How I love to go to the Himalayas!
I want to climb the Himalayas. Well, that’s not the same as reaching the Mount Everest. I’m just talking about climbing the Himalayas. That must be some experience, isn’t it? I want to do that just for that unique adventure. At least for a short period of time, you get to experience the world that could not be distorted by man. You’ll be far far away from the reach of technology. That’ll be a place where there is no value for money. Rupees, dollars, pounds all are one and the same. That’s world at its purest form.
A baby is the purest form of mankind. Unadulterated. Then the baby gets loaded with all morals, values, ideas, rituals, formalities, knowledge etc and then it grows to become a man that can fit into this society. The world that we live in, be it Chennai or London or Newyork is like this grown man. The places like Himalayas are the babies which are as pure as they arrived, devoid of any human developments or distortions. That’s what attracts me to that place. To see how life can be lived in places where you have no phone, no internet, no electricity, no pizza huts, no malls, no shops, no cinema, no banks. All that’s left there is nature and some forms of lives. I can bet that it could be an unbelievable and unforgettable experience. I don’t think there can be a more humbling experience than this one where you look like a sand in a beach. Imagine if you were one of the people in the below photograph. You’ll be an ignorable dot in the massive himalayas.
The biggest challenge is to travel into that unknown. We can have our expectations based on the stories but the actual experience could be quite different from person to person. What one needs to be aware is that this expedition involved risk. The temparature could be in the negatives, water could be frozen, you need to eat what you get, no one might understand your language, your fatigue can end your trip or can even end your life.
I want to go there. I cannot force my folks at home to join me. I don’t think it’s wise. This whole expedition demands a lot of physical exertion. Step one to be able to do this is to persuade my wife and my parents that I’m going. The expedition is for about 15 days which includes the travel from Chennai to Delhi to mountain base at Dehradun and back. So that means going offline with your family, friends, colleagues, office and business for about 15 days. So persuasion for acceptance should happen first.
Now, the most important question. Who would take me there? I don’t know anything about himalayas and trekking there. I don’t even know where to start. All that I have is the desire and will to go. There are lots of agencies that organise himalayan expeditions and take people as groups. One such group is Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI). They do it as a service and charge a minimal fee for a trip of this significance. Money wouldn’t be too much of a concern. The total cost involved is not beyond Rs.10,000 and most of it is spent on train tickets to reach Delhi and charges to reach the base. The organisers take about Rs.3,000 for arranging, organising and conducting the expedition. Anyway, there is little worth for money as you climb up so all that you spend would be when you’re at Dehradun and not beyond.
It would be real adventure. I’ve spoken to people who’ve personally experienced it. As with any adventure, there are risks. When you’re trying to reach a height of more than 12,000 feet from the sea level, you can’t do it like walking the dog. You need to climb, trek, cross rivers, pass through bridges, walk through streams, get past snow capped hills, dense forests and withstand very gutsy cold winds. The expedition that starts with a 30-member group might end with a 20-member group at the highest point because many people to give up in the middle and prefer to make a return. The group would be accompanied by a good number Sherpas, the local community who are experts in climbing and trekking. They are practically our life guards who can help, guide, support or even carry us if required. Generally, the ratio of Sherpas to participants would be 1:4 which spells safety.
To desire to climb the himalayas is not sudden. I have always wanted to do it since my college days. May be I wasn’t strong willed enough back then to really give it a go. That’s why I say I now have not just the desire but also the will. Does this mean I’ll pack my bags next week? Not really. I may not even do it this year. Certain things will have to fall in line – home, office etc. But I would certainly do this once in my life. My wish is to go before I get so old that my body becomes a burden for me to be able to do this to my satisfaction.
I’m sure I’ll be there one day. I’ll be here to tell the tale as well.
The images are breathtaking! Who wouldn’t love to be there! The YHAI seems to be a good, safe arrangement and I think any risk is to go the full distance is worth it. But it looks like it’s only for YHAI members.
Best of luck for your travel plans. Have a nice time when you go there. True, contemplating the elements of nature – be it the skies or the mountains – leaves one feeling humble.
Ahaaa..!!! What a Lovely pictures. Now I understand why “Maniratnam” never shoot/go out of India.
)
I too experienced similar instance. These Pictures made my eagerness more to visit than it was before. I come across YHAI from one of my co-passenger from chennai long back, where he was sharing his joyful moments after visiting Himalayas through YHAI. There I decided to experience myself & to be part of it at the earliest. I did enquire with YHAI at that time and I was told that I need to take membership, enroll for the trip & wait for my turn….. asusual busy life dried all the plans. I think life time is not enough to explore & discover whole India. But my distant desire brighten with your post. Will join if you are planning in near future If my company is fine for you
Vijay Anil
Vj,
You might have Ibrutto, Julia & Anil on your side when it comes to climbing Himalayas but not me. I completely understand the purpose of this post unlike the others and it conveys two things! One is that you are trying to make yourselves Superstar by saying I am going to Himalayas
Two is that you are getting older, looking for that peaceful part of life!
Want to spend time with nature, going out of noisy cities, climbing mountains peaks and performing dyaans all lead to the making of an old saint and certainly not a youth! I am happy that your reality finally came out!
Jokes apart keeping aside the adventures and thrills it certainly will be a tiring experience. No wonder you turn pink and pins prick in that chilling cold. I am not sure how far is Dehradun but it certainly must be freezing than Amsterdam! NOT ME!
Anil when you travel along side Vj remember to get all tips & tricks from his better half for handling his medikit! I think you will end up being his nurse all along
Santy! What makes you think I’m not a superstar
You’ve made too many assumptions. I have no intentions of dhyaans and meditations in Himalayas. I just want to enjoy that experience and that adventure. If you do that background check, the people to go to the Himalayas range from 15 years to 60 years, from various countries and continents.
And yes, it will be a tiring experience. For the first time in your life, if you try to climb 13,000 feet in sub-zero temperatures, you can’t expect that to be not tiring. Whether that would discourage you from going depends on how much you want to go. Ask Sachin. Scoring hundreds are tiring, but he would not mind scoring another century.
Anil as my nurse at 13,000 feet above sea level? Not very exciting!
Vj,
That’s exactly what I missed to say
It does not matter where we are, it matters with whom we are! I know it is already thrilling and exciting at Chennai, then why you need Himalayas. If it is seeming monotonous give it some time! Your kid is growing 
I believe our kids certainly will make our life exciting!
I am not stopping you Vj rather I cannot stop you from being superstar or Sachin. Just one wish, bring some snow for me from Himalayas
Ha! You need to have gone there, or you should have heard the experiences or you should be able to imagine. If none of these happen, there is no difference between chennai and himalayas.
I’m afraid we’re still talking different languages here. It is not about thrill or excitement or feeling bored or monotonous at all. A change does not always mean that the status quo is not satisfactory. A new experience is what I mean. A new experience that I would never be able to have in the place where I live.
If I get there, I’ll bring you a yeti.
Vjy… visiting the Himalays with Sruthi can be the best part of your expedition for which I think you need to wait for another 5 years. defently the experience with sruthi can be much more than what you alone going.
It’s high time to tell Sruthi about this, so that daily she can ask… Papa papa when we can go
I’d love to take all my family and friends provided it is not too physically taxing for them. First of all, let me get anyway closer to actually planning for this trip.
Is there any best season mentioned by the YHAI?
http://www.ChennaiTrekkers.org
Even this group arranges trekking in exotic places.
i am in love with the himalayas and i spend a few months every year travelling all over the himalayas
i paln to do the char dham yatra in sept 09 and before that i plan to visit garhwal next month {april 09}
if any one is interested do contact me and we can form a group
my mail id is bhojsanmbhy@rediffmail.com
Wow. What a nice post! Makes me also want to visit the Himalayas now…. even though I’m already in it!!!
Rinchen! You’re blessed that you stay in that region! You must be able visit Himalayas every weekend, right
Jai Ma!
The Himalayas are more than a wonderful place for sure.
Iwant to visit above place because for peace ful life
VJKrishna..I am from your neighbouring state..well actually above your state.I am 31 and I’ve been to the char dham yatra, though i covered only three dhams due to time constraints.I’ve been to Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. I could not go to Yamunotri. Let me only say one thing about Himalayas. “THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE HIMALAYAS IN THE WORLD”. Its absolute privilige and bliss to visit them. The trip actually changed my entire perspective of life and the way we live in the cities. I was in a totally different world. I ‘ve been some of the best moutains in the world, be it european alps, america or Australia but there is nothing like the himalayas.The places around the world are scenic, but himalayas are much more than that. I have no words to describe what i saw and felt. But, it could be a little tough if you are not an experienced high altitude trekker, but still manageable.I myselves wasn’t experienced and wasn’t prepared at all, but i did it.I had no plans how to go there and what to do.A casual trip to rishikesh took me all the way up. If you plan to go there, practice cardio exercises and lots of walking.Go there prepared with all the clothing and accesories. It could be peak summer with 40+ temperatures in india but you will experience sub zero temperatures there.I am going there again this summer to finish the one dham left and may be go to all of them.Trust me its worth.