This was the fourth time I was in mussoorie and for the shortest time, but I enjoyed this trip more than any other time. I enjoyed it even more than the first time I was there with my girlfriend. What made this trip the most memorable for me was the kind of company I was travelling with. It had nothing to do with going to every nook and corner of mussoorie or being awestruck with the beauty of the place not even the thrill of meeting Ruskin bond in person could match the sheer joy of what I experienced this time.
It was about going back to being what we men essentially are – being boys again. The stupid antics that we pulled off, like flicking something off a store just for the kicks of it or making plans of leaving the hotel without paying off the rent or being loud on the streets, playing the guitar and singing songs on the side of the streets.How often do we drive eighty kilometres in the middle of the night to get a pack of ciggarettes?Even more stupid things like wrestling each other and ending up breaking a bed. Simple joys of being a rash driver on the streets or going up and down the mountain roads at such speeds which would make Schumacher feel sick and puke.
The best part about trips like these is that you get to know a lot about your friends. Their habits nasty and good (well for us guys there are no nasty habits!! its all good.). Since people are in their own on such trips you even get to analyze how well you fair between the different sorts of people around you. And the feeling is really great if you realize you are at the top.
So yes, going places and travelling does mean that you revel in the sights and taste the cuisines, meet new people but there comes a time when you need to make one such trip which is all about yourself. A trip which makes you find yourself again.
