We set off early on the 30th of January from school. We took a different route, and reached our stop. We trekked up to our little hut quicker than we had anticipated. It was an enjoyable climb up! We had a lovely lunch and rested for a bit. We then went for a walk. We saw the pepper trees, countless lemon plantations and had a great time hogging on ‘imli’, better known as tamarind. The stream we went to was pretty, and one of our group members fell in! We followed him with numerous splashes, and had an insane time in our make shift, natural water park. Drenched, and our hunger for fun fulfilled, we were shown some very interesting tubers. These tubers are marked by tall stalks and yellow leaves, and are quite a favorite among the natives. They have to dig to get them out, sometimes even up to 5-6 feet deep! We returned back to our lodgings and dried up.

We then began to tackle our so-ex work with gusto. Our job was to uproot the delicate silk cotton plants, and replant them into small bags. We divided the work and didn’t rest until all the bags we had were full. Muddy and tired, we cleaned up and lit the fire. That was a very special night, one that will stay with me forever. Our talented teachers and students sang and played the guitar, while the rest of sat there in complete inner tranquility. It was fun, and we sang along to songs we knew, or just listened to the others play or sing. The dinner we had was amazing, and we also had those cooked tubers. It was a beautiful night, and we sat there in the light of the waning moon watching the dying embers. We slept well that night, peacefully.

We awoke the next day to coffee, and the promise of another amazing trek. We walked along the fields, and entered the forest. We saw many instances of carnivorous trees enveloping others. We even saw one or two of the squirrels. We saw this huge tamarind tree, and Mr. Matthew scaled it with barely any trouble. I followed, and two more after me. Coming down was the harder problem! Then we reached a beautiful water fall, where I managed to bonk my head to the bottom of the stream in attempt to dunk my face in! We continued our walk after that, and took an alternate path to the camp. I went back to the river after that with a friend, and reflected on life. A place as serene and in the heart of nature makes you sit and think, and that was exactly what we ended up doing. Such education is necessary for the overall development of an individual, as it is these random moments of sudden insights that play a part in us deciding what we want to do with our life, and understand its worth. We returned, had a quick brunch, packed and left. We ran the whole mountain path in about 6 minutes! We were really thrilled. We clambered on the bus, and reached school. It was an amazing trip, and it as sure as hell isn’t going to be my last! .