Kumaon Himalayas Trip-Reflection

Anuja Davda

Trips are fun. You sing songs, eat snacks, pass sleepless nights travelling and looking out of the window, be a part of
lovely sunrises and sunsets, have fun with your friends; and of course, learn about the geological aspects behind the
beautiful landscapes surrounding you. But there is surely something more to trips. Exploring new places, welcomingly
adapting to a new climate, sharing laughs with your friends; somewhere between these moments, you discover
yourself. You find out who you really are and what you want yourself to be. Trips play a significant role in shaping
ones character. Nainital trip was one such memorable trip which greatly molded me as a person.
(Day 1 & 2)
It all started with the train journey. We all were surely looking forward to the trip enthusiastically; though initially,
travelling in a second class non-ac compartment was indeed a bummer. We were told that we had to board the train
literally in a matter of minutes! Oh it was going to be tough, especially with this entire luggage to carry. How will I
make it? Yes, that was my first judgment. Eventually, I told myself that I can do it. Thousands of people board these
trains every day. I have to try and hope for the best. And after the half an hour which seemed like days, our train
arrived. Adrenaline rushing in our veins, all of us were hooting as the train came by. That was it. The train stopped
and I ran along with my friends, accompanied by the heavy baggage; and like never before. We stopped by our
compartment. Surprisingly, there was no push contest out there. All of us arranged ourselves into a line and began
boarding the train as fast as possible, trying our best not to cause inconvenience to the local passengers. Jaydeep sir
and Sarv sir guided us a great deal. Finally, all of us
were on board, and the whistle blew. I knew it was the
time to say goodbye to my dad. I went for the nearest
window and waved him a goodbye with a smile. The
train sped away, slowly gaining speed. And now, the
struggle began. Everyone including me was frantically
looking for their assigned seats. Sir told us to calm
down and steered us to our respective compartments,
helping us with the luggage. After a bit of chaos, all of
us were settled into our compartments. I felt as if this
was a nice tiny victory to start off with.
Now, that idea at the back of your head, that if you
leave your seats even for a fraction of a minute, someone might just grab it, wasnt too flawless. Besides, the company
we had out there wouldnt have been our first choice either. We had to spend almost two days in the train itself,
fearing cockroaches. Honestly, that did give us the creeps. But despite everything, we were with our friends, and that
was certainly enough. We ate snacks, sang songs at the top of our voice, and had a sort of a petty music contest with
Sarv sir and Jaydeep sir. Trust me, we were lucky we got the chance to hear them sing. So, with these tiny chit chats
and popping up of snacks, we were coming closer to Nainital each passing second. Standing near the train doors, with
the cold breeze brushing against my skin was surely a treat. Wow, I learned to find happiness and adjust in any
circumstances. Behind the faade of inconvenience, lies true happiness and bliss.
Fast forward! We travelled for two days straight. After changing of trains and eagerly waiting at a few platforms, we
arrived at the Kathgodam Station. I climbed up the bus half awake and shivering, looking
forward to Nainital. Our hotel was called Shervaani and it was on a hilltop. We were
served with steaming hot tea, coffee, and bournvita milk as soon as we arrived. That was
certainly a big relief as it was freezing cold there. We had reached our destination, and
the hotel too was awesome! We were assigned the rooms to freshen up as a long day
waited at our doorstep.
(Day 3)
We drove to the Department Of Geography, Nainital and enhanced our knowledge about various kinds of rocks found
in Nainital; their formation, occurrence etc. We also visited a museum which had ample of rocks. All the rocks wed

Kumaon Himalayas Trip-Reflection

Anuja Davda

been studying about in school seemed to be there. We read about each rock
and clicked photographs of the specimens. It was great learning like this.

In the evening, we went for shopping in the local Tibetian market. We met
local people there and interacted with them. This was when we came face to
face with the local flavor of the city. We navigated through the streets all by
ourselves, divided into groups of four. We had decided to meet at Ghoda
Chowk near Naini lake in the evening. We slowly gained confidence and
roamed about the market area by ourselves. I even had my first experience
bargaining, without any help from my mom. Also, I learnt time management.
We had to finish everything up so that we could reach on the desired time.
finally, we were back at the hotel. All of us were exhausted. Delicious food was waiting for us as usual.(yes, mouth
watering dishes were a specialty of Shervani) We wandered around the hotel, exploring the place which was going to
be like our home for four more days. Then, the group representatives were called to assign the final rooms keeping in
mind everyones wishes. Through this, I learnt to collaborate and be a good listener, and learnt how to find a middle
way so that unnecessary arguments can be avoided. After coming up with the plan with which everyone seemed
contended, we were handed over the keys. We all shifted into our new rooms happily. Tired as I was, I enjoyed a
peaceful sleep.
(Day 4)
I got up early. Now was the time for some action! We were going for
trekking the tiffin top. Sir filled us with excitement, enthusiasm and energy.
I was going great, climbing right in the front. There were huge boulders for
us to walk on, and sir told us that the boulders were so that the horses can
climb up easily. Gradually as we were ascending, I started to feel exhausted
and began lagging behind. I almost wished I had a horse. But I reminded
that my goal was to reach the top successfully and I could do it. That
instilled confidence and energy within me and I made it! The view from the
top was surely worth the hard work. Beautiful mountains, and the sun sitting
elegantly among them, casting a red glow in the sky. And moreover, another
interesting part, THERE WAS MAGGI! My friends and I quickly ordered the maggi but we had to be very patient as
there were many customers already. It was a hard wait, but when it arrived, all of us ate merrily, simultaneously
enjoying the magnificent view. I took care I dont eat too much because we even had to climb down. Then, Jaydeep sir
made an interesting announcement. He said we had to climb down all by ourselves without any guidance from either
of the teachers. And let me tell you, the way could get pretty confusing. If you didnt be careful, BAM! And youre
lost in an unknown city. But I decided to be positive and enjoying ourselves and simultaneously being careful about
the way, we all climbed down successfully and reached the hotel. I felt totally washed out and found the lunch very
welcoming. After that, I went in my room, freshened up, and decided to lie down for a bit. My friends did the same,
some even fell asleep the moment they touched the comfy bed.
After resting, we went to roam about in the hotel garden which had swings, slides and
various kinds of flowers. It seemed so pacific. In the evening, we had to go boating. I
was excited. But by the time we reached there, I was shivering badly and there was this
strange ringing in my ears. Maybe it was motion sickness, but I felt tired without
actually doing anything. We climbed down our tempo and stood by the lake. The
excitement for boating had completely drained out of me. I just wanted to go my room,
switch on the heater, and sleep. But, however, one view at the lake and full of energy
again! It was brilliant, and I surely would not want to regret missing an amazing boat
ride right in the middle of lake. My friends seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and so we decided to go for it.
To my own surprise, I chose to pedal. And after a couple of minutes, there I was, not wanting to leave the middle of
this lake ever. Seriously, if I hadnt gone in for the boating, I would have regretted it. This taught me that we should

Kumaon Himalayas Trip-Reflection

sense a good opportunity and never miss out on it just because of merely small
obstacles on our way. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Anuja Davda

(Day 5)
As per our plan the day before, we were supposed to climb the China Peak on day
5. But due to lack of time we settled for Himalayan Darshan. The day was cold. It
had been four days in Nainital and Id already managed to catch cold. My feet ached because of the trek the previous
day. So basically, I thought I was in no condition to go for any sort of trekking that day. However, despite the fact I
just mentioned, I was quite enthusiastic. I wanted to go and trek. I hadnt come all the way to this beautiful city to
cuddle up in a bedroom; Though that seemed like a friendlier counsel.
Finally, after this dilemma, desire won over worries as it usually happens
with me. I gulped a lemolate down my throat to help my health
cooperate efficiently. We started off. The trek pretty much seemed like a
walk. Contrastingly, I was finding it difficult to handle it. My throat
pained, legs ached, and the cold wasnt doing any good. The hotel
beckoned to me, inviting me into the warmth of the thick blanket. My
friends, worried, insisted on the same. Therefore, I decided to think
logically and went on to ask Sarv Sir for the permission so that I could
retreat to the hotel. Instantly, he gave me that frowning look. It actually
made me feel like I had disappointed him. Suddenly, energy surged
within me. I felt like I could run miles. That moment was priceless. Motivating myself, I persistently continued
walking. I reached the top in time, and the view was truly fascinating. The air smelled of satisfaction from this
personal yet significant achievement.
I learnt that it is easy to give up. But what is matters is overcoming obstacles and being courageous in your own way.
(Day 6)
I was excited, because we were finally going to Corbett. There was a long journey ahead of us, accompanied by
interesting milestones like the ranikhet golf course. It was vast, and full of trees. We had noticed the vegetation
change. As we moved closer towards Corbett, our next destination, the vegetation was changing from deciduous to
coniferous. We walked through the golf course, clicked photographs and observed the coniferous trees carefully.
Then, we were back in our tempo, continuing our journey to Corbett.
This journey taught me to find entertainment in boring times. We discussed on various topics and it was fun as well as
knowledgeable.
(Day 7)
We had reached Corbett and checked into our hotel. Right then, we were at
the Corbett museum, and it was not at all boring. I personally found it
interesting, describing the history of Corbett national park, along with
interesting wildlife specimens. Photography was prohibited, so I had to
restrain myself from breaking the rules.
After feeding my mind with a good amount of history, we were off to visit
the Garjia Devi temple. There was a river at the back of the temple, or more
precisely, the temple itself was on the river. We later found out it was river
Cosy. A couple of friends and I were too pumped up for taking a dip in the river. Besides, there was a HUGE line at
the temple. In my opinion, it doesnt matter where the prayer is done; it only matters if it is done with purity of the
soul. So we prayed to the goddess, and went straight off to the river.

Kumaon Himalayas Trip-Reflection

Anuja Davda

Personally, while trying to reach a huge rock that sat in the middle of the river, I fell 3
times on the way. But I didnt want to give up. This trip itself had taught me this
thing over and over again that I shouldnt be missing out on opportunities and
experiences. So I fell down, I got up and walked again. Ultimately, I reached the rock
and sat there with water all around me. It felt great.

Back at the hotel, a river passed through the back of it. Our main agenda was to learn
about fluvial geomorphology. Sarv sir explained us everything, giving suitable
examples as the river was right before
our eyes. The river flow, meandering,
current flow, types of load, types of
erosion was what we learned. At first,
this one seemed a bit risky but then with the help of our friends we
managed. Due to the flow being more, we were unable to cross it and
were told to return. It was an amazing experience staying in the middle of
the river and looking at the mountains and trees that surrounded us. We
then got out and walked through the welcomingly warm sand, back to the hotel for freshening up.
(Day 8)
This was the day when it dawned upon me that the trip is going to end soon. Thatwas going to be our last day at
Corbett as we had to board the train the same day. The realization brought a patch of sadness along with it. I shook off
the sadness and thought that I should live in the present, enjoying the
amazing day that was awaiting me. Besides, we still had the train journey
back to Rajkot!
The last day at Corbett was all about jungle safari. We started off with the
hope to see a tiger, with fingers crossed. We hoped till the last minute, but
very unfortunately for us, it was bad luck. We didnt spot a single tiger.
Instead, we saw some deer, snakes, and elephant poop. But out of all the
things this trip taught me, the most important was being positive. I couldnt
afford to ruin this legendary experience of Nainital trip just because we
didnt get to see a tiger. Better luck next time!
(Day 9 & 10)
It was midnight, and we were at Murdabad Station. We were informed that our train was going to be later by around
two hours, but winded up waiting for seven hours. We practically spent the whole night in the waiting room. I initially
wasnt able to sleep, but eventually ended up dozing off. Patience was the key here. In the morning at around six
oclock when the teachers found the train was further late, they went to fetch us some snacks and drinks. In spite of
being exhausted by waiting outside the waiting room in less friendly conditions, the teachers thought about us being
hungry. I was really grateful to them for this. To our relief, the train arrived shortly after that. It was now very easy to
climb up on it in a matter of seconds. Just ten days before, the thought of boarding a train like that had scared me.
Now here I was, boarding the train calmly, waving bye to Murabad Station, and not the trip. The trip wasnt over yet!
I was sure train journey was going to be legend-wait for it-dary. Legendary!
No one can steal those lovely moments of joy we had here. The project based learning we imbibed here. The life
changing experiences we had here. Kumaon Himalayas, youll be remembered by me through the years.