in search of ... Kedarnath & Badrinath Temple ( a photologue with itinerary )

day 1. reached Haridwar in the evening, and got biometric registration done from the Railway Station itself. then got the bus ticket for the next day for Sonprayag ( enroute Kedarnath from the bus stand next to the station) before checking into the asram. had a pure Bengali dinner from Dada - Boudir restaurant followed by a sound sleep.

day 2. the day was spend mostly in travelling. got the bus at 0530 hrs which reached Sonprayag at 1700 hrs. checked in.

day 3. took a local conveyance to Trijukinarayn temple (12km) early in the morning. wanted to take a fell of the local road so trekked back all the way (6km). my plan was to move along with the shrine. got the medical done in the afternoon and proceed to Gaurikund the same day.the city was at ruins. nothing left of the actual Kund or the buildings next to it. checked in at a small hotel, the owner said i was the first boarder after the tragedy struck.

day 4. first day of the actual trek. Gaurikund - Rambara - Lincholi - Kedar Camp 16.5km. the new route has been constructed under the NIM guidance, they have worked day and night to make the road approachable till the temple. till Rambara its more or less plain, the ascent starts after crossing over Mandakini river at Rambara. A steep ascent of 7 kms till Kedar point. last 6 kms of the road, is a walk over the ice and snow.

day 5. it was 24th April, the day of the opening of the temple for this year. i reached there quiet in advance to get a sweet spot from where i ll get a good view. Rahul Gandhi went there for the opening ( by helicopter and not by walking ). my plan was to stay back for a day and visit Vasuki & Chorabari taal. but it seemed to be impossible without gears, so i changed my plan accordingly. same day i trekked down to Sonprayag and hitch hiked to reach Ukhimath. my plan was to include Deoria taal before heading for Badrinath.

day 6 . took the first bus 0730 to reach Taala, hitch hiked to Sari and then trekked ahead to reach Deoria Taal (3km). Night stay at Deoria taal tent. in fact i was the only outsider in on the mountain top that day.

day 7 . trek down to Taala to get the first bus to Chopta. when i reached chopta for Tungnath trek, it was clouded and drizzling. i got down from the bus was talking to the dhaba wala over a cup of tea. his experience said the sky was not going to clear up for the next couple of days, instantly change my decision got on the same bus which was going to Badrinath. road was closed before Badrinath temporarily for the glacier slide, reached at 2130hrs. checked in to know we were the first boarder of the season. went to catch a glimpse of the temple at night and ended up taking a bath at the hot spring.

day 8 . been there before and the landscape can easily be compared to Swiss Alps, I started for Mana - Vasudhara falls. Mana village itself was closed due to landslides. the road broken a km before the village by huge glacier slides. BUT needless to say i was over satisfied with what nature offered me in terms of beauty.

day 9 . last day of my journey ( in search of ... ) i took the first bus out of Badrinath 0530 which reached at Haridwar at 1700 hrs, I hurried towards Har-ki-pauri, the trip could not had a better end, experiencing the evening ARATI, i heard so much about.

took a night train for Kolkata