Friends and Lonavala!!!

Friends and an unplanned adventure, this is the best combination that exists in the world. For me, I am always game for an adventure, but an unplanned one...hmmm....let me think about it. Oh yeah! Let me tell you about the time me and my friends started out from college with the intentions of going out partying but landed up in one of the most celebrated spots of the country, Lonavala!


We had a packed schedule in our first semester at college. Classes from 10 in the morning to 8 at night (pheww). Thurday is our off day so one wednesday (our weekend) me and my friends decided to go partying (uh um...that's all I am ready to say about or exact intentions..:D). Unfotunately by the time we finished our Wednesday classes, got a taxi, decked up, forced one of us to get in with us at the last moment, (literally, 1 more second and he would have fallen off) and reached civilization, woes of woe, it was 11 30 at night. We reached our desired destination and discover that they closed just five minutes before we reached their entry gate.

We discovered that we were stuck in the city, all 10 of us, hungry as a pack of horses with nowhere to go (our college campus shut the gates maximum by 12 at night). After wandering aimlessly for some time we finally decided to head off to the only eating joint which would be open after midnight. Ahoy 'Comesum' at Pune railway station. Good food opened our sleep deprived eyes a little and our tired minds woke up enough to help us think what to do next. Suddenly one brilliant suggestion "Lets go to Lonavala" from Nishant Roy Bombarde and all of a sudden we had an adventure lined up ahead of us.


We booked our tickets to Lonavla at some 1 30 at night. Half asleep, we got in the passenger train (full, where we had to sit in the passage between the seats) at 2. Finally, the slowest passenger train we have ever travelled in, got us to Lonavla. Getting down at the station at some 3 30 at night we realized it was too dark and unsafe for us to go out. Thus we decided to spend our first time in Lonavla by doing something else, (no, not sleeping, as any other sane people would do) but by playing a game of dumb shirads. Our howls of laughter and mockery woke up all the people on the station who were enjoying their deep slumber. They were not too happy about it but we were too busy enjoying the moment, trying to make up ways of gesturing 'Remember the Titans' or even worse 'Mary Poppins', to think too much about it.

Time passed real quick. At 5 am we decided to head out towards the dam, the most picturesque spot of Lonavla. It was still dark outside. We saw the place when it was just waking up and it was a different feeling altogether. We got our hands on the first newspaper of the day (or so we would like to believe) from a stack yet to be opened and delivered. Walking through narrow lanes, listening to the sound of birds waking up from a deep night sleep and smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread we all made our way slowly towards the dam.



By the time we reached the dam it was dawn. We spent our time there doing random things. From talking about random things to staring at the beauty of the calm waters of the morning, from taking a walk along the water line to slipping on the slippery grounds near the dam, from taking mad pictures to going for a walk in the morning light, we covered all ground in the short span of 2 hours. Then it was time to head back. We were all really tired by this time but we had a long walk ahead of us in order to reach back the Lonavla station. We tried flagging down the early morning traffic (which was not much) from autos to buses to motorcycles, sometimes even cycles..:D but had little luck. Finally a bus took pity on us and dropped us back to the station.

The passenger train to Pune was jam packed on our way back. Many of us had the experience of being hurled and pushed around in a passenger train for the first time. It was not too much fun, I will like to say. Finally we reached Pune station. We were all hungry yet again, (we are all growing up children, so understand people..:D) so we decided to make our way to Good Luck Cafe (our favourite breakfast joint in Pune). One of our friends, Arjya had her birthday treat due so we happily robbed her that morning. Happy, well fed and contended, we could hardly keep our eyes open. So we all took the next bus back to out hill and slept the entire way back.

That trip will always carry a special place in my heart. It was the first time we had gone completely mad and done something so out of character. Till date whenever we meet, the mention of Lonavla brings back memories we all with carry us the rest of our lives.