Escaping to Dehradun, Again!

 Right now, it's really difficult for me to find the right words to write everything that I did in this trip. Come to think of it, I am barely able to remember how the journey began. There are some flashes though, like that bike ride while going upwards and coming down from Dhanaulti, that shiny red Honda CBR, a few sceneries of mountains, trees, brown color and the first sighting of snow. Don't wonder why. This trip began on a cold night of 24th January 2014 and ended on 27th January 2014. Today is September 13, 2014!

All smiles amidst some fog

 Today, I feel as if my whole life has been spent in office. Probably the worst time I remember is the time when i came back from this trip and was summoned for back to back Powerpoint Presentations, that I started loosing track of my own life. February and March were spent in such a depressive state that haunts me till date. There were no ideas coming out of my brain, it kind of felt stuck, restricted and more or less punished by rules. I felt as if my freedom is gone. All I got in return were emails with "you have got the basics wrong" slapped over my face. I was one, work was not.

I am still feeling pangs that are urging me to be free once more. I have put enough into this job, everything that I had is exhausted. There's nothing interesting left for me to do, nothing new for me to learn. Moreover, being "me" is becoming difficult everyday. I am short of time, I am short of people, I am short of family and I am short of life, overall.

Alrite. Let's come back to Dehradun - Mussoorie - Dhanaulti trip. Despite of mother's warning not to take an overnight journey, Satish and I took to the Kashmiri Gate bus stop because we just didnt wanted to waste a single hour. Lately, Satish has been an escape point for me, my punching bag and probably the only friend who understands what I have been going through all these months. This time again, desperately needing a break, I asked him for a short trip to which he agreed like always. We pushed for a leave on 27th, and decided even if they dont agree, we will undertake this journey no matter what.

Bye Bye Kashmiri Gate

  Since I had been to Dehradun last August (2013), I had an idea of the time and distance. We both came prepared for the cold that we were about to face but had no idea that we will still be shivering. I remember getting down at a dhaba close to 1 AM in the morning and the wind was absolutely chilling. Despite of wearing my age-old yet favorite green hoodie, a sweater, sweat shirt and a body warmer underneath, I was trembling. The wind was merciless, and the temperature was terrifying. With shaky legs, I went down to buy ground nuts and made sure I had plenty of them in case I felt hungry right at 3-4 AM in the morning, as is my habit. Also, they keep you warm.

Look at color at the windows. It looked like a ghost bus.

The 1 AM shots.

The light shimmering though the fog

I hugged my bag and slept half upright half down until I woke up to the fog right at 7 AM in the morning, only to realize that we were just about to enter Dehradun. My stomach was quite stiff because of the position I slept in, but the sight of the fog lit me up like a lamp in a dark forest. I still remember that first view. It was like the fog and the trees were playing hide and seek. The air was so fresh that I could literally inhale it deeply into my throat, lungs and blood, despite of the closed bus windows. The deep sense of mystery that draws me to fog is something I will never be able to describe. Though I want to, but I had still prefer not to do it.

 I woke up Satish from his deep sleep and offered him ground nuts. He had caught cold and was seemingly unwell. I felt guilty of not taking a Volvo bus and choosing a roadways bus instead. Anyways, we reached Dehradun bus terminal at 7 30 AM in the morning and that's that. He went inside the bathroom, spent some precious time relieving himself of whatever he could and came out with a big broad smile on his face. "Chal bhai, ho gaya!" Off we went!

The intentional "New-Traveler" pose

Satish's Proud Pose - As if he was the one who drove this overnight

I hope I can convey the cold to your eyes, reader!

 Let's end this here now. Let me jot down more thoughts, words, sequences and try to describe the places in best possible manner that I can. So far, I feel I have degraded my English Honours degree, my writing skills (if i ever possessed them at all) and of course, my love for English language because I have stopped writing. Or say, I had paused it for a little while. God bless private jobs and digital marketing world. I am not going to let it consume me. Enough is enough. Time for a change.

 "There's nothing to feed,
no food for mind
no thoughts to secrete,
what have I become
this wasn't me; no this wasn't me"

-- Akash (The Immaculate Art, http://bit.ly/1s16zmC)

Part 2 of the journey coming up in the next post. Cyaaaa.!

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