Pink City Panorama

Its time for one more trip......this time we were off to jaipur......this was a 3-4 hr drive from delhi...so arnd 8 of us set off in a couple of cars...............this weekend was supposed to get exciting as we started off early in the morning....Delhi - Jaipur highway was a smooth going....as even gurgaon stretch was not chaotic as usually it would be.... considering it was early in the weekend.......

sooon we were entering rajasthan and it was breakfast time.....we stopped at a resort, where we were welcomed by a sight of a group of rajasthani singers and dancers giving shape to their artforms...scenic surroundings set apart the place and soon we were zoomin on our way again...............Jaipur beckoned us soon and we started off at amer fort..which housed asia's largest cannon....it was said it was used only once and the cannon ball fell some 35 kms away in a village.....the fort was amazing built.....to resist any sort of attack with its multilayered defences........on the outers it was tough and rugged looking whereas inside it was an architectural delight with aesthetic designs and structures. we could only wonder at the opulence of the maharajas who inhabited it....

after the fort we went into the interiors of jaipur .....where a heavy duty splash of pink greeted us......here every house building and shop are supposed to be painted only in pink, even shades are considered to be violations...we saw the hawa mahal...which supposedly built for the royal ladies to see processions goin on with out them being seen outside......we saw the jaipur gate, the Le meridian hotel at jaipur....the jal mahal which was in quite a dilapidated condition.........in the evening we went to the jaipur musuem...which was closed ...but we did bribe our way in....which helped us as we could enjoy the place in isolation.......this was another example of jaipur 's aesthetic beauty......but time kept ticking away and we had to move on...



next was Chouki daani..this was a village resort....which had simulated village settings of rajasthan with village people taking care of you with all graciousnessof a host....it had a entry fee..otherwise once inside it was as if you had stepped into a world of rustic rajasthan....it was a village fair with puppet shows, camel rides, gameson offer, palmists and fortune tellers, magicians, people sellin lot of accessory stuff, rajasthani dancers dancing away to glory........it was one heady cocktail of village vivaciousness....after tht it was time to have food.....food was real sumptous and they were really being the hosts, forcing us to have more and more of the food....we ate till we felt we would burst and till they left forcing us to have more...but food was really tasty with lots of ghee, butter and lots more healthy stuff......we whiled some more time enjoyin the rustic scenery of rajasthan and playin marbles and asking palmists and looking around the different facets of the village fair...

the next day it was wrappin up time as we made shortworkof other visual treats to be enjoyed......also we had rajasthani traditional sweets....which were really yummy and good.......and after munch time it was shoppin time and ladies were real excited.......and people splurged....and why would they not..with such beautiful items on sale.......and by the time they were done....it was time to leave.....the way back wasuneventful except th average speed went up by 20 kmph and we were reacing with different vehicles......and we made it back safe and sound....and it would be business as usual from tomorrow...but this was one experience to treasure.....

Muktheswar Rendezvous

This trip was something I was looking forward to. But it almost got cancelled due to variety of reasons that don’t need a mention here. But I am really happy that it finally happened.

We set out on a Innova at 10 pm on Friday zooming through on the highways on breakneck speed. The driver really had an penchant for speed. He went on a minimum of 60 even on hilly roads. He seemed to be taking a pride in all the accidents he had precipitated while he was driving a car, a bus, stories about which he related to us. With movies on the dvd player and endless talk we never knew how time flew and we were soon on the rocky terrains. Himalayas with their breathtaking ambience were before us. You can keep watching the view of mountains stretching out in the morning sun.

We reached the hill station Muktheswar. It was a really sleepy and relaxed town. People walked about with out any hurry. They were laidback in everything they did. Their manners were cordial and their patience seemed unlimited. I wished I could set up an technology park in that place and recruit these people and spoil and destroy all the calm and tranquility existing in that place. Put them in an deadline mode.

We checked into the resort. Well those people do deserve a special mention. They just fell over each other to care for the customers. There was a warmth in the way they behaved. They provided us with anything we asked for especially food and stuff with out sulking like the hotelier staff of the cities or putting up absurd rules to trouble the customer.

Soon we were ready for the adventure sports stuff. First we went to a place called chauthi jaali. Here a 500 ft cliff jutted out of 25000 ft mountain . So when u stand on the cliff and look down it is all empty down there u look straight into a valley thousands of feet deep. Quite scary imagining the possibilities. So it was near this place we were gonna indulge in our adventure sports.

First was Rappelling. This was about going down a rock .on the whole it was easy. But the first few steps do scare you heavily. U just have lean back going perpendicular to the rock with a rope for support with only air under you and depths of rocky cliff waiting for you below. So taking those initial steps when u shift from a vertical position to an horizontal position perpendicular to rocky slope is the toughest part. After that u will enjoy going down the rocks.

Next was rock climbing. This was tougher but was not as frightening as the first one. But when u are right in the middle of the climb it could get scary when you struggle for handgrips and footholds. But it sure is exciting. There are times when u have to remove your left foot from a foothold and put in your right foot there with only ur hands in small apertures in rock for support so in that moment when both ur feet are in air it does get exhilarating. This was great fun.

And towards the later part in the day we went on a night trek when it got dark. This place was absolutely dark when the sun went down. With the torch lights for direction we started out into the wild vegetation on the hills. There were places where it was greatly slippery and wet. It was imperative you don’t slip to your sides which were the sloppy hillsides. You could go rolling several feet down. But after doing this you cannot stop being excited. Then we reached the top. The view here was amazing. And the starry sky was a feast for the eyes. At that height the sky was much clearer the stars felt closer. But the best part was the Milky Way, which really looked like the highway to the heaven as described in the mythologies. This was amazing and you felt one with stars and amazed at your irrelevance in the vast universe.

And we came back to the resort and sat enjoying the view of sky in the cool confines. It really was a relaxing experience for the mind.

Next day all recharged we went for the River crossing on the rope. This was again exciting as you went your way tied to a rope and using the rope tied across the banks to cross a river, which gurgled past us from a waterfall. This was an exciting and zooming experience. Going across the rope as the river roared its way down hill was an experience to remember.

After that we spent the day on rocks as some of my friends spent the day going rappelling to greater depths. Then we had the view of sunset in the mountains which was an ethereal feeling also we watched the mountains of nandadevi, trishul and many more which left you wondering at the intricacies of the nature.

The next day we started for nainital. This place with its lake and mountains is a tourist destination. We enjoyed the boating especially the pedaling thing. The calm waters of the lake are so different from the seawaters I am used to. After that we wanted to go by a cable car to enjoy the view of the mountains and scenic beauty of nainital, but exigencies of time never left us with an option.

So after that great trip we were back on the journey back home. This was the only thing perhaps which left us tired. After the great experience and lots of photographic memories, which we managed to capture in the digicams, we were back to the daily routine of jobs and stuff and a mountain of work again awaits you. After this trip you sure are rejenuvated and raring to go for more and no mountains of work are gonna bog us down. Here we go....

Trip to Vaishnodevi

Its been a long time since I had gone out on tour like this…….

Aah what a trip it was…..i had never gone on a trip so very unplanned…… never had the guts to do so…..whenever I went on a tour it was chalked out to last detail. But this time it was all different. I was never sure whether I would go even half an hour before I started on the tour. Suddenly a presentation came up on the days on which we were supposed to be on tour and I was ready to drop out. But surprisingly my prof agreed to postpone the presentation for us. God factor at work.

So we were off……ahoy….we set sail…( not literally)…..but we hit the first road block. The buses were full. It was peak time. 3 days holidays , exams time had just finished and auspicious days of pournami etc had all conspired to come together and we had scores of people traveling to vaishno devi. Just when things looked bleak, we got a bus , a pretty rickety one with just the number of seats needed for us. So we were over another hurdle.

The journey was a literal pain. The bus was so very old and badly maintained that I could not get any sleep. Even as people around me were snoring away to glory, I was just sitting there lying awake exploring the possibilities of escape, just in case if the parts of the bus decided to get disentangled. But as I realized me lying awake was a boon in disguise. I would have missed such beauties of nature. As the bus winded through Haryana and Punjab, in the full moon the view of vast stretches of wheat fielded were such a scene to behold. The gentle and cool breeze hit my face, the moonlight was mesmeric and I was in love ….all over again…with nature.

But again disaster struck. The bus as I was fearing decided to give in and we had a breakdown. We were struck in village in Punjab. As people were cursing their luck I decided to look and explore around. It was a pretty stereotypical Punjabi village. But it seemed to be filled with damsels. Every girl was a pretty one and it seemed that the kind of “discovering damsels in villages” kinda stuff they show in the movies seemed to be true after all. Ah ..how I wished I had been in that Punjabi village. But as all good things come to n end, bus was put back in shape….at least that’s what the driver thought and we started on our journey again.

Soon we had entered Jammu and Kashmir. And mountains on the horizon welcomed us. Snow capped peaks in distance were really a sight to behold. But all around us were armed personnel. There were bunkers all around, a soldier was stationed at every few feet standing around shops and houses, a few were searching the fields and a lot more. But the funniest thing was how people seemed to be not minding them. Teenagers were sitting around and chatting just a little distance away from gunned men. Children were playing cricket and others were going on about their businesses. I realized whatever may happen life had to move on. And these people have learned that in a bitter way.

as i was exploring the sceneries around our bus had different ideas. it decided to break down again and this time the driver decided it was useless. he got us into a passing bus which looked like theone shahrukh took in swades. And passing through umpteen security checks we were at vaishno devi. We had reached more than 9 hours late. the bus had started at 9 pm the previous night and we reached katra, which is the footstep of vaisnodevi at 6 pm the next day.Soon we had refreshed ourselves and we were joined by our friends who had taken the train route. And we were ready to start the trek to top.

Now came the most fun part and most memorable part of our journey. This trek involved climbing by walk 6.5 km walk to Ard kuvaari which had the garb gufa. And then another 6.5 km walk to bhavan, where we had the main temple. And then we had to go to Bhairon temple another 1.5 km up with out which the trip was considered incomplete. So we were ready and raring to go. It was really fun trekking with friends and by the time we started from the room it was 12 in the night and by time we reached the footsteps and completed all the formalities it was 2 am and we started our climb.

Though I am making it sound all fun, there were people who were going barefooted, some people going on with out a break, some people going on rolling. Different manifestations of bhakthi. Old and infirm people were also walking braving their failing energies. Lot many people were using mules, horses and palanquins to carry them to the top. And there were people who were carrying others on their backs.

As we went climbing, the air got colder. We had great fun. Going with friends has this advantage. You don’t feel the tiredness of the trip. Soon it was dawn and as the first rays of sunlight came down, we were greeted by the breathtaking view of the mountains. They had edges like some one had cut them smoothly with a knife. And when we reached the top the view below was simply superb. The valley deep down seemed inviting. I felt jumping down and gliding like a bird, only it was not quite plausible. I felt like sitting there enjoying the breeze taking don the visual delight available out there. But we had to move and we did.

We reached the temple and we were in a shock. We took our tokens and realized that our turn was not due for another 14 to 15 hours. There were people who were waiting for so long for their turns. They were sleeping all along the halls and the pathways. This place was a great leveler. However rich, poor or powerful or desolate you may be. You had to wait for your turn. We had to find a way out otherwise our plans for way back would have to be seriously affected. One of our friends was son of a major general in army. Army people had a concession here. People with army passes had a special entrance which reduced the waiting time by quite some distance. So, due to our friend our passes were made and we were able to finish the whole thing in another couple of hours.

As we went in, it was a very minute fraction of the second that we were allowed to have a glimpse of God. After finishing darshan we went to bhairon temple and then we trekked back down to katra, that is down to the place where we started. So the trekking part ended there. Even though we were tired it was the most memorable trekof my life.

The adventure of the journey did not end there. As we came back to board the bus for which we had already booked, we realized that, the guy in travels had made a botch up and booked the same seats for more than couple of people. In the melee that followed it came down that we were left only a couple of sleeper berths. So 4 guys came back in a double sleeper and of course that ensured a almost sleepless night for me. By the next day we were back in IIT and it was “throw the bags aside and get to bed” time.

So this is the story of one of the most memorable trips of my life. As one of my friends quipped “ in our very small life, we had done a supposedly big thing, we had visited vaishnodevi…..”