Wednesday, December 01, 2010

A Good November. Tripping.

There is no sun out today. I like that, though of course it is not as cold as I would want it to be. I sit and watch The Motorcycle Diaries, fatal a thing to do when my mood is the way it is. And then I went and bought a book on Trekking Holidays in India. I don't seem to learn some things. Not stopping there, I go yesterday and buy one of the most professional trekking/ mountaineering backpacks there is (I remind myself not to think of how much I paid for it), plus another small bag and some other outdoor gear. My Quechua backpack sits by my bed, already looking accussatorily, for it is ready and I have yet nowhere to go. Suitably forlorn, that's what I am.

I look back at the years gone by and I don't remember a single time when I was comfortable to sit in one place/city for long. Itchy feet. Maybe that has been the last nail in many a box for me, but it has also led into roads that I would have otherwise not known about. Well, that's the story of my life.

As for now, the backpack sits and I wish, more than anything else, to be away from civilisation and to be close to the feel of the earth, to climb, to walk where there are not many people, to be quiet and listen to the wind and the souls, to feel the physical pain and after that, that feeling of nothingness when you go beyond pain, when you stop feeling the pull of muscles and all you do is walk on. I wish, more than anything else, to be somewhere far away, walking.

I wish, also, more than a lot else, to have a team that is just like me, with backpacks by their beds, plotting to walk off the maps all the time. That is much easier to ask for than world peace, aye?

That said, a week from now, I and ma will take a train on a 4000-kilometre trip to one of the farthest states of this country, Nagaland. It will take us nearly 5 days to get to our destination, Mokokchung, a name I had to memorize a dozen times over. We will tour the villages and see a world very different from what 'India' looks like. I will, needless to say, have much to take in, once there. We will hopefully see a famous peak there, then go further south-east to see root bridges, maybe some rain and many more wonders in Meghalaya. Needless to say again, I am mighty excited.

The last time a major trip happened, it was after planning for three years with three different sets of people. This time, it is a year old plan. Last December, I tore a part of my leg and couldn't go. Next time a big trip is on the cards, I hope, for my sanity, it doesn't require YEARS of planning, weeks is just about what I am ready to handle.

After three weeks of work madness, I have time to breathe again. November was good this time. First was a lovely Deepawali at home, then a week of films, then a nice time in the forests of Sittilingi and then a lot of work back in the city. Between that, I went and judged some kids on their creative writing skills (much fun, a separate story that), bonded with family, planned a trip, went to the hills and celebrated my birthday. The birthday was good, with a day trip, many calls and text messages, though there is nothing much happy about growing older. It was a good November. December promises good times too.

Today, for a change, it is cold in Bangalore. Hope it gets colder.

1 comment:

DIVYA said...

mmmm...