Hello world! Your boy is back !! Apologies for the hiatus. The kids can stop crying , the women can end their mourning and the men can stop holding their tears in. Yes I do write these blogs with a POV that:
1. I have millions of followers.
2. I know all of them by name
3. They love me unconditionally
You must be thinking ''why is he really back ?'' ''Where could he have travelled this time ? oh let me guess somewhere in HiMaChaL ? " well..... yes, but there's more. I wanted to have a conversation with you guys about something. Let's dive right into it. I wanted to talk about this thing called ambition and my relationship with it.
I always felt that I lacked ambition in life. When I see people chasing their "Dreams" I wonder "why am I not like them ?". Why don't I chase luxury ? or a hefty goal ? .Its like You see someone with something they wanted and then they get it. So you also get a thought of having it and that thought lays an egg. Then you hug it, incubate it like a momma bird and years down the line it hatches and initially it's fun But then it disappoints you, Akin to a regular human child, and then you lay another one. I probably have to be like this at some point, out of necessity. But at this very moment, I've realized, I like the simple pleasures of life. And what I like most are stories. My ambition is to travel and collect stories organically. Not by forcing them on people but connecting with a vibe.
The only time my crippling introversive walls breakdown is when I'm travelling. That's when I open up and just randomly start talking to people, collecting stories. This ambition is only going to make me poorer but I'm willing to risk it. And now kids, it's time for some stories. enjoy!
Kaza: Marriage on two wheels
While me and my bud were chilling on the roof-top of our hotel in Kaza. We struck up a conversation with a guy who was the manager of an adjacent hotel. We talked about how difficult life really is there and how the environment around us is changing. While talking about the lack of medical facilities he told me a story where he and his wife were about 20 odd km away from Kaza and were riding back on his motorbike. Somehow they fell and he dislocated his left shoulder. There was no help to be found so they just mounted the bike, his wife, who's the pillion, held the clutch lever and he held the accelerator with his right. and then by synchronizing their moves they rode the bike back to town. Now to a normal human being this story is of pain, agony and helplessness. But when I visualized the entire scene I couldn't help but smile and laugh. The entire visual of him shouting when to pull the lever and how to release it and the poor lady trying her best just conjured in front of my eyes and I thought. This is probably what marriage is like. Marriage on two wheels.
Lohsar: kadhi chawal and chai
Summer of 2019, I was trying to go to Ladakh via Spiti. Unfortunately due heavy snowfall the road that connects Lahaul to Manali was blocked. So me and my friend decided to roam around within the valley. On this route the last village we could travel to was Lohsar. It's another beautiful village and at that time the fields were lush green with crops which was a stark contrast to the brown mountains surrounding us. We stopped for lunch at a quaint little shop. We were the only customers at that time. Once the food was served, the owner, A sweet old man, sat beside us. I started asking if there is any hope that the route could get cleared. He mentioned that the entire route from Lohsar to Kunzum and beyond had only 1 excavator on job and the government official/driver appointed wasn't very Thrilled about this job. And these roads are their lifeline. If they get blocked a lot of their daily needs supplies get blocked, not forgetting medicines and medical help. The conversation began from there and went on for about an hour. The place was small, with the cooker whistling in the background. The warm chai , the conversations and even warmer people put you in a place that feels like a cozy hug. Once the lunch was over we bid adieu to the old man promising to visit him soon again.
Triund: The Lone waste warrior
Triund Top is at the foot of the Dhauladhar range and sits at about 2828mtrs.The hike is simple enough and not very technical, Ideal for beginners. I had been there 3 times already and This was my fourth stroll up these mountains. (note to self: stop bragging.....it's sad).
The place has changed over the years. There was a time when very few people knew about it and then with the inception of Instagram and hashtags suddenly it got popular and crowded. Kinda kills the vibe but anyway. My friend and I finished the climb in about 3.5 hours. After spending some time and eating the traditional hiking lunch of Maggie and chai we began our journey back. On our way around the magic view café, Which is the mid-point of the trek, we saw a guy carrying a huge sack of plastic bottles. It must have been about 7 ft high and looked heavy. Scenes like these aren't unusual. I have seen shepherd's carry their entire livelihood on their heads while walking these Rocky trails.
We stopped to catch our breath at a point the same guy stopped there as well. I offered him water but he politely declined. I saw the "waste warrior" tag on the sack so asked whether he works for them(You can look them up online) and so the conversation began. He said that The organization had stopped operating along these trails as it was depleting their resources. So they resorted to the cities and door to door garbage collection. As our warrior was from Mcleod he couldn't afford to travel and work in Dharamshala. So he decided to clean this trail and make a living out of it. He made connections with the shack owners and told them he'd come every 2 or 3rd day to pick up the bottles. He even climbs down the mountain slopes to fetch these bottles and wrappers that idiot tourists so blatantly throw away while hiking.By the way, the 7ft tall sack of waste weighed about 30-35 Kgs and he has carried even heavier ones down. There was a moment where, while discussing "irresponsible tourists", he sifted through some fallen leaves right where he was sitting and like a magician he pulled out a chocolate wrapper. Which just gives you a perspective as to what extent we're destroying these trails. He climbs the trail from Mcleod to Triund in 1.5 hours.(his words) every 2-3 days. While he's not cleaning this trail he cleans up other ones within the valley. And like this he earns his livelihood. People like him inspire you and also give you a sense of gratitude. we had to keep moving so the conversation ended there we left him behind saying goodbye to The lone waste warrior.
It's stories like these that I have collected over there years and hopefully will keep on doing till my last breath. Since I don't really know how to end this, I leave you with this picture of a cute little girl I met during my travels to Spiti.
If you look closely into her eyes you might see the universe....and if you find yourself staring for longer than necessary, you're a pedophile.
ADIOS!!
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