Trek to Bhrigu, Old Manali.

I'm on my way back now, rocking along in the bus, seeing the steady stream of water from the bus window.
It all started a couple of weeks before when I met an old friend, Sehaj from school after 5 years. "Let's go on a trek" he said. I replied in the affirmative, but deep down I knew it would be one of those plans that remain only on paper. Come the next week, and we had booked our trek for the 9th of June, had almost arranged the things required and were eager to set off. We booked our trek via Riding Solo, recommended my friends and started on the evening of 8th, packed in a bus, gearing up for the long ride ahead. It was only 11 hours later (the traffic!) that we could reach the Manali bus stand.
A long walk to the base camp ensued and for breakfast we had momos on the way from a quiet riverside food joint. What caught our attention was the thundering roar of the river, which was overpowering. The locals did not seem to notice it though. Not a soul was in sight and we don't blame them- it was 6:00 in the morning. The biting cold stung us, but we welcomed it having escaped the oppressive heat bordering on 44°C in Chandigarh.
On reaching the base camp, we were shown to our tent, more like a spacious room. Settling our stuff, we went outside for a walk. We saw three people outside. The trek was to start at 8, but there was a delay due to the 6th member of our party. Little did we know at that time, that we would soon be so close knit a group.

With the map of our base camp

Our 6th member reached around 11:30, and then we all started, with 4 of us sitting in the back of the open air jeep. The round of pleasantries and introduction begins. First we have Sushmita, a flight attendant from Kolkata, on a duo trip with her 16 year old brother, Arko. Next we have Prachi, just finished with her MSc in Chemistry and going to pursue PHD in a couple of months. Moving on, we have Shivam Hazri, the professional photographer appointed by the trek organisers to make an advertisment video for them. Then of course Sehaj, pursuing law and me, Aaditya, pursuing MBBS. A wholly different mix and there was no way people from such diverse professional backgrounds could meet up in ordinary life.

From left to right- Arko, Prachi, Me, Sachin Bhai, Shivam (Hazo), Sehaj, Sushmita

 Their further attributes will be unravelled during the course of our next five days. So we have the amalgam of the most different professions you can think of and from all directions, sitting together in the back of a jeep, racing towards the starting point of our trek.
Reaching our starting point, we began our trek upwards, in extreme sunlight and cold wind, leading to dehydration. Climbing up, we asked our guide how much more is left, to which he'd always say, just 15 mins more. This gave us motivation to climb up further, and yes, it really helps. So (5 hours) later, we are at the camp from where we were to start for Bhrigu Lake the next day.
Here tents were allotted for two people each and the area seemed like a beautiful meadow from a movie.

The view from our tent

Sitting on wooden tables, we had our evening meal, khichdi and chutney. You wouldn't believe how tasty it was! This was followed by soupy noodles.
And all this while trekkers who went to Bhrigu on that day we're coming down. We looked at them expectantly. Half of them had not reached Bhrigu, and the remaining were all limping and panting and were all sun burnt. This caused clouds of apprehension around us. Would we be able to do it?
This was followed by going up a nearby hill to get signal to inform everyone at home about our safe reach.
Prachi- the cool headed and practical one, Hazri bhai- the jugadu, Sehaj- the crazy one, Sushmita- one with the unbelievable stories and Arko- the young (innocent) gun and me headed back to our tent to converse and interact, sharing the secrets of our lives to each other, just strangers a day before, now the closest of people.
A warm dinner later, we settled around the bonfire, talking with the people who reached back today, where everyone asked us to introduce ourselves, chatting away into the night.
Here Hazo showed us his rapping skills, which was applauded by everyone, and we proudly talked about our city Chandigarh.
Sushmita told us stories about her visits in different countries as part of her work. As we had to leave early tomorrow, we were advised to rest as much as we could.

We started in the morning with our lunch packed, (a surprise to us). We started at a brisk pace, with the cold catching our breath at times. Objective 1: we had to cross the 'Tree line'.

Me trying to peer through the morning sunlight

With Sachin Bhai, our guide motivating us, we were making good progress, and wanted to cover as much as we could before the sun came out. Helping each other and chatting, we took into view the trees and the lush pastures surrounding us. Hearing stories from Sachin Bhai of his previous treks, he pointing out the various peaks in the distance that he had scaled, we were left awestruck. With Buzo, the cutest little dog (but hardy, mind you) following us and staying to catch up with the last person, we reached well in time, and could now spot the snow clad mountains ahead of us, our next target.

Buzo, our faithful companion

There is no expression to explain the sound of snow crunching beneath our feet, wearing goggles shielding us from the direct sunlight, and the company of friends around. It took effort to walk through the snow, with everyone slipping and sliding once in a while.

Trekking through the snow

Walking the narrow alleyways to taking precarious steps to avoid falling in a hole, it was a thrilling experience with the hot sun warming our backs while our hands chattered from the cold. The mountains on every side watched our progress and urged us on, wanting us to discover its mysteries.
We had our lunch, a small distance away from our destination, and it was a surprise which we had to unpack. We had a 'kulcha filled with chana' type of thing, which was so heavenly, you would not believe it. And it was so unexpected, that we gorged ourselves heavily on it. A juice pack and a chocolate later, we were ready to embark, having had a little rest and before our muscles numbed.

 The surprise that we unboxed before reaching Bhrigu

We finally reached Bhrigu lake around 2 pm and it was worth it. Clicking group pictures, absorbing the beauty of the serene landscape beneath us, we could ogle at it all day. The lake was semi frozen, as the legend goes, locals told us that this was because Lord Bhrigu comes and bathes in the lake daily, leaving it semi frozen. It was hard to believe that a lake could be partially frozen despite being at such a high altitude.
Me, Sehaj, Prachi, Sushmita, Arko and Hazo all looked at each other and smiled, nobody had expected us to make it to the top and that too at a good pace, we laughed out into the abyss before us, hearing our laughs amplified by the limitless mountains ahead of us.

At the summit! 

Hazo recorded our videos of the trek and the complete video from Bhrigu is a great one :)
Taking care of each other became a part of life, and waiting for the others and being waited for came involuntarily.

Bhrigu lake!

All too soon, we were asked to start back, before the evening sets in, as the weather becomes a lot worse at night.
Starting at a steady pace, instilling the memory of the lake in our hearts, we trudged back, the snow now starting to melt as the evening started, slipping steps, holding each other to keep them steady.
Another character in this melody is Ashwin, an engineering graduate, who now found his calling in the mountains and looks like an old hand, scaling with as much ease as a guide himself, and taught and told us new stuff.  Meeting new people from as far as Maharashtra, we all forged bonds that could never be broken, that we can always revisit the memories in our minds, helping each other and moving back to the safe comfort of the tents we now called home.
The slide! It was a once in a lifetime thing. It was a steep mountain side, full of snow. There was an alternative between walking a long distance or simply sliding down the side. We chose the latter. I was the first one to go. Taking a run up, I slid straight down, better than a roller coaster or any other ride, in the lap of nature, with no controls! In the second slide I ended up grazing my hands, which had turned torrentiously red, but I carried them as a mark of pride for the coming days :)

Matching up with Prachi's pace! 

We finally reached camp by evening, and we were ravenous. We had a cup of tea and Maggi to boost up our spirits, while we sat in smug confidence with the others who were to climb up the next day. The trip had come to a full circle. We were gentle with the ones who were to climb the next day, and motivated them, because we knew what they were going through.
That night, we talked a lot round the bonfire, and slept snugly after talking till late in the night, because we were too tired. Here we exchanged more stories, from personal to professional from Hazo's school days to his present work, to Sushmita's life story (that was exceedingly inspirational! You have to hear it from her to believe it), from mine and Sehaj's college exploits to Prachi's professional pursuits and other aspects of her life.
The next day we started descending down to our first camp, but we were in for a surprise, it started pouring! We had just started when our guide gave a sigh and told us that rain was imminent. We could not appreciate that but realised his correct prediction 15 minutes later, when we were searching for our rain jackets in our bags xD Through the raging wind, the slippery mud, we saw the furious side of nature. Progressing slowly, meeting and motivating people going up, we finally reached the road where we started, a full 2 days later, grown up and experienced, and feeling mature. It was a good thing we reached Bhrigu yesterday, cause today due to bad weather, the trek to Bhrigu today might have been cancelled.

With the stormy weather in the background while descending down. 

Snugly sitting in a minivan, wiping our faces from the rain, we sat, rang up home (we finally had phone signal), people starting posting statuses, sharing pictures.
We reached our starting camp at last, and looked around the familiar scene. A warm breakfast of bread jam and rolls awaited us. A cup of tea in a open verandah with rain outside was the most relaxing sensation I've felt till now.

A whole two (separate) groups from Gujarat had come, and the evening was spent dancing with them, where they welcomed us with open hearts and over a dinner of sumptuous 'pau bhaji' (didn't expect that at all too), we interacted with them and came to know more about them.
They taught us garba, we taught them Bhangra, Hazo with a Himachali dance, it was a perfect evening.
At night, we all went downstairs to feel the ambience of old Manali, went into a couple of clubs with live music, it was a night to remember. Coming back around 11 through the cold night of Manali, it was an exceptional experience, the freedom to explore, interact, understand, it was all amazing.
In the morning, we were all struck with the feeling that some of us had to leave. The feeling of sadness of that morning is still fresh in my mind, after about 4 months as I now finish this article.
We had a last dance, where Hazo connected his laptop with the huge speakers and the sound of music reverberated around. From playing the wildest and tackiest tracks (London se Aaya? Only we remember that xD) to the subtle songs, we had a blast. We made videos which I see and reminisce till now.
The first to leave was Prachi, who had a formal dinner at her workplace, so she had to leave then. With promises to meet and an emotional goodbye later, we had a lacuna in our mind, which showed with how everyone at the campsite had suddenly become quiet.
We went down into old Manali, shopped for a while for T shirts, (I'm wearing that right now, incredibly). We had cookies from Dylan's cafe, and roamed the streets, now familiar with the layout and the places of Old Manali.
It was Hazo who suggested me and Sehaj spend a night in a Hostel in Old Manali. It was Amigo's cafe, a quaint place teeming with foreigners.
In the evening, we escorted Sushmit and Arko to their Volvo, which was a good distance away, past New Manali. The market was filled with tourists, and hardly space to walk. I'd prefer the serenity of old Manali anyday to the hustle and bustle of new Manali. We reached their bus, hugged them goodbye, and asked them to update about their journey and made a pact to meet. With each person going, the place seemed lonelier. At night, me and Sehaj stopped at a Punjabi Dhaba (forgot it's name, but it was well known there) and relished on Paneer seekh and Soya chaap. It was a long time that we had Punjabi food and we were glad of it. We returned back to our hostel, where we had by now shifted.
At night time, we were in for a treat. The foreigners were singing in the lobby and we joined in, with songs from Gulabi Aankhen to other songs, some in other languages, with the owner of the place boosting us on. It was a funny incident, when the owner came to me and asked, "Do you have a ticket to sit in the lobby here?" Naive as I was, I replied, "Umm, I wasn't aware of that." He laughed out loudly and told me it was a joke, and I was laughing hard because I had been caught so unaware XD.
Till 2 in the night, we sat there, talking with the strange foreigners, and when we reached room, we saw three people from Ireland, staying with us. We introduced ourselves and let them sleep, while me and Sehaj went outside and sat in a comfortable couch by the verandah. There was a thrill in the air, a cold breeze coupled with the racuous noise from the music downstairs. We talked about how we would have missed all this if we had not decided to come, even made a plan for opening a potential future cafe xD We roamed about the streets at night, even had a pie at one of the cafes high was open at 12. There me and Sehaj had a bet as to where the three foreigners sitting with us belonged to. I guessed Israel. When we asked them, it was indeed Israel, and then we talked for a while while we finished our dessert.
The morning was a sad one, for we knew we had to leave. It had been a week now. Having booked a bus for the afternoon, we spent the morning roaming the market, bid Hazo and the company at the Hostel goodbye.
The walk through Old Manali in the crisp morning calmed us, and washed our sadness away. By now, we considered these roads as our own and the constant hum of the stream was now attuned to our ears.
Roaming through the market, we underestimated the time, and we realised we didn't have any lunch and the 9 hour long trip back wouldn't help. So we packed our lunch and boarded the bus, a long walk. It was tough to eat in the ever rocking bus, so we gave up and waited for the first stop. The traffic! It was immense, and the first phase out of Manali seemed like forever. It was finally quite late when we reached the bus stand, 11 hours into the journey. We stood on the desolate bus stand, seeing the late night stragglers moving about. Me and Sehaj smiled at each other, knowing the experiences we now held would be with us forever, the friends we made would be for life and the pictures that we captured would be treasured above all else.
I might have missed a lot of details, which come to my mind time and again. You'll have to meet all 6 of us for an evening chat for a complete description of the trip and our lives, for the pen is not powerful enough to capture all the vivid memories.