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Hi All,
This is my first travelogue on xBHP.
Though I am an avid traveler but never prepared or shared any travelogues, though I scribble my own notes during the trip and treasure them with me.
Lately I realized that sharing the travelogues not only help you gain more knowledge about the things you did and experienced but also help others to plan their trips to perfection.
So here I am, with my first travelogue… 3 Days trip to Auli (Joshimath)
Day 0 – Chandigarh (26th Feb’10)
A day long weekend was approaching but I was wondering what to do in next three days. Since it was Holi, most of the friends had plans with the family. For me, since I don’t play holi the only option was to be at home and watch people getting dirty outside through the window of my room…. Yes, even I think so that its quite boring. A good biking trip was on cards … it was more than 1.5 years since I last did a biking trip. So on friday afternoon started Googling about any weekend getaway place. I had read a lot about Auli and had seen the pics of Nanda Devi Peak. I checked the feasibility and found that its very much doable in 3 days. But to save some energy, I thought it will be a good idea to start on Friday night itself. So here we go…!!
I reached home at 5:30PM and got started at 6:45PM after doing all the packing and filling up the tank. It was getting dark and I wanted to cover as much distance as possible to avoid the haste the following day. As always, it was quite difficult to face the high beams of vehicles coming from the opposite direction but I figured out that an unloaded truck which can maintain a reasonable speed of 65-70KMPH can act as a good shield and it really helped.
I took my first break at Kalamb (8:20PM). Though I stopped to confirm the road ahead but I couldn’t resist the aroma of fried boiled eggs. Stuffed myself with 4 eggs…done with the dinner. At the end of second leg I reached Paonta Sahib (10:30PM). I went to Gurudwara to paid my obeisance, there the preparations for Hola Mahalla were at full swing. Since it was getting too cold, I wanted to add another layer of clothing, to my surprise I figured out that forgot to carry another lower. (Side-effect of packing in a rush). Anyways, I started at 11 from Paonta and after reaching Dehradun (12:30AM) I decided to call it for the day. Checked-in in a hotel and dozed off at 1:30AM after coving 184Kms.
Day 1 – Dehradun (27th Feb’10)
Woke up quite late in the morning, and on top of it I wasn’t feeling well. Got ready, had breakfast in hotel itself. I had taken printout of the maps and a travelogue from internet which had decent details about the places enroute. But when I checked my bag for it I figured out that I forgot to keep it in my bag. Now I was without any clue about the direction I had to follow. Anyways, I remembered that the route was through haridwar. It was only after reaching haridwar I checked with a tourist operator and realized that have taken the wrong route. I should have gone to Rishikesh directly from dun. Fault was mine, the travelogue that I had read a day before was written by guys who were travelling from Del, and hence they had to go via haridwar. Cursed myself for a while and then started towards Rishikesh. I had to travel around 35kms extra because of this. Road condition was really nice till Rishikesh but after that there are some really dirty patches till byasi due to some maintenance work. I had my lunch in Byasi at 1. Opted for a full thali and started from there after filling my tummy up till the brim.
I drove quite leisurely so as to ensure that I don’t miss the beautiful views around. I took some good pics on route. I opted for a long break in a tea-stall after Rudraprayaag. I guy named Harjit Singh was running the tea stall for last 11 years. I was amazed to see how someone can be so happy and content doing the same mundane work for the last 11 years but then he is away from any appraisals or CRRs … J may that’s the deal. I was there till 6 and Joshimath was still good 100+ kms from there. Got bike’s tyre filled and proceeded further. It was getting dark but moon was mesmerizing. I was awestruck when I saw it emerging from behind the mighty mountains. There were so many construction sites of NHPA on the way and it was beautiful to see the well lit construction sites next to the river bed from top. Soon it was pitch dark and moon was on full bloom (it was one night short of full moon). I can never forget the sight of moon illuminated mountains in the back drop and dark profile of trees in front of it (trees were dark because of mountain’s shadow over it). This is where I really missed company. Had I been in a group I would have definitely taken a pic here. But it was so dark and lonely that stopping there wasn’t safe and for taking a pic there, I would have taken at least 15 mins to set the cam on manual mode. But some memories are meant to be kept in mind rather than capturing in some scientific gizmosJ.
I reached Joshimath at 9:30PM and settled in a hotel (Auli Resort) which was quite expensive but very comfortable and clean as compared to other hotels that I checked. Had one packet of buns and 2 cups of tea as my dinner.
The day went well. The road over all was quite good but had countless dirty, bum-busting patches. At the end of the day I could feel some rashes on my bum. No wonder I slept on my stomach that night
. 
End of day 1 – 341 kms. A total of 525kms till now.
Day 2 – Joshimath (28th Feb’10)
I woke up at 7AM (again very late). Got ready quite leisurely, enquired about the places to see from Hotel reception. Decided to take a ropeway to Auli since I got to know that the route to Auli is full of snow and it will be impossible to reach Auli. But once I boarded the trolley(500/- for to-fro journey) and saw the top view of the route, I wished I would have brought my bike there. The first view of Peak Nanda Devi was awesome. Just like what I have seen in Pictures till now. It always has a crown of cloud at its top. Trolley takes good 25mins to take you to the top. Auli is the destination for skiing competitions in India, both national and international. Met a national level skiing player from ITBP in Auli. It was nice talking to him about the current state of the sport in our country and bottlenecks that these players face.
I had my breakfast at Auli base – Maggi + bread omelatte. J everybody was going for skiing but I decided against it, knew that wont be that much fun and will be too tiring for me.
I decided to take a trek to Gorsu Peak – a small trek to a place called the Switzerland of India. It was an uphill trek on snow clad mountain, too demanding for a lesser soul of plains, like me J. I had hired a guide for my trek, Manish Dhyani, who was a chatter house. It was nice talking to him and knowing about the people in that area and the challenges that these localites face. It was a beautiful sunny day, the best you can ask for, and that place really beautiful. I was walking on 2 feet deep snow and a bright blue sky above me. I really enjoyed the quietness and chillness of that pristine place.
Nature has gifted us such beautiful creations but we, the lesser mortals, can never cherish it. Wherever mankind reaches it leaves a dark spot, maybe that’s the reason that today such natural beauty is so much far off from the human civilization. I wish it always remain the way it is today.
Here I also met Sunil, a guy from IBM and localite of Chamoli. He informed me about the numerous treks that starts from the nearby areas; Valley of Flowers, Temple Pahadiyar, to name a few. I had my lunch at the Auli base the boarded the 2:30PM trolley back to Joshimath. My guide Manish suggested me to go to Rudraparaag where I can enjoy the evening Aarti at the Sangam. I reached back to my hotel at 3:10 where I figured out that I have lost my spectacles at Auli. Now I just had my goggles through which I could see this world clearly (these were goggles with prescription). I started my back journey at 3:30PM. Next day was Holi, the festival of colors, and enroute kids had put many blockades. Their idea was to stop the passerby, apply some colors and ask for money. It was a very dangerous preposition but I decided not to stop anywhere. It was big menace.
I reach Rudraprayaag by 7PM. It was already dark by that time but it was a beautiful full moon lit night. I checked into GVMN guest house which was amazingly clean and well maintained. I could hear the sound of water from the sangam from the backyard. Went for a walk, had ‘Berson (a type of flower) Juice’ from a juice shop. It is said that Berson Juice is really good for heart ailments. As soon as I had juice, I felt my heart beat rose… I was wondering how effective it is until I realize that a beautiful girl was standing next to me
. Jokes apart, juice was really nice and refreshing. I had my dinner in the hotel and dozed off @ 9PM after gaining some information about the local area and its religious significance from a localite. End of Day 2- 105kms. Total 630Kms.
Day 3 – Rudrprayaag (1st March’10 - Holi)
Since it was Holi and I wanted to save myself from the menace of colors, so I had to start early. I woke up at 5 and was on my way by 5:45 AM (without my spectaclesL). I didn’t had anything to eat except some biscuits. I was determined to cover as much distance as possible before the sun comes out. Here I passed through a really dirty patch between Pauri and Devprayaag. I am still not sure but I think I took a wrong turn and used a longer route – got to see two fox/jackal on this route. I was pushing as much as possible, my plan was to cross Devprayaag before the Holi timing begins. From Devprayaag till Rishikesh it’s a long stretch without any township so it would be safe. (now you know how much I am scared of colors). Still I was attacked twice- once with a pichkaari but my waterproof jacket saved me and then with a water balloon but the guy missed his target. Thank God – I was still dry and high!!
After crossing Devprayaag, the view of sangam from up the hill is really beautiful. Clean greenish water of Bhageerathi and Mandakini mingling to be called “the Divine Ganga” thereafter.
Well, I thought I will have my breakfast in Byasi but everything was closed there because of Holi. At last I got to eat Paranthas at Shivpuri. Here I noticed that I running low on fuel and to my surprise all the filing stations were closed. My foot was in my mouth when I finally reached a functional filling station. Treated myself with 2 mugs of fresh fruit juice and started racing towards Chandigarh. Encountered huge rush at Paonta Sahib (due to Hola Mahalla) and after a small tea break at Nahan By-pass, drove straight to Chandigarh. Reached home (-sweet-home) @ 6PM (without spectacles) J
End of Day 2 – 430kms. Total 1060kms.
Day 3 + 1 Chandigarh (2nd March’10)
Woke-up with …. A Tanned Face, Swollen Hands and An Awesummmmm Feeling J
..Though CRR reflected which organisation u belong to 
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