Haridwar is almost crazier than Varanasi, but it is pure India, very few tourists frequent this place, there are no tourist restaurants or backpacker hangouts. It is one of the 3 or 4 holy places where the Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 6 and more especially every 12 years at the Ganges. This festival sees 30-100 million pilgrims bathe in the month long festival! Even without this festival going on it is packed with Indians dipping themselves in the water, Haridwar is where the Ganges officially changed from mountain river to a river of the eastern plains. The river is somewhat cleaner than Varanasi, where i certainly didn't entertain the notion of a dip. There are lots of editorials in the Indian papers on the environmental crisis affecting Asia's rivers..lots of finger pointing, but unless the electoral system changes form being controlled by mafia style politics, nothing will happen to avert eventual disaster. Even so it is clean enough to swim at Rishikesh, although it is very very cold and a swim is more like a refreshing dunk to ease the heat of the day, which has really cranked up since i got here.
Up the hill is Rishikesh, famous of course for the Beatles visiting and being ripped off at a ashram in the 60's, but nonetheless influencing their music for the better. The ashram is long closed but there is no shortage of alternatives here that are the real thing. Rishikesh gets my thumbs up! Every second place a yoga centre, meditation retreat, peaceful restaurant, massage centre..too many possibilities once again. Here the Ganges really takes shape for me, forested hills, white quartz sandy beaches and cool green water. The difference between Varanasi and Rishikesh is that beggar baba sahdu's replace mangy dogs as the intinerent population, so it is a quieter town, the locals are just as unfriendly if not more, but baba's hanging out on the ghat steps riveride in the shade are more chilled...men in orange, ascetic dope sellers. But having a chillum with a baba by the Ganges in India is kinda ok, and a true indian experience.
Sometimes Rishikesh its almost too shanti such is the quantity of facial hair, and the attitude of the beautiful people. In the upper part of the town is Laxmann Juhla, traveller hangout, although the ashrams are mostly downstream at the first bridge - Ram Juhla. I take residence up the hill with a superb peaceful view across all of this and start growing my beard. The cottages have their own yoga hall in the mango trees, and are next to a massage centre. So its Hatha yoga in the morning, with lots of Pranayama, it is strong but very good for the rest of the days energy, then late afternoon an hours Ayruvedic oil massage..within days i feel much stronger.
With this renewed confidence about my body, I go out on a trek to the 4000 meter Garhwal (western Uttaranchal Himalaya's) mountain known as Chandrashila. It is the first week of the trekking season so only easy lower altitude trips are available, but it wasn't that easy! We leave town with our team of guide, chef and driver in a big 4wd. It is a 8 hour drive 180km up the forested Ganges valley, it splits several times to smaller branches, over very steep and winding roads, many small communities perched on ridges, their terraced fields full of rice and wheat, finally stopping at a very small town high in the ranges. With porters in tow we head up a well worn trail, to trek an hour up to a moraine lake for the first nights camp at 2600 meters. The forest starts just above the town, soon i see why we have come here, the forest is old growth rhododendron trees, huge gnarled moss covered trunks bursting with pink and red blooms. It is completely magic, full of strange bird life, including huge bearded vultures circling above me, amazing when they swoop close overhead... then at the top of the saddle the Garhwal range, including Gangotri and Kerdanath comes into view, taking my breath away. We are up at dawn, and the orange sun spreads down from the highest peaks highlighting the ridges in beautiful tangerine and blue. The Garhwal's are famous peaks from 6,500m to 7000, and are huge from our camp only 15 km away. This huge range dominates the next 3 days, although there is a surprise at the summit.
The next day we hike 15 km across a steep glacial ridge, pretty easy going, but steady gradients, through the same rhododendron forest, down to a beautiful alpine river, then up to Chambra, a small snow line summer village, now deserted preseason. Another 3 km of walking brings us to camp..there is a photo of it in the album, it was a superb camp..of course its wonderful when u have a chef and 3 square meals a day provided...our only company a poor illiterate shepherd who in his small stone hut with thatched roof tended his few cow and buffalo daily, they go into the hut at night sharing the smoky warmth in a symbiosis of an age gone by. One afternoon i traipse into the blooming forest below camp and find a perfect spot, moss covered rock above a stream surrounded by blooms and sunlight, then thousands of white butterflies are flitting down the slope past me in the afternoon light, presumably going down to avoid cold at night.. it was quite surreal and beautiful, solitude in a country of a billion souls is a perfect moment.
So finally a 5am start for the summit hike...its not cold, and soon we reach the snowline along the granite paved trail that exists for walkers in summer...only 1300 meters vertical to go!...most of it is hard packed spring snow, the early start a must, as it had turned to soft mush on the descent in the sunlight...near the top is a wonderful temple, snow bound to the roof of the huts, but the temple is free and looks amazing against the Garhwal peaks...300 meters more and every 20 paces is a stop now to catch my breath, altitude kicks in at 3000 + for sure. Finally summit, finding a small temple and the view opening up to the Kumaon range- that is the Eastern part of the Uttaranchal Himalaya's, including the wonderful Nanda Devi 7840 meters, towering above all the other 7000 meter peaks, despite being some 70km away. There is some incredible trekking over there to be had in a future time, later in the season of course. Trekking fully catered and guided costs maybe $70 per day...amazing value. Skidding down the mountain on butt's was excellent, until it got too slushy then it was just a hugely exhausting slog..and so after a good nights food and rum and indian folk songs around the camp fire, peaks glowing in the cool 3/4 moonlight, the next day was another gruelling sheer driving experience 180 km drive back to the big R, again through some beautiful forest..thankfully the traffic was really light so it wasn't as slow.
SO my lips are badly blistered from the high altitude sunlight, but after 10 days of yoga it is time to move to Himachal Pradesh: Dharamshala, although i am rapidly running out of time at least i shall see some of its beauty...
No comments:
Post a Comment