They are no longer Strangers...

Trekking was a marvelous experience. I am accustomed to trekking but normally they always lasted just for 2-3 days.However exploring the profound Himalayas was a learning experience and I have learnt quite a number of vital lessons. The biting cold, the rugged terrain, the inedible food and the pain due to long hours of trekking have instilled in me a power to endure hardships and understand the supreme power of nature. Climbing the 16000 ft high Hemkund-Sahib was nothing short of an accomplishment for me.
Love, Care, Friendship, Co-operation, Support are amongst the few things that this journey has taught me.

I met some strangers during the trek. But now.. they are no longer strangers.. they are special..

The uncle whom we met at NewDelhi railway station was kind enough to lead us to the Metro and direct us to the ISBT.

The Delhi-Haridwar bus Driver and cleaner who made arrangements for us to stay at a good hotel for the night before embarking on our journey to Rishikesh which was to be the starting point of our trek.

Pankaj uncle: I used to call him "King uncle". He truly resembled a King especially when he mounted a horse wearing a Red Jacket and a cowboy hat.
Thank you Uncle for forcing me to eat when i had no appetite and for making me have tablets when i was in pain. He is witty and very friendly, even to strangers. He might start talking to someone one minute and the next minute, the person would eat out of his hand.

Akhil uncle : He used to peep into my set of cards while we were playing 'Bluff'.
He was always steady and trekked the steep mountains especially the 75 degree Hemkund-sahib inclines without any scruples. He was very concerned about us on the last day , the day we were to return to Mumbai and gave us so many instructions. Thank you uncle.

Mayank: I remember the long conversations with him about almost everything that could be found on earth while trekking down from Ghangharia and the old hindi melodies that we sang in the bus.

Devika : Gosh !!! An encyclopedia. Can start a discussion on almost anything and everything. She is a fabulous photographer.

Mayank Devika and Ashwini, thank you so much for helping me and guiding me through the strenous trail, when i fell and hurt my knee.

Amita Aunty : She depicts a character of strength and maturity coupled with contemporary thoughts. Her hobby of birdwatching reflects patience and determination.

Radhika : Sweet, bubbly and naughty.
Mayank, Radhika and Devika, I'll thoroughly enjoyed playing antakshari with you guys.

Arpita and Archana Aunty: They have a huge collection of songs and it's never exhausted. They both were amusing and amiable.

Raul, Lina and Philippe: Lina's gujarati song in swedish accent, Raul's spanish and Phillipe's French songs would always be recollected with great pleasure. They readily joined in with our fun and frolic without any reluctance. Raul used to win all the card games although he was playing them for the first time.

Jayanti Aunty: She has a great sense of humour especially when she used to chide Pankaj uncle for his repartee.

Sreedhar uncle: He managed to complete the 8-days trek inspite of grave health problems and hardships. An excellent photographer, he doesn't rely on digital cameras but used to strut about fixing lenses of different sizes and shapes on his huge camera.

Pankaj uncle, Arpita aunty, Mayank and Radhika are from Mumbai. So we shared a common bond.
All of them are still in touch and we have shared lots of photographs. But i do miss them all....