No Mumbaikar worth his/her salt is ever prepared for ‘winters’. Our stoles and sweaters are no match for the knuckle-freezing cold that awaits you when you go to the North-East. Deepa and I love snow, but our wardrobe never has anything that is remotely trustworthy when it comes to braving the temperature in a place like Sikkim. Every time we find ourselves in another cold place, we look at each other and wonder ‘Why do we do this to ourselves?’ Well… one look at the magnificent Gurudongmar Lake is the answer to that question. But that wasn’t the only thing that set this trip apart from our other journeys.

We had set out on our own after a really long time. The flight to Kolkata was pretty alright… except that we went to the wrong queue and almost went through the security check. (Note: When the person handing you your boarding pass talks, listen VERY carefully instead of giggling) When we went to the right queue, the security guys had an issue because I was carrying batteries that would probably be enough for the cameras in the whole of Bhutan. But then he relented and we boarded the plane. In the evening we reached Kolkata airport. A cab ride later (in one of those spacious yellow ambassador cabs), we were at the Seldah Railway Station with two tickets to New Jaipaiguri (NJP). There was one small problem though, our seats were not confirmed. Deepa’s name was on RAC, while mine was still on the waiting list. We spoke to many TCs, but nothing worked (including smiling and doing the hum-akeli-ladkiyan-kahan-jaayengi act). These babus could not to be fooled! We got into the train, but didn’t get the hint when the TC’s ‘helper’ suggested it all about money to get a berth. Result? We had to share one berth. A fellow passenger looked at us and said, “It’s alright, we used to do the same thing when we were in college. If I am not mistaken, you girls are still studying, right?’ We nodded, of course (why tell him the real number on our passports).

After countless SMSes that went to Nago and Tom about our location, we reached NJP. We were all set for a quiet, peaceful ride to Gangtok. But that remained a dream as the ‘We-like-to-Puke’ family sat in our cab. They were 2 men, 2 women and 2 kids. It all began when one kid started puking, the mother pretty much threw him out of the car in her attempt to ensure that he doesn’t puke in the car. Being nice girls, we offered them our bottle of water, which the father promptly drank! Hello! A little later, the mother started puking. Didn’t feel as bad for them as we did for a co-passenger who was not a part of this gang. This poor man had puke flying at him due to the speed of the vehicle and the direction of the wind… eeeks! The other couple took turns sitting next to the window, so that they could carry on with their share of the same activity. The driver, I suspect, was having great fun at the expense of this family. He (Suresh) and his friend (Dinesh) seemed straight out of the five star chocolate ad. One yelled ‘O Ramesh’ to which the other would reply ‘O Dinesh’… and that was all they conversed! One of them (think it was Dinesh) was very sweet though, he kept talking about the places around (showed us the Sikkim-Manipal Univ). Wonder if he did that to tell us more about the city or just to take our minds of the Pukey family. But if you think the Pukey tales end here, think again. When we stopped for lunch, the family decided to reload. They ate to their hearts content. That meant the rest of the journey was a pukethon as well!

By around 4 pm, we reached Gangtok got ourselves a room and went out to explore the famous MG Road. That’s when the real fun began!

I have heard the term 'opposites attract' a few million times, but i think when it comes to friendship opposites don't attract at all! It's a weird pattern, I think. If u are single, ur friends are likely to be single. If u are unmarried, ur friends too are most likely unmarried and if ur married then u prefer to hang out with other couples or married people. Not just that, each of these categories seem to have their own language. When I meet friends or relatives who are married their language seems alien. There problems are different and their solution seem absolutely unacceptable. Maybe singles have a more radical approach, maybe couples are ready to negotiate in their relationships. Not that any approach is better or correct. it's just that they are different ways of looking at things. So if u think that their's something wrong with u or that u can't identify with ur friends, u just maybe hanging out with the wrong sorts. When it comes to romance too, opposites may attract, but then there is the need to change the other person to suit ur likings and make him just like u. In that case are u still really different from each other? Do opposites really attract? Or is it just people trying their best to convince themselves that they are unique?

Somewhere between the sky and heaven,
Therein lies the land of my dreams.
Where blue lakes and twisted roads,
Seem to be in perfect sync.

Curious eyes and cautious smiles look my way,
Welcome to my home, they seem to say.
A smoke, a puff, a swig along...
Makes you dance to that unfamiliar song.

Hide-and-seek seems to be the game,
The sun and the wind don’t know the name.
With everyone, but still on my own...
Ready to take every road that’s unknown.

Sitting by the lake on a moonlit night,
With a few million stars shining ever-so bright.
I wonder again if that was for real,
Someone take me back to that world surreal.

(There are some journeys where u have a great time and then there are those that prove to be an experience of a lifetime. My Ladakh trip was THE TRIP of my life. It's something I wouldn't have been able to do on my own if these six travellers hadn't taken me along. Every time, I see a bit of the landscape on television, I realise how lucky I am to have been there. Now every time Nikhil says 'I have been to Paris or London or New York', I say 'I have been to Ladakh'. And even he accepts that he can't beat that. The few lines above is an attempt to pen down what I feel evey time I think of those fabulous 21 days.)