‘Survive in the Jungle’ tour - Part IV - Heading Back Home

The week that we spent in the remote Himalayan village of Jaina was a tough yet adventurous period. Himalayas are like a stunningly hot girlfriend, they are beautiful from wherever you look, but to stay with them is a big challenge as they demand a lot from you. These pristine hills were as beautiful as ever, but our lives back in Delhi were calling us back desperately. It was time to end our brief summer love with these hills.

Paras posing in front of roadblocks.

Thanks to landslides and fallen trees blocking the roads, we had already ended up overstaying some days. We hired some woodcutters from a neighboring village to cut the fallen trees and clear the road. Once that was done, we heaved a huge sigh of relief. Finally, we started back for home. We were to do a pit stop at Ranikhet, before starting for New Delhi early next morning. This beautiful hill station is maintained by the Indian Army. We checked into the hotel and relished being back in a city.

Garjia Mata Temple is right in the
middle of the Kosi river.

The next morning, we were ready to go. We took a different route which was longer but safer. This route took us through some spectacular views, from the Ramganga and Kosi rivers, to the mystical Garjia Mata temple in the middle of the Jim Corbett national park. During our occasional stops, we saw a rooster measuring above two and a half feet, which is surely a fitting height for chickens belonging to the highest mountains of the world.

When we descended on to the plains, we found out that the continuous rain in the hills had done more damage than we thought. The water had flowed down, flooding the plains and damaging many roads. Our remaining journey was all about wading through water and maneuvering around broken roads. Several hours later, we arrived back to our familiar urban jungle. It was just like we had left it, yet it seemed so different now that we were coming back from another dimension.

There is something about a stunningly beautiful temptation, you start craving for more of it the moment it goes away and starts looking challenging again. Even if the charm had worn off while it was close to you, it doesn't take long for sparks to fly again.

Read ‘Survive in the Jungle’ tour - Part III - Leeches and Joint Bleeds

Go to ‘Survive in the Jungle’ tour - Part I