A Happy Traveler

Prepare yourself for almost similar responses before randomly asking people about their aim of life. Most of the time the answer would be one or another version of "Being happy and spreading happiness". But there is a great chaos in the definition of happiness, I feel. It can never be objective in nature while the perception always is. The concept is individualistic to the core, varies with taste and like of the individual. For some delicious food is happiness while for some even the access to food is.  Some wish to possess the rarest of rare stone while some prefer to stay away from silly worldly pleasures. Some look forward to a sound sleep while some prefer to play along with their restless soul. The range is astonishingly wide.

I think I belong to the category of a traveler and when I travel I call myself a happy traveler. My definition of happiness is in exploring. My life is meaningless if i am stopped or i am scared to step beyond, if i block myself from moving under the sun or fly with the clouds; if i don't travel the terrains. Happiness has no meaning to me if my soul is motionless and it gets filled with impurity like rested water. Have you ever heard about 'Behta Paani Nirmala'? Yes! Exactly!

The travel story that I'm going to share dates back to the summers of 69. Oops! I think wasn't born then. It must have been 2012 (the year, not the movie). I had dipped myself deep into the pond of daydreaming when suddenly my cell-phone rang and rocked me out of the pond. The manager is calling, most probably to know the status of the work. The brain slowly starts pushing itself back into the pond and starts wondering, "The deadline is near. It's very important to get the work done. Having achieved the last 3 deadlines consecutively, expectations from the team is high. I hate deadlines. Why is a deadline called a "dead"--"line"? What made people name it so? What if one crosses the line? How's the life after that?" Suddenly the phone started ringing again. 3 missed calls already. "Should I pick it? I don't have any such desire but it seems I have to." 

I: Hey!

PM: Good News! The work plan has been revised by the client and now there is enough time for the next deliverable. Enough time to breathe properly.
I: Great news. I think this is the perfect time to take a break and respond to nature's call.
PM: (Chuckles)! Enjoy Bud.

Who would have thought of something like this? Something unbelievable has just happened. No deadlines, no pseudo pressure and I am free to embark upon a random trip. The sheer realization filled my mind with fresh vigor. This was going to be special. And yes it was special.

The trip didn't start with any plan. I phoned some of my colleagues and managed to arrange some co-travelers.  We just packed our bags, took all the necessary stuffs for survival (including a toothpaste) and left for the journey. Journey to the wettest place of the world- Cherrapunji.

Let me begin my journey with a pic of a street dog on the way. We believe it was an early sign from the gods that this travel was going to be full of awesomeness.. ;)

My journey was photographic to say the least. So I'll let my pics speak more

The journey started with a darshan of the revered falls as we started our travel from Shillong- the scotland of the east.

The falls were followed by the majestic beauty of the perfectly carved valley. We had never seen such a perfect valley.

It looked so serene yet so powerful and dangerous. The slopes mesmerized our trigonometric minds.

The respite was when the sun showed his bossy attitude.

The aggression was followed by the cuddly nature of the clouds. We were literally over the clouds.

A broader view of the heavenly hills.

So we decided why not play when the nature itself want us to.

Suddenly the clouds went berserk. We forgot that it doesn't stay in a place for long. The whole area filled with clouds but we could now see the falls beneath. Scary to say the least.

Finally we reached the place that extracted maximum excitement from within. !The Caves! At this point we released our driver and decided to take a walk instead. An unforgettable walk, I must say.

Guess what we found an exit as well, though it was a dead end. 

And finally we decided to wrap up the cave mission only to begin our trek mission and witness the artistic beauty of nature - the root bridge.

Trust me! It was a difficult terrain to trek. We slipped so many times, fell to the edge. We stumbled but didn't stop as we strengthen along our bonding to an altogether different level.

The place was refreshingly peaceful and calm. You continuously hear the sound of insects and birds which was ecstatic. But we had to call it a day as we were in no mood to prove Tolkein wrong "Not all those who wander are lost". And as Tarry Pratchett has rightly remarked, "Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. Coming back to where you started is not the same as ever leaving".

Finally with the following final snap, I'd like to say thanks to you for reading through my journey. A place where I'd like to visit again and bring along my friends and family whom i couldn't accompany in this trip.