DocDivaTraveller: October 2017

10/28/2017 No comments

The scariest time of the year is here...trick or treat! Rosegal has an impressive collection of Halloween clothes for this particular day with its special Halloween promotion!
Yes, Halloween is just a week away. This holiday brings so many things in mind. For some its candies, for some scary movie marathon, for some its carving pumpkins while for some its going to costume parties. But one thing that you simply can’t ignore is the importance of costumes! If there is a single most favourite thing about the scariest festival of the year, then its the fun of dressing up!

Pumpkin themed dresses, scary face leggings, witch stockings, etc etc. Here is what I picked for the much awaited horror day!

Scary Hairpin: Don't neglect your hair while dressing up! This skeleton hand is the perfect scary hair accessory!

Owl Earrings: Owls are probably the scariest of all birds. Add an eerie jewelry like this to your outfit.

Skull Tee Shirt: Those who want to keep it subtle yet stick to the horror theme, this skull tee is for them!

Zombie wallpaper: Even your home should speak of Halloween! How horrifying is this picture?

Skull leggings: Now coming to the main outfit. Let your legs be adorned with this skull pair of leggings.

Pumpkin print Dress: Halloween is incomplete without pumpkins. Hence an orange colured pumpkin print dress is the first thing that I would like to wear. How cute are those smiling pumpkins?

Spider Web Poncho: How cute yet creepy is this one? Get ready to engulf all the evil in your web!

Sweatshirt: The weather gets quite chilly at this time of the year. You don’t want to freeze yourself to death during trick or treating; would you? A scary sweatshirt is the best option to keep the cold at bay according to the festive flavour.

Halloween Theme Cushion: Home decor too should gel with the overall scary theme. Think of some horrifying curtains, rugs and pillows. Like this haunted castle cushion. I can literally hear some eerie sounds looking at this...Or is it just me? 😨

Pumpkin String Lights: These are the perfect accessory for your porch or balcony. No Halloween is complete without some frightful illumination in home decor!

So what are your Halloween plans? What costume are you planning to don? With discounts upto 65% on Rosegal, I plan to scare the hell out everyone with my Halloween shopping!

10/21/2017 3 comments

In my previous post you have read about the epic trek to Winch Camp. However what happened 8500 feet above the sea level was even more phenomenal than the trek itself. Its a tiny plateau like area with mainly three levels: the lowest one had our tents, the middle and the narrowest one had the washroom and the topmost level had the railway track running as well as the kitchen. It was our main area for hanging around.

The railway track started from the there. The very point where the track started dropping below was the most picturesque part of the place. It gave an infinity view. To our good fortune a herd of horses were grazing there. They provided the perfect prop for an excellent photo op. The rest of the area had old, tumble down railway houses. Those houses imparted an old world charm to the place. I have always been a big fan of houses with sloping roofs and chimneys. I just could not get enough pictures with them!

It was raining heavily when we reached. We quickly dumped our luggage in the ‘kitchen house’ area and started warming ourselves in front of the fire. We were wet and cold. Thankfully, within half an hour, we were served hot tea and biscuits. That felt heavenly! When it got dark, we built a bonfire near our tents and then the real fun started. We sang, danced and played guitar. Any nocturnal discussion is incomplete without some supernatural dose. So we eerily poured our hearts with paranormal stuff. Then we had a hearty dinner of piping hot Kadhi chawal and Urad Dal.

The moon was directly above us and it was three days to full moon. Hence the entire place was illuminated by its glow. The constellations were crystal clear and the stars were twinkling all over. I don't remember the last time when I had seen the night sky so much up, close and personal! It was heavenly!

Our morning started pretty early as everyone wanted to see the sunrise. I wish I could too but I was overtly drained from the week long Durga Puja celebration as well as the travelling. I needed to catch up on my sleep! I was up chatting with my fellow trekker friend till three in the morning so witnessing the rising sun was out of question. We were served hot tea immediately after waking up and then we strolled around to absorb all the beauty around us. Our breakfast consisted of hot Maggi and bread jam. We devoured them sitting on the railway tracks; listening to live music. We then sang and danced as if there was no tomorrow!

We did not want to leave that fantasy world. But finally at around half past eleven, we started our way down. It was goodbye to Winch Camp and hello to golden memories! We all were assigned one trekker each and we finally reached Jimjima village after 4 hours.

What struck me the most about this camping trip (apart from the beauty of Winch Camp) was the dedication of the Trek Tribe group. They are a group of expert trekkers, led by Gaurav and Abhinaye and they took every possible measure to make our trip comfortable. The best part of Trek Tribe is that they are a community and not a travel agency. So they are more like your friend/guardian who can understand you fully. Tired during the hike? They will stop to make you catch your breath. Thirsty? They would provide water from their bottle (they carried every possible thing required during the hike) Unable to carry the backpack? They would carry it for you. Feet slipping? They would hold your hands and help you complete the trek like a breeze! During our descent (which was tougher), we all were assigned one trekker each who held our hand throughout for four hours. Not only we completed the trail in a relatively shorter duration but none of us slipped. Also we were confident that we were in safe hands, continuously. I hope that they start treks to all other unexplored parts of Himachal Pradesh soon so that I can hike with them again!

Hiking Pants: Adidas

Shoes: Reebok

Sweatshirt: Levi's

Top: Globus

Sunnies: Forever 21

10/16/2017 8 comments

Long weekends are meant for an escape from the mundane. But a cardinal question arises where to go? We Delhiites love the Himalayas; a night long ride and we reach the foot of the hills. Its easy and convenient to go to hill stations like Shimla or Nainital but those places are bustling with metro crowds during long weekends and hence lack the ‘break’ that you were actually looking for in the first place.

The Himalayas are full of unexplored spots (of course; they are the longest mountain ranges in the world) waiting to be discovered. The explorer in me always tends to unravel the lesser known, non touristy yet beautiful places. During this Dusshera long weekend, I came to know about a tiny yet beautiful place in Himachal Pradesh called Winch Camp through Trek Tribe and decided to explore this little gem!

Trek Tribe is a trekking community from Himachal Pradesh which organises trekking trips from Delhi to beautiful, unexplored places in Himachal. They are a group of skilled trekkers who are experts in camping and hiking and of course leading a group of tourists. I was spell bound when I saw this video!

We (me, a group of 6 people and Gaurav, Trek Tribe leader) left for Joginder Nagar from Delhi at night and our bus took around 13 hours to reach there. Joginder Nagar is a small place in Mandi district. We explored Bir Billing that day and then rested. We wanted to be energised and fresh for the grueling hike to Winch Camp the next day.

We left for Jimjima village at ten next morning. From there , our hike was supposed to start. Winch Camp is 5.5 kms uphill from Jimjima village at an altitude of 8500 feet from the sea level. The special part about that place is the century old narrow gauge railway line which still operates today. The tracks were laid by the British and it runs from Joginder Nagar to all the way up to Winch Camp. At some places, the track is almost 90 degrees steep! Our group of 6 was joined by a few more hikers from Himachal itself. We all were accompanied by skilled trekkers from Trek Tribe who were there to guide and help us throughout the ride. After briefing (Do’s and Don’ts )from the leaders Gaurav and Abhinaye, our hike started.

The initial 250 mts were rather tough. Although the way was paved and not steep, we all were panting. Maybe because our bodies were not enough warmed up. After walking for 7 minutes, we took our first break at a temple. It felt that it would take forever to reach the top. But as we climbed further and further, it felt easy and smooth; although the trail became tougher and steeper. Maybe because the surroundings were too spectacular. We took small breaks on the way, each break as we reached a plateau like area.

Our second stop was a lush green meadow. It was followed by a steep pine forest. We often crossed the railway track during our climb. Sometimes we would follow the track, while most of the times, we would ascend by its side as the track is too steep. There are exactly two places where the railway line is absolutely 90 degrees steep. God knows how the British must have laid them. The train ride must be like a roller coaster!

Then there was a station called Number 18 where we caught our breath, refilled our water bottles and rested for a while. Our next stop was again a lush green meadow where we had a packed lunch of delicious veg pulao and curd. It was midway, at around 2.5 kms. Tummies full, we all were set for the next leg of our hike.

We all were constantly encouraged by the trek leaders. They were cheering us throughout; and whenever we felt like that we would give up, they would crack jokes, lighten us up and then boost our confidence. They also carried our backpacks; when anyone felt too drained. We felt that we were in absolutely safe, strong hands!

The next 3 kms were rather exhausting. Partly because we were tired and partly because the trail was steeper. However the picturesque surroundings compensated every drop of sweat of ours!

So after a lot of toiling, panting and climbing we made it to the top! It was around quarter to 5. So we took around 6 hours to make it to Winch Camp!

Our tents were pitched when we reached. We were dead exhausted but were elated to have made it to the top. The feeling of accomplishment when you reach the top is unparalleled. To top our excitement, the natural beauty there was too much to absorb. It felt like straight out of a postcard! We were served hot tea and biscuits and a fire was made. I was on top of the world, literally!

There would be a lot of pictures of Winch Camp in my next post!

Some points to be kept in mind for a hassle free hike:

Start doing streching exercises and warm ups 2- 3 days before the hike. So your body won’t be in a shock when you start climbing.

Wear good hiking shoes. You don’t want your feet to slip. Also wear full sleeve tees and full pants. You don’t want to get bruised by the rocks or any shrub.

A suncreen is must. Also wear a cap. The sun would be directly on your face. Wear tight sunglasses too.

It gets very chilly in the evening as well as early morning. So carry warm layers.

The weather in the hills is quite unpredictable. So don’t forget to carry an umbrella and a raincoat. Also keep your camera and clothes in a plastic bag so that they are safe.

There is no electricity in Winch Camp. Of course! Otherwise what would be the use of camping? So carry a torch and power bank and keep your electronic devices fully charged. There is no mobile network up there barring BSNL and Reliance. So you can absolutely relax without bothering about anything. That is what vacations are for; ain’t it?

Hiking Leggings: Adidas

Top: Forever 21

Shoes: Reebok

Sunnies: Forever 21

Watch: Casio G Shock