A lot has changed for me over the past year. I went from working at a law firm to working at a backpacker hostel to taking up a social entrepreneurship fellowship. One thing that’s always remained constant is my love for the unexplored. The major reason that I travel is for people. So, let me take you on my journey with a person that really influenced and pushed me to be more and do more.
It all began on a sunny morning in a little town called Bagar, Rajasthan. As we stood for morning assembly, I spotted a girl in boots trying to avoid the sun. I looked at her and said, “Isn’t it too hot here?” Before I knew it, we got talking and in the first 5 minutes of the conversation, it was clear, I had never met someone so similar to me.
She had me at Deep Purple and Vox.
As the days went by, we grew closer. Well before I knew it 5 days had passed; it was time. It was time for her to shift to the mountains in Uttarakhand and for me to move to the city of dreams, Mumbai. Those 5 days left a lasting impact on me. We went on to keep in touch once in a while. Then, one fine day being as eccentric as I am, she decided to disappear for 21 days without any notice. No calls. No texts. Nothing. It threw me off. Out of nowhere, 21 days later. I got a call saying “Hi Cutie! What’s up?”
Distance and space can be beautiful. We don’t embrace it. We fear it.
One night over a 2 am call, as we were planning to go to either Rishikesh or Manali to celebrate her birthday. I told Payal, (yes, that’s her name)“I want to go to a place in India where no one has ever been. No tourists. Nothing. I want to travel into the unknown”. She said “Ah”. One thing we shared was spontaneity. She said, “come to Lohajung”. I said, “What? Where is that?” And she replied with, “Trust me. It’s Home. Just come.” I wondered how I would get there. But all she said was to come to Delhi and she would guide me from there.
No questions asked I booked my tickets to Delhi on the word of someone I had met for 5 days. You sometimes just know in your gut when something feels right. I dragged 2 other friends of mine from Bombay on this adventure. Over the past couple of years, I’ve always preferred to travel alone because every time you travel with someone and they are not as spontaneous as you, you tend to always have to pick between what the other person wants and when they want to do it. I really enjoy doing things on a whim. I can’t remember a single time that I had a plan. So these guys I was traveling with of course asked me where we were going. I said, “Lohajung”. When they asked me where that is, I said, “I don’t know”. What can we do there? I said, “I don’t know”. My roommate looked at me in utter disbelief and said, “You’re going to a place you know nothing about, on the word of someone you’ve known for 5 days?” And I replied with, “I trust Payal”.
Next thing I know, I was on a flight to Delhi. Wisely enough, I decided to take a 9 pm flight. Cause you know, it isn’t the time that’s important but the price.
Stocked up on avomin and snacks, we waited for 4 hours before the Jeep arrived. Picture traveling in an old rickety Tata sumo with 10+ people. All cramped up. We began our journey towards Lohajung.
Little did I know that at the break of dawn. The car would be passing by Devprayag. I had only heard about this place before. For those of you who don’t know Devprayag. It’s the meeting point of 2 rivers. The famous picture of two different colored water bodies meeting. Ring a bell? With an almost purplish hue in the sky. I had asked the taxi driver to stop for 2 minutes. As I got lost in the silence and the sound of the river, the taxi driver yelled “Let’s go. We won’t make it until evening”.
The cold had kicked in. It was about 6°. For a Hyderabadi boy, that’s bloody cold. We can handle 45°C, not 6°. So, I quickly rushed back to the Jeep and continued my journey to Lohajung. The views were breathe taking. It was a really long journey; we began getting restless but we didn’t complain. The journey through Rishikesh onto Lohajung felt almost like a dream. We’d finally reached Lohajung at 4 pm. Alas! There was Ms. Payal, aimlessly pacing around wondering when we would reach.
Oh, Lohajung!
What can I say about Lohajung? It’s a little town with the nicest of people. People like Devender Ji, who was always so accommodating of our cravings and he would dig into his old cookbook and surprise us. As we got there, Payal swiftly whizzed us off on a tour of the town and every local, every bystander knew her. I wondered how a South Bombay girl is so loved and cared for in a little town in the middle of nowhere. She almost looked like a messiah.
On our first night there, my Pahadi craved for only 2 things from the plains and I had to honour what I had promised. Theobroma & Old Monk. The story of how I took the Old Monk ka khamba all the way till Lohajung is a story for another day. After our evening pleasantries with the locals, we got started on our sasta nasha escapades. Walking out of the room felt like a nightmare. But, the sky made everything worth it.
The next morning, after an incredible night. We were planning on going for a tiny trek to Ajjan Top. As we were at Devu’s shop for breakfast, (that’s what Payal lovingly calls Devender Ji) the start of this incredible story was almost coming to an end, Payal was heading back to Bombay the next day and our plan was also to make our way to Manali from Lohajung. Little did we know what lay ahead. I looked at Payal and took a chance, “Can I cancel your ticket to Bombay?” As much it sounded like a joke, I was quite serious. The shitty part about travel that no one talks about is goodbyes. I’ve met such wonderful people from across the world. Sometimes you wonder if you’ll ever cross paths with them again. I said “I’m having a lot of fun and I would love to spend more time with you”.
Her answer was simple, “Fuck, yeah!”
Now, that I had cancelled her flight and booked another flight for 4 days later. We wondered where we’d go next. I opened Google maps and zoomed out and said, “Guys, it looks like Nepal is close by. Do you want to go?” I often used to joke with Payal saying, find the route to Nepal from Bageshwar.
With our last-minute research, we were ready for Nepal. But we were not done with Lohajung just yet. While we were admiring the great expanse of mountains at Ajjan Top. Payal asked us to pack your bags once we were back. We needed to rush to Wan to meet Baluda and Meena Ji. Yet again, I was clueless and didn’t ask any questions. I trusted her. We were told we had to rush because we had to catch the last Jeep to Wan.
Wan was about 45 mins from Lohajung. It was a little Pahadi village. The ride to wan was a real memorable one. 21 people. That’s right, you read that correctly, 21 not considering the 4–5 people hanging off the Jeep and countless stacks of hay. In all this chaos, squeezed between 6 people at the back of the Jeep, as the sunset began to set behind us, tears began to roll down my eyes. The happy ones, of course. I was so overwhelmed and so grateful for how far I had come and how fortunate I was to be in that moment. Growing up, Dad always told me that there is no point in saving money for a rainy day, instead invest in travel. Nothing can teach you better than travel. It’s the best education that you can invest in. I’m glad I had such an upbringing.
Wan is one of the last villages in India before China. In fact, it is said that many years ago, Wan was actually part of China. As we reached Wan and picked up our rucksacks in the blistering cold stifling through our bags for our gloves. Payal and I could find only one pair among us, so we wore one on each hand and held each other with the other hand for warmth.
We finally made it to Baluda’s place. Baluda was the trek driver for India hikes and Payal had stayed at Baluda’s house for 2 months while working with India hikes. Baluda was almost like a brother-like figure to Payal. It was a cute mountain family. With Baluda, Meena Ji, Rukmini & Srishti along with a little baby who was almost ready to come into the world. In the night as Meena Ji cooked dinner for us and we sat in a circle, talking, Baluda asked me, “Aap kaha se ho?” I said Hyderabad. He then told me that many years ago, he worked in Hyderabad. I asked him where in Hyderabad? He said “Lal Bazaar”. I was surprised because Lal Bazaar is only 2 kms from my house in Hyderabad. This was probably the last thing I expected to hear at the last village in India. He told me that he could speak a little bit of Telugu also. “Naku Telugu koncham ostundi” which translates to I can speak a little Telugu, which is my native language.
As we wrapped up dinner and went back to dada jis room to sleep, we looked up and were in complete awe. As stupid as it sounds at 2°, we wanted to sleep under the stars. All of us, set up the perfect bed on the roof, which would put any 5 star to shame. After we were all cosy under the stars with a little help from my old friend, Mr. Hashish, the night transformed into a magical one.
Growing up, I always wanted to see a shooting star and make a wish. Since I never saw one growing up, I assumed them to be a work of fiction that the movies used to entertain their audiences. But that night, it was one shooting star after another. After a point, we just lost count and lay there completely mesmerized.
My flatmate once said “Agar taro ke neche kabhi soya nahi hai, tho kya hi zindagi jiya hai”. The next morning, we took our water bottles and went to the stream to drink cold water right from the glaciers. Wan & Lohajung were once very prominent places because of the famous Roopkund trek. That trek, however, has been closed for a while now for environmental reasons. So, Lohajung and Wan don’t see too many outsiders anymore.
My Lil Pahadi helped me discover my love for the mountains. It’s now my great escape. Sometimes in life, people come into your life to uplift you. Payal is one of them. Her love for the mountains inspired me. Her drive and conviction is Awe-Inspiring. She is and always will be my Lil’ Pahadi & I’m always going to keep killing her vibe.
Love,
Vibe Kill 🌈
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