My breakaway journey

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Remember the times when people talk about just 'setting out', without any plans and what a good time they ended up having? Well in my case, I had mostly heard about this one and not actually done it. Yup, just one of those things that you always want to do but never actually end up doing.

So finally it happened when circumstances pushed me into it (which is how pretty much everything happens in my life, considering my awesomely high levels of energy and self-motivation). I had asked my boss for a FULL weekend off I think for the first time in two and a half years of working with CNN-IBN. (Oh, don't you know? Journalists actually don't have a life!) All for a trek to Naneghat with a trekking group called "Yuva Shakti" (cringe) that I and my friend Deepti had planned. As luck would have it, AFTER I had invested a thousand bucks in the sleeping bag that I was supposed to use for the night to be spent inside a cave on a hill, we learnt that the trek had been cancelled.

Damn! Why does this always happen to me? No, there is no way I'm letting this precious weekend off go waste. With these inspirational thoughts on my mind, I said, dude, let us go anyway! And guess what, the darling kindred spirit said, yes, let's go!!! (This was not even close to the impulsive decisions she could make, as I would learn on our trip.)

20th February, Saturday, 7 am.

Step outside home, to go to station and catch a train to Kalyan. Want to go back to sleep. Feeling tired already. And my co passengers on the train feel the same way, obviously. Two women sitting opposite knocking scarf covered heads against each other...made me smile!

But as we get out of the city (Ya, ok, we can argue some other time about where the city ends), I see a mist/fog has descended on the surroundings. Eyes open suddenly, as I try to make out what's outside the window bars, but its enveloped in fog. I didn't know any areas surrounding Mumbai experienced this climactic phenomenon! So that thrill of travel takes over and fatigue edges away.

I reach Kalyan station at about 8:30 and from the way the road has been dug up right outside, it seems the trek has already begun! There's something about the basic breakfast of chai and samosa at a bus stop. Reminded me of my trip to Vidarbha with college friends. Deepti is coming from Pune, so she arrives around 9. That slight logistical problem delayed our trek, so we started later than we should have. Anyway, we got into an ST bus headed towards Nagar and one sweet uncleji with a bag full of stuff shifted from his seat so that we could both sit together. Deepti later mentioned how it was so weird that we met really nice people throughout the journey. And were helped by them. Our bus conductor, a heavily bearded man with a huge teeka looked like he had walked straight out of an RSS shakha. But he too was quite nice and remembered to stop the bus for us at Naneghat, as it's not a regular bus stop. (Of course you females would get special treatment, guys would think. But still, one is thankful for it!)

Just a thought here, I think Frida Kahlo said something about living by the kindness of strangers. It is something that we have totally forgotten to do, in our lives filled with suspicion of anything or anyone we don't know much about.

As we start trekking, its already 11 am. (Again, quite late, I know.) But the great thing about my company was that for both of us it was more important to relish the small things we discovered on the way, rather than getting from point A to point B. The first thing that hits you is the silence. Being in the middle of a jungle, walking up a gravelly path, the only sounds are the crunching of dry leaves, the occasional chirping of birds and the sounds of our own voices. It is like the senses are finally getting some rest.

But the efforts required by the rest of the body more than make up for all the rest given to the senses!! And it was so hot!! We managed to come down to half our supply of water and finally collapsed under the shade of a tree. Which was another fun thing to do actually, lying on the grass beneath a tree...(At this point both of us would definitely have preferred some romantic company of the opposite sex, but then, one can't have everything...) So we settled for a rejuvenating lunch of bread with cheese and water and set off on our trek once more...only to get lost in another 15 minutes! We reached a rocky dead end, looked around in all directions for another trail, waited for some shepherds to appear, even shouted "Heeeellloooooooooo" in unison but to no avail.

SO, considering our "akeli ladki = khuli tijori status" AND the fact that we had very little water left, we said, "Aah, another time!" and retraced our steps. It was 3 by the time we reached the foot of the hill and we...were...dead!! And thirsty!! So I had the brilliant idea of taking a bus going in whichever direction at the highway, so we could get to water quickly! And as luck would have it, we got a bus going further in the direction of Nagar.

At least twenty pairs of inquisitive male eyes turned on us as we hopped on...and grew wide with shock and horror as we said "Jo bhi next stop hai wahan utaar do!" One especially concerned uncleji, who happened to be sitting right where we were standing, would not let it go. "So it is the two of you?? JUST the two of you?? So WHERE EXACTLY do you have to go??" Another uncleji sitting behind us joined in the chorus along with the bus conductor, of course. And it is then that Deepti spots a milestone that says, Malshej Ghat, 27 kms. Another brainwave! Might as well go to Malshej ghat, she said! So the first and most concerned uncleji gave us some wisdom to remember for a lifetime....

"Malshej Ghat is dangerous place....full of wild animals....and (hold your breath) Wild Males too!!!!((nod nod, leery smile, slight attempt at wink)"

(I swear to God that MADE the trip!!! But I should mention here that these uncle jis gave us their water bottles happily to finish, so once again, very kind strangers...)

As we digested this newfound knowledge...the chorus grew louder. Till I simply told the conductor, dude, we want to buy some water, eat some good lunch and take a bus back to Kalyan! So the din finally ceased...but the most concerned uncle ji was still not done...and began to say, "You see, I'm from the mediaaaaa..." to which I had to cut him off and say, so are we! And guess what, uncle ji turns out to be a fellow Network 18 employee!! He was ready to take us to his own village, if it had not been for the distance he had to travel and two girls travelling alone can be a problem and he was even carrying raw fish that he would have happily fed us, only it needed to be cooked and there was no way to do that right now and... "OK, WE WILL GET OFF HERE!!!", screamed my angelic friend. She had spotted an MTDC resort called Flamingo that she had been to before and we would have jumped off the bus in another five minutes anyway...

Fresh air! Lovely view! And uncle ji is gone from our lives! Happy-giddiness!! So we started walking this concrete pathway inside the resort, and once again, guess what?? We seem to have walked in on location at the shoot of Akshay Kumar-Aishwarya Rai starrer "Action replay!" But pet pooja came first of course and we had to rouse the cook and the receptionist and the waiter to remind them of their duties. Omelette-bread with seven up never tasted so good, I tell you!

Unfortunately Akki was gone by the time we finished our meal but we did get to see Aishwarya doing chiffon saree dance! And also hear the FAKEST laughter in the world (That would be Mrs. Bachchan again)! The security guards for the shoot turned out to be a rather sweet lot, and happily clicked our pictures "properly with the hills."

We had a short wait at the highway, got an ST bus back to Kalyan within 5 minutes. AND guess...whaaatt....bearded conductor ji with huge teeka who looks like he has come from an RSS shakha looks up at us as we enter...and grins..."Arre, aap log yahaan aa gaye??"

Truly, sometimes, the journey becomes the destination!