Paths Cross Again?

Walking on our own into future, our paths crossed

In hesitation we spoke not knowing where this rendezvous would last?

The trust in your voice and the honesty in my smile paved the bridge for us to cross over

Our stories weaved a beautiful nest; our visions when shared, gave it a new zest

And our humor made the stream water giggle with flow

Danced did we in our own conversations filled with nothingness, meaning and sometimes silence to cherish

We walked a while together, giving glimpses of our two worlds

And then in the next steep lane, opinions set in and judgments took over

Silence took over a different meaning as the conversations became a rarity

Doubts set in and expectations took seed

And before we knew our paths diverged and before we knew we were walking alone all over again

Why do judgments have to have a place? Why do distances have to be travelled and bridged?

Why do we have to lead anywhere?

 Why can’t we just wander? Why is drifting an option when the dance can be of a togetherness story to share?

Now as I walk with all these questions,have  left the paths to chance to cross over

I wonder will the dance of conversations will ever start again. And will there be a journey together from nothingness to nothingness with just love to behold?

A trip to North Wales – Snowdonia

For me trips are about meeting people , understanding the culture and connecting with people. For the April Spring holiday in UK I happened to visit snowdonia suggested by a friend. The trip started with the train journey to Bangor. On the train, it was mostly families getting together for Easter. Chatted with a young lad and his aunt for a brief period. The lad spoke welsh as he studied in wales and explained to me and friend how to pronounce certain Welsh words and how are ‘ll’ , ‘ch’ pronounced. It was useful tip to understand welch. How do you know when you are in wales ? You would know when you start reading English alphabets on station name plates but your mind refuses to comprehend and form a word. When you feel the irritation and confusion for not being able to pronounce then you know you are at a wales station J !!... At least that’s how I figured out !!...

From Bangor to llanberis , took a bus from the outside the Bangor station . The next bus was not until 30-45 mins so ended up chatting with a smart Irish college professor from London who had packed different kinds of shoes for walking , running and climbing. Since he had been to llanberis he offered us to show around the place once we get down. 

The journey up to llanberis was fun , thanks to the Irish guy and also the bus driver who actually dropped off people till their houses !!...  And people got off from the bus wherever they liked J !!.. It reminded me of Bihar where people pull the chains to stop the train at their convenient places. The bus driver stopped his bus near a stationery car and chatted with the car lady driver for good five minutes before proceeding. I realized people just travelled with time, went with the flow and time is not a scarcity at all. I simply loved it because I was on vacation too with no hurry to reach my destination but after good 30 mins for 9 miles finally reached Llanberis.

Llanberis is a small village at the foot of snowdonia with a small road just passing off as the high street.  The hotel that we stayed was a very local B&B with a lot of welsh flavor to it!!.. The hotel manager dint ask for the payment upfront but said we can pay as we check out. That was the trust locals showed in the tourist which I simply loved.

The next morning I went for an early morning walk by the lake at Llanberis and happened to chat with a local who was canoeing to practice for a boat race. I asked him why are there no fishes in the lake to which he responded that the quarrying activities on the mountains has chemically polluted the water and no fish survive. I was completely heartbroken on hearing this as the lake surroundings were so pretty and serene and may be in next decade or so this beautiful landscape would change as we human beings mess up with the eco systems for our own greed . That conversation with the local guy is still lingering in my head and feels a pang in my heart every time I remember it.

Now , was the time to climb the mountain. Went up to 2 pit stops as my friend gave up even before starting the walk !!... On the way up to the mountain saw families carrying their kids on their back . Some kids were as young as 1-2 years old and I simply loved the enthusiasm and determination of the family to do that . Met Americans , Europeans and also Indians on the way up. All cheering and encouraging each other. Helping , cracking jokes . All nobodies just without language come together to achieve one common goal to climb the Snowdon Mountain. The human spirit is awesome , splendid and that what I have carried back from this trip along with a nice even tan J !!