That eager wait

There were almost 60 days for our trip after all bookings were done. Some of the weekends and in-between we saw You Tube videos. Many websites and mobile apps we scrolled through to know more and plan our trip better. Vaishnodevi Shrine board website was especially useful.  It gives information about whether, no of daily pilgrims, route and facilities available and so on. From there we learned average number of expected pilgrims. Last few years average in a day was about 15000 a day. It means at any given time will encounter 3000 in the queue.  It means 3-4 hours for Darshan (view and paying respect to deity). AccuWeather is one website I believe in for weather forecast.  It was showing a possibility of rain during that period.  What became worrisome later was the forecast changed to heavy to very heavy rainfall on those days. Knowing weather forecast in tour plan helps a lot while selection of clothes and other accessories.  We decided to carry umbrellas and even Jackets to fight chill. We were to know how much this preparation was to help us there.

What to see? What to eat? What to do? How to move around? What are geological and sociopolitical specialties for the region? We were seeking answers to this questions browsing through resources like Trip Advisor, Cleartrip, Makemytrip, yatra etc. Then we used to see related videos on YouTube and discuss to improve plan. This helped us to make list of clothes, accessories and others items to be carried with us. Following the list we started packing our bags. For one day trip on Trikuta hills we carried an empty backpack. You will find It being called as "pittu" in North India. I am a diabetic. So we carry enough, nutritious, light weight food with us. It includes dry fruits, dates, chocolates and protein biscuits.  If we get held up somewhere with unforeseen events then it must take care of at least 24 hours. We also packed medicines as per physician's advice.

It kept in mind while packing was, total number of bags must not exceed two. Also bags are not heavy and difficult to carry. We took all the printouts of bookings arranged in the order of events. We also ensured enough cash and cards are carried. As we were traveling in the country carrying Aadhar card (something like citizenship document issued here), driving license as identify cards. It is mandatory in hotels to provide address proof and these documents are enough for citizens of India. The whole day was busy packing and ensuring that we carry all the requirements for our journey.  it was an enjoyable day. It was l Saturday, 14th March. We stay in a distant suburb of Mumbai about 50 kms from Airport. It takes over 90 minutes of travel. Next morning our flight was at 9.30 am. As we wanted to reach airport an hour before scheduled departure, we decided to leave home by 6.30 am. I am never so particular but Neha likes perfection with proper pre-planning. We booked a radio cab "Meru" in advance. It was a sleepless night of excitement and little anxiety of travel, Vaishnodevi Darshan and purchasing.

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