A bimbo’s journey to the Himalayas
Why?
Anybody who knows me has a burning question on their mind – why? Why would a person who has never shown any interest in any kind of sports join a trip like this? One friend asked me “You’re the girl who insists on taking the lift because you refuse to climb the stairs in ntu, why would you join a trek on the mountains??”. Some expressed their surprise more tactfully: “Looking at you, I wouldn’t guess that you’re so sporty”. Others simply thought I was joking.
To be honest, I haven’t really figured it out yet. Why did I agree to trade my stilettos for sports shoes? My dainty dresses for baggy track pants? My handbags for backpacks? My blusher for sun block? Frivolity for practicality? Who in their right mind does that?
Perhaps it was because I’d just taken my first baby step into the corporate world and hated it and wanted to run far far away from it and hide high up in some mountain. Perhaps it was because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, do something crazy for a change, and challenge myself a little. Perhaps it was because I wanted to prove everyone around me wrong, that I was stronger than I looked. Perhaps it was simply because I was lazy to plan my own holiday and decided to tag along with my friend. Or perhaps I just had a momentary lapse of judgment and paid the deposit on my trip and decided I couldn’t back out after I’d paid for it. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I signed up.
My exercise routine prior to this trip consisted of walking for hours at a go (read: shopping) carrying heavy bags (read: 1.5kg laptop, if I shopped after work). Of course I did try to go on 3.6km jogs thrice a week – but when you wear heels to work every day and work till the cows come home, there’s no shortage of excuses to skip.
I must also declare that I was grossly mislead by the term “soft trek” that MIR used in its publicity posters, which, trust me, is a HUGE, GIGANTIC understatement. There were several points while I was trekking uphill that I swore that I would sue MIR for misrepresentation. But then, it is also true that “soft” is a subjective term – if you train every day, this would probably be a piece of cake (like it was for the trip leaders). I also assume that the posters were meant for the more physically able, for whom, it might indeed be a “soft” trek.
As preparation for the trip, I decided to attend one of the training sessions that MIR, very kindly, organized for us. Here, I had a taste of the horrors that were to follow in the trip. We climbed for 20 minutes up to the summit of Bt. Timah hill and I thought to myself “Hey, that wasn’t so bad. I’m sure I could manage that another time.” Of course, that was just the starting point of our training and from there we continued to climb up and down giant stairs for the next two hours. At the end of it, I was ready to give up and drop out of the trip. I felt even worse when I realized that the trainers had done it with 20kg loads in their backpacks while I’d carried….a water bottle. I’d never felt so unprepared.
Delhi and Manali
We landed at Delhi airport late in the morning. Delhi’s heat is quite unbearable and it doesn’t help that the air is heavily polluted and you can feel a layer of dust covering your skin within minutes of stepping outside the airport. We had lunch at KFC (yup, our first Indian meal was Indian KFC), went shopping for a while and then proceeded to take an uncomfortable 14 hour bus ride to Manali.
This was the sight that greeted us when we got off the bus at Manali – a donkey’s ass and a pile of rubbish and not to mention – rain. It was damp and gloomy. Moreover, 10 of us (yes, i’m serious, TEN of us) were squashed into a jeep with our entire luggage on/in the jeep that was to take us to the hotel. The trip wasn’t looking too good so far.
The Trek begins
We set off after breakfast with just a day pack; our luggage was taken to our campsite on ponies. We walked to Hadimba Matha Temple and then through villages and even an apple orchard, stopping for lunch under a walnut tree along the way.
The trek through the villages was very pretty indeed.
After a couple of hours of trekking, we finally made it to our campsite at Solang Valley, welcomed with warm tea and pakoras prepared by the cooks.
The campsite was lovely, with tents on either side of a stream.
The following day, we trekked up to Bakar Thach.
The campsite here, although pretty, was rather disturbing. There were a lot of cows, horses and goats around, and consequently, a lot of their poop as well. It was everywhere! Even when the poop looked dry and harmless, you had to be careful because it wasn’t actually dry. Disgusting, I tell you.
The most exhausting part of the trip, for me, was the trek up to Beas Kund lake. Beas Kund is believed to be a sacred lake and it is said that if you were to take a bath in that water, all your ailments will disappear.
It was painful walking uphill, climbing up muddy, slippery slopes, crossing streams of icy water and walking across moraines. I really did envy my luggage, being transported up to the campsite by ponies.
Breathing was harder as we climbed higher and I had to stop every few steps to admire the view (catch my breath). If not for my lack of breath, I would probably have whined every step (and perhaps someone would eventually have pushed me off a cliff, thereby ending my misery).
Teamwork is crucial. And so are water proof shoes. The water was freezing and walking around in cold, soggy shoes is not fun.
Upon reaching Beas Kund, I had an epiphany. I suddenly saw why I had ventured on this trip in the first place – to experience the wonders that God created. My exhaustion drained away from my body, my tears evaporated and I started smiling from ear to ear.
Okay, I wish the previous two sentences were true. To be honest, reaching Beas Kund was quite an anticlimax. While the lake is pretty, I’m not so sure if it was worth the 10 hours or so of trekking that we put in to get there. But as they say, it’s the journey, not the destination that’s important. Walking up to Beas Kund, I did see the most magnificent landscape ever.
I was ready to drop down by the end of the trek and all I wanted to do at the end of each day was to curl up by a fire and fall asleep. There were many times that I was afraid. However, at each step, there was someone beside me, holding my hand, ready to catch me if I slipped, telling me that it’s okay. I would never have made it through this if not for my extremely helpful teammates and guides.
The journey continues…
After days of trekking, imagine our relief at seeing our jeeps (this time 4/5 of us per jeep). We drove through Rohtang pass (picture below) en route to Keylong, which is a small town en route to Leh.
This was the only part of the trip where we actually got to play in snow. We spent two days at a hotel in Keylong, trekking up to Kardang monastery on one of the days.
After two days, the guides heard that the Baralachala pass, which leads to Leh, would not open for another few weeks. This was tragic! The guides decided to rearrange our itinerary so we made our way by an alternative route to Srinagar, our final stop before taking our flights back to Delhi. We spent the next few days in the car, driving down to Dharamshala and Dalai Lama’s monastery. This was quite a waste of time because not only did we not get to do any sightseeing, we were drained by the time we reached our hotel at the end of the day. I actually missed trekking.
At Dharamshala, we climbed up to the summit of a mountain. The sense of achievement upon making it to the summit of a mountain, albeit a tiny one, is really huge!
Srinagar
When we got to Srinagar, we stayed at a luxurious houseboat where we spent a night before moving on to Delhi.
We took a shikara (boat in picture) ride around the lake where we stayed. While what we saw of Srinagar was very pretty, I regret not getting to see much outside of the lake. It also seemed quite pointless to spend 5 days in a car just for a night at a houseboat.
Last words…
While trekking, I swore to myself that I would never do something like this again. Yet here I am, eagerly anticipating my next trip. Although the trekking itself was exhausting, it was absolutely worth the exquisite view that we had on the way.
Anyway, here’s stuff I learnt along the way:
1. Don’t bring a suitcase to the mountains. No matter how practical it seems to you, people will laugh at you. Besides, if the suitcase weighs 14kg and other people are going to help you with it anyway, you might as well bring a backpack.
2. Bring water proof shoes. And water proof socks – if they exist. $100 is a small price to pay for being able to walk in comfy shoes.
3. Comfort > beauty. No one really cares what you’re wearing on a mountain, especially when you’re cold and haven’t showered in days.
4. Eat chocolates. Lots of them! No better excuse.
5. Wear loads of sun block, even if it makes you look like a geisha.
6. Beware of cow/goat/horse dung, even if it looks dry.
7. Never give up. Just smile and keep walking. If you think you’re going to die, be grateful that you get to die in a gorgeous place.
