Author in front of Trishul peak at Binsar ( (2310 metres)
I left Ahmedabad by Flight IC 818 to New Delhi on April 20th'2004. My goal was to reach Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet armed with only my Gujarat of Government Driving License, as the sole document which proved my identity. To some readers,this would have looked like an exercise in futility, but however being a trained ZeNLP master, I knew that meaningful coincidences would propel me towards my goal, if I continued my meditation, creative visualisation, auto-suggestion and goal achievement mental visualisations. My weight before I started was 66 kg. taken on 20th April'2004 at the AVERY weighing machine at Ahmedabad airport.The journey from Ahmedabad to Delhi on election day was uneventful. After spending three days at Delhi, I took the Ranikhet Express to Katgodam station. This train leaves Delhi at 10:00 p.m. and reaches Katgodam at 7:00 a.m.
At Katgodam, I was received by Mr. Vishnu Harii Bhatt of Kumaon Vikas Mandal Nigam (KMVN). After a quick cup of black Uttaranchal tea at KMVN's Tourist Rest House at Katgodam, I left by car to Naukuchiatal (nine cornered lake 1218 metres above sea level) and Sattal (1219 metres) to meditate. I also visited Bhimtal (Height: 1371 metres) which was in the vicinity. I visited the Jyotirling at Jageshwar, which is home to a pre-historic, ancient temple and twin one thousand-year old Deodhar trees. From Jageshwar, we proceeded to the forest sanctuary at Binsar, which would provide us with a picturesque view of Panchachuli, Annapoorna, Trishul and Shivling peaks. I was provided accomodation at KMVN tourist rest houses, courtesy Mr. N. N. Prasad, secretary tourism, Government of Uttaranchal and Mr. Tarakendra Vaishnav, Managing Director of KMVN, Nainital. KMVN, provides clean, basic amenities with simple food at value for money prices for tourists. I must mention here that KMVN staff are courteous, friendly and helpful.
From Binsar, I went to Kausani (1890 metres), via Almora, where I stayed at the Gandhi Ashram for a week, in order to tone up my respiratory system before trekking upto 17000 feet (4000 metres) and higher. Kausani is a beautiful hill station to recharge your energies before taking 110 km. treks in the upper Himalayas at heights of over 17000 feet. At Kausani, I meditated for four hours per day, often waking up at 4:00 a.m. It is worthwhile to mention that the sunrise over Kausani is spectacular, especially when viewed from the Ashram.