Just Sarin

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so this is a mail i receive from the great driving challenge admin....

The Travel Plan for us - what we're planning to do... if we get selected - click the file link, and download the pdf.

View Travel Plan in a larger map

While most people visiting Paris would want to wine and dine, the eternal child in me was craving for a visit to Disney land. So off to Disneyland went Sarin, Beau and me, with help from Nitin on which trains to board and most importantly which side of the platform to be on :-). We got up at wee hours of the morning, actually, we were woken up by our gracious and caring host - the Goel family who took utmost care of us during our stay in Paris and helped us immensely in planning our entire sightseeing in Paris and fed us with delicious home cooked Indian vegetarian food ranging from bread rolls to pav bhaji to pancakes. The food Bhavna cooks is nothing short of yummy ever :-)

We wanted to reach Disneyland early and try and catch up on as many rides as we could as we were warned of the massive crowd and circuitous lines at Disney and we almost reconciled ourselves to not more than 3-4 rides. Since none of us are early risers it was extremely difficult for all of us to keep our eyes open but since we had to change trains there was no option but to look sharp lest we miss the station.

It was a long journey (took us almost over an hour to reach Disneyland) but once there the eyes automatically were wide open and the sleep also went off for a ride. We walked towards Disney land expecting huge crowd and sent off Sarin to buy the tickets while we bought a raincoat for Beau as it had started to drizzle and Beau was not carrying a raincoat. Surprisingly we saw Sarin walking back with tickets in his hand. We thanked our lucky stars and quickly pushed off for the rides before the crowd started to swell.

The Disney map was collected and we went to the Adventure land (Disneyland is divided into some 5 lands - Discovery land; Adventure land; Frontier land; Fantasy land and Main Street USA, each theme based and having their own set of adventure rides; kid’s zone; shopping area and lot more stuff). Tip – once you enter grab a map and decide on what you want to see (or if you really have the time, then plan from before).

We started off with our first ride - The Big Thunder Mountain and the catalogue read “Its Dynamite”
IT was nothing more than …yawn …..but thankfully we didn’t have to queue up for this one :-)

Next it was Indiana Jones and Temple of Peril [anyone who knows Sarin doesn’t even need one guess on why :-)] and since there was no queue to enter we thought it was a good bet. Moreover the catalogue read “Prepare yourself for a whip-cracking adventure as you enter the Temple of Peril and find yourself in a runaway wagon speeding through the ancient ruins. Tummy-turning action”. Well it was anything but tummy turning (check out our pics where we tried hard to look scared). Disappointed? Well, yes we were a bit as we wanted the rides to really shock us out of our wits.



By now Sarin started getting his confidence back (well he is not a great one for these topsy-turvy rides) as we moved on to our next ride “Space Ride”. Four feet something, that Sarin always considers me, he always wanted me to check my height to ensure that I pass that test before I stepped on the ride :-)

We went on to the ride and wwhhoooaaaaaa it was really amazing. The shuttle started to move ahead slowly chugging along and then the announcement came get ready for your space ride ….in ….Three …..Two …..One and wwwooooppppsssssss before you could blink your eye the shuttle just shot up at top speed …. Before you knew it plunges headlong – double its previous speed. And then it was turns and loops which just left us feeling dizzy. Well this one sure was tummy turning action and Sarin swore that he will never do it again.

Now, Sarin wanted his lunch break, one good ride (bad by his standards) was just too much for him. Spotting a cool place, we trooped right in. The wait was long and the attendants looked totally confused. We were hungry and completely bored. Finally after lot of persuasion we got a table and lo the waiter was absconding. She came finally huffing and puffing but she was an extremely courteous and efficient girl though can’t say the same about the kitchen staff. The food was good and we were famished and quickly gulped it down (savoring food is never been our forte). Final round Sarin and Beau ordered for an icecream each and it was huge. We tipped the girl and set out for our next set of rides.



As we walked out towards the Disneyland park there was an announcement of the Disney Parade happening and so off we went to watch. It was cute with all the Disney characters in a small blue train waving and dancing. After the parade we went back to the Disney park and tried the Rock and Roll coaster. The lightning fast ride is accompanied by hi-amp rock music. For once the ride was perfectly described in the catalogue “As the music rocks, you'll "roll" from 0 to 100km/h in less than three seconds, into hairpin turns, jaw-dropping and over-the-top flips, upside down through a state-of-the-art rock video...” Lo!! that was nothing short of being awesome. Despite the adrenalin rush Sarin loved this ride being a great fan of rock music and for once I didn’t mind the noise being a great fan of thrill rides :-)

After that we shopped a little in the Disney shop where I bought a princess sweatshirt for my niece and a Mickey Mouse toy and Winnie the Pooh key chain for myself and Beau bought the Shrek donkey for “a friend” of his ;-) We posed among the big cars ; managed to catch up a street performance while we walked over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Ride.



The ride did look quite scary and he queue was long which took half the fun off the ride. The ride is situated inside a eerie looking hotel (that’s how it is made up like). A group of fifteen people are led to a room and you are asked to stand within the boundaries of the carpet. You almost faint at the thought of a ride without any thing securely strapping you up. But that is just for the introduction to create the eerie feeling. Then you are escorted to a place where there a 4 lifts in a row. When your turn comes you climb up the lift and are strapped. The lift has a capacity of approx 15 people.

In our lift a couple got in with their two little kids. The younger kid was getting edgy and seemed like he didn’t want to get on the ride. The attendant told the parents that she will need to ask the kid before starting the ride. The attendant then asked the kid do you want to go “up and down, up and down” The child let out a small cry and then the attendant gestured with her hand and said “up and down, up and down” the child started wailing. The attendant told the parents that the child can’t go. It was mothers turn to ask and she said “up and down, up and down”, and the child let out his loudest cry meaning Cant you UNDERSTAND I DO NOT WANT TO GO… The parents finally gave up and discussed among themselves on who would take the ride. After a few seconds a reluctant father stepped out of the lift with the boy.

It was an exhilarating experience where the ascent of the lift is followed by gravity defying drop. This ride was fun more so because through out the ride we just kept telling each other “up and down, up and down”.

By now Sarin had enough of the rides. But we were not going to let the Crush’s coaster let go past us without trying. The crush’s coaster was based on finding nemo where you ride on the turtle. There are four seats two in front of turtle and two facing back. While standing in the line I decided to sit facing the rear since all the rides were till now front facing. Our turn came and the turtle not only did the ceremonial ups and downs but also did a 360 degree spin throughout. So it never really mattered whether you were sitting in front or back. This ride was definitely not kids play :-)

Sarin just gave up after this ride but me and Beau hadn’t had enough we went back to the adventure land where the rides did not have a queue (much to Sarin’s reluctance he had no option but to go with us *wink*). This time Beau and I decided to sit right at the front of each ride. We went again on the Big Thunder Mountain; Indiana Jones; Rock and Roll and twice on Space ride. This time around we screamed and screamed out our lungs. By the end of it Sarin just wanted to kill us.

By now it was seven and in an hours time the big Disney parade at night was about to begin. We roamed about and had some snacks at the kiddie zone. We waited for a while before the procession began. Well this is one stunning show with illuminated float after float carrying Disney characters along with music and dance. The parade ends with fireworks, can’t say the same about the fireworks, have seen better ones for sure. Though the backdrop of the castle combined with the fireworks does make a memorable sight.



The parade ends almost in time for every one to catch up the last train and like all others we also rushed to the station. Once we boarded the train we realized how tired we were by the end of it and didn’t realize in sheer excitement of the rides. This sure turned out to be a fun filled day.

Go visit Disney land and let the magic begin……

It all started with my desire to go for a sky dive and then one plan led to another and in the end it all converged into our Euro trip. Beau was supposed to do the bookings since he was in London and that’s where we planned to Sky Dive. But till we reached Pisa the bookings were yet to be done (never trust your younger siblings as they can never get any thing right – here I am talking from experience of being one *wink*) and finally one fine afternoon at Pisa we searched the website, called up a few places which offered sky dive and finally booked ourselves with Skydive Weston.

We landed in London where ‘B’ came to pick us at the station and we were more excited at the thought of sky dive next day than meeting each other :-) Next day we got up really early (probably the excitement didn’t let any of us sleep), reached the station where we grabbed a sandwich and coffee before boarding the train to Bicester. It was a two hour journey (‘B’ and Sarin slept) and we all were fervently hoping that our dive should not be washed away by the rains.


After reaching Bicester we took a cab to the sky dive premises. The cabbie was an Indian and chit-chatted the entire way telling us about where who’s-who of the world shop when they visit Bicester. We reached the Sky Dive location and entered the lush green lawns with our heads held high watching mere dots drop from the sky and gradually convert into humans as they approached the ground. We went and met the organiser who started with the enrolment proceedings – enrolment form and insurance (well a few more pounds won’t hurt). One look at the insurance pamphlet and the already existing apprehensions on whether to do it or not start to resurface :-) as the pamphlet gives details of various events which can occur starting with loss of one or two eye moving on to loss of one or two limb to loss of life.


It was eleven and we almost had another hour or more to go before our dive, the anxiety and excitement gave us hunger pangs and we hit the cafeteria. Post brunch ‘B’ went off to sleep and ‘S’ also couldn’t keep his eyes open for long (though he tried real hard).

Finally around twelve we made our way to the training area for the training (late as usual!!). At the training we weren’t listening to the instructor with as much concentration as we should have as we were busy listening to what was going on in our minds [except Sarin who didn’t have an option but to listen to anything but what my mind said and it said “Sarin there is no backing out now “ :-) ].



From there on we were led to preparatory area where our name was up on the board with the name of our instructor. We met our instructors, one more experienced than the other. They saw our sizes and then reshuffled the pairing. Sarin got an instructor who was almost his size and weight; my instructor was a towering personality - double my height (Sarin claims that anyone would look tall in front of his 4 footer and the instructor was 5ft 10 where as I claim to be 5ft something and my instructor to be well above 6ft- Check out the picture and decide for yourself), Beau’s instructor was the best, much shorter than him and not as healthy as him but the most experience of all ;-) (I can foresee death at hands of Beau for associating the phrase healthy with him and not Sarin).

Bargained a little more with the photographers, trying to get a good deal since we were three of us (well guess you can take an Indian out of India but not the bargaining habit out of him). Finally after what seemed like eternity our turn came, the heart beat was faster than usual as we wore the jump-suits. After that the time just went by checking the equipment and a quick word from the instructor to re-cap on the training. The photography continued side by side.

We walked over the lush green lawns with our entire gear when Beau discovered that he was not given gloves and his instructor was not wearing a jump suit like others. Perplexed at this sight, he asked his instructor for gloves, who promptly asked him who was going to manage the chute and that was end of the discussion. Sarin and I just couldn’t stop giggling looking at Beau’s reaction and showed off our gloves till we reached the plane.

One more set of quick instruction followed and we jumped on the plane and off we went. It was a small plane and there were 12 people apart from the pilot. Facial expressions clearly distinguished the pros from the first timers. My instructor was definitely the best as throughout the ride he kept conversing with me and made me absolutely comfortable.

Slowly and steadily the plane went up-up and away and we were on the top of the world (Well 12000 ft by any standards WOULD BE considered as top of the world) before we took the PLUNGE.

The debate still continues till date on which was scarier - when we decided to take the plunge on 14th April 2007 or this one ;-). The feeling upon this plunge is not unexplainable but difficult nevertheless. Jitters, butterflies in tummy, anxiety, trepidation are all mere words… ‘Shitting bricks’ comes vaguely close to explaining the feeling that we had when each one of us was standing at the edge of the plane, with our legs hanging.

Well enough of trivia and back to the jump. When the plane is high enough, the trainers start to check the equipment again along with a quick recap of what you are supposed to do with each tap on your right shoulder:

– put your legs up when he stands at the door
– hands crossed over your chest
– Look left to get your moneys worth ; that’s where the camera man is
– Breathe normally (though that does tantamount to asking for too much at that moment)
– Post the jump once he taps on your shoulders put your legs down and free your arms and most important don’t forget to look at the camera !!
– Second tap get your legs and arms back in original position
– Chute opens up and then you can be a free bird again

A loud horn indicates that the adequate height has been achieved and the shutter door opens up as your heart skips one too many beats. Before you realise all the pros gave the thumbs up and keep jumping off the plane one by one. It was time for Sarin to go and he was surprisingly cool as a cucumber (despite his self acknowledged fear of heights) while me n Bo were actually looking petrified. Cool dude Sarin went and puuufffff… he vanished among the clouds…..

When my turn came, my darling instructor asked me to slowly move towards the door, while sitting. Once we reached the door, strong winds hit my face, my eyes almost pooped out of my sockets and my jaw dropped and almost hit the ground (well, actually the floor of the airplane). It was absolutely breathtaking, actually I was gasping for breath as all I could see were the clouds and then the first tap came –legs up and hands crossed, ever heard the phrase living on the edge well at that moment I just experienced it. Tap two look to the left, I was almost frozen and I didn’t respond to the tap, my instructor just turned my head and then wooooaaaaaaaaa…… we jumped.

Finally Beau went he was asked to put his legs up but being much taller than the instructor he couldn’t manage the instructor waited for a few seconds, gave up on Bo and jumped and puff he was gone too …….

We took a complete 360 degree turn after jumping off the plane and I could see the plane above me. My entire world had turned in a matter of a few seconds, with the ground over my head and plane at my feet. In fact there a total loss of sense of direction (Do I actually possess it normally? Sarin’s answer would definitely not be in affirmative). I regained control (my instructor was always in control) as we turned over.

Tap three - free your hands and legs and feel like a bird and battle with very strong winds hitting your face as you pass through the clouds. And hey don’t forget the most important part smile for the camera as the instructor points out to the camera man. The free fall lasted for about 20-30 secs and those few seconds seemed like eternity then.

Tap four – back in the original position, a not so sudden jerk (you are already told about it) before the chute opens. I could finally see my legs and realised how it was to be hanging in between the sky and the earth. Tap five – free your arms and leg. Tap six – just checking if you are okay :-) Smiles were exchanged mid air with my instructor and he asked me if I was ready for a spin. I nodded still overwhelmed with the dive to start talking. Woohhhoooooo spin one and I let out a loud laugh and my world famous giggle. Realising that I was enjoying this I got a few more spins before we started descending by slowly drifting in the sky. My landing was smooth unlike Bo and Sarin’s who just crashed.

Beau and Sarin were waiting for me to land after their photo session and contemplating if they should go for the second dive as it was cheaper and we already had the insurance. I landed and smiled wide for the camera and hugged and kissed my darling instructor and Sarin for a second almost felt that I might fly off with the instructor :-)

Feeling happy like never before, we got off our jumpsuit, collected our certificates, lazed around the lush greens while waiting for our cab to arrive.

Famous last word on our dive - We believe we can fly and we know that we have touched the sky :-) Stop reading now …GO FOR IT :-)

P.S.: Here's the warrior after his mighty flight :-)

To view our sky dive videos, click here: Vidya, Sarin and Dhiren