Travel Inspiration – Road tripping & chasing the Sun in Himalaya
Everything_Candid
Very few countries, rather no country in the world, offer so much inspiration to travelers as India does. Apart from Desert, Coastal, Rain forests, Backwater topped with Heritage and History, India’s crowning glory is its Himalaya. India has snow clad Himalayan ranges, trans Himalayan region of Ladakh, cold desert of Spiti Valley, great Himalayan lakes, skiing resorts, umpteen Himalayan peaks, high altitude National Parks and gorgeous Himalayan valleys.
Himalayan aura goes beyond faith and it has influenced generations after generation.
Road trip in Himalaya
Himalaya is precious. It is the ultimate fulcrum of life on our planet as it gives life to more than half of the humanity of Earth residing in India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and beyond. Himalaya is much more than mere statistics, it is the Inspiration, it is the blessing and it is the ultimate challenge.
Its rivers are holy, its lakes are heavenly, its meadows are true Edens and its peaks are abode of Gods. As a traveler or otherwise also, our lives mission must be to forge an enduring relationship with Himalaya by getting lost in its unfathomable wilderness, by accepting its time defying aura and by accepting every challenge it throws on us. It’s a robust manifestation of anything and everything deific, righteous, pious, virtuos and celestial. A life without such a mission, is no life.
Every time you surrender yourself to Himalaya, it embraces you into its fold and then enriches your mind and soul.
A road trip in Himalaya is like a pilgrimage where its hidden corners, meandering curves, roaring rivers, and mighty peaks challenges your fear and under its profound spell, you painstakingly overcome the fear. It liberates your soul and levitates you to different level where you start to value your life.
During my umpteen road trips across Himalaya, I have explored cold desert of Spiti Valley on a self drive road trip, crossed passes like Kunzum Pass & Sach Pass, been to lakes such as Chandrataal and every road trip gave me many reasons to explore Himalaya more and more. It is like an eternal quest to know more, learn more and do more. Mighty Himalayan passes have challenged my zeal, Serpentine Himalayan rivers have been my guiding force and verdant Himalayan valleys have been my ultimate trophies.
Himalaya is the best teacher we can ever think of. With each mile of elevation, it teaches thousand lessons. So, go there as a pilgrim, as a student and as a seeker for it is the sanctum sactorum of mankind.
Chasing the sun in Himalaya
After chasing the sun in Rajasthan, let’s go northward to Himalaya to explore it in Golden Hour under the majestic rays of Sun. Every day when sun rays touch the snow clad peaks of Himalaya, the entire ambiance become vibrantly revering and when Sun calls it a day in the evening, the aura around these peaks become grandly majestic.
In every fleeting moment of Golden Hour, The Sun and The Himalaya complement each other, and play the duet amidst the azure sky making it their grand play ground which they fill with myriad shades of orange and blue. Verdant valleys of Himalaya and the sound of rivers flowing down streams make the entire sight a grand meditation ground for a soul elevating process and without any “AID” you achieve the state of “TRANS.”
My love of Golden Hour in Himalaya is so strong that I, usually, drive all night to reach within the embrace of Mighty Himalayan Ranges to witness the majestic sunrise in some valley of in some part of Great Himalaya and similarly, usually, I don’t leave Himalayan valleys before witnessing the sunset.
My best sunrise moments in Himalaya
My first glorified sunrise was in Saharan when I could see Shrikhand Kailash and Kinner Kailash from the top. Next when I visited Kalpa, sunrise from behind the Kinner Kailash for out of this world. Sunrise at Chandratal Lake was beyond imagination and the entire scene is deeply engraved in my mind. Sunrise from Naggar Fort was a surprise in winter morning where Sun kissed snow-capped mountain top. Dal lake is a treasure trove for golden hour lovers where morning and evening both surprises you with psychedelic landscapes. My best memories of sunrise revolve around Panchachuli peaks in Kumaon region of Himalaya where I witnessed sunrise once at Munsiyari and then at Kausani.
Sunrise from Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh
Naggar Fort – Morning shotof Kullu Valley
A morning at Chandratal Lake, Himachal
Sunrise from Munsiyari
My best sunset moments in Himalaya
Sunsets are very refreshing because they happen after a daylong challenging travel. They switch on a tired body and uplift the mood. I had best of the sunset moments in Dhankar where entire Dhankar Monastery was glowing and echoing its mighty present. Another sunset which I cherish the most happened at Rohtang pass when we just completed our Spiti circuit and at the background snow-capped tops were golden colored. Sunset at the floating wonder called Dal Lake was another emotionally fulfilling experience when every bit of the universe conspired a vividly beautiful landscape. Whenever flipped through my photo collection, sunset at Nako mesmerizes me to the core.
Golden Top from Rohtang
Sunset at Dal Lake
Sunset at Nakoin Kinnaur valley
Random golden hour shots from Himalaya
The Himalayas bears the stamp of infinity. It captivates. It terrifies. Most importantly, it INSPIRES.
So, next time when you plan your trip to Himalaya, make sure you get mesmerized by the beauty and aura of Himalayan Valleys during golden hours.
********
If you feel motivated, please share this blog post with your loved ones so that they can break the mundane cycle of everyday life and explore the world.
