(Chapter Two) :- Day One of Sandakphu Trekking From Chitrey to Tumling

Hello Friends,

First and foremost I want to thank all my readers for overwhelming response, kind words and appreciation which all of you have showered over me, it has been very encouraging and motivating for an amateur writer.

Finally I start my voyage with trekking gears to an unknown land with new hopes and dreams to experience a different world all by myself. I met all my group members at Bagdogra from where we were scheduled to head towards Kurseong which is known as “Land of Orchids”. By the time we reached Kurseong it was late evening and dark so couldn’t see the scenery but our hotel “Cochrane Place” was beautifully built amidst the mountains. Each room were given the names of Mountain and had small individual lawn attached to it. The view and ambiance was spectacular.

We had our tour guide who asked us to freshen up and meet in the lobby for the briefing session where he discussed about the upcoming days and how we can get acclimatized to mountains and Jungles.

Thereafter, there was a brief introduction session where each one of us introduced them. It was surprising to know none has ever experienced trekking before and all were new to each other, leaving behind their families and friends and all sorts of inhibitions and comforts to explore an unknown land and rediscover themselves.

Each of them came from different segments of life and had unique stories and experiences to share which was incredible.

Thereafter, we head for dinner which was a lavish spread of local cuisine having its unique flavor which was a treat to the taste bud before gearing up for trek. We retired to our room and slept early as all of us were tired and had long days ahead.

The most awaited morning dawned with a beautiful sunrise at Kurseong which was the first sunrise of our BIG day. All of us were excited and thrilled to embrace the world of trekking.

After a hearty breakfast we drove from Kurseong to Manebhajnjan the origin of this amazing Sandakphu trekking. We took an uphill car ride to Chitrey as we started off from an incredibly picturesque village bright white Buddhist monasteries greeted us providing an insight into the mountainous civilization. We kept walking as desultory and dangling conversation prevailed amidst dazzling surroundings covering approx 10 kms. Since it was our first day we all were huffing and puffing during the initial climb. We were losing breath and walk turned into an arduous climb as we were not accustomed to mountain trails and lacked fitness. The path was full of surprises as we walked amid pine forests and chortens and crossed the scenic hamlets of Lamey dhura where we halted for lunch. Our next desired stop was at Meghma, another Nepaly village as we proceed further the weather turned around, the fog came thick & fast to engulf the view around. The dense fog reduced the visibility only upto a few feet and severe wind made us really cold. From Meghma we started our last stretch towards Tumling though it was steep but the gradient was easier. Finally we made it to “Shikhar Lodge”, Tumling. It was here that the mountain peaks revealed themselves. The valley below lay covered in white clouds, looking like an ocean. Far on the horizon, the peaks shone in a serene light against the back drop of the setting sun.

The evening was quite chilly and fog set in as we reached there in the evening. After having a hot cup of tea we retired to our room and had hearty chit chat with all group members. Thereafter, we had amazing dinner prepared by Neela Di, the camp leader, and a glorious entrepreneur who run the camp lodge all by herself. This is a common sight we get to see in North East, Himalayas and Nepal regions. Most of the setups are managed very efficiently by the women of the house while husbands are mostly Sherpas.

Post dinner, weariness had begun to weigh on the eyelids and soon we abandoned ourselves to sleep.

(Chapter One) :- How Did Trekking Happen

Hello Friends,

Today I would like to share my experience of first ever trekking trip which I did few months ago and the hurdles, angst, thrill and elation experienced by an amateur solo traveler…!

One afternoon sitting in office and glaring at the computer screen I started thinking what I am doing with my life, started feeling nostalgic with my monotonous corporate and routine life which lacked the thrill, adventure, fun & frolic of school and college life.

The idea of going for trekking struck my neurons and I realized that “Adventure can hurt me but Monotony will kill me” and thereafter I started gathering information as to where can I head off. I asked few close friends to accompany me but unfortunately none managed permission or had willingness for trekking and that’s when I came to know about this WOW club who plans all girls trip and luckily they were planning a trek to SANDAKPHU (the highest mountain of West Bengal)……!

The next big task was convincing my parents for travelling alone with a bunch of strangers and like all Indian girls even I was inspired and grown up watching Bollywood movies and read about the girls trip who are avid solo travelers and someday I too wanted to experience such thing and this was one such opportunity which I didn't want to miss out at any cost and therefore I managed to convince my family who were initially skeptical regarding my safety and wellbeing but later they agreed and supported me all throughout to make my dream come true…….

BRAVO….! It feels like an achievement after convincing everyone for travelling alone and finally making the entry in the eleventh hour and getting my bookings confirmed.

Till now, I was really excited and making my friends feel jealous but slowly the thought of going alone with strangers started to seep in making me frenzy and giving me willies of mixed feelings as to how coming days will turn into, how will I gel up with a group of girls who are almost double my age..!

I started to gather information and researched about trekking, read few blogs, made a list of things to carry.

As I started reading about trekking one thing became clear it’s going to be a roller coaster trip with a different wallop and challenges of living with bare minimum amenities unlike the luxurious trip which I often take with my family.

The shopping spree started for trekking equipment and I started gearing up for the mountains and wilds with the thrill and excitement of first adventure trip…..

Well the trip was an altogether different experience which I would certainly like to share with all of  you in my next upcoming blog about my journey on the trekking trails of Sandakphu…….……..!

Steps To Accomplish Your New Year Resolutions

Dear Friends,

Today with the onset of 2016 I am launching my first post in the world of blogging with my article about few easy steps to implement New Year Resolutions which each one of us can incorporate in our daily life & bring about a lifestyle change.

 We love the beginning of the year. Everything seems new and shiny (once the hangover blows over!). Everything is full of possibility, let each one of us imbibe the character to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.

New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity for all those who have failed to start making the changes that they said they would make next week, next month, or perhaps when winter starts.

 I’ve decided to give you a bit of help – because since the majority of people fail to stick to their resolution, you’ll need all the help you can get.

The First & Foremost rule about New Year Resolutions is “To reach your goals, you have to actually have a goal. You need an end-point that you can visualize and know for sure whether or not you’re on track, and when you’ve achieved it.

• SET DEADLINES: One huge problem with many goals is that they don’t have deadline. A goal is only good when you’re reaching it, but if no deadline is in place, what will motivate you to push onwards. Set a firm deadline and by that I mean specific day. This will keep you in check and you will automatically be able to gauge how well you’re doing.Be realistic with this deadline, but at the same time firm. Don’t be someone who always talks about doing it; actually do it this time around.
• DON’T SET RESOLUTIONS FOR TOO MANY AREAS OF YOUR LIFE: The issue which people usually face with New Year Resolutions is that they try to accomplish a little more than they can handle. Don’t overload yourself and become overwhelmed and then get nowhere. That will only reduce your feelings of self confidence, making further goal achievements that much harder to obtain. Make only ONE Resolution, your chances of success are greater when you channel you energy into changing just one aspect of your life and your behavior.
• BE INNOVATIVE & UNIQUE: Don’t run and go with the crowd instead set the resolution which you really want out of your life. Your goal should be realistic and should be set taking into consideration your limitations, strengths & weakness. Never let setbacks derail your momentum.
• SET YOUR REWARDS: Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub goal, which in turn will help in maintaining motivation & sense of progress. Having a firm picture in your mind of what will happen when you reach your goals will help you keep pushing onward when times get tough.
• TELL SOMEONE: Open up with your friends & family about your goals, rather than keeping it a secret. You’re more likely to get support and want to avoid failure. But, you need to choose this person carefully as some people are uncomfortable with pointing out to others when they aren’t moving forward in positive manner. Finding someone who is comfortable doing so is critical otherwise they may not step forward when you need that push the most.
• IMAGINE YOURSELF AT YOUR RESOLUTION: A good way to reach your resolution is to physically imagine yourself having obtained it. Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you achieve your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.
• KEEP A RESOLUTION JOURNAL: Maintaining a Journal is a great way to keep you accountable. Furthermore, if you continuously Journal your progress you may find triggers or factors are keeping you from your goals and accordingly you can work to overcome them by coming up with solutions on how to do so. Make you plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal or on computer spreadsheet or memos & reminders in mobile phones or cover the notice board with graphs & pictures.
• CREATE A MEMORY BOX: Your life is full of surprises good & bad, at the time of grief and sorrows, you tend to forget the time when you were happy, when you were blessed, So this year make let each of you promise yourself to make a note on piece of paper and fill your memory box & see at the end of 2016 how heavy your memory box turns out to be.
• BE AN INSPIRATION FOR YOURSELF AND FOR OTHERS: You should set examples for other to follow by being disciplined in your approach and having the determination to achieve your goals. In order to do so, you need to inspire yourself and in return you will become an inspiration for others.
•  SET ASIDE SUM FOR NOBLE CAUSE: Everyday set aside minimum Rs.5 for all the 365 days which aggregates to Rs. 1825/- in just a year & on 1^st January, 2017 donate that for some noble cause or give it to someone really needy. In this way it will not pinch your pocket too much at once & the contentment which you will experience will be something beyond words.