Memories

It had been five months since my last break, and I felt the need to take a few days off to reset. I had a few options in mind like Nainital, Jim Corbett, Kainchi Dham, or Kasol. Also, was considering the possibility of a family trip to Kashmir. After checking flight prices, weather conditions, and other arrangements, I finally decided on Nainital and Jim Corbett. But Kainchi Dham had been on my mind for over six months, it felt like something I was meant to do.  My 13-year-old nephews joined me on the trip, thanks to them to make it even more enjoyable. I used MakeMyTrip for most of the bookings for flights, hotels, and cabs, and Cleartrip for a one-way flight ticket. There’s a certain joy in planning a trip, especially when everything starts coming together. We took an early morning flight from Bangalore to Ghaziabad and began our five-day road trip from there. Here's the itinerary, along with a few highlights:

Trekking Shivagange hills had been on my mind for a few years. I had trekked this hill during my school days, and i remember in bits. After visiting Nandi Hills a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to head back to the hills to watch the sunrise above the clouds. The night before, I was debating between Shivagange and Thimmappana Betta, but since I woke up early, I decided to head to Shivagange. We started from home at around 5:00 AM and reached the base of the hills by 6:30 AM, after a 60-kilometer drive. As we reached we spotted only 3-4 other people; it was still dark and peaceful , however there is sufficient lighting along the path.  The trail is well defined,  though the hill is steep, the railings along the path help with balance. The 4-kilometer trek one way is moderately challenging, so it's important to carry water since the shops and temples aren’t open early. About 20 minutes into the ascent, we saw the sunrise with the moon still visible on the other side—it was beautif...