LOVE LAUGH TRAVEL

COUNT ON ME

The train dropped us at the station and then the rest of the journey was set on bus. I sat with Laura, practically snatching the window seat. Behind us sat, Sean and Zach while Bianca and Caleb occupied the last seat. I looked out of my window and for a moment my breath stopped. Long gone were the green mountains, we were welcomed by a huge expanse of pure white lamina. The edges of the road had snow that ran along the entire path. I was grinning like a small kid. There were a few green mountains that stood prouder than ever. I tried to peep through the window and saw a river running along. Its edges splashing at the shore but it grew calmer with it's never ending width. The air was colder than ever and vapours came out of our mouth in the morning. The sky was clearer with the warmth of golden sun. A few locals smiled at us, students in uniforms waved and we waved back at them. Local shops selling sweaters, clothes, food, vendors selling vegetables and fruits, small cottage houses were build along the edges and some houses were beyond my understanding as to how they practically hung in the middle of the mountain. Sheep, wild dogs and other hilly animals roam around here and there while their owners were covered in layers of clothing. We passed cheap resorts, expensive hotels and farm houses; it was exactly how I imagined this place to be. Beautiful, welcoming, bright, cheerful the list can go on and on if I start to describe this place. I turned around and saw Laura who too took in this environment with awe. I checked my phone, all the bars were down and my happiness was exceeding all the bars.

"I am blown!!!!!!!!!!!!" I could hear Zach speaking to himself and I couldn't agree any less with him. Mom would have loved this place. My smile was not growing smaller and my cheeks were starting to hurt but I couldn't get enough of this heaven.

Initially I was, like any normal person, planning to stay in a hotel but now all the plans have changed. I am going on a proper group trek with fifteen other students. It was all Laura's plan, to include me with them and all the guys were pretty much happy to be joined by my company. The plan is that-

Tomorrow they are going to meet Josh Sander, a tour guide. He's bringing other fifteen trekkers with him; we are going to join them in the trek. So my rest of the trip is going to be spend in tents with fifteen anonymous people, sitting around bonfires and eating canned food. And to be honest, I couldn't be more excited about it. The payment to Josh would be settled tomorrow because I've enough money to pay his fees, I've nothing to worry about. I never thought in a million years that of all the people that have come and gone in my life Sean, Laura, Caleb, Zach and Bianca will ever come under the heading of friends and now here I am sitting right next to Laura and will be with them for the next 14 days. Can anything be more unexpected? Even flying pigs could have been considered as normal but a geek like me with people like them, heaven forbid if Linda finds out that Sean was sitting right behind me, she's gonna murder me for real.

We pulled up in front of 'Heaven Resorts'. Unloading all our stuff we checked into two rooms, we were so tired that my eyes were shutting themselves up. After taking the key to our room me, Bianca and Laura just jumped on the bed in awkward position and the last thing I know is something warm being pulled over me and the sound of door being closed. The sleep was sweeter than any sugar and warmer than any known substance. It was one of the most comforting sleeps of my life.

I woke up, wide eyed and fresh like morning grass. I looked at the alarm and found it to be 10:30 in the morning. We arrived at the hotel at six in the morning. Laura and Bianca were practically snoring, rubbing my eyes, I analysed the entire situation and then I realised that I was on vacation and not at home. But instead of feeling home sick I felt relieved and calm. Getting off the bed I took in my surroundings. The room was lavish, to say the least. It was all golden and pink. The wall of the room was painted baby pink, the wall behind the king sized bed had a huge portrait of racing horses. The furniture was all golden. There was an extra sofa with a glass table in front of it, a mirror that was large enough to examine yourself carefully, there was table placed in front of it that had a huge vase of peonies. Beside the bed was also a small table with telephone, lamp and another vase of roses. There was an attached bathroom, sneaking in it looked less like a bathroom but a spa to me. The tub was larger than any I've seen till now, there were so many pipes were so complicated that at once I felt that rather than opening it I was rather breaking it.