Travel Diary -1 (Himalayas - Mussoorie - Rishikesh)

For the lack of a concrete idea for an article, I am putting down my travel experiences from a recent backpacking trip to north India. Much like a backpacking trip, these random musings are without any direction and purpose.

 The Dead Himalayan Winter Trek

In quite some contrast to what I had expected, the winter in Himalayas entailed most difficult conditions for life that I had ever come across, let alone being conducive for some leisurely climatic indulgence. During a 4-day trek to Kedarkantha summit, I could only mostly see a bleak stillness around – like a spinning and springing ballet dancer in a flowing white gown suddenly becoming transfixed as the music stopped, the mountains seemed to come to stand still in the cold winter’s fury.

                                     

Looking at the naked trees, standing tall and fighting for survival; vast swathes of tiny grass smothered by the weight of thick layers of snow; lakes frozen and streams rendered almost motionless; the wild hiding in caves leaving only trails of footprints and hollow-eyed locals squatting in the corners of their tents, one can only wonder what is life without Sun and its warmth.

 Mussoorie

After the rugged 4-day trek under helpless conditions and an enforced routine, it was time to let myself loose.  So, the day after the trek, I set forth to Mussorie in the coolest attire I could pull out from my baggage, along with all the accessories that I might need on my mission to chill. With good ambience, scenic views and decent food in mind, I explored cafes strolling along the hilly terrain of Mussorie, with a narcissistic pleasure.  I managed to find a couple of nicely furnished, artistically decorated cafes situated in places offering panoramic views. They looked like ideal settings to satisfy Instagrammers' fetish for food-centered photography; a latte topped by delicate froth-art with distant hills as the backdrop, a grilled sandwich juxtaposed by antique art pieces, pastas looked over by abstract wall-posters  and cheesecakes melting against dew drops - you have all the shots covered. Talking about myself, sitting in those places, with an intriguing book on one hand, sumptuous food on the other, and sceneries that hooked my gaze, at one moment it felt like the ultimate freedom that I might had been chasing all this while, and the very next moment it struck as a disillusionment of fleeting worldly pleasures collapsing all the frills around like a pack of cards.

 Rishikesh

Entering into Rishikesh the next day, I was as amused as a 10-year old kid in Disney World for the first time. It appeared like a seeker’s paradise and a rationalist’s nightmare. A town straddling Ganga along hilly slopes, Rishikesh, with its plethora of ancient temples, yoga ashrams, ayurvedic clinics and a whole gamut of therapy and healing centers based on nature, touch, sound, crystals, rudraksh, chakras, hypnotism, numerology, past life regressions etc. etc., in every nook and corner, opens the door to an enigmatic world that promises inner well-being  - things that will make rationalists squirm in discomfort, but I wouldn’t disqualify anything without a firsthand experience.  It’s not just this - from the fun and frolic of rafting, camping and adventure-sports by riverside to ascetic life styles of saffron-clad sadhus involving rigorous yogic practices, from pot-smoking revelers to pious devotees, from rejuvenating body massages offered by spas to holy dips in cold waters of Ganga, from sublimely original to utterly fake, it’s a majestic mixture of many things, all coexisting in one place. Words of immense meaning and gravity – Karma, Nirvana, Mantra, Moksha – are recklessly used everywhere for a touch of mystique.  I found my peace in encountering a whole new realm to explore and the possibility of knowing.