Mount Abu 1

So I took a trip to Mount Abu recently. Actually it was more like a week and a half ago but I've been too lazy to write about till now. Now I've decided to do a detailed account just so I can remember the journey later. I've also decided to serialize it to make it easier for me to write it out. Pictures here. These don't contain the family photos though. Ask me to add you as a friend if you want to see those. So here goes.

The decision to go to Mount Abu was definitely an impulsive one. Having seen practically all the hill stations close to Delhi (Shimla, Kasauli, Nainital et al) I was in no mood for more of the same. So we (me and my family) decided we'd go someplace different this time. We thought of Kashmir but everybody just kept giving us grief over the terrorists. We thought of the North East but it would've taken too long to get there. Finally, exasperated and out of options, we settled for Mount Abu.

Mount Abu's always had this allure for me. Not because I've been there or even heard about it, but only because I've come close to going there at least three times but never made it. This time though I booked us tickets even before I asked for a leave from work. Indian Railways really shouldn't make it so easy to book tickets online. Anyway, the search for hotel reservations began. Mount Abu, like any touristy hill station in this country, has loads of hotels. Problem is, they all want to get paid in advance when booking. Mostly when I make a booking I do show up, but unless I've seen the place before I don't like paying in advance. After all, the brochures will always contain photographs of the best rooms won't they. Besides, you can't tell what a room smells like from its picture. So no bookings then. I decided to play adventurous/skirt danger/tempt fate/finger the devil (ok, I'll stop now) on this one.

The ride to the train station was pretty uneventful except for one detail. We got to hear loads of this guy. A detail I chose to ignore at the time (although at my own peril as I later realised). If you don't know who the guy is I am going to spare you the grief by NOT telling you who he is. The train station we went to was Old Delhi. That quaint little edifice (compared to New Delhi anyway) that always reminds me of a small town railway station. What was surprising was that it actually looked kind of clean. Guess Lalu's been doing his job after all. The air conditioner in the train was a bit noisy but not so bad that we couldn't sleep. The bit I really like about train journies though is the people you meet. True to form there was a zimbabwean (a Muslim of Indian descent) headed for Ahmedabad to see his grandfather's city and a German couple headed for Pushkar via Ajmer. A little bit of polite chit chat and some impromptu photography done we got ready to sleep.

The train got to Abu Road, which is the closest thing railway station to Mount Abu, at 10 in the morning. It was about 10 minutes late. But going by northern railways' previous track record this was actually a pretty good time. When I'd made the booking I thought that Abu Road would be just that: a station by the highway leading up to Mount Abu. I couldn't have been more wrong. Turns out Abu Road is a whole town at the foot of the hill that has Mount Abu atop it. Also, people in Abu Road sure do like their Rabri. I saw shops selling it everywhere. Strange. I always thought Punjabis had a think for high fat dairy products. Now I know we're not the only ones.

Abu Road is in a district called Sirohi in Rajasthan. Its only about 14 kms from the Rajasthan-Gujarat border and therein lies the reason for its mysterious prosperity. Gujarat is a prohibition state. Rajasthan on the other hand has no such problems. As a result, Abu Road has turned into the place Gujaratis use to get drunk legally (of course they can still get bootleg in Gujarat). Almost every roadside establishment serves alchohol and has rooms to rent (probably because people might want to stay the night). Unfortunately a lot of people still do tend to get pissed and go driving. Not a very reassuring thought when you're about to go up a hill in a taxi. Also, the day we got to Abu Road was Holi which didn't make things any better.

Greetings!

I'm back from Abu. Too tired to do a full post right now. But I did come loaded with pictures. So many that I ran out of the 128 MB card on my camera and had to switch to the one in my phone. For now, I leave you with a couple of images I deem wallpaper worthy.

Enjoy. Or something like that.

Randomize

As I sit in this dark room
In this very full but very stark room
I can't help but think
What if the world were to sink
In all the misery that it creates
The incredible sadness that permeates
This tiny little ball of dust
Which I inhabit
because I must

Change. To live all your life collecting unfulfilled promises, regrets and unhapiness. Or to try and fulfill each one of them while risking failure at every turn. In our naivete we often assume that we control whether the world around us changes. Like it or not, change the world does. Constantly. Question is, does one want to be the initiator of that change or just end up being an anonymous victim. How does one define change anyway? Is it the differential between one moment and the next? Is it purely a function of time, or is it also defined by space? There are times when I wish I could travel through time and see the consequences of actions I contemplate. But then I realise the pointlessness of it.

Yes, this post makes no sense.

Dilbertesque!

Joy to the world. Asok wants to hire me for work in global companies!!!!!

Newses Newses!

So loads of new stuff going on. Must record.

1. Good friend bought a brand new car (you know who you are). One I've been wanting to drive for a while. Hopefully he'll let me have a go. Somehow I never did get the hang of test drives. Case of shopper's guilt?

2. New project at work. Very excited. As usual, it'll see me away from home for a month or two, but well worth the price of admission.

3. New personal project I've been giving intense thought to. Under wraps right now. Something I've wanted to do for a long time.

4. I am getting FATTER! I must, absolutely MUST get off my bum and do something about this. The situation demands remediation (is that even a word?). Have been giving some thought to going on a diet. Yes, a diet! Now get off my case.

5. Am headed to Mt. Abu for a short vacation before I go off to the new project. Photos and impressions (good ones hopefully) when I get back.

The Ultimate Workaround

I just logged into my gmail account after a long time and saw the new Delete button. Got me thinking. Do you think the whole 2GB storage thing might have been because they couldn't figure out how to do the Delete functionality?

The ultimate workaround ;)