Slightly different from my expectations, with half of my group in the Committee, we still managed to make my very first IV special, obviously with high melodrama! Starting from Mumbai Central in the Golden Temple Mail, our first stop was Ambala Cantt near Chandigarh…
Chandigarh was enchanting with its Rock Garden. We must have clicked a hundred snaps alone there! Poor Pranav had to patiently wait for us girls to finalize every minute detail before clicking a snap! And just to make this spot more memorable, something unusual had to happen. Faza fell with Anna labeling it as the first ‘casualty’ of the trip!
The first day at Manali was completely unpredictable. Morning we fought with the guys, afternoon Riddhi cried, evening we patched up and then we had a blast at the ‘DJ nite’. All in one day!
The next day was better. Did river-crossing for first time in my life and managed to have our own little adventure: 7 of us ventured out to the farthest end of the river. Being all alone and unguided, it was a very liberating experience. Again marked by an auspicious occurrence, (Bhangale’s specs fell in the river!) it was an unforgettable adventure of sorts.
The latter part of the day was spent in fruitful activities like shopping. I mean, there are some things money can’t buy, but for everything else…you can always bargain! I still remember the dumbfounded look on Cavil’s face when I managed to buy the same 90Rs gloves that he had bought, for 55! Later he insisted on me doing his other shopping!
On the third day, we went to the Solang Valley, my first experience of an actual snowfall. At places like these you feel like never going back, that time would stand still, that you could live there forever… For that moment you could forget that you have worldly life to return to. We had a time of our lives up there! Skied, couldn’t stop playing snow fights, slept and rolled on snow and almost had Maggie! We could have actually made an igloo and spend the rest of our lives there, but being a ski instructor isn’t the most lucrative profession nowadays!
Dalhousie was dramatic. The road to Khajjiar was heavenly. Spiraling around the snow-clad mountains with picturesque valleys and frozen waterfalls and singing some old classics in chorus made the journey unforgettable. Chamba Valley was memorable for reasons better left unrevealed 
Our return train journey was more entertaining than the previous one. All through the evening, we played back-to-back sessions of Poker, although I was personally reeling under slight fever. Like a ritual of every trip, the next morning saw the likes of toothpaste and shaving cream of all our faces!
As all good things come to an end, we reached Mumbai by 8.30 in the night. This trip did give me the much-needed change that I wanted. But most of all, it has left me with some great memories…
Nice Summary