In march of 2019 I came across the pop up on Isha foundation website about the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. I had heard so much about it from my friend who went there 2 decades ago. He said it is in one end of the world with almost no resource and how difficult the entire trip was. I asked him, “why did you go there?” I still remember his reaction. He had a grin on his face & said, “you don’t know why, until you go there.”

Seeing about the same place on the website now intrigued me and attracted me so much. Few days later in my I.E class I met someone who was in the class because she wanted to be a part of the Pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. I immediately told her that I have been longing to go there too but I doubt my family will understand, firstly because I dont have a company go to with and secondly because none of them have such intentions so I don’t know how they’ll take it! She told me don’t worry ill take your responsibility, if you want to come and it is because of this small thing that you cannot come then tell them I am here with you. It felt unreal that why someone whom I just met moments ago would say this to me.

I came back home that evening and told my husband about it and he said, ok so if you have someone to go with from here then go, I know you’ve been wanting to go there! It again felt like I was living a dream. The next day I went to the class and told her that I will join the journey to mount Kailash. Two things I realised here, 1. that I was one question away from going on this trip. 2. the hell, I was going to Kailash Mansarovar!

Isha foundation has high standards in selecting individuals for this sojourn based on their medical screening. So I took all the medical test including breathing and lung test and sent my reports to Isha doctors. They approved of me & a few days later I received the list of things to carry on this trip and how to pack! It couldn’t have been easier. Thanks Isha foundation, you almost set it for all of us. Next thing was to go shopping for all the necessities, and, that were a lot! Haha! I headed to buy all the things on the list and to my luck, the person helping me at the store buy these things had been on this same trip twice in his life! I couldn’t have asked for a better day! He told me, put the list down, ill exactly give you what you should carry with you.

I came home excited with all the shopping and a wonderful piece of advice from him. He told me start wearing my trekking shoes from next day itself and walk for at least 30 minutes in them to break into them, everyday. He said, you look good to go, I don’t see why would you not be able to take this trip. I smiled. Now I was in no mood to tell him how horrible past 2 months were for me physically and mentally. I almost stopped walking because I was dizzy 24 hours! Something in me had changed already by then. I was in this state of total calm. During my meditation I could almost smell the wind from snow peaks. I would generally end my meditation in tears of gratitude & an ear to ear smile. I was still 1.5 months away from my departure to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

As the days started to near, my feelings and emotions started to get so different. I was just waiting to go. Just waiting for 8th August. I couldn’t think of anything else. I was meeting people but inside of me I was still dancing in bliss. How amazing is that? Imagine!

If you spend 2 whole months in blissful feeling imagine how wonderful your day and night would be. And now think of the fact that if the force of going to Kailash is so strong and blissful, how would it actually be to be there? Because my mate from Mumbai was going in Tamil batch no. A11 I selected the same batch as her. Uma assured me that there is no need to worry as all Tamilians speak English, so I wont be lost at all. She, in fact, told me that she wants to go in this batch so she could get her favourite food Rasam and Rice and she wouldn’t have to worry about what food they were going to serve us. As the days were nearing, I was going even more crazy with the whole thought of going to Kailash. I did not want to know from anyone who had been there recently about what to carry, what happens when you gradually go to an altitude of 17500 feet. I wanted this one to be my own experience. And it turned out even more fantastic than I had ever thought.

…to be continued