A weekend out

Writing again, after a long time. Last weekend was good fun. Though it was nothing like I expected to be, it was in fact far better. At times, we plan things, and that might in a way ruin things, but the things that come as a surprise are far more interesting. Everything about the trip was amazing.

It all started on Saturday afternoon, it was hot, and there was no reservation. But, to my luck I land at the station, look at the charts and this man helps me figure out things, and soon I have a reserved seat in an AC coach. It couldn't get any better. Lovely cosy journey, I slept, clicked pictures, played with a lovely cute kid on the next seat, listened to some music, chatted up with the Ticket Inspector, who turned out to be a really friendly guy, and the journey was soon over. Once I landed on the station, well there's someone waiting for you, and off you go. The village scene was even more interesting. The moment you step out, a sudden burst of heat wave welcomes you, but if you can get over that and focus, there was so much to notice, observe and appreciate. There was this narrow road, which we had to cross in a car, and trust me there was hardly any space to walk, forget getting a car through, and I guess the person picking me up wasn't quite comfortable with my presence yet. So we start, casual talks and he badly trying to concentrate on the road, time and again we'd bump into people, they'd curse and abuse, and you could see the impatience growing on the guy's face. But, what I liked were the tiny shops, the colors people had on, the way they were crossing the road, as if nothing could happen to them, like there were no rules. Some shops happened to have some really great stuff I had never seen before, like one had something made of wood, which looked like corks on wine bottles, it had lots of them tied together to make something, which I couldn't make out then, but made a mental note to return when I have time, which again didn't happen, cos the trip was cut short later.

Once, we reach our destination, a quick drive around the place, by now the sun has set and you can appreciate the magic of lights. I tried to capture a few, but the restriction not to stop on the runway, didn't allow me to capture good ones. but, nevertheless, the scene is etched in my mind. I reach my room, and now it was time to explore everything around me. I had a good amount of time on me, as my friend was not going to turn up till late. Started with a nice refreshing shower and found a lovely opportunity to kill time in bathroom itself. Hehe... There was this tiny frog, I don't know about the species but this one are those glassy ones, which are all transparent and they jump some 6 ft high, it's fun playing around with them. Rested, had dinner, slept for a while and soon my friend turns up. We talked and kept talking for the whole night. It was fun. Very different from what I imagined it to be, but fun. I guess by now I should have known that this trip was not going to be anything like I thought it'd be. Soon it was time to leave, but, the best part, where I learnt the most was yet to begin.

So, all packed and ready as I board the train, this time there was no man to help me out, and I was there to enjoy the life of an everyday traveler. Initially I tried to get myself a seat and be comfortable, but soon I realized it was more fun this way, and so began the 6 hours ride to Bangalore, waiting, standing, talking, interacting, laughing, clicking pictures, meeting some really good, amazing people. There was so much that I learnt in a day, I could hardly believe it was all true. Everyone, from the old man, hanging on the door, to the lady merrily sitting on the passage, to the kids trying to find a little space to jump around, and not to forget the man who helped me out with everything and even offered me his seat. We Indians are just simply amazing, culturally, emotionally, the way we talk, share, and enjoy every moment of life. The trip that would have been extremely tedious given the heat and the crowd, felt like I was right among my friends. Thanks to the lovely cooperative and understanding crowd. Love you all.