I had imagined this… Up until I came here, I didn’t know I would live this experience. Sitting in a cool breeze, watching the Sun go down behind the clouds over a landscape of hills and valleys, while my back and butt remind me every 5 minutes that I’m sitting on rocks. Romantic I dreamt this experience would be, and as I exhale the breath I was holding in, I realize yes it is. There is romance in solitude, intermittent though it is, thanks to enthusiastic “trekkers”, and photo junkies hovering around the “Valley viewpoint”, looking for that amazing profile pic.

Yet, I’m alone. I can feel it.I’m by myself. How scary this thought was yesterday, as I almost balked at the last moment, when saying bye to my wife. Erratic patterns on clouds, outlined by the golden rays of the Sun remind me where I am now, sitting by myself connecting beyond the immediate thorns and shrubs to the valley below, and the hills beyond. Thorns and shrubs are ok, people are more visceral. Be it the bunch of boys, posing away on the nearby rock, shouting out to the valley below, or the teenage girl chuckling at the sight of an unshaven guy in night pants and floaters typing away with a grin plastered over his face. “Inshallah”, exclaim the next set of visitors, and the breathtaking beauty and the sheer vastness of the landscape generates awe in everyone. I shift my gaze to the right, and the cotton-like white clouds catch my eye. I’m reminded of whipped cream and in my mind, reach out to grab a handful from the sky. Yumm!

“Waaaaaw”, I hear from somewhere in the back and my mind races back to where I initially wanted to be… with my wife and our nieces. The moment I knew I couldn’t tag along, thanks to familial constraints, I remember the panic-stricken grief that set in… Man, I’ll miss meeting my nieces, I’ll miss having my wife around, and then the whammy – what am I gonna do this weekend? “Dude, let’s go Solo.”, said the gut. “Here’s the universe making way for your wish of travelling alone and connecting to the world around you, so take that baby step. Now!” Quick research, and a few transactions later, I was all set… destination identified, reviews read, SUV rented, accommodation booked… all in a matter of few hours (70% of which was my decision-making time)… Technology – you beauty ! Beauty that helped me experience surreality today, as I watch yellow-orange hues peeping from behind grey cotton spread over a sprawling blue canvas and bathing a silhouetted landscape. Boy ! I’ve gotto do this again !

A shard of lightning pierces through the grey silhouette, breaking the serenity for a fleeting moment. The yellows have bid adieu, and the orange streaks paint a goodbye across the now smoky canvas that’s getting ready to go to bed.

And while you’re at it, check out my Tripadvisor review of the Haritha Resort, Horseley hills, where I stayed on this solo trip.