I have never really experienced solo travel before. This was the first ever time in the 10-15 odd years of travel life where I ventured out solo. I never really toyed with the idea of it before as I thought I would get bored. But damn I was wrong. So beautifully wrong. So thankfully wrong.
Anyway, to give you some background to this story, it all began with a passing thought of visiting the beautiful hills of Dharmshala while I was in Delhi.
On recommendation of a colleague, the impromptu plan was hatched & I took a solo bus ride to the mountains.
The first morning as the sun rays penetrated through the windows of the bus, I woke me up to the most beautiful sight that one could ever wake up to. A sight of the majestic Dhauladhar range.
Unlike my previous trips this time around I decided to travel like a local & not a tourist. So I took a local bus learning some local flavor of the language.
The first half of the day was spent checking in & settling down at the Zostel
After a refreshing shower, I got ready & stepped out to explore the pulse of the city. I as a traveler prefer exploring the city by foot. There is no other mode of transport that can compete when it comes to exploring the vibe of the city.
I walked through one of the most peaceful meditation centers in Mcleodganj named Tushita. It was spread across couple of acres of hilly land filled with pleasant vibes of love, peace & happiness. The simplicity of the people was endearing.
The walk eventually lead me to one of the famous book cafe in Mcleodganj named Illiterati book cafe. The cafe opens up to the beautiful mountain ranges of Dhauladhar.
A paradise for book cafe lovers, I must say. After spending a couple of hours at the cafe I headed straight to the market to get some feel of the local food.
As I sipped my Garam chai, I could see the sun packing up to leave for the day. The evening was setting in. I caught a glimpse from the temples of the Dalai Lama. This time around, I did not try to rush to the perfect location to capture the sunset & settled for what was infront of me.
Unlike the ever awake city life, day 1 in the mountains slowed me down & re-energized me for an adventurous day 2
Day 2 started with an early morning shower followed by a scrumptious pahadi breakfast. A plate full of parathas & garam chai. As I geared up to start my trek to Triund, I heard the lazy in me calling me back to bed. But today was the day to conquer the mountains. Today was the day to conquer my fears.
While on the trek, I came across a few fellow crazy travellers like me walking the path, seeking out their own answers. I said to myself, you are not alone. But nonetheless, I paced, wanting to reach to the top at the earliest.
As I was nearing the top, the child in me was getting more & more excited. It was a mesmerizing experience to see the unfolding of the view, glimpse after glimpse it grew on me. It was purely magical. And after a 3 hour long trek, I finally reached the top of the Triund hills.
A little exhausted, I rested. Sipping into the tranquility of the hills. I started to meditate, absorbing the energy of the mountains.
However, soon in a few moments I could see a monk descending from a peak higher than the one I was on. Intrigued by the calmness he emitted, I was drawn into a conversation with him. And after some small talk, the monk exclaimed ! you must go even further, for the answers you seek await at the top. He spurred me on to trek till the snowline point to experience the snowfall. Who knew it would act as a begining of my inner transformation.
The trek which was around 40 mins for the monk turned out to be a 2 hour long trek for me:p I wish I had listened to my lazy self calling in the morning,
Thinking & cursing I dragged myself towards the hill top😂
On my way to the top, I lost my way a bit & instead of reaching the snowline point I ended up reaching a completely isoloted location. Let's call this spot the transformation spot. This spot did not have a single soul around. I had never felt more alone than this. But today, I was comfortable. Today, I liked being in solitude. Giving an ear to the loud noise of silence I dived deep into the inner self. I could even hear my heart beat at this moment.
So much was the positive energy around that even after a 2 hour long exhausting trek, the child in me was still full of energy wanting to go & play in the snow & so I did what my heart wanted & jumped straight into the snow.
As the thirst quenched, I looked around appreciating the beauty of the bucolic mountains surrounding me. I was literally on cloud 9. After a point I recognized I was in tears, not because of the exhaustion or worry of loneliness but because of the sheer beauty of the mountains.
Absorbing the tranquility, the writer in me awoke wanting to pen down some creative thoughts which were running through my mind...
So here it goes...
"Long walk in the deep woods, I yearn
In search of the elusive, my mind churns
To put to sleep my running thoughts, I pace
While the fire within still continues to blaze
.
The heart knows what it truly needs
As I consume the slowness of the woods...
.
The soothing sound of the mountains enquire
Who are you racing against?
What is it that you desire?
.
.
Take a moment & look around
There is nobody but you,
Everything you desire is already out there for you
The answers you seek
Have been seeking you all this while !
.
As I start to descend, the mountains whisper again
.
someday you will see
you are more than what you can see"
Your's Truly
Mr. Minimalist
Having lost the sense of time, I wrapped up. Getting ready to head back. A little fatigued & concerned about the darkness, I began my descend. But as fate would have it, I lost my way yet again.(never trek solo).
But I persisted, hoping I would figure out the path on my way. However, this time the stakes were high as the time was ticking away & all my supplies had long finished. There came a point where I almost gave up. I sat for a while, praying for someone to find me. I was desperate.
Losing hope minute after minute. I even tried sending my account details to my parents just in case I don't make it back🙈 but Vodafone failed me yet again 😂
But the prayers were heard and I could see a local with a donkey coming towards me. I was overjoyed at the sight of this. Never had I ever felt this alive.
The local stopped & helped me navigate back on the right track. Like a God sent messenger, he waved at me when I got back on the right path & slowly vanished into the thick air of the mountains. It is at this moment I started truly believing in destiny.
I got back to tirund after some 2.5 hours of trek. By this time, it was filled with crowd posing for selfies & gossiping about the likes they got on social media.
Ignoring it, I refuelled myself with some food & chai at the busiest food stall that I have ever been too since it was the only one at the top. Sipping chai & Maggie at the top was a bliss.
The descend back to the room started after taking a good nap for an hour at the hill side.
As I slept that night, I pondered was it really worth the risk? Was it worth risking it all for a momentary pleasure?
My heart knew the answer as I slept in peace.
After a soulful experience the previous day, I woke up rejuvenated. I was filled with joy for I had found what I was looking for. The mountains had spoken. I spent the entire day doing what I liked the best. Reading at my favorite cafe & exploring new places sipping hot chai.
It turned out to be a truly healing trip.
As I boarded my return to the city life, I closed my diary with a note
"You will never know if you do not walk the path
The Journey is all that there is to love
To the sweet taste of freedom
Salute🥂"
#TravelAdventure2019
#TravelIsHumbling
#travelblog
#travelphilosophy
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