Day 2: Winter Expedition to Auli, Deoriyatal & Chopta

Day 2: 23 December 2015 at Auli

We had big plans for the next day. We noted that the minimum temperature had touched as low as -6^o C early morning, but that didn’t budge our persistence. One by one, starting with Gaurav (who usually gets up early just to run to the bathroom), we all got up early and were ready, after taking baths in that frigid temperature, at around 6:15 am as we wanted to see the sunrise from the majestic Himalayas. Huffing and panting, exerting as still adjusting to the altitude and cold weather, we reached the Hanuman temple close by which was a good location to be a party to witness the sun rise from behind the hills. The weather was painfully gelid and we hoped that the sun would rise soon. But we had to endure more before experiencing the otherworldly.

Mt. Kamet that started to obtain an orangish hue initially. We realized that the sun had risen behind the hills. Mt. Nanda Devi felt like it was burning. Sunlight was blending with some fog to produce the magic. And then it happened. Sun slowly began peeking from the hills. Gradually, Mt. Nanda Devi, Hathi Ghowda and Mt. Kamet had all begun to simmer with the godly rays. While my fingers kept clicking to capture the breathtaking resurgence of this everyday yet a deeply invigorating phenomenon, my eyes, now and then, looked away from the camera to testify the event itself. We couldn't have asked for a better start of the day. Despite watching sunrise umpteen times, it still fills one with vigor all the same.

The chill in the climate was getting the better of us, more of me I would say. In spite of the woolen gloves, my hands had frozen and I was even unable to hold my camera properly. I had to run to the warmth of the heater in the room just to get the blood in my hands gushing again. But what we had just lived was certainly worth the pain.

We were told that the breakfast at GMVN restaurant is served from 8 to 10 am. We reached at around 9 am. We ordered parathas and puris and I came out to take more photos. The camera battery played spoilsport and from 90% the last night, it was showing low battery now. We finished the breakfast promptly and ran to our room to charge the battery for at least for half an hour. To make things worse, there was no power when we reached the room. We went to the reception to check if there was power. As soon as we reached there, he said that power has come back. We returned to the room to keep the battery charging and ventured out to nearby areas.  At 10:30 am, we were ready to leave. We kept out luggage at the reception and vacated the rooms. At around 11 am, we had reached to the place where cable car starts its journey. We paid INR 300 per person for the roundtrip. It took us near the ice rink, which usually appear completely frozen in the photos. That season was still far off and the snow machines would start artificially snowing the rink after 1st January as we were told.

We charted our own path from the rink to under construction ecotourism resort and then to a chai-cum-maggi shop. We enquired a few things there and moved again. The higher we were going, the depth of the snow under feet increased. And then our childhood spirits overpowered our true nature. On seeing the first slope full of snow, I couldn’t think of anything else but to slide from the top (not as deadly as it looks) to the bottom and I tried to do the same. Clumsily I sled down and came back up with Gaurav's helping hand. Videos, selfies, some DSLR photos were all part of the trek up. While Utkarsh mimicked the  scene from the song in Dil Chahta Hai movie where Aamir Khan tricks at eating a raw fish with snowball, Gaurav actually kept the snowball in his mouth till I clicked the photo.

We saw ITBP personnel getting trained in the snow. We found a solo corner from where a dense forest at even higher altitude originated. It was covered with heavy snow, suitable for any enthusiast. I was leaping with joy here and there when Utkarsh kickstarted the snowball war and soon we were aiming at each other. Targeting and evading. We started to climb higher and higher only wishing to reach one of the peaks. We were bound not by energy or stamina but by time. The last cable car runs at 4:30 pm and so does any vehicle from Auli to Joshimath. Thus we thought it to be prudent to climb back down and summit another peak in the next few days. 

 

As we reached the maggi stall on the way back, we gorged on the maggi and sipped tea getting warmth from the fire that fellow had alighted. He mentioned that the weather was also getting worse and we had to resume our descend. We were back by 2 pm at the GMVN but couldn't find any vehicle going down. One was asking for INR 1000 for going down. As we reached the reception, we overheard a girl ordering a taxi from Joshimath. We asked her if we could also join her and she readily agreed. As the taxi arrived, we arranged our luggage on top of the vehicle and chatted with each other for the next half an hour. We bid the girl goodbye on reaching Joshimath and paid her 750 bucks. 

It was 3:30 pm in Joshimath and we waited for any bus or cab to go to Chamoli where we wished to stay overnight and meet another of our friends, Dinesh, who had travelled all the way over from Bhopal to join us for this expedition. But we had to wait for another half an hour before one of the cab drivers agreed to take 10 guys to Chamoli if people paid him INR 150, nearly double of the usual INR 80 bucks. We reached Chamoli in couple of hours at around 6:30 pm and found Dinesh standing there. Overall, he had travelled extensively and waited another 3 hours before we eventually met him. We were all rejoicing after meeting each other again after our college days.

Dinesh had already found a room in a lodge at INR 700 for the night, which we found convenient enough. I also called up Raghuvir Negi in Sari village to enquire about night camp at Deoriyataal (lake) on top of a hill in the same Sari village. I asked him about the best way to reach the place. He mentioned that there is a route from Chamoli to Chopta and then to Deoriyataal but that might as well be closed due to snowfall. He said that he'll call back the next morning to confirm if that route was okay or was it better to take the other longer route from Chamoli to Rudraprayag to Ukhimath to Sari village and then trek to Deoriyataal from Sari village. Teasing Dinesh over the fun that he missed today, we gossiped for long, watched TV and slept off comfortably.

Day1: Winter Expedition to Auli, Deoriyatal & Chopta

Day 1: 22 December 2015 - Reaching Auli

Let me begin by introducing you with my fellow travelers.

Gaurav: Adventure club coordinator from our PGDFM batch (2013-15) at the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.

Utkarsh: Member of the winning and runners-up team of the flagship event of the adventure club for two years.

Dinesh: Another adventure enthusiast and an avid bird watcher.

Nishant: Organizer of adventure events at IIFM and the planner of this whole trip.

We take immense pride in being great amigos, adventure enthusiasts and carry a shared philosophy for the benefit of nature and society.

Gaurav and Utkarsh had joined me in Delhi on 20th December. We three started our journey from Kashmere Gate, Delhi where we caught a bus to Haridwar at 11:40 pm on 21^st December which took nearly 5 hours to reach the destination. We had reached before 5 am. A bus going directly to Auli was waiting and was about to start at 5:30 am; with some delay we began this stretch of journey, which was going to take nearly 12 hours, at around 6 am. If buses to Auli are not available then Joshimath (13 km from Auli) is the nearest place one should aim for. But one has to keep in mind the fact that buses do not usually ply during night in hills, thus buses from Haridwar to Auli or Joshimath would not be available after 7-8 am.

Customarily we took sips of tea before launching in the 6 am bus to Auli. The bus stopped midway at a number of places for all sorts of reasons. Starting with tea at Rishikesh, for breakfast just before Devprayag, to fix the deflated tire at Srinagar, and just some rest at Karnaprayag, Chamoli and for evening meals at Pipalkoti, we reached Joshimathonly at around 5:20 pm and then the bus driver and the conductor discussed if they should take the bus to Auli or not for the route might be covered with snow. Luckily they took the bus till high up. It was 6:30 pm, pitch dark and the day was 22^nd December when we got down from the bus in front of the GMVN guest house at Auli.

On reaching GMVN, we looked for rooms that would be comfortable as well as moderate on our pockets. The room we took costed us INR 1880 including taxes for a day (12 noon to 12 noon). It had hot water and heater as well as sufficient number of quilts for the three of us. The hotel staff suggested us to keep one of the bathroom taps running at night so that water flowing in them doesn’t get frozen! GMVN’s restaurant offered us tasty food as well.

We had watched a little snow on the roads enroute in the fading light and couldn’t wait anymore to gambol in it. We threw our luggage in the room and ran out to find in that dim light wherever we could find snow sufficient to cut capers. We were ecstatic to find some and Utkarsh and I playfully emulated the Dilwale’s Gerua song in the snow. We took turns to take pictures and selfies but the light was just not enough. With high hopes that the next day will throw miraculous moments for us, we went to have some food in the restaurant, while the larger quota of food was brought by Utkarsh from home. He had brought some homemade mutter ki puris which we gorged on to as we knew it’d be long before we get to eat homemade food again. Back in the room we kept the heater on for some time till we got cozy in the bed and went off to a sound sleep turning the heater off and keeping a tap on.

Tryst with Royalty in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur

With an extremely fascinating history, Rajasthan enchants more than just domestic tourists from India. It ranks 5^th for the highest number of foreign tourists arriving in India. And it’s not for nothing. Every city delivers something unique. Ergo, no wonder most of them have earned their sobriquets. I decided to visit The Golden City, Jaisalmer and The Blue City, Jodhpur on an extended weekend in early October, 2015.

I chose it to be a backpacking adventure, without any company except myself, surprising many on and off the trip. Although it meant no friend to talk to, it gave me ample opportunity to interact with people hitherto strangers. The overnight journey from Delhi to Jaisalmer by train took me nearly 19 hours and it was already afternoon by the time I reached Jaisalmer. I put up at a decent Jain Dharamshala for the next one day.

Almost all cities in this kingly state have a regal history. Kings used to build forts to protect their kingdoms. Jaisalmer fort or the Sonar Quila is one such living fort. King Jaisal had built it in 12^th century. The streets inside the fort are always abuzz with activity. Several people have their residences inside the fort premise and tourism is their mainstay. The museum in the fort premises is vast and fascinating for history buffs. It offers panoramic views of the Jaisalmer city. Spellbound, I spent more than a couple of hours observing the museum.

 

While I was deciding where to head next sipping tea outside the fort, someone gave me a visiting card for camel safari tour operator and I gave the person a call. Excitedly he came to pick me up and next we were negotiating the cost of camel safari. But it was getting nowehere as the place for camel safari was nearly 40 km away from Jaisalmer and I had no way to  reach there. Fortuitously, I met a few strangers from Sancher in Rajasthan who also wanted a similar package. I made a deal with them and together we left to enjoy camel safari in the Thar desert. I paid INR 400 for a package which included a camel safari, folk dance and music programme from tribals and chai pakoda. I rode along with these strangers, befriended them on the way and we reached the place where camel bearers took us for a desert safari at sunset. Later, we watched the dance and music show by the tribal artists at night. We left at around 9:15 pm from there to Jaisalmer again and reached there at around 10:00 pm.

 

Something in me asked me to start my next morning by offering prayers at the Jain temple in the dharmshala premises, which I gladly did. Patwon ki haveli was also on my cards. I walked till the haveli and paid INR 100 for the entry ticket which also included photographing. The haveli is very well maintained and surely worth a visit. It captures the lives of a Jain businessman and his family, including five sons. The businessman, Ghuman Chand Patwa, gifted separate havelis to each of his five sons. The patwon ki haveli contains artifacts from their life preserved in different rooms. A local market surrounds the haveli and I could not stop myself from buying some goodies for friends and family. The weather outside was getting really hot but I walked till the Gadisar lake. This lake was constructed to supply water to the city of Jaisalmer. In winters, you might even find migratory birds who take pitstops enroute the bharatpur bird sanctuary.

I went back to the dharmshala, packed my bags and caught a bus to Jodhpur at around 1:30 pm. It took me nearly 4:30 hours to reach the blue city. I roamed around just to get the buzz of the city, had dinner and found some time to browse through a few pages of 1984 and went to bed making up my mind to begin another adventure the next day.

As a researcher in the natural resource management field, I feel particularly inclined towards nature. Thus instead of beginning my last day of the trip from the famous Mehrangarh fort, I chose to visit the less frequented yet amazingly well maintained Rao Jodha Desert Rock park. Way to the desert park and the Mehrangarh park are same for most part of the overall distance except in the end where the steep and rounded road bifurcates to these two places.

 

I had read about this park on the internet and had high hopes from it. And it did not disappoint. I met couple of people on entering the park and they guided me to follow the yellow color coded trail to avoid getting lost in the 200 acre park. I found the red one and still came out fine. I am sure I was the only person roaming in the whole park. Although, I did see a bunch of adventure buffs trying their luck on the flying fox in the backdrops of the Mehrangarh fort. This park boasts of both floral and avian diversity. While I did find floral diversity but the marvelous scenery would not really allow me to focus on noting the avian diversity, instead I chose to click pictures.

Somehow after some 1.5 hours I emerged from the trail victorious. Such nature walks will invigorate me forever. The hot weather was a letdown though, which I could not have managed without the water bottle I was carrying along. Mehrangarh fort is not far from the park and I walked from the park to the fort gates. Luckily, for some festival, I got free entry at both the park and the fort. To be frank, I found the Mehrangarh fort to be a bit overhyped. However, the strategic location and the thick walls of the fort are definitely one of the best among all Indian forts I have seen. A number of canons are perched on top of the fort, which was done to prevent attacks from enemies in those times. The museum is well-stocked and has several stories to tell. The fort also houses the (in)famous Chamunda Devi temple, wherein the stampeded that killed more than 200 people, took place. This fort is also the place where shooting of the Batman: the Dark Knight Rises took place.

Coming back from the fort, I headed to the extremely popular Umaid Bhavan Palace. But reaching the palace-cum-hotel was not easy. I had to change many buses from the fort to the palace before I stopped at a point from where the palace was still at least 2 km away. It’s always better to take a rickshaw to reach the palace directly but they all ask for exorbitant amount, especially if you are alone. City buses are a cheap option if you are able to find your route by yourself or by asking the locals, who in general are very helpful.

An entry ticket of INR 30 to visit the museum and the vintage car collection is paltry compared to exorbitant tariffs of the rooms in Umaid Bhavan Palace. The palace is spread in 26 acres and one of the largest private residences in the world. Henry Manchester, designer of the palace, left no stone unturned to prove his mettle in art deco. A security guard told me that 90% of the palace has turned into the Taj group of hotels, 5% is museum and the remaining is where the royal family still lives.

Visit to this palace brought me to the end of this fantastic solo backpacking adventure. I took the train back to Delhi that would drop me to Delhi Cantonment next morning. My understanding of Rajasthan as a royal place with rich culture and even 'richer' people has only strengthened. I wish to come back to the state again, that time for some other adventures.