Rule 1:
1. There is only one way a family trip can be made memorable…’do everything together’ 
Lansdowne was a driving destination for us (me, my younger bro, mom and dad). The town is one of my favorites for the maintenance and not being frenzy on crowd. My mom gets tired too soon walking, and therefore a beautiful hill station can be the only option for us in the mountains. At the same time she likes pushing herself, what a state of contradiction old age is.
I wanted to stay at Tip-n-Top, but they didn’t have a single room that could accommodate the four of us. I was very clear about it because dad was very clear about it. Now this is the next trick: (Rule 2)
2. Agree with everything your dad has to say (if your dad volubly cranes his neck as the family head, vice-versa for your mother).
Eventually we found a place with the Mayur Hotels. They can’t be missed at the Gandhi Chowk, they have a restaurant that seems to be the busiest. Even on my earlier trips (once I started a five day bicycling expedition here) I have always found my meals here. They have built a new wooden cottage three storey up @Rs. 3000 for the double bed room. It looks a little artificial in the market place. Better deals and options, a hundred meters away Mayur’s have the only cinema hall running in town. The place is hidden from the market and has beautiful gardens. The cinema hall is sandwiched between rooms all around, all double bed rooms, ideal for families. The only glitch is the bass and woofer that you suddenly become aware of and either end up appreciating how far technology has gone or chewing on your cheap abuses that you don’t want to waste on mere ‘what the’. The first thunder that happened in the morning brought me a smile. I rushed out to discover that it was no thunder. Then a series of rumblings got me used to it. The Mayurs serve the cinema hall on their menu card at the restaurant.
watch ‘Raavan’ four shows daily. Spl. Class Rs. 32, Ordinary Rs. 16. PVR like.
The shows in the evening were mostly dowsed by the loss of Brazil on day one and Argentina the next day. The walls shook in the rumblings, but our cheering reinforced them enough. I watched Raavan for Rs. 32 ONLY the next eve. The chairs didn’t have bugs, the sound was Dolby with discernable echo. For Rs. 32 i.e. The picture quality was great. I remember watching a movie for Rs. 8 somewhere in MP at my cousin’s at a Coal India township, some fifteen years back. Those chairs had bugs. I kept itching through the show apprehending bugs. ‘Rs. 32 movie must come with bugs’ is the thought that kept running along as Beera Munda abducted Ragini and got ensnarled by her beauty.
Rule 3:
3. Do what your old ones like most, even if that means watching television on a trip to Amazon. Adjust what you like between what they like.
The next day we took a hike to the Jungle Resort, Anand Retreat. I saw it mentioned somewhere and had checked it out the day before. 3 kms from Gandhi Chowk, Dad and brother walked the trail and I drove my Mom. The terrain is 2×4 through the year, but 4×4 for the monsoons. My mom loved it, she loves the rain, humid soil, trees, green. She can spend hours, unlike my Dad who needs noise. It turned out to be the best for both. The resort had some music playing in the background and a lot of people jumping in and out of the swimming pool. They didn’t have enough space for us, else we would have moved. A four man room sells for Rs. 3000 and a double bedroom for Rs. 2000.
Rule 4:
4. Even if your parents are soft on bones and hard on walking, pick destinations that will make them toil. They will love it at the end. There is no replacement to being tired in nature.
Last day we had to visit a forest guest house at a place unknown to the Delhi ‘junta’. However, for the ‘bandh’ (strike) on
5th July (today) we had to cut our trip short by a day. The unknown place will be discovered next time. This unknown place was the cherry topping for the entire trip. My Dad, Mom and Bro were so disappointed for not being able to go there. Pure forest was it? It was much more than that, it was unknown. The trip ended like a suspense thriller where the ending is open to interpretation and the sequel is bound to sell. Especially for my dad who still puts greater emphasis on the destination than the journey, it takes only a shift in packaging the destination. We will go back again, shortly to check it out. I have already forgotten the great time I had; I am already in the future. It takes me a while to try different emollients on Dhruv (my brother), he had taken it to heart. He insisted on driving 120 kms extra to check that place out, even if it meant adding five extra hours to our seven hours driving time back home. Wonderful!!!
Rule 5:
5. Package your trip in mystery and play the ‘unknown’ cards. Your investment is bound to hit a home run.
