Saying "NO" to friends & taking my first solo trip was the best decision of my life ||Part 1 of 7||

Tripoto
27th Dec 2018
Photo of Saying "NO" to friends & taking my first solo trip was the best decision of my life ||Part 1 of 7|| by Ravi Ranjan Ojha

Chandigarh Station

Photo of Chandigarh, India by Ravi Ranjan Ojha

It was 8 p.m and my train had just arrived at it's destination, Chandigarh. I was hungry after a 20 hours journey and was tired of sitting and lying down. I am an athlete. We like activity. Unless I get up early in the morning and run for 5 Kms I can't digest my early morning breakfast. As soon I walked towards the gate of the station, I was surrounded by agents and drivers offering to take me to my destination or to a hotel. Bit first I wanted to eat. I found the waiting room, sat down and took out the food parcel my mom had prepared for me. I needed to save money wherever possible, and spending 200-300 bucks on food this early was not what I had in mind. Moreover what could be better than home made food.

After having my dinner, I found an auto wallah and had to pay him 150 Rs to drop me to the Chandigarh Bus Station where I would catch the Bus to Manali, my ultimate destination.

I called Harry and asked him about the bus timings and other information which I would need to get to his home in Shuru, Manali. Harry is the owner of Hampton Homes, a home stay in Manali. I had made contact with Harry on couchsurfing, meanwhile searching for cheap hotels and homestays on different websites. On booking.com I had come across Hampton Homes, which cost 3200 Rs for 5 day stay and included breakfast. It was on my mind but I hadn't decided if I was going to stay there for sure. But when I contacted Harry and found out that he was the owner, I booked it immediately. It was pure coincidence, but worked out just fine.

Hampton Homes

Photo of Saying "NO" to friends & taking my first solo trip was the best decision of my life ||Part 1 of 7|| by Ravi Ranjan Ojha

This was going to be my first solo trip and it had to be special. I had been planning for this for months, in secret. Nobody knew of this little secret, until my friends started planning a group trip around the same time as my solo trip. I tried stalling them, making them believe it wasn't that good idea but nothing seemed to work. Finally, I had to tell them of my secret plan. I had kept them in darkness for so long because I knew they wouldn't feel as excited for my trip. As I had expected they tried to include themselves in the trip, trying to convince me to change my dates and include them too. I had just one answer - "NO!". That simple "NO" turned out to be the best decision of my life.

I took the 10 pm volvo from Chandigarh to Manali. I slept through most of the journey. But at few instances my eyes opened and I looked out of the window to witness the beautiful landscapes among which I was going to spend the next few days. I was nervous about what was about to some, but excited as well.