1.Going Solo on a Nomad trek

After quitting a steady job of more than 15 years, I wanted to get away somewhere very far. I had met many western men and women who travel alone with a large bag pack and a small day bag. Why can’t I do it my own country? I had traveled to Himalayas with my family and chaperoned school children to several treks and trips. How would it be to go solo and check? Will I get robbed, raped, duped, attacked, or fall sick? Thousands of questions came to my mind. Friends and family gave their best wishes but I could see the worry in their eyes.

The announcement for “Nomad Trek” to Kalap came on my FB page through a friend just like several other posts. The trail follows the path of the Nomadic shepherds who move from one pasture to another for their sheep and goats to graze on. The word "moderate" caught my eyes and I thought that I could make it! I was thrilled to see the pictures and instantly wanted to join. I felt this is the village of my dreams where I always want to go to. Initially, I had planned to go in October with my husband but the dates were not convenient for our son who wanted to come home during that time. Also, I felt October was too far and decided to go alone because my husband was not free in August. Going alone was a big decision but once I decided, there was no turning back!

V. Anand Sankar – a photo journalist and former Bangalorean has almost adopted this village of population 500. The nearest road is at Netwar which is 5 hours of walk through tough terrain full of ups and downs. He has set up a school (for after school hours and weekends) with two full-time teachers from cities. He had a clinic which is in a process of shifting to a neighboring village and is going to grow into a hospital. One can reach Anand by phone only when he is in Dehradun or if you are lucky to get him in the BSNL range. I had a very brief telephonic conversation with him but I felt confident that he will do the arrangement properly. He is very tall and refers himself as “Higher Iyer” on his profile but he is a simple, humble man with a great love towards the mountains and village people. He plans the treks with a lot of care and ensures that there is no trace left behind.

After registration, I started taking jogging and stair climbing seriously. They say that running on sea level and trekking at higher altitudes is very different but in my opinion jogging at Kaikondrahalli lake and Shivaji Park definitely helped me. My flight to Delhi was from Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport. I visited the airport for the first time after its renovation. Here I was getting ready for the natural beauty however, I have to accept that I was thoroughly impressed by the artwork and magnanimity of the new airport. I felt like a village girl walking in large palace. When the flight landed in Delhi, I met the other three Mumbai nomads- Himanshu Rohilla, Gauri Dakhne and Shormistha Mukherjee. After that, we were going to be together for 8 days. While chatting at the airport, Gauri pointed out that my shoes were torn and a new worry hit me! How will my shoes survive such a long walk? Throughout my packing how did I miss out that the sole was coming off? Anand had clearly mentioned that one should avoid trainers. The same evening after reaching Renee’s guesthouse in Dehradun we managed to go to the city and I purchased Lomer trekking shoes. This turned out to be a very important purchase.

Next morning, I visited the beautiful Shakya Monastery. The monastery had beautiful paintings however, the monks were busy reciting so I could not explore much. After breakfast, we began our journey to Purola which is a small town on the banks of Yamuna about 142 km away. It takes about 4 to 5 hours because one cannot speed in the mountains.  I usually get sick in the mountains but this time I decided to avoid the pill which makes you drowsy and you cannot enjoy the journey. I kept chewing on ginger pieces that I got from the guesthouse. And it really worked! The hotel in Purola is built on a slope such that the winding road was reaching its terrace. From the ground floor one could go the market and from the terrace one could board the car!

To read Part 2 of this travelogue click here