Skywatch Friday- Ye Asma Jhuk Raha Hai Jamin Pe

Ye Asma Jhuk Raha Hai Jamin Pe (The Sky is Coming Down to Meet the Earth) Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

More pictures of Sky at Sky Watch Friday

Skywatch Friday- The Clouds at Nainital

The Clouds at Nainital

This is a picture from my trip to Nainital in 2007 with Brat 2. The clouds were hanging so low that they had merged the sky and the lake!

See more pictures at Skywatch Friday.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Boats at Naini Lake, Nainital

Boats at Naini Lake, Nainital

Flowers Again- All Clicked at Nainital

Small Purple Flowers (Butterfly Bush Flwoers) on the Climb to China Peak

All the flowers in this post have been clicked at Nainital. I can still remember the trip so clearly. Sunil and I had gone to Nainital to stay at Shervani Hilltop Resort (as their guests). On the second day we had decided to walk up to China Peak after taking the ropeway. The ropeway we enjoyed only so much but the walk to China Peak was quite an adventure. The flower above was growing in the wild.

Dahlia growing in the Wild- Nainital

Later on the road we came near a ruin and near it, this flower. My nephew was quite patient with me while I clicked every flower I saw! He sometimes would even point a bunch to me if I had missed it (though this happens very rarely). I also remember the forest department hut at the China Peak where we took shelter when it started raining cats and dogs and the people there shared some Kichdi with us that they had cooked for themselves.

Fuschia at the Shervani Hilltop Resort, Nainital

I clicked a lot of flowers in the Gandhi Bazar (Bangalore) today but the problem is that my camera is not talking to this computer. So all the Bangalore pictures have to wait till I reach back to Gurgaon.

Nainital- A Popular but Crowded Destination

Fall Colors by Naini Lake, Nainital, Uttrakhand

Don't go by the serenity that you can see in this picture. Nainital is a crowded destination in the season. The main attraction of the place is the beautiful Naini Lake and the wonderful cold weather. But I am not too fond of places that get mass tourism. I was thinking what it is that puts me off in places like Nainital (same is true for Manali too) and here is a top of the hat list-

Too Crowded in Nainital- For me half the fun of a holiday is gone if I am surrounded by too many people, which would surely happen to anyone visiting Nainital in the season (or even on a weekend in the off-season). I know it is weired but I prefer that there are just two tents for miles around in the places that I visit.

Too Many Touts- Try taking a walk around Naini Lake and within seconds you would be surrounded by people trying to sell you something. I perfectly well understand that they are trying to make a living but that is not my idea of a holiday. Once again this is not just true of Nainital but of any place where there is mass tourism.

Eat and Shop Out Routine- I do not like my vacations to be just about eating out or shopping. I do like to pick up stuff for people from the placesI visit but sometimes they just have to make do with pictures too! All around Naini Lake you really can't escape the eating joints and shops selling souveniers. Not my typical scene.

Why Would I Still Visit Nainital- For one, because I have travelled so less in 2008 that any trip would be welcome. But mostly because all one has to do is to walk out of the place a little (like China Peak) and it becomes about you and the mountains and lovey, lonely walks. My nephew was with me on this trip, so it was not really lonely for me but there was almost noone else around, now that is my kind of a day.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Lady with a Load, Uttrakhand

A Lady in a Village in Uttrakhand Coming Home with her Load either for Fire or Feed for Animals (Picture taken by Sesha)

Naini Lake at Sunset, Nainital

Naini Lake, Nainital, Uttrakhand

I rarely indulge in nostalgia but today is one of those days ... thinking about the travel of the last year, what I was working academically on ... Maybe I will swap the December mood with October!

Trek to Bagini Glacier- Guest Post

Here is a guest post by Seshadri of his trek to Bagini Glacier in June, just after I came back from UK and hence could not join him. So here he goes ...


Hi,
I am seshadri, husband of Mridula. So it is not surprising that I am writing a post on her blog about my trek. I usually trek every year with my family, but this time I was to go alone, so I decided to trek with my old guide and friend Mr. Sohan Singh Bisht (see Kuari Pass). I told him to take me some place which wouldn’t be too easy. And boy this did prove to be one difficult trek to finish.

I equipped myself with a good pair of trekking shoes (salewa) from Stikage in Delhi, shoved the usual gear into a rucksack and was off. Since I was trekking I decided to shed my yuppiness from day 0. Which means taking a bus to the ISBT in Delhi and then another bus to Rishikesh. Bad decision, as it was raining throughout and the summer vacations being peak travel season, there were traffic jams near Haridwar and I reached at 1am after having left at 3pm the same day – a total time of 10 hours!! Travel advice – avoid the road take the train to Rishiskeh.

Was pleasantly surprised to know that buses to Joshimath leave Rishikesh leave every hour from 3am. It’s a good idea to take the earliest bus, because the ride lasts 12 hrs. If you already haven’t been to this side of Uttaranchal then you might be awed by the Alaknanda (joins the Ganges) but a seasoned cynic like me cant help notice the uniform drabness of the shanty towns enroute. You drive via devprayag, rudraprayag, karnaprayag and nandprayag. These are all holy spots where piligrims take a dip in the Ganges. There is very little for the tourist here especially an atheistic one like me. You will find no public toilets on the way. The plentiful eating joints which you will encounter hawk their ‘bathrooms’ along with their parathas. They usually have no running water and the lesser described the better.

Joshimath is the mandatory halt overnight for passengers traveling to Badrinath as the traffic stops after midnight. And all the honking Sumos and Qualis and Innovas full of nauseated passengers are dumped here overnight. The eateries make brisk business and you encounter the same coarse rudeness of the plains from the dhabawallas. All the beautiful people of the hills don’t live at Joshimath, they live in villages above it and beyond.

I met my guide and decided that we’d be off after a day’s rest for me. We loaded up on the rations, as there were no eating joints on the trek route. Ponies do walk this route but since I was only one fella, my guide just brought his pal along and they divided the luggage mostly among themselves. We had to hire a jeep to take us to our starting point some 30kms from Joshimath a place called Ruing.

Bagini Glacier

Day 1 – My knees were a bit shattered after I walked up nearly 5kms to Auli on my rest day as part of acclimatization. Thankfully the first day’s walk lasted only about an hour till we reached Ruing village. Population of about 50-75, I was enamoured by the sudden calm of the place. I played with a new born calf and chatted up with a middle-aged man there. They were all landowners (a man gets tied up to his land ...) and were employed in the hydel project below or had family members working as trekking guides in Joshimath. We opened our bags set up shop in the panchayat house. I was puzzled to learn that an abandoned building there was actually a medical centre and the guy who was playing cricket there was a local physician doing research on local herbs and medicinal plants.He was a paid government employee on duty. The ways of the mammary welfare state are indeed mysterious. I walked about a bit, thought profound things, ate a heavy meal and went to sleep. Woke in the dead of the night sweating like a pig and threw up my dinner. I was more irritated than worried because now my trek would become difficult as I was considerably weakened.

Rishi Kund

Day 2 - Decided to rest an extra day at Ruing to gather my strength.

Day 3- The world was at my feet again and off we went to Dronagiri village. The route was steep and green in the middle of thick forests (I always miss the trees for the wood), butterflies, waterfalls and landslides. Standard fare for a seasoned trekker but thankful of the fact. Reached the village after 4-5 hrs of climbing. Dronagiri is a beautiful village hundred’s of years old with a population of about 100. The teenaged kids here were very smartly dressed in jeans and t-shirt and designer shoes. This was clearly the influence of television and plains. The villages here migrate to near Chamoli during winter and all the distractions of the plains are picked up from there. There is no electricity/telephone from Dronagiri.The route to Nandi kund and Canary pass is visible from Dronagiri. See photos.

Rishi Pahad (Peak)

Day 4- I didn’t sleep that night probably because of the altitude and by morning I was feeling a bit dazed. This day the route to Bagini glacier was to be the longest and I didn’t feel really well when I started off at 9 in the morning. The route climbs over the pass to the left and comes steeply down to the river over which is a concrete bridge. The fury of the river was breathtaking and I spent many spell bound minutes by its bank. The vegetation quickly turned from meadows to boulder ridden rocky terrain. It started to rain by late morning and never let up the entire day. We had to cross the river by jumping over it and since it was getting to late afternoon the current was strong. I am chicken hearted when it comes to skipping over slippery stones, so at my request we undid our shoes and waded into the water. The sensation of near freezing water on your warm and dry feet is pleasurably painful. The pain comes once you leave the water and your feet stings for a few minutes. All the adrenaline rush drained me off whatever energy I had left and from there on it was a slow plod till I reached the camp site at 5 pm, a total walk time of 8 hrs.

What was most beautiful was the passage of mist from down below over you and beyond. It was a continuous cycle that would reveal peaks on either one direction. My raincoat came in handy as a kitchen tent, as it continued to pour well into the night.

Chang-Bhang Peaks

Day 5- Still alive. The sky had cleared near Rishi Pahar and my guide said now was the only time to take pics. I still had to walk up a couple of kilometers to the glacial lake called Rishi Kund before Changbang, Kalhanka came into view. It was a slow and painful trudge right in the morning after a difficult day. I made it though and my guide said I was the first guy in his group who could come make it this far. I am sure the trek isn’t all that difficult, just that the altitude can play havoc with your body.

Just 2 years previously 2 Mexican climbers had perished climbing Changbang and my mind boggled at what they had tried to achieve. The immense massif of Changbang looked so remote and the peak unattainable.

View from Drongiri

Day 6- Rest day at Bagini glacier, went down to where the river vanished underneath the glacier, it emerges some 2 kms down. My 2 Chinese alkaline cells had run out and I couldn’t get many pictures this day. Strange, how a day passes by in the mountains with any sense of boredom.

Flowers at Bagini Glacier

Day 7- Back to Dronagiri , knees shattered. Chatted up with a teenager there, who said he lived with his mother in the hut and has been there for 6 months. He said how he liked the place and never felt the need to be away. I was touched by their simple if harsh lifestyle and this is what I carry back from the trek.

Day 8- Back to Ruing and Joshimath.

Rappling- A Few of the 'Adventure' Stuff I Have Done

Rappling Down a Rock, Sankari, Har-Ki-Doon Base Camp 2004

I had clicked this picture for our camp leader (and who turned out to be a good friend too, he visited us more than once when he has been in Delhi) on the Har-Ki-Doon trip. I too tried this activity and came down the rock without too much of a sweat. Then my younger nephew tried it and he slipped, got up and then came down. Unfortunately there are no pictures of ours.

That reminds me, during this trek, I had a very nasty Yashika film camera that used to jam the film at will. And you guessed it right, when we started walking from Seema to Har-Ki-Doon, the most most beautiful day of the walk, that damn camera jammed. That is when our camp leader handed us his digital camera for the rest of the trek. I mean that was really large hearted of him and whenever I remember this trek, I do think of his gesture with a lot of fondness.

Bhulla Tal, Lansdowne Uttrakhand

Bhulla Tal, Lansdowne, Uttrakhand

This summer is the most unpromising in terms of travel (though it looks quite promising work wise, I am really trying hard not to complain, no really I am trying). So, on many days, I end up looking at the old pictures and drool.

When we actually visited the Bhulla Tal in Lansdowne we were not really impressed. The lake is small, and all those toy boats looked, umm, not my kind of a place (though let me add that this lake has actually been dug by army personnel and has not formed due to nature). My kind of a place is Prashar Lake or Pangong Lake.

But ask me now, any kind of lake will do as long as it has hills in the backdrop. And if it is at the high altitude all the more better! I know I have been cribbing a lot these days about the lack of travel but then in the last five years it has never happened. So, just one or two posts more and I will settle down but the question is to writing down what?

Hotel Hunting in Lansdowne

Mayur Lodge, Lansdowne (The Building with the Flags)

It feels like ages since we visited Lansdowne and not just the last month. The best part was that we had as usual showed up without a hotel booking in town. The good folks at Indiamike had warned me that there are just three to four hotels in Lansdowne and at times one can't find even a single room vacant.

From our research at Indiamike we knew that the Fairydale was supposed to be the best place in Lansdowne. We asked for directions and started walking that way. On the way we also saw the GMVN accommodations. On reaching the Fairydale property we found that it was completely booked. We decided to try our luck at the next best place, the GMVN. The caretaker at the GMVN told us that the same group that was staying at Fairydale had taken the rooms at GMVN too and it was booked solid. So we were left with no options but try our luck at the Mayur Lodge that was suggested as the last option at Indiamike. Of course, we got a room there and they too charged us Rs. 500 for the room, knowing that everything else was booked. Apart from these two, a new one has come up by the name of Blue Pine but it is 3-4 kilometers away from the main city and we did not want to walk that much with the Avomine still taking its toll on us. At Indiamike people also say another resort is coming up 3-4 kilometers away in the other direction, but we came to know about this only after coming back.

Did we learn our lesson from this and pre-book our next trip? You bet not! But the problem is that I really can't see a next trip (I know this happens so rarely). And how I need it!

The Lover's Lane Saga- Lansdowne

Fast Asleep- Lover's Lane Lansdowne

Sesha and I reached Lansdowne on Saturday morning and after dumping our luggage in Mayur Lodge (shabby place, hotel hunting is another tale to share about this trip) we as usual started walking around the town. We reached a small shade where a young girl (college going) was standing alone admiring the view. She started chatting with us, asking where were we from etc. After a while we decided to walk ahead, saw the sign the lover's lane and decided to explore it. After walking for about five minutes Sesha decided that he was still quite zonked on Avomine, found a sunny patch and decided to catch up on sleep (the picture above is the proof). I too was zonked but not as bad as him and I told him I am walking in the lane. He asked me to come back in around half an hour.

I walked ahead and found the view quite soothing. Walking on narrow twisting kaccha rasta (mud path) with just my thoughts for company is always a refreshing change from trying to cram 100 things in a day in my city life. OK, it may not be 100 things in a day actually but at times it feels just like that.

Soon enough I found the young girl whom I met near the shade with a young guy walking from the opposite side. She refused to catch my eye this time and I must say they made a cute pair. I continued on my walk and returned after an hour or so to find Sesha still peacefully sleeping at the same spot.

Looked Like A Doll's House- Lansdowne

This small house was quite near the city center (which is pretty run down) in Lansdowne. Nearby was a tea shop (you got it right, we had our evening tea there) and next to it some benches from where one could see the sun set. I liked the bright color of the roof and the way this house resembled a doll's house! I wonder if anyone lived there?

That Morning Cup of Tea!

Welcome to Lansdowne, Bus Stop .5 Km away, that is what the board in Hindi

We visited Lansdowne, a small hill station in Uttrakhand around February 10. The nearest railway station to Lansdowne is Kotdwar. Mussoorie Express is the train we took from Old Delhi Railway Station. And this time for a change instead of hiring a taxi to the Old Delhi Railway Station we hired one just up to Dwarka Metro Station. From there we took the metro to the Old Delhi Railway Station. This was our first metro ride in Delhi and I must say 'please mind the gap' was a constant here too. I liked the metro ride for the simple reason that it goes in a straight line, rather than a taxi that has to break, honk and swerve through the traffic.

For a change, we were traveling in AC III (Sesha loves the sleeper class) and the train deposited us at Kotdwar right in the morning, when it was not even daybreak. In fact, the Kotdwar station is so small that for a few minutes we did not know the train has actually stopped at the platform.

And then we got down, zonked and sleepy because we took the Avomine before, thinking it may wear off soon if we took it the night before instead of taking it just before the jeep ride from Kotdwar to Lansdowne. And I anyway wakeup like a fish out of water in the morning.

And that is when that morning cup of tea is all that you can think of. We headed out of the station looking for the tea and were immediately surrounded by shared taxi drivers heading to Lansdowne. We promised one of them that we were coming back after a cup of tea. Ten meters outside the station, there was the chaiwala and we headed straight to his thela. Then the ritual started. There were three other people waiting for their morning cup of tea. The chaiwala poured already hot water in the pan. Then came his own masala (and I believe it is this that makes every corner tea shop different from the other) that would go into the tea. A little milk and tea leaves and the magic drink was ready. As I started sipping it, the day also started breaking over. As I finished the tea, I had started feeling almost human once again. And soon enough we were inside the taxi, heading to Lansdowne.

Pictures from Lansdowne

St. Mary's Church, Lansdowne

Well, this one is going to be a delayed travelogue. I have not been able to put even captions on the pictures. But have a look at the Lansdowne pictures anyway. I was not lucky enough to see the snow capped peaks. Still, a break is a break but it is difficult to believe that I was away from this hectic pace.

Back from Lansdowne

Lover's Lane- Lansdowne (No I have no clue why it is called Lover's Lane)

We took a short, Avomine filled break to Lansdowne. Ideally we would have liked to spend a few days more, but when given a choice between a hectic short break and not taking a break at all we would choose a short hectic one every time. I will have to say I have been to more scenic places but then a break is a break and it was wonderful.

How Does Jim Corbett Sound as a Destination?

We are thinking of heading to the Jim Corbett national Park later in Feb. The major factor is the amount of leave available to me (another new semester has started) and we do not want to go too far. If you have been there do let me know how did you find the place.

Auli: Beautiful Hillstation in Uttaranchal, India

Auli is a picture postcard kind of a place situated in Uttarancahl, India. I went there in the August of 2002, just after submitting my Ph.D. thesis and just before starting my first job that turned out to be an absolute horror. Rainy season, that is July and August are the worst time to visit a hill station in India but we wanted to take a break at that point anyway, so we went to Auli.

One can reach Auli by going to Haridwar and from there taking a bus to Joshimath. The journey from Haridwar to Joshimath takes roughly 12 hours on twisting and bending roads, full of pot holes. We reached Joshimath at eight in the evening and it was raining lightly. I was dead tired and longing for food and rest. We checked into GMVN (Garhwal Viaks Mandal Nigam, a government run property) guest house where the room cost us Rupees 500 for the night. The next day we took the ropeway to Auli.

The GMVN Guesthouse, Auli

We again stayed at the GMVN guest house at Auli and it is one of the most horrible places I have ever stayed in. Nothing wrong with the surrounding as such, you can see from the picture above. But the rooms in the guest house gave such a terrible stench that it was a nightmare trying to fall asleep. We never stay indoors during the day, but still it was the most gloomy and badly maintained hotel room I ever slept in. There were not much option at Auli in 2002, just the GMVN property and one private resort which we thought to be expensive and never even inquired there.

The Meadow called Gurson Bhagyal near Auli

However, one can never find a fault with the place itself. The most remarkable thing we did was to take a 7 kilometer walk with a guide partially through a trek route. Before the beginning of the journey, I was really tired as I had just toiled to submit my thesis and left to my own I would have skipped the walk altogether. But my sane and sensible husband goes completely berserk in hill stations and no trip is complete without one of these walks. In the picture below you can see the meadows, called Gurson Baghyal, which we walked through. We were told that the real view, the snow clapped mountains, were hidden behind the clouds. It rained for part of the way and we reached back to our hotel soaked and dead tired in the evening. I have to add one thing, the cook at the GMVN guesthouse was excellent and we did all justice to the food that night.

Rainbow at Auli

The next few days were spent in roaming about aimlessly in Auli. One day we saw this perfect rainbow and generally walked through fields and flowers, sat on huge stones, my husband philosophical and I generally jumping around.

Ripe Red Apples at Auli

On another day we saw apple trees laden with ripe fruits and we also met too small girls who chatted with us. They used to go to school and were on their way to gather the cows before the evening fell.

Trees and Some Snow: Har-Ki-Doon, Uttaranchal India

View on the Har Ki Doon Trek, Uttrakhand

Who took this photo?

There is a dispute about this picture in my house, my young and naughty nephew claims he took it whereas I remember taking this one myself. Either way, both of us remember this beautiful trip. My nephew saw snow for the first time on this trip and I for the second time in my life. But walking on snow is altogether a different affair.

I remember my first trek to Sar Pass, in Himanchal Pradesh. In that trek for one whole day we walked on snow. Then trekking for the first time, I was wearing my city shoes, a sneaker and how I slipped for the entire day! I blame my husband for it. He had trekked before and yet did not warn me to wear a proper shoe! The second time around at Har-Ki-Doon, I was wise and wore what locals wear, something called 'hunter shoes' and it has pretty amazing grip, so slipping on snow is now a thing of past. But it is also true that there was very little snow on the way in 2004 in Har-Ki-Doon.

Har-Ki-Doon, Uttranchal, India

Har Ki Doon- A Walk Through the Paddy Fields

We trekked in Har-Ki-Doon Valley in the year 2004 though Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI). The picture was taken on the route from Seema to Har-Ki-Doon. I still remember our walk through the paddy fields. On the way we met some women working on the field and their sweet smiles. Living for a few days in nature, when there is no electricity and the source of water is a stream or a river, is my idea of paradise. Of course, the food was provided by the YHAI kitchen at various camps.

GMVN Guesthouse at Rajaji National Park, Haridwar, India

Hut style GMVN accomodation at Rajaji National Park

Ganga Canal at Rajaji National park, Haridwar, India

Ganga Canal Rajaji National Park

Rajaji National Park is situated quite close to the city of holy city of Haridwar in India. The photograph is of Ganga Canal at dusk which flows through the park. It is a short walk away from the only accomodation available at the park. The accomodation is run by a government body and though it is very basic it is ok. Rajaji National Park is an excellent getaway from New Delhi. More information about the park can be found at:

http://www.gmvnl.com/rajaji_nationalpark.html">Detailed Information about the Park