Thar to Auli
This drive would be very long. So it was ensured that the right companions were present. These were:
Pradeep Phartyal - ye khiladi hain
Asok Rana - inki tabiyat dheeli hai
Zaheer Khan - ye ghamandi hain
Ankit Gupta - ye discount karva lenge
Diptinder Singh Chhabra - ye driver hain
Diptinder Singh Chhabra - ye driver hain
Five people crammed into the Thar. At first I had thought that the conditions wouldn't be that bad for the rear passengers. It turned out that it couldn't have been any worse. On the last day, 15th Jan, we decided to head out in the night only. We didn't want to reach Auli late in the night and end up weary. If we could reach in the daylight, we could explore a bit more. Plus, night driving offers peace to me. Small vehicular traffic is not encountered. There's a lot of peace and quiet on the roads in the night. Its what makes me wander around aimlessly sometimes when not out of town.
So at 9:30 pm, Pradeep and I set off from my place to pick up Asok from Bijwasan. On the way, we asked Zaheer to meet us at Dhaula Kuan. There was half an hour worth of wait as Asok was running late. Pradeep and I used this time to have a snack from the nearby bakery as we hadn't had dinner. When Asok did appear he immediately raised concerns about his health. This dialogue would be repeated throughout this trip. Meanwhile, Zaheer was fuming as he had made it to Dhaula Kuan bus stop in time and there were no eating options around at that time. There was little traffic all the way to Dhaula Kuan thanks to the odd-even rule. We picked up Zaheer and then the madness started. He has a natural tendency for making everyone laugh in splits. It would be this way all through the trip. The madness got doubled as we picked up Ankit from Vaishali.
It had been years since I had travelled on the road towards Meerut. With only a slight trouble at Mohan Nagar, the conditions had improved by miles. Muradnagar was crossed with ease. Since, it was going so easy, there was bound to be a spoilsport. Zaheer was feeling uneasy and so we stopped at Modinagar where he relieved himself. Little did we know that this was only the start. The reasons are still unclear as he has done many journeys.
We didn't let this dampen our fun though. A moment of realization came as we noticed Mana written on the milestones. This was the Mana village on the way to the now highest motorable pass in the world, Mana Pass, higher than Leh's KhardungLa. Although we had seen the name on the milestones several times, it was only now that we realized the full extent of it. We were now even more excited since our destination would be so close to it.
Dinner was at a fake Sukhdev dhaba ahead of Meerut. Malai kofta, Dum Aloo were ordered. It had grown quite cold now. The Thar may not be all that perfect but still we were warm inside it. At the dhaba we realised what the outside weather was like. The dishes ordered came at a heavy price later on. Although very tasty, the passengers grew uneasy after a while. To add to their misery, we were entering hilly terrain now. The twists and turns of the roads didn't do their stomach any good. I can brag a little because I was perfect throughout.
We had crossed Rishikesh at around 6 AM. This was good timing. Pradeep anticipated that we would reach Auli by 1 PM. The reality was quite different. This was the first time I was encountering the roads ahead of Rishikesh. I had avoided them till now believing them to be overcrowded. But since this was off-season, it was a good time to explore. The sun started to come up as we neared Devprayag, the first of the confluences of the rivers that finally make up the mighty Ganga. Asok had been here before so he marked the spot from where we could have a great sighting of the confluence.
The sight of the two water bodies merging is a magnificent one. The Ganga truly deserves all the respect. With the sun now shining, it was time for breakfast. Moreover, I was beginning to feel snoozy. We stopped at Hotel Samrat, a big complex overlooking the Alaknanda river a few kms before Srinagar. We were welcomed with genuine hospitality, the kind hill people are famous for. We took a long break here finishing our breakfast then I went to take a nap. The others meanwhile strolled down the mountain slope, crossing an iron bridge to the riverside beach close by. I joined them refreshed after my nap. We had warm tea served by a gentleman who had many stories to tell. He told us how this area used to be a busy one but got deserted after the 2013 Kedarnath disaster. Tales of heroism and natural destruction followed. The gentleman still set up his shop here because of his relationship with this place. There were not many visitors now. So many lives downstream had been destroyed by the reckless construction ahead at the Kedarnath site, messing with Mother Nature. Their scars would never heal.
We still had a good amount of distance to go, so we continued on our journey. Srinagar was quite a busy town to cross. Our early timing was favourable and I can imagine the long queue of vehicles at this place at peak hours. We now reached the second confluence, Rudraprayag. The sighting was missed though. It would have to be taken on the way back. The road conditions deteriorated. It was taking longer to cover distances. Frequent stops had to be taken for the uncomfortable passengers. We crossed two more confluences, Karnaprayag and Nandprayag, but could not admire the sight because of our state. We were all tired and weary now. Options were few now for lunch. So we stopped at whatever was available. Lunch time had passed but this one cook offered to make some food for us.
It was deduced now that the maximum discomfort was at the seat nearest to the spare tyre at the back. So the passengers were up in arms amongst themselves to avoid that seat. The front passenger seat was the prized location. Zaheer came to earn the prize because he was the most uncomfortable and we had to stop the maximum times because of him. Asok was the most deprived one even though he still complained of being unwell.
We made it to Joshimath just before dark and immediately headed for Auli. The 14 kms climb was a smooth one and we reached the GMVN resort just as it grew dark. Check in to the rooms was at 6:00 PM. It had taken us 20 hours to reach our destination. It hadn't snowed. Asok was now feeling very ill and so immediately went to sleep. I was in the mood to drink now since I had been busy with all the driving. But there was little enthusiasm in others. Still, they did join me for the drinks. Snacks were ordered in the room. It had been lately observed that the taste of non-veg food in our trips was not up to the standard while veg food was tasting much better than expected. The snacks we had ordered were all delicious, veg and non-veg. This raised our hopes from the main course. But we were in for disappointment. We had asked for chicken curry cooked in traditional style, but the taste was lacking. Filled up and drunk, we retired for the night for a well deserved sleep.
17th Jan 2016:
The lack of snow was disappointing. I woke up last while the others had breakfast and been to the ITBP canteen, which was closed. After a quick breakfast, we gathered to discuss our next plan of action. Mana was 50 kms away and the pass was another 50 kms. We would require permits though. The SDM however had come to the GMVN resort for a meeting. Many officials along with officers of ITBP had gathered in the morning to discuss the hosting of Indian Winter Games.
Although excited about Mana, we dropped the plan. Highest motorable passes are meant to be covered on Bullets. We would have to come back later for the conquest. For now we decided to head up to where the ski slopes were, even though it hadn't snowed. These were accessed through a ski-lift which was somewhat scary.
On reaching the higher slopes, we explored the highest artificial lake, Chenab Lake. The water from this lake is used to make the slopes suitable for skiing. The ski slopes at Auli are of high standards. They hosted the 12th South Asian Winter Games.
After exploring the lake, we ascended to the cable car tower. One of the locals invited us for tea and snacks. He was an operator though. We ordered soup and maggi. He gave a great description of the nearby peaks. It was entertaining to hear the Horse Peak, Elephant Peak and then Palanquin Peak resulting the widespread saying:
On enquiring, he told us that we could try out some amateur skiing just half a km above the slope. The target location was obscured by trees. After finishing our snacks, we headed to the spot. We had been dreading the lost opportunity to ski after seeing the lack of snow till now. But as we reached the area in the trees, our despair turned into joy. There was a small slope of around 20 m where tourists could ski. Another new experience was about to be undertaken.
We slipped on the heavy boots and listened to instructions. Soon we were all rolling and tumbling down the slope, enjoying ourselves to the full. Asok caught on the quickest and was soon sliding down like a pro. Pradeep and Ankit also learned quickly. I was the clumsiest one taking tumbles very early on and then spending the rest of the time trying to stabilize myself. What worked to our advantage was our timing. We had entered the area as one group was wrapping up. So we had the area to ourselves for a while. We utilized this timing to the full. We played like kids would play in the mud, uncaring and unreserved.
When another group started coming, it was time for us to go. The guides now made themselves busy with the new group. We returned to the cable car tower. Ankit had found out about another lake close to this place, but on asking around, no one had a clue where it was. It was the next day that we came to know that the lake was 3 kms trek further from the ski-slope. We also learnt that it had dried out now so a trek wouldn't be worth it. But that was the next day. Today we intended to discover the lake. We wanted to experience the Joshimath-Auli cable car ride, a length of 4.15 kms proclaimed as the longest one in Asia.
So the plan was to travel further up from the GMVN resort. We came across an ITBP check post here. On asking the soldiers they said that no such lake existed further on and even if it did, civilian vehicles were not allowed. It was close to evening now too so we decided to stay at Joshimath for the night. In the morning then we would cover the cable car ride. Had we stayed at Auli, we would need to go up the ski-lift again, then take the cable car, then return via cable car and take the ski-lift again.
As we neared Joshimath, we set out to see the Kalptaru, the oldest living tree in India. The age was discovered on the site of the tree at Shankaracharya temple. It was stated to be 2500 years old.
Now began the hunt for a place to stay. Zaheer and Pradeep were of the opinion to stay at Auli only. I wanted to avoid the to-and-fro that would incur. So after much exploring and several rounds up and down the town, we settled on Hotel Dronagiri at Joshimath. It was cheap and clean and would serve the purpose of spending the night.
The passengers were in a somewhat better mood today, so the council meeting went longer than yesterday. Asok was awake this time but didn't participate actively in the drinking. We all were after Zaheer again, affectionately called as Rajaji, mostly by Ankit. Alien:Resurrection was playing in the background. It appeared as if we were the alien spiders clutching on to Rajaji, all at once. In the midst of the meeting we decided that covering the return in one go would be very taxing, not to speak of what it would cause to Zaheer. So we had to make a break journey and extend the visit by a day.
18th Jan 2016:
The next morning we were up and ready and reached the ropeway for its first scheduled departure at 9:40 AM. The 4.15 kms were to be covered in 20 mins. It was a steep climb. Along the way we could see the roads that we took, the skating rink under construction and the site of the actual ski slope. It was very long and looked pro.
The sun was fully shining when we reached the top. Our first plan was to head back today as I didn't have leave for Tuesday. But having endured the long drive, a rest day was necessary. Sitting in between the hills with a view of the magnanimous mountain peaks in front of us and soaking in the sunlight, a Monday couldn't have been better spent. We felt like calling a couple of our colleagues just to make them envious while they were droning on with their mundane Monday lives. It is this human tendency that Mark Zuckerberg has capitalized on and we are all giving-in to it.
Our return through the cable car was scheduled at 2 PM. We had a good amount of time to kill. Soup, pasta, maggi and coffee were ordered. Then we went for a walk up the hillside till we came across a clearing in the trees above. It was not a long climb, but it was steep that left us panting. To rejuvenate, we started to build a fire, as suggested by Asok. It is worth mentioning that our fireman Pradeep lit it up behind Asok's back when he was collecting some more twigs. Sitting there besides the fire high in the mountains we didn't want to return to city life.
After resting for a few minutes we ensured that all the embers were extinguished. We didn't want to be the cause of a forest fire, especially at such a wonderful place. As we descended, some chose the snowy slope to slide down. It was while descending from the cable car that I realized just how steep the climb had been.
The return journey now began. Our target was Rishikesh, 240 kms away, the time now being 2 PM. It was going to be a long drive and full of depression that one faces near the end of vacation. But still we had something to look forward to. We planned our stay at Rishikesh at a riverside beach resort. A night of bonfire awaited.
The journey was spent in a lot of meaningful discussions. We talked a lot about superpowers of the world, how to increase the efficiency of Indians, and for diversion, about ghosts. The healthy discussion helped in passing the time quickly. Zaheer was back in his "sick" mode and turned quiet. He has now vowed never to travel in the Thar again. His vow has turned into our resolve that we would take him on another Thar trip again.
It was nearly 8 PM when we reached near the whereabouts of the resort we had planned to stay at. We called up the owner now and were hit by disappointment. Following the 2013 Kedarnath disaster, the NGT had closed down all the resorts by the riverside. The relocated resort was quite a distance away. Now we were on the lookout of boards offering a place to stay. Fortunately, we noticed one Byasi camp and contacted the number displayed at the board. The off-season helped us in getting a good deal at the place. Moreover, we were the only guests at the huge campsite.
A bonfire was quickly lit up and we started our evening council. Now that Zaheer was off the vehicle, he was back in his normal stride again. The camp grounds helped in stimulating his mood. It had been a great decision to break our journey and halt here. A drive back to Delhi would have left us completely drained. Now we could leave at leisure in the morning. The day had been wonderfully spent.
19th Jan 2016:
After breakfast the next morning, we got in the mood to play volleyball. Ankit, Zaheer and I took one side and Pradeep and Asok took the other. Here again, Asok showed his prowess with sports. He was hitting smashes. The rest of us were kept running around to fetch. Zaheer could hardly be moved from his spot, such is his royalty.
The game had warmed us up. Last night we were planning to do Flying Fox and debating whether to undertake bungee jumping, today. At that time, I was reluctant for the Bungee. Only Asok being the evergreen sportsman was enthusiastic. Now after the exercise, I was also energized to jump. We packed up and made way for the town of Rishikesh. On reaching the Flying Fox Asia spot, we found it to be closed. A nearby guide told us that it would be opening the following month. We also took the number of Jumpin' Heights from him and called up to make bookings for Bungee. Unfortunately, the site is closed on Tuesdays. This bucket list item would have to wait for its due time.
With the mighty Ganga in front of us, we made our way towards it. Some tourists were still whitewater rafting even in this cold. We hung around the riverside when suddenly Zaheer pointed out that the level was rising. The stones we had stepped on to reach some way ahead were now submerging. We made our way back to safe banks quickly getting our feet wet in the process. Zaheer was the saviour of the day.
With heavy post-vacation blues, we started our return journey. It had been 4 maddening days and now they were coming to an end. But before that we still had the journey to cover. There was still some madness left. For lunch we stopped at Hotel Godwin to taste some luxury. They only had veg food to offer so they suggested to try the Hotel Regenta Orkos nearby. This place turned out to be just what we wanted. Beer was available along with great snacks. We tried our traditional dishes as well as continental ones. Everything tasted great. We also noticed a pool table nearby so after lunch went there for some more sport. One of the waiters stopped us and told us that he had never seen such decent visitors before. Usually the people who come to drink at their place are very rude. They enjoyed serving to us. We thanked him for his hospitality and the place and told him that he should expect us in the future also. That might also offer a different viewpoint as then we would be on Bullets.
Asok was the superstar at the game of pool also. He was the master of all trades. But by now, it was getting very late. It was almost 6 PM and we were still 200 kms away from Delhi. Luckily, there was not much of a mess at Modinagar otherwise we would have been occupied for another 2 hours. This area is notorious for miles of jams. We reached Delhi before 10 PM and bade goodbyes.
With two trips in January, the next one will be kept a little late in February. And it would definitely be on the beloved Bullets.
Dinner was at a fake Sukhdev dhaba ahead of Meerut. Malai kofta, Dum Aloo were ordered. It had grown quite cold now. The Thar may not be all that perfect but still we were warm inside it. At the dhaba we realised what the outside weather was like. The dishes ordered came at a heavy price later on. Although very tasty, the passengers grew uneasy after a while. To add to their misery, we were entering hilly terrain now. The twists and turns of the roads didn't do their stomach any good. I can brag a little because I was perfect throughout.
We had crossed Rishikesh at around 6 AM. This was good timing. Pradeep anticipated that we would reach Auli by 1 PM. The reality was quite different. This was the first time I was encountering the roads ahead of Rishikesh. I had avoided them till now believing them to be overcrowded. But since this was off-season, it was a good time to explore. The sun started to come up as we neared Devprayag, the first of the confluences of the rivers that finally make up the mighty Ganga. Asok had been here before so he marked the spot from where we could have a great sighting of the confluence.
It was deduced now that the maximum discomfort was at the seat nearest to the spare tyre at the back. So the passengers were up in arms amongst themselves to avoid that seat. The front passenger seat was the prized location. Zaheer came to earn the prize because he was the most uncomfortable and we had to stop the maximum times because of him. Asok was the most deprived one even though he still complained of being unwell.
We made it to Joshimath just before dark and immediately headed for Auli. The 14 kms climb was a smooth one and we reached the GMVN resort just as it grew dark. Check in to the rooms was at 6:00 PM. It had taken us 20 hours to reach our destination. It hadn't snowed. Asok was now feeling very ill and so immediately went to sleep. I was in the mood to drink now since I had been busy with all the driving. But there was little enthusiasm in others. Still, they did join me for the drinks. Snacks were ordered in the room. It had been lately observed that the taste of non-veg food in our trips was not up to the standard while veg food was tasting much better than expected. The snacks we had ordered were all delicious, veg and non-veg. This raised our hopes from the main course. But we were in for disappointment. We had asked for chicken curry cooked in traditional style, but the taste was lacking. Filled up and drunk, we retired for the night for a well deserved sleep.
17th Jan 2016:
The lack of snow was disappointing. I woke up last while the others had breakfast and been to the ITBP canteen, which was closed. After a quick breakfast, we gathered to discuss our next plan of action. Mana was 50 kms away and the pass was another 50 kms. We would require permits though. The SDM however had come to the GMVN resort for a meeting. Many officials along with officers of ITBP had gathered in the morning to discuss the hosting of Indian Winter Games.
Although excited about Mana, we dropped the plan. Highest motorable passes are meant to be covered on Bullets. We would have to come back later for the conquest. For now we decided to head up to where the ski slopes were, even though it hadn't snowed. These were accessed through a ski-lift which was somewhat scary.
Haathi, Ghoda, Paalki,
Jai Kanhaiya Laal ki.
We slipped on the heavy boots and listened to instructions. Soon we were all rolling and tumbling down the slope, enjoying ourselves to the full. Asok caught on the quickest and was soon sliding down like a pro. Pradeep and Ankit also learned quickly. I was the clumsiest one taking tumbles very early on and then spending the rest of the time trying to stabilize myself. What worked to our advantage was our timing. We had entered the area as one group was wrapping up. So we had the area to ourselves for a while. We utilized this timing to the full. We played like kids would play in the mud, uncaring and unreserved.
So the plan was to travel further up from the GMVN resort. We came across an ITBP check post here. On asking the soldiers they said that no such lake existed further on and even if it did, civilian vehicles were not allowed. It was close to evening now too so we decided to stay at Joshimath for the night. In the morning then we would cover the cable car ride. Had we stayed at Auli, we would need to go up the ski-lift again, then take the cable car, then return via cable car and take the ski-lift again.
As we neared Joshimath, we set out to see the Kalptaru, the oldest living tree in India. The age was discovered on the site of the tree at Shankaracharya temple. It was stated to be 2500 years old.
The passengers were in a somewhat better mood today, so the council meeting went longer than yesterday. Asok was awake this time but didn't participate actively in the drinking. We all were after Zaheer again, affectionately called as Rajaji, mostly by Ankit. Alien:Resurrection was playing in the background. It appeared as if we were the alien spiders clutching on to Rajaji, all at once. In the midst of the meeting we decided that covering the return in one go would be very taxing, not to speak of what it would cause to Zaheer. So we had to make a break journey and extend the visit by a day.
18th Jan 2016:
The next morning we were up and ready and reached the ropeway for its first scheduled departure at 9:40 AM. The 4.15 kms were to be covered in 20 mins. It was a steep climb. Along the way we could see the roads that we took, the skating rink under construction and the site of the actual ski slope. It was very long and looked pro.
The sun was fully shining when we reached the top. Our first plan was to head back today as I didn't have leave for Tuesday. But having endured the long drive, a rest day was necessary. Sitting in between the hills with a view of the magnanimous mountain peaks in front of us and soaking in the sunlight, a Monday couldn't have been better spent. We felt like calling a couple of our colleagues just to make them envious while they were droning on with their mundane Monday lives. It is this human tendency that Mark Zuckerberg has capitalized on and we are all giving-in to it.
Our return through the cable car was scheduled at 2 PM. We had a good amount of time to kill. Soup, pasta, maggi and coffee were ordered. Then we went for a walk up the hillside till we came across a clearing in the trees above. It was not a long climb, but it was steep that left us panting. To rejuvenate, we started to build a fire, as suggested by Asok. It is worth mentioning that our fireman Pradeep lit it up behind Asok's back when he was collecting some more twigs. Sitting there besides the fire high in the mountains we didn't want to return to city life.
The return journey now began. Our target was Rishikesh, 240 kms away, the time now being 2 PM. It was going to be a long drive and full of depression that one faces near the end of vacation. But still we had something to look forward to. We planned our stay at Rishikesh at a riverside beach resort. A night of bonfire awaited.
The journey was spent in a lot of meaningful discussions. We talked a lot about superpowers of the world, how to increase the efficiency of Indians, and for diversion, about ghosts. The healthy discussion helped in passing the time quickly. Zaheer was back in his "sick" mode and turned quiet. He has now vowed never to travel in the Thar again. His vow has turned into our resolve that we would take him on another Thar trip again.
It was nearly 8 PM when we reached near the whereabouts of the resort we had planned to stay at. We called up the owner now and were hit by disappointment. Following the 2013 Kedarnath disaster, the NGT had closed down all the resorts by the riverside. The relocated resort was quite a distance away. Now we were on the lookout of boards offering a place to stay. Fortunately, we noticed one Byasi camp and contacted the number displayed at the board. The off-season helped us in getting a good deal at the place. Moreover, we were the only guests at the huge campsite.
A bonfire was quickly lit up and we started our evening council. Now that Zaheer was off the vehicle, he was back in his normal stride again. The camp grounds helped in stimulating his mood. It had been a great decision to break our journey and halt here. A drive back to Delhi would have left us completely drained. Now we could leave at leisure in the morning. The day had been wonderfully spent.
19th Jan 2016:
After breakfast the next morning, we got in the mood to play volleyball. Ankit, Zaheer and I took one side and Pradeep and Asok took the other. Here again, Asok showed his prowess with sports. He was hitting smashes. The rest of us were kept running around to fetch. Zaheer could hardly be moved from his spot, such is his royalty.
With the mighty Ganga in front of us, we made our way towards it. Some tourists were still whitewater rafting even in this cold. We hung around the riverside when suddenly Zaheer pointed out that the level was rising. The stones we had stepped on to reach some way ahead were now submerging. We made our way back to safe banks quickly getting our feet wet in the process. Zaheer was the saviour of the day.
With two trips in January, the next one will be kept a little late in February. And it would definitely be on the beloved Bullets.
Labels: Auli, Mahindra Thar, Uttarakhand
posted by Ken Slayer at 5:11 AM
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