We were experiencing a terrible phenomenon called misplanning. It was such a situation there, that we could not do anything besides calculating. We tried calculating in all the possible manners in order to get a way out and we visit Lonark. However finally we came to a conclusion that we sit down in a hotel closeby and have tea before starting another long, tiring ride towards Aurangabad via Jalna.
We calmed ourselves down and said "Yeah never mind we have to miss Lonark. Lets reach Aurangabad by 10:00 PM and catch a lodging for some rest". We had already ridden almost 400 kms for the day. So here we were back on the tar carrying ourselves towards Aurangabad. The high beam stories had started on the road. The road was under construction, though it was good and we could ride comfortably. We stopped at Jalna for dinner at around 8:30. Next reached Aurangabad by 10:00 PM sharp.
Now was the question as to where do we stay. We had two options, one, we stay at Aurangabad city which was a good option. Two, we could go down close to daulatabad fort and stay closeby as we were planning to visit Grishneshwar and Daulatabad fort the subsequent morning. We asked a auto rickshaw driver closeby and he as well confirmed that there are a lot of lodgings at daulatabad. We said in that case we go down to Daulatabad as we could also wake up a little late in the morning.
We went up asking for Daulatabad and went along a road that would take us there. We took a right as per the directions given by most and we were on a road with no one around. A very dark road with no street lights, no homo sapiens seen in the vicinity. We were riding continously in the hope of getting a lodging and we believed the auto driver more than ourselves. It seemed like a nightmare. We could not see a single lodging or a place to stay or a house anywhere on the way. It was now already 12:00. We went up the road which goes to Ajanta caves to find onhe loding, however that was not to happen. We came back the same route towards verul. We found many lodgings here finally just to find that all were fast asleep and into their own dreams leaving us here to look after our own night mare that we were into.
Deepak, a little more "samazdar" and uses a little more intellectual rational structure within his head than me, called me up after pitying my desperate and tired looking face. He asked me now what are you planning to do and I was so frustrated at that point of time that a spontaneously answer cropped up saying "Lets go down to Pune". It was wonderful to see Deepak's face though neither me, nor did he have the energy to try anymore. He ignored me and said "Now lets go back to Auranagabad. We wil surely get one there". It had already clocked 1:00 AM. I said let me give a final try and with faith in God got into another lodging and gave a shouted with all the might I had until then. One of the worker there woke up. I ran towards him as if I had seen Lord Ram and I was Bharat his younger brother. Until now I was never so happy as much as after I saw him wake up.
He quickly gave a room containing two beds. We did not have the strength for anything now. We were content with whatever we got. It was then we understood that to sleep you dont require a deluxe room, what you need is just a bed. One new thing we learnt was that in a new city never wait until late night to get a room. Take a lodging by 10:00 or else you might have to face with such learnings. And why do you want to take the same experience again when we have taken it for you :).
We went to the temple the early next morning and pleaded lord not to give us anymore excitements today as we had already finished all our excitement quota for this month the last night. Temple was pretty clean and was quite an old one. Very nice architecture all around the walls of the temple. We spent some time there before we went to visit Daulatabad fort.
Daulatabad was our next destination. We reached there at around 9:00 AM in the morning. It was a very good experience. We never knew that Mughals also could be so very intelligent. The fort had in all 5 layers of safety mechanisms. The most outer wall was the first exposed to the enemy. The best that i loved was the final obstruction for the enemy which consisted of a cave. It is so dark that even the most familiar person will topple down without a torch. It seems the Mughal troops would hide in the cave and in case the enemy crosses all the 4 obstructions earlier, it is from here that they will never be able to cross as the hidden troops would chop off their heads as soon as they reach this dark cave. Beautiful fort.
Finally we were on our way to Pune without any further problems or experiences or learnings or excitements whatever you call it. We reached Pune at 6:00 PM in the evening with a thought that we need to visit it again during rains.
I conclude the series saying "Aurangabad is all in all a beautiful city".
