Snoozing the alarm, waking up late out of bed, lazy mornings yet rushing to work, sipping coffee while packing up some sanity for the day! I know it sounds like a long day already. It seems like everyday right? Meeting the same bunch of people amidst the same four walls daily is quite exhausting. You gradually lose interest in life. That’s when you think of travel, you think of breaking away, you think of your freedom, you think of your inner peace, you think about reconnecting with yourself and the environment that has so much more than this squander to offer.
My travel idea can be different from yours. I love to meet new people from varied cultures and places. I love doing things I don’t do regularly, I like to dare myself to go to some less travelled path, I love to take my risks.
I had never experienced snowfall before. The idea of snow made me feel butterflies in my stomach. This time when I wanted to reconnect with myself, I chose a place of my dream. I wanted to make my dream a reality. So I decided to visit ROHTANG! My goal was to witness the majestic snowy mountains, fresh air, intoxicating atmosphere where if one chose to meditate, would attain Nirvana for sure. I went to reconnect with myself, but I also reacquainted with Mother Earth.
If you can take a moment, you can feel the down pacing of your breath, the slowing down of life. You can feel the chill air on your body so delicate and gentle as if Mother Earth is whispering your name. The quietness of the atmosphere fed me with the conversations I’ve longed for in ages.
Meeting new people is a fact while travelling, which no one can deny. People who are the inhabitants of my travel destination or people who are fellow travellers, I learnt one thing that’s common to all - everyone has a story to tell. Once I reached Rohtang Pass, all suited up, apart from the magnificent view, there was something else that had me connected. The people of Rohtang made me fall in love with the mountains. They are so humble and innocent. The smile never leaves their face even for a second. The glow on their faces felt like a reflection of shining snow.
The locals travel miles everyday carrying all sorts of utensils so that you can have the best Chai of your life. The vibe of the mountains adds extra flavour into that Pahadon wali Maggie and Garam garam Momos.
Locals don’t compete among each other there. You’ll see them smiling even if you buy anything from the person at the next stall. They live in complete harmony. I saw a sense of satisfaction in their eyes. All of them offered positivity along with their hot food. This is something you get to learn from them.
Our priority should be our happiness. Instead, we have become slaves of our greed. We keep running after the luxuries which we dream of. I learnt an essential lesson of satisfaction from these people. I realised that my ultimate search in life should be my happiness. With their simple living, they proved that it’s not money which can buy happiness. They showed that to be happy, we need to be satisfied with what we have. I didn’t know them, but somehow they motivated me to pursue happiness. They became a part of my favourite story.
Rohtang made me realise I don’t need to have everything in my life. I just need my own company and a few close friends to have fun and create new experiences or to feel loved. I simply need to embrace mother nature around me.