The Year That Was...

The Year 2008 gave me an opportunity to travel some more. Here's a summary of my trips:

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Images: December Travels

December 2008 travels to Mumbai, Mangalore, Nagarahole National Park, Kutta, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, and Mercara, Coorg district.

Nagarahole National Park

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The Emirate and the Sultanate

October 2008 travels mainly to Dubai, Sharjah and Hatta of the United Arab Emirates and into the borders areas of the Sultanate of Oman.

Dubai Desert Safari

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Singing in the Rain
August 2008 trip to Mangalore, Karla, Lonavala, Khandala and Mumbai.

Bhaje Caves, Lonavala

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Journey to Garhwal

End-July/early-August 2008 travels to Garhwal from Delhi to: Haridwar, Rishikesh, Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Joshimath, Auli, Govindghat, Valley of Flowers, Hemkund Sahib, Pandukeshwar, Badrinath, and Mana village.

Trekking in the Valley of Flowers

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Greetings from Jordan
March 2008 travels to Jordan that included: Amman, Jerash, Ajloun, the Dead Sea and the Petra.

Arch of Hadrian, Jerash

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Back to Pavilion

End-February/Early-March 2008 trip to the Kumaon from Delhi to: Nainital, Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal, Sattal and Corbett National Park.

Nainital

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I had mentioned in my post 24 Hours Are Not Enough about my upcoming examinations. It is now almost time . So, in addition to my day to day activities, lately I've had to make time to give some attention to my text books. I shall be active in the 'blogworld' as soon as the exams are over. Until then, enjoy life and your blogging time.

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Happy New Year

Sentimental Speech

Last year at this time, I stood up on the table at that pub, clinked my glass for attention and said that it was time to get ready. I said at the stroke of midnight, I wanted every person in there to be standing next to the one person who made his/her life worth living.

As the clock struck twelve...the bartender was almost crushed to death!

*

My Resolutions

Here are my New Year Resolutions that I won’t keep:

• Watch more Television.
  
• Yea right, I've been missing some good stuff.

• Start being superstitious.
• It's based on science you know.
  

• Read less.
  
• It does not make me think.

• Spend my vacation in Cyberspace.
• Certainly, for it is better than the Himalayas.

• Spread out priorities beyond my ability.
  
• It gets easy to keep track of them that way.

• Stop checking my email at 3:30 in the morning.
• And ignore my insomnia.

• Procrastinate more.
  
• Starting tomorrow.

• Stop sending e-mails, and messages on yahoo and msn messengers, icq, and be on the phone at the same time.
  
• And with the same person.

• Never make New Year's resolutions again.
• Surely not...not till 2009 end.

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His Resolutions

My friend, and colleague, with whom I share many a laughs whenever possible while in office, does not like to brag. He has permitted me to share with you all how proud he is about the great progress he has made about his resolve to lose weight.

Here are his New Year Resolutions of the past few years as observed by me:

• 2003: He will get his weight down below 180.
• 2004: He will watch his calories until he gets below 190.
• 2005: He will follow his new diet religiously until he gets below 200.
• 2006: He will try to develop a realistic attitude about his weight.
• 2007: He will work out 5 days a week.
• 2008: He will work out 2 days a week.
• 2009: He will try to drive past a gym at least once a week!

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New Year Wishes, Sincere Ones

To all my friends across the world here are my wishes in the languages I am familiar with:

Happy New Year
English

Naye Saal Ki Shubhkaamnayein
Hindi

Noothana Samvathsarasya Shubhaashayaha
Sanskrit

Tumka Boren Novi Vors Magta
Konkani

Posa Varshada Subhashaya
Tulu

Hosa Varshada Subhaashayagalu
Kannada

Kul'aam Wa Antum Bikhair
Arabic

Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Urdu

*

Have a lovely 2009! Let’s continue smiling, as always. Cheers!

- celine

Images: December Travels

December 2008
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala
India

Cricket time during low tide, Uttan, Mumbai

St. Aloysius Chapel with frescoes within, Mangalore

On the way to Madikeri, Coorg

Buddhist Monastery, Kodagu

Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole, Karnataka


Kutta, Karnataka enroute Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala

T. Shettigiri Tea Estates, South Coorg

Coffee Plantations, South Coorg

On the way to Virajpet, Karnataka

Madikeri Sunset

I've picked out some of my favorite images of this trip to post here. Which one/ones do you like best?

If my visa is issued in the next few days, I shall be leaving on another small trip for a few days. More in next post. As my travels mean an 'internet-less' time, in case I do not get a chance to do so later, let me take this opportunity, my dear friends, to wish you greetings of this lovely season.

To those who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas.

Cheers!

Hic..December Wedding.

We've had much depressing news the past couple of weeks with the Mumbai crisis. Nevertheless I travelled to the city and spent some memorable times the past few days. In spite of the shadow of terror that passed over the city, it seems to be bouncing back to its past glory. As always, I salute the indestructible and everlasting spirit of Mumbai.

~~~

The past few days have been extremely busy, with so much on my mind and so much to do, and so little time left to write a post before I travelled. I am now snatching a few moments for a quick post, mainly to inform my dear blog friends I am presently in my hometown in India and shall be visiting your interesting blog posts and replying to your comments upon return to a normal life.

~~~

Talking of being busy reminds me of what I read once: If time doesn't wait for you, just remove the damn battery from the clock and enjoy life. I will. After all, the difference between a battery and a woman is that a battery has a negative side.

Boy, am I glad for this break from routine. The past few days I have not checked emails, nor bothered to clear bulk spam folder offering aphrodisiacs to increase your drive, or miraculous cures for all problems in life, or solicitation for porn viewing, or invitation to participate in a secret account scheme from billionaire widows...haha! Nor drive in the annoying traffic congested roads to reach office in time and put in seven (no, eight) hours of attendance (no, work.) Ah, it's been bliss!

So, why did I travel this time? To grab some more opportunities to explore new places of course. No wait. That's not entirely true. I've travelled because I heard some people wish to get married.

~~~

Uh-oh. Now. Marriage. Why?

There are so many options for suicide: poison, sleeping pills, hanging, lying on train tracks, jumping from buildings…but why marriage? Murder? No problem. But marriage. Why?

Hello all you people in love. Agreed love is one long sweet dream, but don't you know marriage is the alarm clock?

I wonder why people get married in spite of everyone knowing the wise never marry, because when they do, they become otherwise. It is a well known fact that love may be blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener!

Recent statistics reveal only 20 percent girls have brains, rest have boyfriends. It is said that when a man holds a woman's hand before marriage, it is love and after marriage it is in self-defence..haha! Excuse me, before you pounce on me, let me clarify I am not being sexist here, I am simply voicing out what I heard people say. Right now, the bride and groom are clueless as to what they are getting into. And I'm sure most married people agree with me..haha!

Don't worry guys and gals. We all make mistakes. Marriage, after all, is the triumph of imagination over intelligence..haha!

I hope the bride and groom won't get to read my post. If they do, I'm dead, and my specially tailored royal-blue-churidar-suit and the matching accessories and the half-hearted dieting I did to fit into it perfectly would all go waste!

~~~

One's a friend, another family

Now now, jokes apart, this wedding will be special. I personally know this couple from many years, and they know each other since their school days.

I also sense they have been married in most ways since long: they have been friends first, and then fell in love, and now taking a step ahead to be woman and husband, I mean, man and wife.

~~~

In this age of utilizing wedding planners, there is not much left for me to do except discourage them from tying the knot, oops..I mean, give them some moral support and simply enjoy the whole sequence of events.

~~~

Hmm. Marriage. Everyone who wishes to should get married. After all, happiness is not the only thing in life..haha!

~~~

So...I shall be in touch with you all in a few days my dear blog friends. Until then, hic..ciao!

~~~

Hic. Now where did my beer disappear?

~~~

Disclaimer: This post is written in jest and does not actually reflect my views on marriage and related issues.

Garhwal: Gorson-Auli

Travel Route:

Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti – Joshimath – Auli

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.

- Henry Miller

Just the photograph below is shot by Ravi and reproduced with his permission. Thanks Ravi.

View from Auli on a clear day

Alighting at the tenth tower from the cable car from Joshimath as written in my previous post here, I almost reached Gorson, above Auli. Gorson Bugyal, at over 10000 feet above sea level, could be seen right overhead 3-4 kms away. It would have been a lovely trek up there, had it not been for the dull ache in my tummy and the fact that it was almost sunset.

Why is the atmosphere saturated with mystery?
Looking at the beauty of this place, I made up my mind to return to Auli during the skiing months of January to March to try my hand at some winter sports that would also test how strong my heart is. So far my ‘adventure and fun’ in snow has been limited to tobaggoning in Ohio, but as Auli conducts skiing courses every winter and with the facilities available, adventure lovers can quickly learn to ski down rapidly, and with the cable car of 800 m ski-lift system zip up in moments!

For that moment, I had to be content with the beautiful sights the Himalayan mountains offered me. I do not have the literally skills to express the feeling of those breath-taking times during the dawn break, but I made an attempt with my poetry here. I wished to catch the the cloud-covered mountains with my camera but that was also not possible as my Cybershot was not able to capture the unfolding beauty before my eyes. I shot a few photographs and then quickly gave up so as to simply absorb in the beauty without any interruption.

Why does the path look so resplendent today?

Clouds rising and falling around the mountains was wonderful to watch. The looming mountain tops looked like islands in the sea of clouds. It was captivating to watch the giant mountain peaks of Nanda Devi, Kamet, Dunagiri, Mana Parbat appearing and disappearing on the waves of clouds. The continuous changing position of the mist, the clouds and the low intensity of light gave an ethereal look to the place.

Why does it seem like the breeze is whispering to me?

One had to be there to enjoy the moments to admire and celebrate the splendor around. To me, it looked like the place had been set like a stage and ready for the artist to go ahead and paint!

What story does the whispering breeze narrate?

It was magical and, at 10000 feet above main sea level, that morning tryst with nature made me feel literally on top of the world!

Why do the flowers seem inordinately beautiful?

Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: Joshimath
  
• Garhwal: Chamoli
  
• Garhwal: Rudraprayag
  
• Garhwal: Rishikesh
• Garhwal: Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal

A Dawn in Auli

July 2008
Auli
Uttarakhand, India

Idly I wake up, stretch and contentedly yawn
And burst outdoors to watch the crack of dawn
A lovely new day in Auli is about to begin
Feeling jubilant, I feel exalted from within

As the first rays of light of the day sweep
The land of Auli wakes up from its dreamy sleep
It gets enveloped in white clouds and mist
It feels wonderful to be right in its midst

Majestic mountains, worthy of admiration
Auli haunts every nature lovers' imagination
From afar espy the great Nanda Devi's peak
Clouds hover around it, endearing sight unique

Auli's fresh day's beauty when unfurled
Transforms like if I'm in a dreamy world
Tranquility abounds, intoxicatingly serene
Worthy of celebration before me is the scene


The rise, fall and roll of the soft clouds of sea
Watching it all, I sense my spirit soaring free
In Auli I find nature's beauty on full display
I take utmost pleasure on this cool delightful day

On my eyelashes fall a few drops of clear dew
Through it I revel espying wonderful Auli view
Rustling breeze plays around the mountain tops
Horses graze on meadows, where valley drops

As the mountains whisper, I quietly listen
In charming Auli as a new day begins to glisten
Is it like this always, or is it just in spring
Moments touched by magic, it is enchanting

At the Himalayan heights, and wonderful location
I think for a moment Auli is my final destination
But no, I must explore, have got a world of travel
For am sure I've many more mysteries to unravel!

Garhwal: Joshimath

Route:
Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh –Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti - Joshimath - Auli

Road transport to reach Joshimath is not particularly in good condition. However, as I wrote in my previous post, the scenery of the mountains slopes and the Rivers Alaknanda, Dhauliganga and the other tributaries of The Ganges flowing along the narrow mountain roads more than makes up for the lack of comfort.

The view of the Himalayan mountains from every corner in Joshimath is lovely, and it was pleasant weather on that July afternoon. After roaming around the roads of Joshimath, I settled down to have some snacks and tea at a local teashop. That did give me a bit of tummy ache later which thankfully subsided with a couple of tablets by next morning.

The mountain town of Joshimath (also called Jyotirmath) is a hill station located at an altitude of 6,000 feet in the Chamoli district of Garhwal Division. It is considered as one of the four great "maths" or monasteries established by the great Adi Guru Sri Shankarcharya in the 8th century AD.

Joshimath is the gateway to the ski resort of Auli and resting point for travellers prior to embarking on a journey to Badrinath, Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers. The people of the upper mountains regions of the Himalayas come down to settle in the town of Joshimath when roads are closed during winter when it snows heavily. Joshimath is the winter shrine of Badrinath during the six snowbound winter months in the region.

Mountains as seen from the tea shop

Though I travel with a tentative itinerary, often I do not make concrete plans and hotel reservations. This way I get a chance to be ready for the unexpected and it does often lead to the most unforeseen events during my journey. In Joshimath it was the accommodation I managed to arrange at Auli. I had not made any prior hotel reservation at Joshimath as I was hoping to reach and stay at Auli overnight in case I could reach there before nightfall. Upon making some quick inquiries with the locals, I was pleased to learn that there was enough time to catch the cable car to Auli, 16 kms away from Joshimath.

The cable car ride begins from here

The operators informed me that the ropeway from Joshimath to to Auli is affectionately called Rajjo by the locals and spans a distance of more than 4 kms. I could count up to 10 towers of self-supporting steel structures. It is said to be the longest ropeway in Asia and the ride usually lasts 22 minutes till the eighth tower but I had a ride till the tenth tower as I was delighted to arrange accommodation at the highest point in Auli. A ride in the cable car costs Rs. 500 (about US$10) for a two way ride, and one of the requirements was to inform the authorities in advance of the time of the return ride.

The small strip of road seen leads to Auli

During the cable car ride, it was a fabulous feeling to enjoy the fresh mountain air brushing past my face and it was a feast to the eyes to view the scenery from that height. The route was lined with forests and lush green mountain vegetation. I could imagine how the slope would be in the winter months. It did seem like a perfect haven for adventure lovers. I made up my mind to return there sometime in winter to enjoy some winter sports.

View of a road in Joshimath from cable car

How to Reach Joshimath:

By Air: The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun at a distance of 270 km.
By Rail: Haridwar is the nearest Railway Station to Joshimath, which is at a distance of 260 km connecting to all the major cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad etc.
By Road: Joshimath is connected by surface network with Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Nainital and Almora.

Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: Chamoli
  
• Garhwal: Rudraprayag
  
• Garhwal: Rishikesh
• Garhwal: Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal

Mount Neelkanth

Garhwal, Uttarakhand
India
July-Aug 2008

While returning from a trek that I had started before dawn to the Indo-Tibet border village of Mana Village, I suddenly had the pleasure to view this fabulous sight of the 'Garhwal Queen' peeping out. Garhwal Queen is an appropriate sobriquet for the captivating beauty of Mt. Neelkanth.

The towering Mt. Neelkanth forms the backdrop of the pilgrimage town of Badrinath in the Himalayas. This pyramidal shaped snowy peak at a height of 6,597 metres (21,643 feet) above sea level borders the Nar-Narayan mountain ranges of Badrinath.

Later that morning as I walked around Badrinath I continued to look up at the fascinating sight till the time I sat down for breakfast in a modest restaurant in Badrinath. Every minute the scene kept changing as the clouds and mist played around the beautiful peak.


Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: 4. Chamoli
  
• Garhwal: 3. Rudraprayag
  
• Garhwal: 2. Rishikesh
• Garhwal: 1. Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal

One Single Impression: Paradox

One Single Impression is a community of poets writing and sharing Haiku and other poetic forms. Each week a new prompt is provided to inspire writing.

Here's my contribution for this week's prompt: Paradox.

Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow,
But never jam today,
Hello, we all do agnize
Yesterday's tomorrow is today!

You can't get a job,
Without experience,
But you can't get experience,
Without a job: Sigh!

Every swan I've seen is white,
So I reckon all swans are white;
Dishonesty of honesty tests;
It's like a matter of true lies!

Oscar Wilde said bollocks,
And refused to be involved;
The chicken or the egg first,
Also Aristotle struggled to know!

Exceptions to rules is overblown,
Fallacy in logic isn't rare;
Do my thoughts think for me,
Or is it I? Dualism exists!

Skepticism and ambiguity,
Evasiveness and equivocations;
All of it, in little measure or big,
Is a contradictory part of me!

A paradox I am, you ask for proof,
For you refuse to believe;
Intransigent and prevaricated,
I decline to demonstrate!

For I know am a paradox,
And if to prove I proceed;
I know then I'd cease to be one,
And the exercise would be in vain!

I'm a pointless paradox,
Yes, indeed I am one;
But then do you realize, so are you,
And likewise is this world!

Garhwal: Chamoli Adventure

Map borrowed

Route covered so far:
Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh –Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti - Joshimath

Heading towards Karnaprayag

From Rudraprayag, my tentative plan for the day was to reach Joshimath about 120 kms away (which through the mountain roads can be a journey lasting 5-6 hours) and if possible, to take a cable car for a night halt at Auli.

Most of the people heading this route are pilgrims who travel in their private vehicles. For the remaining few, like me, who wish to travel the tough way seeking a sense of adventure, a word of caution is to begin the onward journey from Rudraprayag early in the morning, as I was told no vehicles would be available to go higher up the mountains after noon. In any case, driving in those narrow mountain roads after sunset is not allowed, so travellers ought to plan the day of travel well in advance and start as early as possible.

It was an early morning in Rudraprayag when I started the journey in a local 'sharing taxi' that was to take me first to Karnaprayag. Karnaprayag, the place of confluence of Rivers Pindar and Alaknanda, is the junction to change route from Garhwal to Kumaon and from here, one can reach the hill stations of Almora, Nainital etc.

Once at Karnaprayag, I had to change to another vehicle that would take me to Joshimath. It was here that I heard the locals murmuring something about a landslide on the road uphill. With the adage “I’ll cross the bridge when I come to it” in mind, I ventured to continue the journey unaware then that I'd actually be in need of a bridge later during the day.

Roadblock in Chamoli

Close to Nandprayag while nearing Chamoli, I came across a huge line of vehicles extending for kilometers. There was indeed a landslide and it had blocked the road completely! Neither movement of vehicles nor walking across the landslide rubble was possible. I could see from a distance 'Public Works Department' workers were busy using bulldozers to clear up the place to make way for the traffic to resume.

I am now talking of possibly being stranded at a height of about 8,000 feet above sea level. Roadblocks in the rainy days on these mountain roads last for a minimum of hours, sometimes even days together! A part of the thrill of going to such places is to travel with the right company. When there are like-minded fellow travellers in a group, it is easy to make quick decisions. So in this case a decision was made in a matter of couple of minutes to trek to the other side of the road. And then the adventure began.

Seated at the edge of the stream

It was just past twelve, and in spite of the cool mountain breeze, the sun was right overhead and beating down on me mercilessly. In short, to avoid making this post long, on that bright sunny day, it was a walk down the valley carrying my backpack on this unplanned and unprepared part of the journey in the Himalayas. At first it was a trek downhill, then it was crossing a stream - minus shoes - flowing with almost freezing waters with strong currents with the help of locals, and finally a steep climb up the rugged path to eventually surface on the other side of the road. Finally it was an easy walk on the Himalayan mountain roads until, at length, a local bus was getting ready that somehow managed with great difficulty in the narrow road to take a U-turn to carry some passengers up to Chamoli.

Taking leave of the locals who helped

From Chamoli it was an uneventful journey passing through beautiful mountain scenery crossing Pipalkoti to finally reach Joshimath.

View from Joshimath roadside

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks
- John Muir

Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: Rudraprayag
  
• Garhwal: Rishikesh
• Garhwal: Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal

Garhwal: Rishikesh to Rudraprayag

The question is not what you look at, but what you see.
- Henry David Thoreau

The journey of approximately 140 kms from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag in the rickety bus that took more than 5 hours – most of the time climbing up the mountain roads – was not very comfortable, but the scenery I came across more than made up for the discomfort. Typical scenery was that of curving narrow mountain roads and no matter how limited in size the roads were, somehow two-way traffic was being skilfully maneuvred. The road was mostly through mountain gorges, plunging into deep valleys at the bottom of which flowed the Ganges. Being the monsoon season, the Ganga flowed in its full glory, accumulating rain water in addition to the waters of the melting glaciers originating from the Himalayas.

The Ganges flows on

To reach Rudraprayag, the journey took me through Devprayag (one of the five holy confluences or Panch Prayags) and Srinagar (not of the Jammu & Kashmir fame). Devprayag is another small mountain town situated at the confluence of the Bhagirathi River and the Alaknanda River. What I like about these mountain towns is their characterization by their natural beauty, religious significance, their lakes and glaciers, and the simple mountain folks who dwell there.

From a moving bus near Rudraprayag

The small pilgrim town of Rudraprayag is named so after the Hindu God, Rudra. It lies on the confluence of River Alaknanda that flows from the Alakpuri glacier beyond Badrinath and River Mandakini originating from Kedarnath.

River Alaknanda

The holy confluence is venerated by Hindu pilgrims and an ancient temple, Rudranath, is dedicated right at the confluence.

The Confluence of the Rivers

On my return journey at Rudraprayag, from the modest GMVN accommodation that I had stayed in, I also happened to watch an open-air cremation ceremony at the opposite bank of the River Mandakini. Earlier, I had only heard of disbursement of the ashes in the Holy Ganges, but this trip made me witness it. I watched the covered body consumed in flames, and then with the heat it vaporized into nothingness. At the end of the process, the ash was collected and then scattered into the water from the bank of the River Mandakini at the holy confluence. As soon as this was done, one by one the gathered folks left.

At the ghats of River Mandakini

It also made me introspect on the intricate issues of life. Life is short, and delicate. It would be nice to live it simple and in peace. Nothing is to be feared, it is only to be understood as Marie Curie said. I pondered on the decision of those mountain folks who opted for cremation. They dispose of their dead immediately in a simple ritualistic ceremony, and that must have certainly cost far less than the traditional burial ceremony. Then there is the environmental advantage as well.

View from balcony of GMVN at Rudraprayag

I got a feeling they appeared relaxed because they "think simple" without much drama. I am sure those mountain folk do not worry about the stock market crisis, or for that matter, anything that detracts them from the joy of living in simplicity. Now I see this post turning out long and I should immediately stop. My wisdom is limited to my awareness of my ignorance on these issues. Sounding philosophical on the death and meaning of life is not my cup of tea. After all, philosophy could get one killed, as it did Socrates!

As my destination was to travel higher up the mountains to Joshimath and Auli passing through Chamoli, the journey through and stopover at Rudraprayag was mainly for a night of rest and relaxation, and these are my observations of a peaceful evening spent there.

Sunflowers of Rudraprayag



How to reach Rudraprayag:

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun, about 160 kms away and the nearest rail head is at Rishikesh 140 kms. Rudraprayag is connected by narrow roads with other tiny mountain towns of the region and has bus service to Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun.

Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: Rishikesh
• Garhwal: Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal
• A Tryst with the Himalayas