JustSomewhereAlone

The huge hills seem so alive, intensely protecting the tiny villages nestled between their feet. The villages live happily inside the valleys. And the beautiful Zanskar river dances through those hills, full of attitude, like a pampered daughter. Those hills, who can scare anyone, seem to be looking at her with pride. She brings color to their brown lives; she brings life itself. Like a daddy’s princess, she is always happy, swaying, jumping and glistening, except for those rare times when she gets pensive and mature. She can easily seduce any living being into settling down beside her forever... Within those hills, I felt like home. That feeling when your Dad holds the tiny you in his arms, you fit in perfectly into them, you close your eyes and you are safe forever. When I looked up at those towering hills, they gave me hope. The assuring stillness said, “everything will be alright. We will always look over you.” I was happy again, like that river!       ...

I’m spending more time in my car than at home! It’s Work-Drive-Work-Drive… and I’m loving every second of it!!!   Work, it’s my fallback, it’s my strength, my escape, it’s my kinda meditation. And the road... it never stops to amaze me. There are a thousand stories on the road, you just have to know how to read them ( especially  when you are stuck). I also add my favourite background score to it sometimes. So, finally I’m living the hippie life, a Corporate Hippie. Sailing through the monsoon, literallllyyyy! Nothing like a piece of solitude before facing the day head on, somewhere in my own city... just somewhere alone...

The song:   While saying goodbye, my sulking wife says "You will hold hands of beautiful women, You save them, while I wait for you in this cold..." The only reason people survive the Chadar Trek is because of the Zanskari locals called 'porters'. These porters have magical powers, they can save lives! Yet, they are innocent, the purest of souls ever existed. Most enthusiastic, resilient, fun-loving and respectful. They look small in form but carry our luggage double their weight on craziest of paths. Laughing when they fall and singing while climbing hills - still helping people on the way. Each one of them saving hundreds of lives every year. I imagine them to be those small mythical creatures from fairy tales who come to life just to help someone and become part of woods and trees and land and mountains when their work is done. Coming back only to help again.

While wandering around the little lanes of Leh, I made some wise friends. In all my excitement I told them about my life-changing trek, but they were not amused. They just rolled their eyes and gave me the look of, "Humans! Why do they have to complicate life? Why can't they just chill!?"

  Where the wise Indus and young Zanskar meet  The beauty   The feral Zanskar A tamed river Broken sheets of ice   The waterfall   The frozen waterfall - Nerak Porters make campfire on lucky days  The beautiful, safe, happy, Leh: And a wonderful farewell Walking on clouds!!! Above: Clouds from flight window Below: Walking on Chadar