What i did last weekend

I walked about in Rajpur. The route I took was along the river Ripasana, and then along the river bed. Once, there was a route connecting the Himalayas to the plains. It is said that one could walk to Ladakh from here. This, people, is the route. It is known as the old cart road and one also follows it for a while on the way to Jharipani. It lies on a glacier bed (probably), skirts the Old Rajpur Canal, several water-harvesting structures, the temple I had posted about before, a lovely old lychee grove, and many interesting little nooks and crannies.

There is absolutely no way I can write a more informative, engaging, and comprehensive account of the walk than this report written by Will. If you are planning on a day in Rajpur, I strongly suggest that you take it along.

Since I need to perforce follow the vikram schedules, I could not leave home before 7.30. This meant that I was out walking in the hottest part of the day. This further meant that I came back sunburnt and be-migrained. But it was worth it.

What did I do? I walked. I spent some time sitting in the old priest's house (details in the report) and marvelling. That house deserves a separate post all to itself, and it shall have it. I sat under a peepal tree and watched birds, and listened to the leaves rustle. Clambering over the river bed was most fun. It was interesting to look out for animal spoor (deer and a small predator), look at mineral deposits, watch fish and frogs, and try and see the landscape through a geologist's eyes. There are times when the riverbed looks like a slag heap ,and this was the most unpleasant part of the walk. But it is nicer to think of how that lot of chipped rock got deposited there, to think of glaciers and upstart mountains.

I deviated a little from W's route and also walked up the left-hand tributary of the Ripasana. This part of the area is more secluded and quiet. It also has some interesting limestone formations and cliffs to wander by. When I decided I had enough, I crawled under a bush and sat there for a while looking out across the valley.

After that, I walked about a little in Rajpur. Sadly, both my preferred lunch options were shut ( because it was a Sunday, and for renovation). But no matter, I came home instead. All in all, a very good day.