This trip was something I was looking forward to. But it almost got cancelled due to variety of reasons that don’t need a mention here. But I am really happy that it finally happened.
We set out on a Innova at 10 pm on Friday zooming through on the highways on breakneck speed. The driver really had an penchant for speed. He went on a minimum of 60 even on hilly roads. He seemed to be taking a pride in all the accidents he had precipitated while he was driving a car, a bus, stories about which he related to us. With movies on the dvd player and endless talk we never knew how time flew and we were soon on the rocky terrains. Himalayas with their breathtaking ambience were before us. You can keep watching the view of mountains stretching out in the morning sun.
We reached the hill station Muktheswar. It was a really sleepy and relaxed town. People walked about with out any hurry. They were laidback in everything they did. Their manners were cordial and their patience seemed unlimited. I wished I could set up an technology park in that place and recruit these people and spoil and destroy all the calm and tranquility existing in that place. Put them in an deadline mode.
We checked into the resort. Well those people do deserve a special mention. They just fell over each other to care for the customers. There was a warmth in the way they behaved. They provided us with anything we asked for especially food and stuff with out sulking like the hotelier staff of the cities or putting up absurd rules to trouble the customer.
Soon we were ready for the adventure sports stuff. First we went to a place called chauthi jaali. Here a 500 ft cliff jutted out of 25000 ft mountain . So when u stand on the cliff and look down it is all empty down there u look straight into a valley thousands of feet deep. Quite scary imagining the possibilities. So it was near this place we were gonna indulge in our adventure sports.
First was Rappelling. This was about going down a rock .on the whole it was easy. But the first few steps do scare you heavily. U just have lean back going perpendicular to the rock with a rope for support with only air under you and depths of rocky cliff waiting for you below. So taking those initial steps when u shift from a vertical position to an horizontal position perpendicular to rocky slope is the toughest part. After that u will enjoy going down the rocks.
Next was rock climbing. This was tougher but was not as frightening as the first one. But when u are right in the middle of the climb it could get scary when you struggle for handgrips and footholds. But it sure is exciting. There are times when u have to remove your left foot from a foothold and put in your right foot there with only ur hands in small apertures in rock for support so in that moment when both ur feet are in air it does get exhilarating. This was great fun.
And towards the later part in the day we went on a night trek when it got dark. This place was absolutely dark when the sun went down. With the torch lights for direction we started out into the wild vegetation on the hills. There were places where it was greatly slippery and wet. It was imperative you don’t slip to your sides which were the sloppy hillsides. You could go rolling several feet down. But after doing this you cannot stop being excited. Then we reached the top. The view here was amazing. And the starry sky was a feast for the eyes. At that height the sky was much clearer the stars felt closer. But the best part was the Milky Way, which really looked like the highway to the heaven as described in the mythologies. This was amazing and you felt one with stars and amazed at your irrelevance in the vast universe.
And we came back to the resort and sat enjoying the view of sky in the cool confines. It really was a relaxing experience for the mind.
Next day all recharged we went for the River crossing on the rope. This was again exciting as you went your way tied to a rope and using the rope tied across the banks to cross a river, which gurgled past us from a waterfall. This was an exciting and zooming experience. Going across the rope as the river roared its way down hill was an experience to remember.
After that we spent the day on rocks as some of my friends spent the day going rappelling to greater depths. Then we had the view of sunset in the mountains which was an ethereal feeling also we watched the mountains of nandadevi, trishul and many more which left you wondering at the intricacies of the nature.
The next day we started for nainital. This place with its lake and mountains is a tourist destination. We enjoyed the boating especially the pedaling thing. The calm waters of the lake are so different from the seawaters I am used to. After that we wanted to go by a cable car to enjoy the view of the mountains and scenic beauty of nainital, but exigencies of time never left us with an option.
So after that great trip we were back on the journey back home. This was the only thing perhaps which left us tired. After the great experience and lots of photographic memories, which we managed to capture in the digicams, we were back to the daily routine of jobs and stuff and a mountain of work again awaits you. After this trip you sure are rejenuvated and raring to go for more and no mountains of work are gonna bog us down. Here we go.....
and if u wanna look at the photos here is the link....
The photos of the trip
