Arriving at a new place is always a bit strange. It takes some getting used to the fact that friends have been left behind with the promise to come back. I am staying at a guesthouse on top of a village in Parvathy valley. The place is called Choj village and it’s across the river around one hour walk from Kasoul as we like to call it around here. Alas, I can’t really feel the flow yet. I mean, I don’t really know what I am doing here. Maybe all this is more than a bit strange. But then again, given that i have just arrived this afternoon, who wonders?!
Revisiting the past weeks, I think of my friends in Vashisht. Vashisht struck me as a wonderful place, a paradise for trekking lovers like me. And because i found family there. They were hospitable and provided food for me several times free of charge. I helped them out here and there. We went to the hot spring together and decorated the restaurant they planned to open ‘any day now’.
Right now I am staying at a homely place. I share a small room with two other travelers. The room is as big as the room I shared with my bro when I was a kid. A thin mattress and a carpet-like blanket to cover up when I take rest. I can hear repetitive music through the walls.
I look outside – it’s drizzle weather. It’s fresh. I find myself in the middle of nowhere here, really. At the foot of a mountain range. If i wanna use the bathroom I have to get out of the room, walk down the steps, out of the house, go around two corners and have my feet already soaked when I get there. When I am finished, I wash my hands. Power cut. Pitch black. I mean, absolute absence of light. Hmmm… I think about joining the group to the jungle to gaze at the stars… ahhh, no, it’s raining. I can’t see my hand in front of my eyes, and BOM BHOLENATH I have got my cellphone with me. Take it and turn on the torchlight. Walk back to the dorm where four mattresses are lined up like they are in barracks – on the floor, with around 9 cun (the width of three hands) in between. And a carpet as ‘blanket’. Yeah, i know i said that already. Living with the bare necessities, there we go…
Last Train To Laos 