22nd October, 2006.Get up leisurely, yesterday night was the coldest @ Joshimath this season, 3 degrees, the night was difficult even with the hot water bottles and extra blankets. This day is reserved for rest, one of the few buffer days in our plan. Everyone is raring to get out into the sun; at 10 we drive to the GMVN ropeway which goes up to Auli and beyond. Today there’s no crowd and we have to wait for the timed departure of the lift @ 12 noon. We sit on the sun, look at all the photos in the nearby shop and try on some CD’s they’re wanting to sell. I put the H1 to good use on the tripod, there are lots of mountains to shoot and time to experiment with the shutter. There’s nobody else, only us, the lift takes us up 4000 + feet to the top. Strong cold winds and sub 4 degrees temp, we’re keeping close to each other for warmth. We walk down the stairs and walk around the top for 30 minutes, there’s a couple of guys, care takers of the cable car station on top, with an open fire going; we converge and warm ourselves near fire, we drink hot tea and look around the snow caps. Visibility is poor today; most of the mountains are cloudy and hazy, what a let down!!!!! We’re glad its not raining or snowing again; thankfully huddle around the fire and sing songs.
On the way down, weather clears up, we could see the Auli ski slopes clearly and the army hospital all in green. The car operator tells us, Joshimath is full of Nepali Regiment personnel, retired and some working, during the pilgrim season, they have the city full with travelers and seasonal businessmen; now it’s almost deserted.
We reach back to camp @ 3 pm, have lunch and take a local guy from camp to show us around Sankaracharya Math. They have many warring factions of the Math now with 2 separate establishments with many heads now. What a shame the Saints and Sanyasis who are supposed to be seeking spiritual salvation stoop down to dirty politicking for material things !!!!!! That’s reality check for us. Reach back camp around 5 and settle down for the day.
23rd October, 2006.
730 am, load up, pack lunch and off on the return leg of the journey. Today’s target is Kasauni, through Karnaprayag, Baidyanath, 190 kms away. The decent is quicker and it gets warmer on the way. Pass Chamoli @ 9 am, stop after we pass Lamgasu for the b’kfst. Stop on the extreme right shoulder with a view to the river and a hanging bridge; sun is shining bright, feels like heaven to get warmed up. Spread a blanket and b’fast on a big boulder, the roti sibji tasted like manna from heaven with lime juice to gulp it down with. We spend a leisurely 45 mts till it becomes really hot and start off our decent through Kakrnaprayag, left turn, cross river and towards Gwaldam. The road takes a new meaning and shape and attitude; river on one side, unspoilt, virgin forests, thin fog sticking to tree tops, local jeep drivers doing Shumi stunts on turns, turns are steering-wrenching, tight and sharp; you need to be fully awake and alert to avoid a head-on from mad on rushing jeeps and small local buses. Nobody uses the horn, nobody cares a hang; one nudge and you can careen headlong into the river, bye-bye world !!!!!!! I thank my senses for fitting the strong, extra-loud, bosch horn which can make anyone jump out of their skin, guess we got our money’s worth between Karnaprayag and Tharali. Many jeep / bus drivers were shocked to hear the horn on turns and respectfully gave way; they were probably shocked more by the fact that someone is using the horn, alien to this part of the country, some glared at me as if at a Martian !!!!!! Anyway, we roll past Narayanbagger, than a 10 KMs stretch of bad roads, Gwaldam, Sirkot and stop at Baidyanath temple. The twists and turns are too much for Nidish, we had to make vomit stops and feed him only Lime juice to stop dehydration. The decent is steep and the brake drums heat up; so the vomit stops are useful to cool them off. The 15 inch rubbers and predictable brakes of the Fusion are reassuring, never had a skid till now and hugs the roads pretty tight too. 
Stop @ Baidyanath temple, the man sized fishes on the river are a sight to see and the 1000 years + Shiva temple is a wonderful piece of architecture. Stretch our legs, do the Darshan and sit in the temple bench for 20 minutes. The kids get their needed break; they’re getting edgy being cooped up the car for long stretches now. They help out with the maps and log book, when that’s over sitting inside seeing23/10 mountains and mountains roll by does take its toll. Anu is hanging in there too, though weary, tired and a little whooshy from the twisties. We start off again 3 pm and reach Kasauni, Sun n snow hotel around 4 pm. There’s no Sun or Snow to view from there in the evening, lots of clouds and fog bolts out everything in sight beyond 500 meters. After the tents and camps the hotel is a welcome change with the room heater going full clip; its like homecoming, we feel like staying indoors and watch TV to catch up with news. Order all meals inside and have a very late night with the telly on. 
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