Whispering Trail

Tuesday 31 March 2020

Trek to Parashar Lake in Monsoon

Trek Details

Maximum Altitude: 8960 Feet

Duration: 2 days

Distance: 15-16 km

Base Camp: Baggi Village

Best time for the trek: December to February for snow; September-November for Greenery

Difficulty level: Easy

Stay Option: Inside Temple at free of cost, Tent, PWD Guest House

Local Guide from Bahandi Village: Jeevan Thakur (09418196939), He also works inside the temple.

Short Itinerary

Day 1

Mandi to Baggi Village: Drive 140 km (4-5 hours)

Baggi Village to Parashar Lake: Trek 7.5-8 km (5-7 hours)

Day 2 Follow the same path back or

Parashar lake to Bahandi Village – Trek 5 km (3-4 hours), Clear mountain ranges, no forest

Bahandi Village to Delhi-Manali highway (Just before Aut) – Drive 20 km (40 mins)

If you’re looking for a weekend trek from Delhi, Parashar lake is for you. It’s small trek of around 7 km one side which takes you through a charming forest and several rivulets. Beware of Leeches if you are doing the trek in monsoon. The trek starts from Baggi village which is at 2 hours distance from Mandi. Himachal Roadways bus runs from Mandi around 7:15 am to Baggi village. The bus goes up to the lake if weather permits. But the road remains obstructed with landslides during monsoon and with snow during winters.

The trek offers a beautiful view of the Dhauladhar, Pir Panjal and Kinnaur mountain ranges. Do the trek in winters, the frozen lake looks just amazing. If you are more into greenery and freshness and want to do the trek in monsoon, just take a local guide along with. There is one more route to Parashar lake which goes through the Bahandi village. This route doesn’t have forest and it gives a clear view of the mountain ranges.

Bahandi Village

I personally won’t recommend doing this trek in monsoon. I reason I tell you through my personal experience. I did the trek solo last year in August and I was the only one there. I was confident enough of not having the local guide, but it turned out to be a real nightmare. Initially the trail looked like a waterfall as all the water from the forest was coming down through the trail. I slipped couple of times and had some injuries.

After around an hour of hiking, I found the trail obstructed with a tumbled tree and there was no way to cross it. I had to go all the way crossing the river stream which made me hiked extra 2.5 km.

I entered the forest through a different route and there was no trail. I was trying to follow directions and overhead electrical wires but after a point, I reached a dead end with and got lost in the woods. I couldn’t find a way out for almost 2 hours. It sounds like a movie plot but that's what happened with me. I was all alone deep inside the forest. It was raining and started getting dark. Leeches were making it difficult to walk as I had to remove my shoes to pull out the leeches from my feet after every 5-10 mins and the big backpack to carry tent, sleeping bag and mattress along with, was making me tired.

Drained and exhausted, I sat near a rivulet and was thinking whether to go all the way back to Baggi village or again try to find a way up.

Suddenly, I started hearing a barking voice and a dog came to me. It was the same dog who was following me at the start of the trek, but I lost him when I had to cross the stream. I couldn’t be more thankful to see him as I felt like having a company which was really motivating.

The dog circled me number of times and then started walking away. He barked at me as if asking me to follow him. I had the feeling that he would take me to the right path. Trusting him, I followed blindly and after around 30 mins, I could see the trail going all the way to the lake.

I took a deep breathe and hugged the dog tightly. He was my savior. Finally I reached the lake and it was so pristine and beautiful looking at the lake and natural beauty around that it was enough to calm every aching bone of my body.

Monday 30 March 2020

Leh to Nubra Valley - The Magical Journey

The 125 Km road journey from Leh to Nubra Valley was something that's going to engrave in my memory for long time. The route was Khardungla Pass (40 km) – Khalsar (98km) – Diskit (118 km) – Hundar (125 km). The high point of the journey was definitely crossing the so claimed highest motorable road (not supported by many) in the world – the Khadungla Pass. Gaining an altitude of around 6,818 ft from Leh at 11,562 ft to Khardungla at 18,380 ft in just 40 km is something which makes this journey in the bucket list of every traveler.

The first leg of the journey was smooth with some fairly good roads with a mesmerizing view of beautiful landscape and stunning valley. Road beyond South Pullu was in bad condition & gain in altitude was quite substantial but the excitement of reaching khardungla top is something which was making my mind go numb. As I was gaining altitude, I found myself in the snow-clad mountains which were appearing far away from Leh. Sun disappeared and the air became chill and thin, I could feel it in my breathing. After a point it started raining and by the time I reached 'K' top, the droplets of water in rain turned into ice flakes. The ‘K’ top arrived in about 2 hours’ drive from Leh. People had advised not to spend more than 10 minutes at ‘K’ top, but I spent an hour and half without any difficulty.

Khardungla to khalsar was a smooth descend and the comparatively good roads added to the beauty of the journey. There were snow-clad mountains on one side and a beautiful valley on other side of the road for around 15-20 minutes and after that snow started disappearing. Around 15 km from ‘K’ top, North Pullu check post came behind where a beautiful stream was flowing. The view was spellbinding to the point that I ended up spending almost an hour there.

The journey from North Pullu to Khalsar was very smooth with some breath-taking view of the beautiful valley. Close to Khalsar, the Shyok River started appearing which from far, looked like sand deposited in the valley.

The whole picture of beautiful white clouds over blue sky, barren majestic mountains and the Shyok River flowing in the valley, looked like a canvas painting to me. It was hard to believe the reality of the place and I had a feeling that I was in some dreamy state.

The 30 km drive from Khalsar to Hunder was again very scenic and awe-inspiring. The colour and shape of the mountains changed after every 15-20 minutes’ drive and the beauty of the landscape left me spellbound. I couldn’t take my eyes off from the gorgeous sight.

After Khalsar, the road was all along the River till I reached the pristine valley where the Shyok River met the Nubra River.

The entire route looked like postcard pictures and it left me saying ‘wow’ after every turn I took. It looked like a miracle to naked eyes watching the barren landscape turned into a beautiful green valley.

Finally, I reached Diskit which is famous for the ancient Gompa believed to be more than 600 years old. The panoramic landscape all around from the Diskit Monastery was something which I couldn’t afford to miss. The monk in the monastery asked me to do 3 rounds of Deity in clockwise direction to have a prosperous life. After Diskit, I moved further to Hunder for beautiful sand dunes and ride of double-humped Camels - The reminder of bygone era of Silk Route trade.

Sunday 29 March 2020

The 5 best travel buddies of a trek

Trekking always has something enthralling about it. Walking on a trail surrounded by pristine nature, snow-capped mountains, lush green meadows, wild forest, barren land and the places you have never been before, all of this is so alluring. But to experience this thrilling beauty, one has to be fully equipped to withstand danger and difficulties it offers. So perfect travel partners are the foremost requirement before going to any trek.

1) Backpack

The Backpack is something that can make or break your trip. It’s the most important thing in the life of a mountaineer. Backpack is the only thing that tags along with you in your every adventure like a silent friend that always has your back. The bond of a mountaineer with the backpack is pretty unique. You love it as well as curse it. It becomes your home and has everything you need for your survival. You love it for its utility but when it gets taxing, you start cursing it. No matter how much you curse it, at the end of the day you know it’s the only trusted companion you have when you spend days together at high altitude. So, choose your companion wisely!!

2. Books

Books are the man’s best friend. Even if you won’t talk to it for years, it would accept you the same way. Books take away all your miseries, all your sorrows and take you to the world of happiness where you start believing in yourself. It acts as a mirror to show the real reflection of you. You get to know yourself better and start believing in doing impossible. The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the more places you go. A person can never be alone if he has a company of books. Books are the quietest and the most constant of friends. Especially during travel, books provide you the best companionship anyone can have. If you want to have a great travel partner, take a book along and you will be travelling with your favorite people.

3. Shoes

The 3rd and the most important travel partner are your shoes. They help you walk safely, comfortably and confidently on a difficult terrain, protect you from cold, keep your feet dry and save you from any injury. They are the most important thing to think for and plan for before heading to any trek. If your shoes betray you on your trek, it’s a waste of all the physical effort you put behind the trek, a complete heart breaker. Understanding your shoes is very important. So be sure of your trekking shoes.

4. Tent/ Camp

Tent is the 4^th travel buddy. It’s like your home there and nothing can be more important that a home. Always check for weight and comfort while selecting a tent. You should have proper space to sleep comfy and it shouldn’t weight much as you need to carry it all along your trek.

The sleeping mattress is your bed and sleeping bag is your blanket. Check the weather report of the place you are going and take the sleeping bag accordingly. You don’t want to feel cold and fall sick at higher altitudes.

Pitching a tent is equally important. It is one of the most satisfying moments of life. It is earthy, soul enriching and character building. Carrying a tent on your back during a hike is always an arduous task but it’s all worth taking the pain when you finally pitch your tent. It gives you confidence; it gives you flexibility and it gives you freedom to stay wherever you want. But always keep in mind 5 thumb rules before pitching a tent.

1) Choose flat ground

2) Avoid sloppy areas on a hill

3) Consider sun and wind exposure

4) Be close to water

5) Don’t leave your mark on the land, Be a responsible trekker

5. Hunger pangs of the camps

You have gathered all camping equipment – Camp, sleeping bag, mattress, backpack, trekking shoes, sticks, clothes everything, still you couldn’t go for a solo trek because you weren’t sure of food. You didn’t know if you will get anything to eat there. Does it happen with you?? It happened with me many times and I have come up with some food options you can take along for a 3-4 days trek if you don’t want to carry cooking tools and don’t want to cook. But trust me cooking while camping is one of the best things to do in treks.

For popular treks:

1) You always find some food shops till the base camp of almost all popular treks which provides basic foods like Maggi, Daal Rice and Omelette and you can easily survive. For off-season you may not find these shops open.

2) Always carry protein bars, chocolates and energy drinks in case of emergency.

For off-beat treks and off-season treks:

1) Bread, Butter and Jam. Bakery bread can easily last for 2-3 days, soft bread for 4-5 days and breadcrumbs much longer.

2) Carry ready to eat food like Maggi, Poha, Upma etc. You just need hot water to make them ready.

3) Fruits, onion, tomato, cucumber, olive and capsicum etc. - you can easily make sandwiches with them.

4) Biscuits and rusks to eat in between meals.

5) Coffee pouches and tea bags are always must to carry to enjoy a refreshing sip over hills.

Happy Trekking!

Friday 19 May 2017

Nature love

It was around 6 pm. I was out enjoying the walk and fresh air of the hills. Suddenly, the weather started changing, the black clouds came all over me and within a moment, the blue sky turned into a black one. It got completely dark and started raining. I rushed back quickly to my room and got myself inside the blanket as the temperature dropped down to 1 degree Celsius. I was waiting for rain to stop but it didn’t and rained whole night. I could only hear the susurrating sound of rain falling on my roof top and telling me its story. In morning, when the rains were over, I woke up to the songs of the birds. The fresh, sweet earthy smell pulled me out of my room and I was awestruck to see the heaven on earth. The black sky turned into white. The fresh snow looked like the jewellery on the face of distant mountain peaks. The bunch of white clouds on hills were looking like a river of pearls flowing through the pine trees. The fresh green colour of the trees was so refreshing and a treat to the eyes. The colourful small multi-storeys huts of the village were giving a finishing touch to the portrait. The touch of tiny droplets of the drizzle on my face was feeling like an unconditional love and devotion. The cool breeze was giving me a tight morning hug and that’s how I opened my eyes to the beautiful nature. ~ AB

Thursday 9 March 2017

Happy international Women's Day 2017!

In rural areas, women are living the life of a slave. They as "invisible worker" contribute a lot not just to the household activities but also in other activities like fetching water from a distance. They work as a labour in agriculture farms and get only half wage as compared to men for the same work. They eat the leftover meals after feeding to the male members of the family and have to face the violence from their male counterparts. Child marriage, lack of education to a girl child and female infanticide are very common. Even if you talk about the Urban areas, you see woman as a working independent girl and talk about the equity but if you look in your households, in majority of the cases, it's the women who have to do all household activities, even if she is working equally as their male counterparts, their domestic responsibilities are not alleviated. They work two full-time jobs - one in office and other at home and not even get paid for the second one. It is the love, care and beauty of womanhood by virtue of which they love to do things for family but it becomes a problem when we started considering their love and care as their duty and take them for granted. Today, people are celebrating women's day, wishing and thanking them all over social media but at home they are the one who expect them to cook food for them, wash their cloths and ask for the equal contribution even financially as they are allowing them to work, giving them equal rights. Is this equity we all are talking about?? Who are we to give them equal right? Who are we to allow them to work? Who gave us this authority? It is their right and we are no one to give them! All these thoughts came to my mind after I wished one of my friend happy women's day and got this reply - "don't wish me woman's day, just treat me as another human" ~ AB

Wednesday 1 March 2017

The unanswered question of my life!

I always have this dream of running in a forest since my childhood. I run for hours with no exit, hopping from one tree to another, with no hope of coming out of it. With every dream, I was going deeper into the woods. Initially, I used to get scared and wake up sweating and screaming with breathlessness but with time I got used to it and started observing things around me. The scattered sun rays falling on ground through the large canopy of forest is like creating a tyndall effect and making those small particles of the air visible to naked eyes. The decomposed leaves, animal droppings and dead trees on the ground are giving it a little brownish look with green bushes, mushrooms and small plants around. The rustling sound of walking on dry leaves now turned in to a melody of comfort which initially was like a lonesome sound of leaves scratching and scraping. The young trees growing through the bushy ground sets a perfect example of struggle faced by them in order to come into existence and become full grown trees. The susurrating sound of the wind, flowing through the large trees and small bushes, the humming of insects, chirping of birds, the sounds of critters, tickle of a distant stream, all these sounds create an aura of complete wilderness and produce a mysterious voice through which forest tries to speak to me and calls me deep within itself. I started feeling like someone is calling me there; someone wants me to be there in the forest. Someone wants to speak to me in the woods and one day I started my journey to find that someone. From one place to another, I was chasing that voice in every forest I come across. Each time I visit a new place, the magic of the voice grows stronger and the invisible force pulls me deeper into the wilderness. All these places, I am visiting for the first time, I feel like, I have been here earlier, I have seen them before, I know this place. That feeling of Deja vu reminds me of the places of my dreams. I don’t know if I am living my dreams or my dreams are merging into reality. The question is still unanswered ~ AB

Monday 8 August 2016

Exploring the unexplored Banjar Valley of Himachal Pradesh: A trip to Jibhi, Shoja, Jalori Pass and Chaini Village!

Banjar is a small town in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, popularly known as “Valley of God”. It connects Kullu to Shimla via Jalori Pass. The valley is also a gateway to Great Himalayan National Park. Banjar valley is the hub of many beautiful unexplored places. If you are not one of the Kasol crowds and want to spend time in peace with nature, this is the place for you.

Short Itinerary
Day 0: Delhi to Jibhi
Day 1: The bike ride to beautiful Shoja and Jalori Pass
Day 3: Trek to the castle temple of Joginis at Chaini Village

Day 0: Delhi to Jibhi

I started my journey to explore this beautiful place by taking an overnight HRTC Himsuta Volvo to Aut. Aut is a small town that lies further an hour distance (around 40 km) from Mandi and just after the long tunnel on Delhi-Manali highway. After 11 hours of journey, I reached Aut around 8:30 in morning. A little crowded town yet scenic and has number of food stalls to have tea and snacks. I stopped at one of the tea stalls to have snacks, different types of pakodas with tea and also inquired the way to reach Jibhi. There are local buses to Banjar which starts at 8:30 am, 9:30 am and 10:30 am from Aut and the bus ride takes around an hour.

I took 9:30 am bus to Banjar. The bus was little overcrowded but it was a good experience of traveling and interacting with locals during the journey. Banjar is around 27 km from Aut and Jibhi is further 8 km from Banjar. The road along the Beas River is very picturesque and provides stunning view of the valley. During an hour long journey, I interacted with the locals to find out more about the places which are yet to explore. This is how I found Chaini and Shoja villages. Without any fixed itinerary I decided to visit these places.

From Banjar, one road goes to Tirthan Valley and Goshaini (The base camp for the Great Himalayan National Park Trek) and other to Jibhi and Jalori Pass. Gaushaini is around 10 km from Banjar along the Tirthan River while Jibhi is around 8 km from Banjar. I queried about both the places and decided to visit Jibhi first. I got a shared cab from Banjar and it dropped me to Jibhi in around 20 minutes. One can also take local buses from Banjar that are going to Jalori Pass.

There are two famous places to stay in Jibhi – The Rana’s Cottage and the Latoda and Pine Huts run by Mr. JD Thakur (famous by the name of JD). I really liked the location of Latoda and Pine huts and luckily I got a room in Pine Hut that faces the river stream. The view was very scenic and one could only hear clattering of river, which sounded more like someone giggling in the silence.

Since it was a monsoon season, I couldn’t find any other traveller and I was the only one around. However, I met Yushpal (nick-name Yush), a local very sweet and knowledgeable guy. He has done advance mountaineering course from Manali and is very enthusiastic about treks and travelling. I had a long chat with both JD and Yush about the history, culture and tourism of the place. Yush suggested me to hire a bike and explore the places (he also helped me in getting one). I hired an Avenger bike for 2 days. Yush also helped in getting petrol from a nearby shop as there were no petrol pumps nearby.

Evening was spent in exploring a nearby waterfall. The trail to waterfall was about 1 km and all muddy because of rain. Forest department found a Shivling at the fall so they were constructing a proper structure around the fall.

Day 2: The bike ride to beautiful Shoja and Jalori Pass

The next was spent in exploring the beauty of the little known Banjar Valley on a hired bike.
Jalori Pass is around 12 km from Jibhi. The first 4 km of the road was recently constructed and in a very good condition but the rest 8 km drive was a roller-coaster in hills for me. The road was pretty bad and slippery. It was quiet scary at several times as the bike was slipping on the muddy road but the scenic beauty of the place kept me going. I reached Shoja in an hour. The way was pretty steep and I had to drive the bike in 1st gear through all the way.

Shoja is 7 km from Jibhi and is a beautiful hamlet of the Great Himalayan National Park at an elevation of 2600 m. The beauty of Shoja is beyond any words. The colourful wooden houses, apple orchards and the mesmerizing view of the valley with clouds from Shoja was tranquilizing. I thought of leaving the place after having a cup of tea but couldn’t actually leave the place for at least 2 hours. I was actually spell-bound. There was a small shop on the main road just before the turn to Jalori pass from Shoja, where I decided to have tea. A little girl named Lalita made tea for me. I tried talking to her and asked her about her schooling but she was very shy, though she became little comfortable after initial hiccups and obliged me with a picture. (PS: she made one of the delicious teas I ever had)

Jalori Pass (3132 m) was further 5 km from Shoja and the road ahead was even worst but the views were spectacular. Jalori Pass connects Kullu to Shimla. There was a temple and few dhabas on the main road. The back breaking ride made me hungry so I stopped by at Thakur Dhaba and ordered Rajma Chawal and tea. After filling my stomach, I continued my trek and reached beautiful meadows behind the temple. A small trail just behind the temple led to Serolsar Lake (7 km trek from Jalori Pass). By the time I reached at the camp, it started raining like cats and dogs and more dogs. I parked my bike and went down to nature’s camp. The camps were empty with no tourists. I met the camp Manager Mr. J R Thakur. As I was all wet in rain, I asked him if I could stay there for some time. He happily allowed and also offered me tea and Maggi. A hot cup of tea with scrumptious Maggi in the rain midst green trees and beautiful meadows with clouds around was like. Later on, when rain stopped, he took me to the shooting point over a hill and told me that Airtel 4G advertisement of Mashobra, Himachal was actually shot here in Jalori pass. He showed me the exact location of the advertisement shot. He also informed that he has filed a complaint to Airtel for correction of place in the advertisement (I have a friend in Airtel maybe I should tell him about it). “Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani” movie was also shot here. The shooting point is a beautiful meadow with a very small lake and a Nagdevta Temple. It was very cloudy so the view from the meadow was not clearly visible but the clouds made it dreamy. I bid adieu to Mr. Thakur with the promise to come back again. It was already 4 PM and I decided to skip Serolsar Lake and go back to Jibhi keeping in mind the bad condition of roads. I also had to skip Raghupur Fort which is around 3 km trek from Jalori Pass.

By the time I reached back to Jalori Pass, it started raining again. It was already 4:30 in evening, so i decided to go down till Shoja instead of waiting for rains to stop. It was altogether thrilling experience of driving on such bad roads that too in rains. The downhill journey was anytime better than uphill and I maintained a slow pace in 1st gear. I reached back Shoja in another half an hour and again had tea at Lalita’s stall. On my way back to Jibhi, I stopped by the bridge which is around 4 km from Jibhi and from there the road was in pretty good condition. But what stopped me there was the beautiful house at the banks of the river. It looked so beautiful that I got curious to ask if they allow for home-stays but unfortunately it was owned by an American couple who were living there for the last 15 years and they refused any home-stays.

Day 3: Trek to the castle temple of Joginis at Chaini Village

Around 4 km from Jibhi towards Banjar, there was an uphill turn to Shringarishi Bagi temple. Chaini village is further 2 km uphill from there. The way to temple was further 2 km on the road. There were two routes to reach the temple- stairs and the steep narrow road. I tried taking the bike from road but the road was too steep and muddy so I parked it down and started trekking towards the temple. Shringarishi temple is very famous amongst locals and I found many local people offering prayers there. I took the road way to have the view of the valley. After around a km uphill, I found apple orchards on the way and I couldn’t resist myself from plucking 2 of them. I never had such delicious and fresh apples before. From there, I reached the temple in about an hour. I was clueless about the way to Chaini village so I went inside the temple to enquire from the locals. The temple was very beautiful and wooden made with 3 floors. The wooden staircase was very steep and narrow and gave an antique look. The way to Chaini village from there was not well paved path and small trails were leading uphill. A local asked me to follow the electric wire to reach village. I took the trail and found another small temple just above the Shringarishi temple. There were many trails going in all directions and it was very confusing which one to follow. I took few wrong trails and finally after a long struggle, I could see the long building of Chaini village. I reached the village in another 2 hour trekking from Temple because of the wrong paths I took.

Located at a height of 2000 m, this village offers a breath-taking panoramic view of Tirthan valley. Chaini village is known for stone and wood workers and it is easily visible in the beautiful structures of the village. The most famous of them is the Castle temple of Joginis famous by the name of Chaini Fort. This is the tallest free standing structure built in the traditional local architecture in the entire western Himalayan region. Chaini Fort is more than 45 meters tall structure in current condition. As told by locals, it lost its two upper storeys during an earthquake in 1905. People of the village undertook restoration and saved it from further damage. According to the locals, this tower was built in 17th century as a defensive castle.

I took a walk around in the village and found many fascinating beautiful houses. There was also a Krishna temple where the idol was brought from Dwarka, Gujarat (as told by Pujari Ji). I sat there for an hour and Pujari Ji offered me tea as well. He told me about people from Delhi, Kolkata and Punjab who visited temple in the recent time. He also told me about history of Chaini village and about the famous Chaini Fort. After having a good talk with him, I started my downhill journey and it took me around an hour to reach down.

From Banjar, there is a right turn to Tirthan Valley and Gaushaini and I thought of stopping by at Tirthan Valley for lunch. Scenic view along the Tirthan River is one enthralling ride. I reached Ghaushaini in 40 minutes. As I had to leave in evening, I couldn’t explore much in Tirthan Valley and Ghaushaini and with a thought to come back again, I had my lunch and came back to Jibhi at around 3:30 pm, checked out from Latoda hut, returned the bike and took 4 pm local bus to Aut from Jibhi.

On the way, there was a Rath Yatra of a local Diety which stopped the traffic for around half an hour. I reached Aut just in time at around 6:20 pm and my HRTC Himsuta Volvo came after 10 minutes. I took the bus back to Delhi with ever lasting memories of tranquil mountains, singing river and not to forget the hospitality I received at each place that I visited from the locals.