TRAVEL

City of contrasts

Beautiful castles and cathedrals, wide roads and well planned layouts, 
museums and memorials... the city has it all. 
NANDINI and PRAMOD K NAYAR find themselves 
smitten by the charm of Edinburgh

"Edinburgh is what Paris ought to be"
- Robert Louis Stevenson

A city of contrasts - that is the first thing that strikes you about Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. Sheer cliffs rise from a sunken garden. A medieval castle stares majestically down at a garden and the tiny scurrying figures on the main thoroughfare. Graceful old buildings house modern stores. Everywhere you can see the signs of progress - but a progress tempered by a love for and appreciation of venerable buildings. Even the railway station is discreetly tucked away on a lower level, invisible from the main street but close enough to justify it being called the centre of the city.

Edinburgh has two totally distinct sections - the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town clusters around the castle - a jumble of narrow and steep lanes. The castle, perched on a rock, forms a theatrical backdrop to the city. It is the best known and most popular of tourist attractions. It offers a beautiful view of the city and also houses the crown, the sceptre and the sword. Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son James, later the ruler of England, in a little room here. This castle was of strategic importance during Scotland's wars of independence. Even today it is a working establishment and is the Head Quarters of the Scottish Division.

Halfway through the eighteenth century the New Town was born. The crowded cluster of houses in the Old Town meant overcrowding, diseases and unhygienic living conditions. Built on a simple grid plan the New Town was the answer to all the problems. The wide streets and the well-planned layouts are in direct contrast to the twisting lanes of the Old Town.

Princes Street is the most important road in Edinburgh. Described as one of the most beautiful streets in the world, it is the main artery of the city. A wide road flanked by comfortable pedestrian zones, plenty of shops and a constant stream of visitors make Princes Street the place to be. Here you have the Waverly Railway Station, the Tourist Information Centre and plenty to see and do. The 200 feet spire of the Walter Scott Memorial stands slender and elegant against a background of green lawns, steep brown cliffs and the majestic castle. This memorial has a likeness of the most famous writer Scotland has produced. Just a few feet away is the statue of David Livingstone, the Scottish doctor who worked tirelessly in Africa.

The other most important street is the Royal Mile - so called because it links two royal residences - the Castle and Holyrood Palace. This street, which was the thoroughfare of medieval Edinburgh, has retained its charm, thanks to a careful policy of conservation. At the top of the street is the Outlook Tower with the Camera Obscura. The revolving lenses of the camera and mirrors project a moving picture of the city. Further down the street is The Writers' Museum which has artefacts associated with two of the most famous Scottish novelists - Walter Scott, R L Stevenson - and Scotland's national bard Robert Burns.

The Royal Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street is well worth a visit. Housed in a magnificent building is a collection of objects related to the history of Scotland. St Giles' Cathedral is the next stop. This cathedral has a distinctive crown steeple supported by eight buttresses. Inside is the beautiful Thistle Chapel, noted for its ornate wood carvings. St Giles' contains memorials to prominent Scottish personalities and commemorates the writer R L Stevenson. The Museum of Childhood, dedicated to the theme of children and growing up is a delightful collection of toys, clothes and interesting information about the life of children in the past. You don't have to be a child to enjoy the exhibits.

Edinburgh offers a number of shops that cater to the tastes of tourists. They have a wide collection of Tartan skirts, jackets, caps, you name it. Walking around Edinburgh is a real delight. Since the city is built at various levels the unsuspecting visitor is constantly being surprised by sudden dips offering glimpses of the River Firth of the Forth, of bridges cleverly disguised as roads... it is these that make exploring Edinburgh on foot such a rewarding experience. The topography is a series of ups and downs and is said to be a result of the activity of the principle volcano - Arthur's Seat. These have been skillfully used by the city's architects to create a multi-layered effect, almost like two or three cities juxtaposed with each other.

Edinburgh offers examples of all kinds of architecture - Victorian, Georgian, Scot Baronial and medieval. The eighteenth century New Town is the largest area of Georgian architecture in Europe and probably in the world. The European Community has recognised it as a valuable part of European heritage. Edinburgh also has Whisky Heritage Centers and Tartan Mills, where the visitor can witness the weaving process.

Travelling around Edinburgh is very easy as the Information office is very helpful and the buses are very regular. The bus fares are surprisingly low for a tourist centre. But be prepared with plenty of change before you board a bus for these come equipped with ticket dispensers that disdain the very concept of returning change. So if your pockets fail to yield the correct change necessary to make the journey, you could well be poorer by some money. But the people of Edinburgh are ever willing to help visitors. If you manage to pick on a couple of days of uninterrupted fine weather to visit this wonderful city in, you can count yourself among the fortunate.

Mountains and meadows

Gloria J D'souza finds trekking in the beautiful valley of Kulu a 
rewarding experience

The National Himalayan trekking unit of YHAI offers treks in the Kulu Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Originally known as "Kulanthapitha" - end of the habitable world, this valley is known as the land of gods and goddesses. Kulu Valley is about 80 kms long and often less than 2 kms wide. It rises northward from Mandi to the Rohtang Pass. I chose the Chandrakani Pass trail of Kulu-Parbati Valley. For the last 30 years YHAI has been organising these Himalayan treks, introducing the splendor of Himalayas to the young people of India.

Chandrakani Pass is located at a height of 3,657 m, offering breathtaking views of beautiful snow-clad mountains. This snow-clad trail turns out to be a ground of reverberating colours at the onset of spring. It is truly another valley of flowers. Our group of 6 from Karnataka started to Kulu via Delhi to join the last departing team of the season for the Chandrakani trek.

Our base camp Babeli is 8 kms from Kulu town on the banks of River Beas. Situated in an orchard of apples and apricots, the place was serene with only the chirping of birds and the roar of River Beas in the background. We were allotted our tents with blankets and rucksacks. First two-three days were meant for acclamatisation, when we were trained in river crossing and rock climbing.

The trek began on the fourth day. We were taken to village Sansari by bus. Our destination was Bijlee Mahadev temple, which was a 3-hour climb from this place. Sansari is a traditional Himachali village where we got a taste of Himachali village life first hand. People wore their own special costumes and every home had a weaving loom where they wove their clothes themselves. All the houses had apple trees and they cultivated wheat and jowar in their fields. Most of them also had cows and sheep.

After completing the 3-hour climb we were atop the peak at Bijlee Mahadev temple. The temple is so known because lightning strikes the place very often and even then people inside are never injured. It is believed that when a terrible tragedy is likely to happen Shiva takes it on himself to protect mankind. It is said when lightning shatters the shivling they cover it in a white cloth and go on with their bhajans and after sometime when they open the cover they can see the shivling intact! The temple has beautiful carvings and sculptures.

A further trek of 4 kms from this place reached us to our campsite at Ghankala, located at 7,500 ft above sea level. Our camp leader welcomed us with a welcome drink. We were made to stay with a Himachali family. In the evening we had our first glimpse of snowy mountains. We also heard the distant sound of drums and horns. It was from the procession of deities that were being carried to Kulu for dusshera. Our host was getting ready to receive the deity passing through their house. When the procession with the silver deity on the palanquin came near, the lady of the house offered her respects.

Next day it was a long, arduous trek of 15 kms to the next campsite Pinni. It was supposed to be a very sunny and dry route. But god showed mercy on us and it rained, cooling the atmosphere. Down below River Parbati was making its way on a serpentine route. We passed through villages where people cultivated green peas and potatoes. We crossed hills after hills to reach Pinni which, at a height of 8,000 ft above sea level, was a lovely campsite by a lovely stream.

Next day we walked towards Chalal, another 13 kms away, amidst orchards of fruits like cherries, apricots and apples. Chalal is a lower camp at 5,200 ft, beautifully set among pines beside the roaring River Parbati. It was our day of rest. We crossed River Parbati and joined the main road at village Kasol to go to Manikaran, which is known for its hot springs.

A steep climb of 3 kms amidst yellow spring flowers took us to Rashol. We encountered many shepherds with their flock. People of the village had some special trees and rocks belonging to them that we were not supposed to touch. At 8,500 ft Rashol was a beautiful village with snowy mountains closeby. We watched the spectacle of sunset over the mountains. There was a big cave vacated for us by Baba who has been meditating here for years now. Next day a steep climb of 6 kms reached us to Rashol camp-2 at an altitude of 8,700 ft. We could see a variety of Himalayan birds here.

Trek to Malana Nala (8,700 ft) was again through flower meadows. Himalayan marsh marigold, Sun spurge and Govan's corydalis were plenty. It was a 12-km trek in the Malana Valley. We camped near the river that had created a nice waterfall through its giant leaps. We crossed the river on the bridge and walked further up to Malana village. Malana is an isolated village community of about 500 people who speak a different dialect, have different customs and laws, their own system of government and a caste structure. Visitors are forbidden from touching either these people or their possessions. It is said that God Jumla, who was pre-Aryan and independent of the Hindu Gods which ruled the Kulu Valley, determines village beliefs.

Next day we walked 16 kms towards Nagruni which, at 10,000 ft above sea level, offered the view of mountain peaks such as Tiger Thach, Ali Ratni, Indersan and Priyadarshini. There was a small stream hidden by a carpet of flowers. There was no snow on the campsite. Disappointed first timers to the Himalayas walked a few more miles and brought snow in their hands!
Next day we had to cross the Chandrakani Pass. It was going to be a very long walk of over 20 kms. We started quite early. The trail continued along the ridge with views of upper Malana Valley and the high peaks of Tosh Valley. Alpine flower meadows opened before us, giving us a heavenly feeling. The lunar valley of Chandrakani at 12,000 ft was breathtaking. It was marked by prayer flags and cairns. We trekked down to Pulang at 8,700 ft above sea level, crossing a series of pastures, coniferous forests and meadows.

Our last leap was an easy walk of 6 kms to Naggar (1,840 m), a lovely little village set on a hill surrounded by forests. The Naggar castle, built about 500 years ago, provides good views of the valley. We also visited the 12th century Gowri Shankar and Tripura Sundari Devi temples, Roerich Art Gallery and the Urusvati Himalayan Folk and Art Museum before taking the return bus to our base camp Babeli. We were welcomed at the base camp again with a "badaa kaana".

Though the trek was long, the sheer beauty of nature, dedication of our camp leaders and most importantly, simplicity, innocence and the friendliness of the hill people kept us going on long and strenuous paths. We will definitely come back to feel the magic called Himalayas once again.

TRAVEL TIPS
How to get there:
By air: Nearest airport - Bhuntar in Himachal Pradesh.
By train: Chandigarh or Ambala, then by road to Kulu
By road: Kulu. Base camp Babeli is on the Kulu-Manali Highway, 8 kms ahead of Kulu town.
Trekking: YHAI organises trekking sessions for 13 days in the month of May.
Participation fee: Rs l700/- (Base camp to base camp). You can report on any day.
For applications, contact: National Secretary, YHAI, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021; Ph:6110250, 6871969; Fax: 011-6113469; E mail: yhostel@del2.vsnl.net.in; Website: www.yhaindia.org
Or, alternatively one can begin the trek from Jari, which is 19 kms from Bunther, or from Kasol (4 kms short of Manikaran). There are regular buses to Manikaran from Bhuntar, Kulu and Manali or you can do the reverse trek from Naggar.
Season: May to October.