First job, first trip to the mountains…
It’s been exactly a month for me since I joined this strangely named company called “Freekaamaal”.
29th August it was when I first came here, and 29th September it was when a bus loaded with all the Freekaamaal employees embarked on this journey to “Ranikhet”
When I first heard of this place, I wondered why it is called Ranikhet. Well, there is a story behind it, which you can google, as I did the same.
Let’s get back to the trip…
Being an introvert, I barely communicated with anyone in this one month that I have spent in the office. But the trrrippp…
I must say it was a completely different experience. The Workaholics at the office can be such Party-holics on the trip, I didn’t expect!
It was almost 1:30 at night when our bus boarded for this trip to the mountains. Started with a bang, we played some exciting, fun-filled games while being on the bus. After singing and dancing for hours, we finally decided to have some sleep. What a crazy night it was…
Woke up to these soft cold winds, coming inside from the window, carrying a mild woodsy fragrance of the greenery around, felt so pure and natural on my skin. I remember how I gasped so hard to let the smell go deep inside my body.
I looked outside the window and instantly fell in love with the view. “This divine beauty of nature!”, I must say “God was being so creative when he created this place”. The sky high mountains touching the clouds, giving our bus a very thin path on the edges to move. The big pine trees, and a rocky river named “Kosi” flowing through the mountains, added their bit to make this place feel like heaven.
I could not decide how to absorb this beauty inside me. Meanwhile, my friend, who was sitting right beside me, got so scared of the height that we had to stop the bus in the middle of the road. Anyway, we consoled him somehow…
We came closer to the destination by now.
We came closer to the destination by now. Round and round, up above the ground, chasing the clouds, while companioning the mountains around, we finally reached our destination…
And finally, here it was, the “High Five Cottage”. This tiny cottage was built on the edge of a mountain, approximately 1,650 ft above sea level.
Someone so sweet welcomed us there. It was Daisy, the owner’s pet dog. This playful furry creature instantly became my friend.
We were allotted our rooms, well furnished, warm and cozy. I had a bath. It was almost 12 at noon, and my tummy was making noises out of hunger, exactly when we were called to the kitchen. Lunch was served. Believe me, a simple “Daal-Chawal and Fulka” never tasted this delicious. Maybe, it was because of the view…
My hunger pangs calmed down; I stood up from my table to return back to the room, that exact moment, I saw a bookshelf in the corner, “My Favorite Spot”, my heart shouted. I literally ran towards it. The books there were quite familiar: The Invisible Man, Three men in a Boat, The story of my life by Hellen Keller, and all these novels that I have read in my school. Don’t know why, but I somehow manage to see these books wherever I go. Sometimes I feel that they are following me…
I know, it’s weird!
Anyway, I came back to my room and sat on the bed. The mattress was so soft that the moment I laid on it, I slept.
Around 7:30 in the evening, I heard the sound of music. Came out of my room, and to my surprise, what I saw there was a group of my office people, packed and puffed in their warmest jackets, gathered around a bonfire lit up in the middle of the ground outside the cottage. I spotted my writer friends, went there and sat beside them.
I could smell the yummy snacks and drinks served at the corner, just when our boss decided to play a game. Starting with the musical chair, we played a number of games the whole night. Sung and danced our hearts out; that was a night to remember.
The next day, we went for an outing to a waterfall, where we encountered some wild monkeys and these weird-looking pear-shaped, worm-like creatures called leeches.
I think leeches like humans a lot, because they get stuck so tightly to each one of us that we finally have to escape this place.
Anyway, the day was followed by an award ceremony at night when the employees were given recognition for their hard work and dedication to the company. After that, the party started…
Everyone stood up till late that night showing their unique talents to their colleagues. I must say, we have got quite a number of artists in the office.
All those people whom I used to see as strangers before the trip happened, became such close friends of mine.
The next morning when I woke up, I tried to absorb as much as I could of this place inside me because it was the time to say goodbye.
I think Daisy, too, somehow felt it. She was looking at me with gloomy eyes, as if she didn’t want me to go. I spent a good amount of time with her in these two days. I remember how she used to sit beside me, wanting me to glide my hands through her furry skin.
Though, she came with us till the bus. I gave her a warm hug and went inside.
Hope, I’ll see you again..
Goodbye!