Before I tell you more about water zorb-ing, here are the links to previous write-ups about my vacation...
Part 1: click here
Part 2: click here
And now... Zorb-ing...
Imagine this. You are asked to step into a ball-like thing made of plastic-like material and they blow it up with air till it’s well-rounded and bouncy. You are then velcrow-ed inside and pushed into a pool of water. And you’re challenged to stand up and walk on the water without falling down.
That’s water zorbing for you…
Wow is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of my ten minutes in the bouncing balloon on the water!
It looks uncomplicated, but trust me when I say, it’s tremendously arduous and tricky. Standing up inside the ball is laborious, staying that way for a few seconds and trying to walk is next to impossible. As the oxygen inside starts wearing out, you feel exhausted and can’t wait to get out.
I did manage to stand up several times, but the number of failed attempts were considerably greater. It’s almost like you’re on skates or a rolling board. The water is unstable, and the ball shakes with it. Each time you try to get up, the ball rolls over. Watching the way you shift your weight and maintaining balance are your watch-words as you try to slowly rise. And plop! There you go again…
All extremely fun to watch and laugh when you watch others zorbing, extremely gruelling when you’re doing it yourself!
Oh, and FYI, the one I did was in a pool of water. Zorbing is also done downhill in some places. Not something I’m dying to do. Call me sissy, but this one suited me just fine!
Wanna know more about this activity - check this and this.
Quite a lot of adventure for a week, right?
Apart from the treks I and mum randomly set off on. We discovered so many paths and shortcuts which would get us to a place in one-fourth the time it takes by car on a gravelled road. Quite convenient and essential for the local people, who I was told had no vehicles and walked almost 10 to 20 kms every single day. Whew! Hats off…
Umm… what else did we do? We played badminton and board games. We enjoyed sitting on the porch, balcony, garden and swing. We had pahari massages done with apricot oil almost daily, and played party games in the activity centre at the resort. I watched TV, listened to music, read and went for solitary walks within the campus.
Basically, I did everything I had planned on a relaxing holiday.
True, I missed swimming, but maybe it was foolish of me to desire a swimming pool in a place that has sporadic rain and snowfall and cool climate throughout the year.
Anyway, a vacation with mum had been on the cards for a while, so every minute was worth it. She’s such a crazy nut, and such a cute one at that! I have to keep reprimanding her for various reasons, given that she forgets her age and purpose more often than she should. But all in all, she’s my second favourite person in the world.
(The first is me. Duh!)
Seeing my brother after an interval was also nice. His power and authority was clearly impressive, and his staff was in awe of him. Proud of you, man… Keep it up!
A few other people who also deserve a mention – the most significant among them, Mr. Amit Sharma. A beautiful person at heart, and a lovable friend and caring companion. His humility and humor is marvellous, but his incessant chatter did drive me insane a few times. However, this holiday wouldn’t have been half the fun it was, had he not been there.
Also, Shweta Uppal – technically mum’s friend, but more my type than hers, so obviously we gel a lot better. And Nidhi, of course, who can very fairly be defined as Shweta’s un-forgettable and un-substitutable other half. Both very reliable, straightforward and thoughtful people, bless them.
Who else shall I remember… Mahipal the cutie, a sweet, young chap at the resort; Jack the fantastic, whose size belies his tremendous energy and passion while facilitating adventure sports; Tony the forgetful, who’d behave like he cared and yet forget half the orders we gave him during mealtimes; Nawab, who is a trainer with Club Mahindra and joined us on our Zero Point ride; Abhijeet the nut, who was extremely irritating and unlike-able in person, but who apparently was the source of many laughs for the staff... and last but not the least Golu, the most handsome pony I’ve ever seen, and our darling Bhoomik’s fantasy.
Long after I’ve returned and got back to routine in Pune, all these people and memories stay etched in my mind. A superb one week vacation, and memoirs for a lifetime.
That’s how vacations are supposed to be, ain’t it?!!
Catch the pictures on FB if you’re on my friends’ list… your comments and questions are most welcome :-)
Cheerio!
Princess
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