Paris : the top international tourist destination

I searched the net for the top tourist destination in the world. The answer that came up is Paris, the capital city of France. It is followed by Spain and the US. Data published by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on international tourist arrivals ratifies this. The tourism figures for year 2006 can also be viewed at this Info-please page. The figure of 79 million tourists for France in 2006 is way ahead of second place Spain (58.5 million).

Paris and its surrounding suburbs, known as the Ile-de-France, boast a population of roughly 10.5 million people. Just over two million of those live in Paris proper. The three most popular tourist attractions in France are the Disneyland Paris, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre.

Looking to visit Paris in near future. Finding accommodation online is not tough these days. But here is a site - Paris Hotels, which you can use to find accommodation in Paris.

Taj revisited

I have revisted the Taj this weekend after 21 years. The trip got extended to Bharatpur. The visit to Agra do not fill me with pleasant memories, because I found that Agra is a hopeless place to visit. The only saving grace for Agra is the Taj.

However, I had enjoyed the stay at Bharatpur, mainly because of the peacefulness of the place. A small town on the Agra - Jaipur Highway, it apperaed to me to be a perfect weekend gateway from Delhi. Despite the dried up lakes in the once famous Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the two forays we made into the park was nice experiences. The details of the trips will be up in next few days.

Fatal photography : Man mauled to death by tigers in zoo

This is a true story about which many of which might have read in leading India dailies. One Jaiprakash Bezbaruah, aged 50, was killed by two tigers at the Guwahati zoo on 18th Dec, 2007. But I have collected some photos published in local dailies from Guwahati which will make you feel how horrific was the incident.

This is how it took place : Jaipraksh, who hails from another town, came for a visit of the zoo at Guwahati with his family on the fateful day. Not heeding to warnings, he tried to photograph two tigers in a cage by putting his hand inside the cage, may be in an attempt to get a good shot. That urge for good shot proved fatal for him. One of the tiger attacked so swiftly that he could not even pull his hand out. The tiger cuaght his arm and pulled him towards the cage. The other tiger in the cage also joined soon. They even punched on the face of the hepless victim, resting on the grills of the cage. Imagine all this took place in front of his wife and two young sons. The guards and other visitors tried to make the tigers leave his hand by using sticks. You can see the sticks on the photo at top.f you look closely, you can see both the tigers. But the tigers did not relent till they chopped his hand off at its root. Then they feasted on the hand. Jaipraksh fell down unconscious by the time the tigers left him. He probably have died by then because of excessive bleeding, and may be because the tigers pounced on his face as well. He was declared brought dead in hospital. Ironically, these tigers were ot man eaters. They were breeded in some place at Karnataka. This has perplexed the zoo authorities as well. One should know that most tigers in zoos are man eaters. If a tiger turns man eaters, attempt is made to catch it. They are killed only if repeated attempt to catch them fails. If cought successfully, they are sent to the zoos.

This is a big lesson for all of us. We often tend to get too close for a better view of animals in zoo thinking that caged animal can not do anything. But if your death is imminent, anything can happen.

Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary

Sulatnpur is 65 km from Delhi and 15 km from Gurgaon. But we did not know its exact location. We had tried to find road directions from friends who had been there. The common answer was that they had reached there after asking here and there. Nobody could tell us exactly where we should leave NH8. All we could find was that it is on Gurgaon – Jhajjar road.

Thus our journey continued beyond Gurgaon and we had even crossed Manesar. Asking locals on the way was of not much help either. We found that locals call it Sultanpur Jheel. So you need to add Jheel to Sultanpur to ask for road direction. If you tell Sultanpur National park or Sanctuary, most will draw blank faces. Finally we got one old man who could tell us to leave NH8 at the crossing about 3km ahead and take the turn to Panchgawan and then reach Sulatnpur Jheel via Farukhnagar. This point on NH-8 had a road sign indicating 7 km to Bilaspur and 14 km to Dharuhera.

The old man was wise and correct. Yet we asked a family on the way and that man gave us exact direction. One should be careful while asking for roads direction in Haryana. One should avoid asking youths in groups. So we picked mostly old man or families. We had traveled through huge farmlands and villages for about 14 km and had even encountered a cavalcade going to the launch of a new party that day by Bhajan Lal. Finally we had reached Sultanpur. The tachometer clocked 87 km. To be honest, this unintentional detour was not that bad a road.

The exact location of Sultanpur is 15 km from Gurgaon on NH-15A. The road is also known as Gurgaon – Jhajjar road. I knew Sultanpur as a bird sanctuary. But it has been upgraded to a National Park, not sure when. Thus it probably is the second National Park for Birds in India. The other being Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur (Rajasthan). The place has a resort of Haryana Tourism , which is located in a different campus right next to the park.

We had breakfast at the restaurant, which is the only eating facility around. So you have to drink tea @Rs.15/- a cup. This place is not accessible by public transport. So people who come here will come in their private vehicles and are so expected to be rich enough pay that much. After the breakfast we headed for the park.

Entrance fee is Rs.5/- per head and an additional Rs.25/- for still camera. I hate paying for camera. Video camera charges is Rs.250/-. These exorbitant charge for handycams is outdated and should be scrapped. Govt. of India should certainly do something about it. I had stopped carrying handycams as there is no point paying such hefty fees.

The park is developed around a natural lake where many species of migratory birds nests. An elevated track of mud and bricks built around the lake, which is not very close, the lake. The track is about 3 ½ km. One is required to take this trip on foot. The biggest disappointment one will face is that all the birds are in the lake and one cannot go very close to the lake. The lake is surrounded by swamps. There are two or three approaches built to let tourist go close to the lake. But birds prefer to stay from those places.

Despite all these you will be able to see some birds. And if you are lucky, you will see some of them from close. As we did. Three large cranes came hurtling above form the distance making loud noises while flying. I was in perfect position to capture those moments in my camera. Those few shots made my day.

We decided to complete the lap. It was a good nature walk where we could see many Nilgais in the wild. At one point of the track, I got off it to find whether there was any access to get close the lake. Suddenly I could hear something making its way out of the bush in front of me. I also ran to get around the bush to find what it was. A large bull Nilgai was standing just few meters from me. I was sure that it would not charge at me. I stood there calmly and took some shots. Shots were not that good, but those were real wild life shots. After looking at me for me moments, the bull went further into the swamps. That completed the adventure.

We got out of the park by late noon. The kids were also complaining after being made to walk the 3+ km track. We had a late lunch at the restaurant of the resort. There were playing facilities for kids in the campus. By afternoon many people had gathered in the campus. They appeared to be picnic goers from Gurgoan. This may be a happy outing ground for people living around Gurgaon. Even though picnics were supposedly not allowed in the campus, there was nobody to enforce it. The other option is to stay at the resort for a night and enjoy a round of the park early next morning. The location is far away from the maddening crowd and hustle–bustle of NCR. In case you want to book accommodation at the resort then here are their phone nos. : 0124-2375242, 2015670

While returning, we took the NH-15A. We had reached the center of Gurgaon town from where we took the road to Rajiv Chowk on NH-8. So it became clear that we should have left NH-8 at Rajiv Chowk. Thus the return was exactly 65 km for us.

Thinking of ANZ

Winter has realy set in here. An enticing long holidays next weekend is also beckoning. Are you travelling to a snow clad hill station? I have something else in mind. I am looking for a warm holiday.

The Indian cricket team is heading for Australia to enjoy the beatiful summer there. We poor fellas will cheer them from home. But if you are going to that part of the word this winter (summer out there in southern hemisphere), more specifically to the beautiful New Zealand, here is a site that will help in finding accommodation : Hotels in New Zealand.

In fact this site appears to be a part of a group of sites under the heading ‘Cheaper than Hotels’ with country specific domain names. This New Zealand specific link can help you find a Hotels in Auckland or a Hotels in Wellington or most places out there. I like these groups of sites because they offer all sort of accommodation – from five stars to one star.

Sultanpur National Park

We had a drive out weekend break this Sunday to the Sultanpur bird sanctuary which has been upgraded to a National Park. Reaching there was a bit of nightmare as we could not found any road directions. All that we could found was that it is 15 km from Gurgaon. But which side, where do we leave NH8 ? Anyway after asking some villagers, we could make it. The onward journey took 87 km though it was suppose to take only 65 km. Traveling through villages and fields, we also had to encounter a cavalcade going to the launch of a new party by Bhajan Lal. Anyway, it was a good outing. Details will be posted when I find time.

Winter Holidays

Last night I saw a beautiful photo of a snow covered resort in Whistler, Canada. It made me long for a holiday again. Drying leaves and dipping temperatures has heralded onset of the winter. Going on a vacation this winter ? In fact the final days before the winter offer probably one of the best traveling windows. Think of a winter vacation and a snowy landscape with people skiing around probably conjures up your mind. That may be because I live in a area far away from those locations that receives snowfall every year. If you are planning a vacation in aboard then here is a site which you can explore : Holiday Whistler

My schedule for this traveling season has already drawn up. I had already applied for leave so that it coincides with winter break of my daughter’s school. But this time it may not be a snowy break for me.

Valley of Flowers : Trek Part -II

Day 3. Finally we will be heading for the place for which we had come this far – the Valley of Flowers. The weather looked good. Even though it was cloudy, it was not raining. Despite the pains in the limbs, we were ready for the 5 km trek. We had no other option but to climb as ponies are not allowed into the VOF. We were to climb to a max of 1500 feet over these 5 km.

Our bookings at the GMVN guest house at Ghangaria was getting over by 12 noon of the day. As per our initial plan, we were to look for other accommodation in case we stay there for the third day. But after taking opinion of locals, we understood that we can go down to Govindghat even after coming back from the VOF trek. This obviated the need for spending another costly night at Ghangaria. Accommodation and food at Govindghat is much cheaper. The check out time at the GMVN guest house is 12 noon. As we were unlikely to comeback by 12, we had checked out and left the luggage at their office.

We started off after breakfast at around 8:30 am. We had hired pithoos or (porters) for the kids @Rs.250/- per person for the round trip which was expected to take about 4 hours. We were not botany enthusiast to know the names of flowers and so we did not hire any guide. The only worry was that we should not get lost. Having the pithoos with us excluded this possibility. In fact once inside the park, we understood that one can not get lost as the trek was very distinct.

The initial one kilometer of the trek is same for both Hemkund and VOF. Around the 1 km mark from the village, the road bifurcates. One goes to Hemkund sahib and the other to the VOF. ‘Welcome to the Valley of Flowers National Park’ – the first signboard greeted us. Various other signposts at the gate provide useful information like flowers and their blooming season, and also what you are not expected to do inside the park. The entry fee at the gate is quite hefty. It was Rs.50/- per head plus Rs.100/- for still camera. We had to pay entry fee for the pithoos as well. After paying Rs.400/- as entry fee, we were allowed in. Our names got lodged in the entry registrar for ever.

A narrow strip led me into a fairly thick forest with tall trees. It was like walking inside a jungle without any fear of wild animals. Amazing! My mind got drifted into another world. I fall behind the pack by quite a distance. Left on my own on this unforgettable nature walk, I proceeded slowly clicking almost every flower on the way. After some time we got into an open area and crossed a makeshift bridge around a glacier. We had crossed another steel bridge on the way. One more bridge was found to be under construction deep inside the valley.

After about an hour of climbing up and down, we reached the open area of the valley. Most of the people were found to have taken a break by a fairly large glacier on the Pushpawati river. This vantage point also provides a magnificent view of the valley ahead and the hills around. Ecology of this area is preserved in a highly protected environment. It is still pristine. 11000 feet is not a very high altitude, yet you can see 3 glaciers (and touch) in the entire trip all round the year.

The trek continued along the Pushpawati river. The landscape was a sight to behold. The cloud was playing hide and seeks with the hills around the valley. Carpets of wild flowers covering the slopes up the mountains were a very soothing sight. However, after walking for about 2 kilometers we found the landscape a bit monotonous. It was still a sight to behold, but it was not changing anymore. One can continue walking ahead, but we had decided to call it a day. Some of the tourists were seen continuing ahead. Some tourists were seen taking packed lunches with them. These people are most likely to stay back at Ghangaria for the day. But we had to travel down to Govindghat as well.

Inside the park we saw even grown up peoples riding pithoo's back. Even though the allowed weight for pithoos is about 70 kilos, one fat fellow who was riding a pithoo looked much beyond that limit. One human torturing another compensating it by paying money. It looked so shameful. The guy also understood our scornful glances and avoided any further eye contact.

We had returned to Ghangaria by 2 pm. Had a quick lunch and got ready for the descend to Govindghat. The restaurant where we had all our meals had arranged for ponies. We hired 6 ponies this time, including one exclusively for luggage @Rs.250/- per pony. We did not see any organized way of booking ponies at Ghangaria though there is a counter at the entrance to the village. We had no option but to hire ponies as we would not be able to make it to Govindghat on foot before dark. In nay case we would have required at least 3 horses for luggage and kids.

I had mentioned earlier in my posts that descending on horse back is not fun. The horseman always remains ahead of the horses and keeps pulling the horses all the time. Because of this horse tends to slip at times on rocky slopes. We found that one gentleman broke his leg after his pony slipped and literally fall on him. The horses are plied in pairs. I was on the horse on the back which always tends to walk by the side of the trek away from the hill. The fear of the horse slipping and taking you down the hill was real and kept me on tenterhook all the time. On our way down we met people who had started from Govindghat as late as 5 pm. These people were either alone or in small groups of 2 or 3 persons. They had barely traveled 2 / 3 kilometers by 5:30 pm. How they could think of traveling rather trekking at night was beyond my understanding. Even though the trek is fairly well laid out, but there were stretches with landslide where it was difficult to maneuver even in daylight. There are no facilities for staying or sleeping on the entire stretch. May be the makeshifts food stalls provide some shelter. But it will be too cold to sleep in the open. This is sheer foolishness.

Anyway, we had reached back Govindghat by dusk. The descend to Govindghat took us about 3 hours with a break for tea. On arrival we had collected the Prasad at the Gurudwara for our offerings at Hemkund Sahib. This time we had preferred to stay at Hotel Kuber which probably is the most well maintained hotel at Govindghat. As it was almost dark, we got the rooms at good bargain.

My limbs were almost numb. Every step was a big torture. I had decided to have a massage of legs paying Rs.50 that night. Whether it provided any relief was doubtful. But we slept hard that night. Exhausted but satisfied that we had completed another memorable trip two exotic places. It certainly was a trip of lifetime.

Day 4 : We could contact the driver late in the night after our arrival at Govindghat the earlier night. Though the driver had a mobile, connectivity depends on availability of power. We had started off with the first gate at around 8 am. Till about Pipolkoti it was a smooth drive. But then we got stuck in landslides at two places. These blockades consumed about 2 hours time, but fortunately the road was cleared. There is serious possibility of getting blocked for an entire day or two on this stretch. We had expected this on our way up, but that did not occur then. But to complete our experience of the trip it occurred on the return trip.

Even when the debris was cleared and the road was opened to traffic, the long queue made it difficult to pick up speed. The delay had made us consider another change of plan. This was the seventh day since we have left Delhi. All were exhausted and wanted to reach back home as early as possible. Instead of going to Dehradun then stay there for the night, we had decided to continue our journey to Delhi via Rishikesh. We reached Rishikesh around 7 pm and headed straight for the government bus stand. A UTC deluxe bus was to leave at 8 pm. We booked our tickets and said goodbye to Honey, the cab driver. The guy was good; much better than the driver we had traveled with last time. We had reached back home around 5 am next morning. It was a non-stop journey by road of 550 km. A bit too much for the body which was already aching.

Anyway, we thanked God that we had reached back safely. My colleague Chandan had asked me as to how I could think of traveling on that dangerous route for a second time. I also do not know. May be because of the serious willingness to see the Valley of Flower? May be because we could not take the holy dip at Badrinath last time? May be something else? But this probably is the last time I had gone that route. But who knows!

Om Shanti Om

It has been a long time since I have watched a movie in the first week of its release. But last Monday, I had watched Om Shanti Om. My wife and kid wanted to watch Sawariyaan. But I thought it would be very boring to sit through a love story for 3 hours. So I took them to Om Shanti Om instead.

Trying to be film critic! Nothing great, but not bad either. One will not get a headache after getting out of the cinema hall. What were missing in the movie were regular doses of humour that we expect in any movie these days. Deepika Padukone appeared to be a product of media hype. She is not a great face or actress. But SRK makes up for all these to a great extent. Of course SRK sells. In fact the film will probably go on to be a hit because of SRK.

Hemkund Sahib : A journey of lifetime

As per the change of plan going to Hemkund Sahib took priority over VOF. But we had understood that we will not be able to climb the torturous 7 km trek to Hemkund. Therefore we were to hire ponies.

When we got up in the morning, the weather looked ominous. A consistent heavy drizzle greeted us. But the rain had totally stopped by 8 am and the sky cleared. We could afford to start late as we would be traveling on ponies. We had some light breakfast and started off at around 8:30 am. We had hired pithoos for the kids @Rs.540/- for the round trip. It would be impossible for the kids to ride a pony alone, neither it would be easy for an elder to travel with a kid.

Charges per pony was Rs.340/- one way. This includes a charge of Rs.40/- levied by the Eco Development Committee, Bhyundar. I asked the person as to what is charge for. The stark reply was that ‘Environment Tax’ This tax is levied on every traveler on pony or palki or pithoo, but not for those on foot. Given the large number of visitors, they must be collecting a good sum, but how they utilize the money is not exactly known. I could see some sweepers wearing EDC uniform along the trek sweeping the horse dung off the road. However, the same fellows will double up as beggars asking you to give them something on your return journey. The begging is more in the style of darwans keeping alive the British legacy – salute and then beg. You do not normally see beggars on Sikh pilgrim sites.

While trekking a steep climb is arduous, riding a mule on a rocky trek is no fun either. You feel the constant stub on your spine. Despite the discomfort, we could easily go past those devout and brave who had started probably around 5:30 or 6 am in the morning, braving the rains. The climb is really stiff. It was all the way up without any let off. 4000 feet climb is to be covered over 7 km. It was easy to observe that the percentage of people on ponies easily outnumber those on foot on this second leg of trek. I really appreciated those brave people huffing puffing their way up. Some out of compulsion, but some out of sheer devotion. Being non- Sikhs, we probably were among those few exceptions who were going there as a tourist. But you call it a destiny that we all were traveling to Hemkund despite it was not in the itinerary of of my co-traveller's family.

It took us about 3 hours to reach Hemkund Sahib, the revered holy shrine of Sikhs. It is said that Guru Govind Singh had attained enlightment here in his previous birth. It takes about 6 hours to reach there on foot from Ghangaria, i.e., almost @1 km per hour. One should appreciate the effort of people who had constructed the shrines at 14000 feet. The shrine is located on the bank of the lake or sarovar surrounded by seven peaks. There also is Hindu temple dedicated to Laxman, the brother of Lord Rama. Laxman also supposed to have done penance here. The place remains buried under several feet of snows for most of the year.

I had it in my mind that if I can make it to Hemkund, then I will take a dip at the lake, however cold the water might be. It would be the experience of lifetime to take a dip in the icy cold water of a lake at 14000 feet. Almost every sikh arriving there were seen taking the holy dip. The sun was playing hide and seek with passing clouds. I had observed that the weather becomes warmer when sun was in the frame. I waited for such a moment, took my clothes off quickly and plunged into the icy cold waters. It all happened in a flash. I did not feel the cold. My wife recorded it in the handycam. But could not take a still shot. So I had a second dip. This time I felt the biting cold. I will have no repent from my visit to Hemkund. Not only I went there, I also took the holy dip in the icy cold water. A young guy asked me on return –are you Punjabi? I relied in the negative. He probably was surprised to see a non Punjabi taking that icy cold dip.

Brahma Kamal, a kind of lotus that grows on land in the area at this altitude, was seen in full bloom on the upper areas around the lake. I climbed those mini hillocks to get some good photos. I had never exerted that much just for photography. The effort was worth. Incidentally, Brahma Kamal is the state flower of Uttranchal. There is a story in Mahabharata where Brahma Kamal is mentioned. Remember the story of Bhim meeting Hanuman in a jungle. Bhim was going up the jungle looking for Brahma Kamal when he met Hanuman disguised an old monkey. These areas around Badrinath are associated with the Pandavas and Mahabharata in a big way. They supposed to have lived here and went to the heaven from Badrinath. There is a famous trek known as “Swargarohini Yatra’ or the Ascent to the Heaven, which is suppose to follow the trek the Pandavas used for going to heaven. Badrinath has a lot of mention in Purans and other mythology.

Coming back to Hemkund, no one stays there at night. The interiors of the Gurudwara appear to be a wooden structure. For Prasad, one is issued a receipt against their offerings. The Prasad is to be collected at Govindghat on return. We joined the devotees in the langar for lunch. The langar is not like the one in Amritsar. But it certainly is appreciable to feed so many people at 14000 feet. Everything has to be carried up there on a daily basis including firewood. The crowd started dispersing soon after langar around noon. One has to leave that place by 2 pm to reach back Ghangaria by twilight. Ponies are available for 200 to 250 for the downward journey. But most of the people took the downward journey on foot expecting it to be easier.

Easier!! Coming down the steep rocky trek was a nightmare, specially when we took the shortcut. To add to the woo, it had started raining almost as soon as we had started. It was a heavy drizzle. We had to put on the plastic raincoats or barsatis. The rain had stopped after an hour or so. The trek had also become relatively better sloped. The rain had made the trek bit slippery at places. We limbered down the trek slowly trying hard to maintain grips in the interlocks of rocks to prevent slipping or fall. Because of this the calf muscles got badly stressed. After about 5 kilometers of journey downward, we could see the Ghangaria village. That appeared like a mirage. The condition of legs were so bad by then that we had literally dreg them to reach hotel. I was so exhausted that somehow I managed to make two glasses of Glucose water and then lied motionlessly for about 10 minutes before normalcy returns. It took us about 4 hours to come down. We thought coming down on foot would be easier!! But believe me, coming down on ponies would have been still harder. To add to my problem, the plastic raincoat had soaked me out from inside with sweat. My clothes were so wet as if I had got drenched in the rain. I should have torn them off once the rain had stopped.

We had ordered a bucket of steaming hot water to soothe the muscles. In fact the demand for hot water had gone up suddenly and we had to wait for our turn. Those who had taken at least one way journey on foot that day could be easily identified in the crowd. The portions from hips downwards were so sore that every step was painful. Climbing up or down even a 6 inch step was torture. The masseurs were seen doing brisk business. They charge Rs.50/- for massage of legs. But we had decided against it and made use of the combiflam tablets and muscle relaxants.

By next morning, we had recovered fairly enough to think about day's plans of going to the VOF. We had to trek to VOF. Ponies are not allowed.

Find Accomodation in Europe

I have seen some sites which cater to accommodation requirement of some specific European cities. Like this one caters to accommodation in Amsterdam. Though they offer accommodation in some other cities, may be through some other link partners, they seem to provide value by giving other required information a traveler may want to know for the place. Like this page on EasyToBook provides a detailed info on tourist attractions in Amsterdam. These are useful information one can use. They also offer accommodation in non Dutch cities like New York, Dublin or Rome.

Ghangaria

There is not much info available on the net about Ghangaria. I had added some info on Ghangaria and Govindghat in wikipedia. Thus I am putting this up as a separate post.

Located at an altitude of 10000 feet on the banks of Laxman Ganga River, this small village is the base camp for travelers to the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund sahib. The river Pushpawati flowing from the Valley of Flowers side meets the river Laxman Ganga flowing from the Hemkund side, meets on the other side of the village. The village is settled along the trek. The settlement area is roughly half a kilometer. On the other side of the village, the trek bifurcates into two – one goes to the Valley of Flowers and the other to Hemkund sahib.

The 13 km from Govindghat to Ghangaria can be covered in following 3 ways :

1) Walk or trek for 7 hours
2) Ride a pony for 4 hours
3) Ride a helicopter for 20 minutes

The helicopter service started by Prabhtam Aviation runs upto Kajila helipad which is roughly 2 km from the village towards Govindgaht. I hope I am right with the name Kajila. Thus even if you shell out a hefty amount for helicopter fare, you will still require to hire a pony to climb the final 2 km, which was really steep. However, I had observed that the helicopter service was not operational in September, may be because of bad weathers or peak yatra season is over.

Accommodation:

Every building in the village doubles up as a hotel. Room rates vary depending on season and your time of arrival. The earlier you arrive, the costlier will be rooms, but you will have better options of finding a decent accommodation. Anyway, a decent double room will cost you at least 350 bucks.

The GMVN guest house is probably the best accommodation as it has a clean complex and provided clean bed sheets, which I feel a must for a good night’s sleep. It is a six room plus a dormitory facility. The dormitory has about 12 double decker beds. However, the conditions of rooms are not that good. The damp surroundings also mean various crawlers creeping into your rooms and toilets. One needs to appreciate the difficulty in maintaining these facilities. The tourist season runs about 4 months a year. We paid Rs.825 per room for economy class room at GMVN. The room was uncarpeted but the toilet had tiles fittings. No geyser, but hot water is available for Rs.20 a bucket at the guest house. Such high room rates undoubtedly make GMVN the costliest facility. But it also is the only accommodation which can be booked online or through many of their offices spread across India. Rooms normally gets booked at least 45 days in advance.

The Gurudwara is the most important and also the biggest building at Ghangaria. When we visited the Gurudwara we saw people sleeping everywhere in the Gurudwara, including the sanctum santorum. Probably more than 50% of people arriving at Ghangaria stay at the Gurudwara.

We did not have any problem with foods. We had food at the hotel cum restaurant located across the road of GMVN guest house. But everything is sold at a hefty premium. Bottled or canned items cost at least 3 times its MRP. A bucket of hot water costs 20 to 30 rupees. You will require hot water not only for bathing, but also after each trip up to sooth the sore muscles.

Travel information on the net

Surfing the web for travel blogs, I have come across many sites which are meant exclusively for Travel Blogs only. Whenever I see a travel blog, I normally check their listings. This penchant has led me to such travel blog sites. I found that these sites are very useful for frequent travelers like me. You do not have to search countless blogs for a travelogue. The most recent site I have come across is Real Travel. I had explored its page related to India. It has listed information over 10 pages, though some of the pages are yet to be completed. Most of the posts are by foreign tourists indicating that the site is probably not known to Indian bloggers. Overall, Real Travel has the potential to be a very good travel site. It is just one of the sites offering only travelogues. There are many out there. I feel bloggers should help building these communities.

Trek to the Valley of Flowers : Part -I

The trek starts at the hanging bridge over the river Alaknanda. The first destination is Ghangaria which is 13 km from this point. One is to climb 4000 feet over these 13 km of mostly mule trek inter spaced by concrete and rocky steps at some areas.

We had visited the area around the bridge the earlier evening to have an understanding of the trek. We learnt that one should hire Pithoo or horses from the counter located next to the bridge. The rates are fixed by some association of these horse owners. The rate at that time was Rs.365/- per horse for Ghangaria. You get many options there like horses for Govindghat – Ghangaria or Govindghat – Hemkund (same day) and also Govindghat – Ghangaria – Govindghat (same day). The last one will cost you Rs.1400/-. But it will not only be too much cruelty on the beast, but also to your back and buttock. We are not ancient soldiers who can ride horses for 10 hours. If you take that kind of one day whirlwind trip, you will probably not be able stand up next day. More importantly you will miss the enjoyment of being with un-spoilt nature. If you do not have time, then why do you go there?

I was determined to trek to Ghangaria. So was Mono, my better half. I had no idea on what was on Chandan’s mind. Both the families had two small kids and thus decided to hire two horses for them. We also had carried one bag plus two back packs which we had planned to put on the horses. Despite my talk, Chandan took two bags with him. He was to face the music for that later. My advice is to travel as light as possible and carry only essential things to cover 3 days stay. We had deposited extra luggage at the cloak room facility of the hotel we had stayed at Govindghat. The charges per luggage are Rs.30/- till return.

We walked up to the point where horses are stationed, carrying the bags on our own. We thought they will load the horses with one kid and one bag each. But citing balancing problem, they had loaded one horse with luggage and then put the two kids on the other. We had started the trek with great enthusiasm. Just imagine my condition. Exactly 17 days back I was not able to stand up or even sit because of a recurrence of slip disc problem. And now I had the audacity of a fool to trek 13 km. I had the waist belt on and more then me, my wife was worried and kept enquiring whether I am OK. I was determined to make it to VOF. When there is a will there is way!

It was around 7:45 when we had started. People start off very early. In fact when we got up in the morning at around 5 O’clock, we could see the beeline of people going up the trek in complete darkness using torch lights. However, there is no time frame to start off as it takes about 6 to 7 hours to reach Ghagaria. People keep going up all the day starting off at their own time. We saw even people starting off at 3 pm as well. But starting off at 3 pm is a bit scary. Trekking at night! Only a sardar can think of doing that. In daylight, you can see the trek ahead and decide how safely to negotiate it, and also enjoy the beauty of the nature. But in the darkness of night, you can not be even be sure that you are on the right path. I feel that staring off between 8 to 9 am is the best time, provided you have confirmed accommodation at Ghangaria. This will ensure that you reach Ghangaria by 3 pm. We had confirmed booking at GMVN Guest House at Ghangaria. So starting off a little late was not a problem. But if you do not have booking, you should start a bit early, so that you reach Ghangaira early to have a better option of finding decent accommodation.

Many brave people started off on foot, like we did. But the braveness started to falter barely half a kilometer up the hill. You will find horses cleverly placed at strategic positions on the initial stretch of the trek. It takes hardly half an hour’s climb for one to understand whether he or she will be able to continue climbing for another 12 kilometer. After about an hours walking, we had stopped for breakfast. In that hour we had climbed just 3 km. Numerous snack stalls dots the entire stretch of the trek. But they sell everything for a hefty premium. We had ordered Maggi noodles. The small pack of rs.5/- was sold and served at Rs.25/-.

Meanwhile my daughter had started complaining about the difficulty in riding the horse with another kid. The problem was that other kid was a little young and she had let her weight to fall back on Tiko, making it painful for her. We also had observed the problem on the way. The other issue was that we could not keep pace with the horses. Therefore we had to hire an additional horse. But the charges remained same. No discount for 3 km less. So one has to take a prudent decision about hiring horses right at Govindghat. It is one thing to want to trek 13 km and another to practically do it. Here we had paid the same amount we had paid at Govindghat for the horse. One of us could have the luxury of riding the horse for 3 km that he had to climb. Anyway both the ladies were put on the horse with one kid each. The third one was carrying our luggage. I and Chandan resumed our trek on foot.

As the climb continued and our energies started sapping, the average speed reduced from 3 km per hour to about 2 km per hour. We continued our journey with the Sikh pilgrims chanting ‘Bole So Nihal…Sat Sri Akaal’ and ‘Wahe Guru’. In fact we had wondered as to whether anybody else was going to VOF. The entire crowd appears to be heading for Hemkund Sahib. We had another break at around 6 km mark. My wife had found sitting on the horse a bit uneasy and so had decided to get off. Tiko was too happy to ride the horse alone. Horses are plied in pairs. A Punjabi lady was on the other horse accompanying Tiko’s horse. The lady told us not to worry and assured us to take care of her.

Chandan sped off. He was walking faster than me and waited for me while taking small breaks en-route. I was walking slowly to avoid injury to my back. As my wife has joined me, he decided to continue at his speed without the need to wait for me.

Few scenes that left an imprint on our mind :

Scene 1: Three ladies were walking barefoot doing symbolic ritual of kar-seva by cleaning the road with brooms while continue the climb up. It was tough to walk, leave alone doing something else. The weight of 1 kilo of my camera on my neck seemed a bit too much. This is the sheer power of devotion.

Scene 2 : An old lady, should be well past 60, was walking very slowly. She had a small bag on her head. I and my wife were taking a break every five or ten minutes of climb. Each time we had a break, the old lady goes past us. Then we start again and easily go past her. We sit again for a break. The old lady goes past us again. It was like the story of the tortoise and the hare. The old lady just kept walking, though very slowly, without stopping at all. It was incredible. This continued for about half an hour when we finally left her behind on a relatively easy stretch.

Our journey continued up the hill. After a tough stretch of climb we finally reached an open area with a gentle slope down. This is where the helipad was built. Ghangaria is another 2 km real stiff climb from this point. The sign of two kilometer infused some fresh energy into our tired legs. But that 2 km’s climb seemed never ending. The final climb was really very stiff. Our average speed has come down to 1.5 km because of the stiffness of the trek in the last 5 kilometers. Finally we had reached Ghangaria at 2:30 pm. It took us 6 and ½ hours to trek 13 kilometers. But I was happy that I had made it on foot. In fact it turned out that the most unfit person in the group, i.e. me who had a question mark for his slip disc condition, was the only person to have walked the entire 13 km. My wife had a brief horse ride in between for 3 km. Later we found that Chandan also rode the last 4 km of the trek. Out of love for him, his dear wife had decided to get off the horse and asked him to ride the horse at around 9 km mark. The horse sped off, leaving his wife to scale the stiff climb of final 4 km on foot. She later repented that it was all the way up from the point she got off the horse.

After having lunch, we eased into our rooms at the GMVN guest house. I found that there is plenty of accommodation at Ghangaria. In fact, every shop or building there doubles up as hotels and has some kind of accommodation to offer. GMVN was the costliest option. But it is the only place which offer advance booking through their website. So it always remains full. The conditions of the rooms were not good. But the clean bed sheet and towels were the welcome sight. I am sure that no other place will provide you such clean bed sheets. The climate there is so damp that cloths will take days to dry. September is kind of shoulder season for yatra to Hemkund, the peak being in June. Yet at least 1000 people reach Ghangaria daily. Imagine what will be rush in June. The place will close down for tourist and pilgrims in October.

Even though we had stayed at the GMVN guest house, we had our meals at the restaurant cum hotel located exactly opposite it across the road. The guest house staffs were slow, even in providing hot waters. Each bucket of hot water will cost you about 20 to 30 rupees. Further, having food at the guest house will attract taxes because they will bill you. Things are 3 times costlier to its MRP at Ghagaria. So having food outside will save you some bucks.

Despite the 13 km trek, our legs were not that tired. But we took combiflam tablets to kill whatever muscle spasm we had. When we had arrived at Ghagaria, we did not feel the cold because of the heat body had generated during the climb. In fact we were surprised to see people moving around in warm clothes. But as the body heat subsided, we felt the cold and the chilly wind a little bit more biting than desired. Once we were inside blankets, it was tough to think about getting out.

In the evening we visited the Gurudwara. There were people sleeping everywhere in the Gurudwara, including the sanctum santorum. Probably more than 50% of people arriving at Ghangaria had put up at the Gurudwara. We could be easily identified as non piligrims or non – Sikhs among the hundreds of people in the Gurudwara complex. Sikhs who are not so rich are very good people. Two such Samaritan volunteered to explain the importance of the both the Guruwara at Ghangaria and Hemkund Sahib and also about things within the Gurudwara complex. We were shown a tree which has a hollow cave type structure at its base. We were told that when the worshiping started at Hemkund Sahib some 70 years back, the priests used to go there every morning and then come back in the evening. As there was no place to stay at Ghangaria at that point of time, they slept at the natural tent formed at the base of this tree. The Gurudwara at Ghagaria was later built at this place.

I had mentioned earlier about the affable nature of the not so rich Sikh people. The lady who rode the other horse with our little daughter in fact came in the evening to enquire about us. Tiko had started crying when we had not arrived even after half an hour. Though the lady left when Chandan arrived, she was worried and so had come in the evening to enquire. Tiko was so happy when she saw us arriving.

We had a meeting in the evening. Because a change of plan was in the offing. We were to go to the VOF on day 2 as per original plan. I had a plan to attempt to reach Hemkund as well, provided my back holds after two days of trekking. But Chandan was not sure because around 11 pilgrims had died there in Aug 2007 for lack of Oxygen. However, on arriving at Ghangaria, he also had a change of mind. The sea of crowd going there had made him changed his mind. If so many people, including old ones can dare to go there, why can not us. Further, the likelihood of coming back here again is remote. So instead of VOF, trip to the Hemkund Sahib took priority.

Govindghat : the transit point for trekking to VOF and Hemkund

Govindghat is the starting point for trekking to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers. It is roughly 22 km from Joshimath on NH58 at an altitude of 6000 feet. I was not sure about accommodations at Govindghat and so had earlier planned to stay at Joshimath or Badrinath. But the experience of the driver helped here. In fact there are many hotels and guest houses at Govindghat. They are cheaper than Joshimath because 99% of people who arrives here are Sikh pilgrims on trek to the holy shrine of Hemkund Sahib. There is a Gurudwara at Govindgaht which provides free or very cheap accommodation to these pilgrims and hence most Sikh pilgrims were seen heading there.

The road that starts off the main Badrinath – Joshimath road is called the Gurudwara road. Hotels are located about 1 km from the main road. If you have a car with you then you can avoid walking this additional 1 km. But if you travel by public transport like bus or jeep, then you will have to walk down this extra kilometer.

We found that there are very few double bedded rooms as demand for them is low. Sikh pilgrims often travel in large groups and so demand for triple or four bedded or even larger rooms are more. Other problem is that rooms are not that neat and clean. It is all kind of just stay for the night kind of accommodation. No one probably stays there for more than 15 hours. We found rooms @200/- a piece at a hotel named Hotel Him Sarovar. As the hotel was located towards the river Alakananda, the constant roar of the river was a bit louder than desirable, but then we got used to it after some time.

Hotel rates probably fluctuate on the time of the day you land at Govindghat as the time often determines demand. The last gate from Joshimath is at 4:30 pm. So there will hardy be any guest after 6 pm. On our way back from VOF, we found a better hotel @300/- a piece as our time of arrival was about 6:30 pm. On the day of arrival they asked for Rs.400/- as there was still lot of time for guests to arrive. This is the only hotel with geyser. Else, you will have to buy hot water @20 -30 per bucket. Name of this hotel is Kuber Tourist Guest House.

There are some unique facilities available at Govindghat, e.g., Parking of cars @Rs.200 to 250/- till return, meaning till you come back from pilgrimage irrespective of no. of days. Luggage clock room service is available at most hotels @Rs.30/- till return. It will take you at least 3 days to return.

We decided to have an inspection of the area in the evening. Souvenir shops lines up the road from the point where the narrow trekking route starts. The Gurudwara is right on the edge of the Alaknanda. There is a hanging bridge to cross the river. The actual trek starts from the other side of the river. Ghangaria is 13 km from this point. We did visual shopping of the souvenir shops without any real intention of buying. Finally we bought some essential items like rain coats, bamboo sticks and religious head bands (required for entering a Gurudwara). The makeshift raincoats made of plastic sheets costs just 10 rupees a piece, so does the sticks. Rain coats are of use and throw quality. Stitches may come off even while wearing it for the first time. Once you wear it, you can not take it off without tearing. But you can not do without them as it can rain anytime. I feel that an umbrella is a better option as the rain coats tends to sweat you out from inside. I found this out the hard way as trying to remain protected from outside, I got drenched from inside. These rain coats will cost you double at Ghagaria. So you may think of taking at least 2 with you. The bamboo sticks with tin sheet tip is also quite useful if you are planning to walk.

All essential staffs are available in the local market. Though it is pure stupidity to try a new pair of shoes on a trek, I found people buying shoes in one of the shops. Never mind! Some of the pilgrims will make it bare feet. It is really incredible. Besides love, only Faith really makes people climbs mountains. I had made a list of staffs to carry with me before leaving and had carried them with me from Delhi / Dehradun itself. Some such items that you will require are – Glucose, Chocolates / toffees , Knee caps, Combiflam tablets, Antacid, Muscle relaxant like Rallispray, Biscuits, dry fruits, etc.

There also is good variety of restaurants in the market. Though vegetarian North Indian, specially Punjabi dishes, is the common stuff, you can even get South Indian stuffs like dosa as well. None of the hotels have their own restaurants, yet everything can be ordered into your room. You will be approached in your hotel room for room service by these restaurants. But the catch is a 10% extra for room service. You will be better off walking down as all restaurants are within 20 meters from the hotels. We enjoyed the luxury of tea in room that did not attract any service charge.

BSNL mobile network is available, but not all the time. The nearest tower is at Pandukeswar about 2 /3 km away. Availability of network depends on availability of power at Pandukeswar. But I understand that Reliance doing something in the area and may set up its network around this place as well.

Govindghat is not that cool, but not hot either. Though it is at 6000 feet, tall hills surround it leaving very little passage for wind. The only place I felt a chill was on the bridge over Alakanada carrying icy cold waters from the glaciers above. The atmosphere is very humid. The repercussion is that not even small cloths will dry. In fact drying cloths on the entire trip was one of the biggest headaches for us. So you need to carry sufficient cloths, at least underwear, to last the entire trip.

Hotel details at Govindghat:

Hotel Him Sarovar (and Kuber Car Parking), Ph : 01381-225206, Mobile : 09412319849

Kuber Guest House, Mobile : 9412120316, 9412029953, 9411533095

Badrinath : a second visit to the shrine

This is for my eager friends who did not dare to go there, but wants to know how it was. I finally found time to complete part-I of my travelogue.

Day 1 : Delhi – Dehradun
We reach Dehradun by the Shatabdi Express. It was a typical hazy morning in Delhi. Every time I saw sunshine peeking through the window, I felt a sense of joy. My friends had informed that rains had not gone away this year. However, bright sunshine greeted us when we had reached Dehradun around noon time. We had stayed at our company guest house (ONGC), which provided us almost free accommodation @Rs.40/- for AC room. Staying at Haridwar or Rishikesh would have cost us more.

The rain had returned by afternoon. I had a talk with the driver of the cab we had hired from a local agency for the trip. His casual attitude had an assuaging effect on me. In fact we became subject of tea time gossip for colleagues posted in Dehradun to whom it was near to impossible travel as the monsoon was stills active. The layback life in Dehradun had taken its toll on them. The deal was stuck for Rs.10000/- for 5 days and Rs.11,100/- if we extend it to the sixth day. We sought a bigger vehicle as we were 4 adults and 2 five year kids. We were offered a Qualis which is a good vehicle for hilly roads.

If one plans to travel by bus, this is how you can do it: There is a private co-operative which runs buses on almost all the routes in the Garhwal Region. It is called the GMOU Ltd. These buses starts from their office right outside the state roadways bus stand at Haridwar. But most of the buses leaves very early, around 5:30 am as they travels all day in the hills to reach their destinations like Badrinath, Gangotri, etc.

Day2: Dehradun - Joshimath

We started at about 6:30 am in the morning. The relatively late start was because our target destination was Joshimath. If one plans to travel to Badrinath or beyond Joshimath, then he needs to starts at least one hour early as the last gate timing at Joshimath is 4:30 pm.

Morning shows the day. We were greeted by bright sunshine that accompanied us all the day. Even though it had been raining in Dehradun, it appeared that it had not rained around Rishikesh for last few days. But we could see the devastation of landslides on the road between Rishikesh and Byashi. It made one appreciate the forces of nature. A lesson out of the National Geographic programs. The second stretch of landslide affected area was near Gauchar. The third and the worst were between Pipolkoti and Joshimath. The road here has started sinking and may disappear if rain and landslides continues. This will severe the road link. By 6 in the evening we had reached Joshimath and checked into the same hotel where we had stayed last time (in 2005). The peak Yatra season is over and so the room rate was a mere Rs.250/-. The hotel rooms are decent. More importantly, it provides a towel and clean bed sheets. We had paid more last time as it was in June, the peak Yatra season.

There is a SBI ATM located on the ground floor of this hotel which I found to very useful. I saw two ATMs at Badrinath as well, one of SBI and another of PNB.

Day3 : Joshimath - Badrinath - Govindgaht

We got up in those uncomfortable hours of the day for the third consecutive day. The weather was looking ominous. We could here the sound of drizzling water drops. We could not make out whether it was rain or dew. The hotel owner assured us that it is nothing unusual and weather will improve. When the first light of the day broke, it appeared that an envelope of mist had engulfed the small town. It probably was cloud, rather than mist. The drizzling had become more intense. Honey, the driver of the cab told that the rain is not a good sign. The first gate opens for traffic at 6:30 am. By the time we had reached the midway gate at Pandukeswar, the rain had stopped. Sporadic sunshine followed. There was a delay as debris of landslides at a stretch hardly a kilometer ahead was being removed. When we crossed this area, we realized that this portion of road can get blocked anytime. A hill of mud and stone are looming on one side eager to come down at the very next opportunity. In fact this part of road was blocked for about 10 days in August because of massive landslides, snapping the link between Badrinath and rest of the country. Imagine what will happen if you get trapped on the other side! Fortunately we had crossed this stretch safely on both onward and return journey. However, one driver of a GMVN cab was not so fortunate when he was killed by a falling rock on the day after we had traveled through this stretch. The occupants of his vehicle have a lucky escape as somehow the vehicle got into neutral gear. Otherwise there was a roaring Alaknada waiting on one side of the road to wallop it. May be the dyeing driver’s hand on the gear pushed it to neutral. Pure destiny!

We had reached Badrinath by 10 am. A deserted bus stand greeted us. It was almost a shock for us. The last time we were here, the bus stand was bursting with activities. There were hardly any devotees in the temple premises. No queues for entering the temple. This is quite a change from our last visit when we had to stand in long queues for hours. Yatra season is almost over for this year. We had a peaceful darshan taking our own time. The driver told us that the traders at Badrinath are now waiting for the Bangali Season. How do you define a Bangali Season ? Well the Bengalis travel a lot during Puja vacations which will start in end September to mid October. They normally come here in large numbers. Off season travelers? May be. Because Bengalis are known to extract every paisa’s worth.

This time we decided to have a bath in the natural hot water spring called the Tapt Kund (तप्त कुण्ड), located just outside the temple. One can find mention of this spring at Badrinath in Puranas. This is where Lord Shiva and Parvati used to take bath when Badrinath was their abode. Doubting Thomas like me would find it hard to believe that Lord Shiva used to take bath ! Anyway, the water at the spring is very hot, quite in contrast to the icy cold water of river Alaknanda flowing just few feet below it. I never had a bath in such public bathing places having natural hot water spring obviously for hygiene reasons. I had seen a few of them. But this one has flowing water rather than stale water. Probably because of this we had little hesitation in taking a dip. May be we had to come back here for a second time for taking the bath!

This time we did not go to Mana village. We took the 3 pm gate from Badrinath and reached Govindghat by about 4:30 pm.

I will write about Govindghat separately as I had observed that there is not much information about it on the net.

Accomodation online

The travel supplement of leading national dailies is full of packages and deals for outbound tourists, especially to the European countries and hot spots like Mauritius and South East Asian nations. Some of them offer really attractive rates, but no one really mentions about hidden costs. The general perception for a trip abroad is to take a package tour, unless you know someone close living there, who will help you in getting local travel assistance in a foreign country. Accommodation abroad is a big apprehension. The evolution of travel sites in India has helped people in a big way in making travel decisions, tickets and hotel bookings etc. We are not really aware of such Travel sites aboard.

I had come across one such site for tourists bound for UK and some other European nations. A site named ‘Cheaper than Hotels’ offers you the choice of several types of accommodation. In fact the site offers accommodation for a wide range of places, including India. I had tried the site and was surprised to find hotels for Delhi, India as well. I choose the option of 3 star and below. Names of the hotels that pop up for Delhi are not seen even in Indian travel sites. This is because Indian sites offers only big star hotels which are beyond the budget of most people. But ‘Cheaper than Hotels’ search included some 1 star hotels. Only problem I had observed with the site was that the prices are not in INR. But anyway it is a good site. I wish some of the Indian travel site also starts offering budget accommodation.

First few photos from VOF uploaded

First few photos from VOF have been uploaded to my flickr album. here is one of the appreciated shot. I am unable to find time to complete the travelogue and upload the photos from the entire trip. Hope to complete it by next week.

Meanwhile you can see other uploaded photos by clicking on the flickr badge on the sidebar.

Back from VOF

Reached Delhi early this morning after travelling nearly 500 kms by road. It was really tiring. Got stuck in landslides at copuple of places on the way back. But overall it was a wonderful trip. We even made it to the sikh holy shrine of Hemkund Sahib located at 14000 feet. I also took a holy dip at the icy cold water of the hemkund lake. I walked for a total of 32 km over 3 days. Our legs are in bad shape and can barly walk.

The bad news is that it is still raining on the high areas of Garhwal. Landslides has ravaged the road at many palces. At some places the road is in such bad shape that the tense face of our driver made us realise the danger. The driver admited that while we were up in the hills trekking, he prayed that one stretch of the road between Pipolkoti and Jsohimath, which is sinking do not give way. Had it gave in, then we could have got stcuck for 10 / 15 days. Futher, on 5th Sept, a driver of a GMVN cab got killed on the spot when his vehcile was hit by a falling rock near Pandukesawar, halfway between Joshimath and Badrinath. That stretch of the road had also become very dangerous. Miraculously, other passengers of that Tata Sumo escaped unhurt as somehow the vehicle got into neutral while the driver got killed. This driver had been driving in the hills for more than 20 years. But who knows when death comes! Our driver was staying at Pandukeshwar and was witness to this incident. This had affected his morale.

I thanked god to have come back safely. I will not go that side again in near future.

VOF Trip : Running into rough weather

My trip to VOF had run into rough weather. It is hopelessly hot and humid in Delhi and at the same time monsoon has refused to go away in Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand) . Heavy to very heavy rains are reported in Garhwal region at least once everyday in the last month. With just 3 days to go, I know that we will not have a smooth trip up. The road is very landslide prone and there is every possibility of delays due to landslides on the entire route. However, the good news I had received from my colleague Ashish, who hails from Srinagar, almost halfway between Rishikesh and Joshimath, is that vehicle are plying. I am ringing up my friends at Dehradun everyday to find whether it had rained that day.

My other set back was that I had a disc prolapse about 15 days back. This is the second time in the last 14 months that I had to be bed ridden due to slip disc problem. The situation was so worse that I could not even sit, forget about standing. But that was 15 days back, and I have recovered well. Though I do not feel 100% fit yet, my soul says that I can go, even though it will be 50 km walk / trek over 4 days. All now depends on the wish of rain god. Just pray that rains go away soon.

The rain and inclement weather had made me alter my plans. Now I will be travelling to Dehradun by Shatabdi Express tomorrow morning. We had discarded the idea of hiring a car from Delhi. It will always be safer to get a driver / car from Dehradun or Rishikesh. They will be more informed about the road conditions , alternate routes and landslides.

Shootout at Delhi

A shootout without guns, but with cameras. This was the name of today's photography workshop by Atul Kasbekar, organised by Canon India at The Park hotel. For many of us it was an opportunity to listen to the man who is one of the two brand ambassadors for Canon in India. The other one being Sachin Tendulkar.

Atul Kasbekar is a big name in Indian photography scene. He is the man who shoots the Kingfisher Calender for Vijay Mallaya. The tag Huer campaign with Sahrukh, Airtel campaign with Sachin, Citizen campaign with Kareena, Titan campaign with Aamir Khan, and the list goes on and on. Almost every cover of Cosmopolitan is shot by him.

He enthralled the small audience with insight into some of his editorial and cover works. He also explained some of the shots from the celebrated Kingfisher calender, specially where Photoshop have been used to enhance the images. Commercial photography can not live without photoshop, but according to him one has to be ethical and careful. If someone can point out that you have used photoshop, then you have failed. H also throw insight onto one his favorite technique -- use of fill flash. In one of the shots for Kingfisher calender, he made 11 am in the day looked like night by use of strong fill flash. That was amazing.

He opined that equipment should liberate the photographer. Photographer should not be too worried about the equipment. Well, for someone who shoots with an EOS 1D Mark-II with L lenses can certainly feel liberated. After a sumptuous lunch, a demo shooting session was arranged with a model. It was really amazing to see that almost every shot he took was good. Someone asked him about the lens he is using. The reply was : 85 mm f/1.2L II USM, which to him is one of the finest lenses Canon have ever produced. Sigh!! we can not afford a L lens, forget about a f/1.2

I understood that Canon keep organising such workshops from time to time in Delhi and Mumbai. An invitation was probably not mandatory. One could have hung a Canon DSLR on his neck and can walk into it. But Canon certainly spends a lot of money on such workshops which are normally arranged at 5 star hotels. Obviously, the hole that gets dug in your pocket when you buy Canon from its dealers sponsors such events.