Nikita’s Solo Winter Spiti Experience was all about Daring the Unknown!
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods;
There is a rapture on the lonely shore;
There is a society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar;
I love not man the less, but Nature more…
- Lord Byron
Most people may not have heard this quote. As for Nikita, she came across it from a movie named “Into the Wild”. It is one of her favourite movies now, it gives her a sense of freedom, and it fills her with a certain strength of rebelling against the set norms of society. Do you know what the quote says? It says that roaming in the heart of Nature suits the poet better than running the intrusive rat race that the ‘world’ suffers from.
She felt the same when she wanted to go to Spiti all by herself; she felt the same when she booked a trip to Winter Spiti, all by herself. Her parents called her crazy, they did not know why she was going to Spiti when she had her scholarship exam in three months. That too - a woman - on a solo trip. It sure raised the eyebrows of almost all the members of the “society”.
Simple. She wanted to refresh her mind, and there was no way she could do it in this distorted world where everything materialistic finds a place of recognition but nothing of nature does. Anyhow, she is digressing from the topic.
She was frustrated. It was too much, this heaviness of every day which weighed her down.
And one day, she said, damn it. She was going.
The Attributes of Solace
It was a very scary experience. She did not know what to expect apart from the fears instilled within women from childhood. So she was cautious regarding that, but since it was her first solo, she was a bit sceptical about how her travel batch would be.
At the same time, she was excited to uncover what the future had in store for her. This was a very personal adventure, something that is suitable only for journals.
Upon reaching Delhi, she met the whole team – the guides, the representatives, the batch.
Everyone was all decked up and thrilled, and the ambience seemed energetic. She was feeling a bit shy, but she knew that she was alone and had to socialise. She is not a very open person, to be honest, but she can be good friends if her vibes match.
But the group seemed to have cast some sort of a spell, she became friends with most of them! There are two possibilities, either the batch clicked with her too well, or the solo trip was bringing out an unexplored side of her personality, it was changing the way she thought herself to be.
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Now that she thinks about it, it might have been both!
The Little Tibet
The road they took was through Shimla, via Chitkul. It was a spectacular journey. They could see the terrains of Himachal transform into that of Spiti – like cold desert regions, with rugged cliffs and standing mountains all around. Most were snow-covered, while some parts stood tall with a barren visage.
And against the brown-white landscape, there was the bright blue sky, with clouds like cotton balls drifting slowly across the horizon. She was so relaxed that she almost cried. Nature knows what she felt that day.
Winter Spiti offered a stunning sight. It was as if she had arrived somewhere remote in Switzerland, a place where everything was snow-white.
Crossing the Chicham bridge was quite thrilling, and Rakcham was a spectacular place. But her best experience was in Kaza, while star gazing. It’s a shame she has no pictures of this night.
She had never laid back like this, tension-free, worry-free, under the open sky at -18 degrees, wearing jackets and boots. The sky looked marvellous and she was shivering due to cold and excitement (mostly due to the cold), but she still lay outside, determined to spot a shooting star.
She told this to one of the friends she met on the tour, and her friend replied, “You can spot a shooting star just by waiting for it one night. It is a celestial blessing and a rare sight gifted to rare beings.”
She did not know all of this, but this conversation motivated her to manifest the same.
At around 12.45 am, she was wrapping up, disappointment written all over her face – if only someone was there to read it with a torchlight. And then she heard,
“Oh look up there!”
She turned back instantly, looked up and saw a shooting star with a red tail. Her eyes gleamed, and her heart was warm. She did not feel any cold, she just kept looking at the sky long after it had vanished. Finally, she closed her eyes and wished for something (can’t tell you why until it’s fulfilled).
The next day they set out for Kalpa and she slept on the bus. To her surprise, she saw a missed call from her father. She called him back.
He was looking out for her, wanting to know when she would return. She informed him about the same, although they already knew it. Then her mother got on the call and wished her for a safe return.
Something about their voice seemed off to her. Perhaps they had realised how too much exertion can deform a perfectly moulded sculpture. Being healthy is about balancing the right things in the right manner. The rat race can make us forget these things quite easily.
Cheers to the new-found self
On her way back, she knew she was a different person. More confident, more free. It was hard bidding goodbye to all the friends she made on the trip. All the guides there helped them and the local staff accompanied them and kept them on their feet at all times! Anshuman, Bhupesh, Kanchan and Pankaj Sir, thanks a lot. Also, Mr. Sonu Thakur, their driver, was not just cooperative and punctual, but understanding and funny too! His jokes helped them tackle the cold to a large extent, not kidding! Laughing keeps your body warm!
Also, she would miss the bonfires, the team dinners, and the post-dinner music sessions. Also, add to the list the rigorous itineraries and travelling, and the extreme cold that almost led to frostbites!
Lastly, the food – simply delicious! They tried rose-bud tea, butter tea, Thenthuk, and Chhurpi, as local dishes along with Thukpa, Momo, and Apricot jams. The hotels were comfortable even in those high altitudes. The interiors were nice and clean, and the locations were good too.
Finally, the vistas, nature. All she had to say to her was this – “I will be back soon”.
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