Travelogue - Part 4
Vaishnodevi was the last destination of our trip before we left Jammu. We reached Katara, the base camp for Vaishnodevi on 27th February at around 7:00 PM. We decided to start the trek towards Vaishnodevi at night at around 12:00 AM. Vaishnodevi is situated at an altitude of 5200 feet and the trek is of 14 kms. Around 12:00 AM, the skies were cloudy and it looked like it was going to start raining soon. After deliberating for a moment about what to do, we finally decided to go ahead with the trek and leave the rest to God. I, for one, was not sure whether I would be able to complete this trek or not because to be honest, physically, I was not exactly 'fit' (read gymming and exercising) and from what I had heard, the trek was arduous. But it was something that I wanted to do and I was fiercely determined to do it.
As we went higher up, the view down below of Katara was lovely, especially at night.
The snake like path is the path that leads towards Vaishnodevi.
Anyway, onwards we went and after two long 'pit stops' due to heavy rain and a couple of short stops (tired me!)we reached Vaishnodevi at around 4:30 AM. The darshan was worth all the physical exertion and it is a pity that they don't allow cameras inside the holy cave, where there are no statues or idols but the darshans are in the shape of three natural rock formations called the Pindies.According to the Vaishnodevi website,"The uniqueness of the Holy Pindies is that although they emanate from one single rock form, each one is distinctly different from the other two in colour and texture."
At around 9:00 AM, we started to trek down and by this time, I was sick of the incessant rain and the cold. I was drenched wet and no matter how hard I tried and even with a double layer of clothes,I was always cold and my teeth were chattering at one point of time!I couldn't wait to go down and have a long hot bath and feel warm and dry. But going down was a different story altogether! By the time we reached down, I was exhausted beyond words (at one point crying due to sheer exhaustion) and my body was singing a different tune of pain altogether. But it was sheer determination and Yayati, who egged me on when the distance seemed too large, and reach down, we finally did at around 2:00 PM!! :D
Looking back, I still enjoyed the trek but I still wish it had not rained that day. This must be my most memorable trip ever but I did miss a couple of things during this trip. I missed the warmth of the sun (it was always cold), missed drinking water at room temperature because the water was so cold to be undrinkable and one had to warm it first and then drink it, missed walking/travelling on flat land/plateaus because it was hills and mountains all around, missed my very own Maharashtrian food because no matter where we went it was Punjabi food all the way! But overall, it was still fun! :D
As we went higher up, the view down below of Katara was lovely, especially at night.
The snake like path is the path that leads towards Vaishnodevi.
Anyway, onwards we went and after two long 'pit stops' due to heavy rain and a couple of short stops (tired me!)we reached Vaishnodevi at around 4:30 AM. The darshan was worth all the physical exertion and it is a pity that they don't allow cameras inside the holy cave, where there are no statues or idols but the darshans are in the shape of three natural rock formations called the Pindies.According to the Vaishnodevi website,"The uniqueness of the Holy Pindies is that although they emanate from one single rock form, each one is distinctly different from the other two in colour and texture."
At around 9:00 AM, we started to trek down and by this time, I was sick of the incessant rain and the cold. I was drenched wet and no matter how hard I tried and even with a double layer of clothes,I was always cold and my teeth were chattering at one point of time!I couldn't wait to go down and have a long hot bath and feel warm and dry. But going down was a different story altogether! By the time we reached down, I was exhausted beyond words (at one point crying due to sheer exhaustion) and my body was singing a different tune of pain altogether. But it was sheer determination and Yayati, who egged me on when the distance seemed too large, and reach down, we finally did at around 2:00 PM!! :D
Looking back, I still enjoyed the trek but I still wish it had not rained that day. This must be my most memorable trip ever but I did miss a couple of things during this trip. I missed the warmth of the sun (it was always cold), missed drinking water at room temperature because the water was so cold to be undrinkable and one had to warm it first and then drink it, missed walking/travelling on flat land/plateaus because it was hills and mountains all around, missed my very own Maharashtrian food because no matter where we went it was Punjabi food all the way! But overall, it was still fun! :D