"...Tiger Point is even more foggier, you will love it..."

"...Tiger Point is even more foggier, you will love it..."

...i told my 7 yo daughter, V. 

For a while now, I have been plotting to take V to Tiger Point at Lonavla (the hill station near Mumbai). I love going there to experience the chilly & dense fog. Its like walking in the clouds. I kept building up a narrative around it. Finally, last Saturday, we left for it. 100+ kms & 3 hrs, said google maps. Good things don't come easy anyways, I thought.

V loves Maggie. I told her what an awesome experience it is to enjoy a bowl of Maggie & corn bhajji along with slices of raw mango (topped up with salt & chilli powder) at the chilly foggy point. En route on the expressway, we came across a few patches of dense fog. "Look at the beautiful fog V! But Tiger point is even better! The fog is more dense there!" I kept telling her each time we passed through a foggy patch.

Finally, we reached Lonavla, but we encountered an unusual 20 min congestion on the way to Tiger Point. Probably the weekend traffic, I told my self, hoping against hope. Finally, we reached the point where cops were refusing entry to the road ahead. Apparently, the water levels were rising & hence the road ahead was out of bounds. "But we travelled over a hundred kms for this!" I protested, in vain. 

The little Missy was upset, and quite obviously. I had built it up a bit too much. I had to initiate damage control, so I tried navigating to another place I had heard about. "Pawna lake is a beautiful place, might be foggy too, lets go there" I said. It was an hour away. I began driving towards it but soon realised I was going too far without being sure of what the place had to offer. So I moved to Plan C. Another spot (Tungarli Lake) was just 15 min away. "This one is close by & I have heard a lot about it too. I am sure it will be great!" I announced. But, we had to turn back 600 meters from the place due to another traffic chaos involving a narrow steep incline coupled with a heavy downpour. There was no plan D. We decided to just drive down to the main market for a quick bite. After savoring some Maggie & vada pav in the market, we left for home. 

"You know what! There is another nice foggy patch on the way to the expressway. Though not as good as Tiger point." I told V. We reached the spot. It was quite foggy, but not as good as Tiger Point. Then it hit me. I had been unknowingly ruining the moment. "This! This is exactly what Tiger Point feels like!! You see how dense the fog is?" I said, knowing in my heart it was a lie for the greater good. "Yes, it is so pretty!" Pat came the reply. We stepped out & took a couple of snaps. I bought some corn bhajji & raw mango before leaving for home.

Sometimes we create a trap of heightened expectations, thereby running a risk of ruining the actual experience that is waiting eagerly for us. 

Circumstances 1, Papa 0. But I am determined to even the score out before the monsoon ends.