Blogchatter Half Marathon: A Ride Of Making Bonds

A ride to remember for life started with the introduction. There were eight in total, including the trip leader Tanvi.

It started with Tanvi sharing about her, followed by Shreya sharing her experience with Firgun and her passion for photography. Moving on, I introduced myself, letting them know about my profession, books I wrote, and other stuff (and that was where a request for poetry recitation came from). Further, Neha (designer), Nikita (make-up artist), Sejal (Auditor), Sapna (Auditor), and Amish (Software Developer) introduced themselves. If we had the funniest introduction award, Sejal would be the most eligible tripper.

We shared more about our lives, and the journey amidst the scenic beauty began. From mountains to rivers, we witnessed it all. The best part was that the 9-hour journey went by without any boredom, but by playing different games, including Antakshari and Dumb Charades, and enjoying the view. Many cameras would rise out of the traveler's window to capture the beauty now, and yet we never missed a chance to capture ourselves too on the way, dancing in the vehicle and getting on the roads with mountains on the backdrop.

We halted for breakfast and later for lunch. Everything was so pleasing that we thought, what better one would ask apart from having the peace and tranquility we miss in the chaotic life in cities? 

But there’s a story behind the lunch scene. The place where we stopped for lunch was a small restaurant. After placing our order, we waited around 45 minutes, and only a few items arrived. We were so hungry that we started eating without waiting for other items to come. We finished eating them, but the owner kept roaming, telling us that other things were coming. But those came when Tanvi took over and helped them serve. We were mad at the owner but too hungry to fight, so we gobbled everything that came before us and had only the option to wait. Finally, when the waiter served the order, we finished our lunch and started again.

Let's not go back to chaos, and let me tell you how the ride turned enjoyable, with everyone making bonds and getting comfortable with each other. As there were trippers who already knew each other like Shreya and me, Shreya and Tanvi, Neha and Nikita, and Sejal and Sapna, it was quicker to form bonds with others, and Amish being the only boy who received prince treatment, so he did not feel left out amongst girls gossip.

We witnessed different shades of sky on the way to Govindghat (the place from where the actual trek started), the main base camp of the trek. From yellow, black, grey, orange, and white, we glimpsed every color of the sky, accompanied by the river flowing alongside parallel to the road. When we were nearing, the streets turned narrower in between, and our vehicle crossed the road under the mountain. However, the scenery from the traveler gripped our attention throughout. There was a risk of landslides, but our journey went smoothly, and we reached Govindghat at 5 p.m.

After reaching the place, we started preparing for the next day instead of resting after the long journey. After finishing the formalities, briefing, and collecting rental items, we ate dinner. Even after that and knowing tomorrow would be challenging, no tripper wished to sleep. We went on the road and found a place to sit and do some gossip. After sitting for hours the shopkeeper asked us to leave as it was late and he had to close the shop.

We merely got up and walked on the road and this idea struck in Neha's mind that we needed to do the Chak Dhoom Dhoom trend in the rain. What next, we started practicing the steps and disappointed her with our failed attempts to imitate her. No wonder, even in failure we spent time rolling on the road with laughter, making fun of each other's steps, and still kept practicing and managed to make some bloopers which could not execute because rain gods gave a pleasant experience throughout the trek.

Stay tuned to witness the next adventure unfold!

This post is a part of #BlogchatterHalfMarathon