TIME-OUT
The long, winding road to Munsiyari
KAMINI BOBDE
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Located at the foot of the Himalayas, this quaint town, perfect for trekking, may still be a tourist secret.
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PHOTO: KAMINI BOBDE
SERENITY IN KUMAON: Drive past deodar-clad slopes.
AN upmarket pull-out of a national news magazine listed all the adrenalin pumping excitement you can buy in life. There was this wine bottle for Rs 38 lakhs, a suite in a hotel in Abu Dhabi for six lakhs per night. The suite has gold, Graniglia and Swarovski chandeliers and all that it takes to justify the millions of dollars cost of building this hotel.
I was reading this in Uttaranchal, sitting outside a thatched hut with a functional but clean bathroom. We had just arrived in Munsiyari, a quaint place at 2,290 m facing the Panchchuli range in the Kumaon hills. It was the third week of May when the plains were sizzling at 46. But here the air was washed clean with rain. The Nanda Devi and Panchchuli ranges draped in white were as beautiful and unattainable as the heavens themselves. Legend has it that it is in these ranges of the Himalayas that the Panch Pandavas trekked their path to heaven and one by one met their end according to their karma. The receding rains also formed a rainbow spanning the sky and dipping into a village in the valley. For how much money can man create such beauty? Here it was for free.
Not yet a tourist spot
Munsiyari is not yet reckoned as a tourist destination. It lies in the eastern most district of Uttaranchal bordering Nepal in the east and Tibet in the north. For a Mumbaite living a claustrophobic existence of crowded spaces, and non-stop hustle-bustle, getting to Munsiyari was an experience in contradictions. As you left Bageshwar behind, you seemed to leave humanity behind. For long stretches you saw no habitation or signs of it. Pine forests and the rivers deep into the valley was all you have for company as the car manoeuvred a bumpy road hugging the mountain edges. The feeling of being at the end of the world was unsettling, awe inspiring in your miniscule, momentary existence amidst these gigantic, eternal mountains.
After driving across 90 km of ghat roads, there was an overnight halt at Vijaypur. Here the "Wayfarers Resorts" have a pretty place where you could relax and converse with a bewitching variety of birds flitting around all day. Towards evening we saw an orange glow beyond the hill near the resort. The men at the resort all looked apprehensively at this glow and we learnt that a forest fire was headed towards our resort. The men aligned themselves to protect against being over run by it. We sat in the swinging chairs under the trees and watched them light a controlled fire all around the resort. Using fire to fight fire. Having burnt three feet patches of dry twigs and pine leaves all around the resort we were protected from the fire. But throughout the night one could hear the men as they kept up a vigil against the fire. Around midnight however the skies lent a helping hand with a steady drizzle.
Early next morning, the cook woke us up with the message that the snow peaks could be seen. The rains had not only subdued the forest fire but also cleansed the air — Uttaranchal had become smoky with numerous forest fires.
We had another 100 km to drive to reach Munsiyari from where Vivek Pande of the "Wayfarers" had organised a three-day trek to the Khaliya peak. At night the sky had been swept clean of clouds and the stars were blazing in the moonless night. A barbecue in the open with Vivek preparing us for the next day's trek got us all into the right spirit.
As for the three-day trek there was no point in describing the indescribable. It was not just about the beautiful sights and the changing landscape one trekked into or walked along. It was fascinating ... every two or three kilometres, nature has these spaces which are ideal for camping ... a stream, a meadow to pitch your tents.
The first stretch was done under the shade of huge oak trees with an occasional rhododendron tree bursting into life with blood red flowers or a snake flower aping the hood of a cobra peeping out from the trunk of a tree. The forest koel kept us entertained with her angry jugulbandi with us as we imitated her frantic call. Just as suddenly we came upon an open green meadow with a carpet of white, purple and yellow flowers just like a child's drawing of a five-petal flower. There was stream nearby. We sat sipping hot tea as the men got busy off loading the four mules that had carried up the tents and other supplies for a two-night camp. The men pitched the tents including one for dining and a functional loo. Throughout the trek, they made sumptuous meals from the makeshift kitchen and even managed a three-course meal starting with soup, main course and ending with a sweet or canned fruits.
Meadows and a peak
The sky was thankfully cloudy next day as most of the trek was over absolutely beautiful grassland with occasional clumps of rhododendrons. At 11,000 feet, the sun can get burning hot. After trekking over undulating meadows we came to the base of our final destination, Khaliya. Here was a vast meadow surrounded on three sides by mountains with great patches of snow. There were some shepherds with their sheep sitting on patches of snow. Sunset cast a soft mauve, pink and orange hue on the tips of the snow clad mountains. At night it became bitterly cold and windy. We sat around the fire and listened to Vivek tell us about the festivals, music and dance of the region. The unity and similarity of India from the sea shores in the south to these mountains in the north never fails to surprise.
As one assessed the climb to the Khaliya peak next day it seemed too steep and non-negotiable.
At the peak there was space enough only for about 20 people. In the south-west stretched the rows over rows of mountains and in the north east were the snow clad peaks. We experienced the utltimate high of a mountaineer, the feeling of being on top, literally and figuratively.
The climb was spread over two nights but the descent was accomplished in five hours flat.
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Fact file
Accessibility:
Air/Rail: Nearest airport is at Pithoragarh, then 250 km via Thal and Madkot by road.
Nearest rail head at Kathgodam.
Road: Kathgodam to Munsiyari is around 314
km and one can take several routes
depending on what one wants to see en route.
Places to stay:
Martoli lodge: Ph: 059612 22287, six rooms — Rs.200 to Rs.500
(Tented accommodation at Simouli village in natural surroundings near a spring)
Wayfarer Mountain Resort at Munisyari and Sirmouli — Rs. 1,300 to Rs.1,500
(Delhi Ph: 011-2610775 . Contact person: Subroto Roy).
Tourist Rest House: Ph: 059612 22339 Rs. 300 to Rs. 800 (Run by the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam)
Vijay Lodge: Ph: 059612 22278 Rs. 300 to Rs. 450
Zara Resort: Ph: 059612 22524 Rs.750 to Rs.1,800
The trek was Rs. 800 per day per person
inclusive of everything.
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