"Charaiveti Charaiveti" - March along..

With a screeching sound our Car stopped at a bend in the road, just before a valley full of Dark green Deodar(Cedar) Trees.
Our driver needed a small break. Awakened from sleep, we guys too came out of the car, rubbing our eyes.

The refreshing cool morning breeze, blowing from the woods brought back our energy.
We moved toward the gate on the other side of the road, with a signboard - "ECO PARK DHANOLTI".

Suddenly the earthy smoke of roasted corns drawn us aside the road, a hill man was roasting corns on fire.
We bought some mouthwatering corn and while munching it we moved inside the park.

Situated on a hillock, this park looked just all green n' white everywhere.
This color combination would definitely enchant a Finnish man easily but uncommon to an Indian guy's taste. But don't know why it was really soothing.

The dark wood inside the park tempting me to delve deep inside it. My friends rushed toward the Tea-stall inside, but I followed the narrow path going uphill.
This 5 minutes solitary trek led me to something startling. A rusty stairway carved out in the rocky trail, mid between the deodar woods
I couldn't see its end from very start of it, like it is going to the heaven.
Exactly like my dreams of Led Zeppelin's - "Stairway to the heaven".. yes it was going to the heaven.

All excited I started running uphill, just to stop finally at the top of the hill.
Still gasping for the breaths, returned back to my senses in a few seconds.
The surroundings here saying me - Yes I am in heaven or at least somewhere on its neighborhood.
In the clear pinkish canvas of the sky, complete Nandadevi range of majestic Himalyas were visible on the horizon.
Sky touching, dazzling white, snowy peaks of - Nanda Devi, Trishul, Neelkanth and MonkeyTail.
I was feeling like a giant and if I had jumped from there I could definitely touched one of them so easily.

On my other side lush green terraced fields of paddy were inviting me - "Daajyun aavo"(brother come).
But we were divided by a valley full of grass & bushes.

I waved my hands to the old man sat on the cliff like a statue. He winked at me once and continued gazing the nature agape. Like he was repeating Lord Byron's words - "I love not man the less, but Nature more".

I moved forward and without saying anything sat beside him. He now looked at me affectionately and said - "welcome", I felt - I belong to this place.

It was all unbelievable, still I was thinking- "How I reached here?".