"We are cruising at 32000 ft above mean sea level. The temperature outside is -52 degree C. But, for your comfort we have maintained a comfortable 25 C". Those were the pilot's words onboard our air plane.
But this plane journey was different. For, we were flying over mountains, passes, valleys and rivers - that was a sea of snow and a desert of ice. From the top, you could see the pinnacles of ice basking in the sun on one side and their long, drawn shadows contrasting them on the other end. Most spectacular were the ridges that appeared to resemble a "mountain grid" which extended to the horizon. There were huge, frozen rivers that snaked their way across the valleys. And when the valleys ended, it was the peaks and passes. If you landed here by a freaking chance - you could no doubt get featured in "struggle for survival" series.
I was travelling to Leh and in the winter, the only way to commute is by air, when Leh resembles an island. From what I had read and heard, they say, it was supposed to be an experience to remember! Never had I seen such a mind boggling, gargantuan network of mountains below me. And there existed only two shades – white and black. This sight itself was a revelation - one of the high points of the trip. Somewhere below were Rohtang Pass, More Plains, Tanglang La, Baralacha La and we crossed them without even breaking a sweat. But they are there, mighty and frozen. And they will wake up from their slumber when all the ice has melted into streams and the sun has gotten stronger in the sky. And then there will be stories of grit, pain and joy of travelling over grasslands and barren mountains, cracking blue sky and damp cloudy ones and sometimes highways that shine and shimmer like "runways". My holiday had finally started!
A vacation is a high point from where life starts anew. It is the completion of a cycle, the end of a chapter of the hardships and a vent to the junk that life had become during all the past few months. And it would replenish the soul, spin off new thoughts, cultivate new energies, provide new direction, filter good thoughts, build a stream of positivity, clean up the dust that had settled in the mind; discover the joy in doing seemingly small things of life - stand of the edge of a mountain, stretch the hands and lift the heels, drink in the sunshine and breathe in the fresh air; understand how basic our needs are, understand Freedom, soar like a bird or roam around a wild jungle, not bothered by boundaries and devoid of timelines. These are the days when life is being rejuvenated, it is being created; the damage that was done is being repaired.
On a cold, clear night, under the benign sky glittering with the stars, come out of your tent, watch how calm nature can be and how enormous the mountains are. Open your heart out to them and feel how much they can absorb everything that you throw to them. Ponder for a moment how much this life means to you and how fortunate we are actually to see the world around us - spend intimate moments with our loved ones, smell the fragrance of the fresh earth and hear the gurgle of the stream. The rust that had gathered will fade away and there will be clean shining edges which you never thought earlier existed.
But this plane journey was different. For, we were flying over mountains, passes, valleys and rivers - that was a sea of snow and a desert of ice. From the top, you could see the pinnacles of ice basking in the sun on one side and their long, drawn shadows contrasting them on the other end. Most spectacular were the ridges that appeared to resemble a "mountain grid" which extended to the horizon. There were huge, frozen rivers that snaked their way across the valleys. And when the valleys ended, it was the peaks and passes. If you landed here by a freaking chance - you could no doubt get featured in "struggle for survival" series.
I was travelling to Leh and in the winter, the only way to commute is by air, when Leh resembles an island. From what I had read and heard, they say, it was supposed to be an experience to remember! Never had I seen such a mind boggling, gargantuan network of mountains below me. And there existed only two shades – white and black. This sight itself was a revelation - one of the high points of the trip. Somewhere below were Rohtang Pass, More Plains, Tanglang La, Baralacha La and we crossed them without even breaking a sweat. But they are there, mighty and frozen. And they will wake up from their slumber when all the ice has melted into streams and the sun has gotten stronger in the sky. And then there will be stories of grit, pain and joy of travelling over grasslands and barren mountains, cracking blue sky and damp cloudy ones and sometimes highways that shine and shimmer like "runways". My holiday had finally started!
A vacation is a high point from where life starts anew. It is the completion of a cycle, the end of a chapter of the hardships and a vent to the junk that life had become during all the past few months. And it would replenish the soul, spin off new thoughts, cultivate new energies, provide new direction, filter good thoughts, build a stream of positivity, clean up the dust that had settled in the mind; discover the joy in doing seemingly small things of life - stand of the edge of a mountain, stretch the hands and lift the heels, drink in the sunshine and breathe in the fresh air; understand how basic our needs are, understand Freedom, soar like a bird or roam around a wild jungle, not bothered by boundaries and devoid of timelines. These are the days when life is being rejuvenated, it is being created; the damage that was done is being repaired.
On a cold, clear night, under the benign sky glittering with the stars, come out of your tent, watch how calm nature can be and how enormous the mountains are. Open your heart out to them and feel how much they can absorb everything that you throw to them. Ponder for a moment how much this life means to you and how fortunate we are actually to see the world around us - spend intimate moments with our loved ones, smell the fragrance of the fresh earth and hear the gurgle of the stream. The rust that had gathered will fade away and there will be clean shining edges which you never thought earlier existed.
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