An Indian adventure
In honour of the eldest Miss D doing her Duke of Edinburgh expedition this weekend, it felt like the right time to throw it back to last October when I trekked the foothills of the Indian Himalayas for charity. An experience so out of this world that it seems surreal that I actually did it!
Settle in, it’s a bit of a bumper edition this week…
Back in December 2021, it was my colleague, the Notorious TCP, who encouraged me to sign up to trek the Himalayas to raise much needed funds for Refuge charity. (Refuge provide specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence). For a few years, it had been something I kind of wanted to do, but had all too easily put off. With a bit of mutual peer pressure and in a carpe diem moment, we took the plunge. It would be 10 months from agreeing to do it to taking our first step on a mountain, but in that time we needed to raise £8,000 and get fit! And whilst I had barely moved from the sofa for a couple of years because of the covid lockdown, it was actually the fundraising that was caused me more angst than the getting fit. Saying it out loud meant that we had to do it and we shared the challenge of raising the money with everyone we knew. Before we even started the trek we’d had almost a years’ worth of fun! In fact, I’d focused so hard on raising the money and getting my body moving, I didn’t really think about what it would be like to spend 10 days in India trekking and camping with a group of strangers…
After an overnight flight that didn’t include a huge amount of sleep, we landed in Delhi. Inside the airport it was all very familiar – a Costa Coffee stand and a WH Smith met us on arrival. But once the doors opened, it was an attack on the senses. The heat enveloped us. The walking boots had to come off and flip flops went on. The noise was insane! Horns beeping, engines roaring, people shouting. Aboard our transfer bus we saw all the things Delhi is famous for. Bumper to bumper traffic, cows in the road, street vendors selling anything and everything, children begging, homelessness. This was my first experience of India and whilst some of the others were getting to know each other, I was soaking it all in.
After a quick shower and bite to eat, we had a few hours in old Delhi. We visited Red Fort (historically, the main residence of the Mughal emperors), where I was fascinated as the blonde and red-headed ladies in our group were all pestered continuously for photos. We took a near-death-experience tuk tuk ride to dinner, in a restaurant that didn’t look too appetising from the outside, but served absolutely knock-out food. Our local guides were clearly in the know.
Exhausted already and the trek hadn’t even began, we headed to the circus that was Delhi train station. Porters met us and balanced our enormous rucksacks on top of their heads to help us board the overnight sleeper. And whilst I’d seen it on TV, I didn’t really believe that young children walk on train tracks and hang out of moving trains. Heart-stoppingly terrifying. They really do.
Pleasantly surprised, after 35 degree Delhi heat there was aircon on board for our nine hour journey. There were even charging points too! So I plugged my phone in and went to sleep. Delirious, I was awoken by a guard with a gun telling me to uplug at around 02:00. OK, sure thing.
Vital that our alarms went off at 03:30, we stepped off the train at 04:00, in the middle of nowhere (if we’d have missed the stop, we would have landed in Kashmir). After the Delhi experience, we could hear the birds singing and see the stars. We then had another three hours in a taxi as we headed up to Dharamshala. The driving was crazy, minor bumps the norm, overtaking at speed on corners, large chunks of road missing. But we were in it, experiencing it, and thankfully everyone arrived safely!
It was the next morning, after sleeping in a real bed, that our trek began. As we exited our hotel our trekking guides loaded up a pack of mules with our big rucksacks, tents, kitchen and cooking kit. We started. We would be walking and camping for the next four days, trekking the foothills of the Himalayas, for charity. The incentive to do this well was strong.
The first hour was easy. A lovely stroll through beautiful countryside. The sun was out, I could do this forever. I found my stride, walking in the middle of the group. Sometimes chatting to the others, sometimes alone in my own thoughts. We had our first pause for a little drink and snack. And then the up and down started, and continued for four days straight.
Arriving at camp on the first night was thrilling. My body had held up. I could do this! The advance guys had pitched the tents (including the ‘toilet’ – the hole in the ground) and the camp kitchen. We all kicked off our boots and were welcomed with mugs of tea and warm pakora. An epic three-course dinner followed, cooked on an open fire on the side of a mountain. Before we put our heads down for the night, we sat around the campfire and listened to one of the most emotional stories I’ve ever heard. With her son sat next to her, one of the incredibly brave trekkers told her domestic abuse survivor story. In the dark, everyone shed more than a tear. Raising funds to support the fight against this type of abuse was why we were doing this trek. We went to bed with fire in our bellies.
On we walked on day two, amongst mountain villages, meeting the locals . One lovely lady invited us all in to teach us how to make chapati. We passed a young girl on our travels who walked two hours each day to get to work. We were in one of the most remote places I’ve ever seen or been.
The afternoon of day two we had to dig deep. It was the first real physical test and took focus to climb a vertical incline. It was hard. Really hard. But we did it. All of us. A group of 20 women, all of different ages shapes and sizes, all with different reasons for being there.
Reaching the summit was emotional. It was such an achievement for us all. A life affirming moment that will stay with us forever. We then walked along a ridge to our final campsite and it felt like we were on top of the world. Literally. Such beauty! To soak it all in all the more, we put our alarms on for the next morning to watch the most perfect sunrise. And even though our bodies needed more rest, it was worth every second.
The descent was the start of our trip home and yet there was still so much more to do. After a much needed wash and 40 winks, we went on to Dharamshala and the Dalai Lama residences. We visited schools, a Buddhist ceremony, and women’s associations, learning about life in this part of India as well as visiting the tourist traps. On the overnight sleeper, we repeated our journey back to Delhi and then on again further to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Whilst we got up to see it at sun rise, the fog that we were greeted with gave it a totally ethereal vibe.
This trip was special. Not only was it about the trek itself, it was the build-up, the fundraising, the camaraderie of the group, the majestic scenery, bucket-list sights, and so much more. It was a truly awesome experience that I would highly recommend. By the end, I was very much in need of sleep, I wanted my own bed, some plain food. An omelet please! I was ready to see my family. Hug my kids. I was broken but happy. This trip to India was one hell of an adventure that I’m incredibly proud to say that I did, and thanks to TCP for pushing me to do it, it will stay with me forever.
For all of the pictures, videos and reels, check out @theweekendwandereruk on Instagram
