Not Yet

Not yet.

Leaving a place always starts the night before. On the way back we negotiated with the driver about the next day. The plan was Manali. We had initially planned to take a bus but the route options and timings did not work out, so we settled for a cab. The day was not done yet, and honestly, we were not done with it either.

Back at the hotel, we did a quick refresh. But we could not sit still, not even after the rugged Tosh trek and the market stroll. We were somehow fresh, with energy still to burn. The light was still there too, about an hour before sunset, and we wanted to spend it by the café area. So we started walking again, the same route down to the river.

There were more people now — peak hour. The hanging bridge was busy with tourists and locals passing by. As the golden hour settled in, our minds were rushing to get the pictures, try the local food, and also get back before dark. We were on foot and having to trek up to a main road at night was not something we wanted to attempt.

All of it was getting to us. And then we just stopped — put the phones back in our pockets, walked closer to the water, found a rock and sat by it to watch the sunset. After a point, clicking pictures for Instagram did not matter anymore. Getting back to the hotel was going to be a problem, but we would figure that out.

We just sat there. A few minutes in, a couple of puppies appeared and hopped onto me. Sweetest surprise. They were playful, full of energy. After a brief play session we decided to try the food stalls nearby. Naviin ordered siddu, a local dish we had been seeing on posters throughout Kasol. I am not someone who comfortably tries new cuisines. Comfort food is always my preference. Naviin is the opposite. He says food is a significant part of people's lives and tasting is the best way to experience a culture. For him it is a non-negotiable part of travelling. Ever since I started travelling with him, I have learnt to widen my choices and keep the options open.

All the free will philosophies vanished the moment the sun went down. We ate like people who were about to miss the last bus out, stepped up our pace, and were almost running. The mountains go dark fast. We saw that for real that evening. By the time we trekked up and reached the road, it was completely dark. Pitch dark. No shops, no people, just cars passing every now and then, each one startling us a little. We switched on our phone flashlights and kept walking. After about two kilometres in the dark, we reached where we were staying.

As we came down towards the hotel, all the places nearby were lit up, music playing and soaking into the night.

We had just stepped in and were heading to the room when the little girl came running out of nowhere. I was exhausted — a full day of non-stop trails and the night walk had taken the last of it. She was running towards me and I genuinely could not tell if it was a happy moment or not. I looked around for her parents with mild panic. They were at a distance, having coffee, doing their couple thing. By the time I had processed all of this, she had already grabbed my hand and was dragging me along to play.

I could not say no. But I also did not have a single unit of energy left. I could barely stand. Naviin, by this point, had quietly disappeared into the room without the slightest intention of saving me.

I played with her, waiting for the right moment to ease out. After a while her parents came over to say hi and I took the opportunity to tell them it had been a long day. Even then she was not ready to let me go. I consoled her and promised I would be back shortly. And I kept that promise.

I was completely drained and wanted to fall straight into bed. But I did not want to disappoint her. I freshened up and went back out. After a while the temperature continued to drop. Her parents had to take her inside so she would not fall ill.

The music was playing loudly and the campfire spot was empty. I called Naviin and we went and sat by it. Just when we thought we finally had a moment to ourselves, another baby demanded our attention. A fur baby this time. It stood nearby, let us pet it, then started signalling very clearly that it wanted us in on a game of fetch. The happy problem of privacy being breached by babies. We had not seen that coming.

We found a pebble and threw it. He was back with it immediately. We pretended not to notice. He lasted a few seconds before putting his paw on Naviin and forcing the issue.

No more couple time after that. We both got up and played with him for a while. Nearly twenty thousand steps in, shoes still on, legs hurting, and this guy had absolutely no intention of leaving us alone. We tried to hide. It did not take him long at all to sniff us out. Looking after human babies and fur babies is not so different.

We gave the responsibility of the fur baby to one of the hotel staff and had our dinner. He chose to sleep by our table while we ate. As the night dissolved minute by minute, I wanted to freeze the moment, or at least extend the time here. We would be moving towards the next destination in the morning.

There was still some night left and I was not ready to waste it indoors. We sat talking with the hotel staff until there was nothing left to say. By then it was late enough that going to sleep felt like the right thing to do.

Leaving a place always starts the night before. It had started already.