Septrember 2015
Having figured out what to do next in life, in terms of work, career whatever you name it. Basically, having taken a call to join and be a part of a startup, I felt the urge to pamper myself with another solo trip and this time it has to be Himachal and no where else. Basic research and all made me choose McLeod Ganj as the place to go. 12-14 hours bus journey, through the plains the hills, from 4 lane wide roads to the roads wide enough for a bus and a car just to pass by without brushing their bodies with each other. Here I was, at Mc Leod Ganj, early morning just with me and my bag and nothing else, no itinerary no planned date to leave or return, no booked place to stay. All I had with me was the peace, the sukoon as I prefer calling it as it feels much more relatable to me and a big smile which just came in automatically after getting down from the Bus and getting a glimpse of the greenery all around with Mountains high above.
Walked down for a while, looking around and just kept walking as if I know this place in and out or maybe am heading to some place which is waiting to welcome me. Then reality struck and I questioned myself, “oh hello, figure out a place first”. Me being me, looked out for options, without going into much details, I got a Hostel run by some Buddhist Monks group and managed to get a room for Rs 300/- and the best part was it had an open terrace and I could see the snow covered peaks of the Kangra valley. This one view is what made me zero in on the place, the bed the room hardly mattered to me any more. Spent the day walking around the place, observing the people the place the cafe’s which were in abundance. Tourists and Travelers could so easily be identified now, don’t kow how but yes I was able to figure it out.
I still remember that experience, that Cafe, that sunset with a mug of coffee and some angrezi music in the background. So, it was evening and I was like ki Sunset to dekhna hai, par have to figure out a palce jahan se perfect view mile. Ground floor waale saare Cafe’s se kuch nahi dikhne waale, edge pe baithne ki koi jagah mili nahi. Finally, I found this place which had an open terrace and there I was. On the Terrace, with the only person having his own company for himself, there were a few weird glances but by now I had got over this, not used to but just got over and it hardly mattered any more. I explained the guy to make a nice Coffee, hand made and not a machine one. Sitting on the front end of the terrace, having a clear view of the setting sun behind the valley, with coffee in my hand. It was a feeling beyond words and like a moment to be seized and just get freeze then and there. I had no clue of time, when did the Sun set completely and the daylight turned dusk, my coffee had got over and I was still there not willing to let go off that place that view. The entire experience is so vivid, so clear in the memory that no pics are needed for this to be relived at any point in my life.
In search of a place to have an economical meal for Dinner, I happened to find out the best place for me in Mc Leod Ganj. It was a Punjabi Dhaba, just stairs is what you can see on the main road. I just went up considering they must be offering a filling meal and what I saw just made me forget the meal and hunger and everything. Their sitting area was a big terrace, open air with cool breeze and the breathtaking sight of the snow covered peaks glowing as white crystals under the moonlight and changing colors as time passed by. That was a sight which literally gave me goosebumps, first time I was witnessing the beauty of the Mountains at night. Spent a good 2 hours there, before they started to close for the day.
A friend in travelling in Himachal that time, we spoke and he planned to come down and we planned for the Trek to Triund. He’s been doing these solo trips for quite some time now and was kind of pro. Both of us had a zero budget for the trip, so it didn’t take much effort to convince the Hostel person to allow his stay without an extra cost. They also agreed to keep our bags for a day, with no extra cost as we would be returning next day from our Trek.
I was so not prepared for a proper Trek, that too the first one of my life. The basic thing I was lacking were a pair of shoes, the only footwear I carried with me were Floaters/Sandals as I had never planned for the Trek thing. Giving this a thought, I finally convinced myself saying “abe koi na, Joote nahi hain na, confidence hai na ki kar lega manage… bass fir, nikal le…” and I started on the Trek. This internal confidence and belief in my own self that “don’t worry, will manage” which I keep telling myself every now and then, has made me do wonders and surprise myself at times with what I managed to do.
According to my friend’s research and knowledge of Mountains, this was a fairly moderate trek and a perfect one for the first timer. Its approximately 5-6 hours trek to the top, at a comfortable pace and the terrain is fairly easy to walk. Post our breakfast, we embarked on our journey on the Mountain. After almost an hour of walk, I just stopped to look around and get a sense of how we are progressing. It looked like, we’ve come quite a bit and gained altitude coz the base McLeod Ganj was now looking at quite far off a distance and that’s when it made me feel that while walking we didn’t realize how far we’ve come or what we’ve left behind or what we’ve gained. But the moment we paused and looked back, we got a complete idea and big smile from within. Isn’t this exactly what happens in life too!
At the age of 60 or maybe more, this Man was walking uphill with a Bag full of ration which weighed nothing less than 15 kgs! This was his life routine, twice a month he does this, goes down to get the basic essentials and carries it back. He lives uphill with Family, has cattle and land there which provide him livelihood. A short conversation with him made both of us go into introspection for a while and question ourselves how do we call our lives as difficult and our problems as big enough to be out of this world and deserves all the attention and sympathy and what not. What about these people, God forbid if something happens, his Family would not even come to know for days! and even if they come to know, there are minimal chances of knowing his whereabouts. and we having all the amenities and luxuries and loved ones around us, just a click away, feel our lives are difficult!
Drinking water from the stream flowing from top felt so soothing, the water in itself was kind of heavy on stomach. My Friend shared his knowledge, the minerals in water here are in pure form and they have a good, positive impact on the body and soul, thus I might be feeling heavy. We kept moving, through the trails which now seemed to be a normal walk for me more than a Trek, like I was now kind of used to this.
The first glance of the Triund Trek top point was something which gave me an instant high and I was just mesmerized, happy, engrossed in nature’s beauty which was in abundance there and what not, the feeling is just not worth a description in words. Below pics might do some justice to the feeling and you get an idea of what am trying to express here!
We reached there, dropped our bags, and just looked around and moved in our own directions. No words spoken, no glances exchanged, nothing. We both were in our own worlds and both of us just let the other person be. It was a surreal feeling for me, and I just couldn’t grasp the feeling of being there at the top in the lap of Mother Nature. It took quite some time for me to digest the fact, and get back to normalcy. My friend understood completely what I was feeling and we just didn’t feel the need to exchange any words to break the silence. I precisely remember (yes, precisely even after 3 years and 9 moths) what we both spoke first thing after having our me time there. We were like “Bhai yahan bheed bahut hai, itni public nahi chahiye”, well there were like 10-15 people at max but for us they were just too much. We contemplated walking down, coz we were very sure that we won’t be staying here if all the people are here, that completely defies the purpose. That’s when, the Universe the Energy played its role and we happened to notice “Snowline Cafe-300 mts” mentioned on one of the rocks, further inquiring about it, led us to know, there’s this Cafe and that guy has Tents also for night stay. That’s it, no further communication/discussion over this was needed and without speaking a word both of us headed up.
This last stretch of 300 mts, made me realize how perspective matters. On a plain this distance seemed nothing, like a 2-3 min walk. But, this is Mountain my friend, and it took us a good one hour to reach the place. The view the feel the moment then and there is the closest to the definition of this so called holy place called “Heaven” till date in my Life!
Maggi tastes different in Mountains, is what I learnt that day! It was almost sunset by now, and we’ve had a long day. The Tent sheltered us from the cool wind and chill temperature. Stars studded sky was such a luxury in itself, felt like I’ve seen stars after ages and that too there were so many. The silence was such that, even the sound of cool wind felt too loud and clear for our ears. Had a peaceful and a relaxing sleep, the body had taken its toll and needed rest badly. This rest just took over me, and I couldn’t just push myself out of the Blanket till late in the morning. Sunrise was another surreal experience, as told by my Friend coz I missed it by a few hours.
This Trek gave a lot if insights and helped me imbibe quite a few things and also gained a lot of perspectives towards things, people, life in general. The most prominent one being, For me its always always about the Journey, the Journey is important and not the Destination. I intend to enjoy the process, the journey towards the end result towards the goal. Keep moving is the mantra, just keep moving and keep doing, things will happen they are bound to happen. Been there done that, experienced this so many times in life that I have kind of made it a golden rule of life. Its just simply like riding a Bicycle, keep pedaling, keep moving, slow or fast doesn’t matter what matters is you didn’t stop!
Here’s the link for Google photos link for all the pics- https://photos.app.goo.gl/b9d5Cx6YwjPurUaDA
Experience is what I Earn and Yearn for! 