Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Day 4: Devaprayag--Srinagar--Rudraprayag--Karnaprayag

On the way to Badrinath
(click all pictures for better view)

Soon after crossing Rishikesh, starts the upward ascend to the mountains. Rishikesh nestles in the foothills of the Himalayas. I give Rishikesh a miss now as I intend to visit it on my way back from Badrinath.

Tip: If you are travelling for the first time beyond Rishikesh to Badrinath and want to view the scenery all thorugh the 8 hour journey, sit on the right hand side of the vehicle. This side will open you picturesque view of the Ganges and mountains.

10:10 am: Reach Vyasi, a little Hamlet



At Vyasi from a distance, I saw many small tents (click pic for better view) which served as resting points for many adventure sport agencies, who mostly deal with river rafting and trekking.

10:20: Reached Kaudilya


10:30 am I am so high above in the mountains. I do not know what height, but we have covered a lot of height. The interesting thiing is all through the route, the Ganges gives you company flowing mightily along. You wont be away from its view even for 5 minutes.

11:25 am Reached Devaprayag



Devaprayag is considered one of the most holiest places on earth, because the sacred Ganges is formed here. River Alakananda and river Bhagirathi meet here to form Ganges. Thats why this place holds a huge significance for millions of Indians. This is exactly where the two rivers: Bhagirathi and Alakananda meet. See the change in their color. Left one is Bhagirathi that originates from Gangotri and right side is the Alakanda that originates from Badrinath.


The bus stopped for snacks and I used the time for some pics.



12:55pm Reachged Srinagar.

Disclaimer: No this is not the Kashmir waala Srinagar, but nevertheless beautiful and a busy tourist place.



Srinagar looks like a very developed and busy town. Scanning the map, I learn that Srinagar is the hub to all important toruist attractions around. Its connected to Pauri , Rudraprayag, Tehri, and Deveparayag

I can see a lot of young crowd. And the girls here are so pretty.

The fellow traveller tells me that Srinagar boasts of having the Garhwal university.


1:45 pm: I am 12 kms from Rudraprayag and it starts drizzling. It looks awesome. Mausam yeh awesome bada...

2:15 pm: Got down at Rudraprayag.
This again looks a very busy place. I am starving. I see a non veg hotel offering fresh fish. I get attracted and hog.



I then try to get my next conveyance to Joshimath, where I have to stay overnight and then move for Badrinath early next day.



3:00 pm Its almost an hour now and I am still at Rudraprayag doing nothing but waiting for a commute to Joshimath. No one is willing to take me to Joshimath. I finally latch on to a Sumo that would take me till Karnaprayag. I have to catch something else once I reach there. In all probability it seems that I wont be able to make it Joshimath before dark.



Tip : If you want a direct commute till Joshimath from Rudraprayag, reach Rudraprayag before 2 pm. Thats what the locals said.




4 pm: Crossed Gaudhar. Another small town.



4:25 pm: Reached Karnaprayag. And I am dumbstruck with its beauty. In hindsight, I feel happy that I am taking these break journeys. Because I am able to spend some time to see each of these places.



Each of these places are jewels in themselves.

I am tempted to stay overnight at Karnaprayag. But I cant.



For the next half hour I run helter skelter and capture as many shots as I can.

This tunnel was amazing. The iron bridge that you see below lead to this tunnel, which in turn led you to this beautiful town. I ran across the tunnel to catch view from the other side.Can you see the bridge I am talking about? (click the pic for better view)

As the pic shows, Pindar river joins Alakananda here. Thus the place Karnaprayag.

4:45 pm: Got a mini bus to Chamoli. Its getting dark fast and I am still 85 kms from Joshimath.

6:30 pm: Reached Chamoli. The driver said I would get a commute from here to Joshimath which was still 50 kms away. But everyone I asked said its too late to get a vehicle. Few suggested not to go ahead as the stretch was dangerous and unsafe at night. Though I was tired and famished, I wanted to reach Joshimath anyhow tonite. I was hoping against hope to catch something, atleast hitchhike.
And then came a minibus. I frantically waved and the driver obliged. Climbed in. The bus reeked of womit. I felt bilious too. The stains at the window confirmed it. The bus was mostly carrying piligrims, elderly and middle aged alike. I darted out my deo and got myself a spray before my nostrils adapted to the stench.

The conducter said, it would take 2 hours to cover the next 50 kms to Joshimath. And I stand all through. My eyes were on the widshield. I could see nothing on either side of the road besides what its headlight bared. But I was aware that the left hand side of the muddy road was steep gorge and the might Alakananda flowing beneath.

7: 30 pm

We were welcomed with a queue of other vehicles ahead of us. The BRO police had blocked the road as the road ahead was blocked by a land slide. I got excited. Landslide was new for me. I smelt adventure. We couldnt move till morning, till the time the BRO cleared them off.
The place where we were blocked was Pipal Koti, again a small town with few hotels and shops. i checked into a cozy little double bed room for 100 bucks.

Had my dinner at a dhaba and went into a deep slumber cozily inside the room blanket.

23 comments:

Mridula said...

All that water, makes the picture and the actual scene so much more enchanting!

Saurav Chakraborty said...

Ravi...some trip you are having man:-)...hats off to you...very informative too!

Ravi Kumar said...

@Mridula: Thanks for dropping by.

Ravi Kumar said...

@Saurav: I am glad you find it interesting :)

indicaspecies said...

Oh, we both have embarked on the same journey on our blogs.:)

Ravi, this post is detailed and lovely and your pictures are awesome. I particularly like the one of Karnaprayag showing the confluence. It was late evening when I passed by it on the way back, and while going was in a bus that did not stop, so could not get good shots. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs.

You had to face road-block at Pipalkoti and me at Chamoli. That will be the topic on my next post.

alok said...

amazing trip and awesome places and wonderful pics :)

Ravi Kumar said...

@indicaspecies: I love it..we both sharing the same road..different perspectives..

Ravi Kumar said...

@alok: Thanks for dropping by :)

Unknown said...

Nice post man...really excited to see the place.

Somebody once said, 'Life is a book and those who don't travel read only one page'. When I first read this quote, I didn't feel the depth of it since I was not a traveler then. But now, traveling has become an addiction. I have been a fitness freak for quite some time now. Combining the two passions of my life - fitness and traveling - what clicks is adventure-sports.
I have been passionate about wildlife ,treking ,paragliding,climbing and other outdoors.
I have always liked getting in toch with people who share common interests.I have recently started my blog on adventure sports in india.You can put your views there and also share your experiences and new places with me.

http://adventure-sports-india.blogspot.com/


Abhishek

Anuradha Shankar said...

I have been following this series of yours, and this one really struck a chord.. because i made this trip in 1990 when we went to badri and kedar. a schoolgirl then, the place really made an indelible impression on me, and is the one which made me look forwad to travelling in spite of all the hardships involved. thanks for bringing back so many wonderful memories through your photoraphs....
incidentally, i too write a travel blog. check it out at

http://anushankarn.blogspot.com

Anu

Anonymous said...

Hey great stuff!!! especially as I am going with some friends trhu Uttarakhand - dehradun, mussoorie, chamba, rishikesh, devprayag, rudraprayag, karnaprayag, gwaldam, kausani, someshwar, ranikhet, almora and then to sonapani for the new years!
Your photos and posts are making leave right now!!!

Anonymous said...

What an exhilarating journey! Thanks for sharing, I feel so much richer for it.

rohit kumar harsana said...

this is veey beautiful place,this tunnel was amazing,if you see that you also say that beacause wen i viewed that i also that [waow]

rohit kumar harsana said...

iwont to see that agane

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Unknown said...

Lovely write-up. Srinagar, a place which truly symbolizes beauty and romance is worth visiting. And with numerous hotels in Srinagar, one gets to experience warm hospitality of the town.
Keep travelling :)

Dimpy Roy said...

Amazing pictures. Keep sharing post like this. Set amidst gorgeous landscape, Rudra Prayag boasts of dazzling natural beauty. Home to a plethora of temples, the religious center is heaven for spiritual seekers and devotees. Check out best hotels in Rudraprayag also.

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