Get lost !

By the time you are reading this I hope to be lost in the Himalayas, lost in the beauty of the mountains and the forests, not in an ‘Into the Wild’ way. But right now as I’m typing these words, I’m lost in the ‘lungi dance’ as its blaring from a wedding reception from an adjacent ground! Not something you would associate with Rishikesh, right?

I once managed to lose myself in Munnar. This was years ago when I was just out of college. Amma (my mom, not Ms.Jayalalitha) had arranged for me to stay in the Government Forest Guest House. Don’t ask what I was doing in Munnar, a honeymooner’s paradise, alone. I’ve always been strange that way….The next day after arrival, I went for a walk to this obscure lake I heard about. It was ‘just’ 4kms away. Piece of cake I thought! There was not a soul on the road, I kid you not. There were houses of plantation workers on the way. Maybe because it was a Sunday there was hardly anyone even outside the houses.




Finally I reached my destination after much wandering about. It was heaven, a beautiful deserted lake and a small house by the side which was locked. I spent quite some time just sitting and enjoying the silence and the view. I believe I even dozed off for sometime. Important point to be noted here. I was not carrying any food or water. Insane you say? Absolutely! Maybe I didn’t take into account the Sunday factor or that there were very few shops on the way, all of which were closed.

I decided to explore some exciting scenery on the return leg of the journey and soon I was lost. I was in the middle of some jungle without a clue on how to get out, on the verge of collapse. I’m sure that was the day that I really prayed sincerely for the first time in my life. It was nothing short of a miracle that I managed to drag my sorry ass to a bungalow and begged the guard outside for some water. Finally after 8 hours of adventure I limped back to the Guest House. Hot tea was waiting which I gulped down and threw up within 5 minutes.  I had cramps in my legs and I couldn’t move for a couple of days.

But it was a moment of enlightenment. I realized for the first time that I was hopeless with directions. It still holds true that I’m hopeless with all things spatial. I suck at reading maps. Even if I go to the same place 10 times in 10 days, I’ll still make wrong turns and get lost. Yes, a good handicap for a vagabond!

At present I’m trekking in the Himalayas for some weeks. I hope the Munnar experience is not repeated as there won’t be any fancy bungalows where I am headed.

Actually when I sat down to write, I wanted to write about something entirely different. Yes I’m a much disciplined writer that way, I do tend to get easily lost in the labyrinths of my mind. It also reflects on the number of posts I have managed in 10 years!

11 comments:

  1. such trekking in deep inside hills are so therapeutic! I really wish to roam around the Himalayas now!!

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  2. Hope you don't get lost in the Himalayas, and carry food and water with you, even if you wander 'just' 4 kms :-)

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  3. 8 hours without food and water!!
    Kudos to you, i would have died. Hope you are having fun in the mountains and forests. Stay safe :)
    We have to meet

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  4. loved the narrative:) Have a great trip to the himalayas! and yes the next post must also be a maze ;)

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  5. ' Getting lost in the labyrinths of your mind'..wonderfully put..

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  6. The view was worth it, im guessing? glass half full, you know. Would love to know how the himalayan trek went :)

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    1. The view was amazing but more importantly, enjoyed the absolute peace and silence there which I still remember after all these years. 'Himalayan posts' just around the corner ;)

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  7. Hello there! Getting lost sounds exciting. Were you roaming around marking the trees like Juhi Chawla and Amir Khan in that movie...Qayamat se Qayamat tak? :P heehee..

    In my last solo trip, I kept getting lost (and the trip involved a LOT of walking!)...but I thought it was great fun because I discovered places that I had not intended to visit....though getting lost in jungle is a different thing altogether :)

    Awaiting the Himalayan posts..

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    1. Havent seen QSQT... but didn't even bother to mark the trees so confident was i ... S, seen here after a looooong time. Welcome back !

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  8. When I finally make up my mind to turn a saint, I plan to retreat to the Himalayas.
    You do justice to your name. Would love to read more accounts of your escapades.
    BTW thank you for visiting my blog. Much appreciated! :)

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    1. 'Sui, That would be nice since there are not many saints left in the Himalayas. You need to be extra blessed to run into one :)

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Thanks for taking the time to write :)