"Chanderkhani" - The heaven on earth.

Level: - Easy to moderate.
Season: - April to June.
Route: - Seobagh- Malana Dam- Behali- Waching- Nagroni- Chanderkhani Pass- Nauyatapru.

Chanderkhani Pass, located in the Shivalik range of Kullu region at a height of 12,190 ft is the most beautiful pass I had ever trekked till date. This region is also well-known as the “Valley of Gods”. The pass is named as “Chanderkhani” as it resembles  the shape of a crescent moon .

                 I am a part of Youth Hostels Association of India, and this trek was a part of 10 Days program organized by YHAI. As the busy schedule of the program and working there as a program officer with YHAI my stay was mostly in  Seobagh, the base camp of the Chanderkhani Pass 2014. As time permitted me from the busy program schedule, I got a chance to hit the higher camps on the way to Chanderkhani Pass.

             And here my Journey begins to the Moon (the Crescent shaped chanderkhani Pass)

Day 1:-Seobagh – Malana Dam project 2 – Behali (Altitude - 8900 ft) – Waching (Altitude – 9300 ft) (6 km) (3-4 hrs)

On the very day we drove till Malana Dam project 2, the last motorable road head in that direction. The weather on the very day wasn’t in our favor.  It was raining heavily, so we had to stop and wait till it stops. After about half an hour I decided to leave the vehicle and to start my journey to the higher camps as I had to cover as much distance I can during that day light time. So I started on my own, at around 12:00 pm I reached the Behali camp site, I spent around one hour at Behali relaxed with a good cup of tea by the river side along with some tasty parathas. From there on I had take help in order to guide me through the route, so I asked one of the helper of the campsite to guide me till the next campsite, Waching. Then we decided to take the shortest route to reach the next camp site as soon as possible. 

After walking through the steep climbs for about one and half hour finally we meet the group who was trekking from Behali to Waching, at the lunch point. They were playing cricket at the small ground flat in surface in between those mountains  near the canteen, run by the local people of that area .Later , after an hour we started our journey to the next camp site- Waching.After reaching Waching we all rested and relaxed for a while and it were already time for dinner. After our meal, I sat down in the open area near the camp bounded by snow covered mountains and was enjoying the cold and the clear sky with stars glittering like diamonds.

Day 2:- Waching – Nagroni. (Altitude – 10000 ft) (5 km) (5-6 hrs)

 We started our journey after an energetic breakfast and lunched packed for the day. The path leading us to Nagroni is through a forest covered with trees like deodar, rhododendrons and pine trees with steep climb in between. As after few hours, we stopped for lunch on the way, it starts raining but after a while it stops. At around 4:30 pm we reached the camp site, people on the campsite were waiting to welcome us. After having a cup of tea I went to explore the nearby area but it started raining again so had to rush back to the camp site.

Day 3:- Nagroni – Chanderkhani Pass (Altitude- 12,190ft)– Nayatapru. (Altitude –   9000ft) (13Km) (8-9 Hrs)

  The next day we woke up at 5:00 am to start the trek as soon as possible but bad luck, we had to wait for a while as it was raining Around 6:00 am we decided to start our trek for the day. Due to continuous rain the path had become slippery and had made our trek tougher. After few hours it started to snow and it continued till we reached the pass. The guides and Sherpa had fixed ropes for the safety of the group in order to cross the danger point at the pass . The pass was covered with snow beautifully but  the danger  was there if someone slips in the slopes. Luckily everyone crossed the slopes safely. One of the participants started  facing  breathing  problem, after crossing the pass also due to his negligence in covering himself up with  proper warm clothes and his clothes were all wet , so we had asked him to change his cloth with dry ones . The guide shared  some warm clothes with him,  and helps the participants to take some  oxygen from the oxygen cylinders we had carried along.

                It’s always been fun to slide on snow. Now the fun part has started we had sliding points that leads us to the way towards the canteen run by local people. Once we reached the sliding point it started snowing again so we had to rush to cover as much distance as we can. We all were wet due to the rainfall and snowing during the trek. Finally we had  reached the canteen safe and sound and ordered some tea . Hands were shivering due to the freezing cold so we were not even able to grab the tea glasses properly. With one sip I could feel the hot liquid flowing inside my body.  While we were enjoying the tea and maggi it start snowing heavily and in a while the roof of the canteen was a half covered roof canteen due to the wind .However we manage to grab the sheet and put it back. The whole area turn white due to the fresh snow, after waiting for some time we started our trek to our next camp site ,Nayatapru. We reached the camp site at around 6:00 PM. I quickly changed my clothes to some warm and dry clothes to prevent from getting cold and grab a cup of tea in the kitchen.

Day 4:- Nayatapru – Rumsu – Nagar (Altitude- 6716 ft) - Seobagh.

The next day we headed towards Rumsu village, the route was covered with pine trees and the last few kms were rocky till we reached the village. Without wasting much time there at the village we headed towards Seobagh by bus ,to relax at the camp site as soon as possible.

“Moments at The Golden City”-Jaisalmer

Region:- Rajasthan.

Route:- Delhi - Jaisalmer - Kuldhara Village - Sam Dunes - Delhi.

This time it was a chance to be with royal heritage .And the journey begins on 31^st January, 2014, we departed from Delhi to Jaisalmer by Delhi Jaisalmer Express from Old Delhi railway station at 17:30 hrs.We were all set to enjoy the 15 hours long train journey to Jaisalmer, the largest district of Rajasthan, which is well known as “The Golden City”. It is a part of the Indian Thar desert. We arrived there at around 12:30 hrs next day. From Jaisalmer Railway station we headed towards our Hotel the bookings were done before hand.

Day 1: We all had taken some time to relax and refresh ourselves. Now it was the time to explore “the Golden City” .We hired a jeep for this and started the tour.

It all began with Patwa Havelis, built in 19^th century with yellow stone with marvellous and fine carvings in it. It’s a well planned construction made and I was amazed by the techniques that were used to control the temperature inside the havelis, which makes the temperature inside the havelis much cooler as compared to the temperature outside.  Climbing on to the top of the haveli, its terrace, there you could see the whole city; you can even have a nice view of the outer structure of the fort. We took our next drive towards Gadi Sagar Lake, which is a man made reservoir in order to meet the demand of water in ancient time. Tilon Ki Pol is a two storied entrance gate to the lake.

Finally we were on our way to the only living fort of the world situated on Trikuta hill. The wall of the fort is made of block of stones which are placed in vertically and horizontally alternatively to make it stick to each other without the help of any binding agent (cement as used now). The fort is bounded with three walls. The first surrounded wall supports the Trikuta hill. The second wall takes the shape of a snake surrounding all around the fort and the last wall was made as a safety wall during wars, used by the soldiers to pour hot oil or water and massive block on their enemies. And surprisingly you will still find some blocks lying at the top. The families residing inside the fort are mainly Rajputs and Brahmins.

As the sun goes down, the colour of the fort seems to be golden in colour. So, it was named as “Sonar Killa” which means Golden Fort. After exploring the fort, we decided to go for an evening tea with lots of snack to munch on to compensate the lunch that we had skipped J . So, we decided to take it in, in a Roof-top Tibetan Restaurant. ‘’ Amazing weather and tasty food ’’.

Day 2: The next day we were all set to go to real treasure in Jaisalmer, the desert. We hired a vehicle for Sam dunes and also decided to visit Kuldhara village on our way.  It’s an add on destination for the Jaisalmer tourist. An entry fee of 10 rupees per person was charged.

               Kuldhara Village is a 400 year’s old abandoned Paliwal Brahmins village, which is about 15 kms away from the city. The story that is still believed by the people about Kuldhara was that the ruler at that point of time wanted to marry the daughter of the chief of Kuldhara. The Chief had no option other than accepting the proposal.  So, they decided to leave the village. Within 24 hours all the villagers left for good from Kuldhara. There were 84 villages of this community nearby .It is also believed that the Kuldhara land is cursed  that if any one try to settle down  in the land will face dead.

The scenario of Kuldhara Village, once you enter you will see the broken walls, empty structures and temples. There are only two house one of the chief and other of is executive, along with a temple, which are maintained even now.

After spending some moments at the village we headed towards Sam dunes. The roads were well maintained, it’s a smooth sail towards our destination. We arrived at our camp site “Royal Desert Camps”. 

We had done the pre-bookings. We were offered Swiss Tents for our stay. We dropped in our luggage in our tents and then rushed for our camel safari, as it was time nearing to sun set at the dunes, which was the main attraction.  Started the desert ride on the camel back, all excited!! Paid extra tips for a safari to an isolated place, as the places nearby are crowded with tourist and to experience a camel race in the dunes.

Took a Break just for to say “cheese’’ & to capture some wonderful moments spend out there.

As the sun went down we returned to the camp site. The camp owners has organised a cultural program for the guests, it was fun & relaxing!!! .

Day 3: The next day we started our journey back to Jaisalmer city, taking all the memories along. After an hour or so we decided to grab on some Rajasthani lunch at “The Jaisal Treat”.

Awesome food, service & ambience that we had in “The Jaisal Treat”. We had our return train tickets back to Delhi the same day, so we rested for some time and got ready to go back to our normal life routine with loads of memories.

Thank you Jaisalmer! Thank you friends!!! For the wonderful trip.... 

Days with ‘FLYING FOX ASIA’ at Neemrana Fort.

Region:- Neemrana Fort, Rajasthan.

Route:- Delhi - Jaipur Highway.

Those were the days when I was a part of Flying Fox Asia, a UK based adventure organization, as an intern for 6 months. I would compliment my luck to get such an opportunity to the enjoy the most unique aerial journey above the Neemrana fort on the zip lines.

A zip-line, also known as a flying fox is one where one slide down a fixed stainless cable due to gravity with the help of a pulley attached to a harness. The zip lines are fixed in an inclined formed slightly upward at the other end, i.e. A stretch ‘U’. The basic concept of zipping was influenced by Hollywood, where one slide down the cable car wire with the help of leather belt.

6^th Jan, 2011.

Excited and anxious on my first day at the office, I reported to Sanjay, the site manager. On the very day I was asked to be with a group of people as one of them, who came to enjoy the awesome ride on the zip line. We hike for about 1.5 km to reach the starting point. We were accompanied by Rebecca, mostly known as Bex by teammates was my mentor at flying fox and our superman Raj as instructors. The first thing was  a session on Do’s and Don’ts at the top. Everyone except me had practiced before zipping on the real cable. Then finally the trip started Raj was the first among who flew down, I was the next person, I was quite nervous, but when I got clipped to the cable and I zip down through the cable, the feeling was amazing. The most important thing that to be taken care of is the control and the balance. Since everything depends on self control and consciousness, need to be careful at the same time as the control of the speed lies in your hands. The Neemrana site has five zip lines with different length.  My first zipping experience came to an end with lots of learning during the process.  Kulman Chai (tea) and a puff... After a tiring trip taste awesome makes the mind and body relaxed, but it's available only for staff. Finally, my first day came to an end with an awesome experience.

My training started from the next day onwards; started with the  checking of the cable, nuts, collars, u-bolt, etc. and opening of  the zip lines for clients which continues for a few days. Every Tuesday at the first half there is a training session for staff and finally came my first Tuesday with Flying Fox. I had a session on rescue and mock drills on first aid. Lucky enough to get  a positive feedback from my trainer (Bex) which has motivated me to work hard more and more. After a few days of training and a good remark on my report card, I was qualified and was appointed as a bottom bag instructor and to work with groups.

An incident which made me excellent on rope, I would like to share with you all, it was a day same as any other day I was on the zipping trip accompanied by Sanjay as top bag instructor with a couple of families from England.There was a little girl of around 12-13 yrs along with them. We trek up, then had the session of do’s and Don’ts, then we started our trip. Due to the wind movement on the day, the zip lines were running slow. We completed the first zip line and moved towards the second zip line (400 mts) which is named as “Where Eagles Dare” since I was the bottom bag instructor I had to zip down first and guide the people at the other end. Everything was going well then the small girl (sorry I forgot her name) zipping down the line suddenly got stuck in the middle. I was totally confused what to do at that very moment, since I had not rescued anyone from the cable other than my staff members during practice. Finally, I passed the message to the base through walkie talkie that I am on the cable for rescue. I was not confident enough whether I will be able to rescue without rope so I carried the rescue rope as back up. I zipped down the cable to the place she was stuck, in the middle of the line; she was scared, crying and  shivering. I looked down and understood her situation, hanging on a cable at that height above the ground, rescued her without the help of the rope. That particular day has helped me to realize my confidence and to be confident on the rope forever.

Kailash, Kapil(Master ji) and Kulman ,we all stayed together in the same accommodation,had some wonderful time  and memories with them both during work & after office hours too. After a few months Bex and Timo had left for UK since they had completed their contract with flying fox. Then came our new senior instructor George, who was transferred from Jodhpur site to Neemrana. Had some good time with George on the cable and as well as without the cable. Had a learned a lot from him. Thanks George!

I would give a special mention & thanks to  Chacha(Steve) our technical master, John and Dickee.

Had lots of learning and fun during my days at Neemrana.         

I am now finally qualified as a top bag instructor before my contract end with them.

I will surely recommend this experience, i.e. zipping on the line which is safe and unique.

Kheerganga, an ideal place to relax.

Region:- Parvati Valley, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh.

Route:- Delhi – Bhuntar – Kasol – Barshaini – Rudra Nag - Kheerganga – Delhi.

Another addition to my travel experience is a beautiful place in the Himalayan region;Kasol ,is situated on the bank of river Parvati situated at height of 1640 meters in the state of Himachal Pradesh . This time I am accompanied by my wife and my travel buddies- shortly a team of 8 friend’s .We boarded a bus and started our journey towards Kasol at around 1600 hrs. It was an overnight journey and the next morning we arrived Bhuntar at around 0600 hrs. From bhuntar we had to change our bus till Kasol. We hired a taxi to Kasol and arrived at Kasol around 0830 hrs. We checked few hotels that were available at the town and finally booked our room with hotel, which was quite, budget friendly, a few meters away from the main town. 

The beauty of the place was polished with drizzling as an addition to its beauty. After spending few hours at the hotel we decided to explore the Kasol town. Awesome bakery stuffs at the german bakery, good numbers of restaurants and shops with woollen garments. We had a wonderful night at the hotel with awesome food.

Next morning we woke up, stuffed with delicious breakfast and then started our journey towards Barshaini on a hired vehicle.

We hired a local guide, to take us to the way towards Kheerganga from Barshani. On the way there was a dam which was under construction. Here we found the confluences of Parvati and Tosh rivers. After a little stiff climb we reached an area of apple cultivation, the red apple trees added colours to the beautiful valley. It was drizzling on that day which had made the route little bit harder for us.

After trekking for few hours we reached Rudra Nag, a Shiva temple with a waterfall nearby which s resembles the shape of a snake, so the name “Rudra Nag” was given. We rested for few minutes to enjoy the immense beauty of the nature.

Oh! Here comes the harder part of the trek, from here the route till Kheerganga was steeper as compared to the one we had covered till now. The route passes through a deep forest covered with tall and green woods.

At last we reached the heaven...as named by my wife; a flat area “Kheerganga” covered with fog added with few cafe’s, guest house and shops. On the top most area, a little ahead of the cafe’s and guest houses, there is a Shiva temple and a hot spring water. There were separate bathing areas for men and women. It is believed that this water is a good healing agent.

Next morning we all were excited to take the pleasure of the hot spring water pool, it was relaxing & refreshing not only to the body but as well as the mind, after a trek of more than 11kms. 

Sitting ideal at the pool, with fresh air and aura of the mountain is unique, the experience is unique I must say. I would love to spend more & more time in this place but we all had to rush back to Delhi, to be on our life trek.