16th October, 06.
Breakfast @ 9 am we get a guy to escort us to the camp site at Biasi, about 45 kms up in the hills where we will camp out for the night. We drive thro. Rajaji National Park, thro. some thick jungles with the Ganges flashing through the trees on and off. Reach to the 10 story (?) temple at Rishikesh, on to the Laxman Julai and spend some time walking around.
Picked up a guide for 50/- and 2 hours to show us around. Young guy knows his way around takes us through to Swargashram and all the Ashrams around including Ram Jula and the Shiva temple. Lunch @ Chottiwalla, an experience in itself, a painted baldy sitting on a high stool in front of the hotel with his long hair sticking straight up, Chinese style. He was cheesed off when I stood near him to pose for the camera with my clean shaven head to compete with his bald and painted head !!!!!
Drive thro Rishikesh, Shivpuri (the rafting capital of Uttranchal) to reach Biasi and the campsite around 330 PM. There’s this heavenly campsite on the other side of Ganges and a dream like hanging bridge to cross over. We honk the horn pretty hard, sound carries far and wide, soon we have porters from Camp 5 elements picking up the luggage. Lock the car and start the 1 Km trek down to the camp through steep down roads, rocks and boulders, hanging bridge across the river down into the beach site camp. It should be around 500 Mtrs long and 250 Mtrs wide and soon we chuck into 2 tents. There’s a camp brief by Mr. Bist, do’s and don’ts and how to use the toilet tents. There’s glorious white sands all around; soon we realize sand reaches everywhere; everything you wear and everything you eat too!!!! We are at about 1700 Ft and more climbs to come for the next many days.
Nightfall is pretty early, its dark around 6 PM, the mountains blocks out light and night sounds take over. Soft thuds in the distance, sounds of rock blasting (they’re building a tunnel to make electricity somewhere close by), ever gushing river sound, dogs barking, crickets on chorus and thankfully no vehicle horns blasting your eardrums. There is an eerie silence as night falls; deathly quiet followed by intermittent gushing river sounds; so different and healthy than the city sounds. Perhaps it’s the reduced decibels or perhaps sound are so natural, it’s a great tranquilizer, sweet sleep steals the limbs. The temp is dropping by the day, must have been around 17 in the night, had to use the blankets, it would get cold during the night. Elevation 1700 feet.
Breakfast @ 9 am we get a guy to escort us to the camp site at Biasi, about 45 kms up in the hills where we will camp out for the night. We drive thro. Rajaji National Park, thro. some thick jungles with the Ganges flashing through the trees on and off. Reach to the 10 story (?) temple at Rishikesh, on to the Laxman Julai and spend some time walking around.
Picked up a guide for 50/- and 2 hours to show us around. Young guy knows his way around takes us through to Swargashram and all the Ashrams around including Ram Jula and the Shiva temple. Lunch @ Chottiwalla, an experience in itself, a painted baldy sitting on a high stool in front of the hotel with his long hair sticking straight up, Chinese style. He was cheesed off when I stood near him to pose for the camera with my clean shaven head to compete with his bald and painted head !!!!! Drive thro Rishikesh, Shivpuri (the rafting capital of Uttranchal) to reach Biasi and the campsite around 330 PM. There’s this heavenly campsite on the other side of Ganges and a dream like hanging bridge to cross over. We honk the horn pretty hard, sound carries far and wide, soon we have porters from Camp 5 elements picking up the luggage. Lock the car and start the 1 Km trek down to the camp through steep down roads, rocks and boulders, hanging bridge across the river down into the beach site camp. It should be around 500 Mtrs long and 250 Mtrs wide and soon we chuck into 2 tents. There’s a camp brief by Mr. Bist, do’s and don’ts and how to use the toilet tents. There’s glorious white sands all around; soon we realize sand reaches everywhere; everything you wear and everything you eat too!!!! We are at about 1700 Ft and more climbs to come for the next many days.Nightfall is pretty early, its dark around 6 PM, the mountains blocks out light and night sounds take over. Soft thuds in the distance, sounds of rock blasting (they’re building a tunnel to make electricity somewhere close by), ever gushing river sound, dogs barking, crickets on chorus and thankfully no vehicle horns blasting your eardrums. There is an eerie silence as night falls; deathly quiet followed by intermittent gushing river sounds; so different and healthy than the city sounds. Perhaps it’s the reduced decibels or perhaps sound are so natural, it’s a great tranquilizer, sweet sleep steals the limbs. The temp is dropping by the day, must have been around 17 in the night, had to use the blankets, it would get cold during the night. Elevation 1700 feet.
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