Chapter 7: A Vacation within a Vacation
My stay at the Pune Snake Park was to be for about three weeks but I
was enjoying the experience so much that I was reluctant to return
home. To my good fortune the family decided to spend the Diwali
vacation holidaying in Rajasthan and since it was necessary to travel
to Mumbai to catch the onward train north, I persuaded my parents that
I would come to Mumbai directly from Pune where I would meet them at my
grandparents' house in Girgaum. So I got myself a few extra days at the
Park and another experience of finding my way around, this time in the
big city of Mumbai.
Sujit bought me a bus ticket to Mumbai and dropped me off at the bus
station as well. I had earlier received elaborate instructions on the
phone from my dad on how I was to get to Girgaum once I got off the bus
at Dadar and backup information from my nervous Mum on what I should do
in case I got lost. I later learnt that my uncle and family were also
put on alert to receive a call from their nephew in distress, which did
not happen for I was determined to find my way on my own, and I
succeeded in doing so.
The bus left Pune at around 10 a.m. and arrived in Mumbai a little
after 2 p.m. I took a taxi, gave the driver the address and watched
carefully as the taxi sped away down unfamiliar streets.
Pages:
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75