Cloud Nine Ecstasy – The inception [ Part - II ]

Night spent in Haridwar and there after all other places were a forgotten experience as since long time I never stayed alone. August 25, waked up well before wake up knock, it was raining heavily. Before starting from Kolkata itself, knew about the heavy rains, cloudburst and landslides over here. Family and friends were very much against the trip but my message was clear about the trip so finally they stopped complaining. An old gentleman from Haridwar also warned me against the Badrinath trip. Therefore, when the precipitation said a very gloomy good morning to me on that very day my heart certainly skipped a few beats even I am a person who is crazy about rain. At that very moment, I was keeping my finger crossed about the success of the trip. After finishing my affair with bathroom, it was time for packing. Got myself a sandwich and tea and when came to hotel reception, got the first sight of the other members of same tour, of course not by name but by the face. When we about to board the bus, miraculously, yes, it is the correct word, the rain god decided to say a warm good bye. This miracle continues throughout our tour baring a few drops here and there.
Mr. Narendra Rana the GMVN guide for the tour whom I met previous evening was there for seat allotment. After boarding GMVN 27x2-seater bus, the first thing was a surprise for me as I was the first one who booked for this slot. Therefore, seat number one allotted to me. However, for seat allotment there was little disagreement taken place but soon sorted out. The tour was having twenty-four people, seven from Delhi. First starting with Mr. Rajesh and Dr Khandelwal, after reading Dr. Kahndelwal’s blog, came to know that he toured Antarctica. Wow! Well, it is an extraordinary feet what he achieved, I would never dared to dream that big. Mr. Seth, Mr. Ahuja, Mr. Umesh and there were two more gentleman too from Delhi itself. There were two young friends both was Suhash, one from Pune and other from Mumbai. The young couple Madhusudan Gilda and wife Madhuri was from Mumbai too and was very helpful to everyone throughout the tour. Six peoples were from Nasik, Mr. Daulat and Mr. Davidas, unique combo as Mr. Daulat’s daughter married to Mr. Davidas son, so this tie bonded them  and both are terrific trekker. I got very friendly with two lovely ladies from Nasik Madhuji and Induji as well as their respective husband Mr. Goyal and Mr. Mohan. Husband wife duo, Mr. Soumitra Biswas and Mrs. Sutapa Biswas was from Kolkata and Mr. Kailas and Mrs. Indu was to complete the India’s missing link from south as they were from Chennai. The lonely souls were myself, Mr. Basant Dhabke from Baroda, oldest one, seventy-four,  and finally Madhusudan Vyasji, when I concluded the tour he helped me a lot. Oh, yes, if you feel that the heart is missing from the group, I am talking about central part of India then Mr. and Mrs. Goyal actually from M.P. What a wonderful experience it was, some unknown faces from all over India coming under one roof to form a group and that too for a unique expedition.
				Spring
Therefore, the journey starts little behind scheduled, moving along the road and looking at the cloud cover mountain ranges, Gosh! it was magnificent sight, sensing like moving along a painting. Then there were springs, flush points, step farming, tiny picture perfect villages and the confluence (Bhagirathi-Alkananda) at Devoprayg. On the way, there were a few interruptions due to landslides; some roads were very dangerous due to excessive rain. Some bridges too destroyed and we had to move over the remains. According to the schedule, our lunch planned at Rudraprayg but due to all these interruptions, we halted at Srinagar, GMVN TRH (Tourist Rest House). Missed a plate of rice since left Kolkata, decided to order a Veg. Pulao and Raita. Quantity was huge and food was not good, thereafter decided that during the trip would never try any rice dishes. After an hour break, we proceed to Joshimath and not halting at Rudraprayag as scheduled, everyone agreed to the plan to stop at Rudraprayg while returning. When we reached at Joshimath, it was 8.30p.m.; we lodged in a JMVN hotel, condition over there was below par to our expectation. Bought the dinner and gone to sleep, mind was still disturb, as next day and there after was the very crucial and a decisive one.
Step Farming		Water finds its Way		Villager

!!!Afternoon gossips and boring TV serials are not my forte, challenging the destiny, success or failure both gives a zing and spice to live on.!!!

[Journey Cont….]