Why everyone must plan holidays with long lost friends
Movies like Dil Chahta Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and of course Ye Jawani Hai Deewani not only evoked travel goals among the youth but also opened our eyes to umpteen travel destinations.
Agree or disagree, but cinema definitely has an innate ability to influence and allure people in its own way. Say, after Dil Chahta Hai, every friends' group had a plan to visit Goa at least once; similarly Manali became the newest exotic destination for friends to travel to after Ye Jawani Hai Deewani clearly struck a chord with today's generation.
Well! Undeniably, my school friends and I was one such group that planned a trip to Manali. It was planned way ahead of time, and we were glad it materialised amid our busy schedules and long-distance friendship.
So here we were at Indira Gandhi International Airport a day before Christmas Eve, with our bags packed.
I can’t resist mentioning that we were three persons flying from three different cities and once again I was the only woman in the group; let me name the guys Mr S and Mr B.
My friend Mr S was the most excited one and that was apparent enough when I caught him grinning while collecting his baggage at the airport.
Within two hours we were gathered outside a coffee shop at the airport and began our never-ending conversations. In between talks and a lot of selfies, we left to catch a bus from Majnu Ka Tila.
It was already dusk when we boarded the vehicle and after minutes of infantile banter for seats, Mr B sat beside me and Mr S had to sit alone. I realised it was the first time they were treating me like a girl, considering that since our school days, they had treated me just like one of the guys.
The next morning we woke up amid the mountains in Manali, and it was freezing cold. We headed towards our hotel and this time I wasn’t worried about sharing a room with guys.
Okay! Let me reveal this. I had a deal with my travel companions over the phone before the trip, a deal I thought would be great fun.
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| A still from Dil Chahta Hai. |
The deal was to win a pillow fight, yes! The ones winning would get to sleep on the bed and the one who lost would get the sofa. The fight went thus: Mr S almost tore the pillow hitting it hard on Mr B, and thereafter all three us tried even harder to win. Needless to say, I lost and was shown the sofa.
That day we hiked to some local tourist destinations and a renowned cafe in town. It was Christmas Eve and we decided to celebrate with drinks and some melancholic music. We had no great plans but we definitely had a lot to say and hear.
The night went on to become a reminiscing of the past, all good and bad memories of school days and later, turned into a filthy gossip session about the whereabouts of our batchmates.
Next day, around 8 am I was jolted awake to the sound of speakers placed an inch away from my ears. That moment I realised how infuriating friends can be.
Mr B, as disciplined as ever, seemed ready to head out while Mr S, as shabby as always, was still lolling on the bed, fidgeting with his phone. Subsequently, after having breakfast and putting on as many clothes as we could, we headed to Solang valley.
That day, things didn't go as planned. We couldn’t indulge in adventure sports as the place was shut for the day and that really killed our mood for a while. However, we ended the day enjoying karaoke night in a café next to our hotel.
I don’t know whether to consider myself fortunate or unfortunate. The singer at the café was an eye-candy and tried to start a conversation with me until he realised that the two boys going bonkers over the songs were with me. I am sure he must have thought one of them was my boyfriend, and the flirting ended then and there.
That night, all that my two friends did was pull my leg, talk about friends who had got married or were on the verge of getting married. On the subject of nuptials, they were very excited about mine and planned more than my parents must have all these years.
After a few hours of fitful sleep, I woke up to the sight of them in deep slumber and couldn't resist - feeling vindictive about the night before - switching on the TV at maximum volume. After a lot of howling and picking arguments with each other, we geared up to move to our next destination - Kasol.
Kasol was nothing if more scenic and captivating than Manali, besides hosting a large number of hippies there.
At the end of that, we were left with just one more day to potter around together and gossip; and that's what we did.
We talked our hearts out, on life, family, relationships, career and almost everything under the sun.
Before the trip, Mr B had said it would be a breather for him after his CA exam; after the journey, it actually proved to be breather for all us.
By the end of the trip I realised we were not long-lost friends. We might not have seen each other for ages but the appetite to meet had not waned.
They say every relation has an expiry date but I had not found one for our friendship. It began seven years ago and was nothing wiser but stronger.
Now I can say there are perks of a long distance friendship only if you take the initiative to see each other!