A midnight trip to Bhangarh

“Lets go and meet the ghosts tonight”, shouted Chopad with his infectious warm smile at the sector 50 parking lot.

The legendary party wizard Chopad would invariably infect you with his insanity. The last party ended up with me puking my guts out followed by a debilitating hangover for 2 days. It seemed, I had consumed a full bottle of neat Vodka followed by a wild goose chase which of course I don’t remember. The worst and the best things after these parties are the skillful drunken car drifts which never stop amazing you. With 90 degrees and 180 degrees of drift becoming a common affair, this guy introduced a first time 360-degree drift at Delhi Faridabad gravely road which is still afresh in my memory.

The theme of these parties is very simple - to get everyone super drunk. Let alone escaping these parties as sober, a person would be even abused and ostracised for holding a stigmatic beer or any drink which contained alcohol, lesser than the prescribed percentage. The person would then be forced to participate in a Bottoms Up drinking game which would include LIIT as the stealth mode drink which yielded the highest ROI. After these drinks I had often found myself in a situation where we would be racing against the flights taking off from IGI Airport or dancing in the winter rain at 3 am or simply puking and putting an end to the shit.

Thankfully he finally moved out to Chandigarh some months back. I was relieved that the insane parties were finally over and life was finally getting back to normal. I was resting at peace in my post retirement life from parties, sitting on my rocking chair, listening to U2, and sipping on a healthy watermelon juice when I saw a message flashing on my mobile screen.” I am coming to Delhi on 25th, be ready to party”. The parties simply never stop!

It was the wintry evening of 25th Jan 2016 when we picked up Chopad from ISBT Kashmeree gate. Who would have imagined that the night would slowly unfold into a never imagined adventure. After the pick up, we were off to Gurgaon for the evening with a bottle of Absolut and an Old Monk on board. Also on board was Ripon who apparently, according to him, had no role to play in the whole trip except for dancing with the pretty girls at BAR exchange.

In the end he would say ” Maine toh haan bhi nahi bola aur na bhi nahi bola”.

And there was Laal who had this constipated look on his face trying so hard to look disinterested.

Old monk rum and the music in the car had set the mood for the evening as we reached Gurgaon. The music and the drinks at BAR exchange, did the rest of the work. The alcohol really kicked in at 1 o clock midnight as we exited the pub.

“Lets go and meet the ghosts tonight”, shouted Chopad with his infectious warm smile at the desolated sector 50 parking lot.

“Lets go to Bhangarh and fuck some ghosts”, I shouted, trying to balance myself at the same time.

Although, Bhangarh sometimes used to come up in our party conversation, neither of us had the faintest idea about Bhangarh, except that it’s the scariest place of India. We took off on my car on the Jaipur highway. Like every other time, the driver for the evening was Chopad. The GPS was showing 3 and a half hours to Bhangarh as we left Gurgaon.

Now, we were driving at the right most lane on the highway. With the loud music and the alcohol pouring in into the glasses, the car swayed towards the left by some inches. By the time Chopad realized this, a truck from behind did the rest of the work. The left hand side rear view mirror was completely crushed away. The sound of the scratching metals penetrated into the cabin and there was a complete silence in the cabin amidst the loud music.

“Leave it man, it happens, I will fix it up tomorrow!”, I said in a reassuring way trying to take away his guilt. We were unfazed and continued on our most important mission at hand.

After driving for half an hour, we took a turn at Bhiwadi off NH8 highway and the fucking GPS was still showing 3 and a half hours to Bhangarh. That’s when we stopped to take a piss at the side of this desolated road. We assessed the situation, had some arguments for taking a U turn to Delhi. But who listens to each other when drunk. The worst and the best thing about being super drunk is that all logic and reasoning goes for a toss. The road ahead turned foggy with almost zero visibility at certain regions. It seemed that we were travelling through an array of fog tunnels. 

Somewhere on the way

It was an hour into the driving and we were passing through these small settlements which repeated themselves on the otherwise desolated foggy highway. We were driving at a mere 40 kmph as it was really difficult to see the road ahead when, in the middle of nowhere, we noticed this insane iron barricade blocking the entire road. There was a sudden screeching noise, the car wobbled, my drink splashed onto my trousers as we crashed straight into the barricade throwing it wide open. The three policemen standing at the side of the road were staring at us and we were gapping at them. About two valuable seconds were lost in this act of comprehending the situation. On the third second, the police started approaching our crashed car. It seemed like a Game Over situation from a car racing game.

The sign of ‘YOU ARE BUSTED’ was flashing in front of my eyes.

On the fourth second, our car was moving again brushing through the barricades bouncing off the potholes on the road, throwing away some dust, while the three policeman ran behind us in amazement. Within no time, we were cruising at 100kmph on the foggy highway. None could have pulled it off except the legendary Chopad. The feeling was like getting a new lease of life as we all knew the ramification of being caught. We were in awe of the whole episode for the next half an hour while suspecting every car approaching from behind as a potential police van.

At 4 in the wee hours of the morning, the alcohol had lost its effect and the trip was turning out to be tiring. We were in the middle of nowhere, blindly following the GPS, cruising along the spooky road that cut the foothills of Aravalli like a serpent. As we approached the Bhangarh territory through the gravelly roads and abandoned settlements, I did start believing the possibility of Ghosts. Specially because of this cunning bastard who was constantly rambling about how scared he was.

After an hour of painful off-road drive, we found ourselves riding through the narrow lanes and paddy fields. It was just then when we realized that we had taken a wrong turn as the GPS was showing 40 mins to Bhangarh for the past half an hour. The situation got worse when the only phone that was being charged from the USB switched off. Apparently the Phone was consuming more energy then what was being fed into it through the USB port. However, with some battery left on the other phone, we were able to navigate back to the main road after some twists and turns. It was 5 30 in the morning and still dark as we reached a roadside dhaba which had just opened up. Hot tea and parley G biscuits did the trick to relieve us from the felling of being lost.

“Bhaiya wahan pe bhoot dikhega abhi ?”

“Kahan sahab, abhi toh subha hone ko hai. Bhoot to raat ko dikhte hain”

“Log Barfi lejate hain bhooton ke liye. Aap bhi lejao”

The dhaba wala was knowledgable and kind enough to provide us some important information about the ghosts.

As we left the place, Chopad who was constantly driving till now gave up the driving seat while Ripon and Lal slept at the back of the car. As Chopad dozed off, I found myself to be the only one to face all the thrill.

Finally, it was sunrise when we reached the Bhangarh fort. I parked the car at the fort gate while the rest of the crew was still asleep. It was a feeling of a mission being accomplished. I came outside the car which smelt of alcohol and Ketchup. The Archeological Survey of India board on the front of the gate read that it is prohibited for tourists to stay inside the fort area after sunset and before sunrise. Locals say that whoever has tried to stay inside after sunset was never found. A strange chilly shiver ran through my entire spine as i peeped inside to see what was inside the gate.

Abandoned settlements inside Bhangarh Fort

Low in SPIRIT, high on energy

Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2016 - an experience of a first Marathon

There are so many reasons that I started running, so many reasons that I wouldn’t have continued but only one reason that kept me going. Yeah, I wanted to complete a Marathon before I turned 30 and it was high on my bucket list.

Someone told me that if its your first marathon, its got to be Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. And here I was standing at the line up section at the start of the race at CST. There was a feeling of apprehension and excitement, standing among the crowd in the dark and cold morning, waiting for the gun to fire.

I was apprehensive because, I felt I didn’t do much justice to my already under prepared training since I landed at Mumbai yesterday morning.

Besides having a stomach upset because of the spicy food at yesterdays lunch, I could barely get a sleep of 2 and a half hours at night. Earlier this morning, I boarded the local train from Thane station at 3:30 which was full of SCMM participants. I met this runner on the train, who also came from Delhi for his first marathon and, oh boy, was he prepared. He had ticked the entire array of checklist right from following a dedicated running plan, Carbo loading for the entire week to carrying gel bars for the race. Forget sticking to a training plan, my longest run in the past month hadn’t exceeded 10k. Forget Carbo loading, the breakfast that I had this morning was just 2 slices of bread and a banana. I was afraid whether it was too soon that I am attempting my Full Marathon. After all I was just 1.5 years into running and mere 2 half marathon old.

Well it was not that I was less informed. I had read tons of articles on running diet, exercise and training schedules. However, you just don’t get enough time out of the work schedule, parties and the drinking. I remember how I used to sometimes change into my running attire in my car at the traffic light just to save some precious time for running.

The race begins [pic courtesy SCMM 2016]

The countdown ended and the race started. It was exactly 5:40 by the clock. The historic Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus at the starting of the race looked stunning. The feeling of running on the dark streets of Mumbai under the street lights was incomparable to anything. I was surprised to see a lot of supporting crowd early at this hour.

In the initial stretch of 4 kms till Nariman Point, I found myself to be running rather slow owing to the packed runners on the road.  There were slow runners blocking your way and there were fast runners zipping past you. Although, I didn’t have a pacing strategy, the idea was to run by feel and target a finish time of a respectable 4 hours: 15 minute. However, as the race progressed till marine drive, the roads were wide open and I adjusted to my own comfortable pace. Running along the sea side amid the electrifying crowd and the Indian Navy band playing out just for you, felt like a deep privilege.

After crossing Chowpathy, at 10 km there was the dreaded Peddar road flyover which posed a real challenge as I felt slightly drained out of energy. And then, when there are volunteers handing out Energal and the crowd offering you bananas, you couldn’t feel much better.

The Worli- Bandra sea link at km 16 looked calm and poised. Today is the only day of the year when this bridge is thrown open to runners; a special privilege only for the SCMM participants. The sun rising precisely at that moment with sea on both sides of the bridge made for a good scenic view. A good occasion for the runners to pause and click pictures. Running the 6 kms stretch and inhaling the best possible air in Mumbai was a bliss.

Runners at the Worli-Bandra Sea link [pic courtesy SCMM 2016]

At the 21k timing mat, I registered a 2 hr 9 mins time which seemed acceptable and I continued at the same pace till  26k. That’s when I felt a mild headache and dizziness. Hitting the wall was the last thing I wanted today and I started walking for the first time in the race. That was when I learnt that it was damn difficult to start running again after a walk break.

At 30k, the elite Kenyan runners had started overtaking me with their long strides at cruising speed. I could feel the wind gushing at me as the other runners made way for them. The Indian elite runners were behind them by around 5 mins and I did recognize Nitendra Singh Rawat who was leading the pack.

At this point, my innermost toe which was rubbing against the shoe became worse. I knew that there was definitely a painful blister waiting to burst at any moment. The shoe that I was wearing was just a week old and was bought online at a highly discounted price. The price difference came with the ill fit and probably a damaged product which I realized just during the race.  It was a learning, the hardest way, for not trying anything new on race day.

My mind told me that It was impossible to carry on, while the pain in my legs supported that argument. My marathon had precisely begun at this time. I reminded myself that it was a mind over matter game. I just had to divert my mind away from the pain; which was easier said then done.The race from here on was a walk and run routine with the walk breaks getting larger and larger towards the end.

While a lot of beautiful girls in the crowd at Peddar road, 36k mark, did divert my mind for few seconds; a placard reading” Pain is temporary, Pride is Permanent” did really boost me up for the remaining race.

And in the end when the hours and hours of pounding on the asphalt exhausted me of all the energy, you had the crowd offering you salted oranges, bananas, chocolate bars, energy drinks, Parle G biscuits, home made cakes, candies to name a few.

And who could forget the strategically placed mist zones in the final kms. These water sprinkled mist zone tunnels would act like oasis in the desert taking away all the body heat and leaving you refreshed.

In the final 4 kms, when I was walking like the dead, it seemed that the whole of Mumbai had come out to cheer and resurrect me. I still remember the pretty girl in red top who literally came to my face and told me not to give up. I really thought that I was getting lucky but that’s a different story. I couldn’t have disappointed such a pretty lady and started running again.

Finally, I saw the last km mark. I couldn’t believe that I was so near but still far. That is when I told myself and every inch of my aching body, that I wouldn’t be walking this part. I pulled myself up, and started running with my head looking straight towards the finish line. The next moment, I found myself sprinting the last 100 meters and then, I took my final step across the finish line, 4hrs and 35 mins after I began.

Final yards to the finish line

The feeling of defying all odds, competing against myself and completing my first full marathon cant be described. It was the best feeling in the whole world. The pain, the exhaustion, the breathlessness and everything else sunk in the background; what was left was the divine feeling of pure bliss and accomplishment. I felt like a different person, more like a superhuman, invincible till the end. And yes this was an achievement, I proudly ticked off my bucket list. 

Trekking to Pin Parvati Pass

Pin Parvati Pass is one of the most challenging treks in India, which begins in the Parvati Valley in Kullu and ends in Pin Valley in Spiti. The 8 days trek begins at Pulga, a place 10 kms from Manikaran, and continues across several villages as well as alpine mountains, meadows and lakes. Before reaching in Spiti Valley, one has to cross the Pin Parvati Pass 5219 m (17,122 ft.), which is the highest point of the trek. On the other side of the pass, before driving back to Manali through Rohtang Pass, one can explore the beautiful Spiti valley and spend some time at Kaza with all the Buddhist monasteries.


Mantalai lake camp site



A team of 9 members from office would attempt to cross the pass in the month of September 2013. I was overwhelmed and thrilled to have been selected in the advanced team for this company-sponsored trek.

Our week-long preparation for the trek ended on 19th September as we left Delhi for Bhuntar on an overnight Volvo ride.

Day 2 / Bhuntar-Manikaran

We reached Bhuntar at around 8 am on the morning of 20th. While we got down at Bhuntar, the bus continued towards Kullu. Two pre arranged cab took 2 hours to Manikaran along the scenic roads and towns, meandering along the river Parvati. The dreamy town of Kasol, 4 kms before reaching Manikaran looked exotic with the foreign crowd and cafes along the road.

We reached the famous Gurudwara of Manikaran at 10 am where we would be crashing for the night. The authorities happily gave us one huge single room. After dumping our tents and bags in the room, we didn’t wait much longer to take a dip in the hot spring water pool that is located inside the Gurudwara. Cleansed and purified in the medicinal water, we headed for our sumptuous langar meal that is cooked in the hot boiling water of the spring.

After spending the luxurious afternoon at the Gurudwara, it was then time for an evening party. One of the best parts of trekking in the Himalayas is that you also get to explore and dig out a lot of beautiful lesser-known places. At around 4 pm, 4 of us hitchhiked the 4 kms to the town of Kasol.

Kasol

Kasol has recently transformed into a hub for backpackers, who are attracted to the scenic valley, untouched hills, low population, and great climate throughout the year. I could see that the majority of the visitors were from Israel, as a result, the Hebrew language banners were visible throughout the Valley.




Hanging Iron bridge over the river Parvati

It was a pleasant cold evening while we walked down the main road, which was flanked with cafes and restaurants on either side with the view of mountains at the back. While you could find exotic Israeli food in the restaurants, you could illegally procure quality hash from the cafes. As we walked inside the cafes to inquire about weed and kerosene, we were also thrown invites for Psychedelic Trance parties. It would have been a crime not to accept this trance-open barbeque party invitation at Kasol-tents scheduled for the late evening. Since we had plenty of time before that, we explored the other side of Kasol, across the river. It was famous for some exotic cafes and had to be reached through a hanging - shaky iron bridge.



Trance party at Kasol Tents

Low outside sittings at the cold ground with bonfire to keep you warm; hot barbequed chicken with chilled beers; the weed joints and the Israeli Singer playing the unplugged guitar; everything seamlessly integrated to bring the magic alive.

“ Full power, 24 hours, no toilet no shower,” the singer sang while I closed my eyes and took a deep-deep puff, putting myself into a reverie.

We hitchhiked a truck while returning to Manikaran and retired to our huge room in the Gurudwara.

Day 3 / Manikaran-Pulga-Kheerganga

We left the Gurudwara at around 8 am in the cold and windy morning. We loaded our bags, tents and provisions on the jeep and departed towards Pulga through Barseni road.


Infront of Gurudwara at Manikaran

It was a 12 kms bouncy and jerky ride to Pulga at the back of our open jeep. A dam by NHPC, was being built at the site on the river Parvati. This was the point from where we started our trek to Kheer Ganga, a climb of around 16 kms.


Dam over river Parvati at Pulga 

The trek was mostly uphill and proved to be very tiring. The beautiful village of Nakthan accompanied us for the initial part of the trek. It had a lot of apple orchards from where we had some fresh and juicy organic apples.


Initial part of the trek leading to Nakthan


The beautiful village of Nakhtan


Babaji's Ashram at Rudranaag 

An old Wooden bridge

We passed through Rudranaag Ashram, a religious place located halfway. Beyond Rudranaag, the trail had a steep ascent that led our tired legs through thick pine forests to the spiritual site of Kheerganga located at around 2960 meters.

Kheerganga-

I knew that the exhaustive 4 hrs trek was over when I saw this picturesque meadow surrounded by mountains and pine forests on all sides. There were a lot of huts, basically restaurants and lodges, on either side of the steep path that led us to the top of the hill where we set our camps at an open ground beside a water source.





Exploring Kheer Ganga


Numerous hut restaurants at Kheerganga

By the time we settled down, had Maggie and tea, it was already late in the evening. Steady chilly winds started blowing in near the campsite. The dark clouds slowly started settling down in the valley. The sun was already behind the mountains. It was the perfect time to set off for the main experience that Kheerganga has to offer; a purifying bath in the hot Spring water pool.

The pool located at the top of the hill, is continuously fed boiling hot sulphur-water that comes from beneath the rocks. The used water drains continuously keeping the pool very fresh.



Camping Site at Kheerganga

It was a mind numbing and body shattering experience, trying to take a dip in the boiling hot pool at that freezing temperature. However, you slowly adjust to the temperature, which becomes very comfortable within moments relaxing all your sore muscles. It was an experience of extreme comfort unparalleled to anything; it was almost impossible for me to leave the pool even after an hour.


Relaxing in the Hot Spring water pool

After the pool experience, late in the evening, we retired to one of the hut restaurants. We occupied a cozy spot near the fireplace. Old Monk rum with cheese omelet was served while we discussed strategies for the rest of the trek. It was a perfect end to the amazing day.


Old Monk at the cosy hut restaurant

Day 4 / Kheerganga- Tunda Bhuj

The morning at Kheerganga was cold and misty. Delicious breakfast cooked in timber wood followed after the blissful hot spring water bath. After breakfast, we left for tunda bhuj, our next destination at a height of 12,600 feet and roughly 15 kms away.


Geared up to depart for Tunda Bhuj

The trek is along the steep side of a gorge that cuts through mountains and provides a way for the river Parvati. We started through the dense forest area, populated with long pine trees. The trek in the forest area seemed to repeat itself at every corner and remained steep for the most part. It started drizzling which made the terrain slippery and very dangerous. To make matters worse, our backpacks gave way to the water that percolated and got absorbed to make the bags heavier.


Posing in the rains

We had to go through wooden bridges, lot of small streams and over the slippery sharp rocks



Balancing act over a log bridge

Halfway into the trek and the vegetation totally changed. The long pine trees gave way to small shrubs and grasses. The trek turned steeper and it became tougher to continue.



Need to be very careful while crossing a slippery waterfall

Finally after a lot of struggle, we reached Tunda Bhuj. On reaching, we headed straight into the wooden hut and sat beside the warm fire that was already set by our porters.



The picturesque abandoned Hut at Tunda Bhuj-Camping site

Our tents were set on the side of the hut. We changed our wet clothes, and had hot tea and Maggie. The temperature came down rapidly as the sun set behind the mountains. In the evening, a bonfire was lit which made our tired sprits come alive.


Setting up the Camp fire

After having rice and daal cooked in the evening we all went inside our tents. My body was paining heavily due to all the exertion that my body suffered in the past two days.

Day 5 / Tunda Bhuj - Pandu Pull

Coming out of the cramped up sleeping bags and the claustrophobic tents seems very liberating in the morning. The ibuprofen tablets seemed to have worked for me, as I felt good to trek.


Misty morning at Tunda Bhuj

The tents had due drops all over them which was the reason why the night felt a bit colder. Toilets were not available for the first time on the trip. We had to climb down the hill with an empty bottle to the stream flowing below in order to freshen up.

After freshening up, we disassembled our tents. We kept our wet clothes from previous day to dry in the sun and waited for the food that was being cooked by our porters. However, some things were not easy this morning. Apart from me burning a part of my shoe while trying to dry it near the fire, we also had to go empty stomach. The chapattis that were served had the strong unbearable smell of diesel. The diesel spilt into the flour while being carried by the porters the previous day. The taste was horrible and I felt like puking at the moment. Disappointed with the breakfast, I had my only hope on the chocolates and candies to be consumed during the trek.

Having diesel mixed parathans

Our destination today was Pandu Pull, which is located at a distance of 16 kms from Tunda Bhuj. Until this time, we were travelling, upstream on the right hand side of the river Parvati. However, the camping site of Pandu pull was on the left side of the river. That meant we had to do some crossing over today.

The trek began with a steep descent and took us to this perilous hanging wooden bridge. The bridge which had its railing broken on one side and precariously tilted on the other side managed to still function and provide passage.

Tedha Pull

The porters, who also functioned as guides, advised us to cross it one at a time to avoid any wobbling. A fall from the bridge into the fast flowing freezing water would have surely put lives on immediate danger.


Preparing to cross the Tedha Pull

After safely crossing the bridge, we trekked for another 4 kms to reach this place called Thakur kuan, which is also a camping site.


A long break at Thakur Kuan

Now, there were two ways to reach Pandu pull from Thakur Kuan. The first one, which is frequented, by most of the trekkers is by crossing the river by a trolley ropeway system at Thakur Kuan, travelling along the river and crossing over at Pandu Pull again to the left side to reach the camping site. The other way is to remain on the left side of the river as we were and travel along the river to reach our camping site at Pandu Pull. We decided to avoid the crossing over part and take the route that is seldom taken; which came with a hefty price

The trek was way lengthier and dangerous than the other. The trail ran across steep sided mountains, which were insanely barren. On top of that, there were landslides with gravelly patches. A single slide at these sections would have meant a straight 50 meters drop with nothing to hold on to. There could be two possibilities when you slip; first possibility is that you are dead; second possibility is that you survive with multiple broken body parts and heavy bleeding. In the 2nd case, you would still be dead with no rescue operation for at least a week.


The death defying treacherous way to Pandu Pull

The never ending and extreme trail took a hard hit on everyone. I was so exhausted that my body didn’t even have the energy to feel the pain. We were walking like zombies with no expression. However, the chocolates and the candies came handy to give some boost of energy to travel the final miles. The extreme rush of euphoria that I felt on seeing the camping site from a distance is unparalleled. I don’t remember much after that except that I took ibuprofen before sleeping off in the tent and off course grudging the guide who brain washed us to take this trail. I think I had some joints and some ample amount of rum before that.

Day 6 / Pandu Pull - Mantalai

The mountains on one side and the stream flowing below on the other side made for the perfect camping site at Pandu Pull. Our tents were placed at the side of a huge rock that provided them some protection from the winds and was also used as a fireplace to cook. The view of the Parvati River from the campsite looked stunning; the fast flowing water was capable of taking down anything on its way.


Breakfast time at Pandu Pull

There were a lot of small animals that could be spotted around the camp in the morning.


Big fat rat near the campsite

We had rice and tasteless daal for breakfast. The absence of parathans in the morning was dearly felt as the 10 kg flour bag had to be thrown away the day before. With a questionable fitness level of the team, and the depleted ration, there was a lurking question in everyone’s mind whether we would be able to make it across the pass. Today we would be travelling a distance of 16 kms to reach Mantalai at a height of 13500 feet.
The trek today was through a beautiful valley with no vegetation at all. I could only see some wild flowers growing between the rocks and patches of yellow grasses at some parts.



Beautiful valley with yellow grass on the way to Mantalai

There were swathes of plain dry land interspersed with wet and marshy area along the riverbed. We had to cross numerous branches of the slow moving stream along our way. Being our 6th day on the trek, it got really difficult for the entire team.


Trekking along the river bed

With almost zero elevation gain for the initial 90 % of the trek; the rest of the trek was the toughest part with the continuous climb over the perilous rocks. We had to make our way to the top by carefully placing our foot over the sharp fatal edges of rocks. A slip here would have meant a broken limb or some broken ribs. Some team members took rest between the climb and had chocolates for the last burst of energy needed to complete the trek. After the arduous climb, we could finally reach the Mantalai Lake located at the height of 13500 feet.


Lord Shivas meditation site

The Mantalai Glacier was clearly visible which is the source of this Lake and the river Parvati. We travelled further by 1 km to reach a dry camping spot away from the marshy land that was present at the beginning of the lake.


Camping site at Mantalai

Slowly and steadily, all the team members reached the campsite completely exhausted. But the unfaithful day had something more stored for us. As we were taking rest in our tents before the dinner, we heard something drizzling over our tents. I was amazed to hear someone shouting from outside that it was actually a snowfall. Initially we were all excited to see the snowfall and started taking some pictures outside. However the snowfall continued for a long time. At night, our tent collapsed owing to the depositing snow on our comparatively weak structured tents.



Heavy snowfall and collapsing tents

Thereafter, we took turns to constantly remove the heavy snow from our tents. Someone from any of the three tents would be always outside clearing off the snow that steadily deposited on top

The freezing temperature took a toll on almost everyone. Medicines for fever and body pain were circulated among the team members. Spirits were down and everyone doubted continuing further across the pass.

Day 7 / Mantalai - Pandu Pull

We woke up to the most beautiful morning of the whole trip. The sky was completely clear without a single spec of cloud. The layer of ice outside the tents seemed blue as the sun was still behind by the mountains. The Mantalai Lake stood serene and calm with the frost sitting on top of the lake. We were amidst this heavenly spot where Lord Shiva meditated, thousands of years ago.


Melting snow in the morning at Mantalai

We could see some new members who have joined us and pitched their tents near ours. A Czech couple along with two mountain dogs, from the other side has crossed the pass yesterday. A fire was lit up and some exchange of information took place over a hot cup of tea.


Hot tea and joints at a small campfire in the cold Morning

They said that they were delighted to spot us amidst this inclement weather. While we inquired about the condition of the pass, they asked us about the route to Kheerganga.After the morning tea, breakfast was served as we took an assessment of our present situation.

Firstly, the weather was unpredictable; the sky, which seemed clear and blue at this moment, could anytime start snowing. As it was the end of September, snow was definitely expected. If it snowed once again at the base camp, our tents would be unable to support and things could become worse. We thought that we were definitely ill equipped for a snowfall with these tents. The only tent that could stand a chance against the snow is the bigger one, which was accommodating the porters.

Secondly, our ration was insufficient to feed all of us for at least for 3 days. The food source has depleted specially because we had to throw away the 10 kg flour and a bag of rotten potatoes. In case, we had to return back from the base camp, we would have to starve for a day or two till we reach Kheerganga.

Thirdly, the fitness level of almost all the group members was down, specially, Jetendar who has dislocated his shoulder in the beginning of the first day.

After assessing the situation, we were all mentally ready to return back safely as a team. However, the Team leader and the Deputy team leader wanted to take the chance.

The resources were unevenly split and the team was divided into two. We as a group of 7 members and 3 porters, would return back to Pandu Pull today while the team of 2 members and 4 porters would be trekking to the base camp and try to attempt for the pass tomorrow.


The Team at Mantalai before breaking away

After that, we started for Pandu pull, which will be our day’s destination. We reached our camping site before the sunset. The camp was set up at the same place as before. The stove was with the other team; as a result we had to get some timber wood from the nearby small shrubs.



Limited resource & limited skills -preparing food at Pandu Pull

By night we had shrugged off the whole episode and started enjoying the huge campfire that was set. We also invited the Czech couple for dinner, who located us before sunset and camped at the same place. Tasteless Khidchi was cooked with the limited resources available.

Day 8 / Pandu Pull- Tunda Bhuj- Kheerganga

We woke up at the earliest possible time after sunrise, as daylight was a very important resource for today. Our food resources were completely exhausted as a result we had no option but to reach Kheerganga by sunset. We have to travel for more than 32 kms in a single day and make for a two days worth of trek by skipping Tunda Bhuj in between.

We cooked our last packets of Maggie available with us. Stale rice with Maggie was served at breakfast. The Maggie soup mixed with the rice added a bit of flavour to make the mixture easy to gulp. We knew that every bit of carb in our body would make it easier at the trail.

We started immediately after breakfast at 8 am through the same route. Walking down the trail now seemed more difficult. Every step down the trail with the heavy backpack and your entire body weight leaves a high impact on the knees. Adding on to the menace is the scorching hot sun piercing through every layer of apparel.

We were completely exhausted by the time we reached Tunda Bhuj at Noon.



Site of Tunda Bhuj from a distance

After a break of 15 mins, we resumed our final stretch of trek for Kheer Ganga. The only thing that kept me moving is the thought of taking an evening bath at the Hot Spring water pool.



The trail through the pine forest area leading to Kheerganga

Famished that I was, in the final miles, I motivated myself with the cheese omelet and a bottle of coke that I would be having on reaching Kheerganga. Cravings are at their best on treks

It was a sight for sore eyes as we reached Kheer ganga. I felt like a wounded war hero returning back to civilisation. We took our accommodation in a dharamshala.


Our beautiful lodge at Kheerganga

We dumped our bagages and immediately went for the Hot spring to relax our sore muscles. After satisfying all our cravings in the evening, we retired to our lodge. It is the first time in the trek that we were sleeping outside the cramped up tents and sleeping bags. The feeling was totally liberating.

Day 9, 10 & 11/ Kheerganga- Pulga- Kasol- New Delhi

On the ninth day, we departed for Pulga at 12 am after our leisurely morning brunch.



Picking up fresh juicy apples from godown at Nakthan

The 6 hours long trek to Pulga was equally tough as my sore muscles were still recovering from yesterdays torture. After reaching Kasol at 8 pm, we dumped our luggages at a lodge and went out for a sumptuous dinner in one of those fancy restaurants that served Israeli food. We explored more areas of Kasol on the tenth day and then departed for Delhi in the evening from Bhuntar by an overnight Volvo bus.
On the eleventh day, we were back at ISBT Kashmeree Gate, New Delhi, fully tanned and tired.