Again a short post.
I was finally on the train to Kathgodam after a wee bit of panic. As I landed at Old Delhi railway station I couldn’t find my train on the Departures board. So my mind started wandering to whether DLI on my train ticket meant the New Delhi Railway Station. With not too much time left for the train departure, I imagined making a frantic dash from Old Delhi RS to New Delhi RS through the maddening traffic. But fortunately, I found my train listed on another Departure board. The Railways do like to give us jitters sometimes.
The journey itself was pretty uneventful – I slept through most of it as the train chugged to Kathgodam through the night. I love sleeping on trains and wanted the train to be late - scheduled arrival time was an unearthly 05:10 in the morning. And given my luck, or lack thereof, the train was bang on time - to the minute, I’m not joking. Thankfully, I slept through most of the subsequent 3 hour road journey to the village of Sonapani. The only downside being that the scenery is apparently very beautiful. I’ll catch it on my way back.
My destination was this wonderful property in the village of Sonapani in Kumaon. The place, a 20 acre area, has been converted into a beautiful place to relax and walk around. To use a cliché, one is at one with nature here. And what I loved best was that there were no televisions – so I got to avoid watching India being beaten at Lords. However, I was pretty unhappy with the fact that my internet connection worked! Some addictions can't be helped.
Speaking of addictions, after a few days I started craving for a Coca Cola, and had to walk for about half an hour to reach the nearest kirana shop to get my fix.
But I digress.
My daily schedule here has been pretty gruelling. Getting up at 8 or 9 in the morning followed a rather sumptuous breakfast. After that I was spoilt for choice. Either go for a walk in the clouds, or read a book, or nap. Given that I needed to digest my wonderful breakfast, I would typically go for a walk (or as it is known in some countries, hill-walking). Most of these walks were through virgin forests where one would sometimes come across a meadow or a temple but thankfully very few people. But then even if you did meet someone you could stop for a leisurely chat. In the mountains, no one is in a hurry.
So most of the walks were extremely relaxing. Except for one when I encountered a rather healthy looking bull. Unfortunately for me, he was not too pleased to see me. I could sense anger in his look as he stared at me and then started stomping his feet ready for the charge for which his species is rather well-known. I quickly scrambled out of the way before this fellow could gouge me. It sounds rather more dramatic than it actually was. But aren’t you glad that I’m alive to bore you with this story!
When I got back to my room, I decided to take a nap – since the excitement was far too much for me (you know, all that stress). As I took my shoes off I noticed blood on my socks (maybe that was the red that got the bull chap excited?). I then found out that I had been at the receiving end of some blood sucking by a leech. Wildlife was having a field day with me! What scared me was that the blood just wouldn’t stop flowing - apparently leeches secrete an anti-coagulant that prevents their bite wounds from healing fast. The b******s! So I was pretty nervous for the next couple of hours when I kept losing blood – even though it was merely a trickle. Again I’ve made it sound more dramatic than it was. I think there is a word for people like me.
There’s not much to write about the other activities I indulged in – sleeping, reading, and eating. All synonyms for stress. Ya right.
Even though I lead a stress-less life these days (I’ve decided to devote a year to not working but travelling), there is something to be said for being away from the city. For one, the silence. Sometimes, all I heard was the rustle of leaves, or the barking of a distant dog, or birds chirping. Mostly I heard nothing (no jokes about losing my hearing please). The benefits of being so close to nature are highly understated. It is such a welcome change from the shouting and honking one incessantly hears in the city.
I could get used to such a life. Who wouldn't?
