Chapter 3 – I can do it

Sara didn't want to delay her trekking decision, so she booked flights and slots for trekking with one of the Himalayan trekking teams. She decided to challenge herself and travel alone. She was kind of overjoyed that everything was getting in her way but at the same time, she was scared to go alone thinking about negative rumours.

Rina dropped Sara in airport and wished her good luck. Sara was bit worried to travel alone. while she reached check-in counter she noticed that one of her bag was missing in which she had her valet and documents. she had any clue when and where she miss the bag . She left and tried calling Rina to check if bag was left out in car but unfortunately Rina dint answer . She got nervous and ran back to see near entrance but it wasn't there. She was in doubt "did I miss it or was it stolen?" She was startled and running out of time, she stood there clueless. But still she was running here and there to find her bad and missed her flight. Fighting for breath Sara woke up from nightmare. She thought this might be a bad omen. So she decided to talk to Akul, her motivational Guru. It was 2 am, Sara called Akul. In a worried tone he answered the call "Hey Sara Watsup is everything ok ? Sara couldn't speak for a minutes and Akul got to know something is wrong. In a convincing tone he asked again " Sara are you there , please tell me what happen?". Sara replied this time and explain her nightmare. For next few minutes Akul convince Sara not to be pessimist. Sara felt bit relaxed and confident about her solo travel decision.

Sara was in airport fear and her nervousness was visible on her face. Rina came to drop her ,to cheer Sara ,Rina told "Sara babe, you can do it Don't forget that you wanted to go on trekking from long time and not its in real. You are not onld Sara anymore. Be confident. Feel free to call me or Akul anytime and keep updating everything to me." she hugged her tight saying "Bye Sara, take care. Fighting". Even Rina was a bit worried about Sara but she couldn't show in front of her. Sara picked trekking bag, kept her tickets and ID card in hand, and went to check-in.

After all the formalities Sara was sitting in the lobby waiting for the boarding call. Staring at tickets BLR to IXB (Siliguri) Sara was talking to herself "Staying in a new place for 10 days, unknown people, new language. Can I survive? I have never done trekking before. What if I get lost or injured? What if I die due to cold" , for a second she felt like quitting and going back, but if she did that all her efforts would go in vain. While she was juggling in her thoughts they announced boarding call. At last , she decided to follow her intuition for one last time. She told herself "Yes, I can do it".

Sara met Payal in flight and both became friends on the journey. Siliguri airport was small compare to Bengaluru airport and with the help of Payal, Sara reached her hotel. Payal was localite and she knew in and out of Siliguri. They both decided to roam around the city, went to the ISKCON temple and then Hong Kong Market. Sara felt lucky that she met Payal in an unknown city and she thanked her. At night Sara was thinking about the first day of her solo trip and felt adventurous.

Her thought was interrupted by a call from an unknown number. Sara answered the call, a male voice from the other end said "Hello Sara ji, I'm Neeraj your trek organizer, hope you reached Siliguri". Sara knew Neeraj's name before, Rina had mentioned it in the itinerary. Sara replied, "Yes Neeraj Ji, I'm in Siliguri, could you please tell me about tomorrow's plan". Neeraj Continued "Yes mam, your pick-up point is at SNT bus stop by 7 Am, I will message you the vehicle details. You will have other team members joining you". Sara felt a kind of relax knowing that she won't be alone from tomorrow. She was excited to meet new people around.

The next day morning Sara woke up with great enthusiasm to kick start a new day. she checkout from the hotel and hired a tuk-tuk to reach the SNT bus stop. While on the way she was scared that the driver might mislead her, but she had to look confident and not show her nervousness. she reached SNT –Sikkim National transport bus stop and could see many jeeps standing in line and few guys speaking an unknown language. She was a bit confused whom to ask so she decided to call Neeraj.

Meanwhile, a guy carrying a trekking bag approached her and asked "are you Sara?" with a surprised look Sara replied, "yes I'm Sara but…". Then he introduced himself "Hi I'm Sujai, even I'm in the same trekking group. Neeraj mentioned your name yesterday. Other guys will be arriving soon. We have our jeep ready. Once those guys come we can move". Sara was a bit uncomfortable with the way Sujai spoke to her as if he knows her for a long time. He approached her without any hesitation, she thought he might be a pervert and wanted to stand in a different place but was scared of getting lost.

To kill time Sujai started talking "Where are you from?" I'm from Kerala but now working in Delhi" Sara reluctantly reply "I'm from Bengaluru". He continued "Have you been trekking before?". She replied, "No this is my first Himalayan trek.".He continued. "well I have been a few treks in Manali and Uttarakhand before but this is my first time trekking in Sikkim". Listening to his trekking details Sara got interested in conversation and she continued asking him about the climate in high altitude and food, tent stay. As the conversation continued Sara felt a bit comfortable talking to him.

After 30 minutes other four guys arrived. The first two guys introduced themselves, "Hi I'm Sagar" and the other with a black T-shirt said, "Hi I'm Manish, we both are from Mumbai". Then Sujai turned towards the other two guys one was with a funny cowboy hat and the other with a camera around his neck, "Hi I'm Rahul and he is Nitin we are from Delhi". By then Driver came, "Chalo bhai we are already late". Sujai asked me to sit in the front seat beside the driver and all the other guys sat behind. We started our journey towards west Sikkim –Yuksom.

On the way, all the other guys started talking to each other and became friends soon. Sagar asked the driver "Bhai How far is Yuksom from here? he replied "sir it takes 6-8 hours if traffic is clear and no roadblocks". Manish said "we can't predict the exact time in these hilly areas". Listening to their conversation Sara thought all these guys have prior trek experience and I'm the only fresher here. Rahul asked the driver "bhaiya Can you stop in between for breakfast, I guess no one had breakfast here" and he looked at Sara for a reply. She replied "even I didn't have breakfast, let's stop in-between". By then Sara felt secure with these guys and slowly even she started conversing to them. Sara asked "Do you guys know how many people are in our group?". Sujai replied "I think 12 people" he looked towards other guys for an exact number. Rahul replied, "Yes I guess, other guys will reach yuksom by night and I think there is another girl in this group" he smiles at her. Hearing about another girl Sara felt happy, she had someone to share a tent with.

They all reached Yuksom by 4 Pm and Neeraj was waiting for them near the guest house. He welcomed everyone and showed them their respective rooms. He came to Sara "Madam, you have another lady joining you. Nothing to worry about. Rina madam has told me to take special care of you" he smiled at her. Sara felt so blessed and called Rina immediately. Rina answered the call "Hey Sara babe, hope everything went smooth till now. Sara Replied "Hey Rina, thanks a lot for everything, you are the best organizer. Love you lots". Rina continued " Did you meet your team guys? Hope everyone is treating you well, be careful while trekking." Sara could feel a kind of anxiety in Rina's voice. She told, "Yes, I met them and they are all good people, nothing to worry about. I will make sure I am safe and whenever I get network I will call you ok". Rina replied " I'm missing you a lot, Take care. Fighting". The call got disconnected.

Sara got settled in the room, freshened, by then someone knocked. It was Sujai with a warm smile "Hey, how are you feeling after a long journey?". By now her perception toward Sujai changed. She said, "Yes I'm fine, waiting for another girl to come". He said" those guys might reach late as per Neeraj. By the way we guys are planning to roam around. There is a monastery nearby. Would you like to join us?" With no more hesitancy, Sara replied, "I will be there in 10 min". Sara had already decided that she will do everything she can, No more regrets in life.

Wearing loose trousers and a red T-shirt, Sara came to the lobby and was looking for other guys she saw Sujai talking over the phone. He was wearing grey shorts and a black T-shirt. Sujai had a typical Malayali look, attractive eyes, thick eyelashes, and athlete physic. Though he was dusky he had a charm in him. Looking at Sara he waved his handed to come out.

Sara asked him "where are the other guys", he replied, "They just went out, I was waiting for you to come". Both started walking out of the guest house after few steps they saw other guys near the market buying trekking equipment. After roaming around the Market they all went to Dubdi Monastery. Everything seemed new to Sara and she was enjoying it. All guys were busy talking and making fun of each other. Rahul got a call from Neeraj that other guys have arrived, Sara looked at the time and it was already 8 PM and She felt like time is running so fast. They all headed back to the guest house.

Neeraj called for a quick meeting to introduce everyone and to explain Do and don'ts. They were a total of 12 members. Round the table, everyone started to introduce themselves. Four guys from Kolkata, Yuga, and Mohit couple from Pune. Neeraj explained trekking details, difficulties they might encounter while trekking, "Tomorrow will be a bit tough because you guys have to walk for 14 km from yuksom to Bakhim. Finish your breakfast, fill in your water bottles and be here by 8 Am" and everyone acknowledged. After meeting everyone sat for dinner started talking about their trekking views. In-room Sara introduced herself to Yuga and at first sight, both girls became friends. Yuga had an outgoing attitude. Within an hour Sara knew many things about her.

Day 1 of trekking Sara was ready to get a new adventure experience. Both the girls got ready, packed their bags. Mohit knocked "Yuga are you ready? She replied, yes I will be there in 5 min". By the time girls came to the lobby everyone was waiting for them. Greeting everyone they started walking. They had two trek leaders one was Neeraj and the other one was Chandan along with them five crew guys.

All started walking. Sujai was next to Sara "Good morning Sara, how to feeling? the First trek", She replied, "Yes, with full enthusiasm" she smiled at him. As the trail began Sara felt a kind of excited and started walking in a phase with Yuga, Mohit, and Sujai. Rahul and Nitin started clicking photos when they reached the first bridge. Other guys from Kolkata were in front with Neeraj moving fast. Slowly team got divided into two, fast-moving guys and slow-moving guys. Neeraj was heading and Chandan was at the tail leader.

After trekking for 4 hours everyone was exhausted, they all took a short break. Sujai started asking about the trail to Chandan and he explained to them they have to trek into the forest for 3 km and later 3 km uphill to reach the base camp. Listening to this Sara lost all her energy. Sujai was with Sara all the way motivating her and helping her on rough trails. Besides yuga and Mohit were also with them. Yuga used to sing songs and enjoy the trial and motivating others.

They all stopped for the lunch break at Sachen and other guys were waiting for them. Looking at everyone Sara said to herself "Though people knew very little about each other they all treated like one family, helping each other and motivating". She felt like she had a lot to learn in this trekking. The second phase of trekking was a bit harder compared to the first and everyone got divided into pairs to trek, Sara was accompanied by Sujai till they reached base camp. That day everyone got exhausted and entered into tents without any further talks.

Sara was missing Rina and her room. For the next 8 days, her room was replaced by a tent and the bed was a sleeping bag. She was surprised to see a red tent marked as a toilet out of curiosity asked Yuga about that. Yuga had a couple of trekking experiences so she explained few tricks to be followed. "Rule #1: Finish all nature calls either early morning or late night. Rule #2: Keep your nose, hands, and toes warm. Rule# 3: drink more water and keep hydrated. Rule #4: have energy bars so you won't feel fatigued. Rule #5: Enjoy every moment, you never know whether you have a second chance."

At Night thinking about the whole day, Sara was glad that day 1 was completed and was lucky to have Yuga as her tent partner. Sara had developed a habit of praying at night and thanking God for everything she had.

Day 2 was Bakhim to Tshoka, a small trek for 3 hours, uphill for 1 km. Everyone reached soon and had enough time to spend with each other. Few guys planned to explore around Tshoka. Mohit called Yuga and Sara to join them. Tshoka was at an altitude of 9,701 ft and Sara was surprised to see a beautiful Monastery at this altitude. It was a pleasant climate that smoothened Sara's mind forgetting all her worries. Few guys were playing Frisbee, Yuga and Mohit were busy clicking photos and Rahul was their cameraman.

Sara sat on a rock looking at far mountains lost in her thoughts. Looking at Sara sitting alone Sujai went and sat next to her. Both sat silently for a while and Sujai broke the silence and asked "Why did you come alone for this trek and it's your first trek?" Sara was surprised by his question and didn't know what to answer. Sara was friendly with Sujai but not that close to share her feelings and her past, so she decided to ignore his question and she diverted him by asking about his experience with the previous treks.

Day 3 was from Tshoka to Dzongri, Like the other days yuga, Mohit, Sujai, and Sara were at last. They had to cross a beautiful trail of rhododendrons forest. While walking Yuga started singing romantic Hindi songs and teased Mohit and Mohit was blushing. Looking at them Sujai told Sara "This was one of the most romantic trails I have seen in my trekking experience. Beautiful path and red rhododendrons flowers everywhere; it looks like the way to heaven." All were tired and so yuga suggested a break. They all sat on a wooden log. Sara was mesmerized with the beautiful view, tall trees, red rhododendrons flowers in between those trees, foggy climate, she was enjoying the view. Sara saw Sujai plucking rhododendrons flower and with a warm smile, he came near her and tucked the flower on her left ears lobs. Sara started blushing but she felt it was wrong, immediately woke up from there and started trekking. After Arjun's incident, she decided not to fall for any guy. She moved so fast that she couldn't see other guys behind. On the way she met few people from other groups and they helped her to reach Dzongri. Later on, for rest of the day, she avoided Sujai.

Day 4 was tedious from Dzongri to the viewpoint, they all started trekking by 4 AM, the trail was uphill for 2 km. Since Sara avoided Sujai the previous day she was left alone and struggling to climb up, she missed Sujai but at the same time, she didn't want to have any kind of false hopes. She was exhausted that morning, felt like she was punishing herself by trekking these tough paths. For a moment she also thought of quitting. Group had already reached the top and Sara was the last person. All were busy clicking photos and a few were shouting looking at the stunning view. Sara was searing for her group members everyone was scattered. Nitin saw Sara and he called her. She joined the photo session. Sara's eyes were searching for Sujai but she couldn't find him as it was foggy.

Sara heard some female voice calling Sujai's name, when she turned Sujai was clicking selfies with another team girl. She was jealous and felt hurt that she was ignored by him, she thought all guys are the same. Later she tried to divert her mind towards mountains. For the rest of the day, Sara didn't see Sujai.

After breakfast they started toward Thansing, the trail was filled with snow, Sara was thrilled to see snow for the first time, she started playing like a kid. Both Yuga and Sara were sliding in the snow path and singing songs. Though she enjoyed trekking she felt like missing something. By the time they reached Thansing, the climate suddenly changed and the temperature dropped to 0º-5º. Sara couldn't bear the cold, so she entered the tent and was scared to step out.