20May, 2016
Trip to Hail Himalayas – May 2016
A great man once said that an Adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you. More miraculously going to the Himalayas is not about finding yourself but creating yourself.
Our access to the paradise of earth started when the clock struck 7 and we set our roll to get to the hub of eco-tourism.
We were planned for amazingly adventurous 2 days. Our first halt was at Giani Da Dhaba and still the taste of the paranthas and the hot ginger tea freshen up the taste buds. Generally people prefer a nap after such a typical Punjabi breakfast but we had our priorities set before us and we had our battle of songs – Antakshri in our travel bus.
Between Solan and Chail, there located was a small village – Sadhupul where we reached by noon. Now with an adventurous road drive of approx. 4 kms we marched closer to the serenity and the beauty yet to be explored and after every moment the curiousness and excitement jumped to another level. By 1 o’clock we set our sight on the Hail Himalayas – where the heart hears the call of the mountain and the soul responds. After the narrow passage of 200-300 mtrs, we were all ready for the luxury retreat in the lap of Mother Nature.
And the retreat started with welcome drinks and an absolutely important briefing session that guided us along all the guidelines and the do’s and don’ts. We were introduced to our tents and were well marked as HH1 for couples and HH2 for singles. After all the briefing session and the sight of snowy mountains, green valleys, tranquil waters and the miraculous scenic beauty rejuvenated our craving for a splendid lunch. And as expected we got our tummies full with the fantastically yummy food.
The most awaited segment arrived as we got ready for our bit of adventure. First to start with was Jumaring, we were to do the activities one by one. Next in the adventurous queue was rock climbing and it was the most excitedly awaited segment of the package, we all enjoyed and on the repelling it was even more fun. We all could sense an adrenaline boost in our bodies. Next up were a series of many venturesome tasks like Ring walk, Burma Bridge and the Commando net along with the test of our balancing and jumping skills on the trampoline. The undaunted tasks were never seeming to end and our adrenaline was peaked with the Valley crossing. None of us wanted this thing to end but the law of mortality over ruled and by 6 we were done with all our heroic activities.
A little rest over tea and we had our little bonfire lit and illuminated by a happy time wrapping up with music, songs and snacks. By 10:30 we had our supper but the supper did not come with any trace of sleep. Many of us enjoyed the rhythms of guitar at the stroke of midnight. Some notorious people were awake till 3 a.m. gossiping and chatting all night long. And with the enthusiasm in the breathes, excitement in the eyes and curiousness in the mind everyone slept a well-deserved sleep only to wake up for many unexplored folding of our trip.
Day two began in the most picture perfect way as we went out for a nature walk, the soothing therapy that the nature gives to our eyes, mind and eventually to our soul is purely spell binding. As the serene nature was imparting its vibrancy to the pious ambience, almost all of us were striking many poses for the camera lens. Because it’s the photographs only that take you to the memory lane whenever and however you want. With the God on our side the weather was extremely pleasant as we cherished our morning tea with biscuits. With our cravings not ending we ended up on the breakfast table gulping the delicacy of the paradise. As we had our quota of energy we set up our eyes on the much awaited Sun Bath. The warmth of the radiance of the Sun amalgamated with the coldness of the surroundings was nothing short of a heavenly experience. With that it was the time for our trek so we all packed our bags and were on a roll to trek 3 – 4 km. A long journey feels short when you have friends. That’s right! Moreover we did not only had friends but lot of laughs, talks, and happiness and of course the “Smile please” photographs.
Our trek ended on the sight of the tranquility and the freshness of a waterfall where we all bathed. We also visited a nearby Shiva temple and on a very pious note we boarded our buses. Nostalgia was significantly on everyone’s mind. We had our lunch on our way back at the Dhaba around 5:30 and reached ZapBuild premises around 9:30 as we ended our valorous trip with one thing in mind that – Where ever you go, the mountains will call you back…