The Weekend It Was – In Mails and Pictures

It all started with this set of emails 

From: RD

Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RM
Subject: 5 hints

Hey, 

I will be giving you 5 hints regarding our weekend destination, lets see if you get it right before we reach there, if you do, you will get a surprise gift.

Hint 1 – This is a stopover on the way

 ==========

From: RM
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RD
Subject: RE: 5 hints 

Oye…what is this..a game or what Gah! 

Okie wait..I know this is the McDs at Panvel…am I right???

==

From: RD
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RM

Subject: RE: 5 hints 

Yes Hint 1 answered successfully – 4 more to go..come on you can do it and grab the gift…

========

From: RM
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RD
Subject: RE: 5 hints 

Abey where is the second one????

======== 

From: RD
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RM
Subject: Hint 2 

Agla Sawaal – doosre hint ke liye

Kya aap taiyar hain 

Yeh lijiye – hint – lal syaahi mein 

This Place is an industrial town in the Indian state of Maharashtra, at the base of the Sahyadri mountains. Patalganga River flows through here.

A colonial source describes this place as follows:

The Bhore ghaut is formed of a succession of lofty emminences, towering above each other, the last of which attains a height of 2000 feet (610 m) above the level of the sea. Its outline at a distance is bold and imposing; it presents a plane or table summit, with ranges of stupendous hills beyond, with the sublimity of which Europe possess little that is analogous, at its foot stands the small and romantic village, which has a noble tank appertinent and a Hindoo temple, both built by Nana Furanvese (the Peishwa’s prime minister) at his individual expense.

=======

 From: RM

Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RD
Subject: RE: Hint 2 

Oye..next time words change karna Wikipedia se ‘http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khopoli’ 

You are talking to someone for whom secondary research is part and parcel of the 8 hours at work….come on you can do better than giving me such copy paste hints

Its Khopoli isn’t it? 

=======

From: RD

Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To: RM
Subject: RE: Hint 2 

Yes it is 

Let me search for a very hard 3^rd hint

====================

AFTER WHICH HE GAVE UP…He calls me and says…I cant think of anything so basically I will let you know where we are going J

So we went to ‘Big Red Tent’ (http://bigredtent.in/) which is at Khopoli…for a ‘hold your breath’ night of camping…. 

You know I am a big fan of Enid Blyton…I used to love reading her secret seven and famous fives where the kids would go camping, live in tents and sleep in sleeping bags, eat dry sandwiches and stuff…well I did just that….its like living your bookish imagination to reality… 

I should at this point be expected to fall on RD’s feet and thank him and all that…errr…lets say we just fought with each other very well before the trip…so that he knows that his wife hasn’t changed and somethings are just permanent in life 🙂 

I wont write too much..because I have loads of pictures (RD has become an expert in blog picture taking 😉 )

But RM is RM and always has to write something!  

Some stuff to realize 

1)      I am very very bad at navigation…in no life trust me to take you to the right place…I managed to ‘read’ the instructions on the email on RD’s phone and yet lose us into wilderness…well..what do I say…it’s a special gift 😉

2)      RD is a cool guy…he doesn’t panic…well..I knew that…I just witnessed it in reality when we got lost J

3)      Our car is rugged…it didn’t puncture on the dirt road!

4)      Camping is the funnest thing in the whole wide world..the thing better to that is sleeping in a sleeping bag…ekdum superb!!!

5)      When you spend 10 minutes of silent time with your child sitting by a lake which is tranquil and talk to her about the ducks swimming by, there is little more you want in life after that

6)      When you tell your child that you have been foolish enough NOT to get maggi for her and she has to eat roti and sugar, and she cries a bit but then nods her head in understanding and says ‘amma I will not ask for maggi’ you realize that your kid is getting older now!

7)      When you wet your feet in the clean water of the lake, and realize its cold, the sensation is something that you will definitely remember for a long long time

8)      When you don’t get up on time the next day to go on the trek as organized, but go on your nature walk with your family, its one of the best walks you have had in your life

9)      You discover what marshmallows are thanks to a 5 and 6 year old who are kind enough to share them with you and teach you how to burn them slightly J

10)   Vegetarian barbeque is awesome…we had ‘corn on cob, paneer, capsicum, mushrooms, jacketed potatoes and sweet potatoes’ follow it up with a simple dinner of amazing dal, rice, roti, dash of lime and sprinkle of coriander with pudina chutney and you feel you dined with the Gods…until, you get up the next day for a breakfast with is absolutely delicious missal made from sprouts with onions, lime and coriander and awesome egg burji..then you have definitely dined with the Gods

11)   You help a mother carry a wet child over a difficult track and then she gives maggi to your daughter because they have extra..thats a wonderful feeling of oneness in the camp

12)   When the 5 and the 6 year olds wait for your child to pick up her water bottle from the car and then go ahead on the night walk where they teach her how to hold the torch correctly…awesome J

13)   When you realize that though the people along with you are really rich, they are not show offs and are ready to teach you the right way to camp

14)   When you realize that during the nature walk, you see an actually huge spider web and look at it at awe and then your child relates it to a book you read for her..well see all the reading has some advantage

15)   Such trips definitely make you realize that RD is good with surprises…it was the most wonderful gift I got in a long time (We will momentarily forget the kindle and the Harry Potters!) 

Check out some pictures..

By the Lake I stand alone facing the world

Throwing stones into the water with Bhaiya

Amma teaches me how to walk (Into the water)

Lying on the hammock is the coolest thing eh

 

 

Look at Amma snuggling next to me 🙂

 

 

Amma shows me the tent while I wonder when I can eat that packet of chips

 

Appa and his photography!

 

 

We walk along the untrodden ways

 

 

Me and my Dad make the best pair in the world

 

 

Spider Spider where are you..you made your web and left it too?

 

Crunching on the dry leaves is the bestest sound on earth 🙂