It's already been a week since I returned from the best experience of 2011 — Himalayan Outward Bound, but the longing to go back's still as strong as ever. Guess after all, it's called a 'best experience' for a reason.
Apparent from the previous post, I wasn't the least bit excited about leaving for Delhi on the 4th. And I owe that to all the conflicting thoughts that were running through my head, and the ambivalence of my emotions, before I left home. Then, my head was truly the worst place to be, hahaha. But what consoled me a little was that on top of my family, some of my friends were at the departure hall to send me off, and although our time together was short... well, it's the thought & effort that counts. ;)
Surprisingly, things got better once I bade my goodbyes, for some reason not very clear. I'm guessing it's probably because only then would I be able to completely experience the comfort of being only among the people who would be in it together with me. :) And I walked around the place with them for a while, and made my final replies and mentions on Facebook & Twitter before all of us left for the gate.
When we landed in Delhi, dawn was just about to break. It was a rather strategic time in a sense, because we had to sit on an 8-hour bus ride to the Shivpuri base camp in Uttarakhand, so since things were that way we wouldn't really reach that place in the dead of the night. The thought of having to sit through an 8-hour bus ride was already discomforting enough for me; little did I know what was in store for all of us next, and I mark my words — it was one hellish experience! The most probable reason being government corruption, the roads in India are generally poorly paved, and to make things worse, the bus we were in was rather ancient, and the way motorists drove in India was just... atrocious. More than half them can be seen honking and beeping away every minute, squeezing in between vehicles and meandering through the roads in a perpetual attempt to overtake other drivers (God knows why they want to do that all the time). So all of us called ourselves 'survivors' once we got out of the bus at the base camp; a long, bumpy and noisy bus ride with bag-dropping and seat-jerking is definitely a force to be reckoned with, hands down. Another reason why we felt like conquerors was because we left the bus to a beautiful view of mountains overlooking the Ganges river. Gorgeous, gorgeous. ;)
The first night was spent at the base camp we arrived in. I roomed with Alvin & Kian Leong, and all three of us were satisfied with our accommodation: a rather spacious tent with 2 proper beds. What we weren't so used to, though, was how we were supposed to handle our sanitation, and also the way we were supposed to wash our dishes after meals. Toilets in the base camp are tents with huge holes on the ground into which all of our 'businesses' go. After one's done, he'd need to get a spade from outside and dump a few mounds of sand into the hole. This sanitation method occurred to me as completely gross at first (like how it would to everyone), but as time passed, I got used to it; comfortable, even. And as for the cleaning of dishes, we had to scrape our plates with sand, to clump together any stray rice grains with sauce marks, after which we would dust the sand off and move on to soak, scrub and disinfect. Initially, many of us used our spoons to do the 'sanding', but like above, as time passed, we began to use our hands. ;)
The best part every non-expedition day was, definitely, the meals. Not only do we have them frequently, the food is really delicious & heartening as well. They're always made with the love of the HOB instructors who are ever so passionate for the great outdoors. :) The naans, chapatis and pooris, whenever there are, are always taken fresh out of the oven. For lunch, only vegetarian food is served, but surprisingly they always taste so divine. Dinners, if we're lucky, would come with the occasional chicken curry which all of us would delight in. The only not so positive thing about meals is that they're always communal, so if you're one of the first to get your food, you'd have to wait for the last person before starting. During the process of waiting... well, all you can do is just let the food make your mouth water, and let the scents make your nose twitch, hahaha!
But of course, the expedition proper would have to start eventually, and although it got extremely arduous at certain points in time during the course of it all, it definitely did open up one huge window of horizons & experiences. The second day was the final day before we truly set out into the wilderness, and it was spent at a small resort. There, we learned what was necessary, like tent-pitching and how to lay out & keep our sleeping mats & bags, and also organised our meals for the next 6 days and 5 nights through rationing the food cans & packets into boxes. In the evening, the instructors gathered us in the hall for lectures which briefed us on first aid and taught us basic Hindi, as well as discussed matters regarding morale, team objectives, mutual respect, care for the environment and the like. It was very dry but important nonetheless.
Headed out after breakfast on the morning of the third day carrying my rucksack full of clothes, toiletries, food and tent materials, after grabbing my packed lunch (in a mass tin) and mugs. It was unbelievably heavy at first, though strapping the weight to my chest did help quite a bit. But everyone got used to the load in the end, as we progressively trekked and trekked.
When we reached the start point of our trek, we stood in a circle of blessing in our own groups, and it did help boost confidence. The rest of the day was spent trekking through tough terrain with backbreaking loads, but the beauty of the scenery we beheld made up for everything. :) Trekking, on top of revealing our personalities when we're demoralised at best, also gave us many more reasons to edify and encourage one another, and to sustain our kind words and thoughts. When we got really tired, we would also start chatting up one another, and it made the entire affair light-hearted and well, enjoyable when it really wasn't supposed to be. :)
Besides the matters of the heart & mind, we saw quite a lot of fascinating sights while trekking on the third day, like bulls crossing an animal suspension bridge, village children running through the terrains with slippers like it was flat ground because they were late for school, and of course, the sun resting its light on the waters of the Ganges, with layers of mountains forming the backdrop. All of us couldn't even begin to comprehend the feast our eyes had. :')
By the time we (finally) reached our campsite, it was just about to get dark, and that was when all the hard work started. Being part of the kitchen crew, I had to help out in preparing communal dinner for everyone, and that involved going to the river and drawing water for cooking, as well as preparing the rice and getting all the condiments ready. It was an ordeal because by the time we started cooking, it was already pitch dark and there weren't enough lights around. It gets freezing cold at night as well, and it's not like the water was warm to begin with, though it was pretty nice still, to be able to cook outdoors for once. But when it came to the food itself... well, I wouldn't say too much! We attempted pasta on the first night, and it kinda flopped as we used equal amounts of tomato puree and cheese... in the end, all flavour was eliminated, haha! But when we're tired & hungry, anything goes (what a relief).
The second day of trekking (fourth day) was a climb for all of us, both literally and figuratively. I swear, almost half of us died, haha! The terrain was equally as bad, if not worse, and it got sweltering hot in the afternoon while we were trekking through the woods with just trees and bushes forming a mundane landscape. It was already terrible enough to begin with, and when some started feeling faint and nauseous, things got even less optimistic. But what mattered most was that all of us pulled through together and reached the village in time for our lunch break in the end. It felt awesome also because there was a free-flowing water tap where everyone rushed towards to rinse their hair or get their H2O fix. ;)
We set off at around 2 and continued uphill. This time, it was a less demoralising trek, mainly because the weather was cooling down. Towards the end, all of us went on a high, drugged by the magnificent scenery — snow-capped mountains against a mild, purplish orange sky. It was really a sight to die for, even more so as the sun began to set once we arrived at the summit. At the same time, we could see the moon rising as well, as our location offered a panoramic view. The beauty of it all is really something I will never forget. Emotions went on rampage as well, with some others crying after looking back at the long day and on what they have achieved. To put it in two words: 感动。:)
Following that were the routines again: the tent- and toilet-pitching, the tea break (with ginger chai and masala biscuits that never tasted so delicious before), the cooking, and the briefings. That night, I also helped bring out the firewood to make the bonfire, though I didn't actually crack much wood myself. Took some funny pictures by the fire as well:
The next morning was incredibly cold; after all we were at a summit. When it got bright again, it started to drizzle, and it was terrible, because it got colder, and our tents weren't kept yet, so sand & mud started flowing in. The crew preparing lunch had it hard as well; there was no shelter so in the end, some of us held up ground sheets above them to prevent both them and the food from getting soaked. Thankfully though, the showers eventually gave way, and we could start our trek for the day. This time it was downhill, and it was pretty risky as there were mini landslides everywhere from the rain. During the course of the trek though, we saw amazing things, including a double rainbow in the form of a complete arch, and more gorgeous faces of the Ganges river. There was always something to look forward to while I was in India. ;)
We completed the entire trek once we reached our destination for the day, which was a road near a bridge where coaches awaited. We were truly delirious! But firstly, we knocked off on the coach ride which took us to our next campsite, hahaha.
The next day was the 'start of something new', rather, we embarked on the second half of our HOB adventure: white water rafting. At the start, it was much more exciting compared to trekking. After loading our rucksacks on the truck and doing all the necessary packing, we rushed to put on our helmets, wet suits, splash jackets and life vests. Our group split into two so as to accommodate the rafts, and with every raft was a guide. We got a first feel of the Ganges when we practiced paddling, and little did we know that a rollercoaster ride ensued when we took off, hahaha. There were strong rapids and currents everywhere, and they were defined by the heart-stopping moments and the gushes of icy cold water we experienced as we rafted across them. Whenever we reached calm waters, we would also have some fun of our own, like trying to capsize the raft or standing on the edge and trying to maintain our balance. Once, all of us jumped into the water too, and tried climbing up, or if not, pulling others up, the raft. A refreshing experience. :) However, with fun also comes its counterpart, boredom. From experience, whenever one tires himself out from rafting, everything'll become mundane. As for me, there were even points when I shut my eyes and rafted. Guess being too calm doesn't always help, hahaha.
The second day of rafting, Day 7, was eventful as well. We stopped at a bridge, where the instructors conducted high elements for us to attempt. In the end, I found myself abseiling down the bridge, and to be honest... it was rather boring! Maybe it's because of the pace at which I abseiled down... but then again, I didn't want to take any risks considering the fact that then was the first time I ever tried abseiling, haha. Was dropped into a raft when I completed the abseil, after which I proceeded to participate in capsize drills with my rafting group. The whole process itself was dramatic; when we overturned the raft the second time to get the right side up, the raft almost broke Kian Leong's head in a freak accident, also, Vaishu was trapped under the raft in the water for quite a while, which led to chest pains and near suffocation. Thankfully, the injuries weren't too grave.
On our way to the campsite for the day, we played a bit of guessing games with Hairi, the instructor on the raft with us. That, at the very least, kept all of us from dozing off, haha. When we got to the beach campsite, well, all the routines played out once again. But as we settled around the bonfire waiting for dinner to be laid out, another beautiful sight broke the mundane flow of things — the eclipse forming against a cloudless, starry night sky. There were no disputes over the shapes we saw because the moon was so bright — all of us agreed that we saw a toenail. Hahaha!
For dinner that night, I helped out through chopping the potatoes (which were deep-fried into delicious fries). I could taste the accomplishment in them when all of us were savouring our meals. That night was also the final night of the expedition, and it was bittersweet. Had a small party for all the instructors from the Himalayan branch to thank them for all they have done in order to make the whole expedition a success.
The next day, we embarked on the last leg of the rafting expedition, which was also our final challenge — the major rapids. Conquered 'The Wall' with some of my rafting mates, and 'Three Blind Mice' with all of them. It was such an adventure, to work against the power of the currents and to have fast-flowing water drench you from head to toe. Though there was a possibility, all of the rafts didn't capsize, and that was great. :)
Reached the Shivpuri base camp at lunchtime, where we tucked in for a delicious meal after settling what needed to be done. After lunch was some leisure time for our own, so as Alvin & Kian Leong went to take a nap, I went for a shower. It felt amazing, and it was especially so because all of us didn't shower for 6 days straight. Though the facility for bathing wasn't exactly proper, I was able to at least feel clean for once, hahaha.
The next 2 days were spent amidst civilisation, which was both good and bad at the same time. We went to Rishikesh, the home of yoga, and chanced upon quite a lot of great finds (and buys). The textiles and handmade accessories in India are beautiful, and the meditation souvenirs are interesting on the same level. Got myself a messenger bag with the 'om' symbol imprinted on it, on top of some handmade notebooks, bracelets and pouches for myself and friends.
On our last day in India, we hopped on the same 8-hour bus ride back to Delhi, bumpy and all. But this time, we got used to it. ;) Stopped by the same pitstop we went to on the first day, Cheetal Grand, to get some snacks as well as a chicken & vegetable pizza to go, which I shared with Alvin on the bus. It was already late afternoon by the time we reached Janpath, but we still went ahead with the lunch and shopping nonetheless. The shopping there was great, with a lot of take-home souvenirs on the shelves, on top of the beautiful and traditional handmade Indian products. There was also Tantra, a novelty T-shirt shop, there, and all of us splurged in that place!
After a fun 2 or so hours of shopping, we went back up the buses and this time, to Indira Gandhi International Airport. By then, everyone started to reveal their groggy, if not, reluctant sides. After all, we had such an amazing time in India. But actually, some of them genuinely fell sick, and the issue was blown into larger proportions once all of us started queuing at the Customs area; there were even some people among us rushing out just to go to the toilet because of their nausea or diarrhoea. But it was good that things like these happened just when all of us were about to depart; it'd be difficult to find good medical service in India (when compared against Singapore at least).
... And so, at 2350 hours, Indian Standard Time, I left New Delhi on a Singapore-bound flight, with feelings completely different from when I arrived in that place 10 days ago.
Looking back at everything that happened a week ago, there wasn't even any room for regrets to begin with. I thank God I enjoyed and savoured most, if not all, of the HOB adventure. From where I am standing now, the paranoia I struggled with on the night of the 4th just seems so foolish to me, hahaha.
Really, I'm so glad and honoured to be part of Himalayan Outward Bound 2011, and to be in the midst of 36 awesome teammates. We strived, we served, and not even once did we yield. :) Looking forward to greater adventures and journeys in the future!
