Eight friends completed a (daring) trip to BHUTAN. What they did there will BLOW your mind!!!

DISCLAIMER - None of us are remotely "Hateful", but that sounds really cool. Thank you Tarantino Uncle!!! Also, its really difficult to be hateful in such a beautiful country like Bhutan and among such happy people.

...ahem, well, first of all, it was not really "a daring trip". Well, not unless you count as DARING:

• 8 people being cramped up in a Mahindra Bolero for most of journey or 
• the same 8 people sleeping in bad hotels without heating (for the most part) in 1-digit temperatures (some sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags) or 
• the exact same 8 people cycling to the top of a hill carrying their unfit jiggling bellies and in the process almost killing themselves out of exhaustion and dehydration or
• 4 of those 8 people (most daringly) motorbiking in the off-roads of Bhutan and almost choking to death in the carbon-negative dirt and dust

.. Secondly, this post is not REALLY going to "Blow your mind". (Not unless you have a stroke or a brain hemorrhage as you read this post, which I pray you don't, coz, you are my dear friend and audience). In this time of Social Media and super-exaggerated-hyperbole, awe-inspiring headlines, I could not help but blow things (a tad) out of proportion. Also, it was just a clever ploy to grab your attention. 

(You sly dog, You!! hehe hehe)

Well, now that I have your attention, here goes the back-story of the Bhutan trip. 

Last year me and 4 buds were trekking through the cold mountains of West Bengal in our mission to conquer Mt. Sandakphu. Turns out, we completed the trek with one day to spare and hence, ended up with a whole extra day for further exploration. 

This is where things started getting darker and murkier. We discovered that we were a mere 250-odd kms from the Bhutan border and immediately, our brain started working up. Our logical thinking and rational judgement went haywire. We had come under the grip of the Bhutan-mania and we starting making frantic plans, calling up friends, family, neighbors and the neighbor's dog to help formalize a last-minute plan to spend 2 days in Bhutan.

We would have almost succeeded in setting foot into Bhutan that day, had our guide Pemba not crushed our high hopes and lofty aspirations by saying -
“Bhutan.. Bhutan, agle saal karo, sir!!” 

"I am Pemba and I saved you guys!!! Bow to me, you Imbeciles"

We were crestfallen, shaken to the core, sobbing in bewilderment as our hearts and minds tried to comprehend Pemba's words. We could not believe we were not going to Bhutan and dejectedly, we continued on our further journey to Darjeeling, where we spent the 2 blissful days gorging up on calories lost during the trek.

But the Seed of the idea had been sown and and so, One year later (17th March 2016), we finally made it to Bhutan and boy, was it "Mind-Blowing"!!! 

1. Soak in the Beauty and the Color

The Bhutanese have made liberal use of color, effects and images, whether it is in the buildings, the temples or the monasteries (called Dzongs).

The Prayer Flags and the painted Dragon (A Common Feature in Bhutan)

Check the Intricate design, color and shading effect of the Dragon on the Pillar of a Building

The Circle of Life drawing on the wall of the Rimping Dzong. It is so detailed, it is Mind-Blowing. The picture obviously does not do justice to the real thing

2. Paro Tsechu - The Bhutanese Buddhist Dance Festival

We witnessed the Paro Tsechu, which is a Buddhist dance festival, a major event in Paro, Bhutan. The festival is held throughout Paro town and the first day is in the Paro Rimping Dzong. Needless to say, it is a photographers delight.

Paro Tsechu - Check out the masks and the colorful dresses

Paro Tsechu - Ohh, Scary Mask there !!

Paro Tsechu - Even the audience in so colorful and love those yellow drapes

Paro Tsechu - The ladies sang a Bhutanese song to the tune of a single flute. We could not understand the song, but it sounded enchanting!!! 

Paro Tsechu - Lady in Gold. What awesome colors they wear!!

One Selfie please, Sir!!

3. The Legendary Taktsang Dzong (Tiger's Nest) Trek

The adventurer inside us was itching and our adventure began with the short but legendary trek to the Taktsang Dzong aka, the Tiger's Nest. 

Quick Trivia - Taktsang Dzong is a beautiful monastery nestled on a bare cliff and is the site of a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and 3 hours. Legend has it that the wife of a king in Tibet became a disciple of the Guru and transformed herself into a Tigress to carry the Guru from Tibet to this place and hence the name Tiger's Nest. 

The legend, of course,  is Legendary and so is the place. The trek is incredible, and once you reach the tall mountain abode of the gods, the temple buildings and the idols inside the temples are EPIC legendary.

The beginning of the trek where one can see the small white Dzong stuck to the mountain.

"Nature is the source of all Happiness" they say and WE, the eternal Nature-Lovers agree to a tee. 

The gradual Ascent begins.

The path is dotted with beautiful little temples, a quaint wooden bridge, colorful prayer wheels and little sign boards imparting wisdom to tired travelers.

Yes, we need a Benevolent King in these turbulent times. Amen!!!

And slowly... the quiet and beautiful topography gives way to the magnificent mountains. 

And finally, the glimpse of the Tiger's Lair.

Ek Selfie to Banta hai, Boss!!!

They do not allow photography inside the monastery, so you will just have to go there to witness these idols and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Its 30K well spent just to catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing and incredibly huge idols of the Buddha, the Guru and the 5 avtaars of the Guru. The rest of the trip is a bonus. Believe me!!

Of the 5 senses that we have possessed as humans, sight is probably the most powerful. Its only what we see is what we perceive as reality and sometimes when we see incredible things, whether natural or man-made, we feel that they just might be unreal. These moments in like make us realize what it means to be human and to be alive. It is a humbling feeling and one that will stay with you forever. 

4. Bicycling to Buddha Point, Thimphu

The next adventure of the trip was the cycling trip to Buddha Point and back. 

However, we hit a roadblock. It was Monday and Thimphu was closed and so was the Bicycle store. But...

We had not traveled 3000+ kms to accept defeat, just because the Bicycle Shop in Thimphu was closed. 

We made a few phone calls, coordinated with some locals, deliberated on some important points (like cost of getting the shop opened on an off day) and finally, we got one of the Bicycle shops to open for us to rent the Bikes. And once we had the Bikes, the sky was the limit (literally!!!). 

Bicycling from Thimphu to Buddha Point is not easy because Buddha Point is on the top of a small hill. If the ascent on feet is difficult, an ascent on the Bike is virtually impossible (esp. if one has not practiced or is not a regular bicyclist, like most of us). 

So, huffing and puffing we went, slowly and steadily climbing the hill, pushing the pedals, gripping the handles and chanting the name of the Buddha. 

Me.. I just gritted my teeth, bent my head and kept cycling.. on and on.. until, I suddenly realized that I had come way ahead of all my friends. They were left behind on the previous turn or god knows where. I looked ahead and kept pushing the pedals. My running experience had taught me that if I stopped, it will be very difficult for to re-start. So, with legs burning and breathing-in great gusts of air, I kept trudging on. But it was too much to take and  as I got ready to give up, I turned a corner uphill and saw the Buddha's magnificent gold statue before me. 

With the last bit of energy and my eyes on the Buddha, I cycled the last 100 meters to the temple, to be spell-bounded by the beauty of the Buddha in spite of the breathlessness.

The God, the Man and the Machine

5. Bullet Ride on the (Off) Roads of Bhutan

Next part of Bhutan Adventure was the Bullet Ride from Thimphu to Punakha and back. A total of 140 + kms, this was the ride of our lives and for me it was absolutely special, because I had never ridden a Bullet for such a long distance and in the mountains too. 

The Key that had the Number of the Beast - 666

And the Beast itself!!

And the Beast was ridden by this Dude!! :-D

The Other Dudes and their Beasts

Ready to Unleash!!!

The road from Thimphu to Punakha is a thorough mountain road and it is under-construction - filled with dust, dirt, gravel and stones. We rode cautiously, stopping on the way at the Duchala Pass.

Beautiful Duchala Pass

Onward we went to Punakha and as I was riding, my mind kept worrying about the journey back. I was sure it will get dark during our ride back to Thimphu in the evening. Already I had scant experience of riding the Bullet and riding it in the dark on these dirt roads was not a welcome thought.

Anyway, the Punakha Dzong was beautiful and peaceful. Sitting quietly in its large courtyard relived some of my anxiety.

Entrance to Punakha Dzong

The courtyard inside Punakha Dzong. Just sit quietly for 10 mins and you will forget all your worries, fears and anxieties

Darkness started falling on the way back from Punakha to Thimphu and the twisting and turning mountain dirt road started becoming like an endless serpent from hell. But we drove slowly, cautiously and we started to feel that things were under control. 

You know how sometimes when things are looking really bad, you feel that it cant get any worse. And it really does get worse!!

That is what happened next. As we cautiously rode on the winding roads in the dark, it started to rain. The sub-10 degree temperature trickled down more than a few notches and we started getting soaked. 

Imagine - Riding a bullet in a strange land, in the night, through an under-construction mountain road in steadily falling rain in maybe 4-5 degree temperatures, with not enough protection from the rain or from the cold. Sometimes the road gave way to large puddles filled with water. Sometimes, the huge trucks carrying the load of the sand and gravel refused to give way to us. Sometimes, there was no road, only slippery mud and sometimes, rain made it difficult to see the next turn. 

I started feeling like I was turning out to be a liability for my friends because of my inexperience. But I must say that I am proud of them all, coz they never let go or expressed their frustration, even once. Tapan started riding ahead of me, his red tail light acting as a beacon for me, helping and guiding me onward on the dark road. Rama and Appu rode behind me, their headlights mingled with mine, illuminating the road ahead in the rain and the slush.

Our convoy carried on, blocking out all physical, mental and emotional factors. We rode continuously for more than 3 hours and finally reached Thimphu safely, but completely drenched, cold to the bone and shaken to the core.

The spirit had triumphed and we were feeling elated, but if you ask me, I will never do anything like that again. :-) 

But than again, they say "Never Say Never Again". So who knows what destiny has in store.



The trip to Bhutan was mind-blowing for all of us. We are glad that we did it and we live for more such trips to come. 

So before this Blog ends, a final Kadhinchey to the entire Project team:

Yes, that beautiful building is our Hotel in Paro and that Handsome man is Appu, The Chief Executive Office

Sanky, The Chief Entertainment Officer (who took his job a little too seriously)

Tapan, The Chief Information Officer. He had all the information (even unwanted) and he was not afraid to share it (even when no one asked for it) :-P

Babloo, The Brand Ambassador (of the Mira - Bhayander Cycling Club)

Pradeep, The Principal Negotiator, who bargained for everything from Hotel Rooms to free 2016 calendars

Rama, The Lead Cinematographer (Jara Pose pe gaur kijiye!! ) 

Ravi, The New Hire

Chencho, The Facilities Manager

And Finally, Yours Truly, The Record Keeper and The Gossip Monger (this blog is the Gossip)

And, also, a brief montage for other things that happened on this trip - 

Phuntsholing, the entrance to the Dragon Kingdom.. Dinner at Asian Kitchen (twice).. getting Permits.. Sheetal, the most helpful girl in the world.. Dragon Club in Paro and sweet little Karma.. Red Rice.. Stone Bath.. Drinking Arak .. Archery .. WiFi Chahiye (Densa Hotel).. Bhutan Textile Museum.. The story of the 4 friends.. Photos of the King and Queen.. Vivacity Club.. San Maru Korean Restaurant.. Roaming around in Thimphu.. Post Office.. Hike to Tango Monastery.. Chencho.. Gulugulu.. Cheeseballs.. Rajah on the bicycle at night..  Happy Ending (which never happened)!! 

And finally, thank you Pemba for the brilliant advice last year, coz, we now realize that we needed more than 2 days in the Kingdom of Bhutan, aka, the last Shangri-La and although we spent 7 days there, we feel that its still too less. 

Like Hotel California. “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave!!”

Sandakphu - The Journey of a life-time

I

Sandakphu was my first trek in the Himalayas and one of the things that struck me was the difficult lives of the people who live in these mountains, where the wind and the cold turn you older, faster.

I remember one specific instance when we were walking downhill on a moderately steep slope and saw a young woman coming uphill with her 2 children carrying a load of fire-wood. The first on the two children was a girl, maybe 10 years old, also carrying a load of fire-wood on her head and the younger boy, about 4, carrying a long piece of wood on his tiny head, held firmly into place with his tiny hands.

My heart ached to see this little family lumbering up the steep hill with the fuel that will help make their dinner tonight and I thought about our easy city lives, where at a flick of a knob we have all the fire we need.

Amongst all the things that travel has given me, I think that perspective is the most important. The perspective that all people are different and everyone is fighting their own battles, so it is important to be kind and patient with people, the perspective that everything happens for a reason and sometimes when we can’t do anything about a situation, we just have to let it go and move on and the perspective (rather, wisdom) to have gratitude for what I have.

II

The Mt. Sandakphu trek in May 2015 was my first trek in the Himalayas, but will definitely not be the last.

The highest mountain in West Bengal, Mt. Sandakphu is located inside Nepal’s Singalila National Park and stands tall at 11929 ft. on the border of Nepal and India. The road to this Mountain is flaked with dense forest, winding mountain roads and daunting climbs to its summit. The single-digit temperature just adds to the woes of trekkers.

But at the end of the road, when you reach the summit with swollen feet, chocked breath and near frost-bitten fingers, Mt. Sandakphu will reward you with the magnificent view of 4 of the 5 highest mountains in the world, viz., Mt. Everest, Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Makalu.

III

When you go to Sandakphu, you have to be prepared for a cultural difference.

As we arrived in the mountains in the cab from Bagdogra Airport, we were suddenly thrust into a different kind of world. The world of the North-East. The people whom, we in the rest of India call “kancha” or “chinki”, were suddenly all around us. Exceedingly warm and beautiful people, who have adapted the harsh life in the mountains with a smile. You will never find any person here who seems sad or unhappy. They are always smiling and laughing and joking, their eyes light up with a mischievous, innocent light, like a child who is about to play a trick on you. 

Their houses are small, their bodies are fit and their food, although simple, tastes great.

IV

The other thing to be prepared for is the cold weather; and at the time we went, we found incessant rain throughout the 5 days of the trek. Due to the rain, the temperature of the already cold air was down by atleast a couple of more degrees.

The first day of our trip, when we reached the trekkers lodge at Dhotrey (the trek starting point), I opened the door of the Innova to get out and the cold wind hit me like a brick wall. I immediately closed the door and decided that I was never getting out in that kind of cold.

But after travelling for 2500 kilometers from Bangalore to Dhotrey, “not getting out” was not an option. So with gritted teeth and clenched jaws, I got out of the car and ran inside the trekkers lodge, only to find that it was maybe one degree warmer than outside and that’s when the realization dawned that the cold was here to stay, I had to get adjusted to it (of course, with a little help from the thermals, sweater and jacket).

That night after having a dinner of rice, dal and potato sabzi, we slept in the darkness (as there was no electricity in the village) inside our small brick-walled hut. The air grew cooler outside, but we were tired and slept fitfully in the warm, cozy beds.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up and heard a howling sound outside. My fatigued Hollywood-movies infested mind promptly imagined a pack of hungry wolves. As I waited for sleep to come, I wondered how many wolves there were in that pack and what were they hunting for. What would happen if anyone of us got out of the house to attend to nature’s call? The wolves will surely have a mighty feast.

Suddenly, the howl sounded closer and I imagined one of the wolves right outside the hut. Maybe he can smell my blood, feel my fear and read my thoughts. Maybe his eyes are glowing red in the darkness and he is lusting for prey. Any moment now, he will peep through the glass window next to my bed. How difficult will it be for him to break the fragile glass and pounce inside?

I prayed that I will survive this godforsaken cold place, this isolation, away from all my family, surrounded by these friends of mine, these adventure-loving maniacs.

I coaxed myself, 'Nah, it is no wolf. It was just the wind. Al Izz Well, Mamu, Al Izz Well!!!'

Closer to nature, closer to the elements, the excitement of adventure brewing just under the surface, surely, the air in the mountain and the jungle was playing tricks on my mind. With these final thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

V

Fortunately, we never encountered wolves or any other animals throughout our trek. What we encountered were the fierce elements – the damp, never-ending rain; the bone-chilling cold and the winding, steep, mountain road.

The rain fell eternally throughout the first 4 days of our trek. Although, it was not heavy rain, it was continuous and it thoroughly drenched me inside the rain-wear, ponchos and jackets, to the point where on the third day (in Phalut), I did not have any dry clothes to wear and sat shivering in my wet clothes near the kitchen fireplace.

Due to the rain, my gloves would get wet and the cold felt worse to the fingers – first it felt excruciatingly painful and after sometime all sensation in the finger-tips was lost. Was I getting frost-bite?

The heavy rucksack weighing almost 7-10 kgs added to the discomfort and sometime caused painful shoulders and back. Last but not the least was the continuous walking, kilometer upon kilometer, the steady upward climb that would leave me breathless after every 100 paces or so. But I could not afford to stop, because once you stop, starting again is double the effort.

But it was not all bad. The views (whenever the fog lifted) were magnificent, the air in the forest was refreshing and sweet, the company of friends was exhilarating, we encountered forest birds singing their ancient songs and the topography kept changing, never getting monotonous. Also, our guide Pemba was an expert and a very nice guy, on a couple of occasions we got to taste the Rusky - Rhododendron flower wine and everywhere we went the people were friendly, hospitable and warm.

And on the second day of our trek when we reached the summit of Mt. Sandakphu, I had a mystical experience that I will never forget.

After keeping our luggage in our room, Pemba, our guide, led us to the summit, which was a small sloping hillock of mud, not more than 50 feet high. But because of the rain, it had turned muddy and slippery. Cautiously, taking one step at a time, we climbed the hillock and reached the summit. Because of the fog the visibility was zero, but it felt good to have achieved the landmark. 12000 feet above sea level, the words grit, determination, perseverance and will-power had ceased to be mere words for us. We had transcended mental boundaries (and some physical too). Like Theseus’ ship, something had changed inside all of us.

It was an overwhelming feeling.

In Hindu mythology, the Gods are considered to reside in heaven - the sky directly about our heads. So, on this summit, we were obviously very near to God. We burnt some incense sticks and said a silent prayer, before getting down from the hillock.

On the way back to the lodge, Pemba suggested a re-route via the village temple and we slowly walked towards it. The village temple was really a site with multiple little temples, with idols of different gods. The customary prayer flags were hanging all over the place and as twilight approached on the foggy, cold evening, the entire area got an enchanted, surreal feel to it.

Appu and I went to one of the small temple where a lady was chanting some prayers in a mix of Hindi, Sanskrit and Nepali.

Appu promptly removed his Iphone to video-graph the entire prayer of the woman, while I stood aside listening.

In her prayer, the lady invoked the Goddess of the temple and described the omnipresent, omnipotent, nature of God. God as the master of all creatures - living and non-living. God present everywhere and us humans, the mere insignificant figments in the grand scheme of the universe.

The twilight had deepened now and darkness had almost overtaken the daylight. I stood on a slope of the mountain, before me the valley slowly creeping into darkness and to my right the temple of the goddess, with the woman praying within.

The entire surrealism of the evening shadows, the atmosphere and her voice invoking God transported me to a different plane. For a few seconds, I felt like I was lighter than air, I was filled with immense happiness and an extraordinary calm. In that moment, I felt my present. I felt alive. I felt lost and intoxicated. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. There was no truth, no reality and no physical state of being. There was only an immense space of nothingness.

While I was floating in this state of bliss, I suddenly felt the ground beneath my feet shake. And the next moment, I heard Appu’s cellphone creating a vibrating sound, as it rattled against the aluminum sheet of the temple wall against which Appu had held it while he was recording the video.

Appu looked at me. “Earthquake” he said.

I nodded my head in agreement, but somewhere in my heart, I thought that I had been touched by the hand of God.

That night after we had our dinner and were just getting ready to tuck in, Pemba, our guide come excitedly into our room and asked us to come out with him quickly. The thought of stepping out in the bitter cold night was not too enticing, but we were curious to know what he wanted to show us.

We walked some distance with him and from a high place at the end of the walk, he pointed out to the horizon to what looked like a high cloud. As the moon came out, we saw that it was not really a cloud but a huge white mountain, covering the horizon from one end to the other.

It was the Sleeping Buddha, Mt. Kanchenjunga, bathed in moonlight in all its majesty.

The sight of the mountain invigorated us and filled us with hope. I even declared to everyone that the next day, we will definitely see the 4 Mountains and so filled with hope, we went back to the lodge and went to sleep.

On that day we had walked to toughest 15 kms of our journey. It had been a cold, wet, exhausting day. We had strained ourselves to the point of collapse and the next day we were supposed to walk to Phalut, which was a 19 km trek. While we were dreading the thought of the walk, we were also filled with hope and excitement.

Sleep came quick to our exhausted bodies and quicker came the morning, again wet and cold.

VI

The 19 kms walk on the next day was not as bad as we had expected. Or maybe we had mentally prepared ourselves so well, that it did not feel too difficult. But the cold in Phalut was a different animal. It was chilly, biting cold. The kind of cold that numbs your skin, turns your finger-tips blue and makes your joints ache. The kind of cold where you want to find a fire and not budge from it and even when you are turned to the fire, your back is becoming colder and number.  

But the biggest disappointment was that we had not yet had a chance to witness the 4 mountains. The day had been rainy and foggy with no visibility beyond a few meters.

After dinner that night, Pemba suggested that on the next morning, if it’s not raining, we could trek a couple of kilometers to a higher point on the Phalut Mountain and take our chances with the sighting of the Big 4.

So, at 4 AM, we woke up and set out to catch a glimpse of the mighty mountains. The short trek to the top of Mt. Phalut was brilliant (albeit steep and difficult) and the air was clear (albeit chilly to the bones) and once we reached the top, the view all around was incredible.

But the clouds were still playing spoilsport and we did not have much to do except wait.

So, while we waited the sun came up slowly from the east and the colors of the clouds began to change. At one point, we saw a soft sun ray escape the clouds and cast a spell on the valley below.

For a moment, we thought that the clouds would clear up and we will get a tiny glimpse of the 4 Mountains, but it was not meant to be. Although we were disappointed at having missed the mountains, we realized that this was one of those things in life when we could not do anything except let go and move on.

VII

After Phalut, the trek got easier, as we started the descent. It also got prettier, as we walked through dense bamboo forests with a variety of trees, flowers and shoots, streams flowing here and there, bumping into other trekkers and even spotting a leopard pug-mark.

And so it was, that on the fourth day of the trek, we had walked into Sikkim from West Bengal, into a charming little village called Gorkhey.

Gorkhey is a little piece of heaven nestled in the middle of the valley with tall mountains on all four sides. Untouched by civilization, it’s got terraced farms growing green peas, a stream that rushes in from the mountains with a couple of quaint little bridges built on it and a small temple with a round pond of crystal clear water.

The rain had stopped when we reached Gorkhey and we had a good time exploring around the village until nightfall.

On the next day, the sun finally came out and we passed through some of the most picturesque paths that I have ever been. Everywhere we looked there was bright green grass and pale blue skies, with white fluffy clouds. Huge, ancient pine trees dotted the landscape and two horses grazed quietly, down below, the bell around their necks making a jingling sound which could be heard from far. Small brick and wood huts were scattered here and there like toy houses. It was the most beautiful scene I had ever witnessed and in hindsight, I wish we had spent a day or two in this village.

As we walked on, the morning turned to afternoon and afternoon to evening. And in the evening we reached Rimbik, where a car was waiting to pick us up and take us back to the city (actually, back to Darjeeling. But believe me, it’s as good as a city, with a mall, a movie theater and great hustle and bustle of tourists and locals alike).

VIII

We came to Darjeeling, where we metamorphosed from trekkers to tourists and spent 2 days doing touristy things like riding the Darjeeling Hill Railway, going to the zoo (special mention of the Red Panda or Shifu), visiting the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (this was the highlight for us and we wished we had come here when we were younger and enrolled in some of the mountaineering courses), checking out the Tibetan center and the Japanese temple (4 beautiful statues of the Buddha and scene from his life carved into wood.. marvelous!!). We even went to a nice pub for dinner, watched a movie and had breakfast in the old English “Café Keventes” (this is the place in Barfi, where Ranvir Kapoor proposes to Iliana).

While we were having a heavy duty breakfast at Café Keventes, Rama suddenly yelled and starting pointing out hysterically. We thought that he was having another one of his cold attacks and needed to find a kitchen fire to warm himself up, until we looked up and saw him pointing into the distance.

We followed his gaze and there it was finally – Mt. Kanchenjunga, the Sleeping Buddha, in broad day-light. We had finally had a glimpse of the mountain for which we covered almost 75 kms on foot through tall mountains and dense forests. And the irony of it was that it had decided to show up here in Darjeeling, in the tourist’s paradise. 

While I clicked pictures of the mountain, I was feeling a nagging in my heart about missing Mt. Everest. We never got to see him - the tallest one on earth. But it was also an opportunity to make a resolve. Mt. Everest wants me to come to visit him. It will not show himself to me without me paying the price for it. And I know I will do it. I will make that journey to him, to stand before him and pay my respect to him, someday before the pied piper arrives.

An incredible journey had come an end. A journey which was exhilarating and exhausting, beautiful and sad, adventurous and dangerous. A journey of personal growth and spirituality. A journey of gaining perspective and (trying) to leave behind prejudices.

A journey that taught me to be more compassionate. When more than 80% of the people in the world live in harsh conditions, it becomes the responsibility of the rest 20% to spread kindness and happiness, even if its through small acts. And that's what makes the world go around.

Throughout the trek, Tapan carried a handful of chocolates in his pocket, which he gave to every little child we met on the way. And when he gave the chocolates to the little girl and boy who were carrying the fire-woods, their faces lit up with 1000-watt smiles which overflowed from their beautiful "chinki" eyes. That was worth all the effort and pain we had endured during the trek. That made the whole world beautiful, irrespective of its inherent flaws.  

Finally, it was all thanks to my adventure-maniac friends (who got new nicknames) -

• Appu “The Iceman”
• Tapan “Time nahi hai”
• Rama “Tandoori”
• Babloo, the caring and sharing
• Prem “the one with the jacket”.. 
• And of course Pemba “Bhutan.. Bhutan, to jaana padega”.

PS - What these nick names mean will require a different blog post. J

Once again, thanks to you all, my crazy friends. This journey would not have been possible without you. And I am looking forward to the next one with you. 

IX

This blog post is already a mile long and probably only 5 people in the world will read it and hopefully, re-read it. So I am going to include a few other items which we will not forget about this trek. Think of it like the picture montage at the end of “The Hangover”.

Earthquake.. Mukherjee Hotel, Mirik.. Dhotrey.. Pemba.. Jai Mata Di, Lets Rock!!.. Mohit and his binoculars.. Jaobari, Nepal.. High Voltage Pickle.. Singalila National Park.. Rama is cold.. Garibas, India-Nepal Border.. Border check-post across the road..  Rusky, the Rhododendron flower wine.. Kalapokhari, the black lake.. Boiled potato and eggs breakfast.. Bhutan planning.. Wai-Wai noodles and veg momos… Strawberry field.. Going Topless..

And Tuffy, the wonder dog who followed us till the end of the journey. I am going to miss her the most. J