All Set To Hit The Hills!

Excitement was palpable in the air at work on the day of the trip when most of the crowd took off early to pack or catch up on rest before the long journey. I had plenty of last minute packing to get done and so spent the evening rushing around. In the bargain, my memory took a toss...

In the cab on the way to the railway station, about 10 mins after leaving home, I remembered that the jacket I'd borrowed from a friend for the trip was left behind at home!! I called mom and she gave me a proper scolding for being so absentminded. I couldn't go back home because I was already stuck in traffic and going back would have probably got me to miss not just the jacket, but also the train!

I think I'll always remember Mom's parting words about the forgotten jacket before she hung up--"It is going to be very cold up there. But now you will have to manage somehow without it. All the best." May be it were her blessings, but I did manage, and rather well indeed, with just one sweater while people who came armed with windcheaters, fleece-lined jackets and sweaters faced shivering, chattering teeth, and one girl even went ice cold and and her hands and feet went numb post trek. I was fortunate to have escaped without any calamity falling on me or troubling the others.

However, the jacket wasn't the only thing I left behind. I forgot the very things I'd purchased just for the trip--the protein bars!! These were to provide energy on the day of the trek (day 2), but since they were melting, I put them in the fridge and promptly forgot to pick them up before leaving home. Sheesh!! This I realised an hour after the train left the station!!! I got ragged endlessly about this from the rest of my trip-mates :P

The train journey was a blast with nearly 5 compartments to ourselves. We literally hijacked the bogey with our loud laughter, singing and jokes. The rest of the passengers must have either smiled indulgently at us or frowned in despair at all the antics by a bunch of overgrown adults! There were snacks nonstop till bedtime--chocolates, sweets, khakhras, parathas, fruits, biscuits, chewing gum etc. There were a round of introductions to be done since we were finally off to spend a few days together with people we barely knew or had not even seen at the office. There were people across different teams and some of us had not laid eyes on some others ever before! A couple of ex-employees, but still good friends of existing ones, had also joined in for the trip, for old times and good times sake.

Lights were eventually turned off around midnight, only to be switched on an hour or so later 'coz a blood curdling scream rang out in the dead of night. One of the girls thought she had seen a rat! Although I wasn't really asleep, (was tired and too excited to fall into a restful sleep), that was a rude awakening for sure! The train stops at stations and people shouting out their wares contributed to my state of sleeplessness.

The train reached Coimbatore a half hour early at 4.30 am. We woke up grumbling and got shunted out of the train in our sleep. The waiting van had the name of our company on a label stuck on its front view window, and it was spelt wrong! That was probably the first laugh of the day and the whole lot of 20 odd people cheerfully piled into the van. We were short of a few seats vis-a-vis the number of people, and a couple of people took turns to stand up or sit on someone's lap for the 3+ hour journey to Ooty, and further on, to Coonoor, where we were to stay for the whole weekend.

It was a brrrrrrish chilly morning and I wrapped a scarf tightly over my head, only to resemble Li'l Bo Beep. Oh well, it was either that or freeze my ears off. As it is, the nip in the air must have made the blood rush to my cheeks and I had a near frozen nose. Still couldn't resist keeping the window open on atleast a little, when otherwise opening it out fully to click pics once we began climbing the hairpin bends up the Nilgiri mountains. After transferring the pics to my comp, I found a 12mb video that I never realised got taken by yours truly! The camera setting was on 'film' and its a really funny angled video where the camera is all ulta-pulta but still steadfastly facing out the window of the bus! I was asked what on earth I was doing then, when Dad walked in on me watching the video today, and I have no idea! I remember trying to click, which didn't seem to work, and now I know why! :))

Tried uploading it on youtube to link here, but twice over youtube let me down :'( It just says "failed", no explanations even. Hmmph. Youtube walas ki aisi ki taisi!!

I will be posting a day-by-day and blow-by-blow account of the trip in future posts. Must recollect the good times for posterity :-) Read at your own risk :P