Monday 28 December 2009

The Yellow Shit Road

Beauty and the Beasts

India; October 5th; Day 14; Kedarnath; 3607m


Trek: 4hrs 19mins starting at 8.02
Low: 2118m at 9.02
High: 3586m at 12.19
Descent: 38m
Ascent: 1608m

Woke up at 5.30 by a knock on the door asking if we want tea. It arrives 10 minutes later. This tea is from the Guest House staff. We get up by and and are quickly packed. Maneesh arrives at 7 with more tea and later we have breakfast, prepared as usual by our Cook, on the terrace outside our rooms. Unfortunately the milk is burnt.

Down below us in the town all is chaos as everyone prepares to leave for the pilgrimage to Kedarnath. It’s chucking it down with rain but it eases off slightly just before we leave. On the way out of town we pass all the people providing transport up the mountain to the Holy Temple in Kedarnath. You can hire a mule, or a Palanquin (which is a sedan chair carried by four people - usually Nepalese) or if you are light enough (children and old ladies only) you can be carried on the back of a Nepalese in a wicker basket. We are going by shank’s Pony although of course we have our mules and porters to help carry our stuff too.

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It’s pandemonium at the base of the hill and the paved round is running with mule shit. In fact the whole route is paved in cobbles for the whole 14km to the top. The number of mules on the road means than it is slithery with yellow shit which is made more unpleasant by the continuous rain or drizzle. It’s going to be one long miserable tramp on the yellow shit road today.

The climb is long and steady and it’s important to keep you head down and dodge the excrement and to avoid being nudged off the road by mules as they pass. It’s also best to keep out of the way of the Palanquins as the Nepalese practically run all the way. After a couple of hours we shall have to also dodge the mules and carriers coming down the mountain too.

For the whole time the cloud and rain and drizzle rolls in. We have no views to speak of and it’s a dreary drudge of a tramp up the road. I put my rain gear on but then take off off again as I’m too hot. After a couple of hours I meet James and Keith and we take a break in one of the many road-side char stalls. These are just shacks really and often just cobbled together with wood and tarpaulin.

More rain and drizzle as we plod steadily up and up. after another couple of hours I again catch up with James and Keith who are waiting, again, in a char shop. We wait here an hour or so and have a spot of lunch - just a naan bread. We wait even longer for the first porters to arrive.

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We follow them through the small town to our Rest House. We hang around, as usual, for a while whilst our accommodation is sorted out. I can’t imagine what the problem is but eventually we crash out in our cold bunk room waiting for our stuff to arrive. The place has no heating whatsoever. It has no electricity and no hot water either. Great! It’s really quite miserable but at least we are all in the same room and can share our misery.

Our own cook makes dinner for us which is served in the restaurant of the Rest House. A few other people are staying here. All of them are pilgrims. I do have a short walk around town and see all the market stalls selling holy trinkets. I go inside the Temple grounds, but not the Temple itself, and make a small contribution. I get an ash spot on my forehead for my pains!

We go to bed early and huddle under the heavy thick blankets which are provided.

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