Theres something immensely calming when you take a train journey. Reading a whole book lying on the upper beth, you feel a sense of being completely yourself. You have no schedule except to try out the dal vada and the tomato soup which comes your way. 24 hours of nothing to do is absolute luxury squirrelled away between hectic everydays.
I once lived in Assam near a story book like station complete with guard, lantern and eager enthusiasm for the arrival of the twice a day train. Steam engines, white whooshes from the top of the train, clangs from within and outside the locomotive, little children with missing teeth waving the compartments of wooden seats onward to the next destination. Recently, in a fit of nostalgia, I took the "toy train" from Conoor to Mettupalayam. From the I got into the compartment, I felt like a 6 year old. Put my face right out of the window while swathes of the green Nirgiris rushed past, well, not so much rushed as trundled. The stations have quaint names and the canteen is ready with hot bajjis when the train stops, an then waits for everyone to get into their box compartments and then chugs along. You wait to see the train turn a corner, over a bridge, or go through one more of the several tunnels when the little compartment ( which seems like your temporary world) up and the children scream yet again. A must do. Before you know it, they may be phased out and all you'll be left with is a memory.

Brighu Lake - Himachal

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Brighu LakeTrek

14 km, 8hrs (walking time), 4,235m

Vashisht is on the Manali- Rohtang Road, 3km from Manali, less crowded and home to natural hot springs. The drains of Vashisht are in a constant gurgle along the temple boundary wall, steaming with boiling hot water. There’s a bath area in the temple for the uninhibited. The sulphur springs are well known for their medicinal properties. The Vashist temple is the familiar wood and stone structure common in Himachal Pradesh with intricate carving and a roof made of slate. However in keeping with the times one sees more and more alluminium roofs – unaesthetic, but I suppose economical and functional. An uncomfortable number of foreign tourists dot the area, several looking like they live there and could, with an air of imperiousness, tell you a thing or two about Vashist. Accordingly, the local eateries have adapted and do a great job with lasagnas, french fries, apple pies, cinnamon rolls and what have you.

Drive along the Vashisht- Rohtang road and you find a bizarre exhibition, all along the way, in little, numbered stalls. They fervently display “snow suits”, fur coats, bright coloured overalls, gum boots, all strung out with great expectations of a rental to the ever excited, endearingly gullible, happy family of Indian tourists who in their rented Sumos, throng this “highway”, which is in a perpetual state of insane traffic snafu. All this to see snow at Rohtang pass. However, once you get there, you can see people throng the bhel-puri wala or the momo-wala ( in keeping with the culture, you see). Now if your idea is to go to Brighu lake, you can completely avoid the mela situation above and stop after about 30 minutes drive from Vashisht, much before Rohtang, at a place called Gulaba, with the omnipresent Dhabha, at the head of the Brighu lake trail.

The trail takes off east from the road. A 20 minute walk up the trail and you are in a natural forest of fir, spruce, and Kharsu oak, away from the Rohtang madness and in an excellent camping ground with a stream on your left. You may still be able to hear the distant traffic but the white snow peaks cheer you up and the horses and sheep grazing in the nearby pastures calm you down and you can pitch your tent and soak in the atmosphere and decide to chill out and get to Brighu Lake the next day. But if you are strapped for time and you want to do the express trek, so be it. Continue along the trail up, up and up along the meadows. An occasional Gaddi Shepherd may stop and exchange pleasantries. Don’t ask him ‘Kitna Door hai”, he will invariably reply ‘Age baraf hai, uske age Tal hai”. To a question “Kitna ghanta lagega”?, his philosophical answer would be “Chalnewale ke oopar hai”.

After the constant climb for about 2 hours, the trail eases out into a nice walk above the tree line and you can see the shepherd’s markers on top of ridges and along the trail as route markers. Flat stones are piled one on top of another to form a pyramid. These are kept at vantage points to help shepherds and can be spotted even from a great distance. The Himalayan Blue Iris was in bloom when I went in June. There were other bright, colourful flowers infusing some cheer in the trek breaks or“breath-taking” breaks. After about an hour from the Shepherd’s marker, there are a couple of caves and rock overhangs if you want to camp at this level.

The weather turned bad and light snowfall made visibility low. But a small blue patch of sky at a distance gave enough reason for optimism. Another hour of walking and just before the snowline, next to the last stream to be crossed, a large rock pointing west makes a good resting point and a visual treat with snow covered undulations in the background.

A 30 minute walk from this rock and you can see Brighu pass ahead of you at a height on the right. Water is available all along the trail till you can see the Brighu pass and therefore many pleasant camping possibilities. You can see a narrow trail skirting the snow covered slope in front of you. The snow was not fresh and had turned to ice. Ice steps had to be cut out as the trail was at a great height and a clumsy foothold could get you 500 ft down an icy slide and beyond if you can’t stop. This low gradient, icy traverse took up one whole hour. There is a rocky resting area below the pass from where it is a steep uphill climb to the pass (20 mins). Once over the pass, there is a fantastic view of the lake that takes your breath away. Snow peaks surround the lake and there is a 360 degree spectacular view of the the Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar, the Lahaul triangle between the Chandra and the Bhaga rivers makes for some seriously impressive photo shoot possibilities. On a clear day, you can even see the Spiti Range.

Legend has it that Bhrigh Rishi meditated here, and that many local gods of the Kullu Valley, Guru Vashisht among them, visit to take a dip in its sacred waters. Bhrigu Lake is at an altitude of 4,235m and is considered a holy place. I had to take off my shoes and walk on freezing ground to the frozen lake and the lake and I had our personal icebreaker exercise and became acquainted. The locals have a thanks-giving prayer and bring offerings to the gods. Prayer flags flutter on a knoll above the lake. Gulaba is at 9000 ft and Brighu lake is at 14000 ft, so the altitude gain is huge and it is not advisable to stay too long at the lake.

The walk back to Gulaba is very long and very downhill. You can take several thrilling snow slide shortcuts to get to base faster. However, getting your base back safe is more important. Sliding down, though absolutely a fantastic, must-do-it-at-least-once-experience, is not completely without risks. Take some risk analysis advice from your local guide on this. Once on the meadows, you wait to get to Gulaba which seems to be an elusive destination. If you are carrying your own tents, it’s a good idea to camp in the high altitude meadows and put off getting to civilization.

Ever been to Tons valley? Interesting possibilities of riverside camping, rafting, chilling. About 400 km from Delhi towards Yamunotri and Har ki Dun. Mori is the village you should head towards and from there on, you'll see several pine meadow campsites along the river. There's a nice big bridge if you want to get to the other bank. You can also use the local transport to cross the river. Sit in a bucket seat and pull youself across the ropeway. If you camp higher, there are several streams, meadows with pine, oak and rhododendrons. I spottted some startlingly red wild strawberry . Oak forests offer shade and great resting views. Up at Ringali, you can see snow covered triangles in the distance. All along the trail, in summers you find what is locally known as 'jullus'' - tiny vicious little insects whose bites leave you scraching and and your ankles and arms stippled with angry red dots which remain for a week. Apparently, if you burn dung, the fumes act as an insecticide. It was interesting trying to collect a mound of dung and light it up. Several nomads bring their buffalo herds to this area in summer. You can see their colourful temporary camps dotted with intrepid, curious children, smiling, traditionally clad women, new born calves with their innocent eyes and worried looking bearded men. All of them tend to park themselves for a couple of days along a stream. Up at Ringali, dasies carpeted the earth and the landscape looked stunning in white. The trail back to Mori is an easy walk except for the slippery pine needles that takes you down to earth on a few occasions . Mori is a one street town and had rival political parties campaigning one behind another and being sensible about democaracy. The Tons Valley a good place to bring your own tent and chill for a weekend.

Ice Ice

Go in March or early April. Pangong Tso is still frozen. You can skate on it. There are hardly any tourists. The garnet hill is all yours to forage and find garnets. I believe the locals do it this way. They climb up, lie on the hill and squint downwards. If there's a glint, its a garnet. Quite unbelievable that you can pick up a rock with a garnet the size of a grape. Meanwhile, below the icy surface of the 140 km long, 7 km wide lake, the fish look at you through the ice. Some sea creature can be heard sluicing the waters below. Sea creatures did I say? Well, its the highest salt water lake. Once upon a time the Himalayas were submerged in an ancient ocean. On the side of the lake, you can see salt crystals glint when the cold sun strikes them. On the drive there you can see sand, rippled by the wind. Juxtaposed are the high snow capped mountains and glacial morraine . Marmots test the ground outside their burrow and Kiangs graze on the spartan spiny grass. Not far away is Chang La at 17800ft, a high prayer note, a bridge back to Leh.

Why I do what I do. Every time I read a travel article with enviable visuals, the words rush by and there is only one emotion that races through my capillaries and that is - " That should have been me!'' , so much so , I end up telling myself to stop wishing and start writing. What happens next is that I close the magazine and with that goes the urgency to make a start. Therefore the blog.

Life takes you to the most unexpected of places and situations. If you try to think of one such episode, several knock on your mind's door. The one knocking loudest today in my head is about a day in the market in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Formalities were being done for a trek in the Takpa Siri trail in the Subansiri Valley, my adventure yet to start.
Shopping for food for the trail at the local market was an uninspiring logistical exercise. Aalu, Pyaz, Dal, Rice, Coffee, the regular stuff. In the midst of the oranges and berries, sat a no-nonsense woman selling some bright green globules. I hadn't seen any berry this green. There was a crowd around her little market display on her maroon scarf. Edging inwards, getting a better glimpse of her wares, I saw that the berries were hairy and ..waita minute.. they were moving. Apparently a delicacy, they were rare and tasty caterpillars. To check its freshness /youth/ taste level, a little woman popped one into her mouth and started bargaining. The seller looked my way, flashed a toothless grin and continued bargaining for a wholesale transaction. I managed to get a pic. Wasn't brave enough to get a taste.