How Did I Get Here?

September 20, 2009. How did I get here? It all started when I began drinking beer at a bar called Valhalla on the Rice University campus. It was there I met a Grad student from India. He happened to be going home to India around the same time I planned to go. His friend wanted to make a trip to the Himalaya. Neeraj asked if I was interested. Here I am. It’s amazing where beer drinking can take you sometimes…… I’m trekking in the Himalaya and just happen to be on a Sikh pilgrimage.

I’m currently in the village of Ghangharia situated a little over 10.000 feet and intend to visit a place that’s sacred to Sikhs. To get to Ghangharia it’s an hour by jeep from Joshimath to Govindghat where the trek starts. From there it’s an 8 mile mostly uphill hike. I didn’t realize the significance as a Sikh pilgrimage as I was more under the impression that the Valley of Flowers the big attraction. I was hoping to find a relatively quiet path to a sleepy village but it’s quite the contrary. The trail proved to be very busy. The only way to get to the village is my horse or foot and there were plenty of horses and people, Turban clad men chanted Satnam Whae Guru as they walked. Horses carrying people and supplies passed frequently going up and down the well maintained path. Very steep mountains rise on all sides for thousands of feet with the taller glacier clothed peaks in the distance. I walked with Neeraj and Ankur all the way up. We took our time with and stopped at makeshift tea houses along the way.

When we arrived in the village of Ghangharia it was bustling with Sikh pilgrims and places were filling up fast. I settled on a very basic hotel accommodation for $8.50 USD. It has a toilet, running water and electricity from 7pm to 10pm and 4:30am to 7am. Everything is pretty rudimentary but it works. Noise is a factor as I listen to Sikhs chat in Hindi and pots clang in the kitchen below while the generator roars out back but it doesn’t seem to bother me. Tomorrow I’ll hike up into the Valley of Flowers. A Himalayan mountain valley where mountains rise above 20.000 feet.