Solo TRIP for 8 days! [Article 3: It was a Worthy Start]

The next day, I woke up early and bathed when the temperature was below 3 degrees. I wanted to visit all the places that I had planned for because of two reasons; firstly, I have spent my money and energy to travel more than 1,500 kms to visit such beautiful and popular places and secondly, I had to leave for Rishikesh the next morning. I could have reduced a few places but I had to come back before 6 o’clock for safety reasons and that would leave me only a very few places. I know what you’re thinking. I was overthinking and even over planning! Well, it was my first solo trip so I wanted to make it memorable. Now you can’t judge me, alright? Moving on… ;)

I rushed and ordered paneer paratha and kulhad chai. It was nearly Rs. 200/- I opened an app and quickly noted it down. My heart said “loot lo tum bhi” to the man sitting behind the cash counter. When he smiled weirdly, I couldn’t understand if he was being kind or being sarcastic. After I paid, I took some pictures and a couple of videos assuming I could start a travel blog someday and walked out to rent the bike. The guy behind the counter had a point-y teeth but was kind. He asked me to select from the range of two-wheelers parked in front of the shop. He had Jupiter, splendor, Bullet, Royal Enfield classic 350, Thunderbird, and Himalayan. I wanted to go for Himalayan but it was pre-booked the day before. Then I opted for Thunderbird that was priced at Rs. 1200/- for one day (Until 6 pm). I tried to negotiate for money but he extended the duration to 9 pm. With a satisfying smile on my face, I gave him my original ID card and drove towards the places that I wanted to visit. Here’s the bike image:

FYI, I had taken video of the entire bike including the scratches it had underneath. You know, for safety and security reasons. LoL! I went to the following place where I felt good but not as exciting as I thought it would be:

• Cave Garden : Where they had a tiger cave with a tiger's voice echoing from very old speakers. The kids who were on a tour were laughing at it. The caves were deep and dangerous. I had to duck-walk in one to get out. Thanks to my workout routine.

• The Mall Road : Where I was walking through the previous night and my hotel was.

• Nainital Lake : Where I saw couples in each other’s arms peddling a duck shaped boat. Although the view was spectacular! With a panoramic view, you could see an ‘M’ and the lake in the front of it. Such a beautiful view!

• Snow View: Which didn’t excite me as much as the journey did. People were taking photos from where the view wasn’t even clearly visible.

• Woodland Waterfall : It’s beautiful like any other waterfall but it was too crowded. I wanted to sit and enjoy the gush but people had to take photos. They enjoyed it. I didn’t.

• Mango Lake View Point: From where the lake looks in the shape of a mango.

• Himalayan Botanical Garden: Where I learnt mostly about types of butterflies and plants.

These places weren’t as exciting as the views of mountains that mesmerized me. Each mountain looked different in shape and color. It appeared to me as if it was their identity. Maybe, they had names which not many of us know about. I stopped at various places just to enjoy the silence and the view. In our busy lives, we should stop sometimes and enjoy the view instead of rushing to reach the destination. I wished to buy some land at the peak of these mountains and settle there. I started realizing that I was overthinking most of the things. After a careful introspection, I returned back to the city. Since I had time, I went to the following places where I felt really good:

• Hanuman Garhi: The place was simply well built. I was right on time for aarti. Mountains seemed smiling at me, looking at my uncontrolled happiness. Was it the bhakti or power that I wasn’t aware of? I never contemplated this. I simply enjoyed it.

• Maa Naina Devi Temple: What a beautiful temple!!! I was right on time for the aarti here as well. The night view of Nainital from the temple was simply not one could imagine. It was breathtaking.

• Gurudwara: Another wonderful experience. I couldn’t decide if my day was better or was the night.

When I went back to the shop to return the bike, I had an amazing time with the local people. It was chilling so they had a small bon-fire arranged for people like us. After some time many people left, it was me and the shop owner who had a point-y teeth. We sat inside and spoke for hours on various topics such as promoting their business, life lessons, city life, village life. They even had prepared a cup of coffee for me which I am indebted to. They were so kind that they had offered me to stay back for dinner. “It would be too much if I stayed” I thought. I thanked them and went back to my room. It was a WORTHY START! Indeed!