Mount Kailash Parikrama | A step closer to almighty

Mount Kailash Kora

Thank you for being part of my Kailash Mansarovar journey so far. Before I start with the last day of the trek around Kailash, here are the links of articles of my first day and the second day of the experience of the trek on the great land of Tibet. I came back with loads of memories of Kailash which gave me lifetime experiences. Continue reading about my journey, emotions while leaving Tibet and my gratitude towards almighty.

Zuthulpuk

6th June, 2018

After a tiring second day trek, we had a good night sleep till our Sherpas woke us up in the morning. It was a sight to watch as everybody was back to their childhood when Sherpas were trying to wake them up. Everyone just needed last five minutes sleep before waking up. Just like when your mother tries to wake you us for school and you tell her back “Mom, just five mins more” It was so nice to see so many phases of life in one trip. I woke up with heart full of new feelings in the new day. This was the third day of the trek of only 8 km. Gathering all courage, I came out of the room and I was like wow. All I could see were clouds all around me.

We had tea and some snacks in the breakfast and started our third and final day of trek to our destination. Today, we all were a different person altogether. We all had a feeling of accomplishment and achievement. We started hiking with full of energy in the beautiful valley with the amazing landscape around. Mount Kailash on right, a river on left, clouds circling above your head and the breath-taking views in the front. It was like the clouds came down all the way from sky to ground to bid adieu to all of us.

The river on our left has origin from Angsi glacier at Southeast of Mount Kailash. It is named as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and is known by the Brahmaputra in India. It was so cloudy, that we could not see Mount Kailash. My heart was full of mixed emotions and I was thankful to Lord Shiva for the journey so far. Overall the view was the perfect blend of the best of nature could deliver to us.

Kailash kora- day3

Brahmaputra river

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While I was walking, I was thinking about the uniqueness of all three days of the trek. The first one was in the valley of Gods, where we had seen the South, West and North face of Kailash. On day two we had experienced the Golden Kailash during sunrise, reaching the highest point Dolma La, Gauri Kund, crossing frozen river and lot more. And on the third day, we were walking in the beautiful valley of unique and beautiful landscapes. It was like, what more do you expect to be the perfect trip. I was overwhelmed and everything about this trip was going like a flashback. Right from permission from parents till walk on that Godly land of Tibet. All I was saying thanks to Lord Shiva for everything happened during the trip.

Time for celebration

The trek was very easy and we finished it in 2 hours. Finally, we reached the end point, hence completing the kora of Mount Kailash. Everyone was enjoying the moment, congratulating each other, singing and dancing. Sudhakar gave the pose of Shiva in Natraj form, Kalyani became Parvati and I bowed down to them.

We had to wait for the bus, so Rupa and I went little ahead to pick few stones taking them as prasad of Mount Kailash. Yaa, I know it was funny. I must say everything around this place is very lively. The stones, river, birds, mountains, clouds literally talk to you. Never in my life before Kailash trip, I have felt such kind of liveliness inside me.

We boarded the bus and reached Darchen, where people who stayed and came back after the first day of Kora were waiting for us. We met Mauli and hugged her tightly. Immediately tears started rolling down from my eyes, it was pure emotion. I met Krishnee aunty, with whom I shared room in Derapuk. She was very happy seeing me after completing the journey. We had our breakfast, took the luggage and boarded the bus for Hilsa.

Rakshas Tal

As usual, Rupa and I occupied the last seats of the bus. Within no time, we were crossing beautiful Rakshastal (Devil’s Lake) whose water is prohibited for drinking. It is said that once Ravana meditated here to gain supernatural power from Lord Shiva. It is very close to Mansarovar, but life does not exist at Rakshastal. No matter what is the legend behind the lake, but it was extremely serene. The dark color water lake entangled within the small plateau of Tibet and heavy clouds looked heavenly.

Rakshastal

Rakshastal magnificent view

Leaving Tibet

Someone has said that all good things don’t last for long. Leaving Tibet after once in a lifetime experience was very heavy on the heart and mind. Things I experienced at Mansarovar lake, completing Kailash kora and being with Lord Shiva, where he showered his blessings on us was a memory for life. All these were beyond imagination. The 5 days spent in Tibet felt like home to me, so I was sad leaving Tibet. I just prayed and said in my heart that “Kailash, please call me home again” and guess what? I am going again this year for Inner Kora with Rupa and Dato Ji from last year trip. Tour operators organizing Inner kora trek requires a special permit and thankfully, this year our tour operator got permit after 5-6 years. Don’t forget to keep looking for my new experience of Inner Kora from this year trip.

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Anyways, we reached Hilsa, the Tibet and Nepal border and completed our immigration formalities. Thankfully, all seven of us got the same room and we started sharing our version of Kailash Mansarovar trek experience. I could see the glow of each and everyone’s faces while sharing their experience. Now it was time to depart from Hilsa and apart from each other. And I realized that day, such a trip brings so much positive change in you that you start looking at things differently. People going on such an expedition, trips are extraordinary individuals. Such trips make you a strong individual who cares about others, who has a sense of collaboration, who know the importance of dedication and who get the confidence to achieve everything he or she can wish for. I left my self in Tibet and discovered a new person who was more confident and can achieve everything. Because, I see people died during this trip and there is nothing painful than death but, we came back alive and enlightened and so we are special.

Next day I took a chopper from Hilsa to Simikot and then a small mountain plane to Nepalgunj. I was trying to recap my entire trip during my return journey. I collected my bags and headed towards Lucknow (my home town) which was just 3 hours away.

My Gratitude

I am always grateful towards the Lord, who showered his blessings on me that I could complete the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. I could feel the presence of Shambhoo with me.

I got the feeling as if I was reborn. I was rejuvenated with the feeling of immense peace and positivity. It is said that who complete kora is like turning one round of wheel of life. And yes, I believe that I got a new life within the same lifespan. Everything looked fresh, pure and blissful. This is the journey of the test of your physical and mental strength. It’s almost a year now, but still, I feel energetic while writing the story on our trip.

There are definitely more beautiful places on earth, but the aura of Kailash and its immense impact on one’s life is incomparable. No words can describe the feeling of walking on that godly land of Tibet.

Kailash does not need any temple. The entire massive region is a way more than a temple I can say. People say that doing pilgrimages wash your sins, but I didn’t believe in that. How is that possible just by visiting the temple. But after coming back from Kailash, I felt light and fresh, closer to almighty a step ahead. That’s the point I realized that I left the feeling of being religious and got inclined towards spiritualism. The feeling of oneness with God was out of this world. It was like all positive energies of the universe lies within me.

The majestic and magical view of Kailash has left such an impact in my heart forever that I feel completely numb whenever I close my eyes to focus Kailash. I live here in the buzz of city life but I can certainly say that bit of Kailash is still in me. Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, the journey of the lifetime, the greatest of all the journeys I have made till date and the journey which has changed a lot in me. As if I have come back in bodily form and soul is somewhere lost in Kailash.

Follow the posts in sequence if you have not gone through

Om Namah Shivaay!

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Featured pic reference: https://pixers.uk/wall-murals/tibet-mount-kailash-south-face-67682664

Kailash Parikrama | Day 2 at 19500 ft | Toughest day

Mount Kailash – Toughest day of Trek

Thank you for being part of my Kailash Mansarovar journey so far. Before I pen down my further Mount Kailash Kora trek here is the link of my first day of the parikrama of Mount Kailash, in case you haven’t read. This time I am going to write my experience of the second day of outer kora of Mount Kailash to reach the abode of Lord Shiva. This day was full of adventure and peace. Looks strange? Please read the post till the end.

Golden Kailash

5th June, 2018 (Derapuk)

After tiring day, we had a good night sleep till some Sherpas came in and woke us up at around 6.00 AM to witness the Golden Kailash. It’s the term given go Mount Kailash because of the golden color it gets when early morning sun rays fall on it. When Sherpa woke me, I was in half sleep and confused too. But, when I heard one of the Sherpa saying, “It’s time to see Golden Kailash”, I was up immediately. Put on my jacket and shoes and just marched out of the room to witness the golden Kailash. Within a few minutes, everybody was out of the rooms and facing Kailash to witness that breathtaking view. I couldn’t take my eyes off even for a second. It looked heavenly and more than a dream coming true. Things you have read about, you are actually witnessing it. Can’t be better than this.

Golden Kailash

Kailash in Morning

Beautiful morning

Sleeping peacefully at the foot of your Lord and then wake up to see the gorgeous face of him had filled my heart. We freshened up and had our breakfast. They used to serve cornflakes/muesli for breakfast and a packet of lunch. Before leaving for trek, few sherpas came to check everyone’s oxygen level. I remember my oxygen level was above 70%. Since this place was at the highest level to spend the night during the entire trip. Many fell sick and decided to return to Darchen. We pushed Jyothi and Sudhakar to complete kora with us, they gathered courage and came. But Rupa and I were determined to complete our journey. We just chanted “Om Namah Shivaay” and got ready for our trek. This was the toughest and longest day of the trip, where we were unsure about the weather at that altitude. So, it is better to leave as early as we could. A lot of people from my dormitory decided to call off the trip and wished me good luck for my journey to complete the kora. Krishnee aunty hugged me and said, “My dear, I know you will do it”. Sometimes it gives you a good amount of confidence when you see others believe in you. Didn’t had a word to reply so I just smiled, looked in her eyes and told myself, “I WILL DO IT” and left.

Finally, We are on the second day of the trek which is the toughest day of the journey. The total length of the trek was 25 km starting from 16000 ft at Derapuk to cross 19500 ft at Dolma La, which will end at Zuthulpuk. This day is known for taking the lives of dozens of people every year. No matter how will be the situations, I am going ahead. That’s the only thought I was carrying.

Trek started

We started our trek in the early morning with chilling wind. I was shivering a lot, then I covered the face and wore gloves. Rupa, on the other hand, started having tickling sensation due to the side effects of Diamox. Jyothi and Sudhakar were also coming along managing cold breeze of early morning. Initially, we had to hike on the mountains, which were hidden from the sun, so it was too cold. I felt like my jacket of -10 degrees was not enough.

Early morning Mount Kailash kora

After a walk of 500 meters, it became steep. I saw a lot of zig-zags where people were going by horses. So I asked Sherpas to take shortcuts. After attempting the first shortcut, I got the idea of how difficult it would be going ahead. On such kind of treks, you have to have a good grip over pebbles and rocks. The sherpas were checking our oxygen level and were continuously asking if we have a headache or any problem. The sherpa who was carrying my bag felt sick due to altitude. He handed over my bag to another porter and went down.

Mount Kailash

Saw a small shop, which was the last point for one to opt for Pony charging 600 Yuan till Dolma La pass (19500), which is the highest point of the trek. A lot of people faced breathing problem. So Jyothi, Sudhakar and Dato Ji opted for the pony and moved ahead of us. This was the point which separates route of outer Kora and inner kora which points towards the northeast face of Kailash.

Shiva lost in meditation

After 2 hours, we were at some decent height, where we could see magical and mystic Kailash very clearly. The moon was on top of Kailash resembling “Chandrashekhar” form of Shiva. I am a big moon watcher, but that time it was not just a moon, it was holding an important significance to me. In between all big rocky mountains, there stands snow-covered Mount Kailash as Shiva lost in meditation from ages.

It felt like clouds are coming, doing prostration to Kailash and going away. The heavenly view leaves one in silence within. No words can describe the incredible beauty around Kailash. Even Vedas and Puranas have failed to praise it. Now there was no doubt in my heart that we were on the land of Gods.

Way to DOLMA LA -19500 ft – the highest point

Going ahead, the trail became more challenging. All we could see were big rocky stones and we had to trek for several hours till we reach up to Dolma La. With every step up, the oxygen level went down and pulse rate went up. I used to eat nuts/ candies and a sip of water. The only rule while trekking is to stay hydrated and keep walking. Our porter used to point to Dolma La from distance. He said you have to reach where you can see a lot of flags and I said I am seeing flags all the way. Whenever I used to rest, I used to look around. The mighty Kailash, all big mountains, colorful prayer flags fluttering all the way and a lot more. Tibetans carry these huge flags from Darchen to tie and make some wish. People from four religions come here leaving all comforts behind and do a tough pilgrimage.

A journey of Soul, not body

There was a time I felt extremely light and free. It was like I have left everything behind, free from my identity, free from all thoughts, free from all pain even. Just kept going where my heart was only beating for my Lord. My pulse rate was too high and oxygen in the body was low which I could feel. The trail was in real sense breathtaking. I just looked at the Mount Kailash which gave me enough energy to keep moving my feet. I was chanting Om Namah Shivaay, that day I got to know the power of this mantra. All the time I had Shambhoo with me holding my hand. One has to go through a lot of transitions between metaphysical energies which surrounds you all time. Sometimes, the trail looks easy, then difficult and then again easy. Our mind is not used to such kind of strange environment. So, its more about the mental than the physical strength I believe. It’s the journey of the soul, not the body. More I was going ahead more I gained calmness and peace within the mind.

Surrounded by beautiful Flags

Second day trek

Reached Dolma La

Dolma refers to goddess “Taradevi” and the huge boulder is believed to be the sacred seat of the goddess and is revered by people of Tibbet. The place is beautifully decorated with arrays of prayer flags which looked not less than heaven. The moment we reached on top above 19500 ft, we hugged each other first and then spent some time there sitting with local Tibetans. Finally, we were at the place where reaching up took a few hours which felt like ages :). That time I was not having the feeling of conquering a mountain but I conquered myself in another way. You speak, you share joy but you become absolutely still and silent within yourself. The immensity of the place and faith of people speaks so much but can’t be expressed in words.

Dolma La

Gaurikund

Immediately after crossing Dolma La, we saw Gauri Kund, where it is believed that Goddess Parvati comes here for bath. The frozen water of Gaurikund looked like sapphire jeweled in the white snow. The trail was extremely difficult to reach Gaurikund, so I did not dare to go down. We asked our porter Subhash to get water from Gaurikund. We saw him going down and climbing up as if he got some wings. Sherpas are the real heroes on mountains and without them, many people would not be able to complete their journey.

Gaurikund

Mount Kailash’s East face

After Dolma La, the trail only descends for few km which is very steep. I fell 3-4 times where Subhash laughed at me and said climbing up looks easier for Shruti compared to getting down. We crossed 2 mountains going down, a patch of a mesmerizing glacier and after that, we had to hike on flat for 12-13 km. More I was trekking, more I fell in love with the place. We trekked for a few km and took a halt at a restaurant. We could imagine how difficult it is to run the restaurant in extreme climatic conditions. After this spot, we were hiking in a beautiful valley along with a water stream on our left.

Rupa at Glacier

On our right-hand side, we saw Kailash’s east face with extended snow clad mountains looked like Shiva’s hands. You only get to see a small portion of Kailash’s east face in outer kora. Where inner kora takes you closer to the east face. So on the second day, you will get to see mighty Kailash’s north face 80% of the time. While descending, many at times Kailash is hidden so you can not see, but East face gets visible once you start moving on flat.

Kailash East face

Zuthulpuk, stay in Monastery

I was drained out of energy and I got shoe bites on feet due to sweat and dust. So, at times it became difficult to walk but somehow I managed as there was no option. The magnificent view of the place kept me walking just to see what is coming next. Finally, we reached to the monastery in Zuthulpuk where we were supposed to stay. Everyone welcomed Rupa and me praising our efforts and dedication doing the journey on foot as almost everybody took horse. I took off my shoes and by that time my feet were in bad condition. I kept it open and lied on the bed. We got soup and popcorn followed by Khichdi in dinner. That was our last night together in Tibet, so we were chilling out cracking jokes and still, I don’t know when we slept talking to each other.

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That day will always be memorable to me and I could still feel the same breathlessness while writing this article. That day gave me my life’s best adventurous experience. More than this, I had the highest level of satisfaction and calmness in my heart. Plus, the feeling of oneness with Shiva was truly a blessing by Lord.

Stay updated for the next day of the trek, driving on the amazing roads of Tibet and coming back to Nepal.

Have look at my picture gallery-

Special thanks to our porter Subhash for not only carrying the load but also for motivating us all the time. We talked to him like you do with a friend. Even almost all the pictures are clicked by him on the second day.

Follow the posts in sequence if you have not gone through

Stay fit and happy traveling. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, drop your comments.

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OM NAMAH SHIVAYA!

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra | First glimpse of Mansarovar lake

Entry in Tibet and Arrival at Mansarovar Lake

2nd June 2018

After an adventurous day in no man’s land between Nepal and China at Hilsa, we had to return to Nepal side because of rain and spent a night there. Whatever happened yesterday was history and it had no effect on today. We woke up with full energy and enthusiasm with only one thought, that we will cross the border today and move towards Mansarovar lake. Had breakfast, packed our bags and marched towards Chinese immigration office. We had to wait for an hour in no man’s land before entering the Chinese immigration office. This was our first checkpoint and then our real journey was about to begin. Chinese soldiers were checking each and every stuff manually, which was a time-consuming process.

Good news!

I was done with my immigration and was waiting for others when I saw a group entering the office from another end. This group was returning back from the Kailash Mansarovar trip. Trust me, they had a different charm, their face was glowing with happiness and I can see the sense of achievement in their body language. They were so positive that I could not resist myself asking about their experience. Few of them were lucky enough to complete Kailash Kora successfully, as weather was good. But, climatic condition on such high altitudes is always unpredictable and I was praying to get lucky too. I jumped out of joy when one told me that, now we can take a dip in Mansarovar lake. Woo Hoo! They also warned us about the difficulties of day two trek, till we reach the highest point Dolma La at 5700 mt and advised us to wear an extra layer to keep us warm. These tips from experienced travelers are real guide and lifesavers on such trek because this info is first hand and latest, which helps you to get mentally prepared. Many of us purchased their leftover oxygen cylinders and Chinese yuan from them. This interaction was so positive that I just wanted to reach Kailash as soon as possible. It’s all up to Lord Shiva, if he allows, we will complete our Kailash Mansarovar Yatra but, I was mentally prepared for any other test coming my way.

Rajkumar, a guy from travel agency informed us that our next destination was supposed to be Taklakot, but the trip is already delayed and we will stay at Mansarovar lake. Many of us argued with Rajkumar to arrange night stay at Taklakot, because its 4-star hotel and the Mansarovar has shared dormitory mudhouse. But for me, even a single bed was like good enough to spend a night. After so much adventure, luxury was last on the list. For me stay at Mansarovar lake was much better than stay at 4-star property.

Entry in Tibet’s Holy Land

After the immigration process, we boarded the bus and left for Mansarovar. It was like a dream of being in Tibetan land has come true. From now onwards, all the journey had to be done by bus. As we moved ahead, we were constantly looking at beautiful landscapes. We were driving on the cold desert with virgin mountains along with river Karnali on left. My fantasy for Tibetian colorful flags was elevated when I saw them everywhere in their homeland. There were very few houses and every house had put those flags religiously on the roof. Also, the dozens of big flags were tied in a conical form in open space, which was looking beautiful, when blown by the wind. Now, we got the first glimpse of snow clad mountains and the landscape was getting more and more beautiful as we moved ahead. And, hats off to the Chinese government for developing such deserted places.

Inside Tibet

Our gang of 7

Crazy Rupa

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After an hour-long drive, we reached next checkpoint, where our luggage got scanned. We were at some place but, could not read the name, as everything was written in Chinese. We skipped our lunch to reach Taklakot in time, but dinner was delicious. This place has got a well-equipped market, where you can buy trekking stuff, medicines etc. After a short shopping time, we left from Taklakot in our bus to reach Mansarovar, which was an hour-long journey from here.

As we were closing by Mansarovar, I got nervous and started shivering. I went and sat beside one of the Sherpa. Till today, I am not able to figure out what had happened to me that evening. My heart was filled with mixed emotions, I was happy and nervous too, had a sense of accomplishment but, may be scared of the next challenge. I had been dreaming about Mansarovar lake for months and when it’s just a few steps away, I was frozen. I could not share this feeling with anyone. But, a small pat on my back and a hug from Rupa brought me back on track. Yes! My first milestone was achieved, I was at Mansarovar Lake. I couldn’t explain that moment in words, it was pure feeling.

Arrived at Mansarovar Lake

Finally, at 11:30 PM, we arrived at the guesthouse at Mansarovar lake. It was pitch dark when we got down from the bus. I could see some lights glowing at distance. I was surprised to see that because, as per my research there was no village or town nearby. But, when I started looking around and turning my head upwards at the sky, I realized those are not village lights but Stars. Our surrounding was full of stars and stars. It was like I was standing in the middle of the galaxy wrapped with a blanket of billions of stars. That place was flat and no big mountains nearby. So, I could see that blanket taking a big curve in the sky and falling through horizon. We were at 15000 ft, where stars looked so big and the sky was very near. I had never seen so many stars in the sky ever. The view was breathtaking. I didn’t have to turn my head even a degree to gaze at the stars because they were all at my eye level and I am not exaggerating. I could have never imagined this gorgeous view. Finding Ursa Major in billions of stars and feel lost with them was an amazing experience at Mansarovar lake.

Stars above Mansarovar lake

First glimpse of Mansarovar Lake

After the sky view, it was time to settle for the night and find a place to sleep. I went to the dormitory with my gang and crashed on my bed. Then I heard Ashok uncle actually wanted to take a night walk on Mansarovar lake. I could not stop myself and jumped out of my bed and volunteered to join him. I immediately layered up myself with more woolens, as it was too cold with chilling breeze outside. When we stepped out of the guest house, the sky view was changed. All the stars and galaxy that I saw a while ago were covered with clouds now. But, the excitement to go to the lake was on height. There was a fence and we stopped there, it was dark and we knew Mansarovar lake is in front of us. On the right side, we saw the reflection of Moon falling on the lake and that was the first glimpse of Mansarovar lake for us. I folded my hands, closed my eyes and prayed to Lord Shiva. The first purpose of my trip was met. Yes! I was at Mansarovar lake. I never thought that the Moon and its reflection in the lake can be so beautiful.

As per Hindu mythology, God and Goddess come down on earth to take a holy bath in Mansarovar lake, where I was standing right now. It was an overwhelming moment for me. I turned my head upwards to look at the sky and saw a great formation of clouds making face. My eyes left opened and I felt like the whole world has stopped for me at that moment. With folded hands, I chanted OM NAMAH SHIVAY! Before starting the journey, I only asked Lord Shiva to appear in one form or another. And, that cloud formation was Lord Shiva for me. It was the heart filled moment for me and that was the first time in my life, I felt to be surrounded by divinity. That night was actually very special, some of us saw cloud formation of Vibhuti, OM, Trishul, Third eye etc.

It was totally dark, so we could not see much but, waiting for clouds to move away from the Moon and then looking at its reflection in the lake was an amazing experience. The lake is very peaceful and one can definitely feel the extreme positivity around. We decided to get a little closer to the lake and so started walking towards. We had a torch but, was not enough to look at the trail. We stopped at a point, where the surface below started getting muddy. We were unsure about the starting point of the lake. So we just stood there for some time, without a single word from either of us. We could not see anything apart from slight moon reflection on the lake but, were feeling everything about that place. The lake looked peaceful, but we could hear some birds/animals making a sound. That time. I just had one thought for them that “How lucky are these birds who live at great Mansarovar lake, wish I could be one of those”.

Everyone might have felt differently but, all I can say, there is some supernatural energies do exist at this place. And the kind of strong feeling of positivity or the presence of divinity I had that time, I can’t write down. You have to come here yourself to feel eternal bliss.

After going towards lake 3-4 times from room, I slept to wake up early to witness Divya Jyoti in Brahm muhrat. So please stay tuned to know about my experience about Divya Jyoti and further journey towards Kailash, after a dip in Mansarovar.

Here are the links of all articles of my journey, do read

Stay fit and happy travelling. I would love to hear your thoughts on this post.

Om Namah Shivaay 🙂

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra | Survival in no man’s land

Hilsa at Nepal-China border

Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed my last articles on my preparation and start of my journey to Kailash Mansarovar. If not then do read Planning and Preparation of the trip, a day in Kathmandu and days spent in Nepalgunj and Simikot so that you can stay connected with me on my journey. Hilsa was the fourth pitstop of our Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nepal route. Hilsa is at Nepal and China border at an altitude of 3700 mt from sea level. The place is connected by a friendship bridge over Karnali river, which comes directly from Kailash. On the Nepal side, there is no road connectivity, so we had to come by helicopter from Simikot.

1st day of Hilsa – Arrival at the cold desert

30th May 2018

We arrived in Hilsa within 20-25 mins taking off from Simikot, our first chopper ride. I never thought of enjoy flying over lush green valleys with the river flowing down and crossing snow clad mountains. I was awestruck after looking at snow covered peaks from so near. There was a peak, which resembled Kailash in small form and all of us noticed that.

From helicopter

Rupa and Mauli

Towards Hilsa

After landing in Hilsa we looked around with excitement. Yes! Our actual journey to Mansarovar was about to begin. Hilsa is a cold desert with virgin hills and was damn dusty. We felt a bit of breathing problem initially as we jumped around 900 mt that day. It’s a very small place with 5-6 guest houses and only 2 shops. From the helipad itself, we could look at China connected by hanging bridge with colorful prayer flags tied on the railings. These Tibetian prayer flags have mantras written over it. It is believed that mantras are blown by the wind to spread good will into space. That’s why it is always tied in the open air. These colorful flags have deep meaning inside more than using it for decoration.

Friendship bridge

Love for flags

Vigin mountains

We walked up to the guest house and suddenly I went into a flashback. I went 6-7 years back in my university days when my dad dropped at hostel. Suddenly I got a push on my back from Rupa and came back to presence. I had the same feeling because it was not less than my college hostel. A lot of rooms in a row and shared washrooms at both ends, that too not in good condition. Anyways, we jumped in first, so we had an advantage of choosing our space and got a 7-bedded dormitory, which looked pretty decent. Our gang including Rupa, Mauli, Jyothi, Sudhakar and I booked that room. Then, Dato Ji and Ashok uncle also joined us. By that time I was totally out of my comfort zone and moreover, I was above the thought of the male or female thing.

Our guest house

All of us settled down and then Ashok uncle asked me if I want to go on hike. I too wanted to explore the place, so we both got ready after wearing jacket, trekking shoes and scarf to cover up face. We hiked for around 2-3 km on road less land with pebbles all around. We covered decent distance on the banks of river Karnali. That was the overwhelming moment when we got to know the river was coming from Kailash. The positive and divine feelings started coming in. On another side of the river, we looked at immigration of Nepal which was not a good site to watch. It was like a temporary tent where our passport had to be stamped. Yes, you read it right. On the other side of the border, China has done great development. Roads were constructed and they had a big immigration building. It was a perfect example of the developed and underdeveloped country 😊.

Hilsa

Om Mani Padme Hum

Dry Hilsa

After that short hike, I wanted to take bath. In the entire journey, I was determined to take a dip in ice-cold Mansarovar lake. So I always used to bath with the cold water to acclimatize for that climate. Now it was time for lunch and sherpa called us. It was simple and tasty food, which I still remember. After that, we had as such nothing to do, so we used to roam around here and there. Almost all of us came solo, but that feeling had gone totally and we were like family.

2nd Day of Hilsa – Waiting for passport

31st May 2018

The best part of such trips is you don’t have any track of date and time. You are completely cut off from the world. No internet, no calls, no traffic, and no pollution. I wish I could live rest of my life like this but, not lucky enough. I was wearing an analog watch, where India time was set. Nepal is 30 minutes ahead of IST, so it was manageable. But Hilsa is at the China border and as per Tibet timing, we were 2.5 hours ahead of IST. We were playing in the time zones of the three countries. Whenever Sherpa used to give instruction about lunch or dinner timing, we had to specifically ask about is it per Indian time, Nepalese time or the Chinese? Rupa and Sudhakar have got International roaming activated and internet(2G) was also working at Hilsa, so it became quite easy for me to contact at home.

We were excited because we were supposed to get our passport today. We were waiting for same but out of frustration, we started cracking silly jokes. I was like, I won’t look at Tibetan cloud till I get my passport. Then Rupa was like, even if Lord Shiva asks for my wish in person, I will say just grant me Chinese visa. I know it sounds silly but even such silly jokes were making our day wonderful. It was very soothing to sit on the river bank, listen to its sound, keep watching those bridge flags flying in air and just doing nothing. I miss that time.

Our trek was about to begin in few days, I decided to do a light workout to stay fit for the rest of the journey. I used to do squats, lunges, steppers, and situps. Jyothi and Sudhakar took lessons on power yoga and breathing exercise, so I just followed their instructions. I never did extensive breathing exercises, so after that, I used to take a power nap and I mastered in taking power naps 🙂 No matter how many people are talking in our room, I could easily sleep.

Lunges

Yoga

Due to high altitude Rupa, Mauli and Dato Ji felt sick and they had to take extra precautions. Even I caught cold, but got over it by taking medicines and drinking only hot water. We were already at high altitude and mild cold/fever/headache are the first symptoms of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) if not treated that time. And the worst thing is once you get caught by AMS then no medicine can help you. The only way is to come down at a lower altitude.

Instead of wishing good morning it became a practice to always say Om Namah Shivaay. If I keep the sickness aside, I can feel the positivity all around. People were meditating, doing yoga, few were high on spiritual thoughts, some of us were not religious but they were a kind soul. Different people from different places who have different perception about Shiva but everyone has one goal in common, to take a close look at Kailash and feel Lord Shiva. The positivity was so high that we realized that we are the chosen ones to come on this trip. We were so different from each other but that point we all were looking similar. Not physically but mentally, emotionally!

River Karnali

Selfie queens

Hilsa

Chit chat

3rd Day of Hilsa – Got Passport and Left Nepal

1st June 2018

It was indeed a beautiful morning when Sherpa announced that our passports and visa are ready and will be delivered by the chopper today. Our excitement was on height when we were waiting for the first chopper sound but it got delayed due to rain in the morning. Finally, it arrived and we hooted out of joy. After breakfast, Purushottam from KailashJourneys called all of us to collect our passports. We had to leave our room after lunch. Sherpa warned us about the strict checking at China immigration office, especially about their scanning all photos in mobile and camera. Any picture/article of Dalai Lama or immigration building in mobile or camera can end our journey there. So he suggested to hand over the camera and phone which they can bypass though sending in luggage and give it back to us after crossing the border.

Helicopter

Passport distribution

Holy ash – Bhasm

We had our lunch, packed our bags and wohooo! We are finally going to cross Nepal-China border for which we were waiting for days. Now all of us were walking on the friendship bridge. This bridge was on the river connecting Nepal and China border. We reached the Nepal immigration and another agency’s batch was ahead of us. So, we had to wait for around 1.5 hours. It was too sunny that time, so I sat quietly near Karnali river, where I could listen to the soothing sound of water and feel the cold breeze. So, finally our batch’s turn came up and Sherpa started calling out names and asked to make a single queue. As I told earlier, this is very small immigration of temporary tent where 10 people could barely stand. So, we had to go one by one and get our passport stamped. That was the first stamp on my passport and it made me feel good. So officially we made exit and after that, I waved my hands to Nepal and said see you after coming back from Kailash.

We were waiting for our turn as there was another batch ahead of us at China immigration. So, all of us knew that the checking is very strict and the process is time-consuming. What we could do is to wait patiently in the no man’s zone between two countries. It was an experience to stand in no man’s land and don’t even belong to either of them. As the sun started climbing up, I started feeling the heat so I sat on the ground covering my head with my scarf. Our Sherpas were in touch with his counterpart on the Tibetan side. So every ten minutes we kept bugging him for updates. Because no one had enough patience to wait in the dust and sun. But, he was so kind and calm, every time we asked him, he replied very politely and gave a satisfactory answer with smile “Don’t worry, be patient and we won’t disappoint you. We will take you to your destination safely and bring back”. That answer gave us some strength and we forgot everything. It was like we were having a small picnic sitting down with everyone. Sounds crazy but it’s true. I was thinking about my entire journey right from start till today and I realized how it started with pain and problems but now everything is positive where I had only thoughts of the dip in Mansarovar and parikrama of Kailash. These feelings kept me energetic and positive that my trek to Kailash Mansarovar is about to begin. We were waiting for more than four hours and was hungry too but was got some packed food and water from Sherpas and we were all up again.

Survival in no man’s land between 2 countries

Sun was going down and clouds were passing by. By now, it started getting cold and we had to wear another layer of warm clothes. We rushed to piled up duffle bags to take out jacket and warm lower. It was very cold as we were in open space near Karnali river where the chilled wind was blowing. Moreover, it was paining to sit on hard surface because of my tail bone injury. I could not sit properly and could not stand also because of cold. We felt the sudden drop in temperature in evening. It was dark now and we were really stuck in the middle of nowhere. Siddharth advised us to sit in close circle and started teaching power yoga which gave some warmth that time.

It was completely dark by now and we saw China immigration office lights switching off. I didn’t want any more surprises that night and just wanted to cross the border. Was bit worried about the thought of spending the night in that cold desert land. Officially, we had nowhere to go. We have exited Nepal and China is not taking us in. Some of us thought of asking help from foreign minister over Twitter, but we already had given our mobiles. We really felt helpless and had no clue what’s happening. I was the youngest one in the group and was feeling too cold, just imagine how difficult it would have been for the elder ones out of which most people were above 50. Now we had the challenge to take care of ourselves and survive for an entire night in open space. Also, how to get into Tibet was still a question that time?

And you know what, it’s not the end here and there was more to come. Lord Shiva was actually taking a final test to check our strength. It started raining. Oh my God, what could be worse than this, you are stranded in no man’s land between two countries, you have no place to hide and now nature plays a game with you. But, it was so kind of our Sherpa, that he took a call and announced that everybody to go back to Nepal side guesthouse. We immediately rushed towards guesthouse through the friendship bridge, which was not at all friendly this time. We reached to the same room and thankfully it was not occupied.

We were actually shocked by the behavior and communication from the Chinese immigration office. It was a bit irresponsible on their side. How could they hold us for so long and did not communicate anything? Nobody had ever thought of this will happen. Maybe it was the test of patience or determination, but that experience was horrible. Our Sherpas started cooking dinner and served in that worst condition. That’s the very friendly relation between Nepal and India I could see. You will never feel as if you are in another country. On the other hand, we had a bad experience with China even before entering their land. We were not sure how things will turn up once we get inside. After exiting Nepal we again entered on the same date, nobody was sure if it was officially right or wrong. We just saved our lives, that’s all we knew. Rest was up to Shiva.

That night we slept with terrific experience of life and also with the hope of crossing border the next morning.

Here are the links of all of my articles on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, kindly read.

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra | Trips within the trip

Kathmandu – Nepalgunj – Simikot – Hilsa

I am sure you must have read about my preparation and a short read on the detailed itinerary and visit to Kathmandu as the starting point of my Kailash Mansarovar trip. After Kathmandu, the next destination was Nepalgunj and we were supposed to stay there for a night as everything was on schedule. Kailash Journeys has two departures one is from Kathmandu and another one is from Nepalgunj, which is close to Lucknow at a distance of 200 km. I left my major luggage in Kathmandu and left for Nepalgunj.

Days in Nepalgunj

26th May, 2018

It was an hour-long flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. Time was around 3:30 pm and the moment I stepped out of flight, the climate changes hit me. Kathmandu was little pleasant and Nepalgunj was burning hot. I could imagine a plot from old mythological TV series, where one of the character was showering fire on the evils and all the evils were burn to death. I know it is a stupid thought but, someone told me that its very natural to imagine such plots on such trips, so there is nothing wrong about it. This was at the lowest altitude (150 mt) in our entire journey.

Ramesh and Laxman from travel agency arrived at the airport to pick us and transfer to the hotel. Rupa, Mauli and I shared the same big room. We were exhausted and wanted to get cool down so I immediately switched on AC. We rested for an hour got fresh and stepped out for dinner. All the members of our group were asked to gather in a separate hall in the hotel. It was like a networking session which really helped. Till now, we were strangers and now we were teammates and friends for the next 10 days. Ramesh was waiting for everyone to gather so that he can make an announcement. I was very excited to know what is he going to announce but, that excitement converted into worry. He told our group visa is still under process and trip will be delayed by 4-5 days and till then we can’t cross the China border.

All of us booked in advance to stay overnight at Mansarovar lake to experience the auspicious full moon night. But because of this delay, we were going to miss the full moon night. I was a little sad as others and started realizing that why only a few people are lucky to complete this trip. It is not the trip that everyone can go on. Many quit, many get broken but, it’s all about how tall you stand determined with strong will power to achieve your goals. And trust me I was hell bend to complete this journey at any cost. Many people thought that they have to stretch for 4-5 days more, additional cost, office leaves, worrying wife, boss’s emails, targets, etc. But, my positive mind started telling me that 4-5 more days to explore Nepal. This was never part of your plan. And this is something additional (with cost as the agency had managed out stay for extra days at the same cost). I discussed this with Rupa and she got positive too. I was a different person now ie a positive, energetic and excited girl. I decided to go Lucknow directly from Nepalgunj as it was just 200KM away after returning back from Mansarovar. I asked Ramesh to get my luggage from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, which he did. That could save a day of travel.

27th May, 2018

After taking breakfast, we had nothing do and I mean it. After too much excitement on the previous day in Nepalgunj, we decided to explore the place. We asked reception guys, they said there is Shaktipeeth named Bageshwari temple at walking distance. Also, he suggested going for a movie where Bollywood is played. And we took their advice seriously and went to both places.

Bageshwari temple

Shiv temple on small pond

Guru ji

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The temple is in the main city and you need to take token to enter in garbh-grah (sanctorum). Goddess Sati’s tongue is believed to have fallen at this place. There are four entrances to it and priest will close all doors before performing pooja. He removes old cloth and then you can see the fallen tongue and then covers it with a new piece of cloth.

After visiting temples, we came to hotel, had lunch and went for movie. Seriously? For the girl like me, who thinks going for movie is time waste had enough time there to watch the show 🙂 PCM and RP Yadav also joined us in our movie adventure in Nepal. We watched Bioscopewala movie. Overall we had a good time spent that day.

At movie

It was around 8.30 pm when we were having our dinner. Ramesh came to us and gave option either to stay in Nepalgunj or to fly Simikot which is a very small hill station and with poor facilities. Many of us preferred to stay because of accommodation problem but some opted to fly Simikot, just to acclimatize body with the altitude, and I was one of them. I chose to fly mainly because of temperature, I can handle cold but not heat. Next morning,
almost 50% our group was ready to fly after breakfast.

Days in Simikot

28th May 2018

Simikot it is. We arrived in Simikot (2910 mt) by small 16 seater mountain aircraft. I have heard stories about turbulence in small mountain aircraft but, never thought of experiencing so soon. My heart was in my mouth when the aircraft was in air. But, when I saw the view from the window, all the fear vanished. Since then, I was continuously gazing out of the window, wherein I could see mountains and river streams. I love mountains more than anything else. I am so fascinated with mountains that I will marry a guy whose name is Kailash, Rocky, Girish, Shailesh, etc. Just kidding :). It was 45 mins of flying time and excitement of visiting a new place kept on increasing. Finally, we landed in Simikot and trust me, it was very beautiful. First of all, it was cold and secondly, we were in the lap of Himalayas. It was the perfect place to be in. Combination of cold climate and Himalaya is the best one. I didn’t care about the facilities and was enjoying the views of Himalaya. Simikot is a very small place and our hotel was hardly at 5 mins of walk from airport. The airport has flights coming from Nepalgunj and helicopters flying for Hilsa.

Hand written boarding pass

Mountain flight

Rupa, Mauli and I were having time of our life and we were gang by now. And in Simikot trip, we got comfortable with a lovely couple, Jyothi and Sudhakar, who were from Vizag. We decided to share a common room and Sudhakar was in an adjacent room to us. Within a few days we had to start our biggest trek, so we decided to go for a small warm-up hike in nearby mountains. We went to a temple remotely located at a hike of only 2 km. I started my journey alone and now I made four new friends by now. Every time we used to make fun of each other, cracking stupid jokes and laugh endlessly. Our all-time target was Mauli, who is London based NRI but dil se desi (local by heart).

Crazy friends

Short hike

The Yak

New friend

At temple

29th May 2018

After breakfast, as usual we had nothing to do. Rupa and I were just walking around when I saw an army camp on the top of a hill. We both looked at each other with a broad smile. We both had the same thought of going on another short trek. We got ready to leave for the trek to army base and saw an old Malaysian guy in his early 50ies walking toward us. He was Dato ji. He asked if he can join us for trek and we agreed and now there was one more addition to our gang. Now we have six-member gang to conquer Kailash trek. We trekked to top and I felt like to breathe the pure air as much as I can. After spending some time on top, we came down to our base (hotel) where we met a friend of Sudhakar, who had been to Kailash before. His experience was valuable to us and we started taking tips from him. He explained the difficulties about taking dip in Mansarovar lake and how challenging it’s going to be on 2nd day of the trek. Also, he advised us to hire a porter and that tip was a life saver for all of us.

We also met few others at the airport, who were coming from Kailash. Many of them told that taking dip in lake is prohibited by Chinese govt now and news is live on TV. Also, the weather is not clear so everyone has to come back after 1st day of trek. A lot of negative news started coming in and this was the first time I actually felt sad. But again, my positive side of the brain started working and the good news was that I will get some more time to recover from my tail bone injury which could have helped me in later stage of the journey.

I remember it was full moon night which we were supposed to spend at Mansarovar. But nevertheless, Siddharth and his family beautifully organized Satya Narayan katha in the evening. Moreover, he was translating to English for the people who could not get Hindi. That was some talent, hats off to him. After the Katha session, we had our dinner and crashed on the bed.

Simikot-Hilsa by Helicopter

30th May 2018

We had our breakfast and again we had nothing to do, so we were just sitting and chatting. After some time, we saw Sagar from the tour agency asked people from our group who wants to go Hilsa and who wants to stay back in Simikot. He told us that Hilsa is a cold desert place with full of dust. Most of us decided to move ahead and explore a new place instead of staying back. Immediately we went to our room and packed bags and left to fly in the helicopter. Yes! it was my first helicopter ride and I was pretty excited.

Youngest and oldest in same frame

Hilsa trip by chopper was the most dangerous adventure of my life I have done ever. It was roller coaster ride. More ups and downs cutting air between the mountains. But somehow, we made it safely. I really salute to the pilots who fly these choppers and aircraft in such extreme conditions of air pressure. It required some serious skills. Now we were in Hilsa, and trust me I have a lot of interesting experiences here to share. So please stay tuned for my next article on my experience in Hilsa. How we got stuck and survived in no man’s land between two countries (Nepal and China), How did we spent that time, how did we go through the border and many more. Stay connected.

Here are the links of all of my articles on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, kindly read.