A FORTNIGHT IN THE HEAVENS

A Trek to SAR PASS

It all started one feb evening as we sat down to drink a cup of cofee.we chanced upon the YHAI site and upon reflex planned to be on this magnificient trek.the best treks are the ones that are booked without the slightest hint of investigating.almost instantaneously word started flying around that MTC would soon be on a Himalayan trek.a month progressed as 4 guys quit.finally in april 3 guys from the Mphasis Trekking Club decided to make it.we got ourselves some train tickets and booked the YHAI SP-19 batch which costed us around 2570 bucks.u gotta shell out an extra 170 bucks if ur lazy to get ur ass to gurunanak bhavan where the YHAI karnataka office is located.i have no regrets over the extra money spent.the package comes at a takeaway price.

A whole month of planning,discussions over mail,IM,phone follow.but as usual packing' done on the penultimate day.A habit iv never been able to get out of no matter how big the event is.may 16th D-day has arrived and we scramble to the yeshvantpur railway station to board our train.only to realise that our tickets are'nt confirmed,with flying being the only possibility to reach delhi on sunday we hurried back home sulking and cursing our bad luck.the next morning passed trying to get ourselves tickets on a low cost carrier.finally after 6 hrs of agony and a swollen butt i managed to obtain 3 tickets to delhi on INDIGO at 5 45am on sunday.

thanks to my friend vikas who helped us get to the terminal on time.i sank into my seat on the airbus-320 and stared at the beautiful women in uniform.A tight white blouse coupled with a blue skirt,2 beautiful legs seen through a translucent black stocking."what is it about Black stockings that turns me on"wow.. what more does a guy need after a whole night of beer guzzling.as i drown in the BGM created by a friendly hostess and a chick sittin across the aisle,a spurr of static comes across from the speakers.wondering if the captain pushed the wrong button while checking out some air hotstess and was abt to send us into some some god forsaken village in UP,i woke up to learn we were taxying and would continue to be for the next 10 mins.i sat there trying to figure out what we would do in Delhi for the entire day.

The ATC finally let us come through.we picked up our luggage and were greeted by one of my friend AMIT.we had got to know each other just the day before.sometimes mobile phones can be a great help.he walked us to the bus stand where we rode on the local bus to go to the other end of town,noida-another marthahalli in the making.the whole town is covered in a cloud of dust.i felt puzzled over the paradox in travelling on a cycle rickshaw to a modern townhip having scores of multi-storeyed apartments. no matter how advanced teh world becomes,the irony involved in man pulling man will never cease to exist.3 hrs and we had been on an airbus 320,a local bus,a cycle rickshaw.it cant get better than this.the mercury was soaring,42 deg and all i wanted to do was get into the shower.this blog wouldnt be complete if i didnt mention a special word of thanks to AMIT.he treated us to lunch and we chilled at his place while he tried to brainwash us into visiting rishikesh,the kinda guys we are,we succumbed.decided to cancel our return tickets through train and booked INDIGO again on the 1st of june.we bid adeiu to amit as we slowly took an auto to take us to janpath road where we had a bus scheduled at 7 30 pm to take us to Bhuntar.we boarded the bus and as soon as the lights went off so did we.

a gleam of light enters my eye through the small gap b/w the curtains as the sun rises.i woke up only to hold my mouth open for a couple of seconds,a place called sundernagar.its just a road with a canal running alongside sorrounded by mountains on 3 sides,perfect name for the place as we brushed our teeth and finished our morning routines.an hour later we found ourselves alighting at bhuntar.Bhuntars a small towm.what i saw of it is just the bus stop and a small airstrip right next to it.prob the only place in the world with such a design.anand and i convinced ravy into getting on top of a bus to travel to KASOL.sure he did,cursing us as we sat on the roof revelling in the beauty of the hills sorrounding us.we got down at kASOL where a YHAI banner greeted us.we ran in and handed out our admit cards and medical forms.a couple of guys soon alotted us tents.we dumped our luggage and stood in line for the mid-day meal.roti,sabji,rice,dal and papad.this remains the menu for the entire trek.as i dive into my plate and hog like a pig,surprise o surprise, i meet a couple of my college mates.overjoyed and ecstatic over the meeting we discuss on the plans for the next 10 days.the first day was rather uneventful as we walked upto kasol's Town centre and walked halfway to manikaran before deciding to get back as the rain gods were in the mood to strike us anytime.

Kasol is a lousy town with nepalis,rajasthanis putting up stalls and israeli restraurants.this town in the true sense is an isreali town with hebrew being sported on all banners.A laid back atmosphere with a host of israeli's smoking marijuana and chilling by the riverside.a few paces across the towncentre is a small sinagogue.thsi town is completely taken over.sometimes it makes u wonder if you are really in india.we get back to our tents before sunfall and get into our tents trying to make small talk with the other guys in the tent.SP-19 fortunately had a huge contingent from bangalore and hence saved us a lot of trouble.the rest were from mumbai,pune and nasik,and wow the gujjus(1 energetic lot).

8pm - a woman screeches on the Public address system to assemble at the centre of the base camp for CAMP-BULB.apparently YHAI is against burning firewood.so we sit down and listen to some guys make a fool outta themselves.

YHAI is another word for organised.was really amazed by their planning and organising skills.setting up a base camp amidst a valley with electricity,bathing facilities,tents is just astounding.they provide everyone with trekking bags,fleece blankets and a soft rug.

may 20th - 2nd day

we woke up at 5 30 in the morning to be treated to tea.cleansing ur mouth is teh best part.the water's literally freezing and wen u put it into ur mouth it feels like ur teeth might fall off any moment.we all assemble at the centre and are led to an open field where every1 is compelled to loosen up your musles for the upcoming trek.mufflers,monkey caps and jackets come off as the trainer makes u flex for 30 mins.a small session of camp cleaning is to follow and later breakfast.kheer was amazing.we were supposed to be taken on an acclamatization walk and we did move to an adjacent hill and scaled it within an hour.if you cant do this there's a very low chance in making it to SAR pass.we sat on teh peak for an hour and got introduced to the entire team.got back within another hour to the base camp and had our lunch.later wewere briefed about the whole event.wat to do and wat not to do.the rest of teh day was rather uneventful with the clouds opening up around 4pm.a heavy downpour was to follow.camp bulb remained cancelled much to our relief.we retired early at 8pm.

may21st 3rd day

we woke up at 5 am and again went across to the open ground to flex our muscles.we were later taken to a nearby spot to practice our rapelling skills.its an utter dissapointment,50 ppl look up as you rapel down a 30 ft rock face in 2 jumps.rock climbing follows and the rest of the day is spent trying to shop for stuff that might be needed on the trek and a bag inspection where they check your backpacks for excess baggage.we get back to camp only to be face torture in the form of campbulb.we doze off at around 9 keeping in mind tomm's schedule.big day tomm...

Route map

a view of parvati valley from the base camp kasol

camp bulb

atop the local bus-travel to unch darr

send off

may 22nd 4th day - travel to unch darr and trek to guna paani

woken up again at 5 to see the beautiful clouds part ways to give you a magnificient view of a snow covered peak towards the east.no better way to start off your day.around 8 clock we are all served packed lunch and transported to unch darr atop a bus.the trek starts off here as we walk across a wooden bridge on the verge of collapsing,only to enter sheila village.the natives have erected tents at every campsite and midway to the campsite.you get chocolates,biscuits,chips,omlettes maggi and a watery tea.Speak about commercialisation.the excessive clothing and jacket come off as i break into a sweat.the body generates enough heat to keep you warm during all stages of the trek and hence you need to wear as little as possible.walking through localized plantations of gladius flowers we reach our next camp called Guna Paani.a YHAI banner greeets you a few 100 mts before the camp.welcomed with a drink we set our baggage and make room for ourselves in the alotted tents.a round of tea snacks follow.wondering around,clicking at merry we run around looking for better angles to get the amazing snow capped peaks captured in digital format.its summer and the sun sets around 7 30pm giving u enough daylight to sieze the day.a round of singing & dancing follows.the mumbai walas are best at this .hats off to them in staging a wonderful show.back into our tents asthe cold spreads.jackets,mufflers,monkey caps and gloves come on.as i sink into my sleeping bag a joke here and there makes me jut my head out of the bag and let out a snorting laugh.

Guna paani

may 23rd - 5th day guna paani to faul paani

im lying heaped in the corner of a tent trying to keep myself warm when i hear a couple of them shouting out my name.apparently i voluntarily agreed to be the environmental leader of the camp and was responsible to keep the place clean.some crazy jerk had let out his excreta on the track much to the dismay of the camp leader who didnt let us move unless we cleaned up teh place.a couple of brave ones did finally managed to clean up the place.a session on discipline and environment friendliness followed.hanging our heads and throeing in an apology we moved to the next camp packing our lunch.rotis again.i was getting fed up of the stuff and wanted something edible.faul paani was pretty dense.we reached the camp around 2 pm encountering our first sub zero water in the form of dead ice.as usual welcomed by an apple drink to be followed by tea and snacks.the campsite is completely in the jungle and gives u an errie feeling.all tents are pitched with great difficulty on a uneven and sloping surface.collecting our sleeping bags we retire at 8pm.the whole biological cycle has changed.by now you get to know all the members closely and we start interacting well with everyone.

trekking to faul paani

may 24th 6th day faul paani to zirmi

a chill breeze wakes me up as i get out of my sleeping bag to find out i have slid down to the other half of the tent.shaking off my drowsiness i walk across a few 100 mts to find an ideal spot to complete my morning activities.the whole jungle is at my disposal.clearing ur bowels at these temperatures needs a lot of energy.im fed up of the food and refuce the packed lunch.we move across at a steady pace to encounter a tent midway.i grab a cup of hot tea and devour an omlette to boost up my energy a bit.teh rain gods open up slightly and a small shower lightens up the uneventful day.reaching zirmi at 2 30 pm ,amazed at the beauty of this place.i walk across and sit on a boulder facing the rudranag parvat which is supposedly a mountain which looks like 5 serpants.i couldnt figure out the five serpent heads but looked with my mouth wide open at the peak.sittin on the boulder i break into a trance as i listen to unforgiven by metallica.thanks to prabhanjan's mp3 player.an early dinner served at 6 ends our day.recieved a serving of raw onions.i gobbled them down like a gopher .

Zirmi

may 25th 7th day Zirmi to Tila Lotni

i woke up at 6 30,prob the last guy in the camp and went around to do an inspection of all the tents which i had to do throughout the camp.an hour later we checked out of zirmi and headed to tila lotni.a couple of hours into teh trek and im totally exhausted.i had taken no liquids for teh last 3 days and i was getting dehydrated.wondering if glucose would do the trick i swallow more than half a packet of glucose.a break for lunch gives me a much wanted break as i fall on my knees to get some breath.a tea and some bar one chocolates does the trick.im back on my feet.we keep moving at a steady pace when a crystal of ice drops on teh webbing between my fingers.at first it seems like pure magic.the way they fall and melt in a splitsecond.the crystals get bigger and out comes our raincoats.teh hailstones keep getting bigger and harder.hitting you hard like someones pelting stones at you.teh sensation in my hands and feet is totally lost.this is when our hunter boots come to our rescue.visibility is reduced to an absolute zero as we are engulfed in a cloud.the cloud clears for a moment to give u a fantastic view but its shortlived.another one comes back and cover you in a mist making it hard for you to spot who's next to you.i walk slowly with small steady steps when my foot lands into a pit covered with snow and mud.thats when the weather gets on you as i curse by helpnessness.reduced to just a dummy against nature;s onslought i pray for the weather to get better.finally i see a glimmer of hope wen i see a tent pitched far across.prob anotehr 500 mts.gathering all my energy and literally dragging myself to the tent i ripped open my rain coat sripped, put on some thermal clothing and got into my sleeping bag,crawling inside my sleeping bag trying to beat the cold i dozed off for an hour before someone got out and started yelling owerawed by the beauty .

i slowly made my way out of the tent like a little puppy scared to come out into the open.what i saw was beyond my imagination.spell bound i shook my head and screaming to the other guys to come out and have a look.we then were given a small briefing and served soup.i had totally lost my apetite due to the high altitude sickness.dinner was served at 6 and as i saw the roti and the dal the bile rose up my throat.i felt sick and just hit the sack around 8 rubbing my hands and feet to get the sensation back in them.

Tila Lotni

Tila Lotni under the Moonlight

A lone warrior

may 26th 8th day tila lotni - sar pass - biskeri
this was the day we were all waiting for .the day we would cross sar pass.we were woken up early at 4 am and started as early as 5 30.wehad to cross before 12 when the sun would be belting down.last evenings fresh snowfall had covered up tracks of all the previous batch.we felt lucky as we walked across to sur pass.teh dehydration and lack of food and liquid was already taking its toll and my legs failed to listen to its master's commands.we reached sar pass around 9 am.the view was splendid.we were at 13800 feet.sar pass top at 14500 ft was just another 4 hrs away.however not being on our agenda we moved on to teh best part of teh journey.the slide down.i sat down and pushed myself as i sped down the hill.by the end of teh 2nd slide i had mastered teh art of slide control.the 3rd slide is pretty steep and as i keep coming down something comes down with a thud on my back.amazed i look down to find jagga equally surprised.the 7 slides are probably the highlight of teh trek and by the time ur finished u realize ur butt's missing.there's absolutely no sensation in my back.tea point's just a few metres away and we have some tea and parle-g.thats the official biscuit of our trek.i was so fed up that i vowed never to touch it till i come back to sar pass.around 3 we find ourselves in biskeri.the difficult part of the trek is over.we play around.tea and soup are enjoyed by almost everyone.dumb charades goes on pretty well for an hour before everyone feels the need to get back into their sleeping bags.

jagga,ratan and dinesh trying to form a holy trinity ;-)

The final frontier

cross over to sar pass

Sar passed

slides

may 27th 9th day : biskeri to bhandhak thaj

A group of 14 decide to leave to kasol directly by skipping bhandak thaj,the rest move on to bhandak thaj encountering pleanty of lush green meadows with horses and bulls grazing around.a pleasant sight to watch.some areas would pass for golf course.we break for lunch in an amzing meadow overlooking the sar pass top.i treat myself to maggi and drink loads of mango juice to make up for the lost fluids.around 3 we reach bhandak thaj.there's absolutely no word in my dictionary to describe this place.lost for words i move over to my tent drop my baggage and run across to a secluded spot to sit in peace.dumb charades over kannada films follows.much to our surprise its an instant hit as we play around for a couple of hrs.meanwhile a group has indigenously conjured up a bat and ball as they play cricket on the highest available cricket pitch at 11000 ft.8 pm and we'r all off.

Bhandak thaj

wild flowers

highest cricket pitch in the world 11000 ft -bhandak thaj

yet another waterfall-1 of the million we encountered

may 28th 10th day bhandak thaj to barsheini
i wake up at 5 and sit around knowing this would be the last leg of our trek.after some group pics we all head towards barsheini.the next 3 hrs being uneventful as we move across speedily to barsheini encountering a beautiful waterfall in between.quenching my thirst in the natural spring water i head down to the village where the construction of a hydroelectric project to be commisioned 2 yrs down the line is in steady progress.barsheini is just like any other town in himachal.boarding another bus to manikaran,i sit quitely in my seat enjoying the last part of our journey in teh parvati valley.alight at manikaran and have a bath in teh hot water springs after 7 days.a much needed freshner.we'r back in kasol.a little italian restaurant satisfies our tongues as we devour everything that's served.collecting our certificates and saying a final goodbye we head to bhuntar to catch a bus to chandigarh.season time and tickets are sparse.cherries and apricots are consumed generously as we wait for the bus bound to chandigarh.finally manged to board a bus and but 10 tickets for just 8 available seats.

may 29th

The guy drops us off at sector 17 in chandigarh in teh wee hrs of the morning.we need to wait anotehr couple of hrs before we can board a bus to sector 23 where we can find a bus to haridwar.jagga and i take a stroll as we sip on some coffeea nd he enlightens me with his exploits over the last few years.ravy anad and i take leave of teh other 7 who have a train to catch from delhi the next morning.boarding a bus to haridwar in a blue dabba at arnd 7 am we grew impatient over the speed in whivh teh bus travels.stopping at regular intervals passing through rourkee,finally reaching haridwar at 1 30 pm.all our luggage goes into a cloak room and we eat upsome dosa prepared at a kerala cheta's eat out.we walk upto the manasa devi temple.teh cable cars have a wait time of upto 2 hrs.teh temple complex is pretty crowded.plenty of guys drop u at the foothills at a rate of 15rs/head on their pulsars.run back to teh cloak room ,pick upour luggge and boarded a bus to rishikesh.yet another disappointment.

stayed over at deepak's friend's guest house.a YHAI hostel is available at rishikesh.

30th may

we are taken to shivpuri ina jeep to start our rafting.after taking some instructions and basic tips we head into teh cold waters of the ganges.there are totally 8 rapids and rapid 2 and 3 are amazing.they just blow u away and teh guys in the front of teh raft are responsible for steering teh raft .i almost tore a few muscles in my shoulder trying to wade through the oncoming waves.an amazing experiance.all said and done we collected some so believed holy water from teh ganges adnd headed back to delhi in yet another blue dabba.it was 12 by the time we arrived in delhi.hired an auto take us to chanakyapuri where the YHAI hostel was located.checked into teh dormitory at a stealaway price of 150/head.

31st may

woke up around 8 am and hung around till 12 pm.went out for lunch to connought place.hogged like pigs in saravana bhavan as curious onlookers and hotel stuff watched us in amazement.

delhi's sweltering heat is too much for bodies tuned to bangalore's climate.a short nap at teh hostel and then we r off again to saravana bhavan.another monster session follows.the hotel mgmt has by now distributed pamplets containing our photos to teh security in case we come back again..back to teh hostel and a sooper sleep

1st june

hired a taxi to IGI and board an indigo flight at 6 30.coincidentally the mishap where a foreign national was killed by a bus inside the terminal took place justa few hours before we arrived at the terminal.the plane takes off only at 7.we r back in bangalore by 9 30 landing at the new international airport.pretty decent if not upto international standards.ravy's friend drops us back home and their ends a wonderful fortnight though we would have liked to skip teh last leg of teh tour.