The crispness of the cold morning got the better of me as I covered myself with warm clothes. We had just celebrated what Pokhara had to offer, and now we were looking ahead towards the lap of the mountains. The cold air coming from Annapurna and Machhapuchre helped cure our hungover, tired bodies. Ghandruk was the final stop. My cousins had never been there, so they eagerly awaited what the place had to offer. For me, Ghandruk was a close friend I’d met with three times over the last three years. But each time, the place had something new to offer.

 

After we bid adieu to the hustle and bustle of Pokhara, we were soon greeted by a beautiful landscape leading us all the way to the mountains. A few sections of roads were being constructed, so we blocked out the dust by closing all the windows in our vehicle. The car would jerk harshly, pushing the passengers inside in all directions. The windows were down again when the road eased a bit. There was always a friendly banter about who got to sit in the window seat, as the lucky one could roll down the window and greet the undiluted air. When my turn came, I peeked my head out and put my arm at rest, and grasped the landscape unfolding before me. Peculiar-looking houses stood before me for a moment, and in an instant, they were left behind. But something that always followed was the breezy wind. As it collided with my body, my mind was put at ease.

 

As the car started to climb uphill, we knew the mountains weren’t far. But with time, we were proven wrong. The dusty road went on and on, there was no end in sight. We were exhausted from the travel, and our patience was slowly waning. We stopped by a large waterfall. My fellow traveller decided to leave the boredom behind and have a quick shower there. I wandered about and saw something that was life-affirming. There was an unused concrete pipe placed on the side of the road. The water flowing from the waterfall constantly fell on top of it, and the force of the water created a hole in the concrete. My mind caught that immediately, and it was right there that I learned the importance of persistence. If water, gradually and softly, can break concrete, then why can’t we achieve our goals by doing the same? If we persist and stick to our plans, then any dream is attainable, for even something as strong as concrete loses the battle with persistence.