All
the major decisions which disrupt life are seemingly taken during the
age of 22 to 28. Decisions like who we might end up spending our life
with, what should be the name of your first born child or in other
cases(like mine) what brand of toothpaste you should experiment with
coming week(truly disruptive).
But some of
major life changers(apparently) which all Indians experience are whether
going to Kasol or Goa this weekend(like every weekend). Both the
destinations hold equal status in the dreams of an average Indian of the
above mentioned age group. Mountains or beaches? Forests or seas? Weed
or .... well both places have there own perks and both have there path
to straight Nirvana.
Last December, our travel sense took a crack on these unimaginably hard choices and we started our journey: How we reached Kasol .
The
"small" trek of 9 KMs started from Jari to Somaroopa. Initially we were
so tired of sitting down in the bus for last 26 hours that it was
probably the best decision in our minds at that time to take the walking
stroll towards the
camp (later it was actually turned otherwise). Forgetting the initial hardships (please read: How we reached Kasol
) we were up for a fresh start, the way was truly beautiful and our
stomachs were full. The starting trek was downhill and we were carrying a
truckload of stuff with us and like the general people of our age we
overestimated our walking capabilities(we like to boast our trekking
skills).
By the time we reached
Malana(probably half the journey), we were already out of breath. The
morning cold and weight on the shoulders was taking the toll and we took
our first break. The beauty of the spot made everything worthwhile.
River, the air , the forest and the trees, everything was live out a
poets imagination. We met some super friendly people on the way, we took
some puffs from the Malana cream(a mistake!!, Straight road became a
treacherous path after that. Our loyal legs gave into the Malana high
and we walked towards our camps with snail speed. Skipping the gory
details of our adventure(I can elaborate, but i will probably take more
space than i am willing to write, you can message me if Interested) By
the time we covered the distance it was high noon and our bodies crying
out of pain.
Malana Chills
We
comforted ourselves by seeing lively campsites and ultra-comfortable
camps. We kept our bags inside, and since we were already out of the
mood to walk anymore took a bus straight to Manikaran.
Gurudwara: Manikaran Sahab
It
is a famed pilgrim for both Hindus and Sikhs, and backpackers come here
to skip the cold and take a dip into the super hot springs(literal 100
degrees!). We took the bath and we were "Re"-fresh. It was time to
explore the local Kasol and make some new friends on the way.
We
had some of the most amazing and weird food experiences there, may be
it was the remnant effect of the Malana Smoke or the Sulphur fumes from
the hot springs our heads were still heavy with a small leg spin.
Exploring Kasol was fun, even more was the fun to travel back to our
camps. The buses were overflowing with a mix of local people and lousy
backpackers(like us!). We made some friends who were staying near our
camps and a quick late evening early night party was planned between the
seven of us.
The party started at 9 and
(there is a lot of embarrassment involved in between) and I woke up in
our camp at 3 in the morning shivering at -9 degrees outside without
blanket and beside me was my friend in even worse state sitting and
shivering. The third was dreaming happily with all the blankets of our
camps on him(Laugh!).
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