so i was prepared for this one. i woke up with sore throat and fever....but happy about going "back". i had a clear picture in my mind of the descent and climbing down. cake walk....right? dont underestimate this one. going down gives blisters, cramps, calf ache and is less kneee-friendly than your friendly-neighbourhood-treadmill. it may be less tiring, but definitely more of a pain.
we started off...with d.h coming up with life changing alternative plan as usual...why take the porter provided (who would direct us through longer route) when we could easily ask for local help? yeah we walked down, seven of us, for a kilometer or so until we found a local man tending to his sheep in a ramshackle lone house on the hill. we asked him to take us through a forest shortcut and get us to the nearby village as soon as possible. i guess d.h was as much in a hurry as i was, to get back to civilization and roads and transport other than legs.
the short route was a nightmare....and not quite "short". i mean the guy told us it would only be 2 hours downward climb. but he forgot a technicality there---2 hours at his speed.....the speed of a mountain goat or a lazy cheetah. 2 hours?? we walked the treacherous 3 and half hours downward spiral of steep slopes.
roots, fallen leaves, twigs....moss covered stones, cut tree stumps....dense forest and slippery mud wet from last night's rainfall. it was all there. frankly the scenic beauty failed to enthrall me as i struggled to keep my balance....legs wobbled again due to fever and weakness and i had a pounding headache. i should be resting, in a warm bed with hot chocolate in my hands, NOW......and what was i doing??!! the pace decreased as i needed to rest every few minutes. the guys were honestly sweet to match their pace with mine, help out and be patient.
slipping and falling, i finally saw the village. squat wooden cottages with brightly painted walls, winding slopy mountain roads twisting between homes. mountain people at work....kids coming out to greet us asking for candy. i guess they knew about these "trekkers" from YHAI having been given loads of candy as tradition. couldnt help but give out candy and biscuits to the cute kids. messy hair, natural flushed cheeks and running nose with a toothy smile. typical characteristics of mountain kids. shiva has captured some beautiful photos of those kids with his almighty SLR....quite a photographer, that one.
the original plan was that i would flop down on the village streets, exhausted, and someone would get the transport to me. but i realised that was not happening because the bus station was somewhere far far away.
it was that moment when. you cross your strength limit for 3 hours. then go beyond that for half an hour. and just when you think you are about to die ( i actually asked Hari whether i was going to die that day) ...you realise there is half an hour more to walk.
we walked on a gradual path...meeting a few foreign tourists who gave us information about the bus stand...then walked and walked and walked. it was not even funny anymore when i finally spotted a tar-road. a proper road....and buses and cars. i thought i was hallucinating.
but turned out we had finally reached...and i waited there, half dead, with others, while d.h and shiva (from i dont know what sort of energy source) went walking further up to search for a transport vehicle.
we sat in the jeep...it felt like a dream to not walk anymore....through winding turns, thankfully, we reached Kasol...and went straight to our favorite place, the famous EVERGREEN restaurant...
we entered the place like dirty beggars. with hair out of place, unbathed, messy, stinking probably....like mowgli coming from the forest to civil society. a few inmates stared.
i looked in wonder....at the table. the chair. an actual glass holding water....seemed like new luxury items. went to the mirror...washing my face...shocked at the tanned messy girl staring at me from the other side of the mirror. oh wait. that was me.
we all over-ordered all our favorite items from the menu and ate like pigs. wait. make that STARVED pigs...it was a shock when vaidi (captain/petrol) ordered alu-gobhi. i mean WHAT?!! we just had that stuff for 7 days and nothing else, and he orders the same thing at this fine impeccable restaurant! apparantly he loves gobhi. alu was just secondary.
i was too hungry to care...gobbled down stuff at immense speed. we took a bus to Kasol YHAI base camp...checked in at the reception there. filled forms....got stamped, returned their bag and sleeping sheet and took custody of our luggage that we had left behind there.
funny to think of some of the items i had packed in there to take to higher camps! so much for packing light. even light was the new heavy.
i looked around me with new eyes....base camp was a real luxury compared to higher camps! i had newfound admiration for the YHAI people who managed to put up so much stuff at uninhabitable conditions and altitudes....at what cost? peanuts.
we said our goodbyes to the beautiful campsite and our vehicle was ready...to take us to manali. the plan was to spend a day and half at manali before going to delhi and then .....to routine lives...
we reached manali late in the evening. as usual Hari had managed to do meticulous research on good hotels in our budget and best places to stay over at. we drove in to the Dragon Hotel in old manali. nice place...all wooden finishing, cute rooms, good cafeteria and friendly staff...
when i first splashed myself with hot water...the feeling was of pure pleasure...a clean, half an hour long bathe...undescribable luxury. soap. and the works! i made sure i was squeaky clean before stepping out. as i slid into fresh clothes, i noticed the definite loosening and grinned at myself in the mirror....giving the thinner, tan girl in the mirror a high-five. mission accomplished...i lost so much weight!
that was a good night....an actual bed, warm blankets, an actual room with four walls....and a television set.
and sound sleep....
xoxo
we started off...with d.h coming up with life changing alternative plan as usual...why take the porter provided (who would direct us through longer route) when we could easily ask for local help? yeah we walked down, seven of us, for a kilometer or so until we found a local man tending to his sheep in a ramshackle lone house on the hill. we asked him to take us through a forest shortcut and get us to the nearby village as soon as possible. i guess d.h was as much in a hurry as i was, to get back to civilization and roads and transport other than legs.
the short route was a nightmare....and not quite "short". i mean the guy told us it would only be 2 hours downward climb. but he forgot a technicality there---2 hours at his speed.....the speed of a mountain goat or a lazy cheetah. 2 hours?? we walked the treacherous 3 and half hours downward spiral of steep slopes.
roots, fallen leaves, twigs....moss covered stones, cut tree stumps....dense forest and slippery mud wet from last night's rainfall. it was all there. frankly the scenic beauty failed to enthrall me as i struggled to keep my balance....legs wobbled again due to fever and weakness and i had a pounding headache. i should be resting, in a warm bed with hot chocolate in my hands, NOW......and what was i doing??!! the pace decreased as i needed to rest every few minutes. the guys were honestly sweet to match their pace with mine, help out and be patient.
slipping and falling, i finally saw the village. squat wooden cottages with brightly painted walls, winding slopy mountain roads twisting between homes. mountain people at work....kids coming out to greet us asking for candy. i guess they knew about these "trekkers" from YHAI having been given loads of candy as tradition. couldnt help but give out candy and biscuits to the cute kids. messy hair, natural flushed cheeks and running nose with a toothy smile. typical characteristics of mountain kids. shiva has captured some beautiful photos of those kids with his almighty SLR....quite a photographer, that one.
the original plan was that i would flop down on the village streets, exhausted, and someone would get the transport to me. but i realised that was not happening because the bus station was somewhere far far away.
it was that moment when. you cross your strength limit for 3 hours. then go beyond that for half an hour. and just when you think you are about to die ( i actually asked Hari whether i was going to die that day) ...you realise there is half an hour more to walk.
we walked on a gradual path...meeting a few foreign tourists who gave us information about the bus stand...then walked and walked and walked. it was not even funny anymore when i finally spotted a tar-road. a proper road....and buses and cars. i thought i was hallucinating.
but turned out we had finally reached...and i waited there, half dead, with others, while d.h and shiva (from i dont know what sort of energy source) went walking further up to search for a transport vehicle.
we sat in the jeep...it felt like a dream to not walk anymore....through winding turns, thankfully, we reached Kasol...and went straight to our favorite place, the famous EVERGREEN restaurant...
we entered the place like dirty beggars. with hair out of place, unbathed, messy, stinking probably....like mowgli coming from the forest to civil society. a few inmates stared.
i looked in wonder....at the table. the chair. an actual glass holding water....seemed like new luxury items. went to the mirror...washing my face...shocked at the tanned messy girl staring at me from the other side of the mirror. oh wait. that was me.
we all over-ordered all our favorite items from the menu and ate like pigs. wait. make that STARVED pigs...it was a shock when vaidi (captain/petrol) ordered alu-gobhi. i mean WHAT?!! we just had that stuff for 7 days and nothing else, and he orders the same thing at this fine impeccable restaurant! apparantly he loves gobhi. alu was just secondary.
i was too hungry to care...gobbled down stuff at immense speed. we took a bus to Kasol YHAI base camp...checked in at the reception there. filled forms....got stamped, returned their bag and sleeping sheet and took custody of our luggage that we had left behind there.
funny to think of some of the items i had packed in there to take to higher camps! so much for packing light. even light was the new heavy.
i looked around me with new eyes....base camp was a real luxury compared to higher camps! i had newfound admiration for the YHAI people who managed to put up so much stuff at uninhabitable conditions and altitudes....at what cost? peanuts.
we said our goodbyes to the beautiful campsite and our vehicle was ready...to take us to manali. the plan was to spend a day and half at manali before going to delhi and then .....to routine lives...
we reached manali late in the evening. as usual Hari had managed to do meticulous research on good hotels in our budget and best places to stay over at. we drove in to the Dragon Hotel in old manali. nice place...all wooden finishing, cute rooms, good cafeteria and friendly staff...
when i first splashed myself with hot water...the feeling was of pure pleasure...a clean, half an hour long bathe...undescribable luxury. soap. and the works! i made sure i was squeaky clean before stepping out. as i slid into fresh clothes, i noticed the definite loosening and grinned at myself in the mirror....giving the thinner, tan girl in the mirror a high-five. mission accomplished...i lost so much weight!
that was a good night....an actual bed, warm blankets, an actual room with four walls....and a television set.
and sound sleep....
xoxo
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