All in a day's time ... !!

One of the most tiring days of my life.

We(Biwi, Dinesh and I) had planned a trek to Rajmachi. We left from Pune by train at 8 am. Since we were late coming to the railway station, we had to stand all the way till Lonavla. After we reached Lonavla at around 9:30 am, we had breakfast in a nearby hotel which was a 10 minute walk from the station. We then headed towards Tungarli Dam, since the way to Rajmachi was from there. It took us another 45 minutes to walk upto Tungarli. The Dam itself was not very appealing. After spending some time there, we started walking towards Rajmachi. It seemed like a never ending walk. Slopes and Climbs were the order of the day. We kept walking till 2:30 pm until we cam across a waterfall. We had asked several people on the way about distance left to Rajmachi. Every person told us that it would take a long time. When we reached this waterfall, we were still 2 hours away from the base village and another 30 minutes away from the fort. We were walking since 9:40 am. We had walked close to 11 kms till now.

Since we needed to get back to station (and more importantly out of the jungles before dark), we decided we will abort the trek and head back. We started walking back towards Lonavala with the Rajmachi peak lurking in the background. By the time we descended from Tungarli, we were almost dead and we had walked close to 20 kms.

We found solace in a Bhutta vendor who was also serving tea. Though we didnt have any Bhuttas and neither did we have a lot of tea, we gorged on the tasty Farsaan he was vending. So much so, that we finished all the Farsaan that he had. A samaritan (God?) dropped us till Lonavla station when we asked him for a lift. God Bless Him.

It was 7:20 pm when we reached Lonavla station. Fortunately, there was a train waiting there bound to Pune. Biwi got into the ladies compartment where she found a place to sit but Dinesh and I were not so lucky. Another 90 minute ordeal !!!

I was so tired that I removed my shoes inside the compartment amidst such a heavy rush. We were glad to find a place to sit in the doorway at Pimpri.

Finally, we reached Pune at 8:50 pm and bid adieu to Dinesh. It was 9:15 when we got home. We badly needed a bath and we also needed some alcohol. After the bath, I realized it was Sunday and I knew there were lots of sporting events taking place.

When I switched on the TV, I expected news channels to flash the winner of Wimbledon. But I didn't see anything. When I tuned into Star Sports, there was no live coverage. The play was halted due to rain with Nadal leading 6-4, 6-5, 4-5. Man, this was unexpected. I mean I knew Nadal would play well but 2 sets to love was amazing.

Biwi was rooting for Federer and I was cheering Nadal. By the end of the 4th set, we were cheering both. When the final rain delay came, it was frustrating as a viewer. But when it restarted, Nadal pushed Federed to every corner of the court to win 9-7 in an epic final. Easily the best final that I have seen. Reminded me of another epic between Agassi and Ivanisevic in the 1992 final.

Lewis Hamilton also rejoiced by winning a rain soaked British Grand Prix at Silverstone. India lost the Asia Cup final to a deserving Lankan side. Luke Ronchi and David Hussey hit 20 ball half centuried against the West Indies.

To cap it off, we raised a toast to the eventful day by sipping a shot of Antiquity, even though our heels, calfs and thighs ached throughout the night.

I will definitely give Rajmachi another shot ... Cheers ... !!