FIRST TRIP OF MY LIFE

TALES OF WANDERLUST!!

IT WAS THE FIRST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE WHEN I WENT SO FAR WITHOUT MY FAMILY, I ALREADY KNEW THAT THIS TRIP IS GOING TO BE THE BEST. I WAS VERY MUCH EXCITED.

ONLY ONE OF MY FRIEND (SHEFALI) WAS GOING ALONG WITH ME FROM MY WHOLE COLLEGE GROUP BUT I KNEW THAT WE DON’T NEED SOMEONE ELSE TO COMPLETE US.IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE BUT YES THIS WAS MY FIRST TRAIN RIDE. AND OUR JOURNEY TO HIMACHAL BEGUN, WE WERE 32 MEMBERS IN TOTAL INCLUDING OUR TEACHERS AND SOME OF OUR TICKETS WERE NOT CONFIRMED SO WE WERE TOLD TO SHARE OUR SEATS WITH OUR FRIENDS. THE COACH IN WHICH WE WERE GOING TO SIT IN HAD ONLY EIGHT SEATS RESERVED AND WE WERE TEN FROM THE SAME STREAM, WE DECIDED TO BE IN THE SAME COACH AND TWO OF US GOT ADJUSTED.

                                         
THE NEXT DAY,
WE REACHED PATHANKOT IN THE EVENING, WHERE ALL OF US SHIFTED TO THE TRAVELERS. WE ALL SAT TOGETHER IN A TRAVELLER AND HEARD THE PUNJABI SONGS ALL THE WAY IN A LOUD VOICE. WE WERE LUCKY THAT OUR TEACHERS WERE IN OTHER BUSES AND NOT WITH US. THE DARKNESS WAS OVER AND WE CROSSED THE FOUR HOURS LONG WAY AND REACHED DHARAMSALA, IT WAS SO COLD THERE AT NIGHT THAT WE WERE ALL SHIVERING AFTER COMING OUT OF THE BUSES.





NEXT DAY,
EARLY IN THE MORNING AT AROUND 6 AM I WENT ON THE TERRACE AND SAW THE BEAUTY OF NATURE, BIG AND LONG GREEN TREES WERE WEARING BLANKET OF FOGG AND THE SKY WAS SO PLEASING. I WAS THE ONLY GIRL FROM WHOLE COLLEGE GROUP WHO GOT READY FIRST AND CAME TO THE TEACHERS. IT WAS NOT JUST THAT DAY, BUT IT HAPPENED EVERY DAY WHEN I WAS ON TRIP. ON THAT DAY WE WERE GOING TO VISIT “BHASUNAG WATERFALL “ WE CLIMBED THE MOUNTAIN ON THE TOP OF WHICH WAS THE BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL. NOT EVERYONE OF US, BUT WE WERE HALF A DOZEN PEOPLE WHO WERE GOING BY CLIMBING THE ROCKS. WE ALL WERE GUIDED BY ONE OF OUR SENIOR WHO DIDN’T GIVE UP MAKING WAY TILL WE DIDN’T REACHED ON THE TOP. IT WAS A VERY GREAT EXPERIENCE OF TREKKING. WE DIPPED OUR FEET IN THE COLD WATER OF THE WATERFALL AND FELT NUMB AFTER FEW SECONDS WHEN WE TOOK THEM OUT, THE WATER WAS SO COLD. WE CAME BACK THROUGH THE ROAD AND WHILE GOING TO THE HOTEL BACK, WE VISITED A TEMPLE. AFTER DINNER WE HAD PERMISSION TO GO TO THE MARKET, {THAT COLD NIGHT AND THE SCARY JUNGLE BUT I DIDN’T FEARED}

NEXT DAY,
WE VISITED “DALAI LAMA TEMPLE” MET THE MONKS LIVING THERE, LEARNED THEIR CULTURE AND LISTENED TO THEIR PRAYERS. AFTER THAT WE WENT TO KHAJJIAR, THAT PLACE WAS VERY QUIET AND WAS FULL OF BIG TREES SURROUNDED BY LARGE MOUNTAINS. THERE I DID PARAGLIDING FROM VERY HIGH ALTITUDE AND THOSE THREE MINUTES WERE THE BESTEST WHEN I WAS FEELING LIKE A FREE BIRD FLYING IN THE SKY, FEELING THE VOICE OF THE AIR AND CAPTURING THE BEAUTY OF THE PLACE IN MY EYES.

     

     ON THE SAME DAY AT NIGHT WE DEPARTED FOR “DALHOUSIE”. DALHOUSIE IS A PLACE SITUATED ON VERY HEIGHT. ALL MY FRIENDS WERE SLEEPING IN THE BUS WHILE I WAS LOOKING OUT TO THE CITY FROM THE WINDOW. THE ENTIRE CITY WAS SHINING IN THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT.

NEXT DAY,
IN THE MORNING WE VISITED THE CHURCH OF DALHOUSIE, THERE WE LIGHTED CANDLES AND PRAYED. IN EVENING WE ALL WENT FOR SHOPPING AND SITE SEEING. AFTER OUR DINNER WE WERE PLAYING GAMES IN THE HOTEL ROOMS AND WERE
DISCUSSING REAL HORROR EXPERIENCES OF OUR LIVES, IT WAS NIGHT TIME AND I AND MY FRIENDS DECIDED TO WALK ONCE AGAIN TILL THE MARKET AREA. WE ALL WENT TO OUR TEACHER AND REQUESTED HIM SAYING THAT THIS IS OUR LAST NIGHT IN DALHOUSIE SO PLEASE ALLOW US TO GO, AFTER TRYING FOR A LOT OF TIME HE AGREED. WE ALL WALKED TOWARDS THE MARKET, TALKING ABOUT SILLY THINGS AND CRACKING JOKES. THERE WERE SO MUCH PEACE ON THE ROAD THAT ONLY OUR LAUGHTER WAS BEING HEARD.

“HIMACHAL” IS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT WE DIDN’T EVEN WANTED TO COME BACK, THOSE SEVEN DAYS PASSED VERY PEACEFULLY. WE ENJOYED A LOT MORE THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT OF.

 I LEARNED A LOT IN THOSE DAYS, AND AFTER BEING TOGETHER FOR SO MANY
DAYS WE ALL GOT CLOSER TO EACH OTHER AND WE GOT SOME NEW FRIENDS TOO. HOPEFULLY, SOON I WILL GO TO HIMACHAL’S OTHER PLACES AS WELL…….

Written By:- Shreya patel