I think the best way to explain travel experiences is through stories and hence I am going to be telling you all about my fun and crazy trip to Kasol-Rudranaag-Manali. Like every story, there were six main characters(including me) on this trip because of which this had to be written as a story.
Meet the ‘Never Wander On’ team, Arya aka Crack Head (me (1)), Sonia aka the Headbanger (2), Aksha aka the Phantom (3), Preksha aka the Party Poop-er (4), Prachi aka the Makeup Mama (5) and Vinny aka Miss Dozy (6). Each of us had a role to play in making this trip phenomenal but as you know there are always other supporting role characters that play an important role too and these roles were played by team leaders and other travellers of Wander On. By the way Wander On is the travel agency we picked for this trip.
It should be made illegal for us to wander on alone and you will know why in some time. Let’s start at the beginning. Landing at Delhi airport and trying to figure out how Makeup Mama looks (since she is the first one to land) was a little difficult as I had never seen her before. Post finding each other at the gigantic Delhi airport we set out for our second task and that was to find Miss Dozy. The one thing you need to know about Miss Dozy is that she really can’t give directions and by that I mean, Makeup Mama and I had to run around the airport, we literally were running at the airport searching for her. I am sure people thought we were high on weed. It almost took us 45 mins to meet up with Dozy, all thanks to her direction giving skills.
Heading to a restaurant nearby we started with our very important conversations about shopping even though our bags were ‘too full’. At around mid-conversation our next two characters Headbanger and Phantom landed. They somehow had the brains to not ask us for directions. As time passed with even more important discussions like hot guys, pani puri and Party Poop-er’s weird habits, we met Party Poop-er, the reason we were all together on our way to this trip. Looking like a lost beggar she made her way to us starving while screaming and giggling for no reason at all.
After a few hours, we realised we had to shop and headed to Sarojini Market. All of us mostly just bought one top since we had run out of time. We were supposed to meet Wander On team at around 5:00 in the evening and we, at last, ended up meeting with them at around 7:30. Talk about running late. Running on the roads with two to three bags that were way bigger than us we met them at Vidhan Sabha Metro station. I am still not sure of the logic behind boarding a bus at a metro railway station.
We stood there and stared at people since we had no clue who we were supposed to approach. Then we notice a girl holding a paper and a pen. We send Party Poop-er to her to inform her of our arrival. During all this Miss Dozy’s bag acted out and refused to open up and hence we all started trying to figure out ways to crack the lock of the bag. 20 mins into this we notice a man sporting a salt and pepper style. Bags were forgotten, we start talking about him and then we suddenly realise he has a wife, an equally good looking wife. Now we start wishing that we end up like this couple.
While dreaming and wishing that we would end up like that couple, we get onto the bus. Unfortunately, we were too slow there too and end up getting different seats. This is the place where we realise that we have four team captains in the bus with us, MSD, Udit, a girl whose name I am not sure of and one young guy who everyone kept staring at creepily wishing they were young. I really feel bad for that guy. These four people really tried to make us feel energetic and excited about the trip by playing random games. Even though it did not work, you have to give them a round of applause for trying. It is not their fault that we weren’t kindergarten kids.
The bus journey was crazy. We ate at a Punjabi Dhaba and we somehow ended up being the last one to leave the restaurant too. We are quite skilled at always being late. Post the food coma, almost everyone slept off and since I have a slight case of insomnia, I didn’t. I tried talking to Party Poop-er but she had mid-trip no-house crises so she slept off and I didn’t have the heart to piss her off when she had no house to go back to so I tried acting like I was asleep. Not sure if it worked or not but anyways no one approached me. When things settled down and when I just started to doze off, the bus stopped and people went for a smoke break at around 1 or 2 in the night. Post this smoke break they suddenly realised it would be the perfect time to dance. I went back to acting like I was asleep. Somewhere during this, I slept off for a little time.
I woke up to find myself freezing and at some random place, not that I would know where it was even if the team leaders had let us know. We got down from the bus and took cars, where the Never Wander On team and the Wander On team captain Udit was in one. I never felt this sorry for someone in my life. He looked absolutely looked terrified of coming with us and he rightly was, we were a crazy bunch. To make things worse, I am made him sit at last seat with Party Poop-er and Makeup Mama while I took the passenger seat and sat comfortably the whole ride to Kasol. After cracking poor jokes about me for most of the ride, we reached our first destination, Kasol at around 11 in the morning.
Poor Udit went around running trying to arrange food for us since a lot of the travellers were super hungry. After hogging coffee, bread-jam and maggi, we went to our rooms. I, Miss Dozy and Makeup Mama shared a room while Phantom, Headbanger and Party Poop-er shared another one. The minute Miss Dozy saw the bed she wrapped herself up in a thick blanket and dozed off. I didn’t even realise that she was in the room. It was almost after 7 mins of me entering the room that I realised Miss Dozy had already picked her corner of the bed and was lying there. What I saw was not a bundle of blankets but Miss Dozzy taking her mandatory nap while blaming the cold weather.
The smart Party Poop-er decided to play a prank and called me up at my room making it seem like one of the team captains, instructing us that we had to be ready by around 3 in the noon. Not realising that it was a prank, me, the crack head decided to wake everyone up and asked them to get ready. Seeing that they were going to take a lot of time I decided to call my mom (one of the reasons I was allowed to go for this trip was because I promised I would call whenever possible). As I was describing the scenic view from my room I hear the noise of whistles. I look at the person whistling insistently only to see that he was randomly waving his hands asking someone to come. I thought he was some security guy with his green jacket trying to figuring our something and hence I continue the phone call with my mom. A second later, the sounds of the whistle seem too insistent and irritating. I look up and see the green jacket guy staring at me and blowing his whistle while my team captain, Udit stood next to him. I turn and run into the room and see that no one had even gotten up from their bed respective beds. Informing them of the whistling guy and our team captain calling us, I got ready with a backpack full of stuff that I don’t think I would ever need.
Feel quite worried that I wouldn’t get a cup of coffee if I didn’t head out now, I rushed out only to be caught by the green jacket security guy.
Here is how the conversation went:
GJSG: What’s in your bag?
CH: Jacket!
GJSG: What are you wearing then?
CH: Jacket!
GJSG: Why aren’t you wearing your thermals? Go and wear them RIGHT NOW!
And after so many years I felt like a kid being scolded by my Dad.
Coming back to my room I informed everyone else who was still getting ready that we had to change into thermals before leaving. Jokes on me, they already had them on. I got ready in record time and headed out. I peeped out and realised that the green jacket guy was still there addressing the crow so I decided not to go out there alone and get pissed at him for just stating the obvious. Somehow, the kid in me was still scared of getting screamed at by the green jacket security guy who I now thought was some local guide. What do kids do when they are scared? They hide. I did the same. I waited until he left and sneaked out. By then quite some time had passed since the local guide and the whole group had left.
To be continued.