The constant chaotic lanes of city, breathing in a mix of polluted air particles, the hectic and stress induced work routine, the sedentary lifestyle amid the busy schedules, and everything else that wrecks havoc on a human body is a harsh reality that refuses to decline and is getting worse each passing day.  Being in such circumstances, over a period of time, has adverse health effects.  While some people out there are wary about the possible ill effects of it, others are only circumspect.  I was one of those guys longing for an escape route to spend time in peace away from all kinds of communication.  I was constantly on the lookout for avenues that would help me get away from the monotonous regularity.  Personally, I am one of those persons that likes to spend time in solitude.  After all, life is a bliss where people are less.  I did not want to go on a vacation as a tourist, rather a traveler.

Quite often, there were some thoughts doing the rounds at back of my mind about a possible visit to the mighty Himalayas.  Geographically, it is thousands of kilometers away from the place I am put at.  However, I am a passionate traveler and I had a considerable amount of trekking experience with the Western Ghats.  I felt confident about setting foot on the Himalayas.  However, I neither had any resource nor did I have any strategy.  My intense quest for doing a trek on the Himalayas got me looking out for trustworthy resources.  After months of resource gathering and planning, the time was ripe for an execution of what I call a plan of action.  I got myself the necessary accessories and got buckled up for my maiden Himalayan journey.  Here in my blog I am going to take you through what it feels like being at the Himalayas for the first time and my experiences all along.  And, hence, the title of this blog – A Rendezvous with the Himalayas: The Foundation and Beyond!  And, there are many such adventurous stories queued up.  Do subscribe to my travel blogs at https://www.xplorewithvijay.com, so you don’t miss out on fascinating travel stories.

The Himalayan trek I chose to go for is a delight for not just for the beginner trekkers but for the seasoned buffs too.  Trek paths lay aligned with dense pine trees, enchanting meadows, bone chilling river crossing and much more.  I was, quite, ecstatic and thrilled for these were one among the finest moments of my life.

Day 1: The Inception

With all the excitement around, I started off my maiden journey to the capital city of our country on board my most beloved train – The Rajhdhani Express.  Having developed a love for train travel, it was a special feel on board the country’s premier passenger train services – one among the fastest trains in India.  It takes about 27 hours of journey on this train to reach its destination.  However, the desire and passion of travel kept me off from any apprehensions about the length of travel.  The clock struck 10 minutes past 6 in the morning and the diesel locomotive blew a sound horn indicating its start.  The train chugged out of the station making its way to the right track to pick its acceleration.

Indoors, I was getting served the morning cup of coffee and, later, breakfast by the courteous pantry car staff.  I was happily glued to my window seat.  It was a fascinating experience of travelling on a train that constantly clocks about 100 kmph.  The Rajhdhani express has the potential to be operated at 150kmph, however, the average speeds come down due to several other factors.  Throughout this journey, there were occasional chit chats with fellow passengers.  They were awestruck the moment I would say I was going towards the Himalayas for a trek and it’s going to be a mesmerizing experience.

Day 2: New Place, New People

A long memorable train journey culminated at one of the five main railway stations of Delhi – The Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.  These are one of those few trains that reach their destination on time. Moments later I called up an acquaintance of mine.  We were to meet at a place in Delhi before eventually moving on to the base camp of this trek.  Arpit is from Mumbai and we were going to be meeting each other for the first time.  Following a brief discussion on phone we met at the historical fort in the city of Delhi – The Red Fort.

We exchanged greetings and I was introduced to his friend, Sarthak.  We became great friends in no time.  We had our bus reservations done in advance, bound for Manali in Himachal Pradesh and we had ample time.  Typically, these buses are run during the evening.  We hired an auto rickshaw and had a visit to the India Gate and, incidentally, a ceremony was in progress commemorating 50 years of the 1965 war with Pakistan.  Following an elongated stretch of time spent at having a glance at the ceremonial proceedings and the historical site, we had a short drive on an auto rickshaw to the outskirts of New Delhi named Majnu ka Tilla, for that’s where the boarding location was for our travel to Manali.  Shortly after sunset, we boarded our bus bound to Manali.

Day 3: Exhilaration and Bliss

The unending spiraling roads on the mountain pass and the rapid flow of the beas river inches below these highways sent chills down the visual and sensory organs of body for it provided the much needed rejuvenation to a long and arduous journey that culminated when we reached Manali around 8 am.  There were drizzles and the temperatures were down to about 10 degrees Celsius.

Following a near prolonged haggle, we hired an auto-rickshaw to reach our base camp at a remote village named Prini.   We had our check-in formalities done and moved into our place of stay.  We were introduced to three other folks – Ganesh, Muthu and Sharath.  People trek for a lot of reasons.  Some to experience nature, solitude, photography, to meet likeminded people and so on. I should say it was an immense pleasure to have met likeminded folks.

The entire day was meant for acclimatization.  Being at an altitude of over 6,500 feet, it is of paramount importance to get acquainted with the weather conditions, failure to do so shall have severe consequences that can even lead to death.  Therefore, acclimatizing to the altitude is an important activity for any high altitude trek.  We spent the entire day wandering the narrow lanes of this beautiful village, partially trespassing the bountiful apple orchards and experiencing the spectacular beauty of the giant snow clad Himalayan hills at a distance.

Day 4: Euphoric and Ecstatic

This was the day I have been longing for since time immemorial.  We were quite a large gang from all over the country united by our love for trekking.  Unperturbed by the overnight rains, we ventured out with our trekking gears.  The clouds had cleared up and it looked promising for a bright sunny weather.  Shortly about 30 minutes past 8 in the morning, we were briefed about certain disciplinary aspects by our trek leader and we set forth on our trekking journey.  The initial trials were quite steep and it took a toll on our body.  However, the lush green landscape, tall pine trees and towering Himalayan peaks gave us the much needed companionship.

The dazzling heights and the vibrant colors of the valley was so intriguing that I was constantly looking around me so I don’t miss out on anything.  The views were breathtaking.  It took us about 4 hours to reach our first campsite at Sethan.  At an altitude of about 9,000 feet, the views were as spectacular as it can get.

It was, again, time for acclimatization.  Soon after the last lights for the day had disappeared and the weather was getting colder each passing minute, we had our sumptuous dinner, rolled in warm clothes and enveloped into respective sleeping bags.

Day 5: Melancholy and Elation

I woke up to witness some spectacular visuals the nature has to offer.  Sipping a hot cup of tea and  watching  the sunrise amid the snow clad mountains was breathtaking.  Moments later we bid good bye to our first camp and marched forward.  Sethan was, probably, the last known remote village en route to our destination Himalayan pass.

As we advanced, there was a shift in paradigm in terms of habitat.  There were no more villages, all road connectivity culminated, no mobile network connectivity and the only dominating entities were lush green meadows, plethora of flora, and streams of vibrant river waters.  These river waters are such a great companion.  You keep following it up and it will take you to your destination uphill.

In case you lost your way or if there are any medical emergencies and you are not sure which way to get back to a nearest village, keep following the river.  They are the real navigators.   A little over 4 hours and we were at our second camp – Chikka.  At an altitude of about 11,000 feet and being surrounded by lush green meadows, waterfalls and the gushing sounds of the rapid flow of the river waters, the visuals were as stunning as ever.

Our camps were set up adjacent to the river waters.  The skies were getting darker, so were the clouds.  Within no time, we were enveloped by these clouds.  No words can possibly describe the sheer levels of magnificence these visuals were.  It was surreal.  That was a sight to behold.

Moments before the last light for the day could disappear, we had our dinner and hurried on to our respective camping tents to catch on with the much needed warmth.

Day 6: Frenzy and Excitement

Waking up in the lap of the mother nature is the absolute happiness.  The skies were getting cleared up and the reflection of sunlight atop the snow clad mountains rendered stunning visuals.

A little later, the pristine waters from the river filled our water bottles and we advanced with our journey.  The route was getting more rocky, and the treeline was gradually fading out.  That’s an indication of altitude gain.  The river was still offering it’s companionship.  A good two hours of trek uphill and there came a point where we had to cut across the cold streams of the river waters.  That was both fun and challenging for my feet were numb with cold.  I was deprived of any feeling and responsiveness for several minutes.

The river, now, was on the other side of our trail.  Moving forward, the visuals were surreal.  The valley we trekked through had the presence of intimidating mountains rising on either side.  I was careful enough to not slip through the snowy rocks and boulders, balancing over rock to rock one step at a time, thereby protecting my knees and ankles from any injury.  As I was involved with careful feet movements, there were some thoughts in the back of my mind about some of my friends who were sitting behind their desks while I was experiencing amazing Himalayan adventures.  I was immersed with achievements of my longtime aspirations of spending time in the lap of one of the greatest mountainscapes on this planet – The Mighty Himalayas!

The climb got much more steep and weather was beginning to get worse.  The dark clouds gathered in quick time and the drizzle turned into rains.  Our trek for the day culminated at Balu Ghera – our third camp.  At an altitude of about 12,000 feet, the treeline had completed disappeared.  Our camp was set up right in the midst of towering barren mountains with snow capped peaks.  The weather was getting more worse each passing minute.  It was raining hail stones.

Day 7: Of Paradise and Exasperation

I stepped out of tent and was thrilled and excited to see the entire region filled up thick sheets of ice.  There was snowfall overnight and this place was nothing more of a paradise.  The views were as gorgeous as ever, probably the best I have seen and experienced.

This was the day we were supposed to be conquering the intimidating mountain pass at Hampta.  However, the snowfall continued to spell disaster to our hopes of proceeding any further.  Our trek leader briefed us about the possible risks of advancing and we had to leave our camps and get back to safety.  This stretch of trek is much steeper and with constant snow fall, it could spell disaster to the entire gang.   With an heavy heart, we trekked back to our base camp.

Day 8: Exhaustion and Revive

Contend and happy with all those fascinating visuals, however, the thoughts of not being able to complete this trek was doing its rounds in the back of my mind.  To get over it, my friends and I chose to move around the many narrow lanes of this popular destination valley – Manali.

About 6 km from Manali, is a village named Vashisht and we had a visit to the Vashisht Temple, believed to be more than 4000 years old.  We, also, had a visit to Rama temple adjacent to it, considered a prominent Hindu pilgrimage.  The tibetan buddhist monastery in the vicinity of the Manali bus stand is a must visit.  The giant buddha sculpture and all the hymns that you hear shall make you feel relaxed and calm.

Later, we moved over to the popular mall road in Manali.  The mall road is the hub of activity for your shopping needs at this hill station.  Having spent a considerable amount of time doing window shopping, we boarded our bus back to Delhi.

Day 9: Contentment and Delight

A long and arduous journey culminated at around 8 am.  A few members from the gang proceeded with their plans.  My friends and I were the only ones left out and our journey back to the respective cities by train was to depart only around 4 pm.

We had ample time left.  We decided to spend time at the Red fort.  That’s a good place to wander, especially for people who do not wish to check in to any hotels.  A good two hours at this place and we moved over the popular Chandini chowk in Old Delhi to satisfy our taste buds at a prominent Paranthe wali Gali to have a sumptuous parathas of varied tastes.  We, then, travelled over to Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station and I bid good bye to my friends Arpit and Sarthak.  Such amazing people! Though we were from different states, our communication continued!

Life in the hills is a bliss – The Mother Nature!

Resources:

How did I travel?

I am obsessive about train travel and always on the look for an opportunity for such a travel.  A majority of journey for this trip was on a train.  I am from the southern indian city of Chennai and was on board the 12433 – Rajdhani Express bound for Delhi.  If you are one of those running short of time, there’s a fleet of frequent flights to the capital city.  The most cost effective way to reach Manali is via Road.  There are a plethora of luxury bus travels you can choose from.  The roadways are among the scenic landscapes you will experience.  For all your local trips at Manali, there are good old tuk-tuks available at ease, although make sure you bargain.

Best time to visit:

At an altitude of about 14,000 feet, this mountain pass at Hampta is a delight not just for the trekkers alike, but for the nature lovers.  Although, this mountain pass is open throughout the year, but it’s best experienced from June to October.  This is one of those treks that will make you feel mesmerized at every level of trek right from the start to the end.

Let me know if you liked this blog in the comments section below.  Feel free to share this blog with your friends.  Hit any of the social icons below to share this blog!

And, do subscribe to my travel blogs at https://www.xplorewithvijay.com, so you don’t miss out on fascinating travel stories.