Fri, Jul 15

7:40 pm: Pawan and I take a cab from gurgaon to chanderlok bhawan and reach at 6:10 - zuzer is already there. zuzer looks like a nice round mast guy - shud be fun. Kshitij arrrives in another 15 minutes.

alok's accountant wants to come over get the roc forms (for new company registration) signed but is unable to reach in time. Finaly suggests ''is it ok if I create your initials''! what the heck, go ahead. By 7:15 the bus gets going - hey, zuzer seems to have carried a bottle of vodka and he mixes up a bottle each of nice vodka lime - we are ON!

7:46 pm: these volvo buses have nice seats - three of us are at the back - with the engine making nice humming sounds - by my side is a couple - the guy wants to force his hand onto the shared handrest, but I aint giving it.

11:39 pm: dinner at 11 karnal - good makhan parathas - zuzer tells how he took to mountaineering - started at western ghats at age of 13 and sneaked in into an expedition to ''see snow'' - landed up being the only member of the team to reach the summit! By the time he was 18 and eligible for IMF basic course, he was already training others for the advanced course and had climbed 7 peaks - not bad - teenagers lived their dreams even in the 70s...

11:44 pm: as we get into the bus, the conductor comes to each seat and gives a polythene bag - ''anyone can have motion sickness in the mountains, and make sure you tie it up before you throw it out'' - and this bloke next to me is worried about his return ticket - on his honeymoon - already envious that all three of us are married but are going without our wives!