Episode-2: Reaching Joshimath

The next part of the journey was to reach Rishikesh from Haridwar. After enjoying the serenity of The Patanjali Yogapeeth, it was time to move ahead to Rishikesh to continue our journey to Joshimath.

It would be a looooong trip I knew, with lots of twists and turns along the way, as the route is not easy to climb. From Rishikesh at the bottom, the route deviates from Lakshman Jhula for a 330 km. treacherous ascent to Joshimath, the transit point to reach Badrinath shrine.

We reached Rishikesh, from where we would drive up further to Joshimath. Come summer when it is time for passes to open and the road is usually blocked with the landslides caused from melting snow. Though the passes open up in summer, I advice to travel during the end of rainy season, around September, as the moisture on the peaks start to set in, forming ice, the crowd is reduced due to cold resistant travelers and it is the right time to see the apple trees all along the road side, a view you can never afford to miss here.The trip was long and breaks were essential, so, I had chosen some points to do some photography on the way.

A river rafting camp on the way to Joshimath

The first halt was near Rudraprayag, with its blue waters, ready for the river rafting expeditions. Small tents lined across the river were visible from far off, and the place was perfectly chosen for adventure activities.

I know everyone is aware of the Sangam of Allahabad. But do you know where it originate from? Here’s where it is, the junction point from where the road bifurcates towards Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and the Kumaon Region. The Gangotri (Ganges), also known as the Dhauli Ganga, coming from Badrinath, and the Yamnotri (Yamuna), known as the Kalindi, coming from the Kedarnath, join here, a clear demarcation of the green Yamuna waters and brown Ganga waters could be identified here, as what it is seen in Allahabad. This is the real origin of the Sangam.

Our third halt was at the Riverside Hotel and Resorts. This place was chosen for two reasons, good food and beautiful landscape behind the resort. I couldn’t help but took some pictures, so did my cousin Souvik, who is equally a pro photographer.

We passed by Srinagar, yet another place for putting our cameras in action and capturing some fabulous images.At around 07:00 pm in the evening, we were finally at Joshimath. The journey had been long and tiring enough to break the backs of everyone. It was end of October, and the winter was on its peril, and it was time to take some rest to prepare for the next day. We had to explore the Badrinath Temple after all.