In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
I have seen small streams, rather springs while traveling to mountains in Sikkim and also in Darjeeling when I was very young but never saw a waterfall in my life. Whenever I see pictures of waterfalls I imagine myself as a diminutive figure standing in front of the roaring water awestruck by Nature’s uninterrupted motion. So, when I came to know about the waterfall in Nainital I was delighted that finally my dream would come true.
However, when we reached the site of the waterfall the sun was about to set. I was expecting a wide-open space in front of me with the sight and sound of mighty waters flowing down the rocks. Strangely the driver stopped the car on one side of the road from where I could see rock-cut steps which disappeared into the trees and bushes along the mountain slope.
“Is this the right place?” I asked skeptically.
The driver smiled and replied, “Yes, this is the place. You follow the steps and buy tickets from the counter over there.”
I did what he said. After crossing the counter I could see a canopied walking trail, brief enough to bring me to the waterfall in a minute. And much to my astonishment I saw a narrow stream of water flowing down the cascading rock bed.
Oh God! This is what they call a “waterfall”!
It was a mixed emotion of shock, disappointment and finally amusement. Never be prejudiced when you are going to see new things or places. I scolded myself. 🙂
I stood in silence for a few moments, and then slowly stepped into the water. The cool touch of rippling waters felt awesome. The rocks were slippery with lichens all over. The pebbles in the waters sharpened from years of erosion pricked at my bare feet. Yet it was most wonderful to feel the motion of the water below my feet.
Published in response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Motion.
Footloose Forever 
loved the image and your narration moon. yes waterfalls do this to us when they are massive, roaring bringing down tons of water and when they are beautiful, foamy,gurgling and slimmer or disappointing with just a trickle of water sometimes..sigh .
Your narration made me feel the cool touch of rippling water under MY feet !
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Nice read. The feeling of soil slipping from under your feet with water current or receding waves is indeed a funny feeling.
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Absolutely! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts Somali.
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Loved your description. 🙂 I relate to your visualisation when standing in front of a waterfall! And yes, falls can sometimes be disappointing when they’re not the roaring watery beasts you expect them to be, but I love how you’ve talked about finding joy in everything you come across rather than letting disappointments interfere with your travel experience. ❤
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Thank you so much Ami for your kind appreciation and a beautiful comment. 🙂
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Nice combination – with the story, photos and description 🙂
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Thank you Teny. I am glad you liked it 🙂
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I loved the story! The photo is good… The story makes it great.. 🙂
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Looks like a beautiful place Moon Roy,. I love how green it is around it, I gotta agree, my first thought of a waterfall was a huge amount of water gushing down from a height.. I guess just like looks even words can be a bit deceiving 😀 🙂
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Yes..the place was beautiful…quiet and cool with trees all around. No complaint with that …but I was shocked at the usage of the term “waterfall” …You are right, words can be deceiving sometimes 😀
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I enjoyed your story. I like waterfalls. My favorite, I guess, would be Takakkaw Falls in the Canadian Rockies. It is over 1,000 feet high; the water comes from a melting glacier. The entire river valley looks like what it is, a remnant of the great Ice Ages when much of North America was covered in glaciers. Maybe one day you’ll visit North America and see Niagara Falls. 🙂
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Wow…that sounds a massive waterfall…did you visit Niagara too? Niagara is my dream! Read a lot about it since I was in school… 🙂
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Yes, I’ve been to Niagara Falls a couple times. It is so impressive. The volume of water going over the falls is tremendous and it creates a constant roar. It’s on the border between Canada and the US. one falls on the Canadian side and a second on the American. You’ll like it, for sure.
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