One of the many firsts

 24 April 2022

Extremely grateful for the blessings of my loved ones, my stars, and my moon for constantly watching over me.

It was March this year when I finally resolved that I have to take myself on a solo trip before I turn 22 this April. I was super occupied with my semester exams, competitive exams, entrances, interviews, and whatnot since the very start of this year. March and April were even more engaging. For a while, it almost seemed that I might have to postpone the trip but thankfully something in me said "jaa Himanshi jee le apni zindagi" and I literally booked my stay a day before leaving due to the uncertainties that I was dealing with. I chose Almora because I just wanted to explore a location that was new to me which at the same time is at a close distance from my home.

So without further ado let's explore Almora through my lens.

Almora is a beautiful hill town surrounded by the Kumaon hills of the snowcapped Himalayan ranges in Devbhumi Uttrakhand. Almora, a perfect blend of modernity and cultural heritage, the fast-moving life of the market and slow life of the villages uphill, natives and outsiders, dwellers and travelers from across the world, conformists and non-conformists, people like me who think and plan a lot, and backpackers who just go with the flow. River Kosi runs along this city, a river so serene and beautiful that will make you fall in love with its soft water and its calm aura on a scorching summer sunlit day away from the chaos of your inner self. 

It's a 3-3:30 hours drive from Haldwani with spectacular views. You can witness vegetation changing from the type of trees you see around, the climate, the temperature slowly changing, and your thoughts wandering, constantly shifting from one thing to another with every bend on the hilly road. What does that teach? That nothing is permanent in life. It's all temporary and transitory and every stage of our life demands a different us. A new version which is better than before. As they say "Age like a fine wine", we must keep getting better with time and experience. If you observe as you go uphill and the closer you are to your destination the more frequent the bends are than before when you were near sea level. That says a lot. Isn't it?

As I started my journey from my location at Haldwani to Almora I was bound with many thoughts so much so that I wanted to think about everything all at once. So to begin with I had checked the weather forecast beforehand but somehow it was really cloudy and it even rained the day before. I was constantly praying not to rain as I didn't want to sit in my room once I reach Almora. But as soon as the journey started I kept that thought away and rather enjoyed the weather, the beautiful route to the destination. And what I learned was to not think more but enjoy where you're, the essence of being present in the present. This is what I never practiced before. We all worry too much that we forget to live life, we carry the baggage of our past everywhere and the fear of facing the uncertain future. We're dealing with the regrets of our past and anxiety for the future.

Is that how life is supposed to be lived? Life is short indeed. It is supposed to be lived that way if not all the time which is practically impossible but at least sometimes?

And here comes gratitude. The reason why am I able to jot down this experience in this blog sitting in my comfortable chair and desk, on my laptop with wifi working round the clock itself means I'm privileged enough to do things in life which many are deprived of. Be it traveling solo, booking for my safe stay, and enjoying the trip. I saw women of my age with infants in their arms, feeding their kids, and traveling with their husbands. Look, I'm no one to judge their life but I considered myself lucky and was once again grateful. I saw the tough life of villages where women almost singlehandedly manages everything which by the way also involves the laborious work of fetching water from far-off distances, looking after livestock, household chores, managing finances and obviously looking after their children and for some of them even their drunkard husbands. Who calls these strong women housewives?

There's suffering and misery everywhere. These terms might sound depressing to some of you but this is the ultimate reality of life, my friend. It's just how we deal with it. The more we run away from ourselves the more helpless we become. I've seen people surviving with the bare minimum and yet way happier than people who have everything to lead a comfortable life. It's all in the head. It's all about desires. Desires make our life better than yesterday as we strive toward fulfilling our desires. But many of us are so engrossed in running behind things that we forget to express gratitude, and love and give back what this universe has offered us. Is capitalism and consumerism at fault that we are running behind things that mean literally nothing to us? That we're consuming the things that we don't even need but only out of fear of missing out? Till a certain age, we all run away from ourselves, from facing our fears and true inner selves, and after that, we keep running to save ourselves. 

Someone has aptly said

"Kabhi socha hai

Bhaag rahe ho jiske peeche

Agar mil gya toh kya karoge?

Yeh jise tum sukoon kehte ho

us se sukoon na mile to kya karoge?"

It was the first time probably when I said goodbye to everything that held me back from choosing risk over comfort and it involved my parents too. I had to say no to family and friends and it was hard. But it was really worth it. Sometimes you've got to shut the voices around you to listen to your inner voice, the voice which guides you and enriches YOU as we're nothing but a collection of experiences, lessons, and stories that molds us.

I witnessed various temples on my route and saw pilgrims with faith. I just wonder what are we all looking for after all? Peace right? We all want to come to terms with life, we all want to make peace with our lives and ourselves and we search out for different ways of achieving that. One of the many ways and probably the easiest is to pray. But we misunderstand the meaning of praying sometimes. Praying is not only asking the almighty for have-nots but being thankful for what you've. I read it somewhere "Life is not completely fair to anyone that's how fair it is to everyone." There's a lot to it for instance Karmic action and all that to which I'm no genius to throw light on. But I do agree we all have our own journey which is unique in every possible way hence being compassionate and kind to people around us is something that we should strive for.

Also, I'm a pahadi with motion sickness and the one who can't tolerate cold. Yes, I know people like me are limited edition. Every time I visit a hill station all that I pray for is a sound sleep to escape from the uneasiness that hilly road with a zillion bends offer. I did the same this time and took the name of lord shiva and boarded the bus. Surprisingly it was one of the most comfortable roundtrip journeys that I have had so far.

And what are PLANS ? My 2 days short trip didn't go according to my plans let alone be life buddy. My itinerary for the 1st day involved Jageshwar Dham, Chitai Lord Goludevta, and Kasar Devi and I had deliberately canceled Binsar. But look as it turned out I explored Binsar but couldn't go for Jageshwar this time. This is how life is. Uncertain and doesn't always go the way we plan for it but always offers us options to go about. We make choices that lead us to our destiny. So we should be always open to different opportunities that come along with life.

Day 1: I boarded the bus at around 6:00 and reached Almora at 9:30 and from Almora to Kasar at 12:00. YES! As I took sharing taxi so I had to adjust. My plan was to hire a scooty on rent and explore Almora all by myself but my host was just too considerate to let me go for it as I had never ridden scooty in hills before. I was scared too after observing the steep slopy roads. Being an introvert I was also hesitant to interact much initially. But I went with my gut feeling and decided to be a passive co-rider. And I believe that was a good decision. I came out of my comfort zone, interacted with a random stranger, and learned from his real-time experiences. Sometimes going with the flow actually works. Randomly thought of going to Binsar and the route was drop dead gorgeous. 

The cinnamon bed of pine needles with cones lying on the nutty background, high-rise pine trees all along the way to Binsar, and damn good roads with fresh air and endemic animals living in harmony with nature. Being a passive participant in the passenger seat I just felt the cool and calm air kissing my cheeks and blowing through & combing my curls. I sat behind with my head held up high, looking at the clouds along a bend and keeping my eyes shut for another. Can you ask for more? 

At Binsar I tried my hand at Chai. I'm not a chai person but the climate was just so right for Chai. It was perfect. 

The luscious green meadow landscape has always appealed to me. The spring was still in its full bloom in the hills with the burnash tree (Rhododendron), the state tree of Uttrakhand literally everywhere uphill in Binsar, and cherry blossoms on my way to Almora. There were several ranges visible from the cafe. It was just so pleasing to the eyes and calming to the soul. 

Also not me twinning with the background. xD

Post darshan of Binsar Mahadev, the next stop was Kasar Devi which is known for its cosmic energy and the enigmatic electromagnetic energy of the place which makes it perfect for meditation and healing. It is one among the three such places on the planet after Machu Pichu in Peru and Ancient Stone Hedge in England. I was skeptical about it at first but oh lord! It is certainly not overhyped. The place is majestic and the spiritual aura at that place is something which I won't be able to describe. It'll be injustice served on my part even if I attempt at describing. A must-visit place for someone who's lost, in quest of something, and someone who just needs a ray to sail through difficult times. The place has everything to offer. The sunset from the place is to die for. The best sunset of my 22-year-old existence.

Day 2: I fell sick the next morning and wanted to be at home. But a good bask in the sunlight, 1 hr short nap, and some courage with a NOW or NEVER attitude fixed me. As half the day had already passed by then my itinerary was short. It involved the very famous lord Goludevta temple at Chitai, cave paintings at Lakhudiyar, Dosa at Raghunath City Mall (best parking), and the Almora viewpoint. My Instagram feed has only presented me with travel reels off late and I cannot be more glad that it did. Thanks to AI. I had known about Chitai via Instagram itself but GOD! The feeling to be there, in that place, surrounded by the auspicious sound of bells, dhol damau (Uttarakhand folk instrument said to be associated with lord Shiva), letters to Lord Goludevta, wedding cards, property registry papers, and whatnot was truly surreal. I never witnessed something like that before. So the custom is to write a letter to the lord expressing your wish and offer a bell when the lord fulfills your wish. Hence the ambiance. I was so amazed to see the faith that people had which filled the surrounding with nothing but immense positivity.

The next stop was cave paintings along the bank of river Kosi at Lakhudiyar. It is also an awesome campsite. Most creatures and especially humans have a tendency to leave their mark wherever they dwell. We try to associate with the place, and the surroundings to make it a part of ourselves that we can call home. Hence many of us are into gardening, home decor, painting, interior designing etc. The cave paintings are proof of it. Life humbles us in many ways only when we're willing to learn from it. We think we know it all after acquiring limited knowledge about things but there's a lot that can never be known, never be explored. We're not the creator after all. My life after college has taught me to set aside the know-it-all attitude and the ego of limited knowledge. And it feels good to be up on your toes to always learn something new from people around you no matter how small or big the learning is.

Also how little are we in the face of the universe which is so big, in the face of time which has no start and no end almost eternal. How little are our problems in life? Do some of us even have real or actual problems?  Life is literally too short to sweat the petty things. I'm saying it so easily but I know how difficult it is to practice. At least we can try.

Back to Day 2 which ended with a beautiful sunset from a cave nearby my stay, delicious pasta, and Mediterranean tahini with toast, a sumptuous dinner indeed, and later post-dinner walk under the clear sky with a crescent moon, scouring through the shade of pine and deodar trees, moonlight chill and fresh air. I sat on the balcony later bidding adieu to the Almora city lights.

The next morning was lazy and slow with my heart wanting to stay a bit more and my mind reassuring my heart for UNTIL NEXT TIME. There was a bittersweet feeling and as they say, every beautiful thing comes to an end my short trip too came to an end. I had some me time, was zoned out for most of the time, and decided to take a boho dress from the place for my birthday along with a bunch of sweet memories, great lessons, and a wonderful start for my much-awaited future solo trips.

At the end of this trip, I'm just grateful that everything fell into its place hassle-free, for the wonderful few brave people I met in person and in stories. I went on this trip with a resolve and came back with many other resolves for myself which I'll certainly materialize soon.

I was 21 when I took my first solo trip and today I'm 22 with my mind rewired already that yes! an introvert like me can too take solo trips, interact with strangers and enjoy her time :)))

Ending my discourse with a raw short love poem that I wrote on the bus ride.

A lover describing his/her beloved

how do I decode you?

who you're to me?

the snow to my river

the bridge of my shores

the rain after my storm

the sun to my clouds and the calm to my chaos

or

the pink cherry flower on my mere branch

the stairs to my peak

the road that leads to me

the yellows to my blues

the love and light of my soul

the green to my nutty land

trees to my barren

or

wheel of my joy

the key to my lock and rock to my low

nest to this bird

rose to my thorns

blessing of my prayer and anchor of my boat

root to my stem

moon of my sky

summer to my winter

spring to my autumn

shed on a rainy and a tree on a sunny day

you're the river that meets me in the ocean,

that's how you and I will meet.

-Himanshi

Thank you for taking some time off to come along with me on this virtual journey.