When we set out for Shaali Tibba from Shimla early morning on March 5th, we had intended to reach the foothills near Khatnol by 11 am, thereby giving ourselves a good 6 hours to enjoy the trek. Out of sheer habit, we kept looking out the window and letting many wandering trails wander on without us, letting many a Rhododendron tree in full bloom pass by without stopping to admire it, and in general wanting to stop to smell the pines but never doing so.

But then this brook happened. We were at the bottom of a little valley at a place called Thaila, driving across a little bridge before the drive up  towards Gulthani and Khatnol. But that brook just quietly went about its meandering way and it looked so peaceful and joyful in its solitude that I just had to go chat it up. And here’s how the conversation went.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.