Update

Starting to write. Current activities are:
1. Running on mornings
2. Riding on weekends
3. Trekking on weekends

Starting to post retrospectively. Lots of anachronisms to follow. I am writing out of loneliness. Blogging to seek fellow adventurers. At least that's what it seems right now.

A small dam, diverting water in to an irrigation channel.

This post is about the beginning of my trekking. In my final year at JUIT, I had a lot of free time. One also has a lot freedom there. Combined with my tendency to explore, I started mapping all the hillocks in the vicinity. One day while scouting the area on google earth (as usual), I spotted a stream. Gradually following it down, I saw it merge into another. A very simple plan then followed. Go downstream in one and climb back upstream in another. But to do this I needed to recce the area first. After a couple of trips to Chawsha, a nearby village (one involving a picnic!), I geared up for a 20 km trek into the unknown. I don't have the right words to describe my excitement, as I was going alone, knowing none of my friends will take part in this "insanity".

I am a highway

I started of at 6 in the morning. Packed a few chocolates and 2 packs of KurKure, short supplies for a trek in the Shivaliks. I know better now. But I wanted to travel light and they turned out to be adequate if not appropriately nutritious. 12th of November is a cool day. Lots of sun. By 8 I reach Chawsha. Since the stream curves around mountain sides, one has to wade through. I decided that I'll just walk in the middle instead. How I miss the cool rushing waters! After about 5 hrs of wading, bouldering & running, sometimes through wild areas, I was getting a bit uneasy. The junction of the streams was not appearing and not a soul seemed appeared in sight. Afraid that I might get late, and hence get lost in the night, I started jogging. After 15 minutes of brisk running, I finally arrived at the "sangam". I looked longingly upon the cool blue waters at the junction, sparkling, gushing, calling me to take a dip in. This I reserved for another day (And I did take dip later). I sat down and had my lunch of chocolates and KurKures.

The Sangam

Now started the most wonderful stretch of this tramp. Gambar Khadd, the second stream, passes through a forested valley. Huge boulders are scattered around the riverbed. And little sunlight passes through the overhanging trees. The seclusion and beauty of this spot made me forget about the world I came from. At the end of this spot (going upstream) is a small dam. I continued my wading to finally reach the Gambar Khadd water pumping station, where I received unprecedented hospitality from the guard on duty there. A couple of hours later (time now is 6 pm), I reached my room. End to my first adventure. A few more to follow before I am separated from the hills...

A valley of (mustard!) flowers

Yours truly

Hydel Power

And finally a sumptous dinner with friends

How to make rainbows

1. Things you need: a garden hose, a dark wall, sunshine.
2. Stand with the wall in front of you and the sun behind you.
3. Spray some mist on the wall.
4. Shoot the rainbows!
5. [Optional] Post the photos on the web.

A saucerful of light

Pure, bouncy xenon light.

Major Tom to ground control

No job. No mountains. Can't hang out with friends. And now linux does this. Quiet a test of character.

2012

There are so many things in my mind that I'll lose a lot of info if I don't write it down. I can't hang out with friends, have no job (as of now, only an offer) and not much money (so I can't travel, which I love to). So to start with a slight review of 2012. This is pretty much you'll want to know about it. The movie is full of cliches and overlooks numerous facts. E.g. How can 1500m tsunami cross over the Himalaya? even a class 3rd student has better geography. It seems like all the scientists in the world have migrated to America as no other country in the world has any idea whatsoever about anomalous solar and geological activity. The feds wipe clean anybody who tries to speak about the impending apocalypse but fail to even discover a junkie in their own backyard, who is illegally broadcasting all the info on FM frequencies. Maybe the US army needs to learn something called triangulation. The air force one crew behaves like it doesn't give a heck whether the president is on board or not, ('yay! we're all going to China!'). The new leader of the Americans is a scientist! No military personnel/politicians but a scientist! The world is ending and our hero is talking about stupid books which no one ever read, and still manages to score Thandie Newton. Poor Tom Cruise. Also there's a hint that by 2012, all laptop manufacturers will go extinct as every one is using a Sony Vaio. Also hot chicks in mini skirts are quiet comfortable in sub-zero Tibet. To witness a lot more atrocities on common sense, logic, geography and physics watch the movie itself.

Chained forever

Or you might say just a lock and some chains. I miss the mountains a lot.

Tuned in

Led zep fan. Holds no quarter.

Photos!

I post photos directly from my cellphone here. If you like my blog you should check these out: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/deepankar.bhardwaj/StarredPhotos#. All the photos are shot using my k790i.

Home sweet home

Spiders are the best civil engineers ever.

Happy Diwali

There is no cake.

Happy Diwali!

Tastes as good as it looks.

McLinux

Or Appix?

Juit Atrium

The only time I saw this fountain working!

The One

One novel to rule them all.

Coca Cola

I've always prefered coke over pepsi.

Fire in the sky

Sunset, East Delhi

Colours

Six spot pattern on a Rubik's cube.