Dehra Doon

Gangotri was very nice, and there are many interesting places in the area worth exploring. To spare the buses, I wanted to go by foot as much as possible. There's a really beatiful pass from nearby Gangotri to Yamunotri, which is the source of Yamuna. The trek is 3 days long. Started with short ride down by jeep to Sangam Chatti, and from there by trekking up to Agora. Next day - to Dodital, a really majestic lake, surrounded by trees.

The place has a totally shanti atmosphere, and no tourists at all were in the area at this time. Relaxing there was great, and that made possible the tough 30 km hike the next day. First, up to the mountain meadows where there's no people but some cow shepherds with their huts. All is covered with grass and flowers. Good reason to smile :)














The way down wasn't much easy, because monsoon started and the trail became very slippy. Luckily there was a shepherd hut where the boy was very kind to make some tea. I arrived in Hanuman Chatti at evening totally exhausted, but in good mood. The day after I made the short Yamunotri trek, 6 km up swinging dirty road. Many Indian piligrims climbing up, chanting 'Jai Mata Di', probably for power boost. The donkeys and carriers business is flourishing, so it's a pretty busy trail. The temple in Yamunotri is not so impressive as the other three spots of the Hindu yatra, but still it's located in a great location, the mountain with 60 m waterfall is just above. The temple also has a hot spring, very appropriate for cool mountain weather. The piligrims wash themselves there happily after the long way up. Nice walk.
Now I'm in Dehra Dun, the capital of Uttaranchal district, getting some taste of city life. The city has a huge great park, where Forest Research Institute is located. Many kinds of trees, I just spent few hours wandering around... Besides this place, there's not much to see - typical Indian town. Tomorrow - challo Himachal...
bhole bom :)