Step Into My Shoes..

(Disclaimer: It's a long ass article) October 27th, 2018 4:00 am - excitement The morning was dark and freezing. And the six companions had decided, "we have seen the same mountains from much closer for far too long already" so there was just the two of us. I left my room with much apprehension and I was actually holding my breath when I made my way to the stairs. I took the first step down, only to find out - hey it isn't so hard after all. So with a pep on my steps, I made it downstairs and out the hotel. The time was 4:25 am. We had a torch with us but my friend is an owl - he doesn't need anything but the moon to light his way. We were told the Poon Hill tower was an hour long uphill climb and sunrise was forecasted (by me) to be at around 6:15, so it still doesn't make sense why we woke up so damn early. But turned out, there were people who must've gotten earlier than us since we passed so many of them on our way up. The trail is well o...

"Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence." - Hermann Buhl October 25th, 2018 16:09 - Pode, Chauri Goth. [scared] As I sat there under the rock, the speed with which snow was gathering on the ground was no match with the thoughts that were running inside my head.  What if there was a blizzard? What if someone with bad intentions came to get me? What if a snow leopard came? What if my friends did n't come back?  And at the same time, I was wondering if it was such a good idea to leave the place. What if my friends came back and didn't find me there? What would they go through? Would they waste any more of their time trying to find me? Those were very intense two minutes, because my head hadn't finished processing these questions when I heard my friend come running - shouting my name. I had never felt such relief in my life. My legs had almost started to feel gelatinous. Apparently they were forced to retreat immediately as the snowfall ...

For the umpteenth time in my life, I have cheated death, again. Okay, may be I am being a little too dramatic. I am an adventurous person but I don't go and seek to partake in risky activities like jumping off a cliff, climbing a steep mountain, walking into the unknown in a failing daylight when it's snowing - but in retrospect, I have done all that in the past week. Let me elaborate. A week ago, I left Kathmandu with four people with the intention to trek to Khopra Ridge and come back with some good instagrammable pictures. I did come back with many great pictures but also I am glad to have come back with greater stories to tell. Normally, when I travel, I am on the driving seat. I decide where we go, when we go, how we go and every such things. I like being in control and knowing what's coming. Many a times, plans have succeeded and I have come back content. This time, however, I had been designated the passenger seat from where I couldn't even see where we...

Last night as I lay down poring over the pages under the bright orangey lamp light, I was being nibbled by a feeling that the day had gone to waste. The day had been glorious. The sun was out and the sky had shone like new furniture. I was up early, too early for a day without work and classes. I had begun the day with the book. Like, I was up and had started reading without even getting up. After two hours of reading, I had been up and working out. For someone who is a huge fan of sunny days, whenever the morning graces with a bright sunlight, it is an open invitation for going out. And yet for someone who is also a big fan of reading, staying home and having a good read of a good book is equally tempting. I did go out for breakfast, and although I spent some time looking for places I could go, none fit the shoes of convenience. So I ended up laying down on my bed with sun pouring through the window, bright and warm, and reading. And I didn't just read. I lived three liv...