People who know me know how much I love planning and how meticulous I am at executing the said plans. I don’t go on package tours ever. I mean, what is the fun in letting others choose your place of stay and dining?? Yet, here I was, signing up for Shreyas’ Map My Stories and letting a stranger plan my entire vacation!! I did not even do basic research. I desperately attempted not to search about the place, the food, the weather, or the people. I was going with an open mind, expecting nothing. I was getting myself into something I really didn’t know about. Now, that sounded like an adventure in itself!
But, as the travel date neared, I questioned why I had even signed up for this. With work and family taking priority, I was on the verge of wanting to cancel the trip. I couldn’t be there for my best friend who lost her father, I couldn’t spend time with my partner who had taken time out for me as a surprise, I had to delay a lot of planning and execution for my brother’s wedding, which was in less than 45 days, I was not able to spend quality time with my another best friend who was in India after two years. Sigh. But the trip was paid for. So, with a lot of regrets, I went on the trip. And boy, oh boy, what a trip!
Silence. Panic. Gratitude. Pain. Peace. Warmth. Hurt. Peace.
Mountains. Clouds. River. Rain. Waterfalls. Food. Fire. Pause.
Cracking. Chirping. Gurgling. Splashing. Crashing. Silence.
What did I just experience? This was beyond my imagination!
Did I imagine..,
..traveling for two entire days to reach a place nestled in the mountains?
..playing UNO without worrying about making it on time at a roadblock in Eastern Himalayas?
Did I imagine..,
..walking on a shaky bridge over the wide, roaring river?
..to panic seeing the leeches on my blue gum boots and yet not fall off from steep paths?
..getting the most beautiful bamboo mug from the man who made it?
Did I imagine..,
..eating my packed lunch on the most dreamy white sand river beach?
..fishing using a basket and eating the tadpoles that were caught in the basket?
..meeting a man who owned a stream?
..sleeping around a fireplace in a tribal’s house cradled by the mountains?
Did I imagine..,
..getting double servings of the smashed pumpkin that was picked fresh from the ..family garden?
..cooking using bamboo shoots in the fireplace?
..walking from one village to another in the rain just for another meal?
..ever jumping into a river from the raft, panicking, and drinking the river water when the rapids hit my face?
..that I would be strong enough to tell myself not to panic, to not drink the water, and to remember all the instructions given before rafting?
..that I would swim alone to the white river beach?
Did I imagine..,
..learning stories that you would find in no books?
..almost getting married off once again? Hahahaha!
..being hurt by what a stranger said? Was he even a stranger anymore?
Did I imagine being woken up by an alarm that I could never snooze – the chirping of crickets and birds?
Or the afternoons to be so still? Or the time to go slow, like really, really slow?
Did I imagine.., ..that I would not find a single tourist for days together?
..that I would never want to get network on my mobile?
..that I would have this intense longing for silence when the network came back?
Did I imagine sitting in silence with people who also sat in silence without being told to do so? Did I ever imagine peace to be such a thing?
Did I imagine feeling warm in the cold weather thanks to the warm fire, the warmth of the people, and this young heart who ‘gave’ us all these to experience?
No. The answer to all of these questions is a NO. Surreal. Silent. Soothing.
Now I am back in mainland India, stuck in traffic while I type this piece.
Noise. Chatter. Traffic lights. Traffic.
Ego. Hustle. Pride. Food. Sound. Clutter.
Race. Streets. Chaos. Lights. Noise.
Longingness for a faraway land….
