Twice a year the forbidding journey to the boarding school is necessary. Father Latak, looks to the sky and attempts to predict how the weather will develop. Only when he is sure that no storm is brewing, he starts to prepare the children for the trip over the river. It is a route that is so notorious, that it even has a name: Chadar- the path over the cloak of ice. One last time, his ten year old son Motup, plays in front of their hut. Motup is one of the few kids who regularly leave the village in order to attend one of the the better schools in town. Then the family gets ready for the long trip. The mother has sewn thick wool socks for the father and the children, and Tebean prayers and mantras are recited for protection along the way. Then the trip begins, where the children muss trust completely the experience and skill of their father.
The first steps, only a few kilometres until the frozen river, seem easy for the family. But father Latak recognizes immediately that the spring has come early this year and the sun has already began to compromise the ice. This is not a good sign, since the thinner the ice the more dangerous the trip becomes. Latak goes before the children and tests with a stick before each step on the ice. Often the ice cracks a bit, but the ice remains whole. Latak knows that no one should travel the Chadar without a good reason. But the education of the children is a good enough reason to take on the risks involved.
He knows that if he goes first and the ice carries his weight, that it will also carry the weight of the children. If it does not, it will be he that will fall in the icy water and not his two children. At the same time, Latak, Motup and the other members of the crew must keep a close eye on the mountains. The massive mountain ranges on both sides of them seem to be a scene form a picture book, peaceful and lordly. But there is danger lurking. At any given time, an avalanche can break out. Many times before people have been caught by avalanches here.
In the mean time the sun has already thawed the middle of the river. But since there are steep rocks right and left, Latak must now search for a new path for them to continue on. He leaves Motup behind him and luckily finds a way. It is a 20 cm wide path on the rocks at the edge of the river, and up to ten meters high.
They need almost an hour, skipping from rock to rock until they finally reach an area where the river is again covered with ice. Now they must find a place to set up camp as soon as possible before it becomes dark and the temperatures sink to as low as -30 degrees Celsius. Latak knows a cave where they will be protected and finally be able to get some rest. They must gather their strength because the most dangerous part of the Chadar still lies before them.
The ice is almost completely melted. Only a 50 cm wide strip borders right and left the ice-cold water, making the river absolutely impassible. Rocky overhangs above the ice block the way. Father and son must now crawl its way to school. Father Latak tests his way over the ice on his belly. After any progress made, he pulls his son by their hands to him.
There are countless dangerous situations that make this way to school so unpredictable. But after four days it is over, they have reached their goal; the city of Leh and the school.
NEPALI STREET FOOD feast in KATHMANDU, Nepal | Best MOMOS in Kathmandu traditional Newari food
Nepal is home to over 100 different ethnicities so its safe to say that the food culture of this country is immense and diverse. Were in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal to explore the food culture of this vibrant city. We start with a traditional Nepali breakfast at the bazaar of sel roti, gwaramari- a traditional Newari food and chiya (tea). We then head to a locals favourite for one of Nepals most beloved foods- momos (dumplings). We visit Patan, one of the three cities that make up the Kathmandu Valley to delve into Newari food- the Newar are the indigenous inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley- and eat woh (often called bara), a lentil pancake at a hole in the wall Newar restaurant. We finish at a 4th generation family bakery that specialises in traditional Newar sweets and eat lakhamari, a sweet bread. We hope you enjoy this Nepali street food tour in Kathmandu, Nepal! #nepalistreetfood #nepal #nepalesefood
What we ate and where we ate it:
1. Sel roti, gwaramari and chiya (tea) at Ason Bazaar, Chittadhar Marg, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal. Get there before 9:00am.
2. Jhol momos (dumplings) at Swadisht Mo Mo, Kunayetwa Marg, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal. Open daily from 11:00am to evening.
3. Wo at Honacha, Behind Krishna Temple, Mamaru Galli, Lalitpur 44600, Nepal. Open daily 9:00am to 8:00pm.
4. Lakhamari at Nanda Mithai Bhandar, Tichhu galli, Lalitpur 44700, Nepal. Open daily 6:00am to 8:00pm.
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* STUFF FOR YOU*
We’re Thomas and Sheena, food and travel fiends. We travel full time, hunting for the BEST local food in the world to showcase via our YouTube videos. Food is a window into a countrys culture and one of the most exciting ways to get to know a place.
Were all about eating what and where the locals eat. You wont find food thats been created merely to be social media worthy on here- no rainbow bagels, gold leaf soft serves- just genuine, authentic food that tastes incredible.
From street food to mom and pop restaurants, we want to show you the best and most authentic food we find on our travels.
Application for permit does not mean confirmation of travel on that day, you still need to visit the forest office day before or few days before the journey and get the day of travel confirmation done.
You can do this either at Uttarkashi or Gangotri.
Charge for permit: You don’t have to pay anything online — when you reach forest office entry gate at Gangotri, you have to pay charge of Rs 150 per person.
Charge for Pony service: Government approved rate is Rs 1800 per person from Gangotri Forest entry gate to Bhojbasa and back next day.
Though Rs 1800 rate is fixed by government but on an average this costs Rs 2500 because they will charge extra for luggage plus if you are little over over normal weight they will charge extra. Consider this about Rs 2500 per person.
Guide charge: We paid Rs 2500 to our guide, Ideally you should fix your guide day before the journey, if you want only porter you may get it at Rs 2000 for the complete journey.
In our case Guide demanded Rs 2500 for his service then Rs 1000 extra for his boarding and lodging — we paid Rs 3500 to him for this 2 day journey.
In this route most guides work as Guide cum porter but still you should clarify this with the guide.
Food availability: You can carry your own food or if you want to locally buy, you will get Maggie with tea at Chirbasa.
Food at Garhwal Mandal vikas Nigam Guest house Bhojbasa- They serve good and tasty food, though options are limited, only veg food available.
Dal, Bharta or Bhindi average one person serving costs Rs 170 to Rs 190.
Tea in morning — you can get it at 6 am in morning at Bhojbasa.
Places to stay between Gangotri to Gaumukh: Only place where you can stay is Bhojbasa, there are 2 options there GMVN, you need to do online booking. There is no place to stay at Gaumukh.
Per person stay cost Rs 350 excluding food.
Other option is there is a ashram near GMVN, you can stay there as well at cost of Rs 350 per person. This cost at Ashram includes food cost, they serve langar there.
Electricity at Bhojbasa — There is no electricity over there, GMVN guest house has a generator which they run every day evening for one and a half hour.
Mobile network: You will get mobile network only for 2 to 3 km during the start of the journey, then no network, even BSNL network was not there.
If there is some emergency, GMVN people liasons with the Army there and communicates wirelessly with Gangotri.
Things to carry: Enough woolens, raincoat, oxygen cylinder, you can get oxygen cylinder from gangotri medical shop by paying Rs 600 and if it is not used they will deduct Rs 100 or 200 and return the balance money.
Its not compulsory to carry oxygen cylinder but just on a safe side.
Should you have any other query, please read through frequently asked questions below.
FAQ — Can i travel from Gangotri to Gaumukh and then come back on the same day to Gangotri.
Answer — Yes you can do that, as i did the same 6 years back when i went there with my wife but you need high physical fitness and good stamina. Though it is not advisable, as by the time you reach back Gangotri it will be dark.
Can i start trek early morning at 4 am?
Answer -No, Forest department allows entry from the gate at 6 am, to reach Forest entry gate you should start from you hotel or guest house at Gangotri at 5.30 am or 5.15 am…
Can i travel to Gaumukh in winters?
Answer — No — You can go there during May to Oct period only, during winters Gangotri National park is closed.
Benefit of taking guide?
Answer — He can guide you about danger zone, and give you good company. They are not professional guides, they were porters at some point of time and now have graduated themselves to guide.
Best time to travel to Gaumukh?
Answer — Mid august to end september. May and October will be cold. Though you can travel any time between May to Oct but avoid Monsoon time between June to July.
Is travel on Pony safe?
Answer — To my mind it is not advisable, because if you slip from Pony, it may badly hurt you or there may be a casualty too because it is steep below and passage is also small…
Though the number of travelers per day is limited so there is no crowd there but i will still suggest try walking down and you will love the journey.
In 1965, a 69 year-old spiritual teacher from India arrives in the West and settles among the hippies of New York’s Lower East Side. From a tiny storefront, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami starts a revolution of consciousness influencing tens of thousands in the US and worldwide. But what happens to his spiritual movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), after their charismatic leader’s passing? Will it survive? Will it change? Can an ancient Eastern religious tradition be relevant in the modern 21st century?
A documentary by Karuna Productions. (www.karunaproductions.com)
This final video of our Kartika parikrama 2015 consists of highlights of the many places in Sri Vrindavan dhama that we visited. No doubt all devotees who participated hold memories of that month very dear to their hearts. We are grateful to Ananta Vrindavan dasa for capturing the special moments of the parikrama on video. No doubt so are the many Vaisnavas around the world who eagerly followed our sacred journey around Vrindavan through his work. We invite all such devotees to join our parikrama next year! Sastra speaks unequivocally about the importance of visiting the places of Lord Krsna’s pastimes:
“Certainly no means of perfection is superior to the worship of Sriman Madan Gopala’s lotus feet. That worship yields results far beyond what one could expect. It should be performed mainly through nama-sankirtana, along with reverence and affection for the many places of Sri Gopala’s pastimes, places which one should regularly visit.”
By the mercy of the Lord our second Kartika parikrama took us to the city of Mathura, where Lord Krsna appeared 5,000 years ago. In a beautiful and spacious temple we discussed the glories of Mathura as revealed in the Brhat Bhagvatamrita, by Srila Sanatana Goswami. After kirtan we wandered the ancient quarters of the city discovering many old temples. Devotees were particularly impressed with two large Deities of Lord Varaha, who have been worshipped since the dawn of creation.
As a rural community project, New Govardhana is a living example of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings regarding “simple living, high thinking”. One of the main tenets of the Krishna consciousness philosophy is vegetarianism and cow protection.
We have therefore developed an innovative cow protection program that includes caring for our cows until they pass away naturally, and educational tours for guests. And it is a rare guest indeed who doesn’t fall in love with cows after the tour experience. There are also two abundant gardens that supply ingredients for the 3 daily vegetarian and vegan meals at both the temple and Krishna Village.
So we are well on our way to living self-sufficiently. In this age, as city-life becomes increasingly more challenging, we understand the importance of developing a shelter away from metropolitan centers to provide people the opportunity to re-centre and connect with their deepest Self.
A documentary of the area of Sri Radhakunda — the most sacred place in the universe. Produced by Bhakti Caitanya Swami
Visit the most holy of all holy places, Radhakunda. Lost to the world for almost fifty centuries, it was rediscovered in 1516 when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was on pilgrimage to Vraja. Today this small lake, found at the head of Govardhana Hill, attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.
Take a visual tour around Radhakunda, visiting the many sacred sites and temples along the way. This tour includes the Ashta Sakhi temple, the Radha Madhava temple, the Radhakanta temple, and many others.
The beautiful deity of Gopinath was discovered at Vamsivat in Vrindavan 500 years ago by Madhu Pandit and Paramananda Bhattacarya. Madhu Pandit served Gopinath with great love and devotion for many years. Centuries later Gopinath was moved to Jaipur where He has been worshipped along with Srimati Radharani ever since. The temple is popular with the people of Jaipur, who come together daily to chant Radha Gopinath’s glories. Our parikrama party eagerly visits the temple each Kartika.
