Valley of Flowers : My First Solo Road Trip (DAY 1)

The route was easy, just stay on NH7 for the next 270 Kms -

Rishikesh-Devaprayag-Srinagar-Rudraprayag-Karnaprayag-Nandaprayag-Chamoli-Pipalkoti-Joshimath-GovindGhat

I am not a biker, this long ride was a challenge to me. I didn't sleep the night before and I was now having frequent one second naps during the ride after the first 100 Kms. It had even started to rain and I was struggling to ride any further due to sleep, I had nearly met an accident thrice and then I decided to halt at some place to have breakfast after crossing Srinagar.

I feared all the way of the landslides that happen in the region here. Even in my way I have to pass through a lot of rocks that have fell on the road. As I reached closer to my destination, the hills by the road would get abrupt with half of the rocky mountains forming the sky above my ahead as I rode, I would just speed up to reach to a clear place. The monsoon season, the rainy weather, the news of cloud bursts a few days before and people telling me about the landslides that were happening in the area where I was travelling solo had caught my attention from inside. I didn't fear or overthink of the mishap that might happen but I would constantly look for any stone or rock that might fall from the mountains...

Finally I reached Govind Ghat in the afternoon at half past 2.

From Govind Ghat I had to go to Pulna from where I would start the trek to Ghangaria. There is a bridge that has to be crossed from Govind Ghat to go to Ghangaria. The entry is closed in the late afternoon for the safety of the trekkers. I was denied to enter by the police official on duty there. I fooled him by telling that I was in a group and my group has already entered the trekking zone and I was left behind to enter the place.

I carried my 13 Kgs of luggage along and started walking towards the village of Ghangaria. After 20 minutes of walking I was short of breath, the three bags seemed a burden and I had come only 1 Km ahead. There were shops all along the path but not even a single trekker that I could see or be along with. I continued my trail asking the shopkeepers about how much time would it take me to reach Ghangaria and the answers would only demotivate me. They told that I could only reach there by night and I was already so tired and exhausted from the ride and the sleepless night that I wanted to reach Ghangaria in a maximum of 1 hour and sleep. Another 2 Kms with frequent breaks and I reached a shelter shed built for rest, I saw two people sitting there. I had already considered them to be my partners for the trek, I reached them and hoped to make friends with them, but they were busy crushing marijuana leaves! They were not going to Ghangaria, I sat along with them for a while having rest and seeing them crushing marijuana.

I walked for another kilometer, found a suitable bench, gave up to walk any further, laid down, trying to catch my breath back and closed my eyes. Neither did I want to go ahead, nor did I want to go back, just stay at the place as and how I was.

To my luck, a group of 3 men came and sat for rest next to me. I saw them, smiled and Jagdeep, his friends and I were now team-mates on this Ghangaria mission.

Along the way the group got bigger and we all were each others strength.

Finally by 8 pm we reached Ghangaria, almost dead, entirely exhausted, and extremely hungry. I was walking down the street while I saw Reshma, a zostel friend sitting at a restaurant, I met her and Shazad (a 15yr barber in Ghangaria), Shazad helped me with food. After the trek and the long ride I was feeling as if I have been drugged, extreme leg pain, the temperature in Ghangaria was as low as 10 degree Celsius and my bones where catching the cold. I just needed a place to fall asleep, Shazad offered me accomodation in his small tin shed home which I graciously accepted.

Shazad lived with his younger brother Nyyed and mother, Shehnaz. He dropped Reshma at the Gurudwara Gobind Dham and I went to Shazad's home. His mother gave me a warm blanket, she had never ever seen a movie, so I played Shazad and his family a movie on laptop as I slept.