14

At the top of a pass we found this amazing field to camp overlooking the Dolomite mountains. We asked the bar which it was next to if we could camp and they said yes along with giving free drinks and food. We sat there looking at the stunning view and played our guitar and harmonica for hours. It was in this evening that I truly realized how important music and nature is for me and that how both will always be part of my life, if I am to be happy. One of the most memorable moments of the trip.

I was in a small town called Dapoli, looking for someone to help me recharge my data. Somehow, I ended up in an ice cream shop with the owner who helped me. Suddenly, a man who was an Ayurvedic doctor (an alternative medicine) entered and after 1 minute invited me to his house for lunch.

Three families, his and of his two brothers lived in one house. It was a house of priests as well so very spiritual. They gave me food, a room, let me rest and showed me around the land.

I talked a lot with the doctor who invited me and immersed and was accepted into this big family with 7 small children. Also, was convinced to stay at least 1 night.

The next morning, I underwent many Ayurvedic therapies, including Shirodhara ( hot oil on forehead and head massage), eating specific food and a chair massage.

After 2 days there relaxing, playing guitar with the children and filming many promotion videos for the Ayurvedic ashram haha, I was drive to the bus stop and said goodbye to Samir after a wonderful two days of incredible hospitality.

This was a very insane experience. I needed to go to Goa from the state of Gujurat but all the trains were booked, so decided to go in General Class, which is basically 2 compartments on the edges of the train with no allocated seats and are extremely cheap. So I bought my 3$ ticket for the 18 hour journey.

I was very overwhelmed at the start, with no place to sit and packed like an overcrowded metro. Throughout the journey I made my bag into a seat next to the bathroom and then was sitting with my legs outside the train, as it was so packed .

One thing that was special was the encounters I had. So many children and adults alike were incredibly curious and approached me continuously throughout the trip and even though most didn’t speak English, I was able to interact with so many people- it was truly a social environment compared to other classes.

At around 12am, I was invited by passenger to have a bed in sleeper class. I accepted and ended up talking to a big group. A moment that particularly stuck with me was playing some Hindi songs on my guitar as around me all filmed and sung. That was a very magical moment.

I was able to sleep on a shared bed, and reached Goa safely, with many experiences and encounters to remember!

Throughout three days, I was fully immersed in the Ladakhi wilderness with almost no other trekker. I stayed in the homes of local villagers, who gave tea and a lot of food and were so kind. I also stopped for tea in a village, but the house owner refused to let me pay and was very invested in making sure I got to the next village before dark.

In the end of the trek, I was in a very remote place, but was invited into a car with road workers going to the local town, and was able to get back to Leh with no problem.

What really stuck to me about this experience was firstly how much joy it can bring just to be fully in nature and disconnected from the outside world.

Equally significant was the feeling of being fully dependent on the kindness of strangers for 3 days. My food, accommodation and especially transportation was not pre planned at all, I just trusted that somehow it would work out, and it did.

It was a very serendipitous few days and it really made me appreciate just how much we are reliant on the help of people around us and the how much can come out of being open to whatever comes our way and trusting that things will work out.