Thursday 26 November 2015

Experiential travel - Have you done it yet?

“TRAVEL IS MORE THAN THE SEEING OF SIGHTS. IT IS A CHANGE THAT GOES ON DEEP AND PERMANENT, IN THE IDEAS OF LIVING” – MIRIAM BEARD

The traveller today is seeking real experiences. Comforts, amenities, attractions, packaged tours, must-sees and photos are things of the past and slowly fading away having failed to quench the thirst of the experiential traveller.

It is the real-life, first-hand experiences that the travellers are seeking.


We thought about experiential travel and what it means. It could be defined in numerous ways:
  • When you feel the place instead of just looking at it; when you have absorbed the sights, sound, smell and taste of a place, that is experiential travel
  • It’s about engaging with the local people and truly experiencing their lifestyle and culture from the front line
  • They are encounters that bring a smile to our faces, affect us profoundly and enrich our lives.
  • As a traveller, if you are willing to immerse yourself in a place, experience it by exploring and engaging with the local people, that is experiential travel
  • It is about going beyond the beaten tourist tracks and getting into the spirit of a local culture. It is not about guidebooks, travel books, expensive chain hotels or resorts. It is about visiting a site not found in guidebooks, staying at a camp or a local stay, eating at a place recommended by the locals.
  • If you can give something back to the place that you have visited and take back beautiful and life enriching memories, that is experiential travel.
We think it’s more about doing, getting under the skin of a place than just seeing.


 We are working on providing many such meaningful local experiences to the global community of experiential travellers. Do you just see a place? Have you started experiencing yet?

Sunday 15 November 2015

Making travel truly democratic

We have always believed that true travel is something that benefits all the stakeholders involved. Traditional Travel businesses have so far mostly focused on making travel easy for the travellers. Recent travel start-ups have also done a great job in easing travel pains for the travellers by offering tech-enabled services which help in researching, planning, booking and commuting. However, what remains to be focused upon is how the locals benefit from travel? This is where we come into the picture.

We are working on building a tech enabled platform to help locals benefit from mainstream travel. Think of it, who are the people who have the maximum destination specific expertise? Who are the people who know the most about the culture, nature, food, custom of a particular place? These people are the locals, the real destination experts. What if a traveller could get to feel, hear, see and taste a place in the most authentic way? We help the locals in crafting such experiences for the travel community. Travellers are slowly moving away from packaged holidays to real, experiential holidays. We are bringing on our platform, such real & authentic travel experiences crafted by the locals. When locals are made the real stakeholders of the travel industry and the travellers are provided real, soulful experiences in a destination, travel becomes truly democratic.

For the travellers, By the locals.


Sunday 1 November 2015

We love Homestays

We love home stays, don’t we. Economical, easy, authentic, meaningful and straight from the heart!

Village home stays are a splendid way to maximize your experience of a region! With an open mind and a little bit of adaptability you get to enjoy all the flavours of the village life, all at one place. When you interact with the locals, learn their cuisine, live their life for once, or simply bask in the sun, the experience broadens your outlook, transcends the soul and creates new lifelong bonds.

While you get to enjoy the riches of the village life, the local people directly benefit from your stay. Your stay ensures some economic benefit to your hosts as well as the village. This is helpful in generating alternative means of livelihood and taking the load away from the agricultural land.

The Green Locus is in the quest of connecting the traveller community with the local community and this is best done through developing and promoting home stays as possible stay options. Our home stays have been well appreciated by people who have travelled with us. Not to forget the benefits that the villagers have experienced in terms of alternate income, improvement in outlook and most importantly, the pride of having a meaningful life that can be shared with the world.


At present, we are running homestays in Nainital, Jageshwar, Almora, Mukteshwar and Leh-Ladakh. We are now expanding into other places of interest like Ranikhet, Rishikesh, Shimla, Dharamsala and McLeodGanj. We are fast growing our network of campsites and eco-resorts along with home-stays and plan to launch an app and a re-furbished website soon. Wishing you happy, responsible travel!

Our Homestay at Jageshwar (Almora)

Thursday 25 July 2013

The Milam glacier travelogue

The Origins
Milam Glacier was a personal, childhood dream for me. It was so much of a dream and an object of reverence that I remember faking a bullet point in my resume once about having finished the trek. Where did the want stem from, I have no clue, but looking back, I think it was an inherent love for nature and the Himalayas that might have caused it. Studies earlier on and professional engagements later on ensured that the dream had to wait for some time to get fulfilled. It was only after I left behind the comforts of a well paid corporate job and started a travel firm of my own, that I finally had the chance to undo the sins of faking the resume and take the fabled glacier trek. A chance chat with a friend was enough to ignite the spark and set the ball rolling. A few rounds of email exchanges with friends and their friends led to 11 enthusiasts ready to take a journey of 120 kms deep into the Himalayan valleys and gorges to the footsteps of the great giants of snow and ice.

Geography and History lessons
Milam glacier lies in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, part of the western Himalayas. It originates from the east slope of Trishuli and is fed from subsidiary glacial streams coming from the peaks on the eastern rim of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (mainly from Hardeol) from the west, while on the east it is fed by glaciers from high peaks like Nanda Gond and Nanda Pal. The ferocious Gori Ganga originates from the snout of the glacier and meanders through the mountains carving out deep gorges and carpeting through dangerous rapids to finally meet its sister river Kali in Jauljibi. The valley crossed by the river is called Johar valley. The last village before the glacier is its namesake called Milam. All the villages along the trek including the Milam village remain deserted for most part of the year. The situation was not like that forever. Till the early 1960’s bustling trade used to thrive between India and Tibet. The Indians traded rice, cotton clothes, jaggery, sugar etc. for Tibetan Borax, precious stones, Pashmina and salt. The Indo-China war of 1962 led to the trade halting abruptly and villages being deserted. Very few families go there now in the summer months to cultivate medicinal plants and to search for an aphrodisiac medicine called Yarsa Gumba on the higher altitudes (3,000-5,000 meters).
Rilkot on the banks of Gori Ganga

 The trek route mostly treads along the Gori Ganga from Munsyari which is the starting point of the trek. Efforts by the government to build roads in the border regions of India have led to Kuttcha roads being constructed ahead of Munsyari as well, but the pace has been excruciatingly slow. A drivable tract of road of nearly 12 kms of length till Jimmyghat now ensures that you can save at least a day of trekking. The trek itself is quite demanding with a varying terrain throughout. The trek route is well defined to assist in cattle and pony movement, but not suitable for human walking. The path is mostly laid out in stone walking on which is a nightmare for the poor feet. Add to it the regular steep ascents and descents over a varied terrain with a deep gorge on one side, and it will require you to be cautious throughout the trek.
Many small and large glaciers feed on to the Gori Ganga

The constraints
So, imagine trekking on such a route for a total of 120 kms in 6 days! Anybody would have put down the idea as crazy and insane. But the hard truths of life sometimes bring out the craziness, that mad streak in you to attempt the otherwise impossible. In this case, the hard truth was that firstly, most of the trekkers were inexperienced in trekking in the Himalayas and secondly, all were employed (except me) and getting more than 5 days of leaves at a stretch was out of question. So there we were, with a total of 9 days at hand to start from Delhi and reach back. We initially had kept a total of 7 days for the trek and 1 day each for the onwards and return journey, but consultation with a few experts of the route suggested that we should give ourselves a day of acclimatization at Munsyari before heading off. So, finally it was decided that we would stay in Munsyari for 2 nights and try to attempt trek in 6 days. In the hindsight, the decision wasn’t a bad one as we realized later on.

The trekkers
The plan initially was seeded in my mind by Rajesh, a good friend’s brother and now a good friend himself. Both of us belong to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand and both had similar reverence for the Milam glacier trek. So there it began and finally we were joined by 9 more enthusiasts. Here is a brief intro, hope the brevity will be excused by the fellow trek mates:
AP: A dynamic and naturally adventurous lad wasting his life doing Pharma Analytics.
Kamal: A super athletic boy; hails from Himachal and is an avid trekker. In free time, likes to do cutting edge retail analytics.
KV: Oh whatte fun. Undoubtedly the funniest guy in the trek. Wasting his life like AP.
SST: Swift Stud Trekker. His bones and flesh reek of adventure. Definitely the most “priced” companion in the trek (with grams of Titanium rods in his body to hold it together). The swiftest guy in the trek.
Ashish: Our own Swami Vivekanand during the trek. A researching fellow in Electrical engineering. Very well understands the outside world and inside world currents. Electrical Engineering + Spirituality you see.
Hareesh: A witty fellow with an unquestionable support for a certain political party. Rumors about his political connections were alive during the whole trek.
Abhiman: A lanky fellow from Udupi with a superb stamina (result of his obsession with keeping fit). The trek was a realization for this guy, more than anybody else, about his own body and its limitations.
Mayur: An easy going and fun-to-be-with lad from Mumbai. Loves trekking and the Himalayas. Works at HSBC to support his love for trekking.
GK (Gopal): What a delightful person! Often the central character of our jokes and stories during the trek. His namesake, a convicted politician, earned his isms the name of Kandaism.
Rajesh: A simple and easy going guy from Almora. The one who made the trek possible, simply by thinking of it and encouraging others to do it. Works at GE Bangalore by the day.
Your’s truly: I’m fortunate to have done the trek with a group of great individuals, each of whom had a distinctive personality and something to learn from.

What follows is a recap of our epic adventure deep in the Himalayan playground, as I remember it.

Day 0: A prelude
Have you heard the phrase “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”? With the thought in mind we stepped out of our homes with packed rucksacks, tents and sleeping bags. Who knew that the first step itself would be eventful, almost like a prelude to the adventure ahead? It so happened that in all his excitement and a deep-in-the-trek thought, Kamal left a sleeping bag in the auto-rickshaw he took to the metro station. He then had to track the auto back to the auto stand and then a ride in another auto led him to the bag. Imagine Kamal sticking his neck out of the autorickshaw to chase a speeding auto and literally pulling the bag out of the running auto! The imagination is mine and very BOLLYWOODish, I must admit. Anyway, with the much needed sleeping bag by his side, Kamal would have surely breathed a sigh of relief and so did we. Who would have otherwise thought of sharing a sleeping in the freezing temperatures of the Himalayas? With the mini-adventure seeing a successful ending, 5 of us (AP, SST, KV, Kamal and I) boarded the Delhi Metro to the Chandni Chowk metro station. Chadni Chowk is the nearest metro station to reach the Old Delhi railway station from where Ranikhet Express, a night train to Kathgodam, departs at 10.40 PM. We met 3 more trek mates, Hareesh, Mayur and Abhiman at the station. Brief introduction was followed by a quick round of packed Biryanis which satiated us easily. The train departed at right time and with the hopes of a great trip, we were all fast asleep. Surprisingly, the Ticket collector didn’t bother disturbing us to check the tickets.

Day 1: In midst of the giants
We reached Haldwani station at around 5 in the morning giving us enough time to freshen up. It is the second last station on the route. Not many trains leave from here in the morning, so it was fairly un-crowded. Seeing a waiting room empty, we were quick enough to storm the room and give ourselves the luxury of vacant toilets. Only later did we realize that the rooms were meant for passengers with AC tickets. But, “when you gotta go, you gotta go”. The call of nature is all too powerful to give heed to rules and hence, notwithstanding the rule, we quickly finished our “stuff” and walked out of the station to our transporter for the rest of the trip, a 13 seater Tempo Traveler that we had pre-booked for the hilly journey from Haldwani to Munsyari. With the customary good luck shout of “Jai Mata Di” we started on our journey. We soon could feel the elevation rise with our vehicle entering the Kumaun hills. Soon, we passed by the beautiful lake town of Bhimtal. There’s some magic about the mountain air and when it is coupled with the terrific sight of a mountain lake, it can easily chase away any ghosts of sleep or tiredness from anybody’s eyes. Everybody welcomed the refreshing sight of the lake, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to soak in the beauty of the lake. We had to cover the 350 km long hill journey in daylight which meant continuous drive with very short breaks in between. We stopped briefly at Kainchi to have a sumptuous breakfast of pakodi (deep fried gram flour nuggets mixed with spices), raita (a spiced concoction of diced cucumber and curd), aaloo parantha (pancakes stuffed with potatoes) and my favorite bun-butter with tea. Thereafter, the journey was pretty boring. Asheesh and Rajesh joined us at Almora. At Barechhina, we got our supply of the remaining tents, sleeping bags and mats. From there on we passed the Binsar wildlife sanctuary to reach Sheraghat where we stopped briefly and took a stroll to the bank of the Sharda River. It is the same river which is formed at Jauljibi by GoriGanga meeting its sister river Kali. The expanse of the river is wide here and the flow is smooth. Thoughts of having a dip in the river were again put to rest by the urgency of reaching Munsyari. We reached Thal by around 2 PM and set off for Munsyari after a lunch of Soya-nuggets, eggplant curry, rotis (flatbread), rice and dal. The rest of the journey was full of amusement. Our driver and conductor managed to sneak in some alcohol mixed in their Coke and what followed was rounds of funny conversations between the two and throwing away of expletives at the passer byes. Taxi drivers in the hills tend to chase away the tiredness of long and arduous drives in the hills by numbing it out with alcohol. We reached the Birthi waterfall soon and stopped briefly for a photo-session. It was around 6 and we were near Munsyari. It was raining at the time and so we could get very brief glimpse of the High Himalayan peaks. The greenery of high alpine trees mixed with the fog gave an ethereal feel to the rest of the journey. We reached Munsyari at around 7. The fabled Panchachuli peaks were not visible due to the rains, but we knew that we were in the company of the Himalayan giants who preferred to postpone their appointment with us. We checked in to our rooms at the KMVN guest house. After some refreshing ginger tea, some of us ventured for a bath and then straightaway headed for some amazing, simple yet delicious dinner. I had packed in a pack of cards in my luggage and floated the idea of playing cards which found no ears as all that the people had in their mind was sleep! That’s what I did, as well as others. And so, a long tiresome day ended with everybody cocooned in their bed, deep asleep in the lap of the Himalayas.
Our "traveler" for the day. Getting decked up with our camping gear at Barechhina
View from the KMVN guest house. It was mostly overcast and we could only glimpse some smaller peaks

A panoramic view of the KMVN guest house and the surroundings


Day 2: The permit and the brief appointment
Everybody was feeling fresh and it looked like our decision to stay an extra day will pay off. After a good night’s rest we wanted to eat some good breakfast before meeting our guide and porter. The rain had been beating down the whole night but had slowed down a little to give us the opportunity to pull up our ponchos and set out to search for eating joints. A small lane opens out from the KMVN complex which goes down about half a kilometer to reach the bus station. After a little searching around the main bazaar of Munsyari, we found the Hansling lodge near the bus station where we had some omlettes and parathas. Only later did we realize that we were up for some complimentary breakfast at the guest house itself. A folly, we realized, but could not keep us from trying our hands at the second round of breakfast. Here we met Laxman, a local lad who was to arrange a guide for us. Meanwhile, Gopal had joined us as the 11th member of the trekking team. In the afternoon, the rain had stopped and we set off to the ITBP post at Munsyari to arrange for our trek pass. The route to the ITBP post passes through the main highway road and is a little lofted in altitude. Being close to the Indo-Tibet border, for security reasons a limited number of passes are given. We completed the permit process without much hassle which was unlike any other Government institution where getting a thing as simple as a pass would have been a nightmarish experience. Anyway, with the permit in our hand, we were feeling like an army loaded with ammunition and ready to take on the enemy. We started our “march” back to the guest house when the spectacle happened. The clouds suddenly gave way and through a small opening, a shaft of the evening sun rays bathed one of the peaks of the Panchachuli range. We were awestruck by the spectacle and our fortune that the giants finally decided to give us an appointment, albeit for a short time. The rest of the evening was spent in finalizing the logistics for the trek and in re-shuffling and re-packing the luggage and some last minute exclusions and inclusions. We decided to take 3 mules and a guide for the trek. Our guide for the trek would be Mahendra Singh Tolia, a local and experienced guide who had taken treks to various high passes and glaciers of the region. We decided to set off at around 7 AM on the next day. With the packing done and logistics arranged, we finished off the day with a great meal yet again at the KMVN restaurant. Happy and content that we could finally have a tryst with the Panchachuli peaks, we slept to begin our assault on the next day.
The ITBP post at Munsyari (2250 meters)


A beautiful local home near Munsyari market

An info-board at the KMVN proclaiming the greatness of the Himalayas

Day 3: Munsyari – ChillamDhar – Jimmyghat – Lilam – Waef – Rargari - Bugdiar (17km) – A tryst with the trek
Finally, the day arrived for which we had been waiting for a long time. The first day of our trek and boy, we were so upbeat about it. The sun was out today, although the high peaks were still not visible due to mist over the mountains. The KMVN cooks obliged us with a quick round of Maggi noodles as the breakfast at around 6.30 AM, it was impossible for them to prepare a full breakfast so early. But the Maggi was sufficient to quench our hunger for some time for which we duly thanked the cooks. After the check-out formalities, the luggage was loaded on a Max jeep which was to drop us as at Chillamdhar, our starting point for the trek. So there we were; 11 trekkers, a driver and a guide all packed in to a jeep with the luggage at the top. The adventure had already begun! On reaching Chillamdhar, we met our ponies and their owner Mohan. The luggage was being loaded on the ponies while we set off. The first tract of trekking would lead us from the road to a bridge over the Gori Ganga. It was a steep descent of around 200 metres strewn with boulders, mud, sludge and horse-shit. What a start, we exclaimed. Harish led the way for a while before slipping on the sludge almost half way to the bridge, fortunately with no injuries. We got reminded here about the element of being cautious on a mountain trek. We reached the bridge at the place called Jimmyghat. The Gori Ganga was gushing through the valley and the suspension bridge over it added to the beauty of the spot. This was the place where we had to wait for our ponies. Since the downhill route that we took wasn’t suitable for pony movement, they took an alternate route. This meant that we had to wait for some time before moving further. A delay in their arrival led AP and I to climb the way back to the road to look for our ponies. We had climbed only 100 meters or so when we spotted them. In the meanwhile SST, KV, Gopal and Kamal had decided to move ahead to Lilam village while myself, AP, Mayur, Rajesh, Asheesh, Hareesh and Abhiman followed with the ponies and Mahendra (our guide). A steady climb of around 4 kms led us to the Lilam village where we stopped briefly to show our permit at the ITBP post. The route ahead was mostly a steep ascent over the stony path and passing under a thick jungle canopy. On the way, we spotted the first waterfall and KV, in all his humor, switched to a Nepali ascent to provide us some good laugh. The jharna (Hindi for waterfall) became Jhorna and sahib jee (Hindi for master) became shaab-jee. “Shaab-jee, oo jhorna shaab-jee. Jhorna!”, he spontaneously blurted out. This incidentally was captured by AP in his camera which later became a good entertainer for us throughout the trek. We stopped at Waef midway to have lunch, steamed rice with boiled dal and chutney made of Cannabis seeds provided us the fuel for the route ahead. On the opposite side of Waef we could see the village Pui which looked quite idyllic but high up in the mountain and very far away from the nearest road. We wondered about what would have initiated the villagers to settle here to live a life of limited means? Strange mountain ways, we thought! We proceeded further on the stony trail along the Gori Ganga, up and down the path, panting yet moving on. On the way we passed by a place which was drenched by a wide waterfall. There was a temporary tin-shed along this stretch of the trek, but the ferocity of falling water had ripped apart most part of the tin shed, and so, there was no way one could escape the stretch without getting wet. 2 hours of walking from Waef brought us to Rargari (also called as Rail-gadi by some). The place is abundantly blessed with greenery and is almost level with the Gori Ganga. Some heavy rains in the past month had led to the bridge over the Gori Ganga from Rargari being washed away due to the gushing waters of the river. The PWD was trying to construct a make shift ladder when we reached Rargari. We had to tread along the river bank on some large stones laid down by the PWD workers to reach the ladder which opened up to a platform on an overhanging cliff. A simple, careless slip of foot would mean being washed away in the Gori Ganga. Thanks to the makeshift arrangement by PWD, we were able to continue on the journey. From Rargari, the route was a steep climb of around 2 more hours to reach Bugdiyar. Bugdiyar is situated on the bank of the Gori Ganga and surrounded by tall mountains. The valley offers some place for camping since the valley extends on both side of the river and has some good grassy expanse. At around 6 PM, we set foot at Bugdiyar. Another ITBP post greeted us here. The ITBP soldiers were very cordial and offered us tea and to our surprise, we got a chance to call our homes. The ITBP jawaans kept us engaged for a long time with their stories and how they have to survive the bitter winter months in the Himalayan frontline. It was touching to see their patriotism and commitment to serve the country. After dinner at the nearby tea house, we slept in the PWD Bungalow which was a bungalow with just basic beds and no electricity or water, but good enough to sleep comfortably.

The bridge at Jimmyghat where we had to wait for our ponies to arrive

On way to Lilam
We had to pass through a couple of caves to reach Lilam

Post office at Lilam
Making entry and showing the permit at the ITBP post at Lilam
The "JHORNA" moment. AP checking his phone camera
KV and his "JHORNA SHAAB JEE"
Kamal straightening his back during the Lunch break at Waef
Gopal with our guide Mahendra at Waef, overlooking Pui

The waterfall on way to Rargari from Waef
Rargari, one slip and the Gori Ganga will swallow you
Moving ahead of Rargari
2 hours of walk under thick jungle canopy from Rargari to Bugdiyar
Bugdiyar - A rocky place in the valley

ITBP post - Bogudiyar
(L-R) Abhiman, Mayur and Kamal. On the left (white building) is the PWD guest house

Day 4: Bugdiyar – Nahar Devi – Rilkot – Martoli (19km) – The glaciers and the bouldering
We started at around 5:30 AM in two batches. Kamal, SST, Abhiman and Mayur, the swiftest of the lot started ahead of the rest so that they could reach Nahar Devi, our breakfast point for the day, to order for everybody. It’s also the best for everyone to trek in their natural pace. The rest of the group started around half an hour later. One reason to start early was to avoid walking over the glaciers during day when the sun beats over you and the ice starts to melt, making walking on it difficult and dangerous. On our way, we met a pony owner struggling hard to keep his ponies together, all because of one young pony who did not mind his way and was recklessly moving along. He requested us to use our walking sticks to help him keep the pony under sight and control. We happily obliged. Everyone has his or her own big problem, and here was this pony owner whose primary concern was to keep his ponies together, and there are people who have everything in the world and yet struggle for more! Strange ways of life!
After around an hour and half we reached Nahar Devi to treat ourselves to Maggi and scrambled eggs. The onward part of the trek till Rilkot was dotted with glaciers, landslides, very very steep stretches, ghost villages and stunning views. The route ahead of NaharDevi looked like it was carved out of rocks, grooves in the gigantic mountain walls made to assist movement with a deep drop over the cliff on the other side. I’m not sure if these were natural or man-made but they made for an interesting walk. At some places there was just enough space for one person to move while tightly hugging the rocks. Imagine if you encounter a flock of sheep and goats on the way, whose way would it be? Obviously the sheep’s. Animals have the first right on mountains (I guess elsewhere too). Only 2 kilometers ahead of NaharDevi, we had our first tryst with the glaciers. Mahendra told us that these glaciers were result of the snow which fell during the winter months of November to February and melts away by September. Walking on glaciers was not easy and none of the trekker would have escaped a little slip on the ice, I’m sure. It was important to avoid miniature crevasses on the glaciers and hence we stuck on to the route being used by the ponies on the route. It would have been around 3 kilometers to RIlkot when we encountered a landslide ridden place. It looked like there had been a major recent landslide and the route was strewn with enormous rocks and boulders. While rest of the group found a longer route to bypass the rocky mess, our guide Mahendra saw an opportunity to shorten the journey past the landslide. He decided to do some bouldering. There was Mahendra, AP, KV, Rajesh, Asheesh, Gopal and I who were behind the rest of the group. While Mahendra led the group, I decided to stay back at the last to ensure that everyone has passed through the boulders. In front of me were Asheesh and Gopal. Now Asheesh was in his Kurta Pyjama which perhaps didn’t allow for a free movement over the rocks and Gopal, as usual, in his dreamy pace was a little slow and so Gopal lost the sight of Mahendra and lost his way. At a certain point on the rocks we were presented with two options, either to take a downhill route or a uphill one. While I was convinced that Mahendra had gone downwards, Gopal insisted on moving upward. I relied on Gopal’s judgement thinking that he would have seen Mahendra take the route since he was ahead of Asheesh and me. That was a wrong decision! We had completely lost our way over the boulders which meant, I had to take the lead to find the way down to the rest of the group and also ensure that Asheesh and Gopal can comfortably trek down. Step by step and breadth by breadth we treaded past the dangerous rocks. A slip over the rocks would have meant a serious injury and maybe a fatal fall. Thankfully, after around 10 minutes of routing our way through, we sighted the group and reached down safely. Another mini-adventure courtesy Gopal Kanda (remember Kandaisms) was over. We arrived in Rilkot to a super windy welcome. Rilkot, at an altitude of 3,200 metres faces the brunt of the winds coming in from the Johar valley. After the formalities at the ITBP post and the usual lunch of dal and rice, we moved ahead. Starting from the valley meant that we would definitely have to climb hard. This proved true very soon after setting off from Rilkot. A steep and torturous ascent of around half a kilometer drained us of energy, but what made us forget that was a vast table-top like expanse of grass on the mountain top. One could get a panoramic view of the Johar valley and the Gori Ganga gorge that lay in front of us. Our guide Mahendra Singh Tolia also showed us the Tola village from where he belongs. Like other villages, even Tola was deserted for most parts of the year except for the summer months when villagers come back to cultivate some herbs and medicinal plants. Almost everybody rested at the beautiful table-top for a while. Some photo sessions later we were up, treading the remaining 6 kilometers to Martoli. Martoli, actually does not lie on the regular route to Milam. If one is really short on time they could avoid Martoli and continue on to Burfu, but it is not recommended. I was sure all through the planning stages of the trek that we had to do Martoli, simply because it is supposed to be the most beautiful village in the entire trek. Therefore, despite being short on time and after due calculations, we risked taking a de-tour to Martoli to spend a night there. According to our calculations, our next stop, the Milam village would have been 13 kilometers from Martoli and we would anyway have to break the journey at Burfu and would have gained only around 3 kilometers. So, we were not loosing much in terms of time and coverage. After a fairly uneventful couple of hours, we finally sighted the ruins of Martoli, much to the excitement of the group. Believe me; the place is blessed with beauty and is supremely blissful! The green grasslands dotted with multiple village homes, glacial streams, sacred ponds and the backdrop of the snow covered Martoli peak and the Ralam Pass, oh what a delight it was to be there! No wonder that Martoli, at some point, had the highest number of families in the entire Johar valley living here. It is estimated that during the peak years of Indo-Tibet trade as many as 500 families were living there. Today, there were just a couple of families living there, and one of them had opened their home as a home stay for the trekkers to the Milam glaciers. The home itself was beautifully made in the traditional style and added to the beauty of the backdrop. The sight and the amazing feeling of being at such a pristine place made us forget the paining legs and the tiredness and brought spring to our feet. After throwing our bags in the village home we set off to explore the place. The scenery of Martoli is dominated by the Martoli peak (~4,800 meters), the Ralam pass (~5,600 meters), a glimpse of the Nanda Devi (~ 7,800 meters), nearby mountains eroded by centuries of Himalayan winds forming steep cliffs, the deserted village of Martoli, some clear water ponds, other distant Himalayan peaks and a small temple built at the base of the Martoli peak. We decided to hike to the temple and spent a nice 45 minutes there, meditating and losing ourselves to the serenity of the place and the calmness of the outside and the inside world. It almost felt like time had stopped. I strongly believe that the Himalayas have a strong life appeal about them, a spiritual pull which calls the unsuspecting traveler closer to the mountains to feel and embrace it. It was really a divine experience. Soon, the dusk arrived and we pulled out our sleeping bags and mats. We got together for a game of cards called Judgement which I introduced to the group. Most players were new to the game and as luck would have it, Kamal, who was playing it for the first time rode high on the beginners luck to win the game. A little rum to help everyone sleep and some snoring by the already asleep ones, forced almost everybody to wrap up the day.

Leaving Bogudiyar behind, early in the morning. Photo taken from a bridge over the Gori Ganga
Tea house at Nahar-Devi

A signboard at Nahar Devi showing distance to Rilkot - 11 Km
Rajesh on the way from Nahar Devi to Rilkot

The way has been cut through the rocks
One of the many glaciers between Nahar Devi and Rilkot

It is a different feeling walking on glaciers

We had aimed to walk through the glaciers before the sun is overhead

The snow reflects the early morning blue sky

The bouldering adventure
"Oiling" the joints at Rilkot

Leaving Rilkot behind
Towards Martoli

View from the table top. Reminds me of scenes from LOTR :)

After the arduous climb to the top of the mountain

Tola village at a distance as seen from the mountain top
KV shows his elation on sighting Martoli

SST posing in from of the Martoli peak. At its base is the Nanda Devi temple

The temple entry

The Martoli temple

The temple provided a great spiritual atmosphere for meditation

Day 5: Martoli – Burfu – Milam Village (13km) – Of the cricket and the anticipation
Today, we had only 13 kms to cover and we utilized the opportunity to allow ourselves a late rise from the bed. A small window in front of us was open and we could sense the spectacle outside. It would have been around 6.30 and the sun was already shining bright over the nearby peaks. Mt. Martoli was bathing in its glory and almost like a shaman telling us that it is going to be a good trek ahead. Spirited, we woke up and after a quick round of chai everyone started the hunt for a place to carry out the morning ablutions, except that the hunt was not so easy. Martoli, did not really have a lot of vegetation, all that grew there was grass. The only option was to hide oneself behind rocks or to search for a nook among the ruins of Martoli village. Anyways, the ever overpowering calls of nature will eventually make you settle for a place and just do it. In the meanwhile someone had discovered that the villagers here had laid down pipelines from the nearby streams to the village in order to receive a continuous supply of water. We had been without a bath for 3 days now and could not resist the temptation to bath. However, we soon realized that the water was unfit for bathing simply because it was glacial in nature and ice-cold. We settled to shampoo our hair which in itself spun our head. The numbness in the head remained for a while. Back in the home stay, it was revealed that Abhiman, who had earlier shown symptoms of fatigue, was beginning to slow down. It was doubtful if he would be able to cover the remaining 30 odd kilometers of the trek back to Martoli. Anyway, the delight of the day had to be the breakfast that we had at Martoli. Puris, deep fried wheat flatbreads with a gram curry. It was heavenly and undoubtedly, the best breakfast till date on the trek. Thankful of the surprise and delight of the kingly breakfast, some of us also bought some locally made shawls and scarves. These were made of Pashmina wool, softest of hair shaved off the neck of lamb. The magic was in the warmth and the light-weight they had. After settling the transactions, now was the time for some photo shoots. The amazing backdrops at Martoli provided a great avenue for clicking some fantastic photographs. The enthusiasm among the boys was infectious and soon everybody had a handsome portfolio of matrimonial pictures, not that all were bachelors, but still, who would have spared the opportunity to utilize the beautiful chance that Mother Nature had given us at Martoli? Abhiman, in the meanwhile had insisted that he can at least carry on to Milam village and would take a decision there. We were worried that since he had slowed down, his pace might affect the rest of the group. But he pushed on and we obliged. After paying and thanking our hosts for their hospitality, we departed from Martoli. Moving along the well laid out streets past the deserted village houses, we soon reached the edge of the mountain on which Martoli village stood, and started a steep descent to a bridge. The path till Milam village is mostly boring. The only green respite one gets is at Burfu. We reached Burfu after a 4 km walk. AP, KV and I had accompanied Abhiman till Burfu. Well actually we stopped at a teahouse overlooking the Burfu village from across the Gori Ganga. Burfu is again a deserted village. At the teahouse we could finally get a glimpse of the Yarsa Gampo, the bespoke magical and exorbitantly priced aphrodisiac. The teahouse had a notice stuck at the entrance which was a resolution by the local Government denouncing any outside person attempting to fetch the aphrodisiac from the high snow covered mountains surrounding the village. The punishment, if any outsider was caught, would not have been more demeaning, parading the perpetrator naked in the whole village! Anyone who holds his esteem dear would not dare it after such a warning. We got some biscuits here for Abhiman to ensure some Glucose supply to him so that he could cover the remaining 9 kms to the Milam village. After a brief stopover, we carried on further. From here, a trek route cuts off to the Nanda Devi east base camp through Panchu. Another route goes over a bridge across the Gori Ganga which eventually brings the Gori Ganga towards our left. Until now, the Gori Ganga was to our right. Abhiman pushed on further supported and cheered by Mayur, who proved to be a great companion for him for the rest of the journey. Midway, we spotted the ITBP jawans being trained high atop a snow covered mountain. After around 3 hours of continuous walking, we spotted the Milam village. The eventuality of finishing the most boring part of the trek made us reach the village at a faster pace. We spotted a few other trekking parties camping at the ITBP campus there. One of these parties was apparently going from the Milam glacier to the Nanda Devi east base camp. Ahh, only if we had more time, we could have accommodated it into our program. After formalities at the post, we parked ourselves in another home stay, although not as beautiful and comfortable as the one at Martoli. Milam village is a huge expanse of flat land flanked by a deeper valley on one side fed by the Gori Ganga and on the other side are again high mountains. We reached at around 2 PM and as soon as we had finished our lunch, we settled for another game of Judgement. The ITBP  jawaans had earlier informed us that they would be continuing their daily routine of playing cricket in the evening and soon we heard them outside on a large playing field warming up to start the play. Kamal, SST, KV and Gopal ventured out to play followed by Mayur for clicking some pictures. The rest decided to continue playing cards. After what seemed an eventful game for SST the guys returned. Mayur was disappointed as he wasn’t allowed to take pics of the campus due to security reasons. We continued our game of cards for a while before relishing some Khichdi (rice and lentils cooked together with spices). Soon we were deep asleep in our sleeping bags hoping for an early start the next day.
A Panoramic picture of Martoli

The Ralam pass as seen from Martoli
Our home-stay at Martoli

The home stay again (notice that the locals call it a "hotel")

The Martoli peak and the temple at the base

A cairn at Martoli

Another landscape at Martoli

Martoli peak again with some vegetation at the base

A pond at Martoli reflecting the surrounding mountains

Another pond at Martoli

The ruins at Martoli

The window in our room at the home stay at Martoli
Helping the local economy. The boys buying locally made shawls and scarves

The team before departing from Martoli
Sitting (L-R): KV, Gopal, PT, Kamal, AP, Asheesh
Standing (L-R): Rajesh, Hareesh, Abhiman, Mayur, SST
Photographer: Mahendra
From near Burfu. Notice the bridge over Gori Ganga which eventually brings the river to our left

Yarsa Gampo

Don't you dare fetch the YARSA GAMPO! The "caution" note at the teahouse in Burfu
A Gori Ganga tributary on approaching Milam village

Crossing the tributary
Reached Milam village

A slew of markers on reaching Milam village


The ITBP post at Milam village

Cricket at Milam village

Day 6: Milam village – Milam glacier – Milam Village – Burfu (23km) – The triumph and the camping
We woke up at around 4 before dusk and continued the routine of finding places. By around 5.30 everyone was ready and after a breakfast of cup noodles, we marched on to what we had been waiting for so long! Abhiman, had wisely decided to stay back at Milam village and utilize the day resting. The morning was the chilliest ever and with extra layers of clothing we set off to finally have a tryst with the glacier. The sky was azure blue almost like preparing to welcome us at Milam. After around a couple of Kilometers we finally sighted the Trishul and Hardeol peaks from where the glacier originates. From the distance, it looked like a glacial deposition at the base of the peaks but we could not confirm it since we weren’t going to go any further in the glacier owing to the paucity of time. Mahendra, in his opportunistic demenaour, again asked us if we would prefer a short-cut to the glacier to which we affirmatively replied. What turned out could have been a self-destructive move. The route we took passed along the banks of the Gori Ganga and due to the fresh landslides from the hills the route was perilous. The stones were loosely fit and in all probability would go down the river by the application of even a small amount of pressure. The quicker ones among us also faced tough challenges in overcoming the route. But eventually, we made it. After struggling for around 20 minutes along the river bank we reached atop a pile of rocks to encounter the spectacular delight of the Gori Ganga ferociously oozing out of the mouth of the glacier with a backdrop of high & solid walls of ice towering above us! AP, KV and Gopal ventured ahead to check if it was worth going any further, but to everybody’s dismay, there wasn’t any trek able route ahead. I was expecting to see white sheets of ice but the landslides and sludge from the higher mountains had covered the ice walls and it appeared just like any other hill of mud and rocks. It was a triumphant feeling reaching the glacier. How all the preparations and the difficulties of the trek become nothing compared to the joyous moment of reaching the destination? Exhilarating feeling it was. The boys, as usual, could not resist the temptation of photographing the moment and what followed are all sort of antics by all, special mention for Kamal and SST who, from now on, formed a sort of photographic fellowship and clicked each other all through the way. After spending around half an hour at the glacier, we trekked our way back to the village. On the way back, we stopped for a while at a stream which was carrying ice-cold fresh glacial water. A little dip of feet into the water gave a crackling feeling, perhaps of the blood starting to freeze in the veins. We rested for a while there. Passing by the intricate and well laid out streets of the Milam village, one could not stop but appreciate the immaculate ingenuity of the villagers in planning the streets. It felt that during good times it would have been a pleasure living in these villages. We finished our lunch soon and departed for Burfu after checking out formalities at the ITBP post. The military doctor at the camp also attended to Abhiman and gave him some electrolytes and medicines so that he could complete his journey back. There was no respite from the route from Milam village to Burfu village due to the boredom induced by the largely barren landscape. Add to it, strong opposing winds all along, it certainly was more effort than normal. Rajesh and I struck a conversation midway about childhood memories and crushes to kill the mundanely route. After about 3 hours of trekking we arrived at the teahouse overlooking the deserted Burfu village, the same where we had stopped to buy some biscuits for Abhiman. We decided to camp by the teahouse. There was some flat land suitable for camping by the teahouse and we erected 5 tents on the land after some planning of the layout. Some tents were more coveted than others and to be fair to everybody, I decided that the tents will be allotted on the basis of lucky draw. The exercise brought back childhood memories of playing games where teams and dragons were decided by numbering on the back of a player. I had procured some tents which were all blue. With white lights dangling inside the tents, the view from outside looked quite mystical. After yet another game of judgment, we cozily crept inside our tents, thankful for the chance of finally having triumphed the Milam glacier.
Mt. Trishuli (the Trident) and Mt. Hardeol (towards the left) as seen from the route to Milam glacier

Early morning departure to Milam glacier

A mid-way group photo shoot

Watch that step mate. Walking over the landslide in the hope of not falling in the river
The Gori Ganga ferociously oozing out of the mouth of the Milam glacier

Don't be misled. These are monstrous glacier walls of ice covered with sludge from the higher mountains nearby

A moment of triumph. The team in front of the glacier mouth.
Back row (L-R): AP, SST, Rajesh, Gopal
Front row (L-R): KV, Kamal, PT, Asheesh, Hareesh and Mayur
Photographer: Mahendra

The organizers: Rajesh(sitting) and PT.

Mahendra - our guide

Smile for the camera! Thanking Mahendra, our guide

A flagstaff honoring some of the trekking essentials - The walking pole, the gloves, the cap and the muffler

The ruins at Milam village

An elderly local enjoying his Hookah and the sunshine at Milam village

A Tibetan relic at Milam village


Pitching tents at Burfu. Notice the Nanda Devi east BC trek route behind.

Looking out from inside the tent

Blue accommodation for the night at Burfu

Azure blue. Our tents being lit by the camping lights

Day 7: Burfu – Rilkot – Nahar Devi – Bugdiyar – Rargari – Rupsiabagar - Waef (32km) – The ultimate test
Today was the day we had been conveniently pushing back till date, but it had to confront us some day. To make it to Delhi in time, we had to cover a distance of 32 kilometers today. That, combined with a rough terrain, today had to be the make or break day! With positive apprehension, we had tea and biscuits and started again in 2 batches so as to facilitate advance ordering of breakfast and lunch. The first batch started at 5.30 in the morning and the second at 6. Today, we bypassed Martoli and reached Rilkot by around 9. The descent was not easy, mostly steep and the drops at some points necessitated careful bending and traversing, fatal for knees. Every trekker knows that descent is more difficult than ascent and care has to be taken to avoid excessive pressure on the knees. After a breakfast of Maggi noodles and the checkout formalities at the ITBP camp, we set off for Nahar Devi, 13 kilometers away and our next target for lunch. After around 3 hours of walking, we reached that part of the trek which was laden with glaciers. The guys ahead of us had, in the meanwhile, found a slope on one of the glaciers fit for sliding down. Sigh, you can never satisfy the kid in you. With that thought in mind I threw my backpack and took to the slide. Boy, what an experience it was! We could have spent more time there had we not had paucity of time at hand. We pushed forward. After around an hour, we reached Nahar Devi and ordered Lunch. This also gave everybody some time relax the body and prepare it for the onslaught ahead. Abhiman was doing well in the meanwhile and we hoped that he would be able to finish the trek. We still had around 10 kilometers to cover after Nahar Devi. Although, we were by now drained of energy, I guess it was only mental energy which was keeping us on our feet. On the course of this journey, SST had a “wild” experience. Somewhere on the way he saw some villagers going back to their villages with their herds of cows and sheep. SST, being the gentleman that he is, made way for the animals, albeit, he stopped on the wrong side of the path. Now, this path that he was on had a steep drop to the left over the river and the mountain on the other side. He stopped on the river side of the path. Poor lad didn’t know that one of the cows in the herd had a bad temperament. It charged on SST, horns forward in a threatening mode. SST had the presence of mind to hold the cows by its horns and give himself a push towards the other side of the cow, thereby dodging , what would otherwise have been, a fatal attack. Later on the trek he also spotted a python hiding in a cave which no-one could understand how. Wild day for him definitely. We reached Waef at around 6 PM after 13 hours of trekking. Surprisingly, Gopal, who used to be the slowest of the lot till the day before was among the first to reach Waef. Slow and Steady wins the race, whoever said that must have done a trek himself.  Reflecting on the day, I think it was sheer mental grit which made everybody finish the trek despite having sapped of energy. How else would you explain Abhiman’s exploits, a frail guy sickened during the trek, devoid of all energy, finishing 32 kilometers of a tough trek in 13 hours? Positive thought has powers to make the impossible, possible. It is that mental energy which gives people the extra edge to reach for the unreachable and be successful. Our stop for the day was a teahouse shack run by a very old local. This was the same place where we had done our lunch on the first day. Needless to say that we were more tired than we had ever been and so, after dinner all one could have heard was snores.

A rock strewn path makes it difficult to walk

Early morning view of the Gori Ganga gorge

Great views while going from Burfu to Rilkot
We've left behind Milam

A puff of cloud. What's cooking Mr. Mount?
Our tea-house at Waef

Day 8: Waef – Lilam – Jimmyghat – Chillamdhar – Munsyari – Almora (220 kms) – The start of the end
The final day of our trekking was here and we left Waef at around 7 after a breakfast of tea and biscuits. Some had braved the waterfall near our teahouse to have quick bath. The trek was mostly downhill and midway we passed by a herd of around 500 sheep and goats, what a commotion it was! We reached Jimmyghat in around an hour or so. How had I forgotten that the climax was yet to come? Remember the 200 meter descent that we had on the start of the trek? The same route had to be taken again, albeit as an ascent, a super-steep ascent. With panting breath and a pounding heart, step by step, we finished the ascent and heaved a sigh of relief on reaching the top. It took us around 20 minutes to end the climax. Our Max jeep had been waiting there and once our ponies were there with our luggage, we bid a good bye to the trek and started for Munsyari. Here, I should mention the much needed support which the ponies and their keeper played during our trek. Without the ponies’ help it would not have been possible to do the trek in a meager 6 days. Hats off to the humility of the pony owner Mohan, who kept our tents safe and ensured that we had our stuff in time, each day of the trek. We could thank him but maybe, not enough. After a ride of around half an hour, we reached Munsyari. In the meanwhile, we had arranged for another Max to drop us till Almora. We loaded our baggage on the jeep and in the meanwhile had ordered the KMVN guest house at Birthi over phone to prepare some Brunch for us. Soon, we were on our way to Almora which is 200 kilometers away. After a brief stopover at Birthi for breakfast, we carried on further. This was one good and tasty meal that we had had in days! Or maybe, after days of having only boiled rice and dal, anything with a little more spice in it would taste so delicious? The antidote to the boredom of the long journey till Almora was provided by a singing spree started by SST and myself. Soon, everybody including the driver had joined. Very near to Almora, a truck in front of our jeep, loaded with stones had a brake-fail and overturned on the road. For a moment, we had our heart in our mouth. If it would have hit our jeep, it would have been fatal. Fortunately, no one in the truck was harmed. But the accident led to a jam on the highway. Only after some locals demolished the nearby parapet, the road could open for small vehicles like jeeps and cars. We finally made it to Almora. What a journey, we thought. We reached at around 7.30 in the evening and checked in to the Ambassador hotel which is quite near to the taxi stand. Here, we belatedly celebrated the birthday of Asheesh and Harish. Soon we found ourselves hogging on food at a nearby restaurant. Let me confess, seeing a city after 7 days of trekking had a delight of its own! After a short stroll in the town, we threw ourselves on the bed and had a great sleep.
Waterfall at Waef utilized by some for having a quick early morning bath

Herd of sheep and goats on way to Jimmyghat
After the final assault: Rajesh, Asheesh and KV flashing the V sign

The "climax". Last 200 meters of ascent were exhausting.

Abhiman made it to the top! Bravo young man!
The bridge at Jimmyghat. Notice the steep ascent after the bridge.

An army convoy being loaded. Our Max in front of the vehicle.

Day 9: Almora – Kathgodam – Delhi (350 km) – The goodbye
A late morning to start-off with. After having a good long bath (remember, we haven’t had a good bath for 7 days running now) we set off to find some eating joints. Rajesh, the local lad from Almora took us to a fabulous eating joint where we had everything from Chaat to Dosa to Aloo Paranthas to Lassi to what not. We then had Curd and Jalebi, a deep fried wheat snack dipped in sugar syrup. It was delicious and we thanked Rajesh for showing us the place and having a chance of savoring the local delicacy. After a little strolling in the bazaar and visiting the Nanda Devi temple, we thought of heading back to our hotel to check-out. But Gopal had other plans. He was now craving for some coffee which led us to another round of breakfast of Tibetan momos and coffee. After the Gopal Kanda style breakfast and with Gopal satisfied, we headed to the hotel. We had arranged another Max jeep till Kathgodam. We had briefly stopped over at Kainchi to refresh ourselves with a glass of Jal-Jeera. We reached Kathgodam at around 6 PM and after dinner headed off to Delhi in Ranikhet express. We reached Delhi early in the morning and bid goodbye to each other.
The beautiful architectural style in one of the buildings in Almora

Anglo-Indian architecture near the Nanda Devi temple

The Jalebi shop

The main bazaar

The conclusion

A dream had finally come true and in what bold fashion. I was fortunate to have trekked alongside some great trek mates. The memories of the trek, the ups and downs, the problems and the opportunities and most of all, the feeling of being close to Himalayas and the nature will be permanently etched in everybody’s memory. The learning was immense in terms of knowing one’s capability, both physical and mental. One also gets to learn that everyone has his/her own individuality and that everybody has ample mental energy to push oneself to achieve the impossible. As I mentioned earlier, anyone would have labeled the idea of covering 120 mountain kilometers in 6 days as insane. But you got to do it to believe it, and make everyone believe it. That is what we did.
The Nanda Devi east peak. Peaking at us from behind the clouds