Green. The answer is green. I look around to see green leaves, green pin needles, green bushes, and green moss. A plethora of green shades surround me. That’s it; I decided then and there that the answer was green. It has been 12 school years since I was standing in the middle of that redwood forest somewhere in Northern California when I answered a very simple question placed on a laminated placard. It was 5th grade camp for my elementary school. One by one, each student went on what must have been a type of self-discovery nature walk; every couple of yards a placard with a question or a task dictated us to think. The forest was beautiful and had me buzzing in a happy mood, so when I came to this particular placard the answer was green: “What is your favorite color?”.
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| Found on a hike through Manali |
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| Peace at the Beas River |
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| The crazed traffic of Paharganj |
Today, the trek through the mountains of Dharamsala included a quaint twenty kilometers (about 12.5 miles), more than 1000 meters of elevation gain, fog not allowing sight past twenty meters, a route of rocks and boulders demanding attention with every step, and not to forget three tea stalls along the route. But wow, all that green! Better yet this was new greenery, nature that I had not yet experienced. Trees, bushes, plants, and flowers I’d never seen before. This walk along an ancient trading route became a time portal through my life. From that fifth grade camp to the Boy Scout summer camps in Bear Valley, the various California summits I’d hiked with the scouts, up until the very last training hike before this trip I did with my mom up Mount Diablo.
The upward trek to my destination, the Triund Peak, brought me to an elevation of 2975 meters. A friendly man welcomed me into his tea stall, and brewed me a fresh cup of chai in no time. In not too long a group of four young Indian men arrived at the top of the mountain and they too came to sit under the tarp of the tea stall. When they noticed me, one of them came up to me to ask for a photo with me. At the time of writing this post, this occurrence has now totaled to seven separate occasions. In any case, I happily complied and then came to learn that they were visiting from Delhi. As we talked, the rain started pouring out of the sky. (An Englishwomen had remarked to me earlier “If it rains cats and dogs in Europe, it rains cows in India”. Suiting isn’t it?) My new friends and I all agreed there was no waiting this one out, and they decided to brave the rain immediately, not before giving me their phone number for if I needed hospitality in Delhi. I stuck around for one more chai, hoping for the best, mostly disappointed, as I wanted to take another route to the next pass to see some snow. Realizing the dangers of continuing an upward journey, I returned to the path down the mountain. The rocky path had now become kilometers of waterfalls beneath my feet while rain continued pouring from the sky.
While I journeyed back into the town of McLeod Ganj, I realized how much I really did enjoy my solo walks through the places I visited, much more than a metro or car ride ever could (although bicycles are suitable too!). Which is perhaps why my first day in Delhi was so utterly stressful compared to my normal routine of walking around without a bother. After that however, this first week in India has been fantastic! A day trip to Agra on Monday allowed me to explore the majestic Taj Mahal, Agra’s Red Fort, and Akbar’s Mausoleum, the tomb of India’s most renowned emperor. The following day I shared a day taxi with a recent graduate to sight see much of Delhi, for only $10 a piece. Wednesday I saw my first familiar face, Arjun, a friend from Berkeley. Later that night I left for Manali on an overnight bus journey. I swear that the road we took to get there must have been some of the most dangerous of India, and to drive it in the rain! Thursday and Friday were spend enjoying the forests of Manali before I took off to the home of the Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetans, Dharamsala. This summary does not do justice to the experiences I’ve had, but I’m afraid I have to much to say on them!
It has been such a joy to go on walks and hikes in these northern stretches of India. It offers peace, serenity, while subjecting the visitor to the reality of a different world and style of living. For me, my walk today reminded me why so many years ago the answer was green. Without a doubt, this week and today has taken me on a journey through life, past and present.
