Great food , great wine and old buddies are said to prompt a few damn fun times.
Sitting amongst friends gained as of late, I was lured into one such conversation that relinquished details of a honeymoon that relied on a Baklava tasting time. Sampling on some home-made guacamole and chips, I was eager to hear those travelogues. When we decided it was time to plan a trip to Sri Lanka, we chose to remain innocent of the ongoing epidemic. One nuptial and two waves down with the Corona pandemic, and we saw ourselves deciding that it was best to plan a domestic trip.
Uttarakhand happened as a pleasant surprise considering a most of the group were looking forward for their first snow experience.
Our readiness for the trip surpassed our excitement about boarding that flight to Dehradun. Treating ourselves to some light Subway luncheon, the three-hour flight turned out to be an adventure in its own way. There were career discussions, Ludo King games and discussions on whether food on flights merits the cash it demands.
Speaking of food and its cash merit, we were recommended by our very friendly guide, DineshJi as we called him, to a restaurant called Tip Top Restaurant to gorge on some amazing non-veg food.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and visiting the Lakshman Jhula. The first serene glimpse of the Ganges and we knew we were on an 8-day visit to immerse ourselves in a culture surrounding one of the most auspicious rivers in the country.
The next day, it began with a comfortable breakfast of bread and an omlette with some piping hot ginger tea. We then proceeded to make our way to Jumpin Heights. This was India’s tallest Bungee with a formidable height of 83mts. I decided to do India’s most extreme Giant Swing rather than Bungee. The fear that lay dormant suddenly decided to prompt us right before the big leap. The grappling sensation in our guts as well as the ethereal beauty of the waters and mountains are indescribable. I was short of words as the quiver in my legs got me stranded when I reached the bottom of the height. The unexpected trek that followed from the bottom of the Bungee took us right to the cafe spot where it all began.
The next adventure that awaited us was Rafting, which began at Shivpuri in Rishikesh. Chanting the “Ganga mata ki jai” slogan, we began our 16Km-long rafting experience in the holiest waters of Ganga, ending near Lakshman Jhula. It was a good thing that a quick lunch of some maggie ended up in a whole meal. We needed all the energy we could muster. The breathtaking scenery with 9 different grades of Rapids, makes for a never-before-done adventure affair. I would say personally that the experience of body surfing in the Ganges made for an astounding one. The guide took us to a spot for another activity of cliff jumping from a 30 ft rock. We also sipped some chai while seated on our raft that served from a small shop amidst the rocks.
The Ganga Aarti that took place at 6pm at the Triveni Ghat on the banks of river Ganga instills the very essence of spirituality in our hearts. The lighting of the multi-tiered ceremonial brass lamps, followed by the well synchronised and rhythmic motion of offerings and chanting to the Mother Ganga is a visual treat!
Most of our travels involved site-seeing and learning about the Pahari culture of Uttarakhand. We witnessed the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi, which then flows as Ganga at Devaprayag. The scenic beauty of the ride led us to Chopta for the night. If you had a friendly driver , he would treat you to some bhang and chai during a heavy downpour at his childhood friend’s shop. Ours did!
The Meraki Mayadeep Resort located at the picturesque location of Chopta had views of the peaks of the Himalayas. The beyond compare freezing night was accompanied with some favourite rajma chawal and paneer to keep us warm. I could never imagine a breakfast like Maggies could taste this delicious. One of the best breakfast experiences that took all of us into nirvana in the cold sunny scenic morning. The whiteness of the snow encapsulated the roads and mountains. The 3Km trek to Tunganath was filled with awe-inspiring views. It was hard to keep up with the exhilaration that came with wanting to complete the trek and also the trepidation that followed. I can recollect the scare a footprint in the snow gave us as we receded downward from our trek. It so happened they were from dogs! Just the two of our friends succeeded in witnessing one of the highest abodes of lord Shiva in the world, Tunganath Shiva temple.
Being a predominantly vegetarian region, we craved some chicken during nightfall just to keep us warm. Listening in to some stories from our driver during his time in the Indian services surrounded by some camp fire was the best way to end the day.
At dawn we made it to Joshimath. To immerse yourself in a culture is to taste the food of its region. We had Chaunsa and rice for lunch, which is a traditional lentil dish made in a very unique way. The halt for the night was at the Mountain view hotel. Taking a walk around the market area, we visited the Joshimath Narsingh Temple. Us girls, while interacting with a hotel owner, learned that the idol of the Badrinath temple is brought down to this temple during the winters and kept next to the 4th incarnation of Vishnu, Narasimha. This Temple has a prophecy that at the end of Kalyug a landslide will occur which will close down the path to Badrinath. Another belief is that the arm of the Narsingh idol will fall out, since this idol is shrinking everyday!
We took in the chronicles of this land whilst discussing it over some piping hot bread pakora and chai. Time again I insisted on mentioning the views that we were privy to. Views that re-iterate the heaven on earth idea.
The quintessential mini Switzerland had to be the ideal destination to bring our trip to an almost end. We took the cable car to Auli from Joshimath. Auli gave us a panoramic view of the peaks of the Himalayas. Skiing at one of the most beautiful destinations in India is an experience to be felt and not said. The technicality with which skiing is done felt easy at first, but knowing how to use your legs as controls was definitely a task. One good thing about turning 30 is that we are not 40! Sliding down a tube from a small snow hill screaming like a child, we definitely felt like 10-year-old kids. Having ample time in our hands and trying to make use of whatever time left we had with snow, we decided to create a snowman, and voila Olaf was born! Going with the trend of Instagram reels, we danced to Kacha Badam. We were also able to inspire one or two families as well to join in the reel trend. The exuberant feeling of wanting to relax after a feisty trip, we planned a movie night at our hotel.
We were on our last leg of the trip. Making a stop at Dhari Devi Temple which was located on the banks of the Alaknanda, we made it on time in the evening for a shopping session back at Rishikesh. Enjoying an evening with karaoke, we spent the night at Hashtag Cafe with some old classic Bollywood songs to vibe with.
There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story! As I detail the last few words from a trip that gave us adventure and many first experiences, I know that each one of us was bringing home snowflakes in our souls!
