Pashatuks Recommends- Quick recharges ex-Delhi- Rajaji National Park and Chila, Uttarakhand.

Travel time once more for Pashatuks and this time to a place closer to the capital city. Rajaji National Park, the well known elephant sanctuary in Uttarakhand is around 200 Kms from Delhi Depends on the route you take). The route taken by Pashatuks is through Meerut, Khatauli, Muzzafarnagar, Roorkee and cut off right towards Chila from the roundabout before Haridwar.

We made very good time this time, as we flew over the cities of Meerut and Muzzafarnagar via the byepass. Time taken was around  a very comfortable 3 hours. Enroute one can have freshly squeezed sugarcane juice and fruit salads at multiple points, from the small outlets that are dotted all across the highway.

...and quietly flows the canal

 Alternately people can use Indian Railways. Two trains can be comfortable- The Dehradoon Shatabdi that departs from Delhi at 6.45 am and reaches Haridwar at 11.30 am. Or the Ujjaini Express that leaves Delhi at 730 am and reaches Haridwar at 1.30 pm. From Haridwar the distance is around 25 Kms.

One can stay at any one of the many hotels dotting the city at Haridwar or for the discerning traveller looking to be in sync with nature within the jungle environs, there is the GMVN tourist rest house near the Chila regulator.

Pashatuks personally liked the GMVN option where the property is on the banks of the beautiful aquamarine ganges canal. The entire property looks straight out of a picture book with different flowers in bloom.

Accommodation options are normal rooms - moderately sized with balconies overlooking the canal. One can also go for the dormitory option of 6 beds to a dorm.
What Pashatuks loved is the newly constructed log huts - two and one bedroom units, complete with sitting areas and balconies and flowers all around . They are not priced cheap either, considering that it is Govt. accommodation. The single bedroom outfits come at INR 4500 and double bedrooms are INR 6500 per night. Plus taxes.

One can relax completely by the canal  and food is multi cuisine, soaking in the tranquil environs and recharging the tired soul. It would be worth a mention that non vegetarian fare is available in this place.The entire belt of Haridwar is considered holy(devbhoomi) and non vegetarian food is generally not available.
The more adventurous  can hire a gypsy or take their own vehicle and go exploring in the National Park, looking out for elephants and other wildlife. For that some permits are needed.

Entrance timing to the park are between 6 am to 9 am, and 3pm-6pm and the charges are as follows:
Open roof safari Gypsies available at the entrance of the park at INR 1500 for 3 hours.
Alternately one could take in the private vehicles at INR 250 for Indian citizens and INR 500 for foreigners.
Entry fee for Indian citizens are INR 150 per head and INR 600 for others.
There are no charges levied to Indians for still cameras and a nominal fee of INR 50 for foreigners.
Video cameras are charges at INR 2500 and 5000 for Indians and foreigners respectively. The more creative traveller would use the high definition mobile phones for video clips. Pashatuks never understood the pricing for video cameras at any place in sync with nature.
It is mandatory to take a local guide per vehicle who charges anything between INR 300 to 600 depending on expertise.
After doing their own thing during the day, one can go upto Haridwar and watch the famed Ganga Arati that happens every evening.
And hit back for Delhi post lunch the following day. Or move ahead, up the mountain for some more days of exploration. Whatever is the calling.

Please dont be responsible for this

Pashatuks strongly advocates keeping the environment clean and urges everyone to carry bags to trash the garbage in it during travel and then dispose it at the proper place. Please do not litter the place like the picture shown in the right.

Pashatuks Recommends- Romancing Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Pashatuks is sitting atop a big boulder, with legs dangling in the ice cold  goosebumps creating waters,  of the hurtling Ganges from the Himalayas to the plains below, and can be excused for the emotional tone of this piece.
Very few people are aware that the upper reaches of the Ganges as it comes hurtling down to the plains, there are these pristine white sandy beaches on either side of the river,many of them unapproachable by road.

We are sitting at a very exclusive adventure camp on the pristine white beach of the Ganges, completely cut off from civilization and any sort of road connectivity. To reach this camp, we had to park our car on the highway on the opposite bank and be ferried across on rafts through the rapids. The adrenalin rush starts the moment one steps out of the car and realises that its quite a journey down to the raft and a certain level of physical fitness is required.

Our day started in the wee hours as we hit for Rishikesh. Pashatuks never rushes through any journey. Our journey was complete with breaks for sugarcane juice and  fresh fruit salad that are available in plentiful throughout the journey. Rishikesh is not an unfamiliar destination, as Pashatuks keeps rushing uphill the moment the urge for a mountain and river combo takes place.

There is something about the place that pulls us back here ever so often. Maybe the force of the river hurtling through the mountains. Or maybe the cultural melting pot of the yogis,the hippies, the devout and the adventure seekers.  Maybe the fact that the Ganges is clean till this place after which it becomes a polluted apology due to human degradation.

Pashatuks likes to explore the right bank of the river too, going towards Neelkanth, the holy seat of Lord Shiva. There are some good places to take a dip in the chilled water of the river fed by the melting glaciers. Its paradoxical how you feel the chill cutting into your senses  as you go deeper into the water holding onto the chains that are available at selected points to prevent getting swept away by the massive underwater currents, with the scorching sun beating down on your head. Not at all  a recommended activity for people prone to sunstrokes. But so very invigorating for the the others.

A dip into the Ganges here and you are ready to take on the world no matter how tired you are.

Drying up post a dip, stretched on one of the many boulders does make you feel a bit like a wet towel put to dry, but then even that is an experience to remember.

This trip we had planned to do something different- stay at an adventure camp on one of the many beaches upstream Ganges.
Shivpuri, Byasa and beyond the river has many beautiful sandy beaches on the banks and enterprising individuals set up camps for the adventure seeking traveller.
Pashatuks has many friends and our local friend there,Mahesh arranged for our stay at The Great Himalaya camp.
There are plenty of camps to choose from, but our friend knew our penchant for the different.

So here we are in the lap of nature, using the many boulders dotted on the river banks as tables and chairs, conducting our meetings.Meetings on how to reach out to more like minded travellers to enjoy the absolute harmony with nature. Dense forests home to many wild animals behind the camp does not deter us, for Pashatuks knows that even animals don't attack unless hungry or provoked. There are leopards in the jungles,but leopards don't attack humans. They are scared of humans.

About the camps itself- absolutely eco friendly, they don't even have electricity.Just solar powered lamps which don't last for very long, but enough to illuminate lives.

The camp Kitchen at the back shielded by green cloth

Tents pitched randomly on the beaches, each unit having 2 camp cots,blankets(it can get cold even on summer nights), mosquito repellents, a small table to keep the bare necessities.

The entire evening we spent indulging in activities like getting a natural pedicure as the waves crash on the legs,playing volleyball,sitting around the bonfire munching the endless supply of snacks(both veg and non veg) as we downed the beer chilled  naturally in the flowing river , as we waited for dinner to be cooked. Or even walking barefoot and enjoying the feel of the soft sand on the feet. Or staring at the clear dark sky,lying on the sandy beach and trying to identify the different stars.Some life this.

For people who enjoy their tipple, please carry your own alcohol as the local stuff available would probably not go down your gullet. The beer we purchased was called Godfather beer and was strong as hell and full of glycerine. The staff ,on additional payment also arranges for musicians to play live music of the hills for you.

Normally any package to these camps are of either 1N/2D or 2N/3D and includes food( and believe me the food is royal,  inversely proportion to the simple living), white water rafting in the morning, all the way down to Rishikesh through the rapids.
Sleeping in the tents is one hell of an experience- the camp cots dont do much to reassure you of a night on the bed- but then even if they crumble under the human weight the soft sand below would not cause any injury. Pashatuks was amused to see the way to lock the tents- zippers- the same ones you get in trousers.

However it is better to be realistic about one thing- the toilets. Very basic functional toilets, both Indian and Western. Clean with no shortage of water, but very basic. Its as good as going out into the jungles to relieve oneself, only difference is that this has some privacy. Carry your own soap and handwash as these are not provided.

It is important to remember that as there is no electricity, mobiles cannot be charged on the camp and it is advisable to carry power back ups. There is full  mobile internet connectivity.

But the complete experience of being back to nature more than adequately makes up for this trivia. Whichever package one chooses, one is in a state of a dreamlike haze while on camp location and the soul recharged till the next such trip.

This experience doesn't work heavy on anyone's wallet either and Pashatuks strongly recommends this as a must do in everyone's bucket list.

Not as serene as it looks

To reach the Camp- one has to reach Rishikesh which can be done by Raad or rail. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradoon. Not  a comfortable option for most.
From Rishikesh, these camps are around 24 Kms uphill and most of the camps have their own transport.

Sardhana, Meerut,India - Not recommended for travellers seeking thrills

The sacred seat of religion for the Christian Community- Basilica of Our Lady of Graces at Sardhana, near Meerut captured  our imagination on the Easter Weekend. Pashatuks has the greatest respect for all faiths.

So on Easter Sunday, we trooped into PashTukmobile(thats what we lovingly call our SUV from Mahindras) and hit for the road. Sardhana is 67 Kms from Delhi and one has to cut off from Meerut.
We took the East bank of the Ganges canal from Modinagar and moved towards the direction of Meerut.

The  overflowing canal on our left and acres of sugar-cane fields made a pretty sight. Dribbling through the potholes on the road, missing some, hitting most made us acutely aware of what travelling the royal Indian style meant. The cow dung cakes all out in the sun added to the rustic flavour.

Ouches and uffs juxtaposed with the rustic music belted out on the car radio found us wishing that we were exploring elsewhere. The dust flying all across, everytime we overtook or were overtaken automatically covered the car in a shade of dusty grey.

It took us almost 3 hours to reach our destination and lo behold the beautiful shrine in gold and white was looking at us invitingly.
The irritation wiped off in seconds and we were all set to make our entrance.
However to our chagrin we realized that the church was closed. A place of worship closed on its own festival?
However it took us some persuasion for the guards to allow us to take a stroll through the premises.

Once done, we hunted around for the famed palace of Begum Sombres, better known as Samru in local dialects. To our disappointment the palace is now a school and not accessible to outsiders.
A day wasted? Not quite. Pashatuks never has a bad day- on the way back to Delhi, we stopped at the sugar cane fields, broke off  sugar cane from the trees, munched them like natives - had freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, enjoyed the serenity of the overflowing Ganges canal and came back.

 Pashatuks can enjoy themselves anywhere, but people looking for some excitement and zing on the travel- Sardhana can be avoided