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North India |
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Enter the Stratusphere ... In North India!
This week on the show I travel from Canada to Delhi where I stayed at one of Asia's finest hotels – The Imperial. But only for a few hours as the travel got me in late so by the time I got to lay down my head in the luxurious down pillows I had to get going at the crack of dawn because as I understood it – I had quite a journey ahead of me to get to my ultimate destination high up in the Northern Himalaya.
In the morning I hopped on the chartered plane that took me into the untouched northern Uttaranchal
region of the Himalaya Mountain. We then
transferred to vehicles and ventured into the
interior on a 5 hour drive – a very windy,
twisty, oh my god – that's the edge of a
mountain drive that took us up, up, up. Finally
we went as far as the vehicles could take us and
we then had a hour and a half trek to 360° Leti,
my home for the next few days while I learned
how to fling myself off the edge of this
mountain range. Paragliding is the activity of
choice for this episode and let me tell you that
is a hell of a way to observe the lush
mountainous landscapes and snow-capped peaks of
this historic mountain range.
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 My photos » |
If it sounds like an arduous task just to get to this place – it was! But that is the point; the getting there was about as good as the place itself. The journey to reach it takes you deep into the heights of the Himalayas. The last leg of the journey is on foot; heading straight into the depths of the forest – thank god for the local guides – my guide Kabir lead the way and gave me the background story of this place and the neighboring village of Leti. As you twist and turn on the edge of the mountain trail, you have the most amazing views of the valleys with villages and terrace farming. The concerns of traveling suddenly melt away as each step takes you closer to this hideaway. It's only upon arrival, when you stop to catch your breath that the truly out-of-this-world remoteness of the destination dawns on you. The camp is situated on a precipice and offers 360 degree views (hence, the name) that just takes your breath away.
If drifting towards sleep while gazing through your glass paneled walls at a myriad of stars is your idea of heaven, then I'm pleased to say, this is it! There are 4 individual en-suite rooms that are built into the mountainside and feature special touches like private decks with fire places and hot water bottles by your bed at night it was a whole new type of extreme mountain experience – extreme peace and seclusion bang in the middle of majestic Himalayan peaks.
Check out my photos from this trip »
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