Gulmarg – Meadow Of Flowers

25th DEC
We reached Gulmarg on 25th afternoon after catching a cab from srinagar.We met yasin, who booked for us a cottage(Rosewood).The cost was pretty nominal compared to the rest of the prices around and after reaching the cottage , we spent the rest of day talking to our host Ashraf, cook Kedar and the rest of the people there.
We also went out for a walk to the market and visited the Siva temple where the famous “jay jay sivasankar” song was filmed.We went around the market, were tricked to sit in a sledge for 50 rs and finally struggled back to our cottage in the dark.
We knew the next few days could be physically stressing as skiing was an intense activity and hence a good drink and a good sleep was essential.

26th DEC
The next day we reached Yasin’s shop at 10.After getting into our gear and settling with our skies , Mehmood took us to the zero point(called so since its the beginner’s point).The first day of skiing was not bad and though i did not fall much, i did not ski much either since the ski lift was not working and every time we had to carry our ski’s on our back to the top.After lunch we came back to the zero point , but the place was crowded with sledge runners and tourists.Unaware i was with the turns and ended up running into a few people and sledge guys.Enough was enough and as the crowd increased we called it a day.

27th DEC
Today , Mushtaq bhai accompanied us as our instructor.He was apparently runners up in the national championship in Manali.He guided us as far as technique is concerned and after skiing for some time from the zero point, we went to another slope where he taught us how to turn.This again i was able to do comfortably but not conveniently and i was not sure how i managed it fine at times and not at others.

We discussed over the night if we would cut short skiing and do more sight seeing, but decided to give it one more try.Kiran was particularly a bit suspicious as it seemed that he was doing something wrong with the technique still.The evenings were spent in the cottage watching TV , drinking kashmiri chai(kawa).Kesar would prepare us delicious dinner and we would hog more than ever after the tiring day.

28th DEC

Today mUshtaq bhai further taught us how to turn with parallel skies, instead of snow ploughing.Kiran seemed to have mastered this better than me and was going great guns.I could pick it up end of the day though and the later part of afternoon , we went to a higher slop and skiied down from there , this time passing through the beginner’s point and successfully evading the tourists and sledgers alike.Confidence was sky high now.
This evening , over the kawa , discussions were based on if it was worth skipping srinagar for an extra day of skiing.WE were not falling any more of the ski’s and enjoying a lot more.

29th Dec

We started off at the beginner’s slope at a higher point today and had to ski between sticks strategically placed by Mushtaq and Co.This was hardly a problem after the expert training we were provided with.Musthaq Bhai took us to the Army slope later this day.Called so because the army people practice from this slopes.It did look a bit threatening at first, but with the expert guidance of Musthaq who could precisely point out our shortcomings , we conquered this slope as well, though very slowly.
THe big headache was to carry our ski’s back to the top since there was no lift here as well and that tired us beyond bounds but it was more than made up for by our enthusiasm and Musthaq’s constant appraisal.
The later part of the day, we would o down the slope with parallel skies rather than Snow plough(read as faster),Kiran was doing this better than me,and i was snow ploughing still.In spite of my best attempts , i could not get the ski to stay parallel while turning.At times, i tried to bend my ski opposite side and it still used to plough and i would fall.Finally at the end of day, after lot of “Pitai” from Musthaq , i finally got a “Badai” from him and he said i had managed 80% parallel ski’s.

30 Dec

Our last day of skiing and we decided that we would ski for the first half of the day here and spend the evening going to the top of the gondola.
Today both of us were able to ski comfortable and falling was not even the remotest of the possibilities.My ski’s were more or less parallel now and was when Musthaq told me that my ski’s were not racer ski’s as compared to kiran and lost their edges.I felt a bit light hearing that but Musthaq added that a good skier must not worry about such things.I was more confident now and we skiied right from the top and went down vertical instead of turning to reduce speeds.
When the session ended we had big smiles of having accomplished to learn something new quite well.Musthaq told us that if there was enough snow on the top , he would advised us to ski from the top of the mountain at 1st level.
We proceeded to the gondola and supposedly the highest gondola in asia , there were 2 levels to it.The second level called affrawat is 3.9Km above the sea level and we could see the army camps at the top.Musthaq showed me the LOC(border with pakistan) , but all i could see was white snow all around.To be 13 Km from LOC was a crazy thought but true at this moment.
After quite some photo moments we descended down the gondola and once the electricity went off and the gondola got stuck.We talked about hanging 3Km above ground level and how primitive the highest gondola in the world was.
The night, my face red as a cherry because of sun burns was the centre of attraction.It was still a beaming one though.Next year , Gulmarg can look forward to one skier returning back at least.

 

Sky Diving , Free falling!!!

Skydiving

Location: Para Centrum Texel , The Netherlands

Scary as it may seem, it was more exciting than most things I have done. Close second was the famous time I served as a boyfriend before being unceremoniously dumped.

My tandem instructor jumped with his khaki shorts and tee from 10,000 feet. I still am not sure if I was amazed or surprised . The feeling when the plane took off was a mixed bag. Murphy’s laws are a software engineer’s best’s friends. Finally, I had to jump off the plane, a strange one moment as well. I don’t remember my feelings then, it all seemed to happen so quickly.

The seconds after the jump from the plane was the most awesome thing I have ever experienced. Falling freely reaching speeds of 200 k per hour, adrenaline levels were at the peak. For those 30 seconds or so, I felt alive. The parachute was then opened and though I make it sound as totally unexciting, parachuting down to ground is by no means an unmemorable(or for that matter) scary experience.

I have little or no doubts that I will sky jump again.

 

River Rafting in the wild Ganges!

Friday the 21st

We started from Bangalore to Delhi on Friday the 21st December. As Murphy ’s Law would have it, we had to wait for our tickets due to over booking, but Indian airlines (now called as Air India Shetriye) did finally manage to arrange it. After initial hiccups with the non existent prepaid taxi system of delhi , we managed to find a decent room in a decent area in a decent hotel.

Saturday the 22nd

The next day we caught the train to Haridwar (Dehradun shatabdi) and reached Haridwar at around 12.We had already booked with Aquaterra adventures for our entire trip. Our taxi was waiting for us at the station and we proceeded towards the aquaterra camp 50 km north of rishikesh. Uttaranchal(Uttarakhand) is a wonderfully diverse state with an amazing combination of adventure sports, romantic peaks and exotic holiday locations and people are extremely nice as well and make all the efforts required to make you feel at home. The taxi driver showed us all the important monuments (read as temples) on the way and dropped as off at our camp.

Here we were introduced to our guides and the Aquaterra staff which is well over 20 strong.Rana , Gappu , Pradeep, Jeetu etc and soon we had our lunch and started our initiation raft on the Ganges.

Rana was the safety kayaker and gappu was our guide on the raft. The water was cold but our spirits were high and so was the water level since the water released from the dam increases the water level by afternoon.

The otherwise fun rapids could topple you down now. The good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening rapid(Depending on the time ) was a breeze and a gentle reminder that unlike the other rivers I have been in , ganga rages even in the smaller rapids. The next rapid was black money named after the huge property next to it belonging to a well known industrialist .

The third rapid is actually a quick succession of 3 rapids called the 3 blind mice. We saw the kayaker toppling over and we thought it would be a fun show based on the previous 2 rapids. The first and second mouse rocked us and we were on the edges of our seats. But the 3rd blind mice knocked all 3 of us, including gappu of our rafts and luckily we fell inside the raft by each other. Not that falling outside would have made difference with the safety jackets and kayaker, but this was a wake up call to us and a true adventure moment.

The remaining rapids for the day failed to relive the 3 blind mice moment and our faces were still shining bright. The rest of the day had no other activities besides campfire and food and pep talk. It was a wonderful experience to be cut out from the rest of the world and sitting unprotected in nature’s lap.

Sunday the 23rd

The next day we were joined by 2 more couples and NDTV crew. They were apparently filming This for a show on a channel called metro nation for the ten thins to do on a new year or something of that sort.

The rafting today was 24km instead of the 12 km we rafted yesterday. Though the first 12 km was same as yesterday, we would come across some more raging rapids today.

The blind mice was subdued today because the water from the dam had not yet translated into high waters yet. The dam is called Tehri and is Asia’s largest dam.

Body surfing rapid allowed us to get down in the near freezing winter water of the Ganges. Few of us dared to do it and got down in the water initially holding the rope next to the raft. At one point, I let go of the rope not by choice but more by chance. Though a frightening thought for a moment but then the water pushed me closer to the raft and I held it again and was pulled back to the raft.

It was only then that we realized how cold water had been and all of us were left shivering for the rest of the journey.

Few other rapids especially roller coaster and the golf course did rock the raft but not enough to throw us out. Gappu’s scream of ‘Get down” was instantly followed though still and everybody avoided any chance of falling into the cold water.

The other mentionable rapids on this day were the Crossfire and the T-off, just before the golf course rapid.After the 24 km raft , we decided to roam around the city of rishikesh and visited some famous places like the ram jhula and lakshman jhula and had lunch at a good Bengal restaurant called chotiwala.

TIP : Prefer the first chotiwala to the second.

Our ever obliging driver drove us out to a city in dehradun district to buy something for the cold nights in the camp.This night in the camp was much of the same but more energetic with everybody enjoying the something we bought for the camp.

We discussed how really wonderful it felt to be disconnected from the real world , no newspapers , no electricity , no flush toilets.Just a campfire and staring at the skies on top , mountains far beyond and the steady but gushing and galloping Ganges.The mountains make you wonder what lies in their darkest depths and even slight moments bring the scary thought that someone is watching you from far away. The raging ganges seems to be getting closer and closer to the campfire all night and makes you wonder about the wonderful inspiring journey of this river.

Tip: No drinks available in the sacred towns of haridwar and rishikesh.

Monday the 24th

The only mentionable rapid this day was “The Wall”. The others were by and far a jolly cosy ride and inspite of the wall hitting us with all its fury, the low water level meant it was more fun and no toppling. We reached the camp by lunch and after change of clothes and exchanging good byes, we left for the railway station to catch our train back to delhi.

The memorable moment of the day was when we decided to stand on the raft instead of sitting and unwittingly fell in the cold water thus testing our life jackets.

 

Paragliding !!! Fly like an eagle

There have been so many times that i have been standing at the roof wondering how it is to fly.Watching the eagle spread its wings and float around always inspired me.

So when i was at interlaken, and saw posters of para gliding , fly like a bird all around me , there was nothing else to do but to fly.

I was picked up at around 10:00 in the morning, the trip up in the jeep made me a bit nervous at first because of the high altitude.After choosing the pilots for tandem gliding and receiving instructions , the feeling was an odd mix of enthusiasm and nervousness.

The fact that we had to run of a cliff was the scary part, i decided to close my eyes.When our turn came to jump , i did not even realize and ran at full speed following instructions and before i could close my eyes and run off the cliff , we were in air , floating.It was just amazing seeing the world below you and cruising over trees and houses and lakes.

I have never felt so excited in my life before.The roller coasters(mind you , only for the brave hearted and for people who don’t puke) where you just turn left and right at 90 degrees were amazing as well.I was having the time of my life.

The sight of the 2 lakes , Thun and Brienz were amazing.THats when i decided that a cruise on these lakes is an absolute must.

I think this is a sport which everybody must do , its fun,safe and easy. Especially , if its a scenic place like Swiss , its even more amazing.

I will write soon about my para gliding in the nandi hills.

 

Night Trek to Nandi Hills – kalwarbeta

Hot aagi start maduva …

The whole idea of night trek was sounding an altogether new experience.So why not , was my first thought.It was not until the travel to nandi hills late night at 12:00 , when i realised that losing sleep for one night climbing hills in rain was probably not my sorts of thing.But afterthoughts , maybe it is.

For one , i was famously under prepared , i mean no torch lights, not dressed for a trek either.The  3 hour trek to summit of kalwarbeta(hill) in the range of nandi hills around 50 Km from Bangalore in the night was a daunting task , especially since it was slippery in the night and no torch light meant an ever existent fear of slipping and i had no intention of hurting any bone of mine.So what followed was concentrated , careful effort to climb a slightly treacherous terrain in almost pitch darkness.Luckily some ladies in the group would lag behind and though the lead groups went ahead quickly i could lead the group which lagged behind.Just when i could no more , the guide announced that we had reached the summit, something i definitely enjoyed listening to.

Narrow and winding trek

We hat followed as a rest stop turned out to be a torture , blame it on us carrying absolutely no extra clothes to protect ourselves from the chilly winds of the night.The fact that we were sufficiently drenched did not help either.

We ate some snacks and played some games in the dark.I only remember the names , no faces .

We waited for the sunrise which was supposed to be a visual treat.Unfortunate as we would be , the fog completely blocked this for us and we had to descend.This was when i actually realised the unreletening terrain , glad that i climbed up in the night.

The scenery while we descend is quite beautiful  and really worth the trek.All in all the trek would not be boring in the day given a pleasant weather.

Thats where we climbed to ….

I would definitely recommend this to any adventure enthusiast.

 

Flying a Microlight Plane

Well more appropriately Co-Piloting.

But never the less its a thrill to fly a microlight plane.It weighs a maximum of 450 Kgs including the 2 pilots(yes i mean 2 pilots) , fuel and the accesories.Well the first question in my mind is how does iet even manage to fly , All my questions were answered in jakkur fly zone with my co-pilot Vinitha managing to make the fluight airborne at 80 m/ hr. Even while air-borne  the flight manages just about 120 km/hr .The thrill of flying in the cockpit is something else.and the fact that the microlight is so micro!! means that you can out your hand out of the window into thin air.At the max it hits an altitude of about 1000 feet.

I did the flight for 30 minutes and had a good aerial view of Bangalore in the morning.The timing was just about perfect , fog was lifting and the traffic had not started polluting the air yet. There was little turbulence as well and i was aloowed to fly the plane , yes you read it right!!.It was comfortable at first and i thought this was not easy.But unfortunately,i realized that the steering in the plane while airborne is not like steering your car in the Bangalore roads.And to make matters worse , we experience turbulence at the same time.Before i could regain my confidence again , we had to land and i have to say , t dd not look tough either.

One day when i have enough money ( i mean enough  like going to Europe for a haircut) , i will bu a microlight plane and fly it as a hobby.At a steep price of 20 lakhs plus , its a bit of luxury right now.

But its and unforgettable experience nonetheless .