Travel diary - I

I have been to some dusty corners, some charted and some lost territories. I have set my gaze over ruins and seen stories in the cracks they hold. Each time I hit the road, my quest for the unknown has grown deeper. There is this thing about travelling :it stays in you and refuses to let go its essence.

I have grown fantasising a world of my own. I kept myself locked behind doors for longer hours, there was a certain sense of relief in hiding. I could talk to myself, paint, scribble and yet have all the time to myself. I knew it was fun for the rest of the kids to be out under the sun kicking that lousy football and yet I could never relate to it. I accompanied them to the field each day but sat under the coconut tree scribbling words in my tiny notepad. They never took me in their team, I never expected them to though.

I knew there were interesting things in the world. There was the sea which I had heard tasted salt and pepper. I wanted to feel it in my skin. Also I had this fascination to touch the clouds. I wanted to know if they burst when one poked her finger to tickle it. I knew people thought these were absurd stuff  but this was how I saw the world.

I wanted the gentle wind to fondle my hair with love as I sailed in the roads which would take me to mountains. I knew I would someday meet those grand mountains and let my soul find its slice of peace.

My parents took me to places during vacations at school and those trips helped me grow a little. My diary was filled with sketches of rivers and mountains and people I met. I took memories home and treasured them so that I remembered what it felt like to be alive each moment. I knew back then, what I wanted from life was to escape the mundane to meet the unknown.

This summer, we a group of four decided to say hello to those mountains. Sikkim lured us to escape the heat back home. I knew, I always knew, the mountains would somehow lead me to them. It was like dreaming with wide open eyes. I could feel the mist settle on my skin. The clouds hovered like thought bubbles and as I stretched my hands to feel them , they settled on my palms tickling it with its sweet chill.

There are some places off the map which gift you the solace you had always wanted to bring home. A bend in the woods, a fallen cliff, a quiet stream by the road. These are what you bring back home as remembrance. Gangtok had a lot to offer the four of us, those paved streets glittering in rains mended our parched hearts. Steaming momos, frozen icecreams, piping hot tea and everything that Gangtok had to offer reached our plates. Some dishes were sumptuous, some bizarre. The calm of the monasteries, the solace of the pine trees and the warmth that the people had to offer be it through a random smile or by offering us guidance, it made the whole trip pleasant. To add the icing to the cake, we had Daju (read it as brother) who took us to places. The road that took us from Gangtok to Darjeeling made me believe that dreams do come true. My dreams weren't as beautiful as it was  to my naked eyes. Imagine a curvy road aligned with pine trees on both side which leads you closer to mist laden clouds. The road grows curvier and the mist slowly gives away to a pleasant chill which rattles your bones. I question myself, is it summer?!

We land ourselves in Ghum (Darjeeling) where we are to spend a night in a home stay. A log cabin well furnished with cozy beds and a tea booth makes it feel like home. It's great to travel when you have friends who are crazy enough to comfort each other over a game of "sur-police". The motive wasn't to win the game, the motive was to find the lost child in us which had fallen into a deep slumber. The night brought us closer to our lost pieces. Some odd mix of laughter, stifled sobs, unfinished stories from past, some from the present were left behind in that misty summer night. We slept for a few hours and when we woke we found that the  windows there overlook mountains on all sides and when you step out in the open in the wee hours of morning, you can't really help but be awestruck by the beauty the place holds.

Our trip indeed can be detailed but for me details ruin the magic. I would want to remember the trip through memories which keep it alive. I would want to keep believing that I actually felt the clouds in my skin, the wind in my hair and the warmth of a mellowing sun in my heart. I would want to believe in the magic the place had to offer.

I hope life keeps the magic alive for me. I hope I bring back home more such memories.

Gangtok taught me this peace of wisdom, "Om mani padme hum" which translates as "the jewel is in the lotus". The idea is to invoke compassion to make us better beings.