DAY 1: TRAVEL TO DEHRADUN AIRPORT,STAY AT RISHIKESH

Aug 23,2024 we chose to travel on a Friday, considering several factors like 10 days trip so 2 weekends coming in this and 1 public holiday Krishna Jayanti so kids got to take leave for 5 or 6 working days only with permission. And why 4th week of august was based on observing monsoon and flooding and landslides pattern in Uttarakhand over the years starting from 2013 Kedarnath disaster to till 2022 to 2023 flash floods situation. And even while we booked our flight tickets in July beginning the July 10th Joshimath landslide was quite a deterrent and we witnessed the massive boulder on the badri highways as we crossed through the gap created in the moved and broken boulder.

Flying from Tirupur for us and for anyone flying from rest of India, reaching Dehradun airport would be most feasible option to travel than driving from Delhi airport to avoid traffic and excess road travel. Chandigarh airport is also another option. We started for Coimbatore airport by early morning for a morning flight ,had a layoff at Delhi airport for lunch time and then we landed by 5pm and took self driving car for our family from a Chandigarh based travels( check all travel permits). If you have to go to the dhaams or teerth sthal or holy places while you climb hills at Rishikesh check post you show you show your permits, so get it before travel itself the chaar dham or panch dhaam yatra permit ( by submitting proofs on Uttarakand website and get for which dhaams you are visiting, we took for Badri and Hemkund sahib).

At Dehradun Airport

the ladies at Jolly Grant

majestic Ganga all through the
journey we travel beside her

Rishikesh is 25 mins ride away from Jolly Grant airport and we arrived at the hotel and immediately left for the Ganga aarti at Ram Jhoola( Lakshman Jhoola is up for renovations and closed while we went)

Hotel Clarks Inn with ample parking and bang on main road as we enter Rishikesh with great service and cleanliness and ambience was a perfect stay including the wonderful spread and sky lounge terrace restaurant which had wonderful spread and panoramic view of the Shivalik's, more on it on day 2.

We hurried for the evening aarti at the Triveni ghat and as we crossed along the Ram jhula witnessed the mystical Ganga Aarthi which we would all have seen over TV during the 6 30 pm show time on many bhakti channels. And there were temple and mutt on the other side , got tilak from little priest boy, and had locals suggested best restaurant food at Choti wala , and got pics with the choti wala too. Choti means plait in Hindi.

cozy stay at Clarks inn Rishikesh

choti wala ,rishikesh

wall decor at Restaurant

So watch out this space for the beginning of a travel which was one thrilling ride for us the next day.