~Rise like the mountains~
Walking on the ledge of the Meru glacier. It was quite a challenge for me to walk, not only because walking on the ridge was scary, but also coz the sole of my shoe had come off and the terrain this day involved walking on moraines. I avoided stepping into the snow and instead took the longer route over the boulders or the trail sans snow. Yet tiny stones, loose gravel and snow seeped into my shoes every now and then making it uncomfortable for me to walk and maintain a good pace. At some point I did think I should have stayed back at the campsite. But I also couldn't think of simply waiting and watching the mount Meru stand right there, in front of eyes (the peak was visible from the campsite) To me the idea seemed something I'd regret for a long long time. And oh boy, for all the pain I endured (yes that's what it was, pain, walking with bandaged shoes) what I was rewarded with was the terrific and soul-filling view of the glaciers and peaks all around me, from such proximity, a challenging and worthy by all means, trail to walk on and supreme peace of standing so close to this beautiful beautiful #mountain and to be in a certain way, embraced lovingly by them ❤️ #travelstories #mountainlove #mountainchild #snowmountain #glacier #meru #mountmeru #meruglacier #himalayas #mytravels #travelindia #trekking #outdoors #liveoutdoors #challengeyourself #snow #wanderer #wanderlove #wanderingsoul #travelgram #instadaily #indiagram #indiaig #indianwomentravellers #india #travelandhappiness👣
"Would you like to buy some handmade woollen items?" She called-out, as I strolled the tiny Buddhist village of Bagori near #Harshil. Most houses here, beautiful, old and wooden, were locked, so I was little startled by the call. I politely refused, to which she said, "no problem, come have tea with us and I can also show you our apple gardens". I smiled and accepted the invitation. In the pic, we are at their apple orchard, that's Sarita didi and her husband.
She then showed me her house and made some black tea for us. It was a beautiful, wooden, ancestral house of about a 100 yrs old! While chatting, she told me they were just back a few days ago. The entire village migrates to lower altitudes during the bitter winters (which is why most of the houses were locked, their owners were yet to come) Sarita didi told me that it snows quite heavily in winters, depositing over 10 feet of snow!
I purchased a woollen cap for mom (which she loved!) Chatted some more, clicked some more pictures (and selfies). When I was finally ready to leave, she said, "if you are free in the evening, join us for dinner" 😊 I love these #mountainpeople for all their love, simplicity, and the warm, kind and genuine heart they possess 💕😊 #stories #travelstories #travelindia #travelgram #indiagram #appleorchard #peopleandplaces #placesandfaces #mytravels #solo #solotraveller #solowomantraveler #indianwomentravellers #wanderer #wanderingsoul #wanderlove #journeys #mountainlove #mountainchild #uttarakhand #indiaig #india #peopleyoumeet #beautifulpeople #beautifulworld #instagoodvibes #travelandhappiness👣
Though at first I thought of walking from Harshil to Mukhba village - the winter abode of Ganga ji at #Gangotri, which is about 3ish km from #Harshil, I kept stopping at the many scenic spots. And why wouldn't I for there was a soul soothing silence, occasional chirping of birds, and such views for company. I decided not to go to Mukhba village and instead enjoy the moment, for sometimes the best plan is no plan. So here I sat with my book till about #sunset listening to the sounds of a river flowing beneath, birds chirping merrily and that of the wind whooshing through the valley.
#travel #travelphotography #solo #indiaig #uttarakhand #travelgram #himalayanmountains #instadaily #wanderingsoul #mytravels #indiagram #travelindia #snow #snowmountain #himalayas #indianwomentravellers #booklove #explore #liveoutdoors #goexplore #travelandhappiness👣
I had no plans that day so I decided to visit the nearby Sagar village that is about 5 km from Gopeshwar in Chamoli. This is a pitstop/base for those heading to Rudranath - one of the Panch Kedar. There isn't much to see here, so I just roamed around the little village. There was an old Shiv temple, where I sat for a few minutes until I got distracted by the sound of the birds, there were this different kinds of birds, the ones that you don't normally see in cities, extremely colourful and tiny. I couldn't capture them of course, as they were too tiny and too swift. I then went berry plucking, they were delicious! These are hisol berries of Uttarakhand, I learned the name from a local lady who was such a happy and chatty person. We talked for several minutes, and I played with her dog who was called Hiroo. Aimlessly I wandered around the village without a care in the world, enjoying the moment and thankful to the universe for all such blessings.
#thankyouuniverse #bliss #littlejoys #berrylove #traveldiaries #travelindia #travelgram #indiaig #instadaily #indiagram #solotraveller #travel #wanderingsoul #uttarakhand #mytravels #somewheresomeday #travelandhappiness👣
One for the soul...
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.. A mere look at this picture from my recent visit to the beloved #himalayanmountains fills my soul with an unexplainable peace & innumerable joyful memories. I'm a terrible traveller/trekker and often have mishaps on my treks. I have cried of unbearable pain at times, fell ill, got scared & hurt many times. I have questioned myself "why am I here?" so many times. But to tell you the truth, despite it all, walking in the mountains and everything about it, are the most treasured moments of my life & I wouldn't change them for anything else in the world, ever!
Has that happened to you? What are your most treasured moments from #travel / #trekking ?
#himalayas #mountains #happiness #traveldiaries #uttarakhand #mountainlove #mytravels #shetravels #indiagram #outdoors #lifeisoutside #trekker #adventuresandmisadventures #adventureisoutthere #indianwomentravellers #travelgram #wanderingsoul #onelife #oneforthesoul #travelandhappiness👣
Alpine chough - I remember seeing them for the first time in #ladakh many years ago. I was curious about this interesting cousin of the crow that I was used to seeing. Over the years I learned more about them, learned the name, about its other cousin (the one with red beak), observed them curiously, saw them more closely each time I trekked in the Himalayan #mountains
Even though I found them so interesting, each time for whatever reason, I never managed to click them. This time as I trekked in the Gangotri national park, these fellas were all around our campsite at Bhojbasa in large numbers. When we gathered for breakfast that morning, fellow trekker @maestropala here managed to click this beautiful pic which I must use for this post (mainly because my click isn't as good as this one, #photographyisnotmything 😉) PC: @maestropala
#himalayas #alpinechough #himalayanbirds #birdsofinstagram #trekking #mountain_world #uttarakhand #indiagram #travelindia #travelgram #indiaig #instadaily #incredibleindia #indianwomentravellers #solotravel #liveoutdoors #outdoors #shetravels #traveldiaries #mytravels #wanderlove #wanderingsoul #travelandhappiness👣
