Curtain Raiser To Ladakh

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I always knew deep down, for the longest time, that I wanted to do Ladakh some day. And this thought seemed a distant dream to me, rather unthinkable back then when I started to work a few years ago as a Corporate Lawyer in one of the Legal Firms in Delhi. I have always lead a very cliched' life. Always had this burning desire to travel, to explore the unknown, to rediscover myself and to tread a path filled with stories and memories. However, I never tried to look inside of me, my passion, my dreams. They were lying dormant somewhere deep down inside of me waiting to be unleashed and to be unfolded.

It just so happened that sometime last year in the month of July, I finally took the call of pulling out of my job and invoke my bucket list of things to do. I had come to the realisation that in life, if you are working to six days of unhappiness, then, it's time to take another look, pause and introspect. That was the moment I just knew what I wanted to do. I quit my job and started working on my Ladakh trip. But trust me, the whole process of putting everything together, not just getting it implemented and finally executing it, was a constant battle. I was beset with these knots in my head which gave me sleepless nights to the point that I would often ask myself if I could actually embark on this journey by myself. With each passing day up until the day I finally started off, I was having anxiety bouts and restlessness. But the determination, the grit to do this was so formidable that it surpassed every single thought in my head. I didn't succumb to my inner demons because I knew that if I failed this time, then, I would never able to look myself back up again.

Like the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves. I left no stone unturned in making this for real. Although, if you ask me, the circumstances weren't in my favour initially. I think, when you really want something bad, then you also have it in you to turn the situation around. I really had to take it step by step. I had to do a hell lot of convincing my folks to let me do this and to prove it to them and to myself that I could do this on my own. My mother freaked out when I suggested that I wanted to take this tour of Ladakh being offered by Roads Less Travelled (for all of those, who might be interested in checking it out, here's the website link www.rltgo.com) with a bunch of some random people. I had to cajole her a lot into believing in me and persuade her, which finally paid off. I showed her my dream the way it was and she could see it in my eyes what this meant to me. However, this wasn't the end of my battle. I had to convince my Dad. But hey, guess what? Everything worked in my favour and all of a sudden, it all began to seem very surreal to me. I had this mixed brewery of thoughts in my head, ranging from irresistible and overpowering excitement to extreme form of fear and apprehension, like I mentioned above. I was unable to fathom the fact, that this was coming true for me.

Allow me to tell you something here. Before taking off on this journey, we were told by the travel coordinators that there would be no cellular network for our entire trip panning nine days save for Manali and Leh. And then something dawned upon me. In an age and time, where technology had leap frogged and had superseded human relationships in every which way and put them on the back burner, just the thought of having no connectivity with the world, rather, your world consisting of your family, friends and socialising on the social media websites which had become so intrinsic in the lives of so many of us (excluding me though) was blissful in the true sense of the word. How much time do we actually spend time on yourselves, with ourselves and for ourselves, I ask? If you ask me, the answer would be zilch time. I wanted those nine days of my life just for and with myself. That's when it occurred to me, that it's so important to be with yourself because that's where you reside, where you belong and where you have to live.

And so, finally, the day arrived. It was the evening of 8th August, 2014 when my most awaited journey began. The day has been etched forever in my life for it took me on a journey unforgettable and gave me memories to last me a lifetime. You know, that feeling when you are living your dream. It cannot be contained in words for some things are best left unsaid, lest it loses its essence. So, there I was standing at the bus stop at the scheduled time waiting anxiously...

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Comments

[Wonderstruck]

Beautifully expressed... your words transported me to your world... Looking forward to the rest... Good luck!!!

[WanderDrug]

Thanks a Ton!! Your comment has only motivated me further to keep writing. I really appreciate it.

[Vinu]

Brilliant!
Keep writing! Would love to read more about your experiences through the 9 days.

[Champ]

Good Start, where is the rest of the story
Waiting for rest of the story