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Published: August 8th 2007
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An early morning (4am) start and a sleepy kiss from San saw Rich off in the direction of Haridwar GMOU bus kiosk with a schedule to be back in 5days in order to catch our train from Haridwar to Agra the next morning.
The rickety old bus left at 5am on the long cramped journey to Govinghat. During this world trip we have been on some hair-raising bus journeys but this one took the biscuit. As the beetlenut crazed driver threw the bus round the hairpin bends on the potholed one-and-a-half vehicle wide roads, I peered down the often several hundred metre drops into the river below, the sound of travel sick people throwing up out of the windows. 13 hours and one short stop later I arrived at
Govinghat (1800m as) amazingly still in one piece. As I walked into the one street town I could feel the blood re-entering my legs and it was a relief to be in a sub-30degC climate again for the first time in over 3 months. What was most amazing was the number of elderly pilgrims we saw on the side of the road making the almost 300km journey on foot - a
true pilgrimage!
After a chilly night at Metha Guest House (for 200Rs) I took a icy cold shower and breakfast before starting the long climb (14km rising 1400m) to
Gangaria accompanied by several hundred Sikh pilgrims (many on horse back) who were on there way there as a staging post for a 6 hour climb the following day to Hem Kund a holy site for them. The walk over the next five and a half hours took me through quaint villages, along rivers and over snowfields.
Gangaria is a one street town that is only open for 5 months of the year to accommodate pilgrims to Hem Kund and Valley of the Flowers and the army of ponies and there minders that many take to ease the journey. I took my evening meal at a coffee shop and afterwards got chatting to an Italian guy who had been to the Valley of the Flowers the day before and Nepal the month before. He had lots of info on both places. We were then invited to the only trekking shop in the village by the restaurant owner to view a video of the valley in different seasons - a
taste of things to come. The temperature got noticably colder as the sun set and must have hit sub-zero in the night outside my 3 layers of duvet.
I was checked out, breakfasted and on my way to the
Valley of the Flowers by 6.15am. The walk began with a desent into a river valley and then a steep climb for half a km the other side. Since the park had just opened only days before a large part of the path had been lost with landslides in the next section requiring a bit of improvisation. I then moved out onto a small Glacier and followed a river to the start of the valley proper. I now was surrounded on all sides by sharply rising mountains, several of which topped out at over 8000 metres with the snow line visible on all at around 5000m. The views were just staggering!
Since the trekking season had only just begun, the profusion of flowers that the valley is famous for was not yet prevalent. However, many of the more delicate, ground hugging species were already in full bloom, and this with the awesome scenery gave plenty to marvel at. I spent
7 hours walking to, from and in the valley and arrived back about 1pm. The decision was now whether or not to spend another night in Gangaria and go down the following day or just head off down the hill straightaway. Although feeling tired after the 14km in the valley I decided to chance the desent that afternoon. I had under-estimated the effort it takes even walking down hill and staggered into the guest house at 6pm, eleven hours of walking later, ready to drop. No food, just quality sleep ensued for the following 11 hours. Ahhhhhh.
I had made it down one day earlier than planned to ensure I got back to Haridwar in time - since I planned to take a bus. However, plans changed somewhat as I walked into my now regular eating joint for breakky and bumped into two Malaysian ladies, Patricia and Jennifer, who were leaving for Badrinath for a day trip. Badrinath is another holy site, this time for Hindus some 28km to the North and the end of the road in India. I discussed with them if they were keen to leave the following day in a shared jeep to Rishikesh, so
Looking down the valley...
as to avoid the near death bus experience again. They were keen and so the plan was adjusted and I got an extra day in the Himalayas... great!
We jumped on a private bus with a bunch of friendly, drum banging, singing Hindu pilgrims and arrived in Badrinath a few hours later - yes 2 hours for 28km! Many of the steep switchback mountain roads operate a one way traffic system where by a batch is released one way for an hour, then the other. This system is a great idea in practise but, as is so often the case in India, idea and practise are worlds apart. Due to simple bribing of the police controlling the traffic, vehicles that are prepared to pay are released while the opposite flow has priority. The result is, in a word, chaos. Highly amusing in hindsight though....
Badrinath temple itself is a small semi-interesting place mobbed by people - but as is always the case with these places it is the people and their behaviour that is most interesting. Sadus sitting around for handouts having rejected all things commercial. People barging and pushing to enter the temple
or to bath in the ice cold river - one of the prerequisites before entering. Next we decided to take the 5km walk on fairly flat terrain to Mana, the last village before the Chinese border. It was amazing the number of Tibetan/Nepali looking people here amongst the slate roofed jumble of houses.
We arrived back in Govinghat at sundown with the help of the same bus load of pilgrims that we had made the journey up with. After a bite to eat we agreed to meet at 6.45am at the jeep departure place, less than 20 metres from the restaurant and our guest houses - I told you it was a small place.
A dizzy, dry and dusty (and fortunately non-eventful) 10 hour jeep ride the following day down to Rishikesh saw Patricia and Jennifer alight in search of a soothing massage - See you in Malaysia ladies!
I toyed with the idea of a short look around Rishikesh but tiredness got the better of me. So I asked the driver, who by this time was looking pretty exhausted himself, (he makes this journey every day!,) to drop me off the 30 mins further on outside of Haridwar
where Mohal Ashram was located. His eyes smiled again as I passed him a generous tip.
It was a relief to find San in good spirits and pleased to see me. We spent a while exchanging stories and then took an early night in preparation for our 4.30am rise for the train the following morning.
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Jo Kissick
non-member comment
Fantastic photos
Hey Rich, Why aren't you working for national geographic! News! Mark and I are now the proud parents of 3 1/2 month old Liam Oliver Robinson. He's very well behaved...just like his Dad!!