"Get Lost. Be Found.", Is story of 3 Vietnamese girls in their 20's who decide to do a road trip around the United States. This quote from the book capture the essence of my trip with my family and friends to Agyaat Vaas in Narkanda, Himanchal Pradesh. “When standing in the middle of the marvelous mountains and deep forests, in the earthy smell of all beginnings and endings, I often find myself asking what I have if all my possessions were taken away. Without money, car, house; or power and fame, if there are any, who am I?
In that very moment, being away from the external voices and left alone in nature, I find my answer.
On way to Agyaat Vaas which is around 70 KM from Shimla, we took a break at an Cherry Orchid in Narkanda. Narkanda is the fruit basket of India. The owners were kind enough to let us pick the cherry. It was fun helping them sort the cherries based on sizes. Did you know that the pricing of a box full of cherry is done by the number of cherry that fits per row and column. The lesser the number of rows and column the costlier the cherry is.
We reached our destination, Agyaat Vaas, The Himalayan Retreat is situated at 10,500 ft. above sea level at Hatu Peak. It is 6 KMs from Narkanda and 69.4 km from Shimla. The place is surrounded by a thick forest cover from all these sides. When we reached it was raining. The visibility was low and the temperature was very low. Fortunately the rain stopped and the sky cleared in the evening, giving us the glorious view of the mighty Himalayan Snow Peaks. It was surreal.
We woke up the next day and went on the trek to Karena Peak, from where you can watch the most beautiful sunrise sans tourists. You will be accompanied by a few early risers at the resort, the guide and Shifu(Matriarch), The Himalayan mastiff and her family who live with a monk at Karena Peak. The monk is very interesting person, living all by his own in this secluded place. The dogs are his family and they watch, warn, protect and guard him and this pristine surrounding. They are friendly and every ready to pose.
From the resort the second destination you can trek to is the Hatu Peak. Hatu peak is the second highest peak in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located at an elevation of 3400 m (11,152 ft) above sea level. At the top of the peak is a small wooden temple called Hatu temple. According to local belief the famous Hatu Mata temple is the temple of Maa Kaali. There is an ancient stove like formation of rocks nearby the temple. Locals believe that it was used by the Pandavas brothers to cook their food during their Agyaat Vaas. That's where our resort got its name from.
