This New Year's was definitely a memorable one and the first year I actually made plans besides just a house party or going to some fancy Mumbai club. I attended Vagabond’s Pyjama Party and had the time of my life! The people Vagabond manages to attract are amazing and I had so much fun on my Hampi trip I didn't doubt this one. Krunal was initially supposed to fly out at 5am on the 1st but as soon as I mentioned this trip, flights were changed in an instant as we called up Vagabond to see if they had enough space. Luckily for us, there were exactly 3 tickets left so we grabbed them. I had previously convinced all my friends to go and then never registered. The Universe wanted me to attend the party!
The New Years Eve party was held at Lake Arthur in Bhandardara. The party was in the evening but Krunal and I woke up early in the morning to take an auto to the meeting point at Chakala Metro Station. There all of the Mumbaikars were waiting excitedly. I immediately recognized my friend Nakul and made small talk with some new faces. I finally got to meet one of the founders Shannon who I had heard so much and had called many times. The bus ride took about 5 hours but we stopped along the way and of course naps were a must. We stopped at a fancy rest stop that had clean washrooms and multiple restaurants to choose from. I still have no desire to eat at McDonald's even though it is super popular here and they have a veg menu and everything. Instead, I settled on Starbucks. As I waited in line I heard a very familiar voice of a friend I had made back on the Hampi trip in September - Deepashree! We gave each other such a tight hug as it was so unexpected and exciting to see each other after so long! Outside, I ran into another friend of mine who I had roomed with in Hampi - Shivani! I had known Shivani was going to be on the trip but I was still excited to see her after so long.
The buses arrived at Lake Arthur at around 3pm from which we all offloaded. There were approximately 134 people on the trip including staff and we fit into 3 large buses. From the lake several boats were lined up to take us to the secluded campsite. Lake Arthur was beautiful! Shrouded from the busy city, it was a blue color surrounded by the mountains on all sides. I could not have been happier to be amongst the mountains after so long.
The first thing we did after receiving our tent assignments was jump in the lake. The lake was surprisingly shallow and the water was chilly but if you kept moving it wasn’t that bad. Everyone was floating around in their red lifejackets eager to meet everyone and make new friends. Krunal loves the water so we swam far out and introduced ourselves to some other people Krunal instantly bonded with from Gujrat. Deepashree was in the water as was my new friend Neha so I chatted with them a lot. It was so relaxing and freeing to be floating in the lake as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was golden hour baby! The sunset that night was unbelievable as the sky turned hues of pink and purple.
Chilled from the lake we dried off and changed to participate in some of the organized games that were going on. The experience managers were leading group games such as Bang and Fuzzy Duck. For Fuzzy Duck everyone went around in a circle and said Fuzzy Duck until someone said “does he” and then the saying would reverse directions and become Ducky Fuzz. As we went faster more and more people would mess up the words or pause too long and get out. It was hilarious when people accidentally said “fuck the duck” or something similar as they mixed up the consonants. It was good fun! There were also smaller arranged games going on you could participate in for tokens that could be redeemed for prizes. I participated in a staring contest, and rock paper scissors to collect enough tokens for a sticker.
The campsite decor was very well done. There was a cute Vagabond tent photo op that Krunal, Nakul, and I took photos at. Lights were strung around the center of the campsite that had been converted into a stage area. As the evening turned to night, a singer who goes by Peaking Panda brought out his guitar and started singing. Everyone pulled up chairs to sit and enjoy the music and sing along. The singer at some point came up to me and asked if I was Sonali's sister. Apparently they have sung together in the past. Small world! Peaking Panda shared a lot of mellow songs that we all knew but also some originals he composed. It was a really special moment that was reminiscent of camp days singing by the campfire.
It finally reached the time everyone had been waiting for - pyjama party catwalk. Everyone went to put on their best pyjamas for the show. Krunal and I had been searching for matching pyjamas but it turns out they didn't make cute pyjamas for men so we just bought him a funny shirt that said “the things I do for love” that he happily flashed every time I had a request for him. I was wearing some old Polar bear pyjamas paired with my iconic froggy fit hoodie. The music started playing and everyone gave their best runway strut. I pulled the zip of my froggie hoodie shut and gave my wildest dance to “Party Anthem” by LMFAO. I jumped and jumped and did some frog hops completely letting loose and feeling no judgment. I let my crazy out as I realized I had nothing to lose in a space where barely anyone knew me. I felt more myself and found it much easier to talk to others. Although I didn't win the catwalk, I still think I had one of the best costumes.
The catwalk got people excited and soon everyone was on the dance floor jiving and swaying to the music. Initially, I just watched but Deepashree pulled my hand up and we were jiving and doing some silly dances. It was too much fun. I could see Shivani and Krunal whispering to one another so I dragged both of them to the dance floor as well. They got along so well and could not stop cracking jokes in Hindi all night long. The music changed to Hindi songs so everyone was belting their lungs out. At grandma's factory the other day the girls had tried to teach me a couple so I followed along for a little bit.
Finally at around 10:30 pm dinner was served. It was a homey meal of rice, dal, paneer, vegetable, and papad served on a thali plate. Everyone was so hungry the food was polished in no time. It was a little bit watery for my taste but had a nice spice level which I enjoyed.
The music and dancing continued well into the night. Krunal, Shivani, Deepashree, and a few others had formed a tight group by the end of the night and sat chatting in a circle for hours. Snacks were passed around and many jokes were cracked. The night had turned everything rather chilly and I was wearing about 4 different layers to stay warm.
At the crack of midnight we burned the old man. We counted down from 10 and just like that we rang in the new year. The old man symbolized out with the old and in with the new. He went up in flames and the remaining ashes were used to start a campfire to roast marshmallows. The marshmallows were nice and crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside. It brought up so many happy memories or making smores around the campfire as a teenager.
As the night dragged on people formed a circle for everyone to enjoy the campfire. We chatted for hours and hours until I got too sleepy and retired to the tent at around 2 am. It was not long before we were woken up to the sound of people rising for sunrise at 5 and. What an incredible night it had been and so unlike any other New Year's experience!
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