It’s all about the Timing – Trek or Travel ?
A lot of people ask me if I love trekking or travelling. Trust me, I love travelling more, there is no sweat, there is less risk and there is more to learn about the culture, the food and the people. Nevertheless, there is a lot about trekking which people forget to ponder on. Once they realize it, they prefer trekking than travelling or both by realizing the joys of doing them in the right time.
Let me start this article Trek or Travel with an incident which happened in Kashmir. We had finished our Himalayan trek – Kashmir Great Lakes. It was our last day in Kashmir and we were buying dry fruits, saffron and a few goodies from a local shop. I saw a gentleman and his wife in his 70’s speaking in Tamil in front of the shop. I always find senior citizens very warm and interesting, I said hi to them and asked where they are from and their reason for being in Kashmir.
They were a group of senior citizens travelling to Amarnath for a pilgrimage trip in a tempo traveler. I told them about the trek and about the beauty of those mountains of Kashmir. The gentleman told me that it is great that I am doing this now when I am young and able. He was worried that he will not be able to do the Amarnath yatra by foot. It seemed like he wished to climb but he couldn’t. It seemed like regret.
It is hard to find people who encourage trekking, I was happy that he wholeheartedly encouraged me to trek more. Age and time reveals us a lot of secrets, he knew what he was talking about. He knew that he was right.
We are young only once. If you actually look back, there are a lot of things which we cannot do anymore just because of our age. Also, let me quote my favourite line of F.Scott Fitzgerald
“ I hope you live a life you are proud of, If you find that you are not, I HOPE YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO START OVER AGAIN’’
It does sound true and right. Well, “How late is too late? “ – What if it is actually too late?
The gentleman I spoke to was in his 70s, He knew it was too late. Travelling is beautiful. Like I said, I love travelling more than I love trekking. You can travel anytime, after your retirement, after you get your highest level promotion or even in a family trip. It feels good a sip your favourite drink with a hotel room with a view.
If you are someone like me who likes both trekking and travelling and If you are young, healthy and fit. My advice to to you would be is to
Trek, climb that peak. Enjoy that view and the sense of accomplishment. Dive in every pool, click a lot of panoramic pictures on the peak, Chase the waterfall, Chase the sunset, Get lost in the woods and live like a Nadodi ( Meaning – Wanderer )
After every trek, you feel like there is something you have conquered within you, it is not just the mountain. It is your fear, your insecurity and your self doubt.
Later on, when you are old and you feel like a comfortable hotel room is better than a tent in the woods – Sit by the window, sip your drink, look at the mountains and think about the times you climbed them. I am sure you will remember taking that picture near the peak with a smile on your face.
Written By Cynthia Joseph (+91 8884738199)
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