Trip to UK

Sitting on platform # 1 of Nizamuddin, Old Delhi, the train announcer’s voice crackling over the speaker every now and then, people rustling on the platform with curious look at a group of odd 44 people...more than half of which were already flat on the floor, dreaming happily about the week went by.So what do I talk about, the sleepless nights or the sleepy days, the yummy grub or the shooting star? There’s so much to share the experience, every available space seems Lilliputian.The moment everyone woke up, to realize that our bus’s reached Nainital, not a single eye shied away to praise the beauty around that was passing by every moment. The lush greenery and the speaking silence! And no wonder even after continuously travelling for two nights, most of us were still feeling afresh!

The tents for boarding took everyone’s joy to another level. And then the amazing meals following suit! I didn’t find a single soul from the camp who refrained from eating the yummy sweet-dishes! Infact the bunch was sad for not getting multiple servings!!

And then we come to the bath scene. Two bathrooms and so many people eager to have bath. The queue number booking started even before the participants could unpack their luggage!! And upon realizing that there’s no water heater, many got goosebumps there itself!! And once the job was done, am sure the only song that roamed in their head was “I’ve become so numb..!” The cold weather and the chilled water, the challenge was huge but the campers determined to have bath.. Alas! Mission Accomplished!!And then, the following day, was the day of getting in the skin of adventure sports enthusiast! A twin sitter W Kayak was handed in the arms of two people to row in the silent lake. As everyone got chance to get the practical feel of the basics of Kayaking, we realize that it’s not only the direction which you need to constantly think, but also need to have proper sense of understanding between you and your partner so that both your oars don’t collide. Oh by the way, chuck the water getting in your kayak, that’s natural. A tough job to handle, but practice is what will help you row!

How does the idea of crossing between two valleys, hanging from the rope, sounds like? Scary? Then you need to try Valley Crossing, or as its initial name Taroline Traverse. A rope between two valleys, water below, a pulley, a carabuna and a harness did the job to enjoy the manual valley crossing. Going halfway was easy, but the second half...ahh, tiring. Pulling yourself to the end was tough, heavy on the arms.
Rock climbing and rappelling turned out to be simpler than expected. Although once up, on the rock, rappelling down the rock properly, as advised, was tough. Most were wondering how to stand on the rock keeping your straight legs, which from another perspective was lying parallel to the ground! But once on the ground, the feeling was nice to know that rappelling is fun!

And how can I forget that day’s bathing session? Scarcity of water at the place where we were put up, after the first day’s parky water, the only chance to freshen up completely was on this day, at the waterfall ! Straight from the nature’s womb, the sight of gushing clear water was enough to bring back the lost energy from earlier sports endeavour. Once getting the feel of bathing in the nature, with the purest form of water, came the moment, which many still cherish. The moment was ‘Changing in the wild!’ Phew! Amazing feeling, I say.

Next day. Super amazing breakfast of paratha’s and sheera, hot chocolate and coffee’s. Understood the reason at the end of the day. Throughout the day we trekked, trekked and trekked! It was like treating a ‘bakra’ before halal! Jokes apart, leaving aside the tiredness, everyone enjoyed the trek from one mountain to another and by evening, back to square zero. And biggest blow came when after the whole trek, which we thought must’ve been some 15-20 kms, was only 8 kms!! Disaster! We walked so much, it has to be 15-20 kms! Calling it 8 kms will be a shame! Now can’t even boast in front of others that I trekked for 15-20 kms!!

The fun seems endless. It was like catching the horizon, the more you move towards it to catch, it moved away from you. But we knew, it’s just a dream. We’ll soon wake up. But there’s still time, lots of time. Cherish it!

In the end, all I want to say is, those were one of the most precious moments that came as tagged with WCNC. If you got the chance to be a part of this fun, you’re the ruler of ‘NC Moments’. And if you didn’t, don’t forget, there’s always a next time!
Cheers!

And yes, if you're still wondering, UK stands for Uttarakhand!