So this happened to be my first escape of 2016, a week getaway precisely! The trip to Jalandhar came as a welcome development, thanks to my Lil birdie (Hanu)!
Pic: Solitary tree by NH1 (Delhi-Jalandhar Highway)
Yes, he is my cute nephew who turned 2, exactly 4 days ago. When it's him in the picture, the temptation to see him gets better of me. Every moment spent with him, leaves me soaked in his memories, which take its own time to vaporize.
The kid is delightfulness overloaded, assimilation of the flicker & characters of a lovely individual in making. On 20th Jan, I was convinced by mom to go to Jalandhar, which I didn’t need anyway.
Pic: Dhaba, Sonepat
Well, after trying my luck with Shatabdi, I settled for the Red Bus app & booked myself a ticket in Golden Temple Volvo bus service after availing an initial 150 bucks discount- a privilege meant for the first user of the app.
The bus departed from Chandni Chowk depot- its one of the boarding points at 11:30 pm & kudos to the bus operators for making the ride an overwhelmingly comfortable one.
Soon the bus was cruising on the NH1, the Delhi-Chandigarh highway & the misty windowpanes lighted by the crossing lampposts made for an absolute delight to behold.
It was almost 2:30 when our bus made its first halt by the side of NH1 in Sonepat where I took the much-needed pee, munched on the snacks and sipped a steaming cup of coffee at the adjoining Dhaba.
Pic: The gorgeous engine cake!
Soon as the bus started I was due for another round of sleep & I was woken up by the driver and informing me about the arrival of my destination.
In 5 minutes I was standing at PAP- the junction that leads to the road to Chandigarh and Himachal.
It was 5:10 in the morning & I was standing by the highway side waiting for my brother to pick me up.
Meanwhile, I was fighting to keep up with the freezing weather, 6 deg precisely.
Reason being, Delhi wasn’t so cold & even if it were I wasn’t exposed to such hostile conditions, thanks to my new ‘work from home’ stint. Bhaiya was there in 10 minutes & I kept up my promise of being there on my kid’s side when the clock strikes 6:11 am- his time of birth precisely.
The day was more cold than usual at 6-degree celsius but we were tender enough to enjoy the climate.
Pic: Rhyme- Halloween Night!
Hotel Radisson was chosen to rejoice the occasion and a special engine shaped cake was ordered, much to Hanu's liking.
Meanwhile, the day was well invested procuring return gifts & small requisites from Sadar Bazaar- the place that usually brims with the flock of Punjabi birds & basic household essentials.
Pic: One for the paparazzi
The moment finally came & we reached Hotel Radisson by 9:30 pm. The astounding hospitality extended by them made me take a particular note of it. Serving personnel were warm & with their gestures bang on! Time was well spent chatting and eating our way to midnight.
22nd was a laid back day when I chose to give some rest to my intestine & pancreas.
Though this time I got luckier with a seat in Shatabdi alongside Bhaiya-Bhabhi!
Fate had something else in store for me.
Pic: iFroze @ ISBT Kashmiri Gate, 6 am
The final act:
22nd Jan 2016, 5:45 pm: We chose to be cautious & made it to the platform no 3, an hour in advance reason being the almost missed Shatabdi at New Delhi station when this little portion of my family was traveling to Jalandhar.
After a 10 minutes delay, unlikely when you speak of Shatabdi, the train emerged on the platform with the majestic hoot announcing its advent.
The oncoming train, with itself, brought an uncanny memory, the memory of Bhaiya’s laptop bag, which contained his laptop, a boarding pass of their next day itinerary from Delhi to Bangalore & other essentials.
Bag's nature of content made it an indispensable luggage, something that we couldn't afford to miss.
In a moment, we decided that I would miss the train, pick the laptop bag & take a Volvo back to Delhi.
As they embarked the train, I raced back to Bhabhi’s, collected the bag & reached the bus stop in a while where I had my ticket booked in one of the Volvos of Punbus.
The bus set off by 8:45 pm. It fought its way through the dense fog and reached ISBT by 6:30 am. Meanwhile bro & family reached our Malviya Nagar flat by the stroke of the midnight & I was back with them by 7 am.
That's my Boy!
A brief and rather an eventful tour came to an end which left me with a handful of memories.
Your 2nd birthday would be treasured in our memories for a very long time sweetheart!
Yes, he is my cute nephew who turned 2, exactly 4 days ago. When it's him in the picture, the temptation to see him gets better of me. Every moment spent with him, leaves me soaked in his memories, which take its own time to vaporize.
The kid is delightfulness overloaded, assimilation of the flicker & characters of a lovely individual in making. On 20th Jan, I was convinced by mom to go to Jalandhar, which I didn’t need anyway.
Well, after trying my luck with Shatabdi, I settled for the Red Bus app & booked myself a ticket in Golden Temple Volvo bus service after availing an initial 150 bucks discount- a privilege meant for the first user of the app.
The bus departed from Chandni Chowk depot- its one of the boarding points at 11:30 pm & kudos to the bus operators for making the ride an overwhelmingly comfortable one.
Soon the bus was cruising on the NH1, the Delhi-Chandigarh highway & the misty windowpanes lighted by the crossing lampposts made for an absolute delight to behold.
It was almost 2:30 when our bus made its first halt by the side of NH1 in Sonepat where I took the much-needed pee, munched on the snacks and sipped a steaming cup of coffee at the adjoining Dhaba.
Soon as the bus started I was due for another round of sleep & I was woken up by the driver and informing me about the arrival of my destination.
In 5 minutes I was standing at PAP- the junction that leads to the road to Chandigarh and Himachal.
It was 5:10 in the morning & I was standing by the highway side waiting for my brother to pick me up.
Meanwhile, I was fighting to keep up with the freezing weather, 6 deg precisely.
Reason being, Delhi wasn’t so cold & even if it were I wasn’t exposed to such hostile conditions, thanks to my new ‘work from home’ stint. Bhaiya was there in 10 minutes & I kept up my promise of being there on my kid’s side when the clock strikes 6:11 am- his time of birth precisely.
The day was more cold than usual at 6-degree celsius but we were tender enough to enjoy the climate.
Hotel Radisson was chosen to rejoice the occasion and a special engine shaped cake was ordered, much to Hanu's liking.
Meanwhile, the day was well invested procuring return gifts & small requisites from Sadar Bazaar- the place that usually brims with the flock of Punjabi birds & basic household essentials.
The moment finally came & we reached Hotel Radisson by 9:30 pm. The astounding hospitality extended by them made me take a particular note of it. Serving personnel were warm & with their gestures bang on! Time was well spent chatting and eating our way to midnight.
22nd was a laid back day when I chose to give some rest to my intestine & pancreas.
Though this time I got luckier with a seat in Shatabdi alongside Bhaiya-Bhabhi!
Fate had something else in store for me.
The final act:
22nd Jan 2016, 5:45 pm: We chose to be cautious & made it to the platform no 3, an hour in advance reason being the almost missed Shatabdi at New Delhi station when this little portion of my family was traveling to Jalandhar.
After a 10 minutes delay, unlikely when you speak of Shatabdi, the train emerged on the platform with the majestic hoot announcing its advent.
The oncoming train, with itself, brought an uncanny memory, the memory of Bhaiya’s laptop bag, which contained his laptop, a boarding pass of their next day itinerary from Delhi to Bangalore & other essentials.
Bag's nature of content made it an indispensable luggage, something that we couldn't afford to miss.
In a moment, we decided that I would miss the train, pick the laptop bag & take a Volvo back to Delhi.
As they embarked the train, I raced back to Bhabhi’s, collected the bag & reached the bus stop in a while where I had my ticket booked in one of the Volvos of Punbus.
The bus set off by 8:45 pm. It fought its way through the dense fog and reached ISBT by 6:30 am. Meanwhile bro & family reached our Malviya Nagar flat by the stroke of the midnight & I was back with them by 7 am.
A brief and rather an eventful tour came to an end which left me with a handful of memories.
Your 2nd birthday would be treasured in our memories for a very long time sweetheart!
