Adventures

Our adventure had begun. We were flying down the highway with the wind in our hair, precariously perched among the bodies & baggage on the roof of our bus. As the rice terraces zipped past all our everyday constraints were blown away and we began to feel free.

There is no mountain range in the world that possesses the awe and sense of adventure of the Himalayas, that’s was where we were heading.

We the endless vistas and thin paths for as far as the eye could see. The panoramas were bigger than we could possibly imagine. Blue skies bordering the edge of our atmosphere, crystal clear streams with the sweetest freshest waters chilled in nature’s glacial freezer.

To step outside at night was to step out into the cosmos. The sky was strewn with billions upon billions of stars almost impossibly close to touch. The existentialism felt when seeing our place in the universe from such a vantage point could verge on the ineffable.

In the temple may Sadhus (holy men) were found praying to the gods & tending to a log fire that is said to have been continually kept burning for 1000 years. We received blessings to provide us good luck, wellbeing and to fulfill our wishes for the future. So feeling lucky, well and full of wishes we set off for Mukti’s village.

Upon arrival I was amazed & the beauty of the place, and humbled by its simplicity. The houses were trapped in time, fashioned out of a mixture of stones, wood, sand and cow dung.

Days later I was stiff as a board from the rice harvesting, so was sent to collect puja to offer to the gods. We chanted verses; lit candles, & purified our karmas with the flame. We offered the flowers to the gods & all got blessings. This was done to ensure that the next harvest was a success.

I really got settled into the village & felt as though they enjoyed having me around as much as I enjoyed being there. We learnt a lot from each other, but what I learnt from them was infinitely more valuable and will stay with me forever.