Munsiyari trip started with my resignation in my company and in a vision of possibility of a supposedly very unfortunate breakup with my girlfriend Shruti. It was supposed to be a last trip with her. It wasn't my first trip to Uttarakhand. I have been to Jim Corbett national park, Nainital and Ranikhet with my friends and to Almora with Shruti.
In the last trip to Almora, Shruti and I wanted to go closer to the Himalayas. It couldn't happened that time. Whoever we asked suggested to go to Munsiyari. But due to time constraints we did not go there. Someone who had been in the mountains for a long time and had visited several places suggested Munsiyari in Uttarakhand and Manali in Himachal. As I had already relieved from the company, I also needed time to think about the career and I also had time for that. I just needed was a place. Munsiyari it is. Plus no time constraints, awesome.
Lets me brief about Munsiyari first. If you know the place, skip the paragraph. Munsiyari lies in the north east corner of the state, which is around 50 km road distance from Nepal border Dharchula. It is about 2200 m above sea level like the rest of the popular hill stations in Uttarakhand. It is the base point of trekking along the Goriganga river to Milam Glacier, a very popular destinations among trekkers. So Munsiyari becomes their beginning point of the journey to the Glacier. The best season for the trek is in months May and June. From Munsiyari, there are guides to reach Milam. They take you to Lilam 12 km from Munsiyari on their vehicle, then on foot journey begins. The return journey is of 12 days. Lilam (1810) - Bagudiyar (2450) - Rilkote (3350) - Burfu (3450) - Milam village (3500) - Milam Glacier - return. Roads are now getting constructed for increasing the reachability to Milam village. Milam village get deserted and people migrate to Munsiyari off-seasons. Not only trek, Munsiyari and Milam people trade with China with much part of the route in common. That's all I knew before I left for Munsiyari.
Forgot to mention it was the month of February, which means off-season. Shruti and I began our journey taking the easiest way of transport train Ranikhet Express to enter the state Uttarakhand at night. We got off at Haldwani in the morning. Then we took a bus to Bageshwar from Haldwani. In the bus we discussed with other passengers about how to reach Munsiyari. Everyone said it would not be possible the same day (obviously). We would have needed to get down at Bageshwar. If is still not dark we could reach Thal, which was not certain, and stay there. But Shruti was not feeling so well to travel too much in bus. She has bus sickness. The choice was to have a night stay at Bageshwar. But Bageshwar is not a place to stay and enjoy. So we preferred getting down in another hill station Kausani about which we heard in our previous visits.
Bus went via Almora and we reached Kausani around 3-4 PM. Hotel guides troubled us a lot and we got a hotel Hotel Vishakha 3 km far from the bus stop. The hotel was awesome and we got it for just Rs. 500 due to off-season. The hills around the hotel were more or less same as they were in Almora and the view of mountains were slight larger than that in Almora. The place was not at all crowded, only few small houses very distant from each other. Very few hotels too. Shruti wore a black dress. The dress was short and sexy. Whoever saw us knew we were tourists and wanted to talk to us. Our lifestyle seemed to them too different from theirs. We were getting lot of attention. And we were loving it. We played badminton in a place provided by the hotel. At night it got very cold. We went to get some heat in a bonfire with the hotel staff. Food was good and we got a nice sleep. In the morning we were woken up for sunrise by the hotel guide. We had breakfast and inquired about Munsiyari. We found out that vehicles leave from Thal in the morning. Even if we stayed at Bageshwar, we would not have reached. So the target of the day was Thal.
Checking out from the hotel, we walked till the bus stop with the guide. The bus for Bageshwar had just left. So we had breakfast first. The food was awesome. We did not wanted to wait for the bus as the bus in hilly areas stop anywhere and for anyone on the road. We started walking on foot towards Bageshwar. We stopped a truck for lift. A car stopped to help us, which gave us lift till Garur. The driver of the car drove too fast and rash in the hills that after we got down at Garur, Shruti puked. After she puked, we saw the same bus which had left from Kausani before we reached the bus stop. Should I be thankful to the driver of the car for this?
We walked in Garur for around 2 km crossing the confluence of the river Gomti and river Garur Ganga and stopped at a shop for some snacks. Someone got a puppy to the shop. I took few snaps of Shruti with the dog. Then the bus came from behind and stopped for us. Bus dropped us at Bageshwar. Bageshwar is situated at confluence of river Gomti and river Saryu. We took a Bolero from Bageshwar to Kanda. From Kanda another Bolero to Udiyari Band. At Udiyari Band I had tea and Maggi. Then came Bolero to Thal. Each of the break journeys including the car were around 20-25 km each and Bolero took around Rs 2 - Rs 2.5 for each km.
At Thal we stayed at Rituraj Hotel and Banquet Hall. This hotel was good too. Not as good as the Vishakha Hotel in Kausani but was the best in Thal. Again same rate Rs. 500 due to off-season. Off the window, was a river Ramganga, the river which reaches in Jim Corbett as well. In the morning, we reached the place from where the Bolero for Munsiyari will leave.
The vehicles refused to leave for Munsiyari as it snowed heavily in Munsiyari. This was a good thing as well a bad thing. Good because its the snow which will make the trip worthy and bad because vehicles are not leaving for the place. Munsiyari was around 90 km from Thal. If the vehicles left, it will be difficult to reach, also it will get dark when they return Thal. After 5-6 hours of waiting, a Bolero came who was ready to leave for Munsiyari and he had just come from there. He was ready because his home was Munsiyari and he anyway will go there. So we took it and it began.
The driver had taken many post mails and newspaper bags for the villages on the way. On the way he and I threw the bags in few of the villages. Life in the hills seemed not so easy after all. On the hilly roads, almost everyone, except the driver and I, including Shruti puked. Then finally snowed mountains were in sight and Munsiyari was the other side of the mountains. After few minutes, roads were with snow piled up. There were truck trails which the driver followed to avoid slipping, but it still did. Following the trails we reached the main vehicle stop of Munsiyari.
Munsiyari - Day 0 - THE FAST
After 3 complete days of travel, finally we reached Munsiyari. The Himalayan mountains were very close to Munsiyari, which are called Panchuli. As it had just snowed the mountains looked milky. The 3 days to reach the place felt worth. There was no time to enjoy the gorgeous view. We had to find a hotel. It took a lot of time to get a hotel because walking on foot in Munsiyari up and down the steps is energy consuming. Shruti and I were both on Mahashivratri fast on that day. So we were very hungry. Shruti had even puked on the way and she was feeling sick. I made her to wait in a tea stall and went ahead to see any hotel towards Lilam on the road towards Lilam and Dharchula. But there were hardly any options. I came back and we stayed in a hotel which was actually nameless that time but was getting built for the coming season for just Rs. 400 per day. The hotel had a restaurant and luckily the hotel caretaker was also on fast that day. We asked him to make for us the same what he had. Whatever he made was good and we had a pretty good sleep after that.
Munsiyari - Day 1 - DISAPPOINTMENT
We woke up late around 10 AM. It was snowing. We got ready and went outside to enjoy the snow. We bought an umbrella first and then went to a restaurant. We asked for the items. Chowmein and Momos. Both of us shocked, even though we couldn't have predicted anything different. But we were on fast the previous day and wanted something nicer to eat. We had a plate of each Chowmein and Momos. We left for somewhere we could the Panchuli mountains clearer. But we stayed on the roads and did not go too far. Shruti was still very tired due to the travelling for reaching Munsiyari. Shruti and I inquired with everyone about the trek. Everyone said that it wasn't the season for it. Even if we go there won't be anyone in the Milam or Burfu village for us to get shelter. Damn! Shruti knew I desperately wanted to do something stupid, due the series of bad weeks before this and insight of the forthcoming bad weeks. Shruti and I decided to enjoy the other day on the hills ourselves 1000 folds more than we did that day.
Munsiyari - Day 2 - DHAPA
We freshened up early and went up on the roads towards an army cantonment. After reaching quite a distant, we reached the army quarter. The army quarter entrance was steep and downwards and it was slipping a lot going down on the road. Also entering army area was scary to me, but not to Shruti. She knew army men are good. I followed few meters behind her. We entered the army quarter and met a army man on duty. The guy was so indifferent to tourist or visitor that it was difficult to digest him not being excited to talk to us. We again went ahead to find some village and meet more people. We left the roads and followed the path made by walking or the pagdandi. We followed few people so that we get to somewhere. There was a school, but we did not go there. The pagdandi led us to an open space, not flat but open.
Let's have some snaps. Took few good ones of Shruti with and without umbrella. Few videos as well. Then we heard some whistling. There were few more men at the army watch, who started whistling and shouting at us. Their voice was not much audible but they surely were shouting at us. We came back down the road back towards the army men. When we were passing, they said that they were just asking us to be cautious. We thanked them and walked back down the road towards the hotel. School students were leaving that time. They walked pretty fast compared to us downwards on the slippery roads. This too was no surprise. Melting snow slips a lot and I have a habit of slipping due to bad shoes. I kept my pace slower as we were in no hurry. Finally we reached the hotel. But the day seemed very incomplete or the excitement we promised was not fulfilled. Remember 1000 folds.
It was just 1 PM in the afternoon and stopping for food did not seemed exciting at all. We decided we will stop to have something on the way but lot ahead where the crowd is even lesser. Done. With this in mind, we walked on the road to find some restaurant quite far away. After 2-3 km, it was like now the next restaurant we see will be the one. But there was none. There were 2 shepherds with sheep one young and one old. I asked them the way to Lilam. Shruti gave me a angry look. She asked whether there was any restaurant ahead. They said there wasn't. But they offered us to take some rest at their home.
The steps went from the side of the road. Uncle ran down the steps and we slowly followed him. After walking down more than 200 steps, there was a some village of not more than 8 houses. The village had cattle, sheep and farming of vegetables and that too all in a very small area. It all was so beautiful. We went inside their house. The house was very small and was made of mud. The uncle's wife gave us small rope chairs to sit, which we urban people find very cute. Aunty was making woolen mats on some tool stuck to the wall of the house. They had a cat, which did not leave Aunty at all. Aunty made us tea and brought us cream biscuit. I started having cream biscuits one by one. Shruti signaled me not to. But by the time I could pick up the signal, there were only two in the plate. Damn! How stupid and shameless of me. These poor people could hardly afford these cream biscuit and I finished it all. But Uncle started telling us his stories that how he cross the borders and carry these woolen mats and vegetables to trade to China in October-November. He also works as a guide to trekkers. He also told many of his fascinating stories. He also told us that this season we can only go till Dhapa, but not till Lilam.
Dhapa is the place where the trekking on foot begins and Lilam is down the hill to the river Goriganga. So Dhapa it is. 10 km away Google Maps said. Uncle showed us a short cut. The short cut was really short and downwards and time saving but was still tiring too. It avoided two rounds of road and led us to the road which goes straight to Dhapa. The same road goes ahead and splits into two. One going straight to Dhapa and the main one turning back further downward on the hill towards Dharchula. After walking few km we could hear the sound of vehicles on the Dharchula road. Then came the junction and we went straight towards Dhapa.
There was another hill in front of this hill. Obviously all hills are joint but we don't realize that we changed hill when we are on road. But this one was noticeable. Our road would go over a small bridge on a small waterfall and will change the hill to the hill in front of us. We could even see two or three people in front of us and could even make out the color of the dresses. There was humming sound echoing in the hills. Google Maps confirmed that Dhapa is on the other side of the hill in front of us. After 2 km we reached the waterfall and passed it to the other hill. There was construction of the road going on, which created the humming sound we were hearing since. The road were muddy and dirty due to melting snow and rain. Ahead the roads were broken and landslide. And now the slope of the road got upward and I had to pull Shruti to avoid her from getting tired.
Shruti told me that we should go back towards the city and to the hotel now. It could get dark while returning. After reaching near so close to Dhapa, I did not wanted to go back. I told her lets see some restaurant, eat and then go back. Anyway it would be more difficult returning empty stomach. So we again moved towards Dhapa and walking upwards in the turning roads we reached Dhapa. Dhapa was very small place with 3-4 houses and a very small post office, police station or something of Government of size of a bedroom. But we found something we were searching for.
A restaurant. Which could serve nothing but Maggi. What! Not again. There were no other choice but to have maggi. It started raining heavily. We sat with the cook beside the chulha to watch him cook. For the first time in my life and the same goes with Shruti. For the first time in our life, we had a maggi made on chulha. But to our surprise, the maggi was awesome. By awesome, I really mean awesome. Far far better than the ones I always have on gas. Back to the Dhapa. Rained had slowed down. I asked Shruti to take some rest and stay at the restaurant, I will walk few meters and come back. How many hills I have visited, I have seen the hilly village people are good and harmless. So leaving Shruti behind with them was not unsafe.
I walked towards Lilam alone for few 100 m till where the hill road turned but there seemed no ending of the road. Even I couldn't figure out from where will the trekking start. At the end of this road or is there any cut from the side of the road which I am not able to see. Not able to find out I came back to the Dhapa restaurant.
There was a Bolero but wasn't leaving without passenger. Where will that guy find passenger in such less populate place and in rain? Our footwork began as usual and I asked the guy if he got few passenger, he could pick us up ahead. And thus the return journey on foot began.
We walked back to the waterfall, to the junction and then towards Munsiyari. Now the slope got upward. We saw a truck and asked for lift. He was waiting for something. They said they will catch us ahead. But by the time they came they were around 100 m near their destinations. So we let them go. But even that 100 m took too much out of us. The road had got even worse due to rain. Somehow we reached the base of the short cut. I confirmed it using the Google Maps. Yes this short cut is the same and will lead us to the Uncle's house and Munsiyari. But going upward on the step and in the rain was difficult. We saw a car coming towards us. I waved for lift but it did not stop and went off. This was shocking that for the first time somebody in the hilly areas had refused to help someone. Fine, we can go ourselves.
I held the umbrella over Shruti's head and we walked. Shruti was tired and felt dizzy. We stopped several times for rest, but taking rest sitting or standing makes difference. But we never got place to sit. May be Shruti was too tired that she could even faint but she was not admitting. We crossed the first road.
Climbing the steps further, Shruti fell. My body did not respond suddenly to catch her. I thought she might hit her face, but luckily she placed her hand. But after this, she got too slow and weak. Her legs even started paining. Somehow we reached Uncle's place. Uncle called us inside for tea. But I refused because it would get dark to reach the hotel. But I knew Shruti needed rest. So for few minutes we stayed there. Then again we started climbing steps. Finally we reached the road where Uncle met us and which goes straight to hotel. Shruti was unable to walk. Luckily there was a Bolero coming from Dharchula. We took it and reached the hotel. We had dinner and slept.
1000 Salutes to Shruti. Not just for walking more than 26 km in hills with me. For not being a hurdle in my enjoyment. For doing everything for me. And mainly because she has a rod in her leg, which is due to a fracture she had an year ago.
Munsiyari - Day 3 - HOTEL UTTARAKHAND
We got up very lazily. Had late breakfast. It was still snowing. We got fresh and came out. Snow had stopped by the time we had breakfast. But it was still raining with small amount of snow in it. We already had enough walk the previous day. So we had no plan take more pain again. We walked towards the army quarter but did not there. We took another turn upward from where we came while coming from Thal. We walked again for 4-6 km and then stopped at a hotel Hotel Uttarakhand. It was a very big and beautiful hotel. There were more than 100 good rooms in the hotel. But there was no one in them. All were empty. We had heavy lunch there and unfortunately a very costly one as well. To make the cost worth we stayed there for more than 3 hours. Played music on my mobile and hers. We even danced in the restaurant as there was no one. Someone gave us lift till some point and showed us a short cut to our hotel from there. We came back and the day finished with a nice dinner.
Munsiyari - Day 4 - JALEBI
We went to eat Jalebi, which I am not very fond of. But we couldn't find a shop selling Jalebi. We knew we have seen somewhere. We started walking downward to a perpendicular road to the one which goes to Dhapa. We could find house but no shops. We went down then turned then more turns. Now here I was culprit. Shruti asked to go back from where we came. Again I, the bad ass, denied and suggested to goes upward from pagdandis or steps but not roads. As usual she agreed. We took a pagdandi and got lost for several times. But we found our way someway to the road to Dhapa. What a relief? It took around an hour to get the road again. We went to the same place where we were searching for Jalebi and asked several shops and finally reached THE SHOP. We got the Jalebi packed. And now time to return to the hotel. But not by any of the routes we had been till now. We took different steps and then pagdandis. After some time we saw our hotel from below. With the hotel in sight, we walk on the pagdandis barren farms snows farm and then finally reached the hotel. We rested the rest of the day.
Munsiyari - Day 5 - RETURN
Shruti and I got up early in the morning for the Bolero which leave around 8 AM. It had been snowing all night. After few km from Munsiyari, the roads were completely snowed. The driver was good that he could manage driving it it. But many cars were on the roads stopped and slipping back. The driver helped them the turn back so that they could return. Few more km ahead just before Kalamuni Baba Mandir, there were trucks removing the snows from the road. Everyone got down. We played in snow for a long time. I even participated in removing snow from the road. It was fun for us, but not for them. 2 SUV were in the place all night waiting for snow to stop and road to get cleared. Everyone was helping each other. After an hour of hard work, snow got cleared and we followed a truck which kept pressing the snow on its way. Return journey was not as exciting as it was while going. We had seen enough snow in Munsiyari. We reached Thal around 2 PM and had lunch there.
We did not wanted to waste our day in Thal. So we took another Bolero to Udiyari Band, then from Udiyari Band to Kanda and then from Kanda to Bageshwar. We planned to stay at Bageshwar. On the way from Munsiyari to Bageshwar, I had been checking Google Maps for closer place to the Himalayas than Kausani and I found a place Kapkot-Barahi and Jhopda Gaon in lesser air distance to Himalaya than Kausani. Kapkot-Barahi can be reached from Bageshwar by Bolero along the river Saryu. It was 6 PM but the Bolero was going to the place at that time. This made us suspicious that I am missing some important thing. Even Shruti insisted on not going. But as I don't listen, we went to Barahi.
And this was the biggest mistake of the trip. There had been several mistakes but this was the biggest. The important thing I thought I am missing to consider was that if the place was along the Saryu river means there would hardly be any altitude difference with Bageshwar. And if the Bolero is going at night means its not hilly or steep or turns. How stupid of me? There were only 3 hotels in Barahi. One was shit. Other was full, not by tourist because it did not seem like a tourist place, so no idea about it. Third was like rent house. It seemed good initially.
Shruti and I went for dinner. People looked at her with bad intention which made her uncomfortable. So we finished early and left. In the room, we slept soon and got up early. I got up first and went to the toilet. Toilet obviously was Indian and floor was dirty. Its OK. But then no water in the tap. WTF. There was drum with stagnant water in it and a glass. Took water in the glass and washed my face in the basin outside the bathroom and my pants got wet. The basin had no pipe below. I went outside and brought a Bisleri bottle. Then woke Shruti up and asked her to wash her face using that Bisleri water in the bathroom asap and lets leave without even brushing our teeth.
We took the first Bolero to Bageshwar. Reaching Bageshwar we got bus. Bus reached Garur and stopped for a while. Shruti was feeling uncomfortable in bus. So we started walking in Garur again. Bus came and picked us up. We got down at Kausani and to our surprise it left us to the beginning of Kausani. And our previous bus stop was 4 km ahead. We walked and climbed a short cut steps and reached the bus stop. We had lunch at the same place whose food I declared as awesome early. There were few foreigners shopping nearby but they did not seem like tourists. Called the Hotel Vishakha guide to receive us and again we went to the awesome hotel.
Shruti wore an orange dress that day. Again everyone we met asked us several things. We found out about an Anamai Ashram near the hotel. We were not sure how to reach. We walked on the stone road and found few cars parked with Anamai Ashram written on it. We asked someone in a village ahead for way. They told us to take a cut from the road behind the car. As told, we went behind the car. A small entry or pagdandi with high slope entry into the jungle life environment. We walked and walked. Pagdandis split few places but we were lucky that someone guided us. But at one place there was no one and pagdandi split was very less guessable. One leading in open side of the hill and other inside the jungle. So we took the jungle path and which was correct.
Ashram was way bigger than we expected. There was construction going on and there was a school at one side. 3 floored building for saints. Such a big construction and it is no way visible from outside, even if you are standing in the hill in front of it and the road we walked from the other bus stop was probably below the Ashram. Its so densely surrounded by trees. We went to the 2nd floor. There was a guy from Austria working on his laptop. Shruti wanted to talk to him. So I initiated the talk. Anamai Ashram is visited more by foreigners than by Indians because it had spread through word of mouth among foreigners. And the main saint of the Ashram is from Switzerland. This explains the foreigners not looking like tourists. It was good to know that Foreigners appreciate Indian culture, even more than Indians themselves do.
That's it. Let's wrap up. Its time to sleep. The next day we left in the morning for Kathgodam in bus, having breakfast at the same place. Then Ranikhet Express from Kathgodam to Old Delhi. After reaching home, I gave some thoughts regarding the trip.
We could have gone to the Milam Glacier if we had gone in the season.
Were we the only tourist in the whole of Uttarakhand?
I went to the trip to have time to think and decide about my career. Did I?
