SHE - II

This picture was taken at an old age home located in the premises of the Pashupatinath Temple.

The wrinkled skin
You can read between the lines
Every line has got a story to tell
The story of betrayal
Story of lost hope
Or a story long forgotten.

The grey eyes meet mine
Greetings! Says the toothless grin
A grin that fails to hide the broken dreams
Dreams shattered long,long ago
Shattered away with the life she lived.

Star Trek (May 2014)

(Bandipur-Pokhara-Nayapul-Tikedhunga-Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Ghandruk)

Ani ukali sangai orali. This title from a song by Night kind of sums up this journey. By the time I realized that I had arrived back home, I missed everything. The scorching sun and literally pouring sunscreen on the face, the back pain and the walk through the clouds, the tears shed and the morning view from the hotel’s room, the mules seeking attention with the bells jingling around their neck, and the list goes on. Our five days were tough, sometimes even painful, but there was something about the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, and the views of the hills, fountains and mountains that made all of the hard work seem like nothing.

The path was difficult compared to what I walked 10 years ago. The memories that I had of Ghorepani were Maoists carrying satellite phones, mountains, and uphill. The difference that I felt after a decade was that my stamina had decreased, and there were no satellite phones. At 3,210m, the sunrise view from Poon Hill was a beautiful reward after every struggling step it took to us to get there. There was even a point that everyone was rushing, running across the trail, like limping frogs (no offence ;) ) sensing that we might miss the sunrise. No, we didn’t get to see the majestic mountain range clearly because of the fog, and more to that, I didn’t even make it to the group picture because I was busy clicking someone else’s profile picture. But the sight of the sun rising in slow motion, making love with the sky, bringing with it a brand new day was able to take everyone’s breathe away.

Some days were categorized by many ups (in terms of terrain) and downs (in terms of mental stability). Every orali signified more ukali and the happy orali moments were short lived. With the rain, slippery ways and numerous leech bites, the journey seemed to be more intense than Frodo’s journey to Mordor. We put on our windcheaters and moved on. Walking through the passage of Rhododendron groves and sudden glimpses of mountains restored our motivation every time a new incline approached. Some days involved bonfire, dance, yo-yo Honey Singh, and even dohori. We had a great time at Ghandruk with the Ama Samuha organizing a cultural program for us. With the garlands, it was quite a celebrity treatment.

There comes a moment in life when you feel alive. You tend to feel that your life makes sense. That moment kept coming by as our steps increased. The wind kept whistling and we kept on walking. The sight of white horses grazing on the grass field made us feel that we were at a unicorn island. The clouds walked with us and sometimes even let us walk through them. The wooden sticks that accompanied us would play a tapping sound as we walked and several sticks making that sound created music in the woods.

Compared to how I was feeling during the trek, one thing is incredibly surprising- I actually wish we would have committed to something longer. The 5 days remind me of one basic principle of travel, “One doesn’t need many possessions to be happy, just enough to be carried on one’s back while wandering from one beautiful place to the next.” Annapurna Base Camp, see you soon. :)

(I was supposed to leave for the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC)trek the next day, when the devil struck. The 7.9 Richter scale earthquake destroyed many dreams, lives, homes and families, and the loss is irreplaceable. But the humanitarian activism shown by everyone, the smiles on people’s faces in spite of the loss and the hope to bounce back is what has made us stronger. Like somebody has quoted, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” United we stand, divided we fall.

P.S. Nepal is still safe and open as a tourist destination. )

SHE

She makes everyone gasp with her presence

flaunting her chocolate brown skin she,

locks her eyes with me

I stay there numb, I do not react 

for she takes some steps towards me,

the butterflies in my tummy 

I can hear them flap their wings.

She passes by me, whispering something in my ear

her words they were, so distorted and unclear

leaving me alone she proceeds towards the door,

she spreads her wings, 
like an angel she is about to fly,

he picks up something from the floor

and points it towards the sky 

SPAT! Balla maris sala cockroach!