Indiahike’s vehicles—a tempo traveller and two cabs—were waiting opposite to Dehradun Railway Station. I reached there by 6:30 AM. New Delhi to Dehradun – Nanda Devi Express, on which few trekkers would be arriving, was late by an hour. This delayed our start by another hour and half. The tempo traveller I was in had people from … [Read more…]
A visit to Tapkeshwar temple I had decided to take the day off from travelling in order to recuperate for the upcoming trek. Still, I couldn’t let myself from venturing out to Tapkeshwar temple—the other place mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide. One good thing about Dehradun was that most of the important places were … [Read more…]
It was still raining in Mussoorie, although the weather was not that bad as the last day. I packed all my stuff and left the Lonely Planet: India guide in the hotel room. I did not want to carry a bulky book now that I had two more interesting books with me. Prior to abandoning … [Read more…]
It had rained all night. When I woke up, it was still raining. Nothing was visible through the windows of my hotel room. At times, small particles of hail bounced off the angled shed below and bombarded the glass panes of the window. Eventually, at 11:00 AM, I gave up my hopes of the weather clearing … [Read more…]
Speedrun from Harsil I had booked a spot for Har-ki-Doon trek that started on 15th. That would be about four days from today. I wanted to explore Mussoorie and Dehradun before that. Also, I had to be at a specific spot in Dehradun on 15th early morning. Maninder, the hotel’s manager had asked the driver … [Read more…]
Slight hiccup and a late departure The owner of Hotel Govind Palace in Uttarkashi mentioned of a vehicle that left for Harsil everyday before sunrise. He did not know the timings, so he advised me to wait for it by 6:00 AM. He also mentioned that I could easily go to Harsil, roam around for … [Read more…]
From New Tehri to Uttarkashi New Tehri was more or less characterised by offices and a large reservoir—the end of which has the reknowned Tehri dam. It also served as a hub that connected most of the Garhwal region. Mr. Moti Ram had already shown me the dam. The other interesting thing was to go … [Read more…]
I wanted to pay a visit to Pandukeshwar and Tapovan. I reached the taxi stand at 7:30 AM—very early by the standards of the hill. The taxi stands for both these places are located on either sides of the road that ascends to Auli from the eastern side of Joshimath. I waited for two hours … [Read more…]
Last night, while I was on phone with Mogit, I felt the building shake. I thought it might have been some heavy vehicle passing in front of the hotel. I found no traces of any vehicle in the darkness outside my room’s balcony. It wasn’t until today morning that I got to know that an earthquake of … [Read more…]
I must admit that the cold made me a lot lazier. I didn’t feel like waking up before 7:30 AM. Hotel Heaven felt further from its namesake with its rooms and room service. I had to wake up the caretaker for some hot water so that I could make some tea. What I was given was lukewarm water, … [Read more…]
