The Kanatal trip: Rise and Shine!

So I'm not used sleeping at 9 p.m. and as a result I tossed and turned in my bed all night long! It was difficult staying all covered along with the tossing so I was even more restless. The saving grace for me was that lights were not turned off. I get scared easily so I needed that comfort.

I woke up hours later and for a split second could not recollect where I was. Scared to death, I looked around and saw the luggage on the floor and also Sanghi cosily tucked in. Phew! I am still alive, I thought to myself and with a sigh of relief looked at my watch.. 11 p.m. only? Apparently, You recoup as fast as you get exhausted in the hills. I really did not feel tired or sleepy or anything but I thought to myself I have to sleep. So, I went back to bed to get up just before sunrise.

I'm glad my body clock was one with nature because the time I woke up and stepped outside, I could see the sun coming up.. Well, not the sun but hints of red, orange, yellow in the sky. I ran back in to get the camera...

Our tents were west facing and behind our tents, towards the east were huge huge pine trees. It looked like a view from a painting when the light from the sun was peeking through the thick and thin branches.The Sun seemed to be shy in coming out. Here are some pictures that I captured of what surrounded us..

The Kanatal trip: Camp activities, food and more

Trek to the Surkanda Devi: we were pumped with all the energy that was possible and had started to chalk out our plan for the day and the day to come. 


The descend from the temple via the paved path seemed like child's play and when I saw people climbing on horses, I smiled at myself with what I had just achieved. After all we trekked 3.5 km through the forest on an unpaved path.


A unique thing I saw over there was an ornament worn by married women. A larger than life nose ring that could be well taken as a bangle for someone with a really fat wrist. Quite a fashion statement in itself.


With the regular chit chat and deciding to do the camp activities, we walked down. The driver with his Ambi was waiting at the base of the climb. As we sat into the car and headed back to our cosy lil camp, I could feel my appetite rising. Famished with the climb, the moment we reached camp, we told the camp in charge that we'll be having our lunch followed by all camp activities. For city girls, Sanghi and I definitely have a good stamina. 


The lunch prepared by these guys was superb: Paneer, Aalo fry, rajma, roti, rice and payasam. And after giving closure to our taste buds and asking Vijay, the camp in charge to save some of the leftover Payasam for dinner, we retreated to our camp to rest and soak our hands and feet yet again.Half  hour of rest to recoup we headed to our next plan of action: Rock Climbing and Rappelling.  


Crossing the pine trees standing behind the tents, we entered into a new world where I saw a new view of the mountains.. I looked up at the trees from where I stood and saw the tangled branches going up in a spiral as if a stairway to the sky above. 

Our tiny existence in this big universe and we feel we've seen it all!

As we crossed the hill and the कच्चा रास्ता, we came to a road where people would go around doing mountain biking: obscure and hidden from the world! We asked about the deserted farm land and houses in the distance and were told that locals own 3 pieces of farms in different locations and they move with the weather to sow/ plant seeds for the seasonal harvest. A tough life of a city person to relate to but sure it must be an experience in itself.

Walking a 100 mts., we finally stopped where the safety equipment was brought out: ropes, harnesses, clamps, head gear, gloves. Looking at the top of the rock like structure, I saw one of guide tying the rope around the tree and throwing it down. A careful inspection of all the prepping done by the instructor, he began with the demo of what was expected out of us. 

Climb the 45 feet tall rock, look for nucks and coners for support, always have your weight on three of the fours (legs and arms) when taking the weight of one of them and voila, you reach the top..

Excuse me?! Am I supposed to do that? I mean I have zero upper body strength.

Thankfully, the strong willed woman that I am, I decided to conquer my fear. Sanghi's fear was rapelling, which is understandable because  of her healing ankle from a ligament injury.

So we started to climb this huge rock one at a time. My turn to climb and I could not stop telling myself that I better not make a fool out of myself. I had some major expectations to fulfill, after all I am my biggest critic! 

So, it took me a while to overcome difficult bends but all in all, I really enjoyed the climb. I did not fall and was not pulled up! The one major problem that I had all the while was that my safety gear hat as loose. I had to stop every time to adjust it because it was coming all over my face and was making me eat a lotta dust. Disgusting I know ...

Descending is an easier task which I agreed with. I have done  rapelling a couple of times and standing perpendicular to the rock gives an exhilarating felling. Its scary at first but a lot of fun!

I wanted to do rappelling again and Sanghi rock climbing :)

Another task conquered, we started our trek back to the camp. Walking 600 mts. back to the camp seemed like a challenge now. We sat at the corner of the road for a lil while before we headed back.

Next activity: Burma bridge.. A lighter activity which did not require much strength but a basic balancing, it definitely tested ones concentration.

All done, we went back to our camp and rested. After an hour or two, we headed out for the bon fire. ठण्ड ही ठण्ड, awesome weather for a bon fire!! We sat there for a good hour or two chatting about  work, life, people... We were brought some snacks in a lil while: Fryams, french fries and mixed pakoras.. yum! Since we weren't much hungry, we had a some of it and just sat there and enjoyed the warmth in the chill.

After that was dinner: Some more heavenly food and a perfect end to our day! I think all we did on this trip was eating, eating and more eating.. The amazing thing was that we were done with dinner and retired to our tent at 9. WOW! Did we really achieve so many things in this lil time?

The tent was far form warm. It seemed like I was sitting on an ice cube. We packed ourselves with layers of sweater, thermals, jackets, caps praying that we don't fall prey to the extreme weather.

Good Night, talk to you at sunrise :)

Paranormal Activity: Aftermath

I'd been super excited and looking forward to see Paranormal Activity. With all the news about it, I was waiting for it to be released.


I contemplated writing about the whole experience but honestly it gives me the creeps!


I ended up watching the movie with hands over my eyes peeking through the gaps between the fingers and towards the last 30 mins I just could not see  it... hearing it was all I could bear!!


Go for it only if you have the hearts to watch it through and manage its after effects!

Sneak Peak: Heaven on Earth

I don't remember being this desperate and waiting for my mail ever :) So here is a sneak peak at how the morning looked to me. so near yet so far away... 


I need to get me a permanent place to live in these hills, that's for sure!!

The Kanatal trip: Trek to Surkanda Devi

Waiting for hot water to kick start our day, we looked around the tent and realized that it was equipped with an attached changing room and a loo. That definitely is a luxury as the earlier camps I have stayed at had common dry pits for loos and when it came to taking a shower, we were told to feel free and take a dip in the river flowing past the banks.. Rustic if I may say!

The place had all basic amenities to map to our modern ways of living: electricity, charging point for the cell phone, network coverage. Now I know one would think why all these things would be required when taking a break from the monotony set in, but in many a cases, the comfort factor for us city slickers comes with some connectivity to the things we seldom hate. Irony of our life!


... Post the soaking of feet in the hot water we'd asked for a while back and getting ready, a call for breakfast was made and we head out to our first meal: aaloo paratha, toasted bread and omelet accompanied with some hot tea/ coffee. Thank you god!!


For those who have not stayed in this current craze, i.e. camping with extras, I must tell you that their food is far beyond delicious... I wonder what their secret ingredient is; other than fresh 'n local grown seasonal veggies and generous dollops of Chunky Chat Masala. When staying at a camp, I suggest everyone to leave their diets behind and indulge in all the good things available.


A generous serving of whatever fancied us, we sat on the chairs laid outside. Good food and warmth from the sun, we were prepping ourselves for a 3.5 km trek on an unlaid path through the forest to the Surkanda Devi Temple (सुरकंडा  देवी मंदिर ).


The trek started from a point 2 km from the camp and as we got off from the cab for the trek, I was taken aback with what I saw: Snow covered peaks: The Himalayan Range. The view was crystal clear like I could touch the mountains from where I was standing! I felt ecstatic... so lucky to be able to see what was standing in front of me. Amongst the various peaks, I recall seeing Nanda Devi and Trishul. I must confess that I went over board clicking pictures of the Himalayas, I just could not get enough of them.

After numerous poses and angles for capturing a perfect image, we finally stepped forward and started the climb. 


I love trekking and when you are surrounded by such an astounding sight, you cannot help yourself from stopping every other second to click a new view never seen before.   


The initial few steps and minutes seemed easy but as we climbed further and further I could see the mountains challenging us! Uprooted trees that lay on the path of the trek up  added to the thrill/ danger. Ferns, moss, fallen pines, ice laden rocks: one has to be careful with the climb.  


With numerous stops and resting breaks I ensured capturing every imaginable shot of the surroundings and us. Who wouldn't love posing against this pretty a backdrop so we ended up clicking duplicate pictures in the same angle: one each with Sanghi and me. Yeah, unnecessary detail but I'm sure all of us do this all the time :)

I could go on the same trek for years and years and not get bored as these numerous curves and bends would offer me something new to explore each time. I stood at one such curve leading me to a newer height and felt the silent, calm in and around me. 


With my body warmed up with climbing, extra/ precautionary layers of clothing like caps/ mufflers came off. Carrying a water bottle each was a good idea as a steep climb like this at such a high altitude made me thirsty. Carrying  electoral/ glucon-D / Gatorade could also be another option to ensure that the mineral levels are maintained in the body.  


Sipping water at every bend and stopping to click more and more pictures, we finally reached the top of the trail. 9000 feet with almost a 270 degree view, WOW!


There sat our destiny, the temple for which we trekked 3.5 km in 1 hour: Slow! I know, but when you end up stopping so often, time seems to be stand still. I must commend on the patience of the person who took us on the trek as the walk actually would have been for 30 min had we just kept to the course. 


In our final steps towards the temple, monkeys distracted my thought process. I just realized that in all these treacherous treks leading to a godly place, you will always have monkeys around. The peaceful beings allowing us to move further without any hindrance, Surkanda Devi temple we reach.


My first sight, I saw a monk/ साधू of sorts sitting outside the temple. Next, the sharp colors painted on the boundary wall just brightened my day! 

Our guide told us that the temple is considered a very holy place by the locals. Deciding whether to go in or not, we took of our shoes and went inside. Just after the gate stood a frame with 5-6 bells hanging from it. A marvelous sight in itself! The temple was closed at the time we reached, 1300 hrs, so we looked around a bit and came out. 


The trek was more of a fun activity for me than the destination. None the less, the destination offered us an altogether new view of the what really surrounded us. Below is a view of the Himalayas with colored flags in the fore ground. 

For anyone visiting this place, I suggest taking this trek though it is longer than the 1 km paved path leading up to the temple. The view is unparalleled and worth every stop due to breathlessness one may feel.

The Kanatal trip: WOW factor

We've reached Kanatal!! 0800 hrs and we stopped in front of Kanatal resort and spa to ask for directions to the camp. 

The driver had stopped the car in front of this board that read Maggi Point. Being awake for 4 hours, you can very well imagine how hungry Sanghi and I were and to top that a board that read Maggi Point …just added coal to the fire! Sanghi said she’d be in heaven if she could have maggi and I simply smiled and concurred. 

“आधा km आगे है  camp site”, a local replied to our question of the whereabouts of our stay for the night. Finally! A sigh of relief and a big smile on our faces, we proceeded forward. 

Camp Carnival: Thangdar, our final destination. Crisp white tents set up in the east with humongous pine trees in the backdrop, mist in the air, frost, semi melted snow all around. Oh My God! Is this for real!!

This reminded me of the time I landed in Miami and was teased over my awe struck reaction (which I till date do not agree with)… well, Kanatal seems like a place of the Gods with immense beauty that Miami stands no where near to compete with it! Kanatal is when I was really awe struck.

Picturesque surrounding being our home for the next two days I felt like Goldilocks stepping into the 3 bears house to find “Everything just right!”. A man finally stepped out of one of the tents and we told him about our reservation/ handed him the booking voucher. Lil confusion for a minute or two since he was not informed about our arrival but it was cleared before we knew it. That however did not stop him from showing us to our tents and asking if we’d have tea/ coffee. Surrounded by a bunch of very nice people who gave us hot/ cold water whenever needed since the water pipes were frozen, I felt like a queen. 

One thing your realize in murky yet lively place like this is that the simple things in life like a hot water for a bath, steaming tea, scrumptious food bring you more joy than imaginable. 

Settling into our tents we promptly asked for some hot water and soaked our hands and feet into them to bring them back to life. Below zero degree outside with only a few layer of thermals/ tent to shield us, what more can one expect. For a split second a feeling crept in that the decision to visit the mountains in freezing cold may have been an insane one but it all changed with the course of our trip. Afterall,

The real thrill is to go to such a place in winters when you can really enjoy the music!!

The Kanatal Trip – the Trip up the mountains

28^th December’09: Monday morning, 0430 hrs.

“Phew! We are lucky to have made it in time..”, I say as the train leaves. The fun factor has risen to another level thanks to our near escape from missing the station. Our hands and feet going numb due to the chill in the air, we move towards the exit to look for a taxi booth.

I was surprised to see the auto and taxi walas up at that hour. Hovering like bees to honey, coolies and taxi drivers ask us where we wanna go.We asked for the location of the taxi booth and one driver pointing to the right said, “वोह उस पेढ़ के पास है”. At that moment my glad eyes spot this huge billboard reading Prepaid taxi Booth.

“कनातल का  taxi मिलेगा?”, we ask the old guy at the booth. Rs 1710 to Kanatal (one side mind it)!! Our calculation seems to not match what the ol’ man is saying coz after all Kanatal is around a 100 km from Haridwar. “यह Tehri के rates हैं |यहाँ यही चलता है |”. Negotiating with the man is useless more so because it was a prepaid booth… Nothing going in his pocket after all!

Sanghi and I look at each other and discuss what should be done. Since a cab from the prepaid booth is definitely the safest bet, we take the cab and wait for our ride to come.

UP07J 2762: white Ambi. “Hope this doesn’t die down on us”, we say to ourselves. Well, we are not going to meet the queen so the car should do fine as long as it gets us to our destination. We ask the driver to put the luggage in the boot and get into the car.

The driver needs a special mention here:  गौतम, Gautam (we later found from one of his phone conversations that he's bengali). A super hyper guy humming some local song in the wee hours of the morning, lost in his own world. Kanatal doesn’t have a taxi stand per say so we ended up taking this guy for the return journey as well. Two 1000 rupee bills dangling in front of his eye as he explains that charges for keeping the cab over night will be extra.

Throughout the trip he’s the source of some senseless and hyper questions/ statements that entertain us. Sanghi quite rightly named him a gate crasher with some lucky stars…lol! The first statement of  his was when I asked him what is the route to Kanatal. His prompt and defensive reply was "आप जो सोच रही हैं, ऐसा नहीं है | यह एक संस्था है |" You are deeply misconstruing 'coz this is an institution!

0500 hrs, the road journey starts. A quick call at home to inform we’ve reached along with passing the cab number; we head to our final destination.

Sleepy, tired and shivering from cold, I take out a sheet that I packed in my nap sack for emergency cases (the incessant packing and shopping did prove to be helpful here). I’m not sure if that insufficient cotton sheet provided warmth to any of us, but the mental satisfaction that we have another layer around was enough.

The sun did not rise till 0700 hrs hence majority of our road trip was in the dark with minimal traffic. Driving through the mountains with the sound of silence, looking at the valley with lights twinkling from houses, the chasteness of the majestic mountains...Euphoria sets in... Rushing to get off at the station, extreme cold and windy morning, numb hands, feet and legs-Its all worth it!

 After two small stops (one for petrol and one for driver wanting some tea), myriad hues in the sky at the time of sunrise, numb feet and 3 hours of patience, we reach the camp site. Yes!! All smiles 

The Kanatal Trip – the Journey and how it almost was missed

So I pick up from where I left in my last blog: The plan is to take a train to Haridwar and a cab from there to the Kanatal.

With tickets to Haridwar booked and confirmed, dinner done with amazing aalo parathas made by mum, I try to get some sleep coz the train’s departure is scheduled at 2355 hrs. Finally the restless me puts the luggage in the car, hugs mum and off to Nizamuddin Railway Station it is… with dad dropping me J

The drive to the station/ airport on your way to a vacation is always a thrilling experience, and the fact that we were driving relatively late at night on a Sunday with no traffic what so ever made it better. Who would want to get stuck in a jam at such a moment?

The last time I boarded a sleeper train was 12 years back, so I was a bit wary about my luggage being stolen. Result: I am contemplating on my way to the station and discussing with dad whether I should buy one of those chains they sell. The ironic thing was that my friend had not even locked the luggage, leave aside buying a chain to tie the equipment that would turn out to be a real life saver the next day.

As we reach the Sarai Kale Khan Bus terminal and try to locate a parking, I’m thinking why stations are always so crowded and chaotic even at the oddest of hours.

In my miniscule acquaintance with trains and railway stations, there wasn’t much alteration to the picture painted in my mind since the first time I boarded a train with this time’s visit: coolies asking to carry the luggage, the hurry in one's step when climbing the platform bridge and searching for the platform number…

Anyway, Dodging all the madness and deciding to meet up at the designated platform, I descend into the twilight zone between reality and heaven we’re about to be part of.. A thought just crosses my mind: This reality that we so speak of: Is it for real or just a screen saver? Call it perspective thinking but the place we call heaven is the tangible reality. Why else would we run off to our relative heaven and feel more at peace, one with ourselves?

My deep thought/ concentration gets broken with dad confirming the compartment number. A minute later, my friend arrives and we board the train, place the luggage (without the security chains J), say good bye to dad, settle in and start chit chatting and asking about how the other has been, how we are looking forward to the trip.

The train starts to move and Excitement_level = Excitement_level+1

Yes, its past half past 0000 hrs, Monday morning and the notes of us talking are signs that we are not tired yet. "What time should we set our alarms to.. 0400?", my friend says. Cautious me says lets plan it for 0330 as we’re not sure what time the train will reach Haridwar. The alarm is set and we retire to our bunks deciding to confirm the time with the ticket checker.

With a big nap sack hanging on my head that's taking precious space, I shift 'n toss 'n turn to find my comfort zone. It takes time but I am able to finally doze off just to be woken up by a mundane and detached voice asking for tickets. We show the tickets and doze off again:

Q: Who at this moment remembers asking the time the train reaches Haridwar?

A: er... Noone!

The alarm buzzing at 0330 hrs and I wake up Sanghi asking what to do now. With her being tired from another painstakingly delayed journey from Allahabad to Delhi, I get up and look around for a soul who is not sleeping. Bingo, I find my knight and he says it should reach around 5. Gladly I return back and give the update, change my alarm time to 0430 hours to keep 30 mins as buffer. 1 sheep over the fence, 2 sheep over the fence, 3 sheep over the fence, 4…..Zzzzz

0430 buzzing on my phone: signalling me to wake up! In a sleep deprived state, I wake my friend and also try to wake myself up…. The train halts and I decide to check what station it is and maybe also get details of how far our destination is.

It’s a tough task to wear shoes when you are sleepy… Walking till the gate, I look around for a signage of some sort to tell me the station’s name. I see no boards but I do see a bunch of familiar faces who boarded the train from Delhi. I look around some more before finally asking:

Me: Which station is this?

Them: Haridwar

Me: HARIDWAR???????

Them: Yes

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Did I say I was sleepy/ sleep deprived?… No way. I cannot afford this luxury I think!

The stoppage of this train at Haridwar is 5 mins… one min gone in wearing my shoes, one min in looking for a signage and finally asking people and half a min in realizing we are in deep shit!

I run back and with a worried tone tell my friend whose resting that we’ve reached Haridwar and got only a few minutes to get off! Not getting off now is not an option that has or will cross my mind and while my friend is getting up and wearing shoes, I am desperately pulling the luggage out. Not chaining the luggage suddenly seems like the best decision after all doesn't it?

Every second is precious and the irony is that we don’t know how much time we got. Both of us pull out the luggage and I still got to check my nap sack, wear my comfy jacket and cap that’s merrily lying on the bunk. In the mean Sanghi had stepped out one piece of luggage to the platform. I check, double check and triple check in a hurried state to ensure nothing is left behind, and rush with my bag and heavy luggage to the platform.

Yes, we are out of the train in the nick of time because a few seconds later the train starts to move!!!

Did we really pull this off??!! We laugh at ourselves and the crazy moment that passed us by, unable to believe that one can do so much in so less time given our semi-drowsy state!

This marks the true beggining of our journey and unpreditable situations we're about to face.

YES, The adventure has finally begun…………….

Kanatal: Prologue

2 weeks back my BFF sends me an SMS saying she'll be in Delhi in the last week of December so we can meet up. But of course I was all thrilled to read he message and following the chit chat we concluded with a tentative plan of us girls heading out to the mountains.

Deciding the place:

Deciding the place took a day or two with the options being from Corbett, Jaisalmer and myriad others. I wanted to visit an unheard destination with one constraint: it needs to be not too far off. With help from One stop solutions, we were able to decide on the place fast and Kanatal it was.

Logistics:

Night time travel seemed the best option to ensure maximum utilization of time but driving or hiring a cab was ruled out. Wat about an over night train till Haridwar?? Sangeetha checked the tickets availability and voila the trip was confirmed!

With booking done a week or so in advance everything running as scheduled.

Packing for the trip:

With a hectic week at work, dinner/ lunches with friends and a 7 course meal (I just had to talk abt the 7 course meal coz it was goooood), I started to pack only yesterday and realised that all the winter clothes wont fit in my favourite travel bag so a bigger case was taken out.

As a pointer, make sure you pack enuf when going to the mountains in winters. You never know what's in store for you (This comes from personal experience!)

I know it made me run to the mall and the near by markets a couple of times but its worth it: Caps, scarfs, mufflers... You just don't get the opportunity to flaunt your winter clothes in Delhi / Pune so both of us are excited and hoping for some decent thand.

Travel time companion: Music

Well, music is essential! Creating a new playlist dedicated to the trip with an assorted collection of Chopin, OST - Crash, El Postino and The Last Samurai, motown music, Dean Martin, Miles Davis, Matchbox 20, Lifehouse, Poets of the fall, U2, Telepopmusik, Dream Theatre.... The list is still going on so I plan to dedicate one blog to the music accompanying us on the trip as well.

As for now... Going for dinner and then Kanatal here I come!!!!!

These are a few of my favourite things

Sound of Music is one of the best musicals I have come across! My favourite scene from the movie absolutely has to be the one where the captain says to Maria "Oh yes we are Captain!" when she is incessantly pleading him to pay more attention to his kids and be more of a DAD to them than a Captain running an army. A song from this movie:

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kitten.......
Brown paper packages tied up with string,
these are a few of my favourite things

..has inspired me to write about the everyday things in life that are my favourite. Its funny how your everyday drive to work, the little things you see around, the converstions you have bring joy that may be hard to imagine if you are not there to see them first hand.

• 95 fm has to be first on my list as the moment I step out of home, I switch on the crazYness that the RJs on the station have to offer! I frequently call up to participate in their segments / games involving the listeners and its plain fun talking to them.
• The Israeli commando, pointed out to me by my travel time companion these days, who stands outside the Embassy making sure everything is in order. I've come to a conclusion based on the various bunch I've seen standing outside (restricting the bunch to the israelis) that Israeli men are no less than Greek Gods!
• The trees loaded with those pink flowers at the round about at The Claridges. I've been obsessing about these flowers for ages now!
• The kid in the billboard of Lufthansa Airlines at the Shanti Nikentan red light.
• Lunch/ Post Lunch walk with my pal Pooja...
• Blogging from work ;)
• Spontaneous dinner plans with colleagues
• Mini stop overs for ice cream / Gol guppas
• Mum playing farmville when I reach home
• Watching a war movie on my latest aquisition - the giant 42 inch plasma TV