The Encounter (Part 1)
I am a traveler and we often come across people in our lives that touch our soul and heart and you don’t forget them in your lifetime. And there is one person that I want to share in this blog.
In 2015, I was traveling through Manali, India. Manali is very beautiful place and people here are very helpful. The people coming here from rest of India are full of party mode. That’s why you can find the party at every corner of Manali during Indian Festivals. I think it’s not only Manali. All the people living in mountains are like this. When I first time came here, at that time I want to live here for the rest of my life. But duty calls. There are so many beautiful places a traveler is seeing around the world but he/she can’t live there. And each place has its different charm and beauty.
I joined a group here. People here don’t mind to add strangers in their group as long as you are paying for yourself. And they welcome foreigners in India and obviously in their camping group. But I am not foreigner. I am an Indian. But I am a traveler. People have great respect for this profession. I think in India also, most of the people want to be traveler but everyone has to take care of family and earn money for them and other reasons, so they drop this idea. This profession has great respect among youngsters and people who want to become wanderer. Otherwise old generation still think it sucks. But it’s not easy to be traveler as people think. We need a proper planning and most important finances for this. So for finances we start blogging, Instagram accounts and also helping foreign tourists as a guide. We do lot of work to make money for living and traveling.
So I have joined this group camping in Kasol nearby Parvati River. They have given me a bed to sleep and food to eat. That’s all we need to survive. I settled down by throwing my rucksack backpack to the bed. Pulled out the point to shoot cam and started clicking around the Parvati River. There is a bridge around 400 to 500 meters from our camp, through which you can cross the river. It’s around 4 pm on the clock and the sun beams are coming through the tall trees. I clicked it at every angle. It looks very beautiful. Its looks a like a scene from movie. Whenever I see something like this I want to stop the time and praise this moment until I get over with this. And trust me there are many breathtaking views in a traveler’s life.
We have biker group in our camp also. They have their own bullets with leather jackets and leather gloves with cans of bear. They were side by the bone fire and drinking the bear and soft music on their Bluetooth speakers. I approached to them and while talking to them I came to know that they are going to Leh on bike by making some intermediate stops in Kasol and Manali. So they ride during day and spend night somewhere. They were 4 people and all are in different profession. One is doctor, one is engineer, one is in government job and one is Manager in Pharmaceuticals Company. All came from same society, so they know each other and having this outing. I introduced myself also and told them that I have never been to Leh. Probably someday I will go there. India is already very big and it will take a life time travel whole India. I have been to Gujarat, Rajasthan and Kerala so far and now heading north. Let’s see where the steps take us. So I don’t have any plan. The Manali travel is a request by some guy that’s why I am doing it. So these bikers told me about the party that is happening tonight in the nearby camp. They invited me to join there. But I have no invitation from host or anyone from that camp. The bikers told me to join them and then join party.
It is a six feet bone fire in party and DJ on full volume. Everyone has booze handy and around 100 to 120 people were dancing. I just started clicking the pictures for my blog and created some video. While clicking the photos, I saw a girl having booze on the bridge. She was alone there. Her friend came to her asked if she could join the party, but she ignored her friend. I have started clicking her from far.
I started moving toward her by clicking the people around. And as I reached the bridge, the music is audible very less and the Sound of Parvati River flowing beneath us is very much audible. I reached on bridge and recorded the current of water with sound. The sound of strong flowing water seems very angry with party sound. She was having her breezer. She is about 5.4”, long hair, fair, big eyes and cute lips. She is wearing a fur jacket, jeans and boots. The face is hardly recognizable in night. While clicking around I asked her “Not enjoying the party” in a loud voice because the water is not allowing us to speak low. She replied “I have better things to do like what you are doing”.
“Makes sense, so what is your better thing here?” I asked.
“You are capturing the moments so that you can remember them and re live it again. You don't care living the current moment 100%. I am just living in this moment 100% from all my senses and soul.” She replied
“You look like a lady baba. Do you also do the palm reading and all”. I offended her.
She looked at me first time and then left the bridge to join her group. I know she was right in a way and also I have to write a blog so I am right too. It’s just the perspective difference. I am not a late night party guy. So after some party clicks, I also left the party around 10 pm and went to my tent for some sleep.
I woke up at 5 am. And as I have alarmed my clock for sunrise 6.30 am, I am on right time. I left the tent with what I have worn to sleep. When I put my first step out of tent, the cold weather struck me and it’s 5 am then its worst. I put on some more warm clothes. I locked my backpack and brought the camera with me. The local people were awake by that time. The rule of mountains is very clear, do the entire task during day and rest after sunset. The temperature is lowest at this time of morning. I asked some local people to for a lovely sunrise point. They have directed me some where highest point in Kasol. After 30 to 45 minutes of walk I reached there fully tired. It’s tough to move on a peak of mountain. I was gasping heavily. I had the drinking water. But it was cold. I took some sips from it and took some rest.
Suddenly my alarm started ringing at 6.30 am and I started searching for the sun rise. I checked compass and I was facing east. There is lot of fog that I am unable to see it. Suddenly I feel a beam of ray coming through the fog. And slowly all the fog disappeared and it was a breathtaking view from here. I started to pull back my camera but suddenly a hand came and stopped me. “No need of this for now.” The girl from the bridge emerged from fog. “Just feel it 100%” She said. In life sometimes you feel so happy and all your senses were so pleased that tears will start hopping from your eyes. And you don’t know why tears. This is the same moment for me. We sat there and enjoyed the every bit of that moment and yes I have tears in my eyes and she has not. And I forgot to take pics.
