Episode 256 : The Devbhoomi Experience- Part 12

Day 12: October 11, 2008

When we go on motorcycling trips, the usual routine is to ride up to the place, look around, down a few drinks, sleep, get up the next morning and return. In a place like Uttaranchal, we added a trek to the Tunganath temple at Chopta.

We start just before sunrise, my pre-ride activities delaying me as the others take off. Our route takes us through tiny villages, the road cutting across thickly wooded areas.

The combination of almost zero sunlight and thick tree cover makes me realise the effect of early morning cold. The glove on the left hand has a tiny hole from an accident over a year ago (the new pair of gloves very auspiciously going missing a few days before leaving for Delhi). This tiny opening makes me aware of the actual temperature outside. But then I must have held a glass of cold beer for too long...

A large grey langur bounds across my path, startling me in the process. The road turns in a hairpin bend and I think I could possibly capture it on camera. I silently (which is a feat considering an Enfield!) take the turn and park the bike a few metres away from the tree. I can see the animal hiding behind the branches, watching my movements very carefully. Like a hunter after his prey, I stalk the monkey while getting my camera ready in the process. I only need a minute to capture its peering face... when Zim takes the hairpin bend very noisily and goes past me.

I gape as the monkey jumps from one tree to another. Not capturing it in flight is something I will always regret.

60637 @ Chopta

Chopta is a tiny village known for its trekking route to the Tunganath temple. We stop for a light breakfast at one of the two dhabas. The temple is 3km away from the base, and the trail is steep and winding.

Mode of transport is good old walking, or you can hitch a ride on one of the sturdy horses from the stables. We decide hiring horses is too expensive and walk.

Zim opts out of the walk, citing his new motorcycling boots as the reason. 'They are stiff da, I cannot trek in them... You guys go, I will take care of the bikes. Not good to leave them unattended' he tries to convince us. We give each other knowing looks and start walking.

In ten minutes, all of us begin to pant. The locals walk up at the same speed as us, but they are carrying a heavy load. Our lack of physical fitness is apparent, even more so for Ron who is carrying his heavy camera bag with him.

We stop for a quick breath every 20 metres or so. After half way up the hill, we spy a green meadow opening out to the mountains beyond. 'We'll stop for a few minutes' soon turns into 'Let's stay here'.

When you have a green meadow, snow tipped mountains, a clear blue sky and a warm sun, all you want to do is lie down and do nothing, in spite of a cold breeze.

It is 10 in the morning when we start trekking downhill. Zim has finished his breakfast and made enquiries about the route to Rudraprayag. The base is chock-a-block with visitors to the temple. One of them talks to Muthu asking the usual questions.

After another round of food, we set off towards Rudraprayag. The route is more or less the same- narrow mountain roads cutting through villages. An hour or so later, we get out of the tree cover and into a clearing. There is a fork in the road. From the clearing, we see a small village far away and below us, while the morning sun bounces light off the mountains ahead. Srini and Tiger reached just before me and were discussing which turn to take.

I stop by the side and find myself too close to the edge. I notice that Srini's motorcycle is too close to the edge and think I should warn him. I push my motorcycle away from the edge before telling him to do the same.

Right then I hear a shout and look up in alarm to see Srini's motorcycle fall to the ground. Srini jumps valiantly to save it, and I worry it will take him along with it to the fields below. The motorcycle does not roll over and down as I feared, but the tankbag is thrown off and falls down the edge.

We set the motorcycle back on its "feet", well away from the edge. By then Muthu and Zim arrive. We stand by the edge looking for the bag. If the motorcycle had toppled down as well, Srini would either have to climb down and ride back up the hill on rocky terrain and no path (which is Mission Impossible 4) or get it out using a crane and transport it to Rishikesh (Mission Impossible 5).

Finally Tiger volunteers to go looking for the bag. We look for ideal places for footholds and help Tiger down. After a nerve-wrecking five minutes, we hear a shout of triumph. Instead of a couple of hundred metres, the impact of the fall had taken the bag down by nearly half a kilometre.

Zim enacts a "yeh haath mujhe de Tiger" scene and pulls Tiger back onto the road. With the high from this successful luggage recovery, we resume our journey to Rudraprayag.

The route to Rudraprayag seems to descend and soon we ride beside the river Mandakini, which in turn reminds me of an actress from a bygone era. We see an man on an Enfield go past us in the opposite direction; the motorcycle bears an KA registration, in a curvy font that I have seen only in Karnataka. I stop to take a few photographs of a village by the river.

The others go past me and I set off to catch up. As I near a road bridge, I see two bikes turn to cross the river. I follow them blindly. A sharp honk stops me and I turn back. A jeep driver points the other way. Apparently I took the road to Kedarnath. It would have been fun to go to Kedarnath, but then I would be at nature's mercy after that.

60700 @ Tilwada

Road laying work is in progress in the last stretch to Rudraprayag. The road is littered with gravel and common sense would dictate we, rather I, take it carefully.

I use the opportunity to hone up my riding skills on slippery surfaces.

Zim reaches the outskirts of Rudraprayag first and waits for us at the beginning of a small tunnel. He liked riding through the tunnel so much, that he went back and forth a few times before waiting for us. Actually he waited for us so that he could ride through it again!

60711 @ Rudraprayag

We settle into the tourist home in Rudraprayag. We reach so early that we are in time for lunch. The view from the restaurant is the confluence of the Alakananda and the Mandakini.

I keep murmuring "Rudraprayag" very often- it rolls quite well. I vaguely remember reading a Jim Corbett story of a man-eating leopard in Rudraprayag. The resolve to re-read his stories gets stronger.