ESCAPADE

IT WAS 7TH OF MAY, 2019, ME AND MY FOUR SCHOOL FRIENDS HAD ARRIVED ON THE CST STATION TO BOARD OUR TRAIN TO CHANDIGARH WITH 20 OTHER PEOPLE. IT WAS OUR FIRST TREK, OUR FIRST SOLO FRIENDS TRIP. WE WERE GOING ON THE BHRIGU LAKE TREK, MANALI. IT IS A BEST TREK FOR BEGINNERS, MANY TREKKERS GO FOR THE  BHRIGU LAKE TREK FOR THE LAKE IS STEEPED IN MYTHOLOGY. IT IS KNOWN AS THE PLACE WHERE THE FAMOUS SAINT MAHARISHI BHRIGU SAT IN DEEP MEDITATION.

AFTER BIDING FAREWELL TO OUR PARENTS, WE ALL SOON EMERGED INTO DEEP TALKS RANGING FROM MEANING OF LIFE, EDUCATION, POLITICS, ETC. OUR COACH WAS THE LOUDEST AMONG ALL OF THEM, IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE ALL HAD MET LIKE THIS IN ONE SINGLE SPACE. I WAS ENGULFED BY LAUGHTERS, GOSSIPS, JATTER AND GAMES. IT TRUELY FELT SO LIBERATING TO BE BACK WITH MY SCHOOL FRIENDS. EVERYTHING WAS REMINDING ME OF MY SCHOOL DAYS AND THE FUN WE HAD BACK THEN. NOTHING HAD CHANGED, EVERYTHING WAS THE SAME.

AS OUR 10 HOUR LONG TRAIN JOURNEY CAME TO AN END, WE WERE THROWN AT ANOTHER SURPRISE OF ANOTHER 14 HOUR LONG BUS RIDE FROM CHANDIGARH TO GULABA, MANALI. WE HAD OUR LUNCH AT A DHABA AND DOZED OFF DURING THE WHOLE BUS RIDE. WHEN WE GOT UP I COULD SEE THIS HUGE BRIDGE WHICH WE HAD TO PASS THROUGH TO MAKE IT TO OUR BASE CAMP IN GULABA. AS THE BUS STARTED APPROACHING THE SHAKEY BRIDGE, OUR SOULS STARTED TO SHAKE. THE WHOLE BRIDGE WAS DANGLING, BUT WE SUCCESSFULLY MADE IT TO THE OTHER END.

AS I WAS EXPLORING THE BASE CAMP,  I CAME ACROSS A BEAUTIFUL WHITE SWING. IT WAS ACROSS A RIVER, YOU COULD JUST SIT ON THAT SWING AND LISTEN TO THOSE PEACEFUL AND RELAXING WAVES. IT WAS 2PM, WE ALL HAD OUR LUNCH AND WENT INTO OUR TENTS AS WE HAD TO LEAVE FOR OUR ACCLIMATIZATION TREK IN A HOUR. ACCLIMATIZATION TREK IS VITAL BEFORE SETTING YOUR FOOT FOR A LONG TREK, IT MAKES YOU IMMUNE TO ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS. YOUR BODY IS MADE USED TO THE LOW LEVELS OF OXYGEN DURING AN ACCLIMATIAZATION TREK.

AS WE STARTED HEADING FOR OUR ACCLIMATIZATION TREK, OUR BODIES STARTED GIVING UP. WITH EVERY SINGLE STEP MY SOUL WAS LEAVING MY BODY. IT WAS NOT AN EASY CLIMB AT ALL, BUT WHEN I REACHED THE PEAK OF THE HILL, IT ALL MADE SENSE. THE SIGHT THAT I WAS WITNESSING INFRONT OF ME WAS SOMETHING I HAD NEVER SEEN. A GIGANTIC WATERFALL, THE LOUD SOUND OF THOSE GIGANTIC WAVES IS STILL FRESH IN MY EARS. ALL OUR SHIRTS WHICH WERE PREVIOUSLY DRENCHED IN SWEAT AND SOIL WERE NOW WET. WE ALL WERE STANDING UNDER THE WATERFALL AND ENJOYING ITS BEAUTY ALL TOGATHER. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER TASTED NATURAL WATER FLOWING RIGHT INFRONT OF MY EYES. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO START RUSHING DOWN WE WERE TREATED WITH A BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW IN THE WATERFALL. A RARE SIGHT, INDEED.

THE NEXT DAY WE HEADED FOR ROLA KHOLI. IT WAS 8 HOURS TREK. WE WOULD FALL, TRIP, TUMBLE AND THEN LAUGH. IT FELT AS IF I WAS ON SOME FEAR FACTOR SHOW, EVERY STEP YOU COME ACROSS SOME WEIRD CROSS WHERE YOU HAVE TO TAKE A LONG JUMP OR CRAWL. IT WAS NOT A EASY TASK. AFTER A 8 HOURS LONG WALK WE REACHED OUR 2ND BASE CAMP FROM WHERE WE WOULD HEAD TO THE MAIN SPOT- BHRIGU LAKE. THE NIGHT AT ROLA KHOLI WAS SPENT BY PLAYING GAMES, KNOWING NEW PEOPLE, MAKING NEW FRIENDS AND A DJ NIGHT.

NOW IT WAS TIME TO HEAD FOR THE BHIRGU LAKE, THE MAIN HIGHLIGT OF THIS TREK. ALL OF US HAD PUT ON OUR TREKKING SHOES, GEARS, HEAD TORCH, JACKETS, ETC. AFTER A SEVEN HOUR LONG TREK WE DECIDED NOT TO PROCEED FURTHER DUE TO THE HIGH WINDS AND BAD WEATHER.ALL OF US HAD ICE AND SNOW FILLED IN OUR SHOES, IT FELT AS IF WE HAD NO FEET. I WAS SO ENTHRALLED BY THE SNOWY DUNES AROUND ME, IT  INSTANTLY REMINDED ME OF THE DISNEY MOVIE FROZEN. WE CLICKED A FEW PICTURES, PLAYED IN THE SNOW, SKIIED, SNOW SLIDES AND WHAT NOT. AFTER A LONG TIME I FELT THIS HAPPY WITH MY OLD FRIENDS. IT WAS A ESCAPE FROM MY BUSY COLLEGE LIFE.

WE WERE BACK TO OUR BASE CAMP IN GULABA. OUR TREK LEADERS TOOK US TO THE MANALI MARKET ROAD. WE WERE GIVEN 3 HOURS TO ROAM AROUND OURSELVES, WE SHOPPED SO MANY THINGS. TRIED NEW CUISINES RANGING FROM MOMO, SALAD, CHATS, CAKES, PIZZA, MAGGI, ETC. WE ALSO WENT TO THE HADIMA TEMPLE, YES YOU HEARD IT RIGHT THE HADIMBA TEMPLE. THE SAME TEMPLE WHICH WAS THERE IN YEH JAWANI HAI DEEWANI. 

NOW IT WAS TIME TO HEAD BACK TO MUMBAI, MY MIND WAS NOT ALLOWING ME TO LEAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE, BUT WE HAD TO. I THINK I LEFT A PIECE OF MY HEART IN MANALI. IT WAS SUCH A FRUITFUL AND SATISFACTORY TRIP. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE REFRESHED MY SOUL AND MIND. I WAS S DIFFERENT PERSON AFTER THAT TREK. THE JOURNEY BACK HOME WAS FILLED WITH FUN AS NOW WE HAD NEW FRIENDS TO PLAY GAMES WITH. AS WE REACHED CST STATION, WE BID FAREWELL TO OUR TREK FRIENDS AND BOOKED A CAB TO HEAD BACK TO OUR CITY. THE RIDE BACK HOME WAS FILLED WITH MEMORIES AND FUN WE HAD DURING THE TREK. WELL, THIS WAS MY ESCAPADE FROM MY MUNDANE BUSY LIFE, HOPE YOU COULD CONNECT TO IT!