Episode 253 : The Devbhoomi Experience- Part 10

Day 11: October 10, 2008

The morning begins at 7.45 with a ride on the cable car to Auli. The previous evening, the boys had ridden up only half the way to Auli. Apparently the view from the cable car is more wondrous.

I am the only on following the travel plan, having already been to Tapovan and seeing Auli today.

After a round of tea we get our tickets. The cable car looks strong enough to hold the us, a Bengali family of four and the man at the controls. Being a military area, he tells us photography is not allowed till we cross Tower3.

The climb is steep and the car shudders a little every time we cross a tower. I look at the pulleys that the cable runs over. I fervently hope the cables are strong enough.

Soon we cross Tower 3 and the cameras come out. The man points to a peak in the distance and tells us it is Nanda Devi.

The sun is behind the clouds so all we see is a conical whiteness in the distance.

I look down and see work in progress for a ski resort that is being planned for the winter. Looking at all the upturned mud, it is hard to imagine that this place will soon be covered with snow.

We soon reach the top and scramble out to get a view of the place. The wintry chill hits us despite being wrapped in woollens and thermal jackets. All of us go click-click- taking landscapes, the mountain peaks and some for Orkut profiles.

After a breakfast of Maggi noodles, poori-bhaaji and tea, we return to Joshimath. Seeing the Bengali gent fiddle with his BSNL phone, the man at the controls remarks that in these parts BSNL means "Bhai Saheb Nahi Lagta".

I wanted to tell him that the story is no different with a Reliance mobile phone.

The plan is to visit Badrinath before returning to Gopeshwar. However enquiries we made the previous evening are inconsistent. One said bikes are allowed till Badrinath and that after Pandukeshwar movement for vehicles is one-way. Another group said vehicle movement is one-way for all vehicles after Pandukeshwar. Tiger is keen to go to Badrinath while Ron feels we should rejoin the others at Gopeshwar instead of wasting time at Badrinath.

I suggest we go till Pandukeshwar and check. If we are allowed to proceed, we will return by evening to Joshimath and go to Gopeshwar, spending as little time at Badrinath as possible. This idea is amenable to all, so we hurry back to the tourist home and pack up.

The road to Badrinath is congested with traffic. Traffic here isn't bumper-to-bumper traffic, but having to overtake a car every kilometre on a narrow and badly broken road is just as difficult. I am glad I got new shock absorbers for the rear wheel before starting the journey. My only prayer is that they should last till my return to Bangalore.

The road to Pandukeshwar is the usual- good stretches in between badly broken roads. As we approach Pandukeshwar, we see a a row of cars parked on one side of the road. I pull over to the side as I see the barrier. A sentry beckons to Tiger.

In a minute's time we will know whether or not we will tick Badrinath off our list of places to see in Dev Bhoomi.

60457 @ Pandukeshwar