THE JAYALGARH EXPERIENCE

Every once in a while in life, you have these crazy moments that you never thought would be a part of your reality and then voooo you’re shaken up out of your staid – predictable life with a bolt out of the blue…
Well, my Jayalgarh experience was that and more!

This was supposed to be a ‘serious & official’ Team Building - Outbound Learning Program at Chakrata – heavy words that set the same mood for the trip! The destination was supposed to be GIO’s Chakrata camp. And then there I was ‘kabhi yessing kabhi noing’ the trip… you know over-the-hill (that was a PERFECT expression!) motion sickness being the cause. I kept imagining myself puking my guts out! It’s quite an anti-climax how I love the hills but can never manage a road trip without a few uuuggghhh bouts!!!

Then there was a ‘kabhi yes kabhi no’ on the venue – we got a frantic call from GIO on the day we were supposed to leave informing us about nature venting it’s fury on Chakrata!! We must hand it out to the GIO guys for immediately shifting the location of action to Jayalgarh. I of course ‘Yahooed’ it immediately for a few pics of where we were heading finally! It’s more comfortable you know – than being hurled into the unknown!

If all this drama wasn’t enough – there was a freak (or is manic the word!) dust and hailstorm just as we boarded the bus from Gurgaon to the Nizamuddin station! We left at 8 to catch the 11:30 train and were all comfortable in the fact that there could NEVER be a chance of us missing the train! But! The ‘will we won’t we’s’ started again when 1 hour down the line we were only a kilometer down MG Road!! We averted a climax at the beginning of the story and finally we made it magically 5 minutes before the train chugged in!

The train journey ended a little too soon for my comfort, 3 hours of sleep later we had reached Haridwar. There were cabs waiting for us so at 5 in the morning we finally started the last and most torturous leg of our journey to Jayalgarh. The drive from Hrishikesh to Kaudiyala was anything but pleasant – bumpy would be an understatement – a bad history of motion sickness and a drowsy driver just added to my miseries! Most of us were quite sick by the time we reached Byasi for our morning cuppa.

The beauty of the morning was breathtaking and the balmy weather just added to the splendor of Tehri Garhwal.



We reached Jayalgarh (District Kirtinagar) in good time for breakfast and the first look at the camp and we knew we had a few thrilling days ahead of us. The instructors at GIO ensured that we did not get our forty winks before we had slogged it out enough. So what followed the average breakfast (I am not too fond of soggy eggs you see!) and a quick shower was a great afternoon of body surfing and some other interesting but tiring group activities.
A sudden squall just gave us the quick respite we needed and just added to the panoramic beauty of the hills. The weather was nice and edgy. To top it all, the camp organized a great bonfire and music for the night.



Day 2 started with rafting. This was my third time at it and I seemed quite a pro! Rafting the Alaknanda is a consummate spiritual experience…miles of water between towering mountains. Nature has its way of making you and your issues in life look small and inconsequential. We rafted till DevPrayag where the emerald green and edgy Bhagirathi meets the calmer and deeper Alaknanda and forms the river that we Indians revere – Ganga. This divine sight is like no other and I don’t think any adjective would do justice to the description.




The second half of the day I did something that I never thought I would. Bridge Slithering. When I reached the bridge we had to ‘slither’ down – I could not believe it! It was a scary iron bars bridge and we were supposed to jump to the other side and slip down a rope. Have done abseiling before but this looked worse! I kept looking at how others were managing it and was all the more confident that I would get stuck between the bars and be embarrassed like never before (God!! What’s with the weight that I can never seem to shed!!!). But finally when I saw a few mid-air drop-outs I took comfort in the fact that I couldn’t be worse so I finally took the plunge (literally!). Let me tell you – it is AMAZING and how I would have regretted not doing it! The beauty and view of the hills and the water from the mid-air is something else. It was a seventy foot long rope that ended around 20 feet above the water! So after the rope ended you would do a free fall into the chilly water! I seemed to go right in (I am convinced about that - errr weighty issues you see!) – I came back have drunk a few gallons and frantically looked around for the life saver kayaker!! As luck would have it both my legs were on the same side of the kayak – well that’s not how it is supped to be you see and I kept going below the kayak! Amidst my screams of I did it and Save Me and How Do I separate my legs (well!!) and the frantic kicks the nice-guy kayaker had a flurry of what he thought were ‘comfort questions’ like – how was it? Where have you come from? My name is… GAWD and not to forget the classic – 'aap apne pair hataiye varna hum kinare kaise jayenge'!(Dude as if I care!!)
Once I reached the rocks on the shore I felt I couldn’t stand up and get back! It was a realization of having done something I thought I couldn’t and the breathlessness from the screaming and kicking! The 1001 horse dung steps back to the bridge was no help either!




The next day it was time to get back after a few group photo ops…




A quick word for the camp here. High 5 - GIOs camp at Jayalgarh is the quintessential peaceful and gorgeous haven ensconced between the mighty mountains and the restless Alaknanda. They have a great set of tents ranging from comfortable to just about ok (heck you just use them to change and sleep!)– Mattresses and sheets were not exactly unblemished but you can ask for a change and the attendants are very prompt. A special word here for the bath area – it had everything you needed – they looked after the smallest detail. The pantry area was great sit-out and offered a great view of the river.
Food was good and filling. They had a generous helping of fruits and veggies. Lunch and Dinner were light and tasty – exactly what you need. There’s electricity for 4 hours in the evening and then you can enjoy the starry skies – the stars were never closer!



I have a Karmic connection with the hills. Everytime I go to there I promise myself never to come back and go through the torture of the road travel again but I always return. They call me back every few years and always leave me enriched with the experience, sounds and sights. It’s Always Magical.