It was a day of crampy thighs , aching soles and sheer satisfaction. For last Thursday, after much dreaming, planning and trademark confusion I was able to join the rest of the Dirty Dozen as they trekked up a hill ( and, yes, fetched a pail of water from the crystal clear Dev Taaki). The credit goes to Cd and Su, who masterminded the excursion, and my own appearance was all due to Su's strategic timing, meticulous direction and untiring coaxing ( thanks, dudes!) The trek up was delightful, marked by an encounter with a wise man and a wise woman in a little hut and quaint stories about a different lifestyle narrated by the Sheikh herself. After two and a half hours of climbing (not bad; most people do it in an hour) we treated ourselves to fresh curd out of little earthen pots and a sumptuous lunch of pithla-bhakar, along with a game of bluff and a very unconventional one of frizbee. Su then led us to vaara point, where there wasn't any vaara but, hey, that's where Kareena was last seen (oh come on guys, she was quite a sight -sunbathing and chewing the cud). That's when we 'lost' SV and ran around the place screaming her name, attracting the attention of everyone but SV. We were eventually reunited near Dev Taaki, the beautiful spring at the fort, whose cool and clear water is a godsend( no, no, no- I am not a tourism official). The best was yet to come, though. During the climb down, AB, SV, Ar( there is only one Ar) and I got separated from the rest of the gang by a melee of school children. And that's what i enjoyed the most- the peaceful climb down. I mean, ever seen five shades of green merge into each other? Ever wondered what they mean by true blue? Ever seen silver bark and red berries without a leaf? (rubies set in platinum? Doesn't even come close!) My favourite was the little green sun bird perched on a leafless branch against a backdrop lilac blossoms. I was almost sorry when it was time to go home. But the ever resourceful Dirty Dozen did provide me with something to think about during the ride home in the back seat of S's car- Operation Dessert Storm.
