FGF

Hello DD, how have you been? Today I am going to tell you about the feel good factor. This is what I am feeling lately. I am up on cloud no. 9 & perhaps the FGF has been the reason I am so happy even when prospects are not that bright. One reason for that maybe I finally know with whom my dear old heart lies... and guess what, the answer is not 'him'....I hate that shitface. I am so happy, I cannot express it in words.

I have known how it is to fall in love, but rising in love is altogether a greater and more beautiful experience. No, wait! I can do better than that. For once, you get back your self-respect. To quote from a movie, 'Seducing Mr. Perfect', you need to have self-respect to win one's love & love is not all giving, but also receiving. Love is not manipulating emotions, neither is it giving up on your private needs for someone's sake-it is mutual compromise-unsaid giving in-a perfect symbiosis & intertwining smoothly in one another's life.

No, if I say I've found someone new to love, I would be wrong. It's just that I've begun to love myself more deeply-it is sort of crazy, mind-boggling.......a state what a soprano can elevate you to-I just love to KNOW that I LOVE ME, more than I want to hear from anyone else, not even my friends or teachers or mentors. It is also a kind of feeling I get when mum loves me very much. It's when MY OWN make ME FEEL SPECIAL, not someone else, not NO-FAMILY. I FEEL SPECIAL!!!

LONAVALA-KHANDALA

It was like a dream come true, to have finally visited some distant place after coming to Pune for my post-second year summer training. Lonavala is the place I am taking you all in the next lines of my post...It is situated about 65 kms from Pune and is well connected to Shivajinagar Railway Station by local trains and express. It is also accessible from the Pune railway station and by bus from the Shivajinagar bus stand.
Located at a height of about 600 m in the lap of nature, the best time to visit Lonavala is June, i.e. if you are a summer trainee, otherwise you can look up the net for the perfect timings [;)]
Avishek Basumallick, also a summer trainee from my college, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, doing his training at the Pune University, joined me in a mad venture which in fact turned out to be the most memorable day of my life.
Avishek and I left our respective hostels at 6.00 a.m.and got on a local early bus which whizzed us to the Shivajimagar Rly. Stn.. We bought two return tickets for Rs. 26 each to Lonavala Rly. Stn.. The train journey was a quiet 1 hr 10 mins. one. It was a first time experience for me going out somewhere far away with friends, or one friend for that matter, that too far away from West Bengal;not that I am very secure and safe in W. B. but still I felt a new kind of thrill. Little did I know then how exciting the rest of the day would be...
When we reached Lonavala, which is just after the Malavali Stn.(where there are the Karla & Bheja Caves), it was 8 o' clock and since we did not take any breakfast before leaving( mind you it was pretty early in the morning) we had 2 plates of Medu Vada & Alu Vada at "Udipi" restaurant. We swapped one vada of each kind & stepped out for a walk to our next stop: Bushy Dam.

Bushy DAm:-
Normally it would take Rs. 80/- to travel by an auto rickshaw to the BD, separated by a hilly road of 3.5kms from the Stn.. However, we set off on foot--->money-saving policy: it was though, just a beginning [:D]. Howver, the dam itself was dry and hence gloomy. The season being just on the brink of the monsoons, the water level was very low. However, Basu told me that when the water level does come up in the monsoons, it actually overflows the dam perimetrs. Whoa, Pretty lovely scene, I bet! All along the road near BD several stalls of sweet corn, tea, coffe etc. was available.After this small trek, we went to the next point--->Lion's Point.

Lion's Pt./Tiger's Pt.:-
....It is a good 8 kms from the BD and is one the most ENcHaNtInG places I have ever seen. It was worth to visit with a Rs. 250 fare on an auto (BD to LP and back to Lonavala Rly STn). However, when Avishek and I reached there at 10 a.m. it was very misty & I almost missed the breathtaking scenario of the valley underneath. Basu informed me that while he was onto his trip last-to-last week with some of his other friends, they had been witness to one of the most beautiful yet rare phenomenon:rain falling on the hills in which they were standing and sunrays illuminating the range opposite to them. My experience was not altogether disappointing; the cold mist that blew out from the valley below & shrouded our vision parted for 2 mins. and in that instant I saw a sleep slope going down the peak to the valley below! Water droplets condensed on the edge of the hairs on our head and skin and on the eyebrows. Basu looked like a Santa Claus. I don't know how I looked like myself, but I guess since he didn't comment except that my hair was wet, I must have not been that bad.
There were two specific boulders to mirth on and we embarked ourselves on them, well after a long time we arrived, owing to the fact that another HUGE group occupied our rock & went on snapping pic after pic of INDIVIDUAL shots, till the camera ran out of battery(much to my glee).
I also ventured out to another boulder overlooking the precipice & I watched BAsu with concealed enjoyment staring at me with mouth wide in surprise and holding my bag while I went on and stood on the rock precariously.[hih hih]
We returned back to the Lonavala Rly Stn in the auto we came in where we took our lunch.

Khandala:-
Ah! Khandala invokes a feeling of sheltered revence in my heart now.... Amir Khan's popular hit song, 'Ati kya Khandala' had sealed the name of this place in people's hearts a long time ago when it was realeased. From then onwards, I had nurtured this secret desire for visiting Khandala & now I was overjoyed to finally have visited that dream place.
Khandala itself was a very serene & calm place, projecting a beautiful view of the surrounding hills & peaks. There was a park which had an entry fee worth Rs. 5...the big, yellow colored ticket worth Rs. 4.30 & 0.50 for the park>>>joked Avishek. Honestly, any earnest hiker would be jolly heartbroken to enter the park, to find NOTHING! So we came out & watched the SAME SCENERY, of what we saw from inside the park and it was far more endearing a view outside.The Sunset Point, The Duke's Nose & the Monkey Point were what they promised...total rubbish! Folks, if you want to ENJOY Khandala, hike further, further n further till u reach the hills.
So, Khandala was disappointing. Avishek & I decided to walk down to the Lonavala Stn. this time as we didn't want to spend another 80 bucks on 7 km trip by an auto.We surely have some strak of madness in us to do such a thing, I believe, for a 7 kms trek is no child's play. WE both were game for it & SURELY, the walk didn't disappoint us.

The Trek:-
It was a long road & with the sun overhead, sometimes it was a trifle bit tough to carry on but not too difficult when two are there. It seemed at times that the road would never end, but when the billboard ads cahnge dfrom the hotels at Khandala to those at Lonavala, Basu figured out that we must near our destination...how near? ~ just 3 kms away. He kept talking about adrenaline & how it can work miracles, but I was in no state of really listening to all that he said. Finally, after a good 2 hours hike, we reached L. At first we decided to go by our previous plan and descend upon the Karla caves, for which we had to leave for the Malavli Stn. On second thoughts(& I am still grateful to GOd for that)we decided , despite our aching limbs, to go ONCE AGAIN to Lion's Point(Hats off to BAsu for his perseverence).The decision was unianimous no doubt & even now I cannot tell whose enthusiasm was more driving.

Deja Vu:
Destiantion: Lion's Point.
Distance: 11.5 kms by conventional road.
First 3.2 kms by auto.
Rest: GAri number Gyarah![;)]
NOw that the travel diary is about to end, I must include our encounter with the RAINS at Lion's and our share of coffe with sweet corn in the perfectly awesome environment. Last but not the least, the 11.5kms downhill was all trudging and grudging, mostly from my part, but in the end I might as well have said to myself, '30kms a day...hmm my speed is improving, or is it Stamina???'

Just blame it on Euphoria for having this blog posted which can as well be a traveller's guide[;)]