Adventures in Flam

We were so much in awe of the fjords that we decided to spend one day there in Flam, a place very close to the Fjords. Flam is famous for hikes and treks that lead to awesome views and sights. Unknown to my friends, I was taking them on the toughest of the lot, a trek about 5 kms in all towards the waterfall, which was very high. As we left the main road and took a deviation towards the waterfall, some of my friends complained, but I must acknowledge their courage to come along with me on that amazing trek. 

We divided the trek into three Phases; something I usually do so that there is a sense of achievement at every milestone. Also, if seen as a whole, it can deter, and splitting the goal into smaller milestones always helps the psyche as the goal seems achievable. So, after a bit of forcing from Phase 1, I dragged my friends to Phase 2, but even after a lot of forcing, two of them were too tired to continue. So, me and Miss Singhal continued to Phase 3 and it was a tough climb. But, we somehow managed to do it and we finally reached the base of the waterfall.

Phase 1 - The Start if the Climb

Phase 2 - Getting Closer...

Phase 3 - Finally There :)

The View from the Top - We indeed had come a long way up

 When I looked down, we were indeed so high and this felt so good, especially since it was done on foot. When I went to the Eiffel Tower, the height was simply stunning, but somehow the height does not seem to be earnt as a lift had brought you up there. I find the feeling of heights much better when I have myself climbed the entire way. The feeling is just incomparable. 

The trek up to the Hidamba Temple in Sattal last June came to my mind. Sagar, Gajaa, Darshit, you remember that one?….It was some trek J

Apples

Apples here, Apples there, Apples everywhere. Our hostel in Flam was flooded with Apple Trees. We asked the owner if we could eat them and to our surprise, he agreed. Next minute, all four of us were on the tree, plucking apples. Everyone was so happy. I have never climbed on trees to pluck fruits before, but I wanted to experience that. So, I climbed on it and the moment I did that, 4-5 huge apples fell down because of the shaking due to my weight. One of them just missed my head; too bad, the world just missed another discovery J. After that close shave, I located two three apples I liked and them plucked them. What Apples!!! Like the trek up the waterfall, these ones seemed earnt and thus tasted juicier.

The Dessert Surprise

After having Bhindi for dinner (Ready to Eat packets rock!!!), I decided to make some dessert myself. I told my friends to wait in the room while I made some dessert from them. They got very curious and were trying to guess, but I sent them to the room and made some Kheer for us all. Yes, I made Kheer all by myself. Don’t be so shocked, Ready to Eat to the rescue once again J) The Kheer turned out to be awesome and the warm kheer in the cold, almost 5 degrees, seemed just superb. The satisfied look on my friend’s face, was so heartening. 

The Fast Cycle Ride

Next morning, we all decided to split up for a couple of hours and do things we liked to do. All of us, chose four different directions and decided to then tell the others about what we did. I knew from the beginning what I wanted to do, CYCLE.

Flam is a very famous spot for cyclists and also has a cyclist track which encircles the mountain and at the end there is a wonderful view of the Fjord. So, I hired a cycle and set off for the ride of my life. While going, I went easy, enjoying the views and just going easy on the pedals, not even crossing the third gear. It was simply superb, it was a challenge to concentrate on the road ahead as the sight of the fjord was so stunning. I reached the point, 8 kms from where I started in about 30 mins. I stopped there, sat alone and just enjoyed the view and just ran into some thoughts. Before I realized, I was already late. We had a train to catch and I also had to return the bicycle before that. I started my return journey and started pedaling hard. One by one, the gears rose as I went quicker and quicker. I started enjoying the speed and even though it was taking a toll on me, I kept pushing and kept on going faster. Then I saw the gear, I was on the top gear (the 8^th one) and was almost speeding at a very high speed. 

This return journey was the exact opposite of the previous one, no scenery, just the road ahead and my only focus was going faster. I reached my destination in 15 minutes. The feeling was awesome. As I walked back to the station, I could still feel my legs moving in circles and was still breathing a bit heavy, but I felt so so good J. I am going to do much more of this in the future for sure.