Had the most amazing experience of my life today. Was supposed to be part of a trek to the Nagla Block in Ghodbunder, part of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Did not wake up on time and consequently missed the bus that was arranged. But I just felt like doing it and so I co-ordinated with the others, took directions and set-off on my own, hoping to make it to the venue, sooner or later.

This is where things got interesting. I was able to reach Borivali, because I knew the bus routes till there, but beyond, it gets complicated. So, I took directions for Ghodbunder and boarded the first bus that came my way. I asked for a ticket to Ghodbunder in chaste Hindi. The conductor explained that Ghodbunder is a village, and I must know where I need to get off. So I told the man to hold on a sec, while I tried to get directions by calling a friend. The communication switched to English and I got instructions to take a ticket to the Fountain Hotel, get off there and walk to the National Park, where the others would have gathered. Now's the best part..

I hadn't finished taking instructions, and the Conductor said 'Here you go.. here's your ticket to Fountain Hotel'. For a second, I was not sure if the Khakhi-uniform-clad Conductor had said that to me, or was it the voice on the phone - the English was impeccable. I have lived in Chennai, where the medium of communication is usually English, especially for outsiders who don't folllow the vernacular.. but this was freakin Mumbai. And here, Hindi and Marathi rock.. But this time it was pure English. I was so shocked that for a second I didn't respond.

Now, I've watched Amitabh Bachchan on TV. The man's a genius. He's respected across the country for his immense talent and suave mannerisms. And in his interviews, he always responds in the language that he's queried in. I thought I'd give it a shot. For most people around here, speaking in Hindi is taken as an affront. So, even if you ask for directions in Hindi, people reply in English. Although, not everybody is like that. But this time, the Conductor was speaking in English, and I decided to continue speaking in English. So I thanked him and asked him to please tell me when I should get down. To which he replied, in smooth form, 'Sure, I'll let you know when to get off'. Man, I was speechless. Really impressed. It's not everyday that I'd get to speak to a BEST Conductor in English, that has better diction than my former Bosses !

The ride to Ghodbunder was smooth. I got off at the Fountain Hotel. I liked the fact that the Conductor was smiling as I left the bus.. he probably knew what I was thinking. And I was loving it that I had missed the bus in the first place. Mumbai is full of surprises.

I managed to join the party on their trek to Vasai creek (the entry point was somewhere on the Ahmedabad expressway). Mostly a green dirt path. The crowd was noisy and that brought the chances of spotting even a wild dog to zero.

The end point was this small patch of Mangroves and a mostly-lifeless Vasai Creek. But the greenery was enchanting.

Somewhere, we took another path and reached this little waterfall. Tried climbing up along the rock-ridden path to get to the source but never quite got there. But it was still nice to be able to enjoy all this within Mumbai's city-limits.

On the way back, we briefly halted under this natural bamboo canopy. It suddenly started to pour, and we all huddled together under the bamboo shoots. It didn't make sense to take shelter under bamboo shoots initially, but when we actually managed to stay dry, I realized that the growth had stopped most of the water from wetting us.

The best part.. the sound of rain all around you, and you can't actually see them raindrops. Well, nearly.