of direction as to how to reach to that place . Luckily , I saw 2 locals passing by who `offered me to come along with them as they were going towards that direction.  We started conversing and it appears that one of them likes to play flute and another one was a dancer . We reached at a crossroad , where they moved to a different direction and showed me a path to reach to my destination. Finally I reached the homestay - " family Pizaaria'.

It was a medium room with 2 beds where we 3 need to spend a night. There was no cooler/ AC/fan. I asked the owner as to why there was no fan if incase it is needed at night. To that he politely stated that I wouldn't be needing one at night and the quill would be my best companion all throughout the chilly night. He was so true. I had my dinner at the adjoining café . Someone was playing an instrument in adjoining café and the tune was so engaging that it kept me there for quite some time.

Next day, we need to clear the room by 12 , so we quickly completed the rituals , headed out to get some food at a café which was playing the local songs . Music is something that you don’t need to understand, I was not able to understand a  word out of that song but still I enjoyed the beat. We decided to head out to Bhagsunath temple and then to Bhagsu falls.

Bhagsunath temple is a lord Shiva temple . It has a pond in its campus where people came in to relax. Reaching to bhagsu falls at top is quite a feat as there are a good amount of steps that you need to climb up to reach to the top.

Rain poured in as we were climbing the steps, reached at the top and captured the beautiful waterfall coming out of the rocks.  We started descending and reached to a café to get some local food.

At this time, it was raining heavily. We ordered a ball of rice . There is a beauty to each café . In our café,  I could see a chess set, some music instruments for people to play. Inorder to pass time, we played chess and I was defeated again. Bad at chess!!  Finally when the rain stopped ,  I decided to move out as I had a bus to catch that would take me upto Kangra and from there , I have a bus to catch at 7:30 for Delhi.

Atheism

I can't get this out of my mind.

Well, I do have to research and need to come to a conclusion whether to be a theist or an atheist.
Its draining me. My mother is angry with me on hearing my inclination towards atheism.
But I can't help it. I want to explore, I want to be firm and rational in my beliefs.
At this time, I feel so uprooted, it feels like the beliefs on which I have laid the foundation of my life are challenged so openly and vigorously by none other than but my mind.

It's one of the important decisions of my life, that I need to take and it will decide the course of my
life. I don't know whether I am right about this or not.
Bhagat Singh ideas and thoughts are deeply penetrated inside me, no matter what happens, whether I
have to suffer pain in transformation, I have to do it.

There is no backout option from this.

-----------My views when I was in college, somewhere around 2nd-3rd yr

Walking down a path aimlessly
Don't know where would it lead me
To the dark corners or to the bright shade
Oblivious of why I'm walking this path
Challenging every idea and every belief that I have accumulated so far

Sometimes I want to leave and abandon the path as
I find it excruciating to accept the changes
It's difficult to endure when your beliefs on which
you have laid down your foundation,be shaken to the deepest roots

It's like you have to start over again with new beliefs
Sometimes I find myself lost in those despair moments
that I have tried to forget and fought  for a long time
Sometimes the world drags me and
Sometimes I, myself can be claimed as the culprit
In the moments of uncertainity, you find yourself  searching
for a thing to clung to

The world is full of sufferings but still somewhere positivity prevails
Someday when you smile without any reason
Someday when you break from your monotonicity to challenge the world
'FAITH' that's the word that takes you through turbulent times
No matter how hard the time is, you clung yourself to the notion of hope.

In a soft sunlight and a cool breeze

I find myself searching for a reverberant voice

that has travelled a distance to reach my ears

to lease a section in my heart

I find it difficult to preserve the beauty of that voice

As it flows through my body like a pulse

and shakes every inch of it with its rhythm

Lost in that,I find myself oblivion of my surroundings

Every note that I feel, makes me

more rejuvenating and more vibrant.

The rhythmic beats of my untamed heart resonates

with the beats of that rhythmic voice

It's like that rhythm is healing the untouched wounds inflicted

on a soul that has for so long served as a victim in an

outrageous world.

Its her smile that steals my heart
Its her eyes that disturbs the tranquility of my mind
Its her black shining hair that leaves me in a trance
Its her voice that soothes me
Her Thoughts preoccupies my mind and
keeps me far away from ennui
O Dear Lord
Is this love...
The monotonocity in life is breached by
a tide of vibrancy
My heart betrays me and aches for her
Well, she's oblivious of my feelings
I hope she is not skeptical
O lord, give me strength to approach her
and reveal my helpless state
It does not happen always
that what you desire, you get
But I will not shrivel till I open my heart to her.