The trek to Kheerganga is 6 hours long. The best way to enjoy a challenging climb like that is to do it hungover. The best way to deal with the hangover is by playing loud music that echoes across the mountain face throughout (hardcore sarcasm). With a mellow soundtrack, screen-saver like landscape to gaze at and a natural bathtub reward waiting for us, we trekked on. When we finally got to the top, the sun was just disappearing behind the mountains and the air was getting chilly. Which could only mean that it was hot-spring time!
Kheerganga is nature's dual personality, personified. On one hand the air is freezing cold. But getting half naked in that weather is worth it when what awaits is an oasis of perfectly, naturally heated water that flows out of the mountain into a pool of sorts, to slowly ease away the aches and pains you have to endure to get there. It’s easy to lose track of where you are when you’re in 5-star comfort like that. I even began to wonder why the girls were taking so long to join us until I realised we were in a holy place and not some friends farmhouse Jacuzzi. The girls section is separate (favourable since my summer body was on winter break). However, all good things have to end and unfortunately, this ended with going back to the biting cold air outside the cosy water.
After frantically running all the way back to the home-stay to avoid hypothermia, it was easy to forget that I couldn't feel my fingers or toes once everyone was sitting together in a giant room playing ‘cards against humanity’ (if you think I’m a sadist, this game’s a whole other level) and jamming. However, the disadvantage of everyone living in a giant room comes during sleep time. I was cuddled without my consent in the middle of the night. It kept me warm, no doubt, but I felt a little ‘shawshanked’.
The next day, after one last dubki in the hot-spring, it was time to trek back down before we headed for Kasol. Kasol is a little more commercial than Pulga, but with all of us running out of cash, we needed a place to blow our big notes and get usable change. We stayed at a river-bank home-stay where I realised that word-play is a big part of Himachal-i culture (The picture says it all).
We spent our last day shopping in Kasol. That’s where our ‘inner tourists’ came out and we ended up buying whacky cloaks, monkey-caps and having Nutella pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We spent our last night dancing till sunrise around a bonfire in high spirits (the state-of-mind, not the place). I learned two things on this trip. The company you travel with makes all the difference and I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of weirdos to visit paradise with. Secondly, Shannon has a micro-penis. The next day, it was time to head back to reality, the city and no more ginger-lemon-honey tea. But leaving paradise only makes you more appreciative of the time you spent there.
PC- Shannon Fernandes
That’s it for Himachal Diaries, people! I hope you enjoyed!
Until next time, कीपिट रीयल! :^)