This is a letter I wrote to my dad in Bahrain. A very general letter explaining him in short as to what we did in my summer trip. The pictures however work complimentary to the descriptions.
Dear Baba
So we are finally back to Mumbai after nearly a month. It was a tiring and hectic trip in general, but a lot of fun as well. It rained here last night, the second time this year at Mumbai after May 31st. I guess now the rains are here to stay, or so it seems. Here is a brief gist of how the trip went on a daily basis.
20th May – Left from home at about 10 in the morning for Borivali as a safe measure. No real problems boarding the train, in spite of the fact that the bag I was carrying was quite heavy to say the least. The train journey wasn’t the best. It was quite hot, but quite bearable so not really unbearable.
21st May – We reached New Delhi station pretty much on time. We headed for the first class waiting rooms with the uncouth assistance of a coolie and sat there for a few hours. The waiting room also was saturated multiple fold. There was hardly place to set foot on the floors swarmed with people sleeping all over, let alone the chairs. We sat around there for a while until it was afternoon and time for the Haridwar train to arrive. We boarded the train with not much hassle. It was a comfortable A/C chair car journey so not really a problem. We reached in the night and went directly to Bharat Sevashram by cycle rickshaw. We got a deluxe room for 3 on fixed payment of 300/- a day with attached bath and balcony. The room was quite comfortable except the heat.
22nd, 23rd May – Did some shopping at Haridwar. Then we went to Ramakrishna Mission for aarati as well; killed time in short. On 23rd evening, we went to Rishikesh by bus. BSA was very close to the railway station as well as the bus stand so not an issue with travelling. We were offcourse carrying luggage for the big package trip but left one bag behind at BSA to avoid overload and pack the unnecessary. Rishikesh was hot as well. Difficult to sleep in the night in the room GMVN provided us. It was a good room, very big but hot ad infinitum. We met the tour guide and gave us briefs about the trip starting the next day. We slept somehow.
24th May – The 258-km bus journey began from Rishikesh at 7 a.m. We were 25 passengers in a bus of 27 as capacity; a family of 3 from Hyderabad, 2 families of 9 and 4 each from Ahmedabad, a family of 4 from Gorakhpur, an elderly couple from Delhi and the 3 of us to be precise. It was a long day, IN THE BUS that is. We went to Dehradun and Mussorie en route. There was a stoppage at Kempty Falls for breakfast and general sightseeing. All through the bus journey was general ice-breaking coupled with boredom. The bus was decent, not the BEST. But yes, quite difficult to tolerate sitting for a long time. GMVN could have done a better job with their buses that’s for sure. With a lunch stoppage as well at Barkot, we finally reached Syanachatti in the evening. It was a really beautiful small village a few kilometers from Yamunotri. We did some shopping there as well, for raincoats in case it does rain the next day. The place was pleasantly cold as well, giving our woolens a good time. The accommodation was fine - A single room for the 3 of us but shared bath. Bath was out of question with the water being tremendously cold. A problem we faced in the entirety of the trip.
25th May – The bus journey began at 6 a.m. A routine from this point forward was early starts; something that I wasn’t used to. An early breakfast and we were off on a short 8 km journey to Hanumanchatti, from where buses would stop plying. We then take a 9km jeep trip to Jankichatti on payment basis, beyond which only Route No. 11 is the left option for a 6-km steep climb. The climb began at 9 in the morning, and went on for about 4-5 hours. It was really horrible with horse-shit lined roads, steep as well making the climb really difficult, that too at first shot! Dollu couldn’t complete the full trip and had to be horsed for some part of the journey. Hence, for her security Mummy had to take one as well. I walked till 5.5 kms beyond which Mummy told me to take a small shot at the horse as well just for the experience. We reached Yamunotri at 1 or so and did darshan. Not for long though, coz now we had to make the long trip back. The descent was tiring as well, but not painful like the ascent, so we managed it quite comfortably. The bus then took us to New Barkot for the night stay. Extremely exhausted, it wasn’t the most pleasant welcome at Barkot with no electricity all night! But considering everyone was so fatigued after the day’s experience, sleep was the only bell ringing on everyone’s mind. The place again was pleasant, so not too much climatic trouble to get sleep.
26th May – A long day in the bus again; this time towards Gangotri. The roads were very risky to drive on with impending landslides the call of the day. Very narrow, one-way traffic so jams were more or less routine. The roads were very scenic with mountains and rivers and streams lining them. Nature was at its best. Gangotri didn’t really have a trek attached to it, much to the relief of the family. As the altitude grew, the temperature slipped. It became colder. What’s more? It was raining outside, a subtle indicator of snowfall up there at Gangotri. Not prepared for it at all, we were in sandals and no gloves to boot. We reached in the evening, the darshan would happen next morning. The overnight stay wasn’t the best because it was chilling cold! The GMVN rest house was bang next to the river, making it extremely scenic and a nice place to get cozy. Totally unaware of what might happen, our woolens were left in the bus, something we would not have access to for the rest of the night.
27th May – Early morning at around 5, we were rudely awoken by neighbours for the pretext to open the windows. Once they were open, we discovered how justified they were to disturb our fond reverie. There was snow anywhere and everywhere. We leapt out of bed with cameras and began our mission. The scenic beauty we witnessed thereafter is something only photographs can convey. We left for darshan at the temple at around 6 in the morning and completed it in almost no time. No lines at Gangotri, at least so early in the morning. We then went on the bus at 9 or so, after a good breakfast, and began heading for Kedarnath. It was a long bus journey on that day, with a lunch halt at Netala, a scenic location on the way to Uttarkashi. We had a night stay at Chinyalisaur, a guest house right on the banks of the Bhagirathi.
28th May – A long day in the bus. The way from Gangotri to Kedarnath, is really long, nearly about a couple of days by bus. Our night stay was at Guptkashi, 35 kms from Gaurikund.
29th May – We began early that morning around 7. Gaurikund was only about 35 kms from there, the place marking the beginning of the 15 kms trek to Kedarnath. Thanks to an immense jam, a place we could’ve reached at 8, we reached at 1.30 p.m. Frustrating it was in the bus, sitting in the stuffy heat to tolerate hours of sitting at one place. That too, many people had left without breakfast, including us thinking we’d reach Gaurikund and have a meal there. With some benevolence of our co-passengers, one went quite a distance in front to get us some Aloo Parathas to keep our tummies at bay, at least for a while. Then at Gaurikund, the torturous trek started. We were told it wasn’t going to be as bad at Yamunotri as the climb is less steep. But it wasn’t to be. At around 7 kms, Mummy’s and Dollu’s legs gave in, and they decided to take the horse. I, on the other hand was determined enough to take the walk. Only later to realize, that I was the only hopeful in the attempt. All the other 24 took the horse or equivalent, leaving me in the lurch. Adding to my plight, it was dark already. The streets had no light, poor visibility as I was walking in thick clouds, and to top it all, freezing cold with snow all around me as I made the walk. Hardly anyone at that time, making the yatra; the roads were deserted, quiet and uninviting to say the least. Yet, in all that, I actually felt a thrill and somehow completed the walk. Tired like hell, the moment I reached home, I fell off to sleep, amidst Dollu’s weeping and shivering.
30th May – Early morning saw Mummy and Dollu going for darshan at the temple. I, on the other hand, was too busy sleeping giving my tired muscles a good rest. Soon, at about 8.30, it was time to make the long descent. A good breakfast then was on the cards. The descent also took the whole day, with us reaching the bus in the evening. Then followed a short bus journey of about 55 kms to Chandrapuri; for our night halt. Totally exhausted we were, or atleast I was with close to 30 kms of walking in 24 hrs, there was also another opportunity to catch up with some sleep.
31st May – A 185 kms bus journey to Badrinath was slated for this day. With a lunch halt at Joshimath on the way, the journey was completed. The times had to be followed well, with the way to Badrinath, being one way with gates opening on either side at stipulated times once ever 3 hours. We reached there in the evening, with darshan following immediately. It was quite peaceful darshan, however, standing in the line for a couple of hours. It saved us the hassle of going the next morning.
1st June – Early morning bath in the tapt kund water, felt nice. We left for Nandprayag after that. The chardhams were complete, and now it was all about reaching Rishikesh and getting done with the long trip as soon as possible.
2nd June – We finally reached Rishikesh in the evening. The sudden transition from cold to hot did take its toll on us. Most of us fell ill, and it lingered on for a few days more. We left for Dehradun immediately. We spoke to Bharat Sevashram at Badrinath itself and told them we’re not coming. And then called Dehradun Ramakrishna Mission and told them we were. We reached the ashram, visibly exhausted and took a good night sleep in what was to be quite a hot room but comfortable and clean.
3rd – 5th June – We stayed put at Dehradun considering we were unwell and went to the doctor for recovery. We all had a bad throat to recover from and we thought it’s wise to take some rest. On 5th evening, we went to the ISBT (Inter State Bus Transport) and took a bus at 16.30 hrs directly from Dehradun to Katra. Only one bus plies all day. The bus ride was not very comfortable really and we sat awake in the state transport bus all night.
6th June – We reached Jammu first in the morning en route to Katra. The city was really pretty with the Tawi River flowing right across it. It was raining ever so slightly and wasn’t really hot at that that time of early morning – 5:30 a.m. It stopped for a while and went on to Katra. We reached Katra at about 9 in the morning. We checked into a reasonable and comfortable hotel for the day stay and keep our luggage and rested for a while after the long bus journey. The room was good with a cooler, geyser, TV etc. On some enquiry, we decided to leave in the evening, walk all night and return early next morning. We slept all day and left in the evening. In the evening, the long walk began; a climb of about 12kms one way. The road was well developed. Stoned yes, but shops and eateries all over, are including the plush Café Coffee Day at 2 points en route. At about 2 kms itself, Dollu couldn’t take it any longer; and we had to send her by horse all by herself. Mummy and I were prepared for the long walk. In some miscommunication, we believed that Dollu was going to be horsed right till the temple; which wasn’t to be. The horseman took her by some other route, and we took some other route. In a dramatic sequence of events, Dollu was deemed lost. We had no idea where the horseman dropped her, while we actually walked the entire distance by another route!
7th June – At Vaishnodevi, we knew we had to take the alternate route back now and find her somewhere on the way. It was 12 in the night, and Dollu would have got off the horse somewhere hours ago. So we began preparing for the route back now. After about 2 hours of descending 5 kms, we finally spotted her with another family; also lost in the same case. The horseman takes them in some alternate route, which we don’t take. Anyway, all was well again and we began the climb up yet again! Yes, Mummy and I walked atleast 35 kms all night. The darshan then was amidst very tight security. It went well and not really time consuming. We returned in the morning back to Katra. It was time to vacate the room by 12, and so we left for Jammu. Reached Jammu in the morning and began looking for bookings back to Dehradun. We thought we’d go en route to Dehradun via Chandigarh. We booked for a overnight bus to Chandigarh. We took a few hour trip of Jammu meanwhile and took an AC bus to Chandigarh in the night. It was quite comfortable, with recliner seats and so we slept well.
8th June – Morning we were at Chandigarh from the ISBT of which, we took a connecting bus to Dehradun. The city was really nice. Extremely organized and clean. The roads were very wide. Plus, it wasn’t really hot in the morning as well, so we had a nice time. The connecting bus however was bad. It was hot and stuffy. Anyway, we reached Dehradun early afternoon. We had lunch in a restaurant and headed back for Ramakrishna Mission to take our stuff and head back to Haridwar. However, on reaching there, we were so tired generally; I suggested we’d stay back there for that night. And so we did.
9th June – We left early morning for Haridwar with the entire luggage we had. Some bags were even tearing beyond repair because of excess items, some which we had bought on our trip. We reached Bharat Sevashram in the morning and booked the same room we had earlier for 2 days. We immediately left our stuff and left for Haridwar market. There, we booked for a package tour of Mansadevi and Chandidevi. It was both the ropeways and a bus ride from one temple to the other. It got done much faster than we thought which left us for the whole afternoon to do some shopping. We did so, including an extra bag we’d require to carry residue stuff and ease the pressure of the nearly torn bags. We returned in the evening, after having booked a package tour for the next day to Rishikesh.
10th June – We got up early and left for the Haridwar bus stand. We took a nice deluxe bus and began our day-long jaunt. We visited temples all day. The ones at Haridwar and then we moved on to Rishikesh. We visited the Lakshman Jhoola and the Ram Jhoola and had lunch at the famous Chotiwala restaurant. It was really hot on that day. We were panting while we were walking, but worth the view. It was somewhat déjà vu because it was here where we had begun our Chardham yatra a couple of weeks or so ago. We returned to the Muni ki Reti bus stand and took the bus back to Haridwar. Dollu got off for home thereafter while Mummy and I went for Ganga Pooja at Har ki Pauri. We both immersed ourselves in the chilling currents of the river. All wet and no spares, we walked through the market for last moment shopping. We returned back to the Ashram in the night and began packing. It was going to be a long day the next day, so we wanted no stone unturned that night.
11th June – We finally left Haridwar station early morning by the Shatabdi for Delhi. The train journey again was very comfortable so we didn’t have much problem. We reached Delhi at 11.30 around. We took a rickshaw then from New Delhi station to Hazrat Nizamuddin. We checked in our luggage into the cloak rooms and were left wondering how to kill time till the evening. We took a rickshaw anyway and headed for Lajpat Nagar. A mall we thought we could catch up with a movie and lunch or something. But only the latter materialized. Delhi was sweltering hot. In fact, anything other than an AC at that time was beyond consideration. We went to McDonalds there, and had lunch. We sat there for hours till we actually decided its high time we leave. It was difficult to even walk outdoors and we thought, might as well just head back to the station. Which is what happened eventually, and we spent some hours wasting time at the station. Eventually, the train arrived and we were in. The insides were extremely plush and with good co-passengers we had a really nice time.
12th June – We were to reach in the evening. So it was quite an impatient while we spent in the train. But it was extremely comfortable, and the journey didn’t feel monotonous at all. We finally reached Borivali in the evening, and took a rickshaw back home.
Indeed, the trip had a lot of moments to cherish for a lifetime!
You take care and lots of love - Rara.
Dear Baba
So we are finally back to Mumbai after nearly a month. It was a tiring and hectic trip in general, but a lot of fun as well. It rained here last night, the second time this year at Mumbai after May 31st. I guess now the rains are here to stay, or so it seems. Here is a brief gist of how the trip went on a daily basis.
20th May – Left from home at about 10 in the morning for Borivali as a safe measure. No real problems boarding the train, in spite of the fact that the bag I was carrying was quite heavy to say the least. The train journey wasn’t the best. It was quite hot, but quite bearable so not really unbearable.
21st May – We reached New Delhi station pretty much on time. We headed for the first class waiting rooms with the uncouth assistance of a coolie and sat there for a few hours. The waiting room also was saturated multiple fold. There was hardly place to set foot on the floors swarmed with people sleeping all over, let alone the chairs. We sat around there for a while until it was afternoon and time for the Haridwar train to arrive. We boarded the train with not much hassle. It was a comfortable A/C chair car journey so not really a problem. We reached in the night and went directly to Bharat Sevashram by cycle rickshaw. We got a deluxe room for 3 on fixed payment of 300/- a day with attached bath and balcony. The room was quite comfortable except the heat.
22nd, 23rd May – Did some shopping at Haridwar. Then we went to Ramakrishna Mission for aarati as well; killed time in short. On 23rd evening, we went to Rishikesh by bus. BSA was very close to the railway station as well as the bus stand so not an issue with travelling. We were offcourse carrying luggage for the big package trip but left one bag behind at BSA to avoid overload and pack the unnecessary. Rishikesh was hot as well. Difficult to sleep in the night in the room GMVN provided us. It was a good room, very big but hot ad infinitum. We met the tour guide and gave us briefs about the trip starting the next day. We slept somehow.
24th May – The 258-km bus journey began from Rishikesh at 7 a.m. We were 25 passengers in a bus of 27 as capacity; a family of 3 from Hyderabad, 2 families of 9 and 4 each from Ahmedabad, a family of 4 from Gorakhpur, an elderly couple from Delhi and the 3 of us to be precise. It was a long day, IN THE BUS that is. We went to Dehradun and Mussorie en route. There was a stoppage at Kempty Falls for breakfast and general sightseeing. All through the bus journey was general ice-breaking coupled with boredom. The bus was decent, not the BEST. But yes, quite difficult to tolerate sitting for a long time. GMVN could have done a better job with their buses that’s for sure. With a lunch stoppage as well at Barkot, we finally reached Syanachatti in the evening. It was a really beautiful small village a few kilometers from Yamunotri. We did some shopping there as well, for raincoats in case it does rain the next day. The place was pleasantly cold as well, giving our woolens a good time. The accommodation was fine - A single room for the 3 of us but shared bath. Bath was out of question with the water being tremendously cold. A problem we faced in the entirety of the trip.
25th May – The bus journey began at 6 a.m. A routine from this point forward was early starts; something that I wasn’t used to. An early breakfast and we were off on a short 8 km journey to Hanumanchatti, from where buses would stop plying. We then take a 9km jeep trip to Jankichatti on payment basis, beyond which only Route No. 11 is the left option for a 6-km steep climb. The climb began at 9 in the morning, and went on for about 4-5 hours. It was really horrible with horse-shit lined roads, steep as well making the climb really difficult, that too at first shot! Dollu couldn’t complete the full trip and had to be horsed for some part of the journey. Hence, for her security Mummy had to take one as well. I walked till 5.5 kms beyond which Mummy told me to take a small shot at the horse as well just for the experience. We reached Yamunotri at 1 or so and did darshan. Not for long though, coz now we had to make the long trip back. The descent was tiring as well, but not painful like the ascent, so we managed it quite comfortably. The bus then took us to New Barkot for the night stay. Extremely exhausted, it wasn’t the most pleasant welcome at Barkot with no electricity all night! But considering everyone was so fatigued after the day’s experience, sleep was the only bell ringing on everyone’s mind. The place again was pleasant, so not too much climatic trouble to get sleep.
26th May – A long day in the bus again; this time towards Gangotri. The roads were very risky to drive on with impending landslides the call of the day. Very narrow, one-way traffic so jams were more or less routine. The roads were very scenic with mountains and rivers and streams lining them. Nature was at its best. Gangotri didn’t really have a trek attached to it, much to the relief of the family. As the altitude grew, the temperature slipped. It became colder. What’s more? It was raining outside, a subtle indicator of snowfall up there at Gangotri. Not prepared for it at all, we were in sandals and no gloves to boot. We reached in the evening, the darshan would happen next morning. The overnight stay wasn’t the best because it was chilling cold! The GMVN rest house was bang next to the river, making it extremely scenic and a nice place to get cozy. Totally unaware of what might happen, our woolens were left in the bus, something we would not have access to for the rest of the night.
27th May – Early morning at around 5, we were rudely awoken by neighbours for the pretext to open the windows. Once they were open, we discovered how justified they were to disturb our fond reverie. There was snow anywhere and everywhere. We leapt out of bed with cameras and began our mission. The scenic beauty we witnessed thereafter is something only photographs can convey. We left for darshan at the temple at around 6 in the morning and completed it in almost no time. No lines at Gangotri, at least so early in the morning. We then went on the bus at 9 or so, after a good breakfast, and began heading for Kedarnath. It was a long bus journey on that day, with a lunch halt at Netala, a scenic location on the way to Uttarkashi. We had a night stay at Chinyalisaur, a guest house right on the banks of the Bhagirathi.
28th May – A long day in the bus. The way from Gangotri to Kedarnath, is really long, nearly about a couple of days by bus. Our night stay was at Guptkashi, 35 kms from Gaurikund.
29th May – We began early that morning around 7. Gaurikund was only about 35 kms from there, the place marking the beginning of the 15 kms trek to Kedarnath. Thanks to an immense jam, a place we could’ve reached at 8, we reached at 1.30 p.m. Frustrating it was in the bus, sitting in the stuffy heat to tolerate hours of sitting at one place. That too, many people had left without breakfast, including us thinking we’d reach Gaurikund and have a meal there. With some benevolence of our co-passengers, one went quite a distance in front to get us some Aloo Parathas to keep our tummies at bay, at least for a while. Then at Gaurikund, the torturous trek started. We were told it wasn’t going to be as bad at Yamunotri as the climb is less steep. But it wasn’t to be. At around 7 kms, Mummy’s and Dollu’s legs gave in, and they decided to take the horse. I, on the other hand was determined enough to take the walk. Only later to realize, that I was the only hopeful in the attempt. All the other 24 took the horse or equivalent, leaving me in the lurch. Adding to my plight, it was dark already. The streets had no light, poor visibility as I was walking in thick clouds, and to top it all, freezing cold with snow all around me as I made the walk. Hardly anyone at that time, making the yatra; the roads were deserted, quiet and uninviting to say the least. Yet, in all that, I actually felt a thrill and somehow completed the walk. Tired like hell, the moment I reached home, I fell off to sleep, amidst Dollu’s weeping and shivering.
30th May – Early morning saw Mummy and Dollu going for darshan at the temple. I, on the other hand, was too busy sleeping giving my tired muscles a good rest. Soon, at about 8.30, it was time to make the long descent. A good breakfast then was on the cards. The descent also took the whole day, with us reaching the bus in the evening. Then followed a short bus journey of about 55 kms to Chandrapuri; for our night halt. Totally exhausted we were, or atleast I was with close to 30 kms of walking in 24 hrs, there was also another opportunity to catch up with some sleep.
31st May – A 185 kms bus journey to Badrinath was slated for this day. With a lunch halt at Joshimath on the way, the journey was completed. The times had to be followed well, with the way to Badrinath, being one way with gates opening on either side at stipulated times once ever 3 hours. We reached there in the evening, with darshan following immediately. It was quite peaceful darshan, however, standing in the line for a couple of hours. It saved us the hassle of going the next morning.
1st June – Early morning bath in the tapt kund water, felt nice. We left for Nandprayag after that. The chardhams were complete, and now it was all about reaching Rishikesh and getting done with the long trip as soon as possible.
2nd June – We finally reached Rishikesh in the evening. The sudden transition from cold to hot did take its toll on us. Most of us fell ill, and it lingered on for a few days more. We left for Dehradun immediately. We spoke to Bharat Sevashram at Badrinath itself and told them we’re not coming. And then called Dehradun Ramakrishna Mission and told them we were. We reached the ashram, visibly exhausted and took a good night sleep in what was to be quite a hot room but comfortable and clean.
3rd – 5th June – We stayed put at Dehradun considering we were unwell and went to the doctor for recovery. We all had a bad throat to recover from and we thought it’s wise to take some rest. On 5th evening, we went to the ISBT (Inter State Bus Transport) and took a bus at 16.30 hrs directly from Dehradun to Katra. Only one bus plies all day. The bus ride was not very comfortable really and we sat awake in the state transport bus all night.
6th June – We reached Jammu first in the morning en route to Katra. The city was really pretty with the Tawi River flowing right across it. It was raining ever so slightly and wasn’t really hot at that that time of early morning – 5:30 a.m. It stopped for a while and went on to Katra. We reached Katra at about 9 in the morning. We checked into a reasonable and comfortable hotel for the day stay and keep our luggage and rested for a while after the long bus journey. The room was good with a cooler, geyser, TV etc. On some enquiry, we decided to leave in the evening, walk all night and return early next morning. We slept all day and left in the evening. In the evening, the long walk began; a climb of about 12kms one way. The road was well developed. Stoned yes, but shops and eateries all over, are including the plush Café Coffee Day at 2 points en route. At about 2 kms itself, Dollu couldn’t take it any longer; and we had to send her by horse all by herself. Mummy and I were prepared for the long walk. In some miscommunication, we believed that Dollu was going to be horsed right till the temple; which wasn’t to be. The horseman took her by some other route, and we took some other route. In a dramatic sequence of events, Dollu was deemed lost. We had no idea where the horseman dropped her, while we actually walked the entire distance by another route!
7th June – At Vaishnodevi, we knew we had to take the alternate route back now and find her somewhere on the way. It was 12 in the night, and Dollu would have got off the horse somewhere hours ago. So we began preparing for the route back now. After about 2 hours of descending 5 kms, we finally spotted her with another family; also lost in the same case. The horseman takes them in some alternate route, which we don’t take. Anyway, all was well again and we began the climb up yet again! Yes, Mummy and I walked atleast 35 kms all night. The darshan then was amidst very tight security. It went well and not really time consuming. We returned in the morning back to Katra. It was time to vacate the room by 12, and so we left for Jammu. Reached Jammu in the morning and began looking for bookings back to Dehradun. We thought we’d go en route to Dehradun via Chandigarh. We booked for a overnight bus to Chandigarh. We took a few hour trip of Jammu meanwhile and took an AC bus to Chandigarh in the night. It was quite comfortable, with recliner seats and so we slept well.
8th June – Morning we were at Chandigarh from the ISBT of which, we took a connecting bus to Dehradun. The city was really nice. Extremely organized and clean. The roads were very wide. Plus, it wasn’t really hot in the morning as well, so we had a nice time. The connecting bus however was bad. It was hot and stuffy. Anyway, we reached Dehradun early afternoon. We had lunch in a restaurant and headed back for Ramakrishna Mission to take our stuff and head back to Haridwar. However, on reaching there, we were so tired generally; I suggested we’d stay back there for that night. And so we did.
9th June – We left early morning for Haridwar with the entire luggage we had. Some bags were even tearing beyond repair because of excess items, some which we had bought on our trip. We reached Bharat Sevashram in the morning and booked the same room we had earlier for 2 days. We immediately left our stuff and left for Haridwar market. There, we booked for a package tour of Mansadevi and Chandidevi. It was both the ropeways and a bus ride from one temple to the other. It got done much faster than we thought which left us for the whole afternoon to do some shopping. We did so, including an extra bag we’d require to carry residue stuff and ease the pressure of the nearly torn bags. We returned in the evening, after having booked a package tour for the next day to Rishikesh.
10th June – We got up early and left for the Haridwar bus stand. We took a nice deluxe bus and began our day-long jaunt. We visited temples all day. The ones at Haridwar and then we moved on to Rishikesh. We visited the Lakshman Jhoola and the Ram Jhoola and had lunch at the famous Chotiwala restaurant. It was really hot on that day. We were panting while we were walking, but worth the view. It was somewhat déjà vu because it was here where we had begun our Chardham yatra a couple of weeks or so ago. We returned to the Muni ki Reti bus stand and took the bus back to Haridwar. Dollu got off for home thereafter while Mummy and I went for Ganga Pooja at Har ki Pauri. We both immersed ourselves in the chilling currents of the river. All wet and no spares, we walked through the market for last moment shopping. We returned back to the Ashram in the night and began packing. It was going to be a long day the next day, so we wanted no stone unturned that night.
11th June – We finally left Haridwar station early morning by the Shatabdi for Delhi. The train journey again was very comfortable so we didn’t have much problem. We reached Delhi at 11.30 around. We took a rickshaw then from New Delhi station to Hazrat Nizamuddin. We checked in our luggage into the cloak rooms and were left wondering how to kill time till the evening. We took a rickshaw anyway and headed for Lajpat Nagar. A mall we thought we could catch up with a movie and lunch or something. But only the latter materialized. Delhi was sweltering hot. In fact, anything other than an AC at that time was beyond consideration. We went to McDonalds there, and had lunch. We sat there for hours till we actually decided its high time we leave. It was difficult to even walk outdoors and we thought, might as well just head back to the station. Which is what happened eventually, and we spent some hours wasting time at the station. Eventually, the train arrived and we were in. The insides were extremely plush and with good co-passengers we had a really nice time.
12th June – We were to reach in the evening. So it was quite an impatient while we spent in the train. But it was extremely comfortable, and the journey didn’t feel monotonous at all. We finally reached Borivali in the evening, and took a rickshaw back home.
Indeed, the trip had a lot of moments to cherish for a lifetime!
You take care and lots of love - Rara.
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