The Chopta Chapter:

N & I decided to rough it out…local buses and jeeps and at our own pace and time coz we both badly needed a break (me – a break from a break!). The idea was to go as far north and as close to the snow peaks as possible in those 4-5 days. So we hopped, skipped and jumped all the way to a tiny peaceful hamlet called Chopta.

Beyond Haridwar, the entire Garwal region is called the Dev Bhoomi and rightly so. Each town we crossed or stayed was steeped in mythology and set in fantastic valleys and on edge of gorges; one can only bow down to the might and beauty of nature there.

Reaching Haridwar in the middle of a sun-baked day, we plodded onwards to Rudraprayag in a bus that was hot, sweaty, cramped and dusty to say the least. Instead of a promised 5 hours by the driver, it took an un-ending 6 hours to reach the small town. Heavy rained poured and gushed down the narrow road when we reached Rudraprayag in the evening. We reached our guesthouse just in time to see the evening aarti being performed at the Prayag of a muddy Mandakini and a green Alaknanda river. A complete ‘ciggie moment’ as per N.

Saying a quick prayer down at the Prayag in the morning, we headed north. The sense of community and solidarity of these hill people never ceases to amaze me everytime I travel this area. The helper in the bus knew and waved out to so many people on the way. And the bus waited as the passengers went about doing their own personal business along the way….a guy had to pick up petrol from a station, a woman collected a packet from another village while a man had to give a packet to somebody somewhere.

The short ride took us to an unassuming yet enchanting little town of Ukimath. The GMVN at Ukimath overlooks a valley and opens to a fantastic view of the majestic peaks of Sumeru and Madhmaheshwar. We sat at the balcony of the guesthouse hogging Maggi (Its amazing how Maggi tastes so wonderful in the hills) and sipping hot tea while the rain lashed outside.

We got up the next morning just as the first rays of the sun lighted the tip of Sumeru and in an hour’s time we were off to our final destination. The narrow empty road was exceedingly beautiful with deep gorges – so deep that the river below looked like a ribbon, dense and fabulously green deodar forest and snow-peaks just over the shoulder. The dangerously overloaded bus dropped us at a juncture with a few dhabas and told us that it was Chopta.

Chopta, we realized was not a hamlet (you will not find a single woman there!) but just a ‘breakfast and lunch’ point for pilgrims taking the trails up to Tungnath - a temple set in a spectacular valley (which we did not visit….am still upset about it!) On the other side a beautiful meadow opened up to the massive and beautiful Choukhamba range. We hence went down to the meadow - a mini and very rustic Swiss setting….and amazingly with no soul around. Pure silence broken only by the tinkling bells of the grazing cows. I sat looking at the clouds fleeting in and out of the entire snow range - one can pitch all the emotions at those silent, sturdy and cold peaks and know that one can always find salvation there in the Himalayas.

I love the travel, stay, pack and travel again routine - constant change and complete freedom. I was just warming up to it and my itchy feet were dying to travel way up north and away but N had to come back. So another hop, skip and jump routine brought us to Devprayag the next day, where Bhagirathi meets Alaknanda to form the Ganga. After collecting water from the prayag and warding off a pesky pandit, we retraced our steps further south to murky Haridwar and the unwanted reality.

A journey both short and long – a journey which began with an end

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Some Signs on the Roads

Ab itni bhi kya jaldi hain.

After Whisky, Driving is risky

Drive Slower and Live Longer

Go slow on Curves