Getting to Purola
My plan for today is to get to Purola from where I intend to take an early morning bus to Sankri, the start of the Har ki dun trek. I make my way to the bus stand just outside the railway station and confirm that the Purola bus will come in at 1.30 pm. There is time enough for a dal-roti-subji lunch at a nearby restaurant. The fun starts after I return. Chaos reins around the bus going to Barkot. I make my way to the ticket counter to see if I can get an advance ticket for the Purola bus. By the time I get the clarification that tickets will be available only inside the bus, the bus arrives and there is a crowd of people trying to get in. There are also a large number of people trying to get out. The conductor advises me to load my backpack on top of the bus. Looking unsuccessfully for help to get my bag on top of the bus, I loose my place in the queue to get in and all chance of getting a seat on the bus. As things settle down, I learn that all the travelers in this bus go up to Purola, that a seat is essential and that to ensure a seat, passengers (or their proxies) board the bus at the workshop where it is parked before coming to the bus stand.
This is the last bus to Purola or anywhere nearby. There are other stranded passengers and there is a discussion about persuading the transport authority to organize another bus which soon fizzles out. Another option floated is to hire a private taxi and some people go out on that mission asking the rest to remain where we are and wait for them. After a long wait, we learn that private taxi's operating on this route fill up on the main road and will not make a detour to the bus stand. We head for the main road to find the situation bleak - a taxi has just left filled to capacity and there are little chances of another shared taxi coming by. There is now just one other passenger left with me and he needs to get to Barkot. He has a plan - take a bus to Vikas Nagar and look for shared taxis from there. In case nothing works out, he says he will put up at Vikas Nagar for the night - that place being much cheaper than Dehradun. I decide to take my chances with him.
We reach Vikas Nagar past 3.30 pm. A quick enquiry reveals that taxis for Purola have just left. We wander up and down the main street of Vikas Nagar. It is nearly 5 pm and people tell us that it is too late for vehicles to Purola. My companion is already making plans for a night stay here. Taxi's start from one "Prakash Hotel" and I am interested in taking a room as close to this as possible. As we head towards Prakash Hotel, it starts raining. My companion spots a bus with a couple of people inside whom he recognizes. The bus is actually going to Purola and we can't believe our luck. My companion, RS Rana of Barkot takes charge. The bus will reach Purola at 10 pm, past the time for hotels to be open. He calls up his friends and arranges stay for me at a hotel he knows.It is a wet evening.
The large 40 seater bus makes its way up along the Yamuna on a road that remains in a precarious condition after last years heavy rains. A couple of Gaddi shepards get down at a camp site crowded with buffaloes, goats and a few pack horses. They are in their traditional dress - skull caps and long kurta /pyjama - and with their distinct beards and goatee. I figure that this is their seasonal summer migration with cattle from the plains to the pastures in the hills. We stop for dinner where my friend gets his glass of the local brew after a hush-hush exchange with the waiter. Rana gets off at Mori to make his way to Barkot. I reach Purola just after 10 and make my way to the hotel previously arranged. On the short walk, I get a call from Rana who is checking to see if I have found the hotel.
Trekking to Har ki doon - 2
It is not yet 6 am, but the over-bridge at New Delhi Railway Station is already chock-a-bloc with people. I make my way to the far platform and locate the board with the passenger lists. My torch comes in handy in the darkness and I am able to locate my coach and seat in the Dehradun Shatabdi.
We are soon on our way and passing through the towns of Meerut and Muzzafarpur. Staring out of the large windows, I see golden fields of wheat with patches of sugarcane and occasional groves of mango. Innumerable brick kilns line the track, emitting black smoke drifting slowly west from their tall chimneys. My neighbor Mr Syal, an elderly man in his mid seventies, is good company and the conversation flows easy. We are at Dehradun by half past twelve.
 |
| Har ki doon Gad at Har ki doon |
My plan for today is to get to Purola from where I intend to take an early morning bus to Sankri, the start of the Har ki dun trek. I make my way to the bus stand just outside the railway station and confirm that the Purola bus will come in at 1.30 pm. There is time enough for a dal-roti-subji lunch at a nearby restaurant. The fun starts after I return. Chaos reins around the bus going to Barkot. I make my way to the ticket counter to see if I can get an advance ticket for the Purola bus. By the time I get the clarification that tickets will be available only inside the bus, the bus arrives and there is a crowd of people trying to get in. There are also a large number of people trying to get out. The conductor advises me to load my backpack on top of the bus. Looking unsuccessfully for help to get my bag on top of the bus, I loose my place in the queue to get in and all chance of getting a seat on the bus. As things settle down, I learn that all the travelers in this bus go up to Purola, that a seat is essential and that to ensure a seat, passengers (or their proxies) board the bus at the workshop where it is parked before coming to the bus stand.
This is the last bus to Purola or anywhere nearby. There are other stranded passengers and there is a discussion about persuading the transport authority to organize another bus which soon fizzles out. Another option floated is to hire a private taxi and some people go out on that mission asking the rest to remain where we are and wait for them. After a long wait, we learn that private taxi's operating on this route fill up on the main road and will not make a detour to the bus stand. We head for the main road to find the situation bleak - a taxi has just left filled to capacity and there are little chances of another shared taxi coming by. There is now just one other passenger left with me and he needs to get to Barkot. He has a plan - take a bus to Vikas Nagar and look for shared taxis from there. In case nothing works out, he says he will put up at Vikas Nagar for the night - that place being much cheaper than Dehradun. I decide to take my chances with him.
The large 40 seater bus makes its way up along the Yamuna on a road that remains in a precarious condition after last years heavy rains. A couple of Gaddi shepards get down at a camp site crowded with buffaloes, goats and a few pack horses. They are in their traditional dress - skull caps and long kurta /pyjama - and with their distinct beards and goatee. I figure that this is their seasonal summer migration with cattle from the plains to the pastures in the hills. We stop for dinner where my friend gets his glass of the local brew after a hush-hush exchange with the waiter. Rana gets off at Mori to make his way to Barkot. I reach Purola just after 10 and make my way to the hotel previously arranged. On the short walk, I get a call from Rana who is checking to see if I have found the hotel.
Trekking to Har ki doon - 2
Thanks for sharing the post.
ReplyDelete