Solo TRIP for 8 days! [Article 4: Place where I had Mixed Emotions]

The next day, I thought of visiting the amazing people with whom I spent the previous evening before I left but I had no time as the cab driver was constantly calling me on the phone. I couldn’t even have breakfast. I could have paid another Rs.200/-, you know. With a heavy heart and a hopeful smile, I sat in the backseat and… the journey began. Since my wife had suggested and the memories of watching people’s vlogs of JIM CORBETT, I tried to book a seat for myself but that didn't work out. I knew that this wasn’t another sign of a mishap but a possibility of a beautiful journey. I realized the importance of having a positive mindset once again. There were a few Thelpas left in the bag but I had no water to drink. Looking at my uneasiness, the driver offered me his bottle. Then, I requested him to take a few pieces of Thelpa as he had just a kachori in the morning. After traveling for a few hours, he immediately stopped in the middle of the forest. I panicked for a moment thinking my safety was compromised but I was wrong. He had to vomit the undigested kachori he had earlier. All of a sudden, a man came running towards us through the forest. I mean… he just appeared from nowhere! Another panicking moment for both of us! I was preparing myself to fight hoping the driver would join me but he was standstill in fear. Thank god, the man just glared at us and ran away. Nothing happened! Uff!!!

We were half way through the journey where we had to stop at the toll gate. His fast tag was blocked for undisclosed reasons which he wasn’t aware of. He immediately called the bank officials who offered no good support. He reached out to the people near the gate who suggested getting a new one at nearly Rs. 500/- which he wasn’t willing to. I was starving and looked at the other end of the road where many police vehicles were parked. For a moment, it appeared like a restaurant to me. I quickly did an online search for the name and there it was. My hunger savior. I asked the driver to join me to which he refused politely. I quickly went in and ordered a punjabi thali assuming it to be less pricey. I enjoyed the food till the last bite including the gulab jamun that was offered as a dessert. It was delicious! I was happy until I saw the bill. Rs. 380/- + GST alag se. My instant reaction was “What the ****?”. Without uttering, I paid the bill and returned back to the cab. I let out a deep sigh knowing that the issue was resolved and the journey continued.

By the time I reached Rishikesh, it was 7 pm. Since I had booked a dormitory after careful research, I wasn’t worried about reaching after sunset. The driver told me that we reached the destination and I probably have to walk a bit as he cannot drive in the narrow lane. Since I was carrying many luggage, I knew that it wouldn’t be a peaceful pleasant walk that I thought of. I had my doubts about the dormitory but that quickly resolved when I saw the comfortable bed and spacious room. After an hour another member joined in from Chandigarh. We introduced ourselves in the most decent way men could do and went out for dinner. The dishes were pricey. We ordered what we wanted to eat. I ordered a thali and he ordered some variety of fries that he disliked in the first bite. We understood and shook our heads mutually agreeing to “Lesson learned”. By the time we returned, we had another roommate from Mumbai. We exchanged our plans and some life events and went back to sleep. I slept with a lot of hope of having an amazing time in Rishikesh. The next article “Rishikesh - The place I fell in love with” will be out soon!