God's own district in God's own land

It was strange. The car was coming around the bend. That is not strange. What was strange was that it was coming in reverse. I was about to take the turn when I saw this car coming around the bend. I turned to Gayathri and told her that this driver must be crazy as the car passed us, still in the reverse mode. Gayathri being more perceptive told me that the driver of that car was trying to say something to us. So I slowed down and did the same maneuver that he had done earlier, which was to come in reverse. I got on level with his car and heard him say something in Malayalam. I could make out that he was saying something about 'Aane', which sounded very close to the Tamil word 'yaanai', which means elephant. So most probably there was an elephant up ahead on the road !! The person sitting next to the driver got down. He was a typical Malayali, wearing a dhoti and sporting a beard. He moved forward with his body bent slightly and looked around the bend as kids do when they are playing hide-and-seek. He started saying something in Malayalam and I have no clue what he was saying but from his excitement I could guess he has sighted the pachyderm. A few minutes later we sighted the majestic tusker as he was climbing the hill. It was a great sight and one which I had least expected. Does add to the excitement of travel, doesn't it?

We had started that morning after breakfast at Chilligere. We had crossed the Tholpetty sanctuary and were proceeding towards Mananthavady when this incident occurred. Needless to say Gayathri and the kids were terribly excited. One the elephant made his way up, we continued on our way. I had initially thought of going to Calicut and I have heard that the ghat section leading to Calicut or Kozhikode was a lovely one. I was a bit upset that I would be missing driving on that section. I needn't have worried for the route I was to take was as lovely as any route that I had taken in this region.

Wynad is a district which adds to the great beauty that is Kerala. This is not the typical Kerala of backwaters, palm trees and coconut groves that we regularly see in the ads. This is a hilly and forest terrain. I had been to Vythri a few years earlier and had a great time there visiting places like Pookod lake and Soochipara falls. This time I was in another part of Wynad. The Tholpetty sanctuary, Kuruva islands, Tirunelly temple etc. Seeing the beauty that abounds in Wynad all I can say is that this is God's own district in God's own country. If anyone of you has not seen Wynad do plan a trip. It will definitely be worthwhile.

We got to Mananthavady, on the way buying slippers for Harini, who had lost one slipper earlier that day. Till Mananthavady the road is good and after Manathavady it becomes great. I am not talking about the condition of the road, which was good. I am talking about the ghat section. As you start climbing down you go over multiple hills and the ghats seem unending. Added to it was the fact at some places you had a canopy of trees where no sunlight would enter and at other places you could see tea plantations. This road which leads you to Talaserry is a joy if you love the hills. I was thrilled but Gayathri wasn't. She kept on asking, "When will this end?". I wanted it to continue for a long time and my wish was granted !!!

We had lunch at Talaserry, at a hotel which had outdoor service. It was hot and we were sitting by the sea. The waters were sparkling and we could see lot of boats and ships around. From there we went to Kannur, on the way we went to a beach where the sand is so tightly packed that we can drive our car there. It is also called a drive in beach. We stopped for some time at the Kannur beach. It is a nice beach and there were quite a few people though it was around 4 o clock. I guess the beach would get crowded later in the evening. From Kannur we started for our final destination, Nileswaram. We reached there as the sun was setting.

We checked into the Nalanda resorts, just outside of Nileswaram. It is a nice resort on the banks of the Nileswaram river. It sits bang on the NH17. Nice tidy rooms and good food. Being on the banks of the river is good and bad. Good because it makes for a lovely scenery. Bad because of the mosquitoes and other insects which bite !!! The service is slow. Infact I should write it as, the service is sloooooooooowwwww. It can really get on your nerves but the staff is so polite that you cannot kick them on their rear, which you so much want to do !!

The next morning we took the boat ride on Nileswaram backwaters. The boat was the traditional one you see on Kerala backwaters. The boatman rowed it with the long pole. It was an excellent one hour on the river wherein we got to see a lot of bird life and schools of tiny fishes. We saw the cormorant, kingfisher, some eagles and parrots. It was a bit hot that day and though I wanted the boat ride to last longer I was vetoed 3:1 by the women and we returned back to our room.

Evening saw us going to the Bekal fort. It is a nice structure and the view from the fort is great and you can see the typical Kerala scenery of the beach and the swaying coconut trees from here. You cannot go to the beach directly from the fort. You need to get back to the main road and then get to the beach. The Bekal beach was quite deserted and there were quite a lot of pebbles in the sand here. We stood in the beach for some time and watched the sun dip into the ocean and the sky changing its mood rapidly. We were back for a nice dinner at the resort.

I checked the map to see which was the best route to take. Initially my idea was to proceed till Mangalore via Kasargoad and then take the highway to Hassan. When I checked the map I saw that there was a deviation which I could take before I reached Hassan and this would lead me to Jalsa and then to Sulya from where I can go to Kukke Subramanya. Since Gayathri is interested in visiting holy places she was all for this route. The route turned out to be a nice one with the road twisting and turning and lot of coffee estates and forest area on the way. We reached Kukke around lunch and luckily before they close the doors of the temple. After the darshan we had lunch there and started for Hassan. The first twenty kilometers were hell with practically no road being present. It was an offroading experience. The road got superb around 5 kilometers before we hit the foothills of the Shiradi ghat. From there on till Nelamangala it was a great drive. As usual, from Nelamangala till home was a typical Bangalore drive, which you generally forget in a hurry. Thus ended our winter of 2005 trip.

The Amazing Karnataka - Kerala Border

The first thing that strikes you when you step out of your room at night is the number of stars in the sky and the clarity with which you can see them. We city dwellers rarely look up and when we do the haze ensures that you feel as if you need an eye checkup. So it was with wonder that we watched the sky and the stars at Kutta, late on a December night in the year 2005.

The earlier year we had been to Karwar and the West Coast of Karnataka. This year we decided to explore some other part of the same coast. The plan was to go to Kutta on the Karnataka Kerala border, stay there for a few days, proceed to Calicut and from there to Kasargod before getting back to Bangalore. Due to the winter holidays for the kids getting truncated, we had to forego the trip to Calicut but went straight to Nileswaram. But I am jumping ahead.

The trip as usual started with a breakfast at Kamat at Ramnagara. From there we took the deviation off Mysore road onto Srirangapatna and from there to Hunsur. At Hunsur bus stop you need to take a left to go to Nagarhole. After driving for some time you come to the forest gate. Here the forest guard told us to shut out all music and not to stop till we got to the other end and obviously not to get down anywhere in the middle. We were passing through the Nagarhole National Park and it was a great experience being in the forest. The roads were bad and so we had to drive slowly, which was fine with me. I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and I was in no tearing hurry. There was absolutely no traffic there. The forest silently watches you and the call of some bird accentuates the silence and enhances the loneliness. It is wonderful feeling being there all alone. As we went along we kept looking around to see if we can spot some animals. As is usual around these parts, we only saw a few deers, which were looking at us with total disinterest.

We reached the other end of the park and the place where we were going to stay, Chilligere Estates, was around 6 kms from here. We had to take a small deviation from the main road and continue for another km or two before we got to this homestay. The homestay is a set of rooms adjacent to the main building, where the owners stay. The rooms were comfortable. The linen wasn't too white but I wasn't expecting a 5 Star hotel !!! We freshened up and had our lunch, which was delicious.

The Kerala border is around 6 to 8 kms from this place. Though there is a board announcing your arrival into Kerala, we felt there was no need for that. The moment you find that you are no longer shaking inside your car, you know you have arrived in Kerala !! The roads on Karnataka side were pathetic and those on the Kerala side were wonderful. That evening we crossed the border into Kerala to visit the Tholpetty sanctuary. Actually you can say that it is one more gate for the Nagarhole sanctuary !!! Both these sanctuaries are contiguous. We had to hire a jeep. They allow only jeeps or jeep type vehicles, like Qualis and Sumo. It was late in the evening when we went in and the light was just about starting to fade. We had a guide with us who was trying to spot some wild animals so that we felt that we have got the Rs.300 worth of experience. (That's what we paid for the jeep). He need not have worried. I was so taken up by the forest that seeing or not seeing a wild animal didn't matter. The fading light which filtered through the dense forest, the gurgling streams, the chatter of the birds was enough for me. Our guide was asking other jeep drivers if they had sighted any wild animals. The first wild animal we saw were the wild buffaloes. After this Gayathri suddenly sighted a wild boar. That is not a common sight. We then saw the usual inhabitants who are the most generally viewed, the derr and the langur. Our guide was not satisfied with these sightings and was thrilled when we could see a peacock in the wild. He was almost feeling that he has earned his salary !!! Then at a distance we saw around four elephants enjoying themselves in a small pool. Our guide attained nirvana. The sight was a fabulous one with two HUGE elephants and two smaller elephants bathing in that pool. It was far away and the light was dim so we couldn't get great photos.

We got back to our room and the host asked us what we saw. When we told them what we saw, they mentioned that this was what people generally saw. I later read a book about the animals in Nagarhole and Bandipur and it turns of that the majority of the denizens are nocturnal guys and appear only after we have gone to sleep !! So when you go there go for the experience of being in the forest and not for sighting any exotic wild animal.

After dinner we stepped out of our room and we saw the crystal clear sky and the million stars. Gayathri was first one out and she was stunned. She called me and showed the stars. After seeing the sky in the city when you see the sky in the countryside you feel as if you are wearing a pair of glasses which has corrected your vision and everything now is crystal clear !!! Luckily for us it was cloudless night. There is no haze nor any artificial lights around. The only light was from the main house and from our room. You can just relax fully taking in the grandness of the universe and the great silence all around. Makes you realize how little is needed to be at peace.

The next morning we started for the Iruppu falls. We drove down to the falls and could see lot of people who have come there to trek and get to the top of the Brahmagiri peak. At Iruppu you need to park your car and trek up to the waterfalls. The way up is beautiful and makes for a lovely small trek. Thankfully there was no plastic around but we saw another familiar not-so-great sight at the waterfall, men bathing in their undies !!! Somehow the sight of a waterfall tempts the Indian male to strip and at almost at every waterfall in South India you will find this rather unappetizing sight. It is made worse by the fact that most of these guys are totally out of shape but seem to have no inhibitions in displaying their oversize torsos. It is not that people should take a bath in a waterfall but can come equipped with some decent costume. Afterall you know that you are going to visit the waterfall. If people are sensible everyone can enjoy these places better. Iruppu falls is a lovely place and you can appreciate its beauty. Even guys with undies cannot take that away !!!

From Iruppu we drove down to see the tea plantations. I don't know the name of the place but it was great sight there. You would normally not expect a tea plantation in midst of the coffee country but there it was, reminding us of the tea estates that we saw in Waynad. From there we came back to our room. We were too tired that day so we decided not to go out in the evening and ended up playing some badminton there itself.

The next day saw us starting for the Tirunelli temple. We again entered Kerala, passed the Tholpetty Sanctuary and after some time took a sharp right turn (almost a U Turn). The area of Tholpetty is superb with very little traffic and trees on both sides blocking the sunlight or just letting only a few rays to pass through. We got to the foothills of a small hill on which the quaint temple stands. We climbed up to see us surrounded on all sides by the Brahmagiri ranges. It is an excellent sight from up there. The names of the mountains on all sides is mentioned on a board at he temple but unfortunately it is in Malayalam. You can trek a bit further up and you will get to a small waterfall and a stream that flows. We went up here and put our feet in water, which was ice cold. We also saw the Malabar Squirrel here. This a gigantic fellow, as far as squirrels go. He has a reddish coat and keep jumping from tree to tree. Unfortunately he was too far away and was constantly moving that it just was not possible to capture him on my camera.

From Tirunelli temple we got back to the Tholpetty - Manathavady road. You travel on this road for some distance and you get a T-junction. Taking right here leads to Mananthavady. Taking left and then taking a right leads to the Kuruva islands, which was our destination. Once you take the right turn the road narrows and after some time you start travelling on a village and towards the end of your journey on a mud road. Reminds you of the approach to Dubare.

The Kuruva islands can be reached by walking across the river, which is not very deep here. Or you can go by boat. We decided not to go to island but instead took a boat ride on the river. It was great experience. I was pestering the boat to look out for some snakes on the trees since I had seen a snake in the Lakkidi lake earlier. Gayathri was not impressed and was asking me as to why I wanted snakes. Suddenly the boatman spotted a small thin snake on a branch of a tree and took us near to that tree. Again the snake was too far away for a good picture but my day was made. We got back to our room and again decided to just relax in the evening. Other guests had come in that day and we made friends with them over bonfire that night.

The next day saw us starting off for the North Kerala coast about which I will write a separate post. We were saying good bye to an excellent place where there is lot to see and do and lot more if you don't want to see anything or do anything !!!

Himachal Visit - Some tips and musings

- I had my full trip arranged through Banjara Camps and Resorts. They had done an excellent job of planning the trip. Their web site is http://www.banjaracamps.com

- Himachal is hill country. The moment you enter Himachal from Punjab you have started climbing the mountains. I heard there is some place in Himachal where there are plains but that is supposed to be a very short stretch. So be prepared for a mountain journey. In case you have motion sickness, ensure you consult a doctor and carry the necessary medicines.

- Himachal is cold, especially for us from down south. So pack in lot of woolen wear and also jackets to keep the cold away. You should take your kids along if they are 4 or 5 yrs age or above. One person came with a kid who was around 1 1/2 yr old and he was having a tough time protecting the kid from the cold.

- South Indians must be ready to eat North Indian food as you will not get idli sambar here. The food is delicious though. We had great paratas in roadside dhabas when we were going to Chandigarh from Delhi and also in a small dhaba when we were coming from Tanedar to Kalka. Try the paneer dishes and you will never eat panner again in Bangalore !! It is so fresh out there.

- Food at the Banjara Camps was delicious as well. Especially at Shoja and Sangla. Tanedar has a bit of catching up to do to be on par with the other two. The cook at Sangla tried South Indian dishes but with mixed results. The north indian stuff was fabulous though.

- Take lot of music with you, whether you are going with your kids or not. The driving times could range anywhere from 5 to 9 hrs and having music of your choice will surely help during the trip. So ensure the car you hire has a music system

- You can read again my earlier article in this blog about how best to handle children during long drives. I used all those tricks to keep them busy !! They were playing Dhoom 2 tape most of the time and I almost got to liking a song or two !!!

- There will be some zillion photo opportunities available for you so take lot of memory with you. I am assuming that you are still not using the film camera and have changed to digital. In case you still like film camera, take a lot of film with you. Needless to say, pack your batteries and also your battery charger. The number of photos you can take will be proportional to the patience you have and the effort that you can put in

- Beware that most of the villages that you pass on your way in Himachal are small ones and many a times you may not find a restroom around. So ensure you talk to your car driver and tell him that you will need bio breaks along the way. He will then stop at the hotels which have decent restrooms.

- It is better to plan your full trip before you leave. As I said Banjara Camps people are good at it. Rajesh Ojha, who is a co-founder of Banjara, is an extremely pleasant person and he also has great knowledge of Himalayas, having travelled extensively there. So you are interacting with professionals here and they can tell you which plan would work and which wouldnt. I interacted with a person called Kavita and she was very helpful in planning the trip and was also very prompt in her replies.

- Banjara Camps arranged for my car. The driver was a nice chap called Chaman. He had lots of patience, a great virtue while driving in the hills, and he has seen most of the places so he knew which ones were worth visiting and which ones were not.

- As far as tariff goes, Banjara Camps are comparable to Jungle Lodges rates in Karnataka. Their location, service and food definitely made me feel that I got my money's worth. Of their three locations that I visited, Sangla, Shoja and Tanedar, it is Tanedar which has the normal resort feel. The other two give you a totally different experience altogether.

- What you need to keep in mind is that you will be spending lot more on travel than you would spend on stay and food !! Especially if you are from South India. So try and plan your travel early enough so that you can save a lot on flight fares to Delhi.

- In Himachal, people are probably the fittest anywhere in India. Gayathri pointed out to me that there wasnt anyone there who was fat or obese. Everyone was trim. Must be all the walking that they do !!

- In conclusion all I can say is that when you get time, head for these hills. It is an experience you will never forget. I am just waiting to go to Tabo, Kaza and my dream destination of Ladakh soon.

Pleasure and Pain - The Racham walk

"It is a 11km walk and my 5 yr old son was able to do it" said Rajesh, who was cheerful as usual. Somehow with Rajesh around you get the confidence that you can do things and they will turn out well. So I decided to that we all would do the 11 km trek to Racham village. And it was a decision that I will not regret.

The start of trek itself gives an idea of what is in store. We crossed a charming old bridge and entered the Batseri village. It is a small village with steep and narrow roads. The group was led by Rajesh and we had another Banjara Camp guide who made up the rear. We were thirteen in all and given that Ranjani and Harini were also trekking, our family always was making up the rear. It was almost as if the Banjara people had given us a separate guide. When Rajesh instructed the guide to bring up the rear, Gayathri told me "Poor fellow. He will be with us all the time"!! We had left around 8 o clock after having a light breakfast. There was a nice temple in the village built of wood and recently polished. We stopped for some time to admired the architecture and the carvings on the wood. The temple was closed though.

The walk continued through the village where we could see small tracts of land being cultivated. These tracts of land were fenced as there were lot of cattle around. Infact a calf kept following us for some time, looking for its mother and bellowing 'maaaa'. After some time it heard the reassurance from its mother, who replied with a louder 'Maaaa'. After seeing them happily united, we continued. The path took us on level ground from some time and then it started climbing a bit. The pastoral scene slowly vanished and we were now in the fir forest. The beauty of the trek, we realized later, was how often the landscape changed. We walked through the fir forest for some time before we saw a glazier at a height. None of wanted to climb that far and so we continued forward. After some time we came across another glazier which was on our path. This enabled Ranjani and Harini to play in the snow for some time and others to take some photographs. It was a small glazier and the snow wasnt pure white. In most of these places the snow has a dirty look !!

It was now time to proceed and we were gingerly walking on the snow to get to the other side. The guide and I had helped the kids across the snow. I then put my camera back into the bag and zipped it when the guide came running and said,"Snap, snap". I couldnt understand what he was trying to convey. I looked at where he was pointing and realized that he hadnt said 'Snap, Snap" but had said "Saanp, snap". There were two viper snakes under a stone and he wanted me to take a snap. Ranjani and Harini were excited, the others had gone ahead and missed seeing the snakes. The heads of both snakes were hidden under the stone and the typical stripes on their body was visible. I had already packed my camera and the snakes were retreating inside. So I couldnt take a snap. The guide said, "The snakes wont do anything until you step on them". I never had that idea.

After this place started the steep climb. The terrain slowly changed again and it was rocky. In some places the soil was loose and the track was very narrow and was rounding small cliffs. It was not too dangerous since there were no gorges where you would fall off vertically but there were enough places where you were walking on the edge and one slip could slide you down. Not something you look forward to !! When we started we had crossed the Baspa and it had disappeared from our sight. Now it made its appearance again and it was joy watching the bubbly white river through the trees and hearing its roar. We took a few snaps of the river and continued the climb. As usual we were bringing up the rear and people were waiting for us.

It was time for a change in scenery again. After having seen the pastoral land, fir forest and rocky formations, it was time to see the meadows. Yes, it was flat land now and here were green meadows. Rajesh suggested that we trek a bit further and rest. So we went up ahead and found a great clearing where we all sat down on the grass to have some snacks (not snakes !!). That place was good with lot of grass and surrounded on all sides by tall trees. Snacks were packed at Banjara and our guide was carrying it. It consisted on a veg sandwich for each of us, a bar of chocolate and apple juice. That was probably the optimum snack since you dont want to put on weight when you are doing some serious climbing !! People in our batch had got some cherries and walnut which they shared with all. After relaxing for some time, we started the walk again.

We were again in steep country !! In some places the trail almost vanished as we had to climb over rocks. Infact at one place, Rajesh who was leading the group almost went in a wrong direction. Our guide was quick to spot it and rushed ahead to tell Rajesh where the trail was !! The climb was almost continuous and the kids started feeling the pain now. We gave both Ranjani and Harini a stick to help them climb. The land was covered with the leaves of the fir trees giving it a soft carpet feel. But the kids were in no mood to enjoy all this. Harini constantly asking "How much more time"? and slowly that question gave way to the exclamation, "My legs are paining". In order to keep them occupied I asked them to look out for insects and whenever they see a new insect they would get 5 marks. The person getting most marks would get a price. There were 5 marks for spotting butterflies as well !! There were more rocks to climb and the climb continued being steep. Looking for insects did help in diverting the mind of the kids from the trek but it wouldnt last for long. After some time I had to promise them chocolates when we reached the camp, later promised them ice creams once we got back to Delhi and then promised them the book of their choice when we got back to Bangalore !! Gayathri was also feeling the pain by now and felt that the trek was probably a bit harsh on the kids. No other family had got their kids along and she felt that maybe I should have gone alone. I told her not to worry and that kids would recover soon.

Just as Harini was probably reaching the end of her patience, we came to flat land. We were standing on a ground which was like a plateau and looking straight at the Racham Valley, the valley which had so fascinated me the day earlier. There definitely cannot be a better sight to end an arduous trek than this. The wide valley, the hills and the Baspa river refresh you instantly.

It was great sight for Gayathri and the kids to see our car parked at a distance. Harini, who till then was lagging behind, started walking briskly and she was the first one to get near the car. I took some photographs of the valley but I knew that I wouldnt be able to capture the grandeur of the scene on my CCD sensor. These are times when you want to give up photography !!!

We went back to the camp in our car, had lunch and crashed. All of us slept for atleast 2 hrs or more. When we woke up it was close to tea time and tea was very welcome along with the pakoras that they had made. Lots of people were doing river crossing, this where you cross the river hanging on to a rope. They have an harness which ensure you dont fall and you need to pull yourself using your hands and get to the other side. Though it looks easy it takes enormous amount of effort and I was in condition to put that effort. So I gave it a go by. As expected the kids recovered pretty fast wanted to do the river crossing. In case of kids they are safely tied to the rope and pulled across and they dont need to put any effort. It was a thrilling experience for them.

We had our usual bonfire and a great round of Anthakshari and Dumb Charades. By this time all families had come to know each other well and everyone was enjoying themselves. The next morning was our time to leave and we said our goodbyes to everyone over breakfast. Many others were leaving as well and they were proceeding to places like Tabo or Shoja. We started from Sangla and went to Sarahan to visit the temple there and to have lunch. From Sarahan we came down to Tanedar by evening. We spent the night at Tanedar and the next day took us to Kalka from where we took the Shatabdi to Delhi. We got back to Bangalore after spending one full day in Delhi for sight seeing and SHOPPING !!!

Thus ended a charming trip to Himachal and the hills. Thanks are due to Banjara Camp people for having organized this lovely trip.

The enchanting drive to Chitkul

"You can go to Chitkul tomorrow", said Bishnoi, the manager at Banjara Camps. "The drive is very scenic". He turned out be 100% right and probably more. It was an enchanting drive with the scenery changing constantly and you gasping for breath after seeing so much beauty at one place.

The early morning tea was something all of us welcomed given the cold weather. The tea is served outside under a large tent. We met people once again and most of them were going to Chitkul. Infact, _all_ of them were going to Chitkul. After breakfast we started our drive leisurely.

The car climbed up from the camp site and joined the main road. Initially you get no clue of what is in store for us. The scenery remains unchanged for the first few kilometers. Then slowly you see that you are travelling on a very narrow road which curves around the mountain and far below you pure white water of Baspa river runs over the rocks. As you are enjoying this scenery you reach the small village of Racham and the scenery suddenly becomes more beautiful by a large factor (if there is some way to measure the beauty of a scene).

The narrow valley through which Baspa has been running suddenly widens up and lets you experience the vastness of this area. In front of you is the wide valley and all around the gigantic mountains. As you stand there staring at the scene, you get the same feeling when you stand alone and stare at the stars on a clear night. You are encompassed by vastness on all sides and you realize that nature can be overpowering. I asked the driver to stop and we got out and took some pictures. There was no way that any wide angle lens would do justice to what I was experiencing but it is always good to capture some memories for future 'chewing of the cud'.

The road further was equally beautiful. Suddenly coniferous trees started appearing and with them appeared round white boulders. It was fascinating to see so many boulders strewn around. Added to this were the streams which ran over these boulders forming tiny waterfalls. At one place the water stream was running on the road for some length. Gayathri and the kids were sure that they wanted to stand in the waterfall and wet their feet on the way back, little realizing that it was not an option !!

After some time, the trees disappeared. We were in barren land with the mountains around us barren and with lot of boulders and small stones all around us. The beauty of the scene made us stop again and take some photos. The wide area strewn with white round rocks, the distant barren mountains some of them covered with snow, the deep blue sky with a fluffy cloud or two, everything seemed to be made only for photographers. It was difficult to move away from the beauty but as they say 'Woods are lovely, dark and deep'. I guess you know the rest :)

We then reached the village of Chitkul. On this side of Himachal, this is the last village. Three kilometers from here is the last Indian outpost, which is manned by the Indo Tibetian Border Force. After that, when you cross the mountains, you get into Tibet.

The car stops at Chitkul and we need to trek for 3kms to reach the last place that you can go as far as Himachal is concerned. We started walking and the sky started turning dark. The air was gathering water and rushing all around. I met a local old man as I was walking and we started talking.

Old Man: You enjoying youself here
Me: Yes. The scenery is wonderful
Old Man: You should come a few months later. This whole area will be green and it looks even more magical !!

(Well, those who have kids whose school starts in June cannot think of going anywhere during the months June to Aug. All you can do is to imagine how much more beautiful this area would be in those months !!)

The old man had a Pomeranian dog. Needless to say Ranjani and Harini immediately went and patted the dog and took photos with it.

By this time the sky was fully dark and a light drizzle had started. We had no option but to return back to some shelter. We were each wearing one sweater and we had no spare. If that got drenched we were in serious trouble. So we rushed back to where our car was parked and took shelter in a small shop which was selling almost anything. The rain had intensified and those who had gone earlier than us for the trek came back fully drenched. There is absolutely no shelter once you start trekking.

Gayathri was very upset that it was still raining and that we may not have a chance to stand in the small waterfalls. Luckily for her the rain had almost stopped as we were going back and I asked the driver to stop at a place where the water was running on the road. Gayathri and kids got down to go and stand in the water and were back inside the car almost immediately !! "The water gives a shock" said Ranjani and Harini, with lot of excitement. The water was probably a glazier melt and it was must have been freezing cold. Gayathri was upset. "This is injustice. Such beautiful flow of water and you cant keep your feet in this even during summer !! How will anyone enjoy this?"

We came back to Banjara Camps, had a great lunch and relaxed for some time. Then we went down in the evening to sit on the banks of Baspa. The bank here is full of pebbles of different sizes, shapes and color. The river water is cold and crystal clear. The river rushes with a good force over the boulders. It is not very wide here but you cant think of walking across the river due to the cold and the force with which the river flows. I took some snaps of the pebbles and was cursing myself for not having got my polarizer which would have been very useful here.

The river flowing continuously, the mountains in front of us with green trees, the distant horizon with the sky a deep shade of blue, the white clouds floating around, the calmness of the area and absolutely no trace of any humanity around can put you into a philosophical mood !! As I sat next to Gayathri I realized this as she asked me, "Just like the waves of the ocean, the river keeps running on and on, without ever tiring". True. The mysteries of nature are many and in times like this we can feel a calm descend on us as we take in the scenery and forget our trivial worries. The water cold but not very cold. This allowed us to put our feet in the river water for some time, withdraw it and put it back after some time. We sat there till it was starting to get dark and came back to the room.

An elderly couple who we had met in Shoja had come to Sangla that evening. We were talking with them for some time. Then we had tea and the kids started playing. The bonfire as usual happened at 8 o clock. After that we had dinner. The cook had decided to go continental that day, which meant baked vegetables and lots of dishes whose names you cannot pronounce !! Gayathri had a look at it and said that she cant eat any of it. Where were the chapatis? The day was saved by another family which had ordered Jain food. Gayathri got her strength back when she saw rice, dal and chapati. It was important that she got her strength back. She didnt realize it at that point in time but the next day, the Racham walk, would make her realize it !!

On the banks of Baspa - The Amazing Sangla Valley

We started from Shoja around 10 o clock after a nice breakfast. The kids were not very happy to leave as they had fallen in love with the place and with the dogs there. We drove through the Jalori Pass, got to the other side and proceeded further. The landscape initially is one of coniferous forests, pines, firs etc. After some time the terrain changes and you start seeing mountains with no trees on them. Only grass grows on them. We saw a charming mountain stream running alongside us and we stopped and wet our feet in this stream. It was a nice experience.

Right from Shoja till we came to this place, there was no river or stream around and I was missing that. Then the stream appeared and after some time we were in the Sutlej Valley. Sutlej appears here and it has a muddy color to it. The crystal clear streams of Tirthan or Baspa, which we would encounter later, it wasnt. I told Gayathri that it could be that the river was flowing over a muddy area which gave it this color. The terrain around it also becomes a bit barren with mountains having nothing on them. The whole area has a muddy look to it. There are a few towns on the shores of Sutlej and we stopped in a town called Rampur for our lunch at a HPTDC hotel. Our driver went off to fix some problem which he had discovered in the Scorpio. He said he would be gone for atleast an hour. We told him that we would have lunch and wait for him. We neednt have worried. The hotel guys served us so slowly that the driver fixed the defect, came back after an hour and waited for us !!!

We started around 2:30 from this place and our progress was OK for the next hour or so. After that we hit a dam site where lot of work was going on. The roads were mud roads and with the traffic around it was difficult to keep the window opened here. It was so dusty that it reminded me of the city !! Around this area is where the Baspa river merges with Sutlej and loses its identity. We had to take a right turn from here in order to get to Sangla. The progress till this place was painfully slow and once we turned right our speed picked up a bit but we got into othe problems !!

The road leading to Sangla is narrow and as I had said earlier all roads here are ghat roads. So there were times when a vehicle would come in front of us and depending on the mood of the drivers, one of them would have to back up so that the other can go thru. We thus played 'pehele aap, pehele aap' with a few vehicles !! On the way we saw a bunch of 'chirus'. These animals are a cross between yak and cow. Initially I thought they were yak but the driver said they werent and upon closer inspection could see there werent yak. We also saw some wild horses. They looked like a cross between horse and donkey !!

We crossed the Sangla town and were going in the direction of another town called Racham. On this road, you need to take a deviation, which goes to your right and downhill and this leads to the Banjara Camps tents which are on the banks of the river Baspa. It was around 7:30pm when we reached here. We were shown our tent. It was a spacious one with three beds in there. They also provided me with an additional mattress as we were four of us. These tents have attached restrooms and also have a water heater. It is a bit cold in the tents compared to a normal room but they give hot water packs to keep yourself warm in the night. Added to it you have a razai and a woolen blanket. So if you cover yourself with a razai and keep the hot water pack next to you, you will end up sweating in the night.

The Banjara Camps at Sangla is located at an outstanding place. The tents are on the banks of the river Baspa. (You neednt worry if the river will overflow and enter your tents !! The tents are at an elevation compared to the river) There is a path which leads to the river. One one side you have the mountains with lot of greenery and on the other side you have black mountains with snow covered peaks. Once in a while these mountains are covered with white fluffly clouds which add to their beauty. All through the night you will hear the gentle murmur of the Baspa river as it glides over the smooth pebbles which lie on its path. You can also see a couple of glaciers and a small village at a distance.

The bonfire was started around 8 o clock and I went to join it. People were playing anthakshari and I started singing some songs that I knew. Anthakshari is a good way to make friends. People are united quickly in music that anything else. If you sing a couple of songs which they like, they tend to like you as well. This had happened in Sikkim last year and it happended here on two nights. Another hint: Sing Kishore Kumar + RD Burman songs and you will be a well liked guy almost immediately !!

In Banjara resorts the food is generally served in a central dining hall, which allows people to interact with each other. During dinner, which was very tasty, I spoke to people who had come from far and wide and realised that most of them have come from the same far and wide place, Mumbai !!! This trend continued for the next couple of days, of people arriving from Mumbai. For a second I felt like a Mumbai duck out of water !!! There was one family from Banglore and they, Sunil and his wife, happened to be close friends of my former boss. As can be expected, we wondered what a small world it was !!!Sunil gave a monkey cap for Gayathri and it proved very useful. Thanks Sunil.

The next day would be the wonderful ride to Chitkul.

Trip to the Land of Mountains - Himachal Pradesh

Shoja - A Naturalist Delight

When I tried switching on the A/C in the Scorpio, it wouldnt work. So tried to down the windows electronically. That wouldnt work either. As there was no mechanical option to down the windows, we were now in a car which had literally become a furnace with the Chandigarh sun blazing fiercely. Not a great start to the journey!!! Our driver managed to find a mechanic, who checked the fuse, realised it was blown and replaced it. We started off at around 10:30 from Chandigarh on the way to Shoja.

We had arrived the earlier day at Delhi from Bangalore. We were met by the driver of our vehicle arranged by Banjara Camps people. He first drove us to Chandigarh, where we halted for the night and had food at a South Indian restaurant which was charging sky high rates !! The plan was to leave by 9 o clock the next morning to this place called Shoja but due to the aforementioned troubles, ended up leaving only around 10:30 am.

The drive was along the road to Kullu. We passed the towns of Bilaspur and Mandi. On this road, instead of taking a left and going into a tunnel towards Kullu, you need to go straight to reach Shoja. The scenery till this point isnt really breathtaking and doesnt prepare you for what lies ahead. Only after we cross this place, Himachal started to slowly reveal itself. We went into the Tirthan Valley. The river was crystal clear and lot of pine trees started appearing. The sun was on the last leg of its descent and the air was slowly cooling down. Around 6:30pm we stopped for some tea and it had become real cold. The air was chill and the cup of hot tea was very welcome. The place where we had tea, was surrounded by mountain ranges filled with pine trees and there was a small mountain stream flowing nearby. After the tea, we proceeded to the Banjara Camps resort at Shoja.

The setting of the resort blew us off and the scenery around the area casually brushed aside the tiredness we were feeling till then. The room we stayed was on a ledge of a mountain. From your verandah, which is covered with glass windows, you have the view of a pine covered mountain opposite to you. You also get a great view of the valley beneath and the snaking road which gets you up. You get to see a whole range of mountains, some of them covered with the coniferous forests, some of them on which some agriculture is taking place, some which have meadows on the top and some of which, at a distance, are snow covered. Gayathri and I, after seeing the place, simultaneously exclaimed, "Lets not do anything. Just lets sit and relax". Shoja will have this sort of impact on you. An extremely calm place, with very less of civilization around, no distractions like TV, this is the best place to be if you want to get away from all the urban sounds !! We did exactly that, which is to relax, on the day we landed. They had a bonfire going and we had some nice soup around the bonfire. After this we proceeded for dinner, which was delicious.

We decided to start the next day leisurely and we implemented the plan. After a leisurely breakfast we set off to a place called Jalori Pass. Preetam, who was our host, drove us there. The drive to Jalori pass was a short one but within those 5 to 10 mins, I could see a variety of trees around. I have no clue of their names but the brouchers mention names like Deodar, Pine, Fir, Cedar etc etc. I am sure all of these were around and lots more !! A naturalist would have died of sheer delight here. Added to this, we also were blessed with cloudy and pleasant weather.

The Jalori pass has nothing great around but you can trek from there to the Servalsar lake. We went to the meadows nearby and saw some shepherds coming down from the mountains with their mountain goats. Looks like these guys dont stay at one place and keep moving to lower altitudes in winter and go the other way during summer. Ranjani and Harini loved the goats and kept touching them. The goats were of a different kind and had a covering of wool quite different from what we would see around here. We took snaps of the shepherds and showed them the photo on the digital camera's display.

On the way back from Jalori pass, we stopped at a place were there was some snow, not lots. Ranjani and Harini played with snow for some time while I took photos of the mountains around. Again I was stunned by the range of trees around and was able to get some shots with trees of different colors in the shot. I am sure this area will be superb during autumn when the leaves change color.

A small distance before the resort is a trail through the pine forest which leads to a waterfall. The trek is supposed to take around 45 mins to 1 hr. We started and went around 500 mts when we saw lightning and heard the thunder. It was quite dark and the prospects of rain were bright, while the weather was not !!! So we decided to head back to the camp. As we were coming back, we encountered two dogs, one of which the kids had seen earlier at the resort and had made friends with. Ranjani and Harini were very thrilled to see these dogs and wanted to get the dogs back in our Scorpio so that they didnt get drenched in the rain. We had to explain to them that dogs took much better care of themselves and knew how to protect themselves from the elements. They half heartedly left the dogs behind and got into the car. As soon as we reached the resort, it started pouring. For once we had made the right decision :)

Had a nice lunch, rested for some time and then Preetam took us for a village walk. By this time some more families had come in and all of us went to this walk together. This walk took us to the village which is adjacent to the Banjara property. The trail we were walking threw up some amazing scenes of beauty around that it would have been very easy to exhaust the memory of your camera in a matter of few minutes. The lush green fields, the garlic plants, the various trees, the setting sun lighting up the mountains beautifully and the charming village. It was a small but memorable walk. The kids in the village were playing cricket with a ball made of thick rubber bands and paper !!! I tried my hand at bowling to a kid. I tried my off spin but the ball wouldnt spin !! Most of the people went back but Preetam, I and another gentleman trekked up a small hill nearby. A steep but a nice climb.

At Shoja, there are quite a few activities that you can indulge in. There is a mountain with meadows on the top offering a 360 degree view of the whole place. This takes around hour and half trek from Jalori pass. Looks like there is a steep climb for around 20 mins to reach the summit. The other option is to trek to the Servalsar lake from Jalori pass. Or trek to the waterfall from the resort itself. Ofcourse there is also the village trek that I spoke about.

When we got to Shoja and to the Banjara Resort, we met Rajesh Ojha, who is the co-founder of Banjara. I can only describe him as a very natural person. He is very casual, knows a lot about the area and is extremely friendly. My daughters took an instant liking to him. He can give you a lot of information about the areas there and also about the Himalayas.

The other thing the kids love here are the dogs that keep coming in. Lot of them seem to be some sort of sheep dogs. They belong to someone in the village but they keep coming to this resort and are extremely friendly. The kids love playing with them and feeding them. My kids were constantly asking for the dogs and when we were about to leave they didnt want to leave till they had said their goodbyes to the dogs.

There was a bonfire that night. The kids enjoyed themselves by playing dumb charades and by feeding the dog, named Johny. (The dog that met us during the trek was called Roney). They also played carroms, which was kept outside the dining room. After a nice dinner, we went to sleep, preparing ourselves for the drive to Sangla the next day.