Monday, July 23, 2012

Uptown Girl

I like to believe I am a very fit and active person: after all, I go jogging every day, I can walk for miles to save auto fares or for street shopping and I have always been a sporty girl: taking part in swimming competitions (even though I finish last most of the time) or athletics or playing cricket/football/badminton/squash for hours.

Even on Saturday, I visited the latest temple mall in town, and spent half the day exploring each new store with ample enthusiasm. People who are religious will totally identify with this fanaticism, where nothing, I repeat, nothing, can keep you away from God, or in my case, a retail outlet, tired feet notwithstanding. So, on Sunday, when we signed up for a MEDIUM DIFFICULTY trek to Sagargad, close to Alibagh, at a height of around 1350 feet, I was slightly contemptuous, thinking that it was too easy, and we should participate in a more challenging journey. True, I have never been a trekking person, but ever since I BOUGHT MY SHOES, I have turned over a new leaf.

At 6 a.m., I was all rearing to go, in my STRONG Reebok shoes, ready to conquer the world, or the fort. The yummy cheese sandwiches in the bus only made me more energetic. As we started the EASY walk, I was my cocky self, wondering why people made a big deal about trekking in the monsoons.

But then it began: the slopes, the stones, the mud, the rough stairs, the rains, the CLIMBING and the SLIPPING. I was back to my college days, trudging along, panting, struggling, falling repeatedly, cursing everybody. Yes, the valley was beautiful, the view was breathtaking, the waterfall was mindblowing and most importantly, the lunch served in the quaint old village was sumptuous, but I was still the spoilt urban girl, who would rather admire nature from a distance (or from google images). If going up was a Herculean task, coming down was only more treacherous, with the rain making it worse. And then the inevitable happened: I fell in the water, drenched myself completely and as I clumsily picked myself up, I was determined never to be so foolish again.

I am not made for trekking, I am not made to be in close proximity with nature, I am not made to be adventurous.

I am happy in my shallow concrete jungle, I can live with pollution and traffic jam and I am infinitely more comfortable in high heels in a suburban mall, rather than enjoying the fresh air at an ancient fort on top of a godforsaken hill.

I am an Uptown Girl…

8 comments:

survivingbrain said...

Well,
Why am I having an evil grin on my face imagining the scene, of you getting out of the water??:P:P

I missed that, and in the possible case of your friends taking a picture/video of that incident, do send it to my mail!! (and make my day!) :P

Nefertiti said...

@sb
it was NOT a pretty picture, let me assure you! And hence, NO pics to record the embarrassment...

Kappu said...

I love treks, I love rains. But trekking in the rainy season - eww.

Good for you - you can write a short story : when the uptown girl goes trekking :D

Nefertiti said...

@kappu
in mumbai, monsoon is the best time for trekking. but yea, for someone who is not a natural, it poses some serious safety issues :(

and short story... sigh. if only!

Anonymous said...

I love to trek. And I fall every time. I slip, I trip and tumble too. But I love it. Its so me. The wet mud on my skin and in my hair, the power I feel when I get back up to trek again. My comrades giving me hand to get up. I take the most ungraceful falls all the time. One day trek is piece of cake for me. But the treks that take 2 weeks really take a toll on me, and I curse my self. But when I reach a spot where I can see the rest of the world, I know I was born to trek and I belong to nature :)

Hopefully we can trek together and I can show you the joys of falling down and getting back up, knowing nature will be unveiling its splendor just for you :)

Childwoman~

Nefertiti said...

@CHILDWOMAN
ahh... the slipping, the tumbling, the mud on skin and hair, i can so identify with all of it. and yes, may be we should trek together (and fall together as well), sometime next year, because I am clearly done for this one!

ssoggo said...

oh I miss home so much right now! the treachorous slopes, the fresh air and stingingly cold rain...
i can't wait to be on a hike back in Goa,on the toughest hills, grabbing on to hapless saplings to stop my descent into depths unknown...

Nefertiti said...

@ssoggo
yea, Goa in monsoons is THE most amazing place. I was there last August when it was raining heavily and still we went up to the Fort Aguada and the view of the roaring sea was just breathless!

I am so jealous that you BELONG to such a beautiful place...