Star Trek#3

1.5.2009

May Day So Do as u may! lol..banging begins by Joy and abhijit as the first media event(read sunrise on the peaks or the pink glow as they called it) unfolds! believe it if u may..the horizon which looked clear yesterday was actually cleared by the night's rain to unfold an array of snow-capped peaks, which were lit up by the first (alright some of the first!) rays of the sun to reveal the pink glow..an unforgettable sight (unforgettable because of the ethereal beauty and also bec we revised it each morning thereafter thanks to the thundering slaps that set sounds waves running amok on our room doors each morning!) shamini and I reached the edge of the lake rubbing our eyes witnessing more clicks than google managed in years! rita sniggered at the "media men" and their untiring camera lens! jokes apart..we saw the machhipucha or fish tail mountain from which our lovely lodge derives its name. Also seen in the spectrum spectacular were nilgiri and annapurna peaks! not having stayed a day longer at the fishtail lodge was perhaps the only regret of the entire trip! (didn't feel a tenth as bad about my sunburn!) left without breaking fast (naturally we were still afraid of 15 of us missing a 15-seater flight!) lol...to board the flight to jomson! shamini relived her marlin Monroe experience! we watched encaptured as we flew alongside the Himalyas (almost capturing the same view as one of abhijit's birds!)reached jomson airport where the pleasantly cold winds reminded me shorts were not such a good idea! I fished out my overcoat likewise fished for abhijit's "Miss White from Stockholm where's the pet poodle" comments (yes I am still quite withdrawn from fishtail!) the airport was a sight to behold..surrounded by sand dunes and mountains on one side..the river at a distance and snow-capped Himalayas seemingly in the proximity! after some photo shoot, we step out to our airport transfer to jomson's only 5 star resort! "Jomson mountain resort airport shuttle" proudly hand painted across ..essentially a tractor with a wagon hooked onto it! lol..this beat the baggage claim, security checks and flight announcements hands down! we out our bags into it and decided to take on our first trek on Labour Day! :)) a ten minute climb upto the resort magnificently located atop a hill! halfway through shamini and I park ourselves on a bench and picnic with our breakfast packs. the view from the hotel was indescribable (what do u think I clicked photo for?!) twin snow capped peaks peeked into the room like next door neighbours! a lovely pool was overlooked by glass walls with peeking peaks again! slept a bit ate a lot and walked down to downtown (where else!)..hehehe..jomson downtown is perhaps 500-700m maybe a 50 odd shops and restaurants and unforgettable for the tibetan tea and dried apple, if not the german tea.."happy colour" mufflers and exorbitant communication prices (phones to India Rs. 40/m internet Rs. 10/m...reminded me of the good ol' telegraph days!) tibetan tea...stopped at a tea stall for a phone call! (shamu to aastha! aur kya?!) we ask for refreshments..rita joy and I culturally endowed souls insist on tibetan tea...smirking abhijit tries to sway us by mumbling yak buuter a couple of times in a soft, muffled voice! but we are adamant..kids choose hot chocolate (ok no one thought I was one of them till then), abhijit votes for black tea. what arrives in ceramic mugs is the perhaps the most ruthless atyachar I have subjected my taste buds to (rita of course can't stake the claim..she never did learn the yak lesson!)hehehe..ok not that bad but tibetan tea is black tea made light brown by addition of yak butter (the smell of which endears u once u have been-there-done-that) and salt! dried apple...about 80 vrieties of apple grow in marfa village downhill from jomson..we tasted only one but there is exotic stuff like apple brandy (for the grown-ups) and dried apple quite like a marshmallow (cleared 3 packets in 20 minutes!) happy-colours...my choice of bright coloured mufflers for the otherwise boringly dressed men and look how their pics (and their lives) have lit up therafter!