{"id":49,"date":"2007-01-15T00:17:29","date_gmt":"2007-01-14T18:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/?p=49"},"modified":"2026-07-04T23:59:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T04:59:49","slug":"the-great-auli-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/adventures\/the-great-auli-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Auli Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Date: 28th<\/sup> December to 30th<\/sup> December, 2006
\nPhotographers: Shrish Tewari & JK<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Planning<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all started when we realized sometime in October that if we applied for a four-day leave in December, we would end up with a good 10 days off. This is something that Shrish and I wanted for a long time. A well-deserved break for me, as I was about to quit work and pursue an MBA. For Shrish, he desperately needed it to get away from office politics and have some time for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After doing a bit of Google (re)search, Shrish came up with this place called Auli. At the very first site I decided to go for it. There were two reasons: First, the snow, and second, it had adventure sports (skiing and trekking). Our minds started to waver after seeing the price tag that was put up on the net. Hardly was there one package available with a 4-digit price tag per head. We were even thinking of making an international trip at that cost or shifting plans to Kulu-Manali. Later we realized that it’s now or never. One never knows what’s going to happen after another couple of years, married with kids or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the place is finalized, we decided to figure out alternatives to bring down the cost. As bachelors trained by SRM Engg. College Hostel, survival instinct is now sort of in our blood. This made us comfortable with the fact that we should not have too much of a problem adjusting in any kind of a place. A ticket to Delhi from Chennai was booked in Indigo Airlines in October itself to ensure we don’t change our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long way to go, Delhi<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Majestic Bus Stop, Bangalore.
22nd<\/sup> December, 2006, 21:30 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My bus journey to Chennai started, and the adventure too seemed to have kicked off here itself. All buses to Chennai had arrived except my 10:15pm bus. It arrived at around 10:55pm, and I left Bangalore only at around 11:40pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near MGR Engg. College, Chennai.
23rd<\/sup> December, 2006, 07:20 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Hutch phone refused to activate roaming and I had to figure out a way to call Shrish as I\u00a0didn’t have his address \ud83d\ude42 By now Shrish had already started to wonder if I was going to make it to Chennai or not. Had a good breakfast in his place and left for the airport just to realize that we were already running late. Called up Indigo Airlines to hear\u00a0the good\u00a0news that\u00a0the tele-check-in facility is currently not available with them and their counter closes at 10:30am. To add to this, there were quite a few roadblocks on the way, which was getting us tensed a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestic<\/em> Airport<\/em>, Chennai.
23rd<\/sup> December, 2006, 10:26 hrs<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just made it to the airport, and we were given good news and bad news. The bad news is that our flight was delayed due to fog in\u00a0Delhi,\u00a0and the good news is that it will not be cancelled. The 11am flight kept getting delayed every 30 min till about 3:30pm. It was worth the wait. The air hostesses were simply amazing. The best part was there was a cute female sitting right next to us, and she was an air hostess too for some other airline!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comesum<\/em>, Delhi.
23rd<\/sup> December, 2006, 20:20 hrs<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We decided to go to Comesum, a 24-hour fast food restaurant near Nizamuddin Railway Station, as it would be convenient to catch the 11 pm train to Dehradun. Sat in the open air (the temp. was around 4 to 5 degrees) and had some spicy Chinese food to warm ourselves a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dehradun & Mussoorie<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mussoorie.
25th<\/sup> December, 2006, 14:00 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reached Mussoorie on 24th<\/sup> and made all necessary travel arrangements. On the 25th<\/sup>, we went to Mussoorie and saw the ice-capped peaks at a distance, waiting for us eagerly. Trust me; the road leading to Mussoorie from Dehradun was terrible. Very steep and very bad turnings. Hardly one proper hairpin bend. My poor small intestines, I know they are in a tangled state, but this time they were put to their limits. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did a few 180-degree turns inside my stomach on the way to and back from Mussoorie. We desperately needed a day’s rest before we headed for the next place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danolti snowfall<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danolti.
26th<\/sup> December, 2006, 11:15 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We just landed at Danolti and asked a passer-by, “How far is the main market area of Danolti?<\/em>” He showed the stretch where our car was parked and said it’s only this much. Hardly a kilometer’s stretch of road. So for having gone all the way, we decided to see some pine trees, have lunch, and leave for Chamba. Hoping to see something good there at least. I should say it was pure luck and timing on this day. We had our lunch and returned to the cab; the driver said it’s likely to snow here anytime, so it’s better to wait for an hour or so. We decided to wait for a few min. It started to snow heavily. We knew it was worth making this trip after all. At least for this one experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Way to Auli<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chamoli<\/em>.
28th<\/sup> December, 2006, 19:35 hrs<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dehradun,<\/strong> Rishikesh,<\/strong> DevPrayag<\/strong>, RudraPrayag<\/strong>, Chamoli<\/strong>. The mountains here were nowhere close to the ones we see in South India. Each one was huge, majestic, and standing with a pride of its own. Indescribable creations of God. One can hardly see the foothill and the peak of the mountain at the same time. Throughout the journey, the ice-capped peaks were teasing us at regular intervals, keeping us awake throughout the journey. We were hardly able to close our eyes. During sunset time, the layer of mountains taking different shades was another breathtaking sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As rock blasting was going on to widen the roads for the 2008 Asian Games, the roads were closed from 8pm till 5am. We decided to halt in Chamoli and checked out a couple of places. The first one was called Hotel Heaven. This guy has all facilities, including a TV. First he took us to a small matchbox-sized room and said this one is with a TV. Shrish and I looked around, and we were not able to find any TV, so we asked him where it was. He pointed towards the ceiling and showed us a TV almost as big as the room hanging on a stand from the ceiling. Unfortunately, I don’t have a snap of that here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we went to a place called\u00a0Badrinath-Kedarnath\u00a0Samithi, constructed and maintained by the temple trust for pilgrims. For just Rs.100\/- per day, you get a big clean room with all facilities except hot water (the most important thing). Anyway, we were in no mood for having a bath at close to sub-zero temperature. \ud83d\ude42 After all, what are\u00a0deo’s\u00a0for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auli<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auli.
29th<\/sup> December, 2006, 12:35 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We reached GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam), the place where we had booked a hut for Rs. 900\/- per day. The same hut you see in the top right corner of this page. An excellent hut with all facilities, including hot water and TV. We decided to skip lunch and trek a little before the sun sets. A good 2.5 km trek drained all our energy that day. Every time you see the mountains from the ski slope, you just can’t refrain yourself from taking a snap. It’s very, very addictive. They look different every time you see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

29th<\/sup> December, 2006, 19:00 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After sunset, sitting in front of our room, under the clear sky and moonlight, completely absorbed in the quiet surroundings, admiring the beauty of the never-ending ice-capped Shivalik range at 12000+ feet, the sight was indescribable. When my friends used to say certain things cannot be captured in a camera, I never understood what they exactly meant by that, but now I have experienced it myself. This is one among them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To break the silence, we had an excellent neighbor. We nicknamed her “Travel India.” Trust me, I couldn’t stand the nonsense this female was uttering to an old man. It became a little interesting when she started to give website addresses too, and at this point, I couldn’t control myself and started to record whatever crap she was saying in my cell. According to her, if you have not heard of this place called Kaza, you are not a true nature lover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I said “cell,” my Sony Ericsson K750i was a lifesaver. The digital camera I have, the Canon S1  IS (with 10x optical zoom), let me down when the image capture circuit was rendered useless. All the snaps you see here on this site were taken in Shrish’s and my cell. Thanks to Sony’s K750i. The pictures had come up with decent clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

30th<\/sup> December 2006, 08:45 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We went to the ski slope led by our ski instructor, Dinesh. Had a nice practice session for around an hour and a half. After which we hit the ski slope where 2008 Asian games would be held. With my experience in roller skating a bit, I didn’t have much of a problem balancing. But Shrish had a little tough time every time he gained some speed. I do have a video of him falling. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had our lunch and left Auli at around 3:45pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return Journey<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 kms before RudraPrayag.
30th<\/sup> December, 2006, 19:15 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a stretch of around 20 km, we would have crossed at least 5 villages, and in none of the villages was there light or a candle burning or signs of people moving around. It was a little strange. We decided to stay in Rudra Prayag and were praying that we should have some light there at least. Just 3 km before we reached RudraPrayag, there was a landslide, and a big boulder had hit a container lorry and blocked the road. This incident had taken place just a few min. before we reached that spot. Luckily, the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and Highway Patrol, along with the local public, had managed to move the boulder and get the traffic moving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We finally reached RudraPrayag and were searching for another GMVN rest house. Believe it or not, just before we got there, we found the same Badrinath-Kedarnath Samithi here also. We picked it up for the same Rs.100\/- and spent the night in peace. A pic of the room should be there in my album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DevPrayag<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DevPrayag<\/em>.
31st<\/sup> December, 2006, 10:15 hrs<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the place where the two rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet. After this point, the river is called Ganga. We went down to the sangam to collect some water and eventually drank some too. Trust me, it was damn clean. Tasted like pure mineral water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near Hrishikesh.
31st<\/sup> December, 2006, 11:45 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our cab driver was asking if we would be interested in going for rafting, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough energy left to go for it. We wanted to get back to our office in one piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Byasi<\/em>.
31st<\/sup> December, 2006, 15:30 hrs<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were a number of villages we would have crossed. None of the villages would have stretched for more than 500 meters to a kilometer. It’s like we enter the village, and even before we realize it, we have crossed the limits of that village. One of the villages was called Byasi. We had our lunch here. Six rotis, two bowls of dal, two bowls of subzi, freshly cut mooli, onion chutney, and pickles cost us just Rs.26\/-. Hard to believe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dehradun.
31st<\/sup> December, 2006, 18:00 hrs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We reached Dehradun with lots of good memories and snaps to share with everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Year Party<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our New Year’s Eve party was in Hotel Madhuban, Dehradun, with Shrish, his parents, his sister, and family. It was one rocking place. Everyone was on the dance floor dancing, and hardly anyone was able to walk steadily off the dance floor. I did my authentic dance step a couple of times and danced till my body couldn’t take anymore. This was my third most memorable New Year’s Eve in succession. The previous one (2006) was in Hiranandani, Mumbai, and 2005 in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall Experience<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was one memorable and adventurous trip. Those who think India is a place where there is not much to see or not many beautiful places must visit this place. You will change your views for ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#Adventure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Date: 28th December to 30th December, 2006 Photographers: Shrish Tewari & JK Planning It all started when we realized sometime in October that if we applied for a four-day leave in December, we would end up with a good 10 days off. This is something that Shrish and I wanted for a long time. A well-deserved break…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[15,17,19,18,177,16],"class_list":["post-49","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","tag-auli","tag-danolti","tag-dehradun","tag-delhi","tag-experience","tag-mussorie"],"acf":{"phase":"1","cluster":"Core AI","topics":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1166,"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions\/1166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jkspeaks.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}