Leh-Ladakh- the ultimate adventure (part 1)

No man’s land but definitely every shutterbug’s dream destination, where even a novice can get the best captured shots. I am sure it is every individual’s ultimate dream destination. Be it a family outing or teenager’s spree or especially a friendly excursion.

I happened to board a flight at Santacruz domestic airport which dropped me off at Delhi airport from where I boarded a connecting flight to Srinagar. Once at Srinagar let me warn you, only the people having a post paid account are most likely to get range from there onwards. I experienced a problem as I did not know about it.

The Srinagar Airport is definitely one of the best airports I might have come across. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and boat-houses. I was lucky to have my accommodation in a boat-house which floats on one of the postcard lakes of Kashmir, the Dal Lake. You could select your own houseboat. If you are a big group of people you can book the entire houseboat, else you could select a single room in it. We had an airport pickup facility, which could actually turn out to be a boon if you are new to the place. You can opt for a vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian menu. We had a buffet system for our food, which was served on a lush and well maintained lawn with very beautiful flower beds.

Our boat house was a very nice and well maintained one, but it creaked a lot, apart from that there was no other issue. The staff was helpful and the service was very nice. The boathouse had a very cozy parlor with its very own library. Every room is fully carpeted and well furnished. The beds had locally hand woven blankets. The intricate wooden carvings on the windows and the partition between the bedroom and changing room were worth looking at. The room has an attached bathroom. Hot water could be an issue as it is provided only for a certain period of time.

After evening tea and snacks we went for the so profoundly talked of Shikara ride. It was paradise on earth. The waters were absolutely serene with certain areas having sheets of yellow lilies through which the boat ventures. The hills provided the best backdrop one can imagine, and the reflection of the sky in the water was just pretty. The continuous beats of rowing by the Shikara rower and watching the surrounding could lull you to sleep and be relaxed. For those who are enthusiastic on clicking pictures like me you will definitely not be bored. You could even keep your eyes open for various kinds of birds mostly water birds but I happened to see a roosting black kite.

Apart from that you can come across many other Shikaras which are actually shops from where you could buy stuff and people riding Shikaras which happen to be school bus services for kids. The kids there are also very sweet, with red chubby cheeks and the sweetest smile; you will definitely fall in love with them at once. The Shikara will take you to the famous boat bazaar on Dal Lake where you can do your shopping. Once done we were bought back to our houseboat on Shikaras via the Nagin Lake which is another major tourist attraction in Srinagar.

The following day we were to move out of Srinagar to continue our journey..

To be continued..

Rafting on Ganga, Rishikesh (part2)

Second day we had the longest rafting route of the trip a whooping 35kms!! Had an early breakfast and left by road for a higher access point to the Ganga from where we would start our journey. The rapids we faced were just amazing and we had body surfing which not only sounds cool but it actually was cool. The water into which we asked to jump was bone chilling but I won’t freak you out, you start enjoying the little ripples right after you are absolutely numb. My advice do not get scared of the chilling water, else you will miss the fun of trying to get back in the raft. Every raft has a guide on board and you have to listen to their guidance else you are definitely doomed. No more question marks you will get the hang of it in the trial trip. We had the most mesmerizing packed lunch en-route, on a little island filled with pebbles of attracting and varying colors. All tired and exhausted we were back at base camp, but the strength was still on and our hungry tummies were happy to see the served tea and yummy snacks. Unfortunately we were followed by bad weather hence had to rush to our tents to pack our stuff into bags as the staff told us if it gets to windy the tents could not be accessible. Once done, we were out on the serene beach for a session of volley ball which soon turned out to be a rainy session. It didn’t crush our spirits, but certainly chilled our bodies. That night we were all huddled together around the camp fire singing our hearts out as the rain had stopped and had definitely failed to obstruct our spirit.

The third day we had a rest day where in, we were to spot at Jumping Heights a place which kind of explains itself.  It has the highest bungy jump which is at a whooping height of 250m with a giant swing from the same bridge (you definitely need guts) no sissies allowed. Once you do either of these activities you earn a ‘I have guts’ batch. Other activity that you can opt for is the 1km flying fox in which you attain unimaginable speed of 160km/hr. The jumping heights base has its own resort. In the evening we chilled out at CCD which was located near Ram-Jhula where were going to be attending the famous Ganga aarti. It was a blissful experience and the melody there could actually make us feel the divinity and purity of the place. Once cleansed and rejuvenated we were back at our campsite ready to challenge our difficulties.

The final day on the agenda we were going to be facing our most major rapids rated as grade 3+. We left the campsite with our entire luggage which was to be kept on the bus. We started at a point known as Marine Drive, this was unimaginably the most awaited day, and one could feel the excitement in the air. We had a cliff jump which is a 30ft jump with body surfing in a rapid.  We ventured into our final route on the Ganga, perched on our rafts with paddles on hand, ready to tackle the grade 3+ rapids. Jotting down a few  rapids here, the first rapid we came across was known as good morning rapid, followed by 3 blind mice, black money, cross fire, and the two most dangerous ones the roller coaster where in our raft technically flipped and the last was the golf course. Boy! Were we glad that it was done! What followed next was carrying the raft out of the water to the awaiting vehicle; it was so exhausting we didn’t anticipate it to be that heavy. A temporary tent was put for changing into dry clothes. Sadly, our trip was over. With joy in our hearts, with many lessons learnt and having had the most amazing adventure the trip had come to an end, the bus took us back to Haridwar station where we were to board our Lokmanya Tilak LTT express directly to Mumbai.

Rafting on Ganga, Rishikesh (part 1)

Rafting on Ganga, Rishikesh

Just came back after a thrilling adventure camp from the religious place of Rishikesh.

The ultimate gateway to the Himalayas located in the Uttarakhand district of India it is located approximately 20kms from the holy city of Haridwar.

The name Rishikesh means master of senses and very rightly suggested it can thrill your senses to the absolute core.One of the major attractions filled with adventure and thrill is the option of rafting,. Added attractions are bungy jumping, giant swing, flying fox, cliff jumping on the serene Ganges. Rafting on the holy river is in itself a pleasurable experience.

We boarded the garib rath at bandra terminus Mumbai and alighted at Rohila, Delhi and then were transferred by bus to New Delhi where we boarded the Darjeeling janashatabdi to Haridwar (mid-station) then transferred to campsite by bus.

For those who want to enjoy stays in tents and the wilderness there are many places to choose from.I stayed at Camp Rapidfire, located an hour and a half from Rishikesh you have to trek down from the main road. Hiking back up, every-time you have to go out, may be tiresome for few, but it definitely is not a negative when you actually see the camp site.With a sprawling white sandy beach having its own volleyball courts and welcoming tents with your very own sleeping bags, this campsite is definitely worth experiencing.The staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was awesome. The amazing thing is you have an option of veg & non-veg.

Apart from that at the campsite the major issue is there is no electricity you have to carry torches and there are gasoline lanterns which light the entire campsite at night which is a very pretty picture having to watch silhouettes of the tents.  But just in-case you want to get your phones charged you could request the staff to charge it for you (don’t worry they are absolutely trustworthy).

On our first day at the campsite we had a warm up rafting session where we were briefed about the gear and given general instructions on paddling. We then ventured into the Ganges for our first taste of what rafting exactly is. This apparently was a 12km long stretch. Sounds tiring, right? Trust me it isn’t, we didn’t even realize it, what with trying to maneuver the raft (which is actually not as easy as it looks) and getting our commands right. We lost ourselves in it. We reached back to campsite for a really late but appetizing lunch. Evening was the bonding and games session......

to be continued...