Why should we Travel?

OK so, why should we travel?
hmmm?

First, It’s seems so damn illogical!
Why leave the comfort of my soft bed and warm blanket?
And why bother leaving my bestie bedside pillow behind?
Oh shut up!
Spend money to buy “nothing”? Just travel?
No Shoes? No Bag? No shopping!
And what about watching that latest Sallu Bhai or SRK movie?
Damn I already miss my popcorn!
No way!
Getting my stiff ass up in the air (so much effort in itself!) just to go outside and do what?
Nothing? Just walk? Are you serious?
Brave the sweltering heat, the frigid cold?
Come on man! Be sane!
Oh, and you forgot about my dear laptop!
What about my daily dose of porn!
Awww my Gawd! My iPod!
Damn! a new mail! My boss is screwing me and you want me trot the world?
What about my Facebook status updates?
My itsy-bitsy twitter tweets?
Forget me! You go!
What about the A.C.? Will it travel with me?
Do you know why I have grown this beloved belly pouch, lovely love handles, wicket like arms and a highway wide ass after putting in so much effort?
Just so that I can enjoy this comfort. Got it?
My favorite hobbies are sleeping, laptop-ing, eating, pooping, repeat.
So much hard work and sweat it takes (specially the “repeat” part)
And you want me to Travel?
What’s out there? What’s there to see huh?

Ok, forget it. Tell me this:
What’s the net profit to it? hmm?

Come on! You deserve a break as well! Source: http://www.forbes.com

Well…
Indeed.
If I try to reason as to why I travel, I am sure I will write only bullshit.
And I prefer typing no-bullshit ( my most occasional mistake though )
Point is: there are no reasons to (travel)!
Moral is: It’s an instinct!
And instincts are hard to define.
And difficult to embed logic on them.

But any human at some point will feel the need to escape this comfortable shit (read shit as life).
The need to break from this sticky cobweb of frustration.
It’s that feeling to run away!
To escape.
To let the hair down and to scream at the top of voice to yourself and not caring if others heard you.
To live life a free will.
Even if, it’s for few hours, a day or a week!
The feeling of leaving everything behind and be yourself!
Have you felt that?
Hmm?

However competitive you may be, I am sure at some juncture in your life, you had wished the same (approximately, I hope!).

How do you feel? Daunting or inviting?

Recently I went on a trek to Roopkund.

Roopkund is a place where words will fall short to describe it!
It’s just an amazing place to go and I would strongly suggest you visit.

Fortunately (it was unfortunate at that time), I forgot my cellphone at home.
Top of that it’s a remote place so no cellphone signals.
Don’t talk about phone booths.
There are not many and not reliable at all.

During my entire week off the electronic media grid, what I realised was that “I can” live without them.

No Emails.
No Facebook.
No WhatsApp.
No Twitter.
No Nothing.
Just firsthand interaction with people.

It was just us, the trek mates, trek leaders and the locals.
It was fun. Pure and un-distilled.

Occasionally there were places where we would get signals but I made a mental sheild to stay away from using a cellphone.

I can tell from what I felt was that people, being social beings need more humanly interactions rather than electronically set up meetings.
Maybe that is why the world has become smaller but people more distant from each other!

There were many junctures during my trek when I felt the same.
And not just in this trek but in every single one of my travels, I had this feeling that life is a celebration and we need to celebrate it.
Heartbeats countable, our breaths countable and time is limited in this world.
Take a moment aside and think outside the rat race!
Motto: Live!

At Roopkund, I made many friends.
Friends for life!

We had bonfire.
And we would share spooky stories that would occasionally solidify me more than the cold.
All this on top of a mountain some 3000 meters above sea level.
I don’t believe any pdf story or book would ever give me that feeling!

Source: http://www.seymour-umc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bonfire.jpg

Sometimes I would stroll out of my tent at 3 AM night.
Far away I would see the snow clad mountains. They kind of glow at night!
And the sky man!
Fantabulous!
Nearly three times the stars you would see on a clear night in city.
Some bright, some dim, but thousands of many stars!
All adorning the velvety sky!
Don’t think any Instagram or DSLR photo could have ignited such feelings in me!

I swear it was better than this! source: http://www.pixelshooter.net| http://www.tripoto.com

The lovely locals.
The awesome children! So simple and untainted!
Ahh! I miss them.
Their stony brick homes at mountain edges.
And their cuisine. Yummy!
And their love and hospitality! Unforgettable!
One of them really went out of his way to help me out when I was having a hard time walking on snow.
I don’t think I will get to live those lovely experiences on Facebook!

Children, at wan village-Roopkund trek

Then it was the teamwork.
We were 7 people, hitherto unknown to each other and in times of struggle, we formed a real team and fought out the difficulties.
Be it the soft snow that would suddenly sink under feet, crossing the perilous mountain edges or need of medicines etc etc etc…Endless list!
Many uncountable small things but big in their own regard!
That taught me how we although fragile, through unity can survive the toughest of the nature.
I don’t think I could have accomplished that with outlook or WhatsApp or board room team meetings!

Our team-Roopkund trek

And how can I forget Jack Daniels?( Dear anti-booze people: It is Alcohol)
7 people stuffed in a tent, some teetotalers, some novice and other expert boozers.
Everyone together, unified to brave the freezing cold outside and overcoming our own horrible strench.
And we may (I was drunk) have cracked the finest of jokes.
All this on a desolate mountain top, 4000 meters above sea level.
I don’t think the plasticity of a Hip-Hop pub with disco light could replace that! Ever!

Jack needs no introduction. Source: http://www.nortedeirlanda.blogspot.com

I implore myself and anyone else to look beyond. Much beyond.
Life is not that shallow to be lived and experienced electronically or to be spent within 4 walls.
Wander your eyes off those screen of laptops , tablets and phones.
Look far, sail far, walk far, fly far and travel far!

Keep trotting!

There is much more to people around us. And many wonders and places to visit!
And they are valuable in their own respect and are irreplaceable.

Trot towards horizon!
Live life. It’s yours!