Funners @ Himalayas
The Quest for Snow – my 1st Himalayan expedition
I
had a long run dream…
… a dream to be on the great Himalayas someday, to go over its unfathomable heights and
look at the world under it… n say I m the King of the World…
Yes I had this dream…. N in my dream what
I saw is what I put in words…
DISCLAIMER:: It’s a novel!!!!
Day 1
- Dec 30th 2006We had been planning a lot, and only planning was being done to go over some treks over the
Himalayas for a long time. Sandy (Sandeep Raja) came up with the link of YHAI’s National Himalayan Winter Trekking Expedition
and the so called FUNNERS, Aby (Abraham Menacherry) and me had already been game for it. Sandy also included his cousin Rashmi
(Rashmi Parvathy) in the list of the trekking team. The plan was to meet up at Delhi, train ourselves to Pathankot, and service
the road to Dalhousie. Aby called up his friend Tony (Tony K Thayyil) in Pune. Tony OKed on trip, also said will book tickets
for all of us from Delhi to Pathankot. Last minute Tony couldn’t make up, but he got us the tickets n PAN card scanned.
Sandy,
Rashmi flew from Hyd, Aby and me flew from Blore to Delhi. When we were getting ready, I thot I wud again miss a flight. Hence
we skipped brkfst at Tamil Nad hotel and planned to have it in Airport. Instead of havina 26 rs brkfst for 2 of us, ended
up spending 260 bucks for a doughnut, burger n tea. Aby was very happy on-board and re-collecting his vague memories of previous
air travel 18 years back. He was enjoying the inertias and turbulences like a small kid. I played mature as I had enough of
air travels... I sat raising eyebrows in dis-interest of Aby's behaviours.. We landed in Delhi aound 2:30 PM. Nishanth(My
collegemate) and his Dad came to pick us and had a beasty lunch at his residence near Moti Bagh. Later Nishanth’s dad
dropped 3 of us in the Sarojini market where the other 2 funners Sandy, Rash were waiting to buy the winter caps. We bought
some cheap sweaters/jackets/gloves also, but later we had to pay for it heavily during the unbearable blow of chilled air
in the train and un-predictable climates of Himalayan landmarks… Also fast wear out of gloves added numbness of fingers.
After mooching around Sarojini Market, went to Tamil Nadu House for dinner, post dinner to Nishanth’s house and got
us ready for the journey to Pathankot. A cab came were we dumped our mammoth bags and ourselves, pulled over in sweaters/jackets/woolen
caps/gloves/woolen socks and left to Old Delhi Rly Stn on that 30th Dec chilling night. To the surprise only we 4 where there
who didn’t have a Rajayi (a thick blanket, looking like a bed itself) to clad ourselves and get safe from the coming
chill in the train. Anyways we tried our best to cover ourselves not to transform into ice with jackets over legs even...
We met 'Nayak'(a post in Indian Army) Prince in the train, hailing from Pathanamthitta, Kerala. He's joining duty after vacation.
A lil tension struck when TTR came in ask for Tony who booked tickets and was not joining the trek. The internet ticket had
a sentence which they mistook to be a legal travel and let us travel with a fine of Rs 50 each. After settling with a small
bribe laid my thick sweater on my legs and snored. The day ends cold…
Day 2 - Dec 31st 2006Supposed to reach Pathankot at 7:30 Am of 31st dec but was 6 hrs late
n reached at 1:30 PM. Went in Cycle Rick to the bus stand to catch a bus to Dalhousie which is 80 Kms from this Punjab Army
Base. Packed roti curry form nearby restaurant. By this we inaugurated our daily bread consumable as the same 'roti-curry'
till Jan 7th. The bus stand officials said abt the neat routine of bus to Dalhousie, we didn’t hesitate to plan for
a taxi. Gathered some guys from bus stand itself and a group of 8 started off in a Tata Sumo to Dalhousie at a cost of 1300
INR. The driver Om Sharma resembling Kevin Bacon, later aliased to that name itself in due reference, took us through the
Dhauladhar circuit mountain ranges in snail’s pace. The sad plight of me started when we stopped for tea some where
on the way where we spotted some villagers with bargained mountain goats and deep mountain valleys. I took the 1st snap in
fully loaded Kodak 400 ISO film of my Pentax Espio 115V Film camera, of the 4 other guys backgrounded by picturesque macrocosm
of Himalayan valleys.
I kept the camera back in the bag in Sumo and I have not seen that camera till now… Should I cry, should I yell or probably
die, on the black out of my camera, which taught me the earlier lessons of fotografy, which gave results that are more beautiful
than the subject itself???
Reached Dalhousie around 6:30 PM and reported at Base camp. The labyrinth was misty, cold and dark… We experienced
bone-tickling chill and temperature was alarmingly 7 degree Celsius. We were given some forms by the camp leader there, Mr
Chauhan, which we found impossible to fill up - ur fingers jus doesn’t move… Rashmi filled up our forms, later
we jus moved fingers to sign it. Thank god I was literate, else I wud have to take my thumb out in that cold weather to do
a finger punch.
We were directed to our Dorms, dumped our luggage there and sat a while for rest. Went out to Dalhousie
town to buy some plates/glass. Dinner was called and had roti curry again. As we reported on the last day of the year there
were some real Camp fire and programs arranged. We the group of 4 mallus sang the famous ‘vanji pattu’ with some
intro to the ballad. The rhythm made others tempting… Lot other programs were also showcased like mono-act, songs, group
songs, dance etc etc. Then we went out to the lawn outside the base camp for a Mega Show around the fire. Danced for the Garbha
music, and as usual found it hard to bring to the foot… No Shiamak Davar classes help you, Garbha go down your foot…
At midnight we had some crackers sound, which I guess the thick winter walled the sound to conceal in the lawn itself... Had
cakes/samosas and were let to lay our backs around 12:30 AM of the 1st Jan 2007. The previous day ended cold…
Day
3 - Jan 1st 2007Today we came to know that a military discipline is followed in the YHAI base camps. And
from today we were the most routined in our lives till we left YHAI camp. We are grateful to the camp leaders that they could
make this out from us, were our parents had conceded defeat long back. We also studied the itinerary of the trek. 1st we’ll
have the acclimatization walk, next day trek to Kalatop, camp there and make Khajjiar the next destiny. And the last destination
from Khajjiar was Chamba. Wakeup Bell, Morning Tea at 5:30, Assemble for exercises and campus cleaning at 6, Breakfast at
7:30, Pack Lunch at 8, get ready for the day’s program by 8:30. On the 1st Jan, it was hard to get up. Lot of thoughts
came into mind – should I predict what’s gonna happen down the months this year? How will I perform at work? Will
I get onsite atleast this year? Will I be promoted? Any new girl friend? At least some good food where ever I go?? The whistle
from the Camp leader blew hard on my years, by which all my questions got answered… Jumped up and made myself way into
the nearest toilets and wash basins for the morning Ragas. By the time I finish 1 by 1 of my things, 1st call, 2nd call…
2nd last call, last call where all blown for morning tea, exercises etc… I came running down the stairs only to find
they stopped serving Tea and already aligned for the Exercises in the Lawn. We were introduced to a Trainer to guide us on
morning exercises. I felt stomach crunching and bone crushing due to ~0 degrees in the morning. I felt killing all the leaders,
trainers there and jump into some blankets…
The exercises started with a jog to Subhash Chowk which is 1 Km away
from the camp. People like me who run only at the sight of dogs behind, started off. Within less than a 300 m, gulped more
air as if I had run a 1000m sprint. Intermediate walks gave me energy to reach Subhash Chowk which I felt was even on a higher
altitude than K2. Was happy to see that I was not the last guy. Rashmi, Sandy, Aby came in soon followed by the elder ppl
who were in the trek team. We did some exercises and routed back to camp for campus cleaning. The term “Cleaning”
was allergic right from childhood. Hence Aby and me made plans to visit his Unc, a priest in the nearby Church.
A small
para on the church -
ST. Francis Church - This Catholic Church is a very prominent monument on the Subhash
Chowk. This Church was built in the year 1894 from the contributions made by Army and Civil Officers and Civilians. This Church
is managed and maintained by the Cathoilic Diocese of Jalandhar. St. Francis' Church on Prtrain hill is believed to have been
built on the lines of a certain church in England. Beautiful glass work and intricate stone work can be seen in the Church.
By the side of the Church is the residence of the Priest or Aby’s Unc. He is also maintaining a small zoo of birds.
The building is called Alverna better known to the local people as "Lambe Chole Wale Padri Ki Koti"..
We took permission
and went in find of him. We nomadically went round the church premises, only to knw that he’s in some ritual and cant
meet. We were also happy that campus cleaning might be over and we escaped it. By the time we reached back the camp, we were
afraid to see that even breakfast was also coming to an end. We jumped into ‘hall of food’ to make sure I get
something to eat.
After breakfast the team DW12 and DW13 assembled for the ceremony of waving of the Trekkers in DW12.
Later we also started for an acclimatization walk with blankets in the rucksack to Ajit Chowk or PanchPula. Ajit was the grand
father of Bhagat Singh. There is an elegant monument erected at Panchpula where several streams meet at one point. This monument,
a samadhi was built in memory of great revolutionary Sardar Ajit Singh who breathed his last in Panchpula. We started back
after walk through the streets of Dalhousie watching the snow capped mountains. Since we couldn’t meet Aby’s Unc
in the morning we went again to the Church to meet him. Rashmi was also with us. Sandy sped up with some friends we had already
be-friended. After meeting Unc we went back to have lunch. Food was of moderate quality and unlimited supply every time made
me eat too much. I started loving roti-curry now. I thought, by the end of this trek, how will I survive without eating roti-curry
at least once a day.
To talk abt the friends we met there – Poornimaji aged around 45, is an experienced trekker. Rameshji, was a veteran
trekker in his olden days, came to revive the passion. Nakul who was in DW12 batch, gave us updates on the availability of
snow, trek trails and adventure. We started making friends with the large Waghela family, who came from Rajkot, Gujarat. The
eldest Dhiren Waghela, was the master photographer through out. He had digital still camera as well as cam corder. He was
well equipped with 5 batteries fully charged, 3.5 GB of image memory and ample DVDs. His wife Meenaji also accompanied us
on the trek. He was around 50 in looks or more. Other chaps will come on the way…
Post lunch some guys took rest/nap
etc. I donno what did I do??? Anyways waited for the tea, soup and dinner one after the other. After tea, we had a spectacular
view of sunset from our dorms and relished the changing colors of the snow on the mountains of Pir-Panjal.
I loved
this hour of my life. I took my camcorder which I borrowed from my cousin Kuttan, in which I’ve taped the beauty.
Later at night, the camp fire was planned, but due to over-exertion in the morning hours we tried to cancel it and succeeded
in it. I was more happy as I was delegated to host the camp fire. The 1st Jan of 2007 of my life went extra normal as other
years. No resolutions, no promises and no limits to fun and adventure… “Yuhi chala chal raahi, yuhi chala chal
rahi….”. The day ends cold….
Day 4 - 2nd Jan 2007
The whistle became a nuisance from the second day onwards… Went as per the schedule of morning, as usual. We were
preparing ourselves for the trek to Kalatop which is 8000+ ft. After the usual camp inauguration, and packed chocs/biscuits
we were bid “Bye-Bye” by the DW14 batch. We were ruled to follow 2 guides, who were said to be policemen. They
were pretty good guides. We walked long on the road to reach a place we 1st saw snow and ice patches. Was very very happy
to see ice this close. Tried to hold it in hand, threw it at each other, posed for fotos with it… From there we went
thru jungle tracks. The pines were nearly 100 ft long. Among these long fellows, we crawled in like ants… In btw we
took rest in picturesque locations, amidst dense forest. Took our refreshment packs out, n starting devouring the biscuits,
chocolates, jaggeried-peanut pieces (also sharkara muttayi, no other fitting term found). Soon guides posted us back on the
trail and we went on.
After half-n-hr walk we were again hungry and opting for the lunch. Guides were adamant on the Lunch point known as Lakkar-Mandi.
Seeing no other way, but to walk we followed our guides. [[NB: Always bear in mind that the scenic beauty of forest, the greenery,
the fallen trees over and under which u gaze thru, sunlight falling thru small slits created by pines are all the things that
u confront all the way.]] We reached Lakkarmandi around 12:30 I guess. And the place was amazingly under snow. The villages
were fleeing away coz of the snow fall, the roofs had a feet thick ice sheath. It was a marvelous sight. Heard from somewhere
that it’s inhabited by Dhogria tribal community. There was a football ground, which had become a skating ground. The
ice was thick on which u can skate thru even with ur bare shoes. Everyone was enjoying it, as equally as me. We dumped our
bags on the road-side coffee shop and rushed in to the icing. I was goin here n there, capturing video on the camcorder..
Rashmi was really scared n came in to the ice world with Sandy. Aby was not in sight at all.
I stood there quizzed as Aby was on the other end of village. In the mean time, we had forgotten our hunger, thirst and all
the fatigue. We hopped around in the snow, took snaps, videos and later came up for lunch. Since we were exhausted, felt rotis
and curries were even tastier, though bread-omelets ordered from the coffee shop were the best.
Sandy by this time developed cramps on feet due to shoe-bite and lamed. After sometime he switched to the slippers.
The walk was easy and not very steep. We 4 were the last in the gang walking slow, enjoying the nature, its coolness, its
greenery.
By that time, Dinesh Bhai, one of the Waghela members were going lil slow, he tried to scare us telling that, the woods are
always haunted by leopards and black bears. Even though I was scared, I didn’t show it on the face. Moreover I challenged
the wild to show with its fearsome faces… If it happened adversely I’d have been the 1st casualty... Hehe.. From
Lakkarmandi, 2 dogs were also with us, adding up in to our gang of 4. Dinesh Bhai also added - the silent behavior of these
dogs are because, they sense the danger of wild and its likely that something is just gonna happen. I was kind of pissed off
then. When I examined the dogs, they were extra vigil on the bends of the trek trails and looking into the corners of jungles.
I remained in the gang until we sighted the Kalatop Jungle guest houses. Kalatop is a beautiful forested area. Very thick
and dark forest crowns the hilltop and perhaps that is why the place has derived its name as Kalatop which literally means
a black cover. The spot really commands a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. One can see the hills, snow-capped
mountains, the valleys, the hamlets, the greenery and the ruggedness standing from the place. I was sooo relieved to see all
our team members in a lawn near the guest house there and had a safe feeling that, now I wont be attacked by any cheap cats…
hehe..
By the time we reached kalatop it was 3:30 PM. And some of the members reached at 2:30 PM itself. Didn’t I mention
that there were real good experienced trekkers in the group. We went to the kitchen space had tea and Pakkodas. Without telling
many team-mates and camp leader, a group of 8 guys went into the near by jungle for snow sightings. Every1 went on fast leaving
only Inzy Bhai and me in the backwoods. On the way I was fascinated by a thin glass plate, which inzy mentioned to be ice-piece.
I took it into my hand and broke it, to find that it was indeed ice. Nearby there was a small pool of water into which I threw
those ice pieces. Alarmingly, to my surprise the surface was crystallized and the ice pieces skated over it. Inzy tried to
stand on it, since it was a thin layer it cracked a lil bit. It was one of my best experiences in my life. I have shot this
in the video.
Soon we met other guys who were in the woods fetching for snow. We climbed up to see newly set ice. Sandy
was in the slippers. We climbed onto the snow, crushed it when we walked thru.
Soon Anish Bhai and Aby stealed the show with their 'costumed' dance and poses. They were barefoot on the ice. All of us had
the best times in our lives there. We returned back before dusk, as my fear for jungle cats lingered my thoughts. After coming
back we showed except the censored fotos to Rashmi by which she was distraughted in missing it. It was growing colder towards
night. After the soup, we were given a wooden structure with an asbestos roof (well that was what it was…) to cut the
night. Gals had a better place. We were supplied with sleeping bags, 2 blankets. During dinner, the camp leader again warned
– Don’t walk alone here, walk with torches only, n then the most welcoming talk abt the wild animals. I really
don’t understand why they keep on reminding me the things. Again I showed face of Tippu Sultan and embodied his sword
in my torch. Later in the night gathering all my stocks of courage I slipped out of the wooden structure to take the glittering
sky and equally glittering mountains. The small lights in the huts over the mountains are really a sight to be watched in
the night. Around 8:30 PM, slipped into our respective sleeping bags and prepared ourselves for the monotonous snores of the
gr8 trekkers… The day ends more cold.
Day 5 - 3rd Jan 2007Camp leader woke us up
around 6-6:30 AM of 3rd Jan. I found freezing cold outside. I thought myself how do local ppl manage to live in these extreme
conditions?? Later I again thought I’d also join their club as my aspiration is to be the 1st Mallu to be on the top
of Everest even leaving Aby behind. Aby, I am so selfish in this case. The whistles that blew deafening from camp leaders
throat made us pack the things and come up for brkfst. It was the worst brkfst, I ever had at the camps. Later packed lunch
and started off to Khajjiar.
When we told abt the previous day’s experiences in snow, every1 wanted to see it and feel it. But the guide was
so smart, told them there are more places with more ice. After a steep climb we found ourselves on the top of a hill, where
there was only lil snow. Later we came to knw tht guide fooled all of us. In btw Amith jumbled over the ice and got himself
hurt. After a small distance walk, we waited for all the others to join, looking at the far off Khajjiar from the hill. We
started off to Khajjiar and on the way on another patch of snow, Aby had the suppressed idea of dressing up like Mallu in
the ‘Mundu’ or more commonly dhoti and pose in the ice. He had a caption for that shot – “Mallu on
Ice”. We were walking briskly as it was all a down fall of altitude from 8000 ft to 6500 ft. On the way there were cute
guys n gals selling pinus corns and jungle flowers.
It was so good to see them. Soon we landed upon a rocky place with a brook. There was a small waterfall and there were so
many ladies, gents and kids with their ephemeral kitchens on its bank… Every 1 was resting and lunching with packed
food, bread-omelets, teas etc. By then the water flow came into sight of Aby and he couldn’t resist the urge to plunge
into it. People there fear to take off a sweater, adamant funner Aby wanted to take bath in the chilled melting iced water.
He started off with a towel. And after a pause I followed him as a Hutch Network. By that time Umesh Bhai of UP was enjoying
the chilled springs and some local kids were with him. I switched on my cam for a video as Aby was wrapped in his most “royal
wear” and abt to splash into the chill. He jumped in and started swimming. When I looked up on the bridge there were
so many eyes staring at Aby and us. After Aby came out of water like a dead wood and I was getting ready to suicide in the
water. When I undressed I was dead, when I jumped in to water I was twice dead. I couldn’t stand more than a dip and
rose from the water and jumped into my towel and jeans. I was so much appeased by my courageous act that I felt like the roar
of soldiers after a triumphant victory, hitting hard on my ears. By that time the local kids where screaming – “Kerala
vaale jeet gaye, UP vaale haar gaye !!!”. This made my moods more heroic. Hearing this, Umesh couldn’t stand any
long, barged into the running water. We returned from water with a fire in the stomach. Reaching the top we found that, the
arms were swollen, turned blue in color. Even the fire on which we showed our hands were cooling down. Gobbled lunch with
2 teas. I bet our heroic dips had tempted Sandy and Rashmi, and they were sitting with deep regret.
Post lunch walk was the toughest, as I would recall. It was solid steep climb inclined on a rough 70 degree hill. After
long tiring walks we reached the road which connects Kalatop to Khajjiar. Rested for sometime with chole-chaat from the road-side
vendor. After the spicy chaats, walked for a KM to reach the famous “Switzerland of Himachal Pradesh” at 4 PM.
The moment one enters the picturesque Khajjiar, he is welcomed by a yellow Swiss sign for ‘hiking path’ which
reads “Mini Switzerland”. Set against the backdrop of dense pines, deodars and lush green meadow, Khajjiar is
exquisitely nestled down in the foothills of the imposing Dhauladhar ranges of the Western Himalayas. The dish-shaped Khajjiar
provides a panoramic and breathtaking perspective to the visitors. There is a naturally dying lake in to which there extends
a small green bridge and small tent-house which appends to the scenic beauty around. From the lawns of the Khajjiar, we went
to the YHAI camp which is 500 mtrs away from the lake.
After taking rest in the lawns for sometime and playing football we started off to the YHAI Khajjiar high camp. The camp
Leader welcomed us with his warm talks and info on Khajjiar camp, the schedule in Khajjiar etc. From the room, it was a fantastic
sight of the mighty Himalayan mountains with icy tips and greenery of the pines painted every other place. Ramesh Bhai was
also the share holder of our cozy little room where Aby, Sandy and myself had marked the domain. After tea and snacks we planned
to go back to Khajjiar lake to enjoy the panorama. As we were starting something came into our notice. A sight which I had
never seen before, was taking its shape at the backstage of mountains. It was around 6 PM when moon showed its scarred face
little bit from the backyard of the mountain chains as if shy to come outside. The glow of the moon with the blue sky and
greenish hills had an unparalleled beauty.
Time passed by and when we reached lake it was almost dark. Still, with Ridhi, Jayaneesh, snehal, kunal and some of others
we had a chit-chat in the tent-house. When it became colder and darker we aimed back the camp. After collecting blankets and
sleeping bags, we got ourselves ready for soup cum dinner. The dinner was pleasant with tummy full of rotis. Camp-fire tickled
over everyones mind, but no one was interested, hence the plans drained away cold… Slided into the sleeping bag and
slipped in to the darkness of closed eyes… The day ends cold.
Day 6 - 4th Jan 2007The
routined wakeup call and tea banged on the door around 6 AM of 4th Jan. Lazily got up and lined up for the brkfst around 7:30
AM. We packed lunch with a second thought as there were places where you get good food and started off to Chamba valley cheering
up the camp leaders and kitchen staffs. The walk to Chamba wasn’t very exciting as we were descending somewhere down
to 3500 ft. After long walks down, we reached a valley where there were small streams flowing between the rocks of a dried
up river. That was a beautiful sight. The water there were chilling but quenched our thirst and showered it over the head
to make ourselves cool. As we walked forward shepherds with flock of sheep and goats passed opposite. I grazed my hands thru
the domestic animals as in films. Suddenly one of the twisted pointed horns poked my finger tip. It really hurts. We walked
through the banks of the river later we went thru the rocks in the anhydrous river. The walk through sand and rocks are just
amazing. We reached the lunch point in no time. At lunch we unpacked the rotis and also ordered for samosas, bread-omelets.
Ramesh Bhai, Raunak, Umesh Bhai, some local kids played volley ball. Another promising and touching scene that I had seen
only in films was, due to colder temperatures inside the classrooms, a school was evacuated and blackboards, tables and chairs
for teachers were moved to a plain which falls under sun. It was a beautiful sight to see children in the red sweaters and
blue pants. The classes were conducted on terraces made for vegetation. Hence higher classes might be in the higher terrace.
The boys fled as soon as the class was over and as usual the ‘known-to-be-obedient' species, the girls, carried the
blackboards, tables and chairs back to the class. I was happy to see that. After lunch we set off to Chamba. By that time,
my tendons marked its presence as pain in the leg and I soon started laming. I gave a name to the cause of the pain as Myasthenia
Gravis, a very well known muscle disease, even Amitabh Bacchan has it, and Megasthenia Viralis. Later I knew, I had Tendonitis.
Gasping, laming thru forest descend we finally reached tarred roads which looked like a dark line around the mountain.
It led to the final destination the Chamba YHAI High camp. Sandy was walking as if he cant use his left leg at all. He managed
to get a lift after a long time, but to his sad plight the lift was required only for a 100 mtrs. As we reached the camp,
the camp leaders and kitchen staffs welcomed us with tea and biscuits. After pushing our bags back into allotted rooms, we
set out to discover Chamba town. The town stands on a plateau on the right bank of the Ravi river valley between Dhauladhar
and Zanskar ranges south of the inner Himalayas. The Chamba valley lies enclosed between two principal spur ranges of the
Great Himalayas, the Dhauladhar and the Pangi-Pir Panjal. The sedimentary deposits of the Shivaliks give way to the first
granite range in the system, the Dhauladhar. The Pir Panjal runs roughly parallel, to the north but on a converging line,
and in between lies the drainage basin of the Ravi, one of the principal rivers of the Punjab. So we need to take a bus which
crosses the river ravi and take us to the town on the Zanskar range. The bus architecture is too good as I saw windows to
be opened by moving the pane up. Ladies and gents are treated similar in the bus; I meant they can sit next to each other.
Reaching Chamba, we walked thru the town to reach the Bhuri Singh Museum. It exhibits inscriptions mostly in sarda script
and paintings in prime Guler-Kangra style. Fantastic collection. From there we walked to Laxmi-Narayan temple. The architecture
resembled the Akshardham with sophisticated and complex carved pillars, ornated domes etc. All of us assembled in the bus
stand for a bus which goes to High camp. After a long wait we got a bus which took a km next to the camp. Soon after reaching
we had our dinner and much awaited camp fire. Most of the team members featured themselves with their merriments. As usual
the mallu gang also lifted their hood with “aalelo poolelo…” Every 1 cheered and it was a # 1 entertainer.
Rashmi stood up for a kathak number and was widely acclaimed. The guy who stealed the show was our camp leader. With his sweet
voice, took us along the records of Rafi saahib and Kishoreda. It was a magical experience. I was really enjoying each second
in my life. As time passed by and it was time for the curtain fall on the show, every 1 was sad that it has ended. The trek
has ended; the fun has come to an end!!! We slept of late, where the day ended cold…
Day 7 - 5th Jan
2007We got up at 6:30 AM and got ready for the bus back to Dalhousie. Had chole-Bhatore, tea as brkfst and
boarded a bus which played fluttered cassettes of rafi. It was a nice trip alongside river ravi and we were planning a rafting
on the overflowing water-course. As we had to reach back Dalhousie which is uphill from Chamba, bus was playing merry-go-round
thru the roads of hillside. The sight of the Chamba dam, 2nd built dam over river ravi was a spectacular sight. When Rayaneesh
barfed, the bus took a halt in front of a shop for sometime.
From that point Anish Bhai, Peeyush, Poornimaji climbed up to the roof of the bus and continued their journey. Reached Dalhousie
around 11 AM and all were busy packing, unpacking and getting ready to go their home. In between we had a small ceremony of
giving the certificates of trek. The certificate read – “National Himalayan Winter Trekking Expedition”.
By seeing this my heart filled with the satisfaction of climbing a small everest. We had different plans for the next 2 days.
We had booked the return tickets back to Delhi from Pathankot on 6th Jan. So we had 1-1/2 days time to have more fun. Options
to visit Jammu, ski at Patni Top in Jammu, Dharamshala (or known as Queen of hills) in Himachal, Dyan Kund near Dalhousie
were shortlisted. Finalised on Dharamshala. Hence we arranged a Omni as taxi to go to Dharamshala at a cost of 1400 INR. We
left Dalhousie at around 3 PM. The road was not that good, but the trip thru “pahaadi raastha” was good. Stopped
at a Dhaba on the way. Suddenly Aby behaved suspiciously on seeing the surroundings, roads, trees etc and then screamed out
of blue with surprise. We thought he had gone mad after the fights to finish the 35 km trek. He had been there in the same
Dhaba 6 years back with his mom and Aunts on their way to Dharamshala from Dalhousie. The joy in his face cannot be put into
words, as if he had found a lost treasure. Afterall I didn’t know that a Dhaba had so much of importance to him. Rasmi
and Sandy ordered different types of parathas and bread-omelet (which had become a staple food for us) with tea. It was 6:30
PM then, and we left for Dharamshala to reach at 8 PM. We took cottage opposite to a Gurudwara. The importance of that day
lies in the celebration of Birhtday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th and the last Guru of the Sikh. Later I also knew Dharamsala
is also the archaic name for a gurudwara, a Sikh Temple. The town is divided between Upper Dharamsala or McLeod Ganj (which
retains a British colonial atmosphere), and Lower Dharamsala (the commercial centre). Upper Dharamsala (elevation about 1,700
m or 5,580 ft) is about 9 kilometers from Lower Dharmsala by road and is some 460 m (1,510 ft) higher. It was not very cold
as in Dalhousie or other places. We slept early as sleep intervened a film show on TV. Day ends warm….
Day 8 - 6th Jan 2007On 6th Jan, we got up pretty late and got ready lackadaisically. Dharamsala
is known for its scenic beauty, calmness and serenity. It has high pine trees, tea gardens and timber yielding trees. We mapped
ourselves to visit a lot of places in Dharamshala especially the Dalai Lama Temple, McLeodGunj, water falls etc. The Hotel
owner arranged a taxi which costed 400 INR to roam around the complete Dharamshala and leave us at the the bus stand where
the bus to Pathankot was at 3 PM and 4 PM. We halted for brkfst in a restaurant which took hell of a time to get served. Rashmi
from the habit of chewing chips, ordered Lays to allay hunger for a nano-second time. After brkfst better late than never,
we tried to reach the Temple as fast as we can. On the way to the temple we saw innumerous Buddhists monks who are Tibetans,
Europeans, Americans and Indians. A small info on Buddhist attire - There are two sects of Buddhist monks, the orange robed
Mahanikai and the stricter, more academic red-brown robed Thammayut who can eat only one meal a day (before noon), provided
for them by those who wish to make merit. They cannot touch money. I saw mostly the Thammayuts. The temple did not have a
pagoda style of architecture though I expected that. But the interiors of temples where so colourfully painted that you do
have a visual delight inside.
The Buddha idol and the gifts aside it, the carvings near it, the paintings near it are far beyond explanation. There were
big spinning prayer wheels on one side of the monastery where the mantra
"Om Mani Padme Hum" (is recited
by Tibetan Buddhists to invoke Chenrezi, the Bodhisattva of Compassion) where plated. There were 2-3 halls where the worship
is done and all the halls were embellished with jewels and paintings. Even the sree-chakra, Dharma-chakra was depicted on
the walls. We went down to see its museum but unfortunately it was closed. Hence we bought some handicrafts and paintings
to please our parents as well as to prove that we had been to this place. From the temple through McLeodGunj we made it to
the Nag temple and the water falls. We also found time to go around St.John’s church made in Gothic architecture with
noticeable long green window panes and rock walls. It was Lord Elgin’s memorial. The Dal lake here is also a nice place
to relax and enjoy. We also went to a place where no tourist might have gone and the driver might have cheated us saying,
that’s the place where you get beautiful view of the Himalayas, its hills and meadows under it. I didn’t find
it very picturesque; moreover most places had electric lines which created a visual chaos. Still we filled the memory space
in the camera wit fotos. We moved fast towards the bus stand and boarded the bus which was likely to get miss if we were late
by 30 seconds. The journey in the bus was a mess. Don’t want to remember. Reached Pathankot around 7:30 PM. We had ample
time for dinner before Dhauladhar express leaves the station at 10 PM. In between I got down at Pathankot town to track any
trace of my lost camera in the sumo. The travel agent was sipping brandy when I entered their office and was out of senses,
by which I cremated my hopes of getting back the camera. I took a rick back to station were my dear friends were waiting for
me to have dinner. Had dinner from the Railway canteen. Trained smoked towards the capital of India….
What ever I have narrated was my dream that had come true in the New Year 2007…. N I believe I wud dream even higher
to conquer more heights atleast in himalayas n feel the fire of satisfaction burning inside me…. It was a wonderful
experience of adventure and fun.
