On a Trip to Lonavala

Well it all started with our IMA bhai Satyender (Tinda) back in Hyderabad on Leave after successfully completing a semester.

Shahid (Ganja alias Senior Citizen) and Tinda landed at my place a full 15 days before the D day. As usual we kept planning a lot. Finally, we narrowed down on two routes - the first one being going upto Lonavala, Khandala and back. The other choice was going to Araku valley through the dangerously beautiful and scenic route , i.e., via Warangal, Badrachalam and Malkangiri, which ofcourse is the heart and soul of the naxal movement.

Tinda back from IMA was gung ho about any plan. Apparently his thinking process had reduced drastically after going to IMA. Since I was the proposer of the later plan, I was too eager to see it passed in the group. However, better logic and reasoning prevailed in Ganja and we unanimously, with hardly any input from Tinda passed the Road Trip to Lonavala, Khandala and back.

Now that we had finally selected the destination, we had to finalise the mode of Transport. Ganja proposed that we go on our bikes. But again I (Mota / Yogesh / Yogi) and Ganja had two bikes with us. A Royal Enfield Machismo and a TVS Apache. After a lot delibration we finally decided to be less adventerous this time and save the bike trip for the Leh (i.e., if this simple plan ever works out).

So we finally decided to take the Skoda Octavia (now we are talking). Ofcourse, that meant I had to vow to my Mom that none of us would drink (Rehab centres survive because of people like us), not cross 80 kmph (come on we dont have a whole year, its just five days and at that speed we will not even get out of Hyderabad) and many promises which I can't even remember. Anyways Mom agreed and dad was happy to oblige.

Now Anirudha Baruah (Chimpy) our another very good friend and a very integral part of our group was not being granted leave by his Manager and he really didn't know whether he would be able to make it. The whole mazza would have gone kirkiri if this monkey had not turned up. It was decided that come what may this trip would go on with or without any of the members.

It was decided that we would leave the base camp (My house) on 03 July 2008 at 0800 hours.