You can read Part one here.
For the next day's stay we had chosen a nature resort called Camp Noel. Situated away from the main town, the resort is a set of pretty bungalows nestled amidst beautiful mountains and tea estates. The ride to the resort itself is an off road adventure but our adventure began well before that. We reached a place called 'top station' from where we were supposed to call the resort to get directions. As luck would have it, the place was completely mist covered, the roads were slushy and our mobiles lost signal. There were three men huddled around a fire, making tea. One drunk man from that lot had a BSNL mobile that miraculously still worked and he offered to call the resort and direct us there. We accepted both tea and help from him and he came with us until a certain point from where we were able to go on our own. Mist covered mountains, rain, mobiles with no signal and a drunk man for company! I shudder if I think of it today but on that day, we were both cool as a cucumber :)
By the time we reached the resort, it was already dark and the place looked extremely eerie. Our place of stay was a two bed room bungalow with just fireplaces for giving warmth - no heaters. Somehow in all that darkness and quiet, all the people looked so scary and shady and our footsteps sounded like thunder on the wooden flooring. I threw a fit and decidedly told the husband that I was scared to death and we should vacate first thing the next day morning. And for some strange reason, he was highly amused. Hmph .. Men!! Another newly wed couple came to visit us in our cottage sometime later and were having very similar experiences. With them, the wife was actually threatening to sleep in the reception!
After a very restless night, morning dawned and ... Camp Noel transformed into the most beautiful place I have ever seen!
As we sat at the doorstep in the morning, the beauty of the lush green lawns, the randomly situated cottages and the highlight - a huge mountain filled with tall trees as a backdrop completely took over our senses. We sat there for both morning and evening tea, talking and getting to know more of each other. Those moments will be fond memories for ever.
We also went for a trek in the nearby tea estate. The views were beautiful and encouraged by the friendly estate workers, we tried our hands at cutting tea leaves too!
The food in the resort was really good and personalized. You could ask for what you wanted even if it was outside the menu. As part of our package, they had arranged a candlelight dinner that night in our cottage. It was so dark and we could hardly figure out the dishes in each bowl. The husband actually ended up eating chapathi with curd rice instead of the intended side dish! Post dinner, we spent some time chatting near the fire and then called it a day.
Next morning, it was time to leave and head home. We stopped at random scenic spots on the way back.
With the trip coming to an end, I started thinking of all that lay ahead. This was honeymoon after all, but how was real life going to be? Will we be such good friends always or were we simply being nice like two new people who had just gotten to know each other. Will time fade out all the charm and will we start bickering, nit pricking and get bored?
The answer so far is a big resounding No!! We are still the best of friends - beyond the disagreements we sometimes have, beyond the idiosyncrasies that each find in the other, beyond the small everyday irritations that we unfailingly fling at each other :) One of the many people we met soon after our wedding had told us 'Enjoy while the magic lasts'! Then what about the time thereafter, which is the rest of our lives? Is it impossible to enjoy married life once the 'just married' phase ends?
I think the secret lies in never allowing everyday humdrum and the wheel of monotonous daily activities to eat up life. Even in the midst of running the household, going to work everyday and raising children, we should take the time to sit in the balcony to watch the sunset together, cook a special meal and enjoy it, do the small things that the other person values and watch them get happy over it. We must encourage and support each other to pursue individual interests, try out and enjoy activities that the other person likes, travel and explore new places. I strongly feel it is up to each of us to consciously maintain the freshness in our relationships.
So rather than 'Enjoy while the magic lasts', I would say - Make the magic work forever!!
For the next day's stay we had chosen a nature resort called Camp Noel. Situated away from the main town, the resort is a set of pretty bungalows nestled amidst beautiful mountains and tea estates. The ride to the resort itself is an off road adventure but our adventure began well before that. We reached a place called 'top station' from where we were supposed to call the resort to get directions. As luck would have it, the place was completely mist covered, the roads were slushy and our mobiles lost signal. There were three men huddled around a fire, making tea. One drunk man from that lot had a BSNL mobile that miraculously still worked and he offered to call the resort and direct us there. We accepted both tea and help from him and he came with us until a certain point from where we were able to go on our own. Mist covered mountains, rain, mobiles with no signal and a drunk man for company! I shudder if I think of it today but on that day, we were both cool as a cucumber :)
By the time we reached the resort, it was already dark and the place looked extremely eerie. Our place of stay was a two bed room bungalow with just fireplaces for giving warmth - no heaters. Somehow in all that darkness and quiet, all the people looked so scary and shady and our footsteps sounded like thunder on the wooden flooring. I threw a fit and decidedly told the husband that I was scared to death and we should vacate first thing the next day morning. And for some strange reason, he was highly amused. Hmph .. Men!! Another newly wed couple came to visit us in our cottage sometime later and were having very similar experiences. With them, the wife was actually threatening to sleep in the reception!
After a very restless night, morning dawned and ... Camp Noel transformed into the most beautiful place I have ever seen!
 |
| Camp Noel nestled amidst green mountains |
As we sat at the doorstep in the morning, the beauty of the lush green lawns, the randomly situated cottages and the highlight - a huge mountain filled with tall trees as a backdrop completely took over our senses. We sat there for both morning and evening tea, talking and getting to know more of each other. Those moments will be fond memories for ever.
We also went for a trek in the nearby tea estate. The views were beautiful and encouraged by the friendly estate workers, we tried our hands at cutting tea leaves too!
 |
| Panorama of the tea estate we trekked |
The food in the resort was really good and personalized. You could ask for what you wanted even if it was outside the menu. As part of our package, they had arranged a candlelight dinner that night in our cottage. It was so dark and we could hardly figure out the dishes in each bowl. The husband actually ended up eating chapathi with curd rice instead of the intended side dish! Post dinner, we spent some time chatting near the fire and then called it a day.
Next morning, it was time to leave and head home. We stopped at random scenic spots on the way back.
 |
| An elephant family grazing lazily. Just the day before, we had walked on the same lawn. The sight of these animals in that very place sent chills down my spine. What if, they had turned up then!! |
With the trip coming to an end, I started thinking of all that lay ahead. This was honeymoon after all, but how was real life going to be? Will we be such good friends always or were we simply being nice like two new people who had just gotten to know each other. Will time fade out all the charm and will we start bickering, nit pricking and get bored?
The answer so far is a big resounding No!! We are still the best of friends - beyond the disagreements we sometimes have, beyond the idiosyncrasies that each find in the other, beyond the small everyday irritations that we unfailingly fling at each other :) One of the many people we met soon after our wedding had told us 'Enjoy while the magic lasts'! Then what about the time thereafter, which is the rest of our lives? Is it impossible to enjoy married life once the 'just married' phase ends?
I think the secret lies in never allowing everyday humdrum and the wheel of monotonous daily activities to eat up life. Even in the midst of running the household, going to work everyday and raising children, we should take the time to sit in the balcony to watch the sunset together, cook a special meal and enjoy it, do the small things that the other person values and watch them get happy over it. We must encourage and support each other to pursue individual interests, try out and enjoy activities that the other person likes, travel and explore new places. I strongly feel it is up to each of us to consciously maintain the freshness in our relationships.
So rather than 'Enjoy while the magic lasts', I would say - Make the magic work forever!!
