Every Mountain Trip Begins With Excitement
I've always been excited about visiting the mountains. There's something about them that holds a special place in my heart. Even though I haven't traveled to many places yet, every mountain trip feels magical to me.
This time was even more special because I was finally going to one of my favorite destinations—Manali. The moment the trip was planned, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every day, I found myself counting down, waiting for the day to arrive. I was so excited that I could hardly wait.
Finally, the day was here!
There was just one small twist—my train wasn't from my hometown, Pune. It was from Mumbai, so the journey actually started before the real trip even began. Taking a bus from Pune to Mumbai was the best option since it was both convenient and budget-friendly.
As expected, I packed my bags at the very last minute. No matter how much I promise myself I'll pack early, it somehow never happens! Once everything was somehow squeezed into my bags, I rushed to catch my bus.
With two bags by my side and a heart full of excitement, I finally started my journey towards Mumbai. Sitting by the window, watching the city slowly pass by, it finally felt real.
The adventure had officially begun.
After reaching Mumbai, we headed straight to CSMT Railway Station, where our train to Delhi was supposed to depart from. Since we had a few hours before the train, we decided to leave our luggage at the station and explore the city without carrying two heavy bags around.
The luggage room charged us around ₹30 per person for a day, if I remember correctly. There was just one small catch—our bags had to be properly sealed before we could leave them there so that no one could open them while they were stored.
Once the luggage was safely kept, we were free to explore!
First, we went to Pancham Puriwala to grab something to eat. And well… let's just say I didn't make the best food choice that day. 😂
I ordered aam ras puri, thinking it would be perfect since it was March and mango season was around the corner. But it turned out they were using mango pulp instead of fresh mangoes. It was okay, but honestly, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected.
After that slightly disappointing meal, we decided to just walk around and explore Mumbai for a while.
And of course, it was Mumbai—so yes, there were people everywhere! The city was crowded, busy, and full of energy. We eventually visited the Asiatic Library and spent some peaceful time around the area before taking an evening stroll through the garden.
By then, I was hungry again.
And because we were in Mumbai, there were two things I really wanted to try—pav bhaji or vada pav. I mean, can you really come to Mumbai and not have at least one of them?
Apparently, we could.
The waiter told us, "Not today."
So, there went our Mumbai food plans. 😂
We ended up having Maggi and lemonade instead, and honestly, it wasn't a bad way to spend a lazy evening.
Soon, it was time to head back to CSMT, collect our luggage, and wait for our train.
And that's when the real chaos began.
Our train was supposed to arrive on Platform 15, so we were waiting there with our heavy bags, completely relaxed. Until suddenly, we realized the train was coming on a different platform.
And obviously, we weren't the only ones who had no idea what was happening.
Suddenly, people everywhere started running.
We grabbed our heavy bags and ran too. 😂
The announcement was apparently made, but the volume was so low that most of us couldn't even understand what was being said. So there we were, running through the station with our luggage, trying to figure out where our train had actually gone.
Finally, we found it and somehow managed to hop onto the train.
And just like that, the Mumbai part of our journey came to an end.
The next day was going to be all about travelling by train, getting closer and closer to the mountains we'd been waiting for.
Manali was still far away—but we were finally on our way.
Comments
Post a Comment