Travelogue

"I don't really have anything to say that hasn't been said before"
"I don't have any claims that haven't been claimed before"
"I don't have any movements that I haven't been moved before but I like to write" - Rabia Kapoor

I never had been a traveler to frame and attract everyone with my distinct stories. I always heard stories of people going on adventurous trips on the very next moment they decide to. Now there is some concealed or rather unexplainable feeling that stimulates when I hear about Road trips.

Like it sounds, I first thought one needs to have courage to just go on a trip instantly without a proper intent. For the first time ever, without any idea or agenda of where I supposedly am going, I started my journey with a bunch of people whom I've never met before. One of these strangers apparently had organized the trip to a Hill station in Southern India. "Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh" where it constantly is freezing and the temperature goes as low as 0 deg in December to January.

Connected by ghat roads, this place had seized many tourist's attention to experience the sunrise at the countryside topography. I was on toes when I just heard about the place and the very next moment started day dreaming.

We five started on a Weekend presuming that leaves would fall in place and could skip the Monday blues. Four of us boarded the bus and had started tittle-tattling while we skipped the thought that the fifth person should join us at the next stop. Hey! where's this guy?? with the sudden interruption we all were alarmed and noticed that we missed the guy who was supposed get in at the next stop.

We chose to please the driver to wait for some time when we knew that our champion is chasing the
bus behind. That exactly is how our trip started.

All through the way, those small instantaneous and informal conversations didn't make us realize that we met for the first time. I was so curious about visiting the place that has been decided. All I could do is mumble we being there.

Then comes this bottle slowly from the bag. Magic moments we called it. Cheers for the successful start! one neat shot and then we calmly got back to our berths.

Got down at a point which is a hundred and fifty kilometers away to our planned destination. That midnight we engaged a rental car and started with all the pullovers and scarfs. It ticked three in the morning and all we could see is the light which reflected on the road. Pitch dark everywhere and the silence made us terrified at an extent where we almost peed. We could barely hear any noise other than the engine. Just after two hours of that constant darkness, all we could see is a small canteen which gave us a hope that people existed. We dared to step down hoping to grab some hot tea.

Unlocked the door, we put down the fully covered foot on the road and the next moment we started feeling that chillness. Ran towards the Tea lady and stroke a conversation about how long should we be reaching the Kashmir of Andhra. She was so uncertain about what she said. Although we could picture is another thirty minutes drive. It was 3:30 by then and we were excited to watch the Sunrise in the next few hours.

With that hope, we got down the car to set a bonfire and was reluctant to look around or reach out to someone. We saw a group of five unkempt brawny men singing loudly. I was so sure that would have drunk and could cause us harm. I know, that sounds absurd but that's all that I could imagine.

Sooner we started from there and reached to see the sunrise. The scene there was Flawless. More like a painting and beyond one's impeccable imagination. I was so immersed and felt a bit emotional for a very unknown reason.

This is how it happens and it happened. A lifetime experience and an indelible fondness by Nature's charisma.