The charm of Himalayas is such that it starts calling you
repeatedly once you visit for the first time. It was two years since I did the
Rupin pass trek. Time of Chinese National holidays again and I was keen to
utilize it in the best possible way, by trekking in the Himalayas. When I
visited India in first week of May, I consulted Pratap, my friend who did the
Rupin pass trek with me and decided to go to Tapovan. I persuaded Giri to join,
and das the dates suited the best, booked the slot with Bikat adventures. Later
I pulled more people from our local trek group, and we had 10 of us registering
for the Gaumukh-Tapovan trek from 29th September to 7th
October. The maximum group size for the trek was shown as 15. Unfortunately, from our side, three people dropped out due to personal reasons and seven of were left. There
was one more person other than us in the WhatsApp group formed by
Bikat, closer to the date of journey.
Tapovan literally means a place of penance. A meadow at the
high altitude of 4,460M (14,203 ft) surrounded by many major peaks, Shivling,
Meru, Manda, the Bhagirathi group, Kedardome, Kharchakund and many more, it is
not surprising that it has over the centuries enchanted the tapaswi sages to go
there and practice penance. The route to the mystique Tapovan is through
Gaumukh (Gomukh) which is known to be the source of Bhagirathi, as the holy
river Ganga is known in this region. The Gaumukh Tapovan trail is believed to
be centuries old, due to its religious significance.
Ganga is considered as a goddess and is lifeline of India.
The legend of Ganga tells us the story of Bhagirath, the Ikswaku king, whose
yeomen efforts led to the descent of Ganga from heaven to earth. Even today,
extraordinary efforts to achieve something is referred to as “Bhagiratha
prayatna”. The story thus goes:
King Sagara, the great-grandfather of Bhagiratha, once
performed the ashvamedha sacrifice, but the sacrificial horse was stolen by
Indra. The deity had the animal sequestered in Patala, where Sage Kapila was
performing a penance. The 60,000 sons of Sagara discovered the horse in Patala,
whereupon they disturbed Kapila. Enraged, the 60,000 sons of Sagara were
reduced to ash by the scorching eyes of the sage. The responsibility of
performing the funeral rites of these sons passed down from generation to
generation, until it was accepted by Bhagiratha, son of king Dileepa, who upon becoming
the king of Ayodhya, went to practice deep penance in the Himalayas, to invoke
the goddess, Ganga.
After many years of rigorous penance, Bhagirath was able to please Ganga. She said she was ready to come to earth as per his wishes but her mighty flow might sweep away the whole planet and end up in Patal Lok. This was a new challenge to him and he asked Ganga to provide a solution. Ganga replied that only Lord Shiva has the ability and valor to channelize her. If he agrees to keep Ganga on his head, things will work out in favor of everyone. Hearing this, Bhagirath started praying to Lord Shiva. Pleased by the penance, Shiva agreed to let Ganga flow from his hair.
It was on the day of Dussehra when Shiva decided that it is
time to fulfill his promise. He untied his hair and started looking at the sky
without blinking his eyes. Ganga started flowing from the heavens and landed on
Shiva’s head. Not a single drop of water touched the earth. The river got
tangled in Shiva’s hair.
Answering Bhagirath’s prayers, Shiva took a strand of his
hair and from there originated the Ganga that we know today. This place is
known as Gangotri now and since Ganga came out of Shiva’s jata (hair), she is
also known as Jatashankari. However, while flowing, Ganga demolished the ashram
of sage Jahnu, who got angry and stopped her right there. On Bhagirath’s appeal
he later freed her from his lap. So, Ganga is also known as Jahnavi.
Ganga reached sage Kapil’s ashram where Bhagirath’s
ancestors were burnt to ashes and liberated them so they could rest in peace.
From there she gushed into Bay of Bengal, it is known as Ganga Sagar. Thus,
Ganga is known as Bhagirathi in this region till she meets Alakananda at Dev
Prayag.
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| Gangavataran - Raja Ravivarma painting |
Coming back to the trek now. We (Manohar, Giri, Hariprasad,
Sujith, Gururaj, Arun and I) formed an internal WhatsApp group to exchange
notes.
Guru booked air tickets from Bangalore to Dehradun. Hari
opted to come via Delhi. Giri booked from Hyderabad to Dehradun. Closer to the
date we all did some shopping. I bought a new pair of trek shoes from Decathlon.
I also booked couple of rooms at Hotel Doon Regency at Dehradun.
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| At Kempegouda International Airport |
On Friday, September 29th, we had our Indigo flight to Dehradun at 13:15, and the day was supposed to be Karnataka Bandh due to Kaveri issue. Manohar and Guru came to my home in Manohar’s car, and we went to Sujith’s house in BEL colony. Manohar’s son Sumanth and his friend returned from there, and Pramod and Shashank had come to Sujith’s home to drop us in Sujith’s Lodgy car. Pramod drove to the airport (enjoying the drive!). We stopped on the way for breakfast where some of them ate. We were already at the airport by 9:45. As there was still time after dropping out bags and going through the security check, Sujith suggested that we can try the lounges using our credit/debit cards. To my surprise, my SBI card gave me access to the premier lounge where I had a good lunch. The flight took off on time and the journey was smooth. We came out of Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun at 16:30 and caught a prepaid taxi (Innova) and reached the hotel in about 45 minutes. Giri was already there as he had reached that afternoon. The hotel offered two rooms on with one double bed and the other with two double beds, which was perfect for us. That evening we walked to the clock tower area. The clock tower (Ghanta Ghar) of Dehradun is unique as it has six sides and has the names of the freedom fighters who fought for the independence of the country. The area around the clock tower is a busy place with lot of shopping. We tried some chat delicacies at a Pandit’s eatery. The Pandit explained the uniqueness of the clock tower. We later had a good dinner at a Punjabi restaurant and walked back to the rooms by 20:45. We sat in the bigger room and chatted for some time. Next morning, Hari came from Delhi by train, and freshened up. We had requested Bikat to pick us up from our hotel, as seven out of eight of us were right there.
We had discussed earlier if it is better to go in a Bolero or a Force traveler and had decided to go with the Force traveler as it was more comfortable for a long journey. The vehicle picked us up at the hotel at 7:00. Biju, our co trekker, who was from Gurugram, was already in the vehicle. The driver, Dharmapal was an expert of the terrain and had great patience. Though the distance is only 237 kms, it is a winding and single road through the mountains and was expected to take about 8-9 hours. We had breakfast (at Nature Villa restaurant), lunch (at Narsigham café), and dinner on the way. There were couple of places where the traffic was halted due to the road works and few other times and the waiting period was an hour or two each time. Even some of us got down sometimes and tried to help vehicles maneuver! Around 16:15, we spent some time near a very powerful Thedi falls. We wanted to visit Uttar Kashi but couldn’t as it was already too late. We had dinner on the way at 21:00. It was 22:45 by the time reached Gangotri. We had taken almost 16 hours! Sanjay, our activity leader, was waiting for us and he guided us to Mandakini guest house where we were given four twin sharing rooms. The stay was decent. Sanjay also did a briefing session regarding the next day’s schedule.
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| Thedi waterfall |
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| Thedi waterfall |
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| Army passing by |
Day 2, October 1, 2023: Gangotri to Chirbasa (3415 m to 3600
m), 10 km
Next morning, we visited the river and had a leisurely darshan
of Maa Ganga in Gangotri temple and finished our breakfast in a restaurant
there. It was a pleasant surprise to find delicious Idli and Dosas. At 9:30,
all of us started our trek from behind the guest house. The upward trail was
gradual and not too demanding. Around 10:00, we reached the forest office,
where Sanjay, the activity leader went to take the permissions. We were walking
along the Bhagirathi River and could have a great view of Sudarshan peak. After
some time, we also started getting clearer view of the Bhagirathi peaks.
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| Idlis being made at Gangotri |
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| At Ganga Temple, Gangotri |
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| Ready to leave |
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| With Sanjay, Trek leader |
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| With Shivraj and Biju |
Around 12:45, we paused for lunch. We were given aloo
parathas that the trek leader and guides had carried. A little ahead was the
Chirbasa camp site. Once we reached, the porters along with Sanjay pitched the
tents. Sanjay demonstrated some cooling
exercises which we all did, this also involved some back and shoulder massage
by fellow trekkers that really helped.
The name Chirbasa comes from the pine trees. The site has
great views of Manda peak (6511 m), Bhrigu Parbat (6000 m), Bhagirathi I, II
and III (6856 m, 6512 m, & 6454 m respectively). I tried time lapse videos
in the afternoon by the river side. That evening, Sanjay demonstrated the usage
and repacking of the sleeping bags that were provided to us. He also briefed
about the next day’s program.
We had an early dinner and went to bed early. Just like the room, Giri with Biju, Hari with Arun, Guru with Manohar and Sujith and I shared the tents. Though I slept well initially, sleep eluded for
most time of the night.
Day 3, October 2, 2023: Chirbasa to Bhojwasa (3600 m to
3775 m), 5.47 km
The timings for the day were 7-8-9, meaning we wake up at
7:00, have breakfast at 8:00 and leave the camp at 9:00. Before leaving, Sujith
led the warmup exercises. With the wake up, you get black tea. After tea, I went to the riverside to set time
lapse video. The view of free flow of Bhagirathi and the background of the
Bhagirathi peaks was an amazing sight. We also saw a herd of Bharal (blue
mountain goats) on the way.
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| Porters carrying unusually large luggage |
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| Bharals |
The trek today was going to be easier as it was only 5 km and
not very steep. We left the camp at 9:00 and started on the beautiful upward
trail by the side of Bhagirathi River. I need to say a few words about the
porters here. The porters on this trail are mostly from Nepal, who spend the
travel season here, and winder at their home. It is impossible to imagine the
trek without them. Each of them carries at least 60 kgs of luggage which is
huge in size many times. Many of them don’t have proper footwear. Some also
don’t carry drinking water and depend on the streams on the way. Few of them
smoke and chew gutka. It is indeed a hard life. The luggage they carry has the
off-loaded rucksacks, tents, grocery, vegetables, cooking gas etc. Our team had
eight porters, one cook, one guide and the trek leader. Trek leader, Sanjay
Rawal was very friendly, and had a great rapport among his teammates. On the
very first day we saw him lift the gas cylinder. His pleasant demeanor made the
team to work more efficiently. The guide Shivraj was from Nepal. He talked
less, but took care that everyone on the trail, making sure people were safe.
The cook Shibu from Uttarakhand, was always smiling. He was a great cook who
provided us with delicious meals. The food was nice considering the location.
Moring black tea, breakfast of either upma, phoa or pooris, lunch and dinner
with rotis, sabji, rice and dal, snacks in the evening and soup were delicious.
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| Ever smiling cook Shibu |
We reached Bhojwasa at 12:30. This campsite was also very beautiful. By the time the tents were pitched, Biju, Sujith and I visited Ashram by the river side. Nirmal baba lives here since 1988. It was good to interact with him. He provides meditation classes for visitors there. Baba also has a small temple where there is a Shivling. He asked us to come back in the evening, but we couldn’t go. Bhojwasa is the last point where people who plan to visit Gaumukh can stay, and thus has more people visiting during the season. Since our dates were coinciding with the fortnight of ‘Pitrupaksha’ when people pay respects to their ancestors, we saw bigger crowds in most pilgrimages we visited. That’s also a reason why we had high traffic density on the way to Gangotri.
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| With Nirmal Baba |
We came back and had freshly prepared lunch in the lunch
tent around 14:00. The food with rice, vegetable curry, salads and papad was
refreshing. Post lunch, we witnessed volleyball match among the workers. Sanjay
was also playing. Most of them played very well. There were also other teams
(Searching souls and wandering boots) who had pitched their tents next to ours.
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| Volleyball |
Bhojwasa in the local language means the home of birch
trees. The place is spectacular, once again with a clear view of the Bhagirathi
peaks and the beautiful river flowing in its full glory.
Evening Sanjay briefed about the next day. It was going to
be a big day. As there was landslide on the way to Gaumukh, we were going to
Tapovan first and visit Gaumukh on our way back. As there was going to be a
long queue for the river crossing trolley.
Day 4, October 3, 2023: Bhojwasa to Tapovan (3775 m to 4,460
m), 6.8 km
The schedule in the morning was 5-6-7, We woke up at 5:00,
had our breakfast at 6:00 and were ready by 7:00. We were the first in the
queue. The rope trolley across River Bhagirathi is a unique thing. It takes
voluntary pulling for it to cross the river. Sometime, the pulling rope gets
entangled making it difficult. The trolley can take six people and some
luggage. Sometime, porters hang at the bottom and pull the rope after reaching
halfway through. The system is inefficient and badly needs a better solution. I
feel the authorities can easily install a metal pedestrian bridge there. There
is also a forest office at Bhojwasa, and they seem to be least worried about the travails of trekkers and porters.
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| Manual trolley |
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| Bhagirathi peaks |
All of us crossed the river and started trekking at 7:45.
The trail was steep and rocky. Shivraj kept warning us of rocks falling
whenever we spent more time at such passages. We saw that another group that was
coming down had helmets. As we progressed, the views of Bhagirathi and Shivling
became clearer. The path had to be covered slowly due to the sharp accent. Returning
people, whom we met on the way, warned us to move slowly and carefully. We could
see Gaumukh on the way. Biju was faster, Giri, Manohar and I were moving at a
steady pace and after some time Guru joined us. Shivraj said that there is no
water in the place where they regularly tented, and thus we had to move a bit
ahead next to the stream.
We reached the camp by 12:45 and the others came at 13:35. We
had packed lunch with us that we finished after reaching. Later Sujith and I
went to another Ashram nearby, but the door was closed, and we couldn’t meet
the Baba there. Later, some of us went the other side and met Mouni Baba. Mouni
Baba has been living in Tapovan for many years. He has got the name as he
wasn’t speaking and kept “moun vrit” for more than 12 years. He has broken his
vrit only couple of years ago. Mouni baba came across as a very practical monk.
He also hosts pilgrims coming there by providing the food and shelter.
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| With Mouni Baba |
Tapovan is the most beautiful site in the trail. The large
meadow surrounded by tall peaks and the flowing stream (Akash Ganga) makes it
very picturesque. Photos and videos don’t do justice to what you witness. The view
of mount Shivling in its entirety is a very rare sight. Then there are all the
other peaks mentioned before. The site has many Alpine Choughs flying looking
for food and some Black
Backed Wagtails visiting.
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| Alpine Chough |
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| Sunrise |
The night skies in all the campsites were wonderful with full of stars. It was full moon the first day, and half-moon by the time we ended our trek. The moonrise was late due to tall mountains.
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| Frozen stream |
Day 5, October 4, 2023: Tapovan to Bhojwasa (4,460 m to
3775 m) via Gaumukh (4025 m), 7.3 km
It was the day of leaving beautiful Tapovan. The timings
given were 7-8-9. The morning view of sunrise from the hills and the sun rays
falling on the mountains were stunning. We wanted to do a team photo with Bikat
Adventures banner, but unfortunately, they didn’t have one. We borrowed a
banner from another team that had come from Bangalore and posed with it. They
also had a Karnataka flag which we borrowed and posed with. Around 9:30, Sujith
led us to do warm up exercises and we left the camp at 9:50 to go to Gaumukh.
The descent was steep and tricky in some places with slippery gravel in the
trail. By 11:10, we reached Gaumukh. It was a blessed feeling to be at Gaumukh
and taste the holy Ganga water right at its inception point. They say earlier
Gaumukh has disappeared and the present one is way behind. Nevertheless, it was
a divine feeling to spend time there. Around 12:15, Sanjay and Shivraj asked us
to leave as there was a possibility of the snow blocks falling. We reluctantly
left Gaumukh and started proceeding downwards. Around 14:00, we halted for
eating our packed lunch of fried rice. It was 15:30 by the time we reached the
other side of the river at Bhojwasa. It seems that the rope had got entangled
and the trolley stopped for long time. We waited in the queue, and some people
who came after us, rushed to cross the river before us. It was 16:10 by the
time we reached the camp. Most people from the other Bangalore group didn’t
want to stay in the tents and had booked beds in the Ashram. Seeing that, Arun,
Hari and Giri also decided to go there. This allowed Biju, Sujith and me to
sleep alone in the tents. That night, before the moon rise, we thought we will
do some star photography. In spite of Manohar’s trying, we couldn’t get the
settings right for the SLR. We went to the Ashram to check with Rocky Gowda (of
the other Bangalore team) for help. He showed the way to do it using phone. We
were able to get some stars using his suggestions.
That night, after a long time, I slept well.
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| Gaumukh |
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| Black backed Wagtail |
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| Night sky |
Day 6, October 5, 2023: Bhojwasa to Gangotri (3775 m to 3415
m) 15.4 km
Timing for the day was 6-7-8. As it was the last day, we had
photo sessions with the team and the porters, we also pooled 10,000 rupees and
handed over to the porters through Sanjay as a token of our gratitude. We were
also introduced to all of them. It was 8:35 by the time we left the campsite.
As we were bypassing the Chirbasa site, the trek downwards was going to be
longer.
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| With trek leader, guide, cook and porters |
In about half an hour, we sighted a very Tejaswi young sadhu sitting by the side of the trail, curious, we had a conversation with him. His name was Bahubali Maharj. He was from Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh and was on an all India walk to create awareness about saving our rivers and cultures.
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| Bahubali Baba from Parashuram Kund |
We proceeded further,
crossed Chirbasa around 10:45, and met a German couple who were going to
Tapovan. We also met an old Swedish man who was going to Tapovan. After
crossing the river, we settled to eat out packed lunch of pulav at 13:15. After
that I got to do some photography on the way and reached the Gangotri Forest
office at 15:00. We had collected some trash on the way, that we disposed in
the big dustbin placed there. In fact, there were trash bins on the trail too,
but some of them were leaking making the trash to spread. But in general, the
trail was clean. After spending some time there, we proceeded further and
reached Mandakini guest house by 15:30. Shivraj led us to Devyani guest house,
where we were supposed to stay that night. Biju had already gone as he had to
start another trek, so we were given three rooms. These rooms were in very bad
shape, and I called Sanjay to complain. He couldn’t help, and we didn’t see him
later.
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| With German couple |
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| Swedish old man |
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| Black Redstart |
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| Back to the base camp |
That evening we went to the ghat near Ganga Temple and participated in the Ganga Arati. It was an electrifying experience. After that, some of them paid respects (tarpan) to their late parent/s with the help of a priest.
Day 7, Gangotri to Rishikesh via Uaarkashi (270 km)
Next morning at 6:30, we caught the Force Traveler at
Gangotri gate and left for Rishikesh. The driver, Madan was as skilled as
Dharmapal in negotiating the narrow hill roads and the traffic. Many times, the
opposite vehicles passed very close to ours. We requested him to take us to
Uttarkashi and he obliged. Around 7:45, we stopped to by fresh apples by the
roadside. Around 9:00, Madan stopped for breakfast at a remote restaurant. The
onion parathas and buttered buns were delicious.
For entering Uttarkashi, the direct entrance was blocked,
and the vehicle had to go via a longer route. Uttar Kashi is a beautiful temple
town situated between Varuna and Assi Ganga rivers. We were at the Vishwanath
Temple at 11:15. The complex was impressive. A large group from the south was
doing Bhajan when we reached. Skanda Puran says that when sins increased in the
world, Lord Shiva moved here. The Shivling here was supposed to be installed
by Lord Parashuram. The present temple was built by Rani Khaneti Devi of Tehri
in 1857. According to legend, Markandeya, the son of Mrukandu Rishi and Manasvini,
was cursed with a short life. By the age of 16, Markandeya had mastered the Vedas and the Shastras and grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva. On the day of his destined death, the messengers of Yama couldn't take his life away, and when Yama, the God of death came to take him,
he hugged the Shivling here, due to which he escaped death and went on to
become a great sage. Other than the large Shivling, the temple also has an
imressive 19.5 feet brass Trident (Trishul) supposed to be built by Guh, son of
King Ganeshwar.
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| Uttarkashi Vishwantah Temple |
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| Great Trident |
We came out of the temple and few of us bought Kasturi in the
street. Nearby, we had fresh sugarcane juice and caught the vehicle around 12:00. The
road from Uttarkashi to Rishikesh was better (NH 34) and offered great view of
the Tehri Dam back waters. At 14:00, we stopped for lunch and had a nice meal
and lassi. Guru had booked Hotel Moksham in Tapovan, Rishikesh. We reached
around 17:35 dropped our bags, and Madan to drop us to a place from where we
could go to Ram Jhoola where the Ganga Aarati was going to happen. Hari
continued in the same vehicle to Dehradun, from where he was going to Delhi.
We hired a Guide, Sahani, who led us to Paramarth Niketan,
of Swami Chidananda Saraswati. We were just in time for the Arati and the next
half an hour was magnificent! Thousands of people had participated in the Arati
and were singing along with Swamiji and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati. It was
indeed an electrifying experience. After the Arati, we paid respect to Holy
Ganga by the way for letting afloat a bowl made of leaf with flower and lamp
into the river.
After the Arati, we met Sahni who took us around the
Paramarth Ashram and then to a gemstone shop of Uttarakhand government. Some of
us shopped for Rudhaksha, sphatik (quartz) and navaratnas. Sahni said, once in a year, the shop gives them a 2% commision on their sales.
That night we had dinner at the famous Chotiwale (Man with pigtail). Unlike 2012 when I visited, now there are two Chotiwales next to each other. The food was fine, but the Chotiwala sitting outside wasn’t too thrilled to pose wit us. Around 22:00, we took a six seater auto to the hotel. Though we had booked two rooms with triple occupancy earlier, we changed it to three double occupancy rooms. The hotel ‘Moksham’ was very neat.
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| Chotiwale |
Next morning, we came out and looked for a place for the
breakfast. All around the place we could see westerners. This a huge difference
compared to my visit to Rishikesh 11 years ago (refer to the blog: https://balutreks-balachandra.blogspot.com/2012/). While earlier we could see sadhus everywhere, now it is very common
to see foreigners. Many are from the war-torn Ukraine. The foreigners practice
yoga here. There are so many places that teach yoga, and centers for training
yoga teachers. Then there are shops that book rafting and other adventure.
We had breakfast at Saatvik Pure Veg Restaurant. It was a
buffet for Rs 200/-. The food was really good. After the breakfast, we caught a
Bolero that had a raft above it and inquired about Rafting. The price was Rs. 420/-
per head for 12 km. It looked good and we booked it. They took us to the
starting point of rafting. The guide was Harish Bhandari, and he had an
assistant Pravin. We started the rafting at 11:15. It was great fun. At 11:45
we finished the rafting and enjoyed Nimbu Soda with goli soda. We then came back,
changed, and looked for a vehicle to go to Haridwar. After some thinking, we
decided to take three Activa scooters from the same place that organized our rafting.
We stopped for lunch at Bliss Rasoi, a Punjabi restaurant. We had vegetarian
thali, and the food was delicious. Guru booked tickets for Manasa Devi temple cable
car, but after reaching there we realized that the booking was for entry to the
temple, and not for the cable car. We had to stand in queue for the cable car
tickets and it took some time.
The priests in Manasa Devi temple try to extract as much
money as possible. Due to this, the place leaves you with a strange feeling. We quickly
finished Darshan and didn’t try to get into the cable car queue though we had the
return tickets. Coming down was easy, and there was a short cut to the ghat
where the famous Ganga arati is held. We were just in time for the arati. There
was a huge crowd for the arati and catching glimpse was also difficult. After
the arati was over, we bought the flower and lamp bowl from a priest (here priests
sell it unlike at Rishikesh where young kids sell) and let it sail in Ganga. The
Ghat has many temples and some excellent murals.
Giri wanted to buy sweets from Mohan sweet stall near Shiva Murti circle. We went there and some of us bought sweets. The Shiva murti in the circle is unique where Shiva is pouring water on himself! We rode back to Rishikesh and had delicious Dahi Bhalle and gol gappe at Chaat Bazaar. We went back to the hotel and chatted for some time. We had kept the scooters with us had to return it next day before 8:00.
Next morning, we went by scooter to see the Neer Garh waterfalls nearby. It was 20 minutes from the hotel. There is a forest department ticket counter just before the falls and the fare is Rs 30/- per head. The waterfall is not like anything we had seen before! It was in full flow and at multiple levels, with a nice large pool at each level. Giri, Arun and Sujith got into the pools and rest of us were happy clicking pictures. We came back and returned the vehicles by 8:00, and went again for breakfast to the same place, Saatvik restaurant. The buffet spread was even better today with Phoa and Poori added to Idly and Dosa. That restaurant is part of a hotel which is also Moksh. The owner Rajesh Sharma showed was very hospitable and showed us around. After coming out, we inquired about a vehicle to take us to Dehradun airport.
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| With the owner of Saatvik restaurant |
We came back to the hotel, had a nice shower, got ready and
called the car rental. He asked us to come to the office and take the vehicle.
Sujith and I went in the hotel owners scooter, and I came back with the Innova
car. The diver was Surender. The journey to Jolly Grant Airport was quick. We
were there by 12:30 and our flight was at 16:30. Giri’s flight was at 18:00.
Giri, Arun and I had lunch in a very crowded, cramped premium
lounge, where getting a seat was very difficult. We came back and had a nap in the
airport waiting area. The flight was on time, and we reached Bangalore airport
at 19:30, came out and caught two taxis and reached home.
The trek to Tapovan was my fifth Himalayan hike. The whole experience was divine and fulfilling. Thankfully, the weather was perfect, and wedidnt have to use the spare day. Other than the trek we also enjoyed the pilgrimage and other adventures. We couldn’t ask for more! Thanks to the Bikat team for the opportunity and my fellow trekkers for their wonderful company. My sincere thanks to the team for adjusting thier time to suite my holidays.
