Day 3 : Dehradun to Sankri

We left Dehradun early. The drive from Dehradun to Sankri, covering 197 km in 7 hours, took us through winding hairpin curves and stunning landscapes, reaching an elevation of 1960 meters, excited but unaware it would be the last time we showered until the trek ended. At the railway station, we met our trek mates—Dhaval, Rahul, Anand, and Akash. The drive to Sankri was beautiful but long, with a stop in Mussoorie for paranthas. Around lunchtime, Niru called to warn me about the earthquake in Nepal and the Himalayan alert, which made me call Amma to reassure her. By 1:30 PM, I lost my mobile signal, and I wouldn’t have it again until May 1st.

After entering Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, we learned Sankri hadn’t been affected by the earthquake, which relieved me. We finally reached Sankri, our base camp, a small village with limited electricity and signal. We met our trek lead, Nitin, and his team. I was a bit upset to hear we would be camping in tents, but we made the most of it. The weather turned cold, so Rekha and I shopped for woolen socks, gloves, and a poncho in the village. By 7 PM, we had a delicious dinner under the moonlight.

As we settled into our tents, I struggled with the thought of not being able to contact my family. I regretted leaving my power banks behind and missed capturing moments on my phone

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A step back

Image
A year ago, I never would have imagined pausing, reflecting, or even writing a blog. I was  constantly moving from one thing to the next. Whether it was work, planning the next travel, or looking forward to explore new food joints with specific person , I thrived on the rush of it all. This  was what kept me going   , and I rarely stopped to think about slowing down  . Then, out of nowhere, everything came to a halt. For months, it felt like a major setback, as if I was being forced into a pause I didn’t want or need. But despite all my resistance, this unexpected pause turned into one of the most significant moments. Breaking that pattern was not easy. The quiet was overwhelming. When I first faced it, I had no idea what to do with myself.  With time, space, and guidance, things became clearer—not just in terms of relationships and work, but within myself. I realized I had been leaning on those close to me to avoid dealing with my own issues.  This year ga...
Read more

A trip to Assam & Meghalaya

Image
This was my first vacation to the Northeast and also first solo trip, a personal experiment to see how I could navigate on my own. Visiting Maa Kamakhya Temple was high on my bucket list. I also knew about Kaziranga National Park from few of my friends who had been there.  I looked for operators offering itineraries for solo women travelers between November 15th and 24th. I chose TripNaari as their plan fit my requirements. I also planned to explore Guwahati on my own for a day before joining fellow travelers.  The trip started on a positive note  with an early morning flight, giving me the chance to get a glimpse of the Himalayan ranges, including Everest. About an hour before landing, the majestic mountains came into view, a sight that made the premium left-side window seat totally worth it! For getting around Guwahati, I had pre-booked a hourly cab through MakeMyTrip at a reasonable price. Thanks to the TripNaari team, our humble and careful trip driver Monik ( Google...
Read more

A 5-Day road trip : Nainital , Jim Corbett & Kainchi Dham

Image
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:
Read more