Chandratal- A dream come true!

0 Saturday, 2 July 2016 Edit this post

"XYZ- Hey, what happened to you? You are all red & black! Me(with a big grin)- I am tanned, sun bitten... because sun-kissed is an ...

"XYZ- Hey, what happened to you? You are all red & black!

Me(with a big grin)- I am tanned, sun bitten... because sun-kissed is an understatement ;-)"

...And one morning when I got up... Everything was different!

Yes, since the day I am back from Chandratal everything is different ... All of a sudden I can feel every emotion with the same intensity again... I can connect with myself and I am head over heels in love with everything... It's all magical... :D

Yes, I was in mountains again, this time I lived my dream of visiting Chandratal lake, Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh.

2016 is coming up with surprises... this was the 3rd place in a row I visited after planning for so long... first two were Triund & Goa... although my idea of Goa is still unfulfilled... so, I will visit again very soon (fingers crossed) :-))

Coming back to my recent trek- Hampta pass & Chandratal..

In two words it was “exceptionally beautiful”... it was a 5 day trek where we walked for about 40 kms in 4 days... We were in a group of 32 amazing people from all across the country... And it was an awesome experience as whole.

Coming up with my experience daywise-

Day 1- Jobra to chika (4 kms)

I reached Manali by Volvo around 10am where the entire group from all across India gathered and we together started our journey. All excited :)

We reached Jobra, starting point of our trek, had our lunch and started walking.

After walking for almost 3-4KMS we reached our campsite for day 1... It was truly beautiful and serene... Afterwards it was a relaxing day... we had food, interacted, enjoyed bon-fire and slept...

Our phones were not working there so everybody was socialising real-time and that was the best part :)

Day 2- Chika to balu ka gera (10kms approx)

Second day was a bit tiring but manageable, we started our trek around 7.30 am and were walking till 4pm... In between we crossed 2 rivers with ice cold water and had our lunch in a serene place...

Balu ka gera was our campsite for that day and was my personal favourite in the entire trek..

It was a different world for me.

As a kid, I used to dream of having a small house in woods near a flowing river and green mountains around.... Balu ka gera was the place straight out of my dreams, in fact, it was more beautiful than I could ever think of.

In evening, we practiced snow walk and snow sliding and prepared ourselves for the next day which was the most difficult one... we were all super excited... :D

Day 3- balu ka gera to Shea goru via hampta pass (15KMS approx)

It was the day when we had to cross the pass and had to walk for almost 8-9 hours...

We walked on rocky mountains, snow covered mountains, green areas and crossed the most mesmerizing views and refreshing water springs on the way...

We all crossed hampta pass by 2pm... the landscapes of Spiti valley were brilliant and we camped there.

Day 4- Shea goru to Chatru(9-10 kms) to Chandratal lake

It was comparatively an easy day... We quickly finished trekking and reached a dhaba where beer was served... It was like a heaven for beer lovers... Beautiful Spiti mountains and chilled beer, pure bliss...

We took cabs from there and proceeded for the dream destination "Chandratal"...

For me, it was the most beautiful drive ever... After almost 5-6 hours we reached chandratal... We got down of the cab and I literally started running towards the lake... Like a small kid running towards her favourite dessert :P

The first sight of the lake was deadly and hard to believe... And in a fraction of second my dream turned into my love at first sight... It was more beautiful than any picture could ever capture... I still remember the feel of the first sight of it... I rushed towards it and dipped my feet into the ice cold water... The only one sitting in the water for almost 20 minutes... :P

We camped 2 kms away from chandratal and it was our last night there... In just 4 days the strangers were not strangers anymore and it was like a big big family... :-)

We had our dinner.. Played random group games and slept....

Day 5- Back to Manali and departure

We all came back to Manali and left for our respective destinations... :(

It was not a good feeling at all.... The moment my bus started for Delhi, I started missing my trip..

Every time I finish a trek, it changes something in me and takes up a special place in my heart... I loved it so much... It was an experience I can never forget... The place, the people, the feel and the most beautiful Chandratal...

Thank You God, once again for everything... I love you so so so so much... Muuuaaah :)))

Please take care of my people, always... :-)

Some pictures from my cam-