Alwar Bagh Resort - Alwar, Rajasthan

The nip in the air was palpable as we set out on the 24th of September, 2011 for our one niter to Alwar Bagh Resort near Alwar. The trauma of collecting the Dubes' was subsided by the sheer excitement of the journey ahead. As usual, Anand was delibrately kept deprived of the "Agenda" for the whole trip. The first pit stop was Gurgaon, where the Dubes' joined us alongwith the Sharmas'. JUMBA and  SUNEHRI hugged each other tightly while Anand was forced to be the official accountant for the trip. His mathematical skills can hardly be questioned by chosen few. To complicate things further, Google was mapped to perfection by our official navigator, Varsha.

The liqour laden vehicles started hurtling towards the destination. The change was always ready before the plaza madness took its toll (remember the poor attendant was shot dead for Rs 27, a day before). The Misras', Dubes' and Sharmas' by now were smugly seated with their seats belt fastened to absorb any minor hic-hiccups. Aadi was constantly tutored by his parents to gel well with his big brother Nannu. Nannu was made to be seen as a role model, like "Ram" was to "Bharat". Nannu although was not at all amused. Unlike "Ram", he was not willing to give up his throne. They were finally separated for overall peace to prevail and JUMBA to remain steady on the road.

The Sharmas' have always been the center point of all outings. From Chivas to Chooran they have made sure that the journey is delectable and belch-free for all passengers right from the word go. One important thing which needs to highlighted at this point is that all male members of the Sharma family have always used natural fragrances coming straight of out the lower gut to suppress other equally obnoxious odors. Not sure if this skill can be acquired by practice.

Somewhere mid-way, the emptied cans made us stop to empty our bladders as well. "Chandralok" - gaadi roko, was the unanimous shout. Time to grab a quick bite too. Anand grimaced in disapproval but a snide glance by Mukta from behind her D&G shades made him comply. Mukta is always seen relishing more in seeing Anand's discomfiture in rustic settings than being in that setting herself. She has this recurrent dream where she sees Anand running towards an open field, with a used Bisleri bottle in one hand while somehow managing to hold on to his faux Tommy Hilfiger jaanghia with the other. In real life, she leaves no stone unturned to fulfill this dream. Coming back to the trip, the oily menu cards were scanned hastily. Mukta immediately got attracted towards the mouth watering chat neatly displayed only to be snubbed by our ever conscientious Anand. Better sense prevailed. The Sharma deodorizer remain unchallenged.

We could have reached our destination much ahead in time had Anand was not given the arduous responsibility of taking directions from a passer by. He has this firm belief that only a man dressed in Roberto Cavalli, with Gucci shades, can lead us to the right path in life. He has set some very "high standards" for himself. Some of these "standards" were brutally discarded and finally, we did managed to reached Alwar Bagh Resort at 4 pm. The welcome drink was never served.

The rooms were allocated rather were usurped before our luggage could arrive. Anand did a careful inspection to figure out the best available room but it was too late for him. The Sharmas' and the Misras' were fast asleep before he could put his finger on the best one.

A small swimming pool in the courtyard was the major attraction for adults (the kids can enjoy themselves anyways). Caution was immediately handed over to winds and all of us jumped into the pool without much inspection. The pool was big enough to contain our pot bellied self without rubbing against each other. Anand managed to artificially power his lungs to blow open the baby floaters for Aadi. What else remained was used by him to stay afloat in water.

The drinks were called for. Jagjit Singh was summoned directly from the Lilawati ICU to charge the environment with his soulful renditions. The night sky was littered with stars and so was the floor beneath us. The tikkas of all variety started flowing in. The breezers were uncorked. The Vodkas were stirred (not shaken). The Black Dog barked vociferously.

Monica, as mentioned in my previous blog post, is one person who brings this sense of civility to all our sojourns. She carries the ability to foresee impending issues and takes proactive actions immediately. From keeping  Nannu preoccupied to ensuring that the dinner is not served before 2 am, she can deftly manage all such tasks with ease. She does not keep a lighter though.

Varsha on the other hand is more difficult to pacify (Nannu has time and again proved himself to be more disciplined). She has to get what she wants. If one cannot see her around one can safely assume that the resident chef/steward or one of the staff member is getting a piece of her mind (her own husband, in the worst case). The doctor inside always ensures that the hang overs are taken care of promptly. She is herself found struggling with motion sickness is a different issue.