The car which was supposed to pick us up at 11.30 never quite showed up. But we were all so engrossed in watching Jake Black sprawling over the stage in School of Rock that we hardly realised it. Nor did we miss Saurabh and Zulfiq who had gone absconding for quite a now. The movie ends and we decide to spare to TV of our uninterrupted attention.
Saurabh and Zulfiq entered the room with sullen faces [that was when we realised they were not there this long ... sorry boys! ] We turned to them with a Will-you -tell- us- what -is-wrong look. Then the story unfolded. The cab driver who was supposed to pick us up had conveniently switched of his cellphone. S and Z , being the proactive trek organisers, had called up almost all the cab drivers in the city who were willing to oblige. And after reaching a point where there was no further hope... They thought it was time to tell us that the trek was off!
But that was not meant to be. As we were busy abusing the lethargic , careless and heartless [We all got a little sentimental about the whole thing] driver, Z's phone started wriggling in his jeans. He drew the white and blue Nokia piece out and pressed it against his ears. His lips pulled up to his ears showing off the pearly whites inside as also the diamond pierced in his goatee ! As he kept the phone , half jumping in joy , half trembling in fear [fear of the drivers who had agreed to come in the middle of the new year's first night and would now have to get " Your services are not needed Mister :P " for reply ]. Phew! Weren't We all super-excited!
The camera had already started working overtime. What with all 8 of us standing on different steps posing for the limelight ;)
Sujeeth had to throw us out of the passage area for us all to leave finally. All of us, stocked with water and torches [very very important for night treks like this one] left for the junction close to our place, where the cab had to wait for us. As soon as it arrived [which wasnt long as we had been clicking photos all the while :D] we all hopped in!
Super-excited[about the trip] and super-determined[not to fall asleep] we started off. We all sang out loud and happy as we merrily bounced in our seats. Not to mention the occasional eclairs that we popped in.
Following many a bikes , taking many a directions from Oh! so rare people on the streets, we finally reached our destination! And before we could think of jumping out of the vehicle, we were attacked by guides from all the directions who were pleading that we take them along to show the route. First we voted against it, but then thought it would be safer as no one had been here before!
We finally switched on our torches, pulled in our sweaters [it was cold if not absolutely freezing] and started wobbling behind the steady muffler-ed guide. And thus started our one-of-its-kind trek ... The road was stony and narrow. The thorny shrubs had grown on both sides of the road. We could barely see them hence what barely lay beyond them. We breathed the stars , drank the moonlight with our blinded eyes. The bushes scratched us, the climb made us warm and slowly all the sweaters started dropping off the shoulders. Their hands garlanded few of our necks and adorned the waists of the rest.
In middle of this breathtaking environment , Monika dearest was dying to grasp/snatch/lung a breath. She was panting and puffing by the time we covered 3/4th of the distance. And then started the oh-my-gaawd-i-will-die-if-i-even-move-a-inch drama!!! She wont listen to anyone. I gathered all my guts and went close to her. I whispered ,"Aap try karo, you can do it". And like an injured but excessively proud and strong lion, she pounced on me. "Tum mujhe marna chahti ho kya!!!" For a few seconds , it seemed as though the air just froze in the nostril. And suddenly from nowhere, we all burst out laughing. The lion went into the shell and declared she had breathed enough {:P} . And we continued over journey uphill.
All this while, no one bothered to look at their watches. All were busy seeping in the nature around us. Suddenly the skies seemed less dark. The clouds still blocked any signs of the sun but the moon surely was not his former self. He seemed to have lost the luster, getting pushed away in the darker skies. We reached the top of the mountain. We found a nice place where we could sit staring at the skies, waiting for them to clear out.
We we saw down from there , it was very dark. We could see nothing. We decided to wait and watch. The guide had found a dhabawala who readily fed our hungry mouths. After trekking for almost 4 to 5 hours , we welcomed food with both hands. The egg omlette tasted better than ever. As the tea cleansed our throats, we felt rejuvenated. By now the dark skies had gone really white. By white I mean white with clouds. As we stood at the peak of the hill, we could actually see a layer or clouds floating below us. It seemed untrue to eyes. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever been witness to.
Then came the sun , piercing the arrows of its rays throw the clouds who obediently gave way. The orange ball of fire rose to life , colouring all its surrounding in its hue. I can safely say it was the best sunrise I have ever seen. Again everyone was out with their cameras. Photos and videos galore! Finally we had seen and posed enough , we decided. We started the journey downhill.
This was one of the easier things. We happily paved our way down. At the foothill , we soothed our parched throats with some fresh nariyal paani! Then we hopped into our jeep. And two minutes after the jeep started I drowned into such a deep slumber that I woke up only when the jeep jerked to halt in front of our house.
It will remain one of the best trek I have been on undoubtedly. Thanks all for the trek :) !
