Sometimes it’s essential to push yourself beyond your limits…

I haven’t been keeping well for last few years, my cold and dust allergy had aggravated a lot due to various reasons. I would suffer from cough and cold every other day. I was fed up of being sick. I would get tired after climbing even two flights of stairs. I knew it was entirely foolish on my part to go for the valley of flowers trek (a 36 km walk with a 6000ft climb) still I decided to go for it simply because I wanted to do it. And I am very very happy that I decided to take the trek and completed it. The reward was awesome.

The valley was breathtaking in beauty. The springs gurgled and danced, the wind whispered in your ears, the mountains breathed, the flowers welcomed you and the trees caressed. A sip from the mountain spring took away all our tiredness after kilometers of walk. The valley still looks like a dream to me. We saw glaciers, walked in the clouds witnessed landslide and drank from the streams whose water was no less than nectar.

On our way we met a lot of people going for Hem Kund Sahib (a Sikh pilgrimage, the Gurudwara is situated at a height of 14500 ft which leaves you with a climb of 8000ft). There were all kinds of people walking, men and women, young and old, with all kinds of health. It was amazing to see what faith can do to people; middle aged ladies, who had probably never done exercise in their entire life, were climbing 8000ft on foot.

Next day we did go to Hem Kund Sahib but we took ponies as I had injured my knee the day before. On the banks of Hem Kund or Laxman Talab we found patches and patches of Bramha-kamals sprouting from the rocks. On seeing these beautiful flowers my husband uttered these words which so beautifully summarizes the Himalayas.

"It’s a place where death dwells at every step of life,
And life sprouts from every corner of death. "

I am very much thankful to my dear husband for taking me to the valley of flowers and being with me through all my craziness. It was the most wonderful holiday I ever had.