Love’s truest form, walking with you, no expectations.
We’ve all heard countless love stories. But love is far greater than the stories we’re told. Today, I want to share what true love really means to me.
I’ve experienced true love twice in people in the way people expect one to. But the purest one wasn’t in something I only found in another person.
I discovered love for myself after living alone for more than two years. In that solitude, I learned to appreciate my own company, my own strength, my own growth. I feel love for my close-knit circle, the people who stand by me, and also for the community that challenges me and helps me become better.
But the purest love I’ve ever felt? It’s been in the mountains. It’s the mountain dogs, those selfless, gentle souls who show me love at its rawest. They don’t care where you’ve been or who you are. They don’t weigh what you can give back. They just fall in step beside you. Through brutal weather, up the toughest trails, they stick around. It hits me every time: true love is just being there.
This Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate love with our loved ones. But let’s also remember the love we build within ourselves. The love we share with the people around us. And the love we choose to step into steady, selfless, and pure, like a mountain dog. Love isn’t just about romance. It’s about how we show up, for ourselves and for others.
One of the most common questions I get asked towards the end of a year is “so how many places you travelled this year?” Whatever the number I answer, small or big, the next question pops up “how do you manage to do so much travel?”
Often, I humbly reply saying there are people travelling more than I do, some even get paid these days. However, the following question puzzles me more “how do you manage to stay away from home for so long?”
There are people who tell me that they are in awe of how I manage time to travel. Some say that you are lucky to have money in hand to travel. I feel blessed to have both at once and be able to explore places a bit.
But, about missing home when away, I don’t feel so, I don’t miss it. I have lived away from home enough to know the value of a home as a place. A shelter to dwell, eat and have a comfortable living. I know the importance of it.
But home is also where I boss around, take care of Maa and the rest. I cherish the joy of being the one who is looking after things. I get to do this with people I am close to on my trips and treks. It feels happy to make people do things for their good, it feels home to do so.
I am a lazy head when it comes to daily mundane tasks of a bath, hair wash etc. On my to-do list, priority is to read and write than to bathe and whatever. And when out, not always we all get to bath, what a relief to a lazy head like me. It totally feels home when this happens.
Home is also where I am made to feel out of place, as my parents and sister have a commerce background and I am a humanities student. A major reason why my sister always manages to prove that I am adopted!
Anyway, the fact that the people I travel with and the people I meet as I travel are all so different than me. I relate to a few, I completely don’t to so many. I feel home when I am among a bunch of people completely different than me, in more than one way.
The idea of a festival in my house is different. We don’t follow any religion too rigorously to follow any festival rituals the same way. And so the idea of celebrating any festival gets down to cooking a special meal and calling people to hog.
A little titter-tatter, good food, some dessert, some singing and grooving at times is what festival at home feels like. More often than not on big trips, there is at least one full night where I do not sleep just talk with people, listen to music and chill. At such nights, it does feel home!
Being a writer, I am a natural observer. For some reason, I observe people and situations more than I observe things and places. I tend to grow more as a person with these observations that I pen down about people and situations after each travel.
I find comfort when I am with certain people, I feel easy, happy, it feels home with them around. I have only Maa at home, apart from her, I am only used to a few faces around at home. I can never feel easy or happy in a crowd.
Perhaps why I run away from the crowd when I travel. Even if it means to run away for a while with the bunch I am travelling with. I do so to feel easy, to feel comfortable, to feel home. This is also the reason why I haven’t been able to connect to more than a few people at once throughout life.
I have only two people I connected with completely from school, junior college, and even senior college. I know many people but a genuine bond of share and care with only two. This year I even found my two trek mates who make me feel home among a bunch of around ten I travel with.
If a home is a feeling of ease and comfort, each of the above people make me feel so. I am my true version to them. They have seen my good, bad, worse, and have managed to sail through. The ease around them is the feeling of ease as if at home.
I can go on and on and it will never end. As talking about home isn’t easy as it isn’t a place. And to speak about a feeling, words always fall less. I love the feeling of home. The feeling I get doing a few things, the feeling I get by being with certain people.
I don’t know what is home for you, but I hope you figure it out. It is always nice to know what makes you feel at ease so as to go and dug into it in times of need.
Various gods and goddesses are worshipped around Konkan region. Believers flock in from many states for blessings. I saw a few of these deities during my three-day trip. Hope you enjoyed the journey so far and love this last read in the series.
One friend was supposed to leave us after dinner but her thing at work got sorted and she could stay. I asked her to treat us all with ice cream. After a wonderful day at so many forts and then the beach and now I ice cream. ‘I was dancing of joy inside’ could definitely be an understatement!
We went to the place we were spending our night. I didn’t even keep my bag down as I got busy with a fur ball. And there were two of them, two furry cats! I got busy playing with them and in a while slept.
The room was small for us and heat was terrible. I got up after an hour’s nap, irritable and angry because of incomplete sleep. I asked a friend awake for a similar reason and we stepped out. The moon was there, calm and as if awaiting my arrival.
I realized there is no way out and I have to sleep in there and went to give it another try. The cats and other nuisance woke others sleeping by now. So five of us awake stepped out. Unable to sleep, unable to do anything, damn irritable, we decided to have a walk.
furr ball
night squad
PC – Sanish
We walked, talked about music, shared random thoughts and stories and finally went in and got a few hours of sleep in that hot pot. Five of us turned an irritable night of restlessness into a memorable one where we talked, laughed and shared. Moments as such with people you travel adds to the glory of a trip.
After morning tea we left for Ratnadurg fort. We had been to this fort before, yet saw it in a different light this time. This is a must visit fort if you plan to land in Konkan anytime, the placement of it, the structure, the view, it is all a delight not to be missed!
Next, we saw the Velneshwar Temple. The Shiva idol is the prime attraction of this place, especially during the Mahashivratri celebrations. The pristine clean beach behind the temple is mesmerising but not open for tourists now, perhaps why it has managed to stay clean.
We now went to the famous Kalbhairav Temple, also known as Bahiri Temple. It is constructed by the Gujar family. This temple is known to have not only Hindu devotees but also Jain and Islam origin devotees.
After this, we quickly saw the Jogeshwari Temple, commonly called the Jugai Temple. This is a shrine of Shree Jugaidevi. The structure of this temple is beautiful and has a calm ambience for anyone to sit and connect to the superpowers.
We now headed to Ganpati Phule. This is a Ganesh Temple on the base of a small hill and has a beautiful beach in the front. I loved the various kinds of Ganesh idols on the structure of the temple.
Velneshwar Temple
Kalbhairav Temple
Jugai Temple
Ganpati Phule
We had a quick breakfast and then went to a fort finally. I was done with watching various deities. And Jaigadh proved to be love at first sight. The fort has a deep pit at the entrance (khandak) and the fortification walls still stand strong around the fort.
There are many structures still in good condition in the fort, including temples, wells and even a few rooms. Our timing I felt was perfect as the light’s romance with the structure made for many beautiful frames.
Picture Credits – Amol
I felt very content after exploring this fort. Now, we took a jetty ride with our sumo in it. It was an amazing experience to be in sumo, then have the sumo in a jetty and then again riding the sumo to the next place planned, Vyadeshwar Temple.
This shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva but has several other deities like Talkeshwar, Udaleshwar, and Balkeshwar. The idols of God Ganesh, God Vishnu, and God Surya are also there.
After this, we saw the Gopalgadh lighthouse and also learned from a person working there how it functions, what are its functions mainly etc. It was the first time I saw a lighthouse so up close, it was a beautiful learning experience.
We now headed to Goaplgadh, the gates were closed because apparently, this fort isn’t a public property anymore. We don’t go by the rules and figured our way in and the experience of this fort was fun, full of laughter and madness. Also known as Anjanvel, this fort was also part of the trade route at the time.
Vyadeshwar
Light House
Gopalgadh
After such a big day, we were blessed with a kind stay at one of our friend’s house in Aare village. It was a beautiful night and I had one of the best sleep of the entire trip. On the ride to the house, I noticed a river and it could be heard from the house as well. I had to had to go there but it was dark
So, as planned, I got up early, woke my cousin and two friends. One decided to sleep and three of us headed out towards the river. We saw a land full of coconut palms. I danced around the trees as if in a dream and then we walked into the river.
We found a place, sat there for a while and in some time got joined by our sleepy friend. He found us and now four of us spent time talking and clicking with our feet in the river. For a while, we all were quiet, I could hear only the river, fluttering of the palm leaves and some birds and yes it felt like the Konkan kind of goodbye.
river time
spider
the gang
My heart sank as I walked back to the house. We noticed a big spider eat a grasshopper. We noticed another spider and stood and clicked photos in awe for nature. When we finally reached the house, we had our morning tea and breakfast and left for our bus to the station.
The stay was too emotional as I helped the lady cook. I do not step in the kitchen at home often, and the warmth received in a span of hours filled me with joy. The fact that the trip was about to end killed me more.
I was super quiet and sadly my face depicts what I feel and I am bad at hiding sorrow. I am blessed with great friends in life as the amazing playlist and care by a friend helped me not choke and bid Konkan gratitude filled goodbye with a smile.
We had lunch and got on the train and managed to get comfortable seats. This train journey back home will be marked as the most epic fun journey I have ever had. The jokes, the laughter, the games, the talks of the trip, each person present made me feel so blessed.
This was my first ever big trip of four days in total with my trekker group and I am so glad it was Konkan Kind. I built stronger bonds with people, learned about many new places and experienced Konkan truly. Blessed with the best people to trek and trip with is something I will brag for as long as I shall live!
(I couldn’t add in detailed information about the places I visited but have managed to put all the links to sites I took the information in a word file. If you wish to check this bibliography along with the entire itinerary, click here!)
Konkan plain stretches approximately 530km and is almost 45-76km in width. I experienced only a tiny bit of the mighty Konkan and here is the second post in my series, hope you enjoy the read.
After a good sleep, we were all up on time and headed to explore Vijaydurg fort by 6:15am. As we reached the fort, we witnessed the Konkan kind of good morning. We saw the sun, rise above the horizon with its reflection flowing and reaching us. I clicked a few pictures and then stood still to embrace the moment.
Picture Credits – Sanish
The moment pumped me so much, I was overjoyed. And so the consequence had to happen. I couldn’t take my eyes off the mesmerizing sea and structure of the place and didn’t see a hole and got my right leg stuck in it.
There was terrible pain from the bone near the feet up till the knee. I couldn’t exactly figure where I was hit as it pained from the knee till my feet. I had a good friend beside me who witnessed my fall who asked me to check but I refused and kept walking.
I didn’t wish to miss out on exploring the most magnificent sea fort. I didn’t want the group to have any delay because of my stupid fall either. I needed water badly to gulp in my tears, but sadly we had forgotten to fill our bottles that morning.
Vijaydurg is a good place if you get hurt and wish to divert your mind. There is so much to know about. The older name being ‘Gheria’, this fort is among the only two forts where Shivaji personally hoisted the saffron flag, other being Torana.
Picture Credits – Amol
It was a naval dock of the time and the entire construction of the fort is an architectural marvel, a good place for students of architecture and history. The fort is also known to be the place where French scientist, Jhonson took readings to detect that helium exists as one of the prime elements of the Sun.
In total awe for the fort we left and took bags from our rooms to catch the 9:15am bus to Jaitapur. As we were getting out bags, I checked my leg and it looked terrible. I gulped the fear of how I’ll deal with it and went down for the quick breakfast before we left.
I sat alone on the bus and looked outside the window. I spotted a few birds and saw many beautiful houses. I noticed a completely dry banyan tree which still, stood strong. It was as if telling me to ignore the pain in my leg and be strong for the day ahead.
We got down at Jaitapur hopped into the Sumo we had hired. It took us first to Yashwantgadh, a fort we missed the last time we had come to Ratnagiri. This fort was used for trade along with Ambolgadh.
The fort is divided into two parts, the plateau and the creek. The doorway has a Ganesh idol and lotus flowers carved. The fort has two storerooms. Patki family stays inside the fort premises and they even have a well outside their house.
Three of us walking towards the entrance that has the Ganesh idol and the flower. Picture Credits – Sanish
On our way to the next place in mind, our tyre got punctured. One of the screws of the tyre was stuck, we oiled and tried everything, but the screw refused to move. After around half an hour with a fellow Sumo driver’s help, we got it fixed and began our journey again.
This half-hour was like a reality check. It gave a glimpse of all that had happened during the first time and how we sailed through it. It was time to thank some superpowers who helped us not have too much delay in the day and we got down at the beautiful Kanakaditya Temple.
It is a famous place for devotees of Sri Kanakaditya (name of Sun God). The five-day celebration of Ratha-Saptami receives many devotees from all parts of the country every year. The kirtans, pravachans and aarti done during the festival is quite an attraction.
The deity inside,
the temple
Now we were on our way to Purnagadh when we decided to quickly visit the Kasheli point. The view from the top was breathtaking and I couldn’t wait to run down the steps to the point and see the heavenly scene.
I ran the first few steps and what a big mistake that was! My leg began to hurt so bad I thought it will rip off. The sound of the waves hitting the shore was so loud, it was as if my leg shouting out to me and please just stop and stand in one place.
No, I didn’t do that, slowly I walked down the steps to the spot. The shades of blue of the sea, the blurring of the horizon, the sound of the waves, the serenity of moment made my soul so happy, I could have actually danced! That would be asking too much from my leg so I just stood there drooling over the beauty of the place.
How’s the pain in your leg? ‘I can’t feel the pain with such a pretty picture painted around me, it is all too dreamy to feel anything.’
Then, we reached Purnagadh, a small fort which can be viewed in one sight. It had a Hanumanji’s deity at the entrance. Some evidence suggests it was built by Shivaji Maharaj while some suggest it was built by Sakhoji Angre, son of Kanhoji Angre.
Picture Credits – Amol
Now we headed to Thiba Palace, a lesser known place. It is a fine architecture and clearly gives a feel of old British era. Thiba hailed from Burma and one can dig into the history of his interesting life which made the existence of this marvellous palace possible in Konkan region.
My attention yet again was driven to something else, a tree. After exploring and knowing about the Thiba Palace, I climbed a tree outside the palace. It was so pretty, I couldn’t control climbing it. I could feel the happy hormones dancing in me to the tunes of ‘Sawar Loon’ that I sang.
Picture Credits – Amol
Now, we headed to Bhatye beach. We reached in time before the sunset. I and a friend kept our shoes in the vehicle and ran to the sea. The feeling of the first wave kissing my leg is something I can’t put to words.
Picture Credits – Amol
I and my friend walked to the calmer, fewer people end of the beach and spent time playing and doing everything that came to our mind. We observed the sun, its reflection, and the clouds on the opposite side, the waves, and the horizon. There wasn’t a single cell in our body that wasn’t overjoyed.
After a while, we walked back to our group and had fun with them. In some time we left to figure out our stay for the night. Life balances everything since the day had made me so happy, it was time for the night to show its darkest shade.
A year back, same month, I began my first job. I did so because my results came in late and hence my admission process for masters got delayed. I took up this job, hoping to save some money for my course and travel dreams.
In a few days, I felt out of place. A strong need in me arose to make time after the job to do something I love. This lead to the birth of weekly blogging. Every week, I challenged myself, to whack my head and come up with some content.
As I look back at the posts, I feel I have grown. There are posts that suck so bad, I wish to erase them off completely, while there are posts that make me smile bright.
“Well written”
Thank you, Sir,
“This was a nice read, didn’t think of these aspects said Ashuta, a teacher from Bangalore”
Thank you, Sir, this made my day
Okay, let me decode this above lines. Sir, referring to the head of college Nature Club with whom I go for the big camps outside Maharashtra. He not only read my blog, but perhaps sent it across to others, and send me their feedback too!
He is a master of so many things, I owe the birth of my blog to him. This coming from him, made me mad. I took a screenshot and sent it to my friends, I told them, this has to go on my gravestone.
But, I also remember weeks where I didn’t have anything. The pen refused to write, the papers were totally blank. I didn’t give up. I cheated perhaps, I went through some old poems I wrote and posted that.
I must have missed a few weeks and haven’t really done a complete year of weekly blogging, but this is the closest I have got. And perhaps, now the challenge will be to be able to write and not miss a single week until next year.
The quality of content goes down when you do something you love, is the notion I was fed which kept me away from blogging too often. But this year’s experience has made me believe otherwise.
It is not so much of a test of your creativity as it is of your will. I remember, this fellow blogger’s feedback on one of my posts saying in a very polite way that it sucked, that it doesn’t fulfil the expectations from the previous stuff you have written.
His words made me choke. It killed me within. I felt I am good for nothing that I should give up this whole idea of weekly blogging. I should only pen what I feel in my book and leave it there. I almost decided to delete my blog.
I was about to do so when I read my first post again. I re-read all of my blogs. I edited the crap I had written. I gulped all my shit thoughts and penned an experience I had that week. I posted that week too and decided to not stop whatever the results.
The worst that can happen is I’ll have some stupid post up, but I can rework on it, I will have something up to work upon. The idea to keep flowing kept me going.
On a post a few weeks later he texts back saying it was one of my best. He is glad I kept writing. Little did he knew I almost gave up on it and he was the reason.
I am a person who definitely takes the smallest things to heart and feels shit about doing so. After a good nap, I am back to being me and dealing with stuff better. If I could get over this stupid blogger’s comment, you can too.
You can always make time to do something you love. You have to make the most of what you have now. It won’t be easy, but it isn’t impossible either. Insta @nisha_navgire is here to help!
“You talk the most, to yourself the entire day, so make sure, you talk well”
I don’t remember the exact quote or the name of the writer but it meant what I managed to write above. And this line is important because you can lie to your best friend but not to yourself. In this busy world, try to find a true friend in no one else but within you.
How to find a true friend within you? Simple, as you have found all your friends in life. Don’t know how to do that? Read on to find out.
“You watched Zakir Khan stand up?
Yes, of course.
And it leads to an hour talk on his jokes, which one is funniest, comedy overall etc. Instantly, a relatable conversation sparks up the start point of a friendship. Spark up a question to yourself, why do you enjoy Zakir Khan’s comedy? Answer that and you’ll have a little window open within you.
Another reason why people bond is they receive and reciprocate care and concern. Two people who try to be there for each other through thick and thin are said to be the best pals. You know who the one-two or if you are lucky five-six people are, who will be by your side, no matter how much you screw up.
But hey, when was the last time you took a day off for you? Did nothing but spent time reading, went for a spa, took to the art gallery or anything that relaxes you. Your body is all you got and showering some love for no reason is something you should try.
Over the years, the way we make friends, the way we bond has sure changed. I remember mom recalling in her college days she went for one movie only, they would all bond only during their study time and community functions.
Today, it is all over the place. You can talk on the phone, you can chat, you can go to movies, go to the mall, go to the stadium for a match, or to a club or a coffee house. The options are plenty.
The idea of how and where you bond transformed, but not the reason. Man is a social animal and will always like to be around people to talk, have fun and connect. It is a part of being a human.
The best way to stay connected to what you are is by meeting your old friend. Take your phone and call the oldest friend on the list and maybe if lucky, try to have a meet. It will be like looking into a mirror and watching your own transformation as a person.
‘I don’t know how to stay in touch with people’ I said
‘What do you mean?’ a colleague intrigued.
‘I don’t do math usually but I am in touch with two people from school, two people from junior college, and at the moment close to only two people from senior college’
‘Oh, that a weird math. But, if you wish to stay in touch with people, just text or call them randomly’
I can’t do that. Only if I could, I would be in touch with more people today. I tried to explain so to my colleague this a year ago, but she didn’t get it. I can’t chat on my phone with more than three-four people at a time. I can’t call someone every other day and talk randomly. This is how I am and I have been for years.
Have you faced something similar? If not, you are way too cool than I am. But, if you are as weird with this whole maintaining friends thing, high-five! Hopefully, we sail through this.
This is also the problem that we face while finding the true friend within us. I mean who can maintain taking a day off every month? Loner is what you will be called. You might even be called a retard.
I have faced it and I know it. But it is important to maintain that connection with you. It can get challenging and if not a best friend, try to find at least a friend. Try to know yourself. Try to understand why you did what you did. Accept your flaws, appreciate your efforts, improve and excel your abilities.
I am sure you will wish many people a happy friendship day, but, I hope you think about finding a true friend within you. It might sound creepy or it might sound wonderful, but I hope you give it a try.
There can be many essentials to carry when traveling but the following are a pure no-no. If you ever went on a trip and didn’t enjoy, you probably need to take notes. There are my five travel essentials I tick mark surely before I leave.
1 No Guilt
There can be a whole big list of trips I have had with the guilt of missing something important. A friend’s birthday, family occasion, some interview and what not. Throughout these many guilt trips, I have had the evident company of sorrow with a toss of weird emotional state.
Back when I began trekking and having big vacations, I was in college and would only have weekends to spend time doing something else. And so there would be some family gatherings or a night out at a friend’s place or something planned for the weekend.
It was still manageable back then as I would meet these important people during the week and make up for not being there for the weekend and traveling instead. But now that all work, missing a weekend gathering gives a bigger guilt.
After ruining a few trips, I added this to my checklist before I leave. I spoke with two of closest friends and told them why traveling is important for me. They have a better backstory of my life and they got it. It gets difficult, but now they always know when I am heading out and all our night outs and meets are planned way ahead.
2 No Emotional Baggage
How are guilt and emotional baggage different? Well, here I mean, if there is something is bothering you real bad, it is sucking the life out of you, it can be anything, big or small, don’t let it be in the way of you having fun on a trip, instead use the trip as a way to let go of it and feel lighter.
I have a habit of overthinking and it sucks. I still remember years back, I had a small argument with a very close friend before I left for a trip and I didn’t enjoy the day at all. It was so bad I couldn’t stop whining about the fight to a few I was traveling with.
I realized instead of being there and enjoying with people I was with, I spread gloomy vibes. Only if I could go back and change that day, and be a better person, I would. But hey, that day gave me this pointer. If you are an emotional fool like me, make sure you don’t miss ticking this off.
3 No Responsibility
This is one a little more subjective than the ones above. I am a responsible head otherwise. I have taken charge of things, people and situations and have done well. But, when I travel, I love to be with myself.
It is purely my time, where I get all my thoughts out and just be me. Be amidst nature and feel the love around without a single thought about the real world back home.
Last week I had been to Gorakhgadh and I trekked it with an eleven-year-old girl. It was her first ever trek. I saw the entire fort through her eyes, her observations, her happiness, her care and concern for others, her idea of fun and laughter. It was beautiful.
But, the entire climb up and down with her, I was worried. For this trip, she was my kiddo, she was my responsibility. It was different and difficult. I am not good with kids in general who are big enough to speak. I get very awkward, shy, or I don’t know why very conscious. But this kiddo was different.
Among the many things I learned from her, I surely figured that I can’t travel with someone’s responsibility. It was a fun trip with her but it isn’t something I can do often. I can do such a trip once in a while but not too often.
4 No Health Issue
This is the most important one and you should definitely add this to your checklist. I have traveled with a cough cold and fever and managed. But, always listen to your body, it does tell you if you can or cannot do something.
Do not mix this with the feeling of fear. Feeling sick out of fear is normal, but if there is something severe, just don’t go. Oh, yes, I have traveled sick and that trip is one of the worst I ever had.
I just had to travel and so I head out. But that day I realized when you are sick you slow down the entire group. You aren’t able to enjoy much and you kind of spoil it for others too.
I don’t even let someone carry my bag even if it is extremely heavy and the climb extremely difficult. If I am not able to carry one bag, how would someone carry two? Don’t let your health issue or any sort of physical trouble spoil someone’s fun. Stay back home and if you head out, give it all you got.
5 No Virtual Presence
I have made it a habit for my mom now that on one-day trips I call her only once when I began my journey back home and on two-day trips, I call her twice. On bigger trips, I call her once in two days. This is because of a simple rule I follow that is to use my phone only to click pictures, take videos and call mom once.
My phone is full time on airplane mode to save battery too as I still own an old Moto phone. If you have read my previous travel posts and loved how I connect to nature and people around, add this to your checklist and make sure to do it. This will help you be more present in the place you are more than just physically.
There is not a single trip I had where I haven’t followed this rule since my first ever trek. And the results have been beautiful. If not always, try this on your next travel, do let me know how it works for you.
These are five travel essentials I check before I head out. It may or may not work for you as they are purely subjective to my travel experiences but hey, if you try any of these, or do follow any, I would love to know your story.
I was down there, on my bathroom floor, sobbing. I have done so before for legit reasons but this was the first time I didn’t know the reason. It was just a burst out of an amalgamation of many emotions at once.
Usually, I don’t share feelings. I write out to myself, cry and get done with. This is how I have grown. This is how I have lived. But each time I have dealt with something this way in the past, I was certain of what I am feeling, and what it was that I was dealing with.
But a few days back, I was sobbing in the bathroom without a clue. Only to realize after hours of being there, it was just ‘adulting’!
Last April I got done with my graduation and from then life has been nothing but chaos. I had a fun vacation to Manali and Ladakh in May. The following June I trekked every weekend to the Sahydaris. After which my mom retired from her first job after working there for 37 years and I managed to land upon my first job ever.
I didn’t think much at all. I just went with the flow. The May trips were pre-planned nothing after that. I took up a job because I had zero clarity about if I wished to do masters and if yes in what field. Luckily, with the soul-sucking job I managed to deal for eight months made me realize that yes, I should surely do further studying and am not so ready to be strangled in the work cycle yet.
It is easy to write down the above paragraph today, but living the last year of my life wasn’t so. I am the kind of person who loves to plan and wishes to follow them. If you know Monica from FRIENDS and how she loves rules and discipline, I relate to that side of her. And now imagine going through such chaos about masters, about doing a job etc.
The May trips made me write to me that I shall try to visit the Himalayas once a year at least. The treks after that helped me understand that I can’t stay away from the Sahyadris. Mom’s retirement made me grow closer to her. My first job molded me in many ways.
I faced my first failure at my first job. I dealt with a horrible workspace and a relatively dizzy boss. But this job and people I met helped me getting regular with my craft as I began blogging weekly.
So the chaos that I went through, lead to something good. Now I am dealing with a different set of uncertainty altogether. Earlier the uncertainty was whether masters or working. Now it is more like, what if after doing this master I figure this is not what I want, what if this is a wrong decision? What if I waste years of my life?
Unknowingly, in the past year, I embraced the uncertainty and started blogging weekly, realized my love for writing and traveling. And this is my hope to embrace all these thoughts in my head right now, the reason I sobbed, the uncertainty about the master, the fear of failure again.
I am embracing all these thoughts, all this uncertainty, in hope that it will turn out to be good, it will all sort out and fit in.
I don’t know in what phase of life you are right now, and what is it that you are dealing with. I just penned down a bit of what I faced and am facing and how I am dealing with it. If nothing I hope you take from this that there is no escape from the chaos and embracing the uncertainty without giving up is the only way forward.
After summers, the first monsoon trek is the most awaited thing. It wasn’t even a week I was back from Spiti and I was going back to the mountains, I was excited. To my delight, we were going to have a bike ride to the base village of Siddhagadh. I couldn’t be happier, as I believe monsoon and bike rides are just made for each other!
An epiphyte is when a plant grows on another tree or plant. We noticed this tree with two different kinds of leaves on our way and it could be an epiphyte.
One can go Siddhagadh via Narivalli village and from there it is the highest fort climb in Maharashtra. But we took another way through Jamburdhe village which cuts around an hour’s climb.
We parked our vehicles and just before we began to walk, we noticed this old well. Such sources of water on and around the forts in Maharashtra is common. My eyes were pleased to see some purple flowers adding to the green colour scheme around. For the first time, I saw houses with a block that had the year written on it. My friends said it is the year these houses were made but I am not sure of this.
As we were walking we found this two things. The one on the left is microbial in origin. It could be slimy fungal species or a slime layer produced by some bacterial species. The one on the right is a common mushroom one can find on monsoon treks in the Shyadris.
We reached the caves. We took pictures and left. Later, we noticed the Ganpati on the bottom right corner of this image.
There are a few difficult rock patches and if you are new to Sahyadris, kindly be more careful. I and a new friend who also searched the slimy bacteria for me were having fun as we climbed together.
There is a ‘nandi’ and ‘shivling’ at the top of the fort. But they weren’t placed together as they should be as seen in temples. We were waiting for a few and it began to rain heavily with strong breeze too. I was so happy, I sang and danced until all arrived.
After exploring the fort, we took a different way down and came across a beautiful old door. We walked past it and reached a temple. It had ‘shivlings’ and ‘nandis’ found around the place kept together. There was also a broken ‘tof’ kept ourside the temple.
There were also this stone structures called ‘virghals’ kept around the temple. These structures are found around many forts in Maharashtra. They depict the history of the maker of the fort.
Saw this colourful leaves just before we reached back to our vehicles.
The walk down got more slippery but it was worth it. We had some hot tea before we began our ride back home. I can surely count this trek as one of my favourite monsoon trek experiences.
There are two ways to reach Spiti Valley. One is through Manali crossing Lahual before reaching Spiti from Kumzum Pass (15,059 ft). This route gets cut off during winters. The southern route from Kinnaur from Shimla is an all-season route. We took the southern route to reach and left Spiti Valley by crossing Kumzum Pass.
A headache in the mountains means a symptom of altitude sickness. When I got out of my bed I was so relieved to know my headache was gone. Do read about altitude sickness before you head to the mountains, prevention is always better than cure!
As planned we ate breakfast and reached Koumik. It is the highest village with a motorable road in Asia and is at a height of 15,027 feet above sea level. The land is considered barren for cultivation. And like many parts of Ladakh, it is cut off completely from the rest of the country during winters.
We entered the Lundap Tsemo Gompa Monastery, famous for being the highest motorable monastery in the world. The 14th-century monastery has a fortified castle made of slanted mud walls, representing the murals, scriptures, and arts. This Monastery has ‘Matrey Buddha’ or ‘the future Buddha’ and believed to be the one who looks after the village.
I was observing the place is awe when Sir mentioned that Koumik village has severe water struggles. He gave us time to take pictures of the place and spend time in the village. When I stepped out, I saw a local drinking water from a stream and I approached him.
I drank water with him and initiated a conversation. He told me that for two years they have a ‘kull’ (like a dam) that has reduced their water problems. And the information about land being barren turned out to be false as he said they do cultivate peas, coriander among a few leafy vegetables too. They mostly cultivate it for their homes but sell the rest in Hikkim, a village 5km from Koumik.
According to the man I conversed with not water but a hospital is a bigger concern. There is only a dispensary that they have access to which is also in Hikkim. On the brighter side, I was happy to see a school at such a height. This proved the importance that people have for education here.
Now we left for Hikkim, this place is known for it has the world’s highest post office. No other place at such a height has a post office! Sir being Sir had carried postcards for all of us and everyone sent postcards.
I like to write but it is a task to write to someone and give it to them. I have books filled with thank you letters, birthday letters, random poems I have written for people and never given. So obviously, I wasn’t thinking I’ll be sending postcards.
But something in me challenged me. I wrote and sent four postcards from Hikkim. I was so emotional on the ride back from Hikkim because I couldn’t believe I did it. A part of me was hoping that the postcards don’t reach. A part of me was dying to know when it reaches!
With such mixed feelings, I got down at the next stop. It looked like a beautiful patch of green land with mountains at the back. It was a fossil bed. Sir asked us to find fossils. I couldn’t but a few in our group did find fossils. This fossil bed is little away from Hikkim on the way to Kaza near a stream.
After lunch, we left for Manali, a long bus journey from Kaza. I decided not to sleep and watch the change in terrain like I had done on the ride from Kalka to Sangla. I was done with singing, but as I looked at the mountains and streams pass by, my mind couldn’t stop playing something.
After crossing the beautiful Kumzum Pass, we reached Baatal. We were now to face the most difficult road patch according to Raju, our beloved driver. He was so scared that it was evident on his face. But we managed to cross it and do so before it got dark.
It was dusk but someone was out to say hi. It was a big full moon smiling at us between the big mountains. It looked grand and gorgeous! The smile became brighter as I saw the sky become darker. This transition from dusk to dark was the most enchanting one I ever saw!
We stopped for a pee break after which people in bus asked me to sit ahead, next to the driver. I couldn’t have asked for more. The moonlight reflecting off the ice made the ride sparkly! I took videos for a few people and we sang some beautiful songs.
The sparkling road, the smiling moon, some breeze and my mind singing romantic songs for the moon, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to cross the Rohtang pass!
We reached Manali late in the evening, had some dinner and slept. Next day we spent some good time in Van Vihar forest and also visited the famous Hadimba temple. We saw the Nagar Castle and also Roerich’s museum. After lunch, we headed to our meet with Dr. Vaji Varghese at his place.
Mesmerizing pine trees of Van Vihar forest
He has worked with many people around Spiti Valley for various illnesses and has tremendous experience working in Manali from the time he came here in 1979. He showed us pictures he clicked of people and places as he traveled. We saw some jaw-dropping pictures of Zanskar Valley and more likely, next May that is where we will head!
Sir gave us the night to explore eateries around Manali and be back by 9pm to the stay. We had some good dinner and wine and got back to the stay just in time. The rest of the night was spent well laughing, joking and making the time together worthwhile.
The next day we left for Jibi. We reached in the night, had some delicious dinner and slept. I attempted to talk to people now. This is how my mind is, usually quiet and loves to be away from people, but when the trip is going to end, like a reflex, blabbers with everyone around!
Early morning we left for the waterfall. The walk to this waterfall is one of the most serene walks I have had during this entire trip with dark, lush green trees around. I felt like walking into the soul of a forest and the serene look of the waterfall felt like reaching the heart of it!
After spending some calm time we came back and left for Chehni Kothi. It is believed that Chehni Kothi was built in the 17th century by Kind Dhadu therefore also referred to as Dhahiya Kothi at times. The tower is assumed to be used as both temple and a watch-tower.
The architecture of Chehni Kothi is a special technique known as Kath-Khuni where blocks of stone and wood are placed alternatively to create a strong earthquake-proof structure. This sort of architecture even the Nagar Castle had and also some structures seen at Chitkul.
After lunch, we went to Bahu Temple. This temple is in the middle of a beautiful pine forest. It is famous for it has an offering place where there is a lot of iron offerings done by people. There are wheels, trishuls, cookers etc found as offerings.
On the way back it started to rain. It was such an amazing feeling, amidst tall pine trees rain trying to find its way and kissing me. I felt so loved on the way back, I couldn’t help but smile all the way through.
We had some dinner and slept. I talked to a few people for a while before I dozed off. Next day Sir took us to the waterfall again. It was the last thing after which we left for Kalka. Yes, it was going to be a goodbye mountains moment and I wasn’t really prepared.
We got up and we reached the waterfall, and Sir asked us to do our own thing, to bid goodbye our own way. I looked at the waterfall for a while, after which I started following the stream down.
It is so easy for me to open up to flowing water. I talked about the entire trip, about everything good and bad, and about the challenges that lay ahead once I am back. This time, I didn’t cry, this time I smiled. I was happy and content with a cherishing experience and I promised to stay happy once back home.
We left for Kalka later that day. We reached by evening, had dinner and slept. Next day morning we took the train back to Bombay. This time the train journey wasn’t weird. I had managed to build some good bonds with people. I surely had many moments to cherish again and again with people and also the places. Blessed is the word I truly felt as the overall vibe of the trip.
