Chopal was amazing. The beauty of the place lies in the fact that it is too remote to be reached easily and comfortably; as a result of which you are able to see the real hills and the hard life it offers.

I always used to wonder on the fact as to why the people from the hills(the villagers specially) are so helpful. There was a joke that we used to share that a stranger from the hill shall skip his own bus incase you have left your luggage with him for safe keeping while you have gone to take a leak. I got the answer now. Its because in the remote hills there are not more than two houses in one hill and you can barely see people on the roads. What you can obviously do in these circumstances is to help everyone so that this help actually comes back to you when you are in dire straits. This feel actually trickels down in their hearts as well when they come down to the cities with the emotions gradually being swallowed by the concrete parasites.

So there was excellent hospitality, lots of love and affection from my friends family, a dedicated servant who refused to leave us alone even for a small trek and the usual booze and stuff. The guitar rocked and we laughed and sang and deep breath to experience that we are alive. The food was awesome with new delicacies.

The day before we left, we went for a trek for more than three hours to reach my friends orchard in a place called Cheela. It was one of the best experience of my life. The place was in one of the remotest regions with telephone and electricity but no toilets. It was all in the open something which I had never experienced before. It was brimming with marijuana leaves with the plant going upto 20 feet in height. I mean I have never seen anything as huge as that. The apple orchard which was approximately at a height of 9000 feet was guarded by two shepard dogs, Basanti and Johnny who saved their master from a bear a couple of months back. He narrated us the experience looking at Basanti while I had my gulp of whisky and a drag of the cream made by him a couple of months back. This was his pastime and business he told us. We chilled there till late night when the electricity went off as it rained heavily outside.

Basanti guarded our doorstep the entire night as we slept while Johnny guarded the house and his master in the next room. It was a bright new morning the next day. The early morning experience in the open at 9000 feet looking at the trees was an eye opener.