Our trek now enters into day three and nine overall, after having a good breakfast we left for a strenuous 18 km trek to Budhi and after a first few kms there is a 3km steep downhill trail with thousands of steps to traverse. The route downhill is rocky and narrow and must be traversed on foot, so the fellows with ponies had to get down. Steps have been carved out of the rock here to make the track somewhat comfortable.

After Lakhanpur, the track takes a more or less level course, so overall this trek is very difficult for elderly Yatris. Though, after Lakhanpur its somewhat leveled along the river Kali, but also is the riskiest portion of the Yatra; so we were advised to exercise extreme caution and look for personal safety and even desist from photography. After Malpa the trek is somewhat less strenuous and leads to Budhi at 2710 mts. The food was served mid way.

There is a hot water spring en route to Budhi and few of us had a shower of our life time. It was so refreshing and rejuvenating that we didn’t feel any strain for the rest of the trek.

I, along with Vaibhav, reached the camp by 5p.m. and found Vivek, Soniji, Anurag and Sri Ram were already there and inquired about Guptaji as he is usually very quick and among the first few to enter the camp, and passed me at the very beginning of the trek. "Hey, have you come? What’s the time?” a distorted but distinct voice confirmed his presence. "Its 5p.m. Where are you?” "Five! That means I have been sleeping for two hours or three,” his face emerged from a quilt at the corner of the tent. "I came around 1p.m.” "What?.....!!!”    Loud cheers in the tent…)...)

Guptaji was so quick that he just walked past that hot water spring enroute without noticing it. The last of the fellows had come by 6p.m. Here it was a solid four-five hour difference between the first and the last person so you could feel how arduous and hard it was for the elderly and lesser fits. On reaching there we were welcomed by Nimbu Sherbat.

Budhi is a small village with few shops and the camp here is beautiful and shelters are made of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) that acts as insulation against the outside cold weather and you feel very warm and comfortable inside. The facilities are good with arrangement of even hot water. It keeps on boiling in a big vessel on hearth. Having sensed the opportunity, some fellows took bath after three days.

Here our Yoga master Mr. Krishna Kant Soni came in to picture. The guy really helped the struggling and tired fellows with oil massage, some Asanas and basic stretching exercises.

Mr. Soni, from Malwa (M.P.), is a Yoga teacher and social worker, teaches it free and organizes various camps at schools and colleges and his photographs keep on appearing in local newspapers, which he usually keeps with him.

A very delicious food was served here consisting of all items a typical vegetarian can ask for. Everybody really appreciated the efforts put by KMVN guys at these heights. Finally it’s time to sleep here at Budhi but wait! Shastry concert is still left, so let it be.

After an overnight stay at Budhi we started one of the most scenic treks on the Indian side to Gunji. The first 5 km was steep ascent that led us to the spectacular and beautiful valley of Chialekh. This is the Kumaon’s very own Valley of Flowers; flowers ranging from the rare cobra, irises, may apple, kasturi, kamal etc.are in full bloom. We walked through lush green meadows and were lucky to have a glimpse of the distant Annapurna Peak. It was indeed very brief, as soon clouds obscured our views.

We also saw the confluence of Kali and Tinker River. On our way we walked through the sinking and quaint village of Garbyang and met many returning Yatris with Har- Har Mahadev and Om Namah Shivay chants. It is said that this village is sinking every year a few inches but village itself is very beautiful with carved doors and painted walls.

This 17 km trek to Gunji proved to be tougher than Budhi and when we reached, the clock struck six. At 3,160 meters, it was really windy and cold, was surprised to see Annapurna straight back the camp again, though very brief, it was a sight to remember. I never saw a mountain so high and at some 8000 mts with setting Sun, it looked stunning.

Gunji is a two days halt with the latter devoted for medicals at ITBP camp. The evenings are really beautiful here. The camp is surrounded by hills on one side with the ITBP campus on the other. The campus itself is very quiet and scenic with a small temple dedicated to Mata Durga. We also participated in Bhajans and Artis held every evening with ITBP jawans and it was a stunning mix of Sur and Tal.

The next morning we started nervous and reported for medicals at 7a.m. and everybody was through by nine. They checked B.P. and medical reports we carried with us and recommended ponies for almost everybody as it was going to be a high altitude trek from there on wards. Though they didn't force everybody for it but a lot of emphasis was given to it and later, we realized it was meant for the local economy because this was the only mode of income for the locals residing at those heights and they wait for the Yatra eagerly every year.

Also its the last point for hiring Ponies and Porters for the remaining two days on Indian side so some fellows who were not so sure and felt a bit intimidated by those scary warnings had to hire. I was also not very convinced about my fitness at this point as this was the first time I would be on altitudes as high as 18,500 feet and felt, though its good to have ponies in case of an emergency but Yatris personal faith and beliefs must also be respected and if someone is good to go on foot he must not be pressurized, so I left it to the Lord…

We had an entire day to rest and acclimatize here and while some decided to rest, some roamed around and some of us infact only two of us (me and Vaibhav) played cricket nearby with Border Road Organization guys and it was hard in fact very hard for us (We were no match to BRO guys) taking singles at those heights with tired legs and joints and had to take a runner, so chose only to hit big..

This is how our day passed at Gunji. Its evening and the winds are blowing full throttle and a little briefing is issued to Yatris by our LO about the next course of Yatra in open, so obviously paid little attention and to our rescue as soon as the meeting was done the food was ready.

After food and before we retard that’s usually around 8-8:30p.m., it’s time for the show. Basically there are usually five to six FRP tents at most of the stays and each includes 8-9 Yatris and a sort of bond was established between fellow tent mates and it happened that the same set of Yatris stayed together. With backgrounds and profiles as diverse as army, engineers, yoga and merchants, ours was the most vibrant tent with even Shastriji, though staying at other, preferred to sing there and acted as magnet on evenings.

Bhupendra, a guy from Jharkhand, normally introduces Shastriji before he starts his show. He is a brilliant anchor and entertainer and usually provides for the background music and chorus and has the ability to involve each and every one of us in to this live concert. There is limited diesel at the camp and that means limited electricity, which normally lasts for two to three hours after sun set and by then, the show concludes. This is the time to charge your mobiles if by luck you can get an empty socket, though useless without network, but worth the efforts for using music and camera features.

We got up at 4a.m. and today's will be a 17 km trek to Navidhang. Its day eight of our journey and we left Gunji at five. The trek is moderate up to Kalapani that is about 8 kms. The name derives from River Kali as its the origin point of this mighty river and there is a very beautiful temple of Goddess Kali and Lord Hanuman. You can see the Sage Ved Vyasa cave on a nearby mountain. It’s believed that here sage performed penance for years. ITBP also posted a flag at the entrance of the cave although it’s relatively very high. There is an emigration checkpoint (as some trade still uses this route) and passports are checked and stamped before moving forward.