"Evvalavo paathutom.. Idhe paakamaattomaa?"
Day 4
19-05-2009
Gangotri - Haridwar
'The End' of another trip. Its time to go back. However this time, there was one difference. This time we all were eager to get back to the concrete jungle, to our homes, to our office, and back to our safe zones.
From the beginning things were going wrong. We were either running after something in the last moment or waiting somewhere for hours together. Everyone we met were focused on ripping our wallets off! (well.. not everyone though!) The climate was also unkind to us. Unwanted and/or unexpected expenses at every corner. Disappointments and bad luck were with us from the start till the end. And now its come back once again!
When we woke up, we realized we had a problem. We had around 7000+ rupees altogether when we reached Gangotri. Now we have just 1100/- rupees! We never thought we would end up spending around 6000 in just 2 days! That too in such a remote place where you are not treating yourself with 5 star facilities. However, the encounter with the Chirbassa guys and the horse men had put a big dent in our wallets. To make things worse, there is no ATMs in Gangotri! The nearest ATM was in Uttarkashi.
The direct bus to Haridwar would make us 1080/ poorer (Rs 270/- per head) and we will have just 20 rupees in hand. Then, what about breakfast, lunch and the snacks??? Also 10 - 11 hrs of continuous bus journey was unthinkable for some of us. So we decided we'll go till Uttarkashi (90/- per head) and after taking the money for an ATM, we will decide. Our train from Haridwar was at 12:40 AM. We will easily reach Haridwar well before the departure time. So there was nothing to worry!
Talking of shocks and surprises, I forgot to mention my first shock in this trip. I wont actually call it a 'shocking news' or disappointment. But it was something unknown to any of us till that time.
This happened the day we reached Haridwar. When the others were getting ready one by one in the 'AC room', I went out to get a shorts. It was closing time and most of the shops were already shutter down. I saw one still open and went inside.
The shop keeper who looked to be in his 50s was a talkative person and he asked everything about me except my purpose there! When I said I was from Kerala, he started telling me about his sister's... in-laws' ... relation's house in Kochuveli, a small town near Trivandrum. Though I had never been there, he kept on asking me about the place, the climate, the trains from Delhi etc etc. After some 15 min he asked me why I was there. When I said I came to buy a shorts, he re-phrased the question. He wanted to know why I was in Haridwar. I told him about our plan to visit Gangotri, trek to Gaumukh and if possible beyond.
Then he said "Aah!!.. so you are on a Yatra!"
I said "not exactly the pilgrim sort of 'Yatra'.. the Char Dham Yatra and all... Its more like an amateur trekker sort of.."
Then I remembered a conversation the 4 of us had during the start of this trip. Shankar and Varun were talking about the 'Char Dham Yatra'. They wanted to know what the word 'Dham' means.
"Char means four. But what is this 'Dham'???"
Luckily the question was to Gokul. I did not know its exact meaning. I assumed its got something to do with an Ashram or Temple... 'Some spiritual place'. Gokul also did not know the meaning.
"I know one dham. Its 'price' or 'cost'. But this Dham is different." he said
Then their attention turned to me. How can I say "I don't know"! Wasn't I supposed to know everything about the place I suggested? I tried acting busy watching something outside and ignored them. They asked once or twice but I acted I didn't hear them. They assumed I had gone to my usual standby mode when I get lost in my own thoughts and dont say anything. Anyways that topic was soon forgotten.
Today I can ask this gentleman and then enlighten the others!"
I asked "Can you please tell me what 'Char Dham' means?"
He explained to me that there are 4 places in India which are considered to be the "seat" or "home" of Hindu Gods. These places are considered very holy and Hindus believe they should visit all the 4 places at least once before they die."Do you know where are these places?" he asked me.
"Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath!" I answered confidently.
"No.." he said.
"But.. I have read in so many books, internet and seen so many posters! I am sure these are the places of Char Dham.." the overconfidence in me. Sure enough, I saw in google. I saw in so many blogs. I even saw in GMVN's web site about the Chaar Dham Yatra. Everywhere the places I said only were mentioned!
"Actually the places you told me are known as Char Dham of Uttranchal or 'Chotta Char Dham'. The real Chaar Dham are in 4 sides of India... they are.." he started thinking....
"Badrinath..."
"Dwaraka..."
"Rameshwaram in the south.. and .."
"Puri in the east" he smiled.
I just stood there gaping at him. I don't know why but I knew he was right. I knew that I have lost my case and he was right.[Guys I later checked in our 'friendly neighborhood' Google itself and he was right!]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char_Dham
That was the first unexpected revelation on the first day and it seems we were destined for so many unexpected twists throughout this trip. Enough of flashback now. Lets go back to Gangotri.
By 5:30 AM, we were at the main parking area from where the buses or taxis start. A bus for Haridwar was about to start at 6:00 AM. Looking for a comfortable seat was a failure. And so was the lookout for a share taxi (well... thats become a routine now!) Anyways the bus was full soon and we decided to get the tickets for the next bus at 7:00 AM. That was when we met David our Israeli friend!
David had missed the first bus just by a few minutes and he was doomed to be our co-passenger. Even worse his seat was next to Shankar's! (The Talkative Manager) We started with the customary "Hi"s, "hello"s and soon we were sharing our experiences during the Gangotri trip and his experiences in India. David had just now completed his graduation and he was on a trip to India before joining his career as a doctor. He visited many places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttanchal and he was going back to his country in a week. While having breakfast of Paratta, we asked him how he felt about the spicy Indian dishes. Showing the 2 Thumps up and laughing he said.. "I love the Indian food. I love spicy food!"
At last we bid farewell to Gangotri at 7:10 AM. "Now every thing is going to be fine! We just have to get down in Uttarkashi and get the money from ATM! So long bad lucks.. So long! "
Throughout the trip we three were teaching Varun some Tamil Movie dialogues mostly from the Super Star Rajinikanth's movies. He in turn taught us some of Chiranjeevi's punch dialogues.
There was another dialogue from a Tamil hit 'SAROJA' which we were using every time something unexpected happened. "Evalavo pannittom.. Idha pannamaattomaa?" (We did so much. Can't we do this one also?). Our version was a bit modified "Evvalavo paathutom.. Idha paakamaattomaa?" (we've have seen so much. Wont we see this one also?). Varun learnt it quickly and even stored it in his mobile for sending it to friends later.
Due to power shut down, none of the ATMs were working! (why aren't we surprised???)
"hmmm. no problem. We still have money to continue our journey till Haridwar. There we will surely get ATMs and money."
But...
Due to a road block on the way, we had reached Uttarkashi 1 hr late than the usual timing. The driver and conductor convened and decided that they wont go further. The passengers who took tickets till Rishikesh or Haridwar can get the balance money back!
Great! So it still continues...
Anyways we decided to change the bad luck in our favour and tried convincing some of the passengers to share a taxi with us to Haridwar. The Taxi driver was asking 1800 (Full Taxi) or 1400 (we 4 + any passenger on the way). We decided to go for the second option. We were 4 and we included David also.
The taxi was a Mahindra Marshal (enough for 6 people). We were already 5. Luckily the driver turned out to be different from the others and he didnt wait to fill the taxi with 8 or 10. As soon as we started, he got one more passenger making us 6. With David in the front, 3 of us in the middle and 1 in the back with the other gentleman. It turned out to be a good decision because all of us were comfortable.
It was dark and drizzling rain when we finally reached Rishikesh. We dropped David near the main junction from where he could take an auto to Lakshman Jhula. We hoped we didn't bore him too much. He promised he would call us when he comes to Delhi 3 days later. He will be in Delhi for 2 days. Visit the Taj Mahal 1 day and take his flight back home. We planned to take him to the famous Kareems in old Delhi to taste the Spicy Tandoori dishes.
After David left, we searched for an ATM and found it in the Railway station road. Becoming rich once again we settled the taxi fare. The driver dropped us at the bus stand from where we could take a bus to Haridwar.
Someone said ... "At last!!! we were in Rishikesh! Back in the city. City with ATMs and lot of transport. No more waiting for hours for a taxi or bus! We have 4+ hrs in hand. We can reach Haridwar in half an hr. Have good food somewhere. Go to railway station. Have a good night's sleep in 3rd AC and reach Delhi in the morning refreshed!"
Gokul said jokingly. "Don't get excited. We are not in Delhi yet. Anything can happen. Who knows..? We could have even booked a wrong train..."
Suddenly he stopped. We both looked at each other and then turned to Shankar who was already fishing for the ticket from his bag. He found it and handed it over to Gokul.
Oh God... Is this really happening? Please make it a dream. a very bad dream.
Why are you always picking us? Why..?
We were not 4 hrs early. We were just 20 hrs late!
The last blow was too heavy for all of us. None of us said anything for some time. Then we started confirming our worst fears by calling our friends back home who were online. "Please check the status of this train..." But we knew its already gone! We should have booked the train on 20-05-09 00:40 AM.
Varun who was standing aside realized what was happening and said "Evvalavo paathutom.. Idhe paakamaattomaa?" We all were thinking the same thing in our minds and when he timed the dialogue perfectly, we could not control our laughter!
Once again it was time to find a Plan B. We decided to checkout for some Deluxe bus to Delhi from Rishikesh itself. We found a travels "Gurudev Tours and Travels" nearby and they promised us that their bus which leaves at 10:00 PM and reaches Delhi at 5:00 AM will be very comfortable. (170 per head) We were so tired we didn't want to search any more. We took the ticket and waited for the bus to come
The onward journey was 'uneventful' other than -
* Gokul having a small argument with the driver and cleaner when they tried to cheat some tourists demanding 20 rupees for their luggage.
** Our request to the driver not to smoke inside the bus going up in smoke.
*** the irritating loud noise from sound system which he believed was music.
and for a final touch -
**** the driver and cleaner both fell asleep for more than 1 hr when the bus stopped for refreshments.
Once again Gokul had a talk with the driver (woke him first) before we started again. Once the bus started the cleaner boy started sleeping in the driver's cabin and I sat in the first seat watching the sleepy driver at work, praying all the way till we reached Mohan Nagar at 5 AM. There the driver declared the bus broke down and it cant go further. He asked us to get down. We had enough of him already and we said we are not getting down until he makes arrangements for our travel. At last he called another bus and we were transferred to it.
Somehow we survived all these and reached Gurgaon around 8:30 AM. Though we all were very tired we had to go to work as we already missed two days. This trip was one of the worst planned trip we had been on so far. However it also taught us many lessons. Things can go wrong even if you have a foolproof plan. But it is always better to do some homework before you fill your backpack. I am sure after many days when we think about this trip, we will not remember the bad experiences alone. We will recollect the good ones as well. And if there is a next time, we will be prepared! A lesson that the journey to Gaumukh taught all of us.
From The Beginning:
19-05-2009
Gangotri - Haridwar
'The End' of another trip. Its time to go back. However this time, there was one difference. This time we all were eager to get back to the concrete jungle, to our homes, to our office, and back to our safe zones.
From the beginning things were going wrong. We were either running after something in the last moment or waiting somewhere for hours together. Everyone we met were focused on ripping our wallets off! (well.. not everyone though!) The climate was also unkind to us. Unwanted and/or unexpected expenses at every corner. Disappointments and bad luck were with us from the start till the end. And now its come back once again!
When we woke up, we realized we had a problem. We had around 7000+ rupees altogether when we reached Gangotri. Now we have just 1100/- rupees! We never thought we would end up spending around 6000 in just 2 days! That too in such a remote place where you are not treating yourself with 5 star facilities. However, the encounter with the Chirbassa guys and the horse men had put a big dent in our wallets. To make things worse, there is no ATMs in Gangotri! The nearest ATM was in Uttarkashi.
The direct bus to Haridwar would make us 1080/ poorer (Rs 270/- per head) and we will have just 20 rupees in hand. Then, what about breakfast, lunch and the snacks??? Also 10 - 11 hrs of continuous bus journey was unthinkable for some of us. So we decided we'll go till Uttarkashi (90/- per head) and after taking the money for an ATM, we will decide. Our train from Haridwar was at 12:40 AM. We will easily reach Haridwar well before the departure time. So there was nothing to worry!
Talking of shocks and surprises, I forgot to mention my first shock in this trip. I wont actually call it a 'shocking news' or disappointment. But it was something unknown to any of us till that time.
This happened the day we reached Haridwar. When the others were getting ready one by one in the 'AC room', I went out to get a shorts. It was closing time and most of the shops were already shutter down. I saw one still open and went inside.
The shop keeper who looked to be in his 50s was a talkative person and he asked everything about me except my purpose there! When I said I was from Kerala, he started telling me about his sister's... in-laws' ... relation's house in Kochuveli, a small town near Trivandrum. Though I had never been there, he kept on asking me about the place, the climate, the trains from Delhi etc etc. After some 15 min he asked me why I was there. When I said I came to buy a shorts, he re-phrased the question. He wanted to know why I was in Haridwar. I told him about our plan to visit Gangotri, trek to Gaumukh and if possible beyond.
Then he said "Aah!!.. so you are on a Yatra!"
I said "not exactly the pilgrim sort of 'Yatra'.. the Char Dham Yatra and all... Its more like an amateur trekker sort of.."
Then I remembered a conversation the 4 of us had during the start of this trip. Shankar and Varun were talking about the 'Char Dham Yatra'. They wanted to know what the word 'Dham' means.
"Char means four. But what is this 'Dham'???"
Luckily the question was to Gokul. I did not know its exact meaning. I assumed its got something to do with an Ashram or Temple... 'Some spiritual place'. Gokul also did not know the meaning.
"I know one dham. Its 'price' or 'cost'. But this Dham is different." he said
Then their attention turned to me. How can I say "I don't know"! Wasn't I supposed to know everything about the place I suggested? I tried acting busy watching something outside and ignored them. They asked once or twice but I acted I didn't hear them. They assumed I had gone to my usual standby mode when I get lost in my own thoughts and dont say anything. Anyways that topic was soon forgotten.
Today I can ask this gentleman and then enlighten the others!"
I asked "Can you please tell me what 'Char Dham' means?"
He explained to me that there are 4 places in India which are considered to be the "seat" or "home" of Hindu Gods. These places are considered very holy and Hindus believe they should visit all the 4 places at least once before they die."Do you know where are these places?" he asked me.
"Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath!" I answered confidently.
"No.." he said.
"But.. I have read in so many books, internet and seen so many posters! I am sure these are the places of Char Dham.." the overconfidence in me. Sure enough, I saw in google. I saw in so many blogs. I even saw in GMVN's web site about the Chaar Dham Yatra. Everywhere the places I said only were mentioned!
"Actually the places you told me are known as Char Dham of Uttranchal or 'Chotta Char Dham'. The real Chaar Dham are in 4 sides of India... they are.." he started thinking....
"Badrinath..."
"Dwaraka..."
"Rameshwaram in the south.. and .."
"Puri in the east" he smiled.
I just stood there gaping at him. I don't know why but I knew he was right. I knew that I have lost my case and he was right.[Guys I later checked in our 'friendly neighborhood' Google itself and he was right!]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char_Dham
That was the first unexpected revelation on the first day and it seems we were destined for so many unexpected twists throughout this trip. Enough of flashback now. Lets go back to Gangotri.
By 5:30 AM, we were at the main parking area from where the buses or taxis start. A bus for Haridwar was about to start at 6:00 AM. Looking for a comfortable seat was a failure. And so was the lookout for a share taxi (well... thats become a routine now!) Anyways the bus was full soon and we decided to get the tickets for the next bus at 7:00 AM. That was when we met David our Israeli friend!
David had missed the first bus just by a few minutes and he was doomed to be our co-passenger. Even worse his seat was next to Shankar's! (The Talkative Manager) We started with the customary "Hi"s, "hello"s and soon we were sharing our experiences during the Gangotri trip and his experiences in India. David had just now completed his graduation and he was on a trip to India before joining his career as a doctor. He visited many places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttanchal and he was going back to his country in a week. While having breakfast of Paratta, we asked him how he felt about the spicy Indian dishes. Showing the 2 Thumps up and laughing he said.. "I love the Indian food. I love spicy food!"
At last we bid farewell to Gangotri at 7:10 AM. "Now every thing is going to be fine! We just have to get down in Uttarkashi and get the money from ATM! So long bad lucks.. So long! "
Throughout the trip we three were teaching Varun some Tamil Movie dialogues mostly from the Super Star Rajinikanth's movies. He in turn taught us some of Chiranjeevi's punch dialogues.
There was another dialogue from a Tamil hit 'SAROJA' which we were using every time something unexpected happened. "Evalavo pannittom.. Idha pannamaattomaa?" (We did so much. Can't we do this one also?). Our version was a bit modified "Evvalavo paathutom.. Idha paakamaattomaa?" (we've have seen so much. Wont we see this one also?). Varun learnt it quickly and even stored it in his mobile for sending it to friends later.
Uttarkashi
4 hours later...
Due to power shut down, none of the ATMs were working! (why aren't we surprised???)
"hmmm. no problem. We still have money to continue our journey till Haridwar. There we will surely get ATMs and money."
But...
Due to a road block on the way, we had reached Uttarkashi 1 hr late than the usual timing. The driver and conductor convened and decided that they wont go further. The passengers who took tickets till Rishikesh or Haridwar can get the balance money back!
Great! So it still continues...
Anyways we decided to change the bad luck in our favour and tried convincing some of the passengers to share a taxi with us to Haridwar. The Taxi driver was asking 1800 (Full Taxi) or 1400 (we 4 + any passenger on the way). We decided to go for the second option. We were 4 and we included David also.
The taxi was a Mahindra Marshal (enough for 6 people). We were already 5. Luckily the driver turned out to be different from the others and he didnt wait to fill the taxi with 8 or 10. As soon as we started, he got one more passenger making us 6. With David in the front, 3 of us in the middle and 1 in the back with the other gentleman. It turned out to be a good decision because all of us were comfortable.
Somewhere around 8:00 PM
Rishikesh
It was dark and drizzling rain when we finally reached Rishikesh. We dropped David near the main junction from where he could take an auto to Lakshman Jhula. We hoped we didn't bore him too much. He promised he would call us when he comes to Delhi 3 days later. He will be in Delhi for 2 days. Visit the Taj Mahal 1 day and take his flight back home. We planned to take him to the famous Kareems in old Delhi to taste the Spicy Tandoori dishes.
After David left, we searched for an ATM and found it in the Railway station road. Becoming rich once again we settled the taxi fare. The driver dropped us at the bus stand from where we could take a bus to Haridwar.
Someone said ... "At last!!! we were in Rishikesh! Back in the city. City with ATMs and lot of transport. No more waiting for hours for a taxi or bus! We have 4+ hrs in hand. We can reach Haridwar in half an hr. Have good food somewhere. Go to railway station. Have a good night's sleep in 3rd AC and reach Delhi in the morning refreshed!"
Gokul said jokingly. "Don't get excited. We are not in Delhi yet. Anything can happen. Who knows..? We could have even booked a wrong train..."
Suddenly he stopped. We both looked at each other and then turned to Shankar who was already fishing for the ticket from his bag. He found it and handed it over to Gokul.
Train no & Train Name: 2026 DDN NZM AC SPL
Date of journey: 19-5-09
Departure Time: 00:40
Oh God... Is this really happening? Please make it a dream. a very bad dream.
Why are you always picking us? Why..?
We were not 4 hrs early. We were just 20 hrs late!
The last blow was too heavy for all of us. None of us said anything for some time. Then we started confirming our worst fears by calling our friends back home who were online. "Please check the status of this train..." But we knew its already gone! We should have booked the train on 20-05-09 00:40 AM.
Varun who was standing aside realized what was happening and said "Evvalavo paathutom.. Idhe paakamaattomaa?" We all were thinking the same thing in our minds and when he timed the dialogue perfectly, we could not control our laughter!
Once again it was time to find a Plan B. We decided to checkout for some Deluxe bus to Delhi from Rishikesh itself. We found a travels "Gurudev Tours and Travels" nearby and they promised us that their bus which leaves at 10:00 PM and reaches Delhi at 5:00 AM will be very comfortable. (170 per head) We were so tired we didn't want to search any more. We took the ticket and waited for the bus to come
The onward journey was 'uneventful' other than -
* Gokul having a small argument with the driver and cleaner when they tried to cheat some tourists demanding 20 rupees for their luggage.
** Our request to the driver not to smoke inside the bus going up in smoke.
*** the irritating loud noise from sound system which he believed was music.
and for a final touch -
**** the driver and cleaner both fell asleep for more than 1 hr when the bus stopped for refreshments.
Once again Gokul had a talk with the driver (woke him first) before we started again. Once the bus started the cleaner boy started sleeping in the driver's cabin and I sat in the first seat watching the sleepy driver at work, praying all the way till we reached Mohan Nagar at 5 AM. There the driver declared the bus broke down and it cant go further. He asked us to get down. We had enough of him already and we said we are not getting down until he makes arrangements for our travel. At last he called another bus and we were transferred to it.
Somehow we survived all these and reached Gurgaon around 8:30 AM. Though we all were very tired we had to go to work as we already missed two days. This trip was one of the worst planned trip we had been on so far. However it also taught us many lessons. Things can go wrong even if you have a foolproof plan. But it is always better to do some homework before you fill your backpack. I am sure after many days when we think about this trip, we will not remember the bad experiences alone. We will recollect the good ones as well. And if there is a next time, we will be prepared! A lesson that the journey to Gaumukh taught all of us.
From The Beginning:
Nice one! There are so many things to learn from your trip. But I am sure you will remember it very long.
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