The Travel Bug!

Tripoto
14th Apr 2017
Photo of The Travel Bug! by Jatin Goswami

As a traveller, I think you're always a bit of a traitor. Each time you leave home, looking for pastures a little bit greener, waters a little bit bluer; an existence, perhaps, a little bit truer. You live the dream for a while before you get back to reality and forget the dream. But I didn't. A few years ago, I went to the mountains and I found myself in those hills, in those forests, and amongst those people. And, I lost my way back home.

Enough of the philosophy, It all started when I was sitting at the Dharamshala Bus Stop waiting for my bus back to Delhi. A part of me didn't want to leave that place as I constantly looked towards the sky changing it's colours as the sun began to set. All I could feel was the excitement of the days and the warmth of the nights spend​ there. All the 3 days spent there flashed right in front of my eyes.

The first day, though it rained till 3 PM and I couldn't explore around but it was all worth in the end. In the evening, I visited the famous tourist places and had dinner at the local restaurant. The best part about the day was walking around the empty streets past 10.30PM watching the moon playing hide and seek with the dark black clouds. And the hectic day ended in a peaceful sleep.

Day 2, the best day of my life till now, was the day when I decided to go for paragliding at the famous Bir Billing paragliding site. Words are not enough to explain how much excited I was for this adventure. The Gods were with me as the weather was clear and I could go on, and fly like a bird. The moment I reached at the jumping spot, I could hear the sound of the wind. One, two and three, I ran and the moment my feet left the mountain, I was an uncaged bird. Voila! I was flying and I couldn't contain my happiness and yawped barbarically like never before. The bird's eye view of the mighty Dhauladhar range was so surreal that I went on shouting like hell. In those 20 enthralling minutes, I experienced all kinds of feelings, Craziness, happiness, fear, soltitute, and many more. And those 2 minutes where I just closed my eyes with my arms wide open as the wind touched my face are the ones I'll cherish forever. After landing, I had Maggi and it had never tasted like that before. Reminiscing that day still gives me goosebumps and it makes me so happy that I ventured out on something like this.

Day 3, the one where the travel bug bit me. After exploring places in Dharamshala, waiting for the bus back to the city made me realise that mountains are my second home and are best place to get rid of everyday life's mayhem. Since that moment, I've fallen in love with mountains and the views that they offer and experiences that they provide you with are ones you can get no where else. Ek Nasha sa hota hai pahado ki hawaon me.

Last but not the least, "Your sacred space is the space where you can find yourself again and again. So, mountains are my sacred space."

Paragliding at Bir Billing

Photo of McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Jatin Goswami

Bhagsunag Falls

Photo of McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Jatin Goswami

Wilderness

Photo of McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Jatin Goswami