Mountains to lakes, humans never regretted to delve into the bed of nature, whether it can be the delightful snow clad peaks or the serene waters on earth. It was a privileged motion in the eastern coastal state of Orissa. As we all know its a state of diverse heritage of upper cast as well as the dalit art and culture. The handicrafts and sarees made by unprivileged are attractive to every citizen. Sometimes we don't pay enough but our humility must be enough to compensate everytime. 

                             
                                                          At Sandakphu

I started this series with so much enthusiasm but when it has to come to wrap up, every memory is wailing just like myself cry for an ice cream, no its not that much funny though but quite serious. Travelling is not at all a serious thing to me where I need to put my unprecedented efforts but it comes naturally like the sailor goes to ocean, astronauts go to space.


And here for my parents to whom hiking alone is quite a revolutionary idea which contradicts their social norms, but who cares, to me it is life , it is oxygen. Don;t think I am too bold , yah I am but when there was a riot of colours in the eastern sky of Sandakphu, I cried. Actually the poisonous land, Sandakphu was a solitary place which I seek always.

                                                                At Gurdum

At around 9 a.m. me and my guide by saying goodbye to the snow clad of Hiamalayas, began the trek for the last destination Srikhola. We entered in to the bamboo forest of Red Pandas and Bears, I hoped to get a glimpse but I think it was the nature's call that I need to come again for them, I would love to by the way. Those terrains took us to Gurdum, a small hilly village, where I ate my wonderful lunch in a very welcoming household. Another interesting thing was that I also ate a  red Rhododendron flower as dessert as my guide suggested. I need to say to all, only some are edible only and others are dangerous for our body. After an hour of descent , we reached a river village consisted of very few houses, Timburay. There was the most expressive melody of a river named Sri khola ( In Nepali 'Khola' means river ). As the road goes, we crossed a very known bridge over Sri river. Weather went cloudy and temperature did rise and we reached the destination Sepi, an organic village beautiful as any other famous hill stations in India. I wished that if I could spend a couple of days more there but time damned me. But I have promised myself to get that melody of Sri river I will visit again aand again.

                                                                    At Srikhola

My three day trek was completed, at the end I was not alone I was with every bit of nature around me. They just became of whole existence and I thank my guide and all my people of hills and valleys.

Day 1- Manebhanjan to Gairibas
Day 2- Gairibas to Sandakphu
Day 3- Sandakphu to Sepi

Journey never ends ....

On the second day of the hike, after waking up at that empty long dormitory of the jungle hut of Gairibas, I had to start by 8 a.m between the clarity of clouds, among the commotion of silence and most prominently the left parts in self centering things.

Going out with every bit of myself, crossing the jungle domain, I felt that I was leaving the Shivalik and entering to the Lesser Himalayas but what seemed was only the emotion non-motivated by mind. Me and my guide Gazen did look out for Red Pandas, I thought that I would be the only person to witness them but they did not try me, I suppose I am more intolerable creature. Even we waited at some typical spots but all went otherwise.


Crossing some terrains of vegetation in small scale and I was quite overwhelmed to see how they prevent land slide in some areas. On those long roads which did never become lonely with assistance of mother nature. Seeing some mixed breed of yak and cow, I was quite startled by their looks and attitude in a sense, my guide told me that these are for the better production of milk, I guess they know farming better than me, although it looked different. We hang the wind chimes which I am fascinated with, to break the estranged sound of emptiness, native people of that region do tie the bell to the cattle to identify but I think what I said earlier that is the sublime reason of all. After all we all do belong to this vast diversity and we are connected to the core.


The next little crowded entity was Kaiyakata, its much of a higher place than others, from here its a plane 4 km walk to Kalpokhri, where the famous lake is situated around which the poisonous herbs Aconitum has grown in a pretty large number. It was much of a windy weather, I met some old companion whom I did meet the previous day there.


Lunch was great in Kalpokhri, but my heart bells were ringing to start again, otherwise extra rest will kill my stamina any way. Now the Sandakphu ridge was peeping out to me. Later a bit, we sat at a place called Bikheybhanjan, which had two three houses with tea stall and a Buddhist shrine at a height, and only there was pine which dominated the entire existence. Dominance is a complicated issue for humans, we presume so many things without understanding, but natural dominance is rather like a dance of harmony where there is only goodness not any bad omen. As usual I reached the top in the late afternoon, when I got there, it was elsewhere, the tyrannical last steep walk was melted away and the pleasure and peace were left only.


To be continued . . .