god's own country

I spent my saturday here:



But more on this later. Have to get earlier things out of way first.

The gift of long weekend, one week back, was very well received and very well utilized. When I was a young and dreamy girl, I saw an ad in the paper which showed a young couple in the rains under a canopy of lush green trees. The ad was for Kerala in the monsoons and my young heart melted looking at the picture and I have wanted to go to kerala since that day. If it's in the rains, better!

And I got it baby! More than 10 years later but I did make it happen. Yeah, I rock like that.

And just like that it was another awesome adventure. Adventure I call it because it was. Most of the drive was through forests; we even stayed in a foresty area though there were some houses nearby but it was in the midst of a forest; none of the doors in our house had latches!! What?? Yup! Midway through the first night, I thought someone would come in and slit my throat (I do blame a certain guy who put this idea in my head just as I was about to slip under my blanket).



It was officially accepted by my friends that lack of sunshine drives me nuts. So much so that it's not even funny. What happened was that the first day we landed there it was raining continuously and the sunshine person that I am, I was majorly depressed. I even suggested that we go back after all that driving we had done to reach the place. Nuts I know. Good sense prevailed my friends who put their foot down and that proved to be a good thing because sun smiled for us for the rest of our trip. Smiled less, burnt is more like it. And I loved every bit of the warmth on my skin which pissed off my friends further because it was HOT. I think they might have cursed all the sun drama that I do.

But I welcomed the sun and drank in every bit of its warmth. and my friends concluded that lack of sun causes serious harm to people around me.



As usual, we enjoyed lazy mornings of refilled tea glasses.



And evenings of friends huddled together and sharing and cribbing and laughing.



We went to a 5000 years old temple. Yes I went to a temple. I do that sometimes. Mostly because it was a pretty walk through a forest and the temple was 5000 years old. And I'm only 97% atheist. I even prayed.



It helps if the temple has a run down moss covered smaller ignored building that no one would come to.



We met the coolest old man with a pretty young wife who also happens to be the world's best cook. She made the most awesome fish curry and her chicken curry was to die for. Serious.



And I call him coolest because he drove his jeep over the most treacherous mud path right on the edge of a cliff. With all the ease and composure of a pro.



We met some of our jungle friends on our way. It was quite poetic the way deers galloped right in front of our car as we drove through the forest.



The icing on this trip was bluff. Yeah baby. My first real card game. I couldn't get enough of it, I'm dying for an encore. If you didn't know, I suck at cards. You should see me shuffling.



Another discovery was 'puttu', typical kerala breakfast, and that it makes me wanna throw up. yeckkkksssss!! You know what calls for another yeckkksss?? - leeches who tried to be our friends on our random walks through random forests. What were we expecting in a dense swampy forests after heavy rains, anyways?

The kerala ad in the paper years back had no mention of leeches or puttu (I wonder why). But it did show a good time and good time I had!

one day better spent

we were planning to go out for a very long time. she wanted to take me out of the rut that my life has become and probably get herself out as well. she basically is the adventurous type.."would you come to a lounge/disc for 4 hrs?" "no i dont want to/i have some work/i am not the party types" are the standard replies. "do you want to go to some obscure place for a whole day or two and walk/climb and cover yourself with mud/bruises and get sore feet,legs and body" "now/tomorrow?" is the standard response.

so thats about it as far as planning was concerned.

"i have to head out for the day...do you wanna come or shud i go alone?"..so much for friendship..that too best friends

"count me in" there's nothing much in my life except her right now, so negative answer was not an option

"wake up tomorrow at 5.45 and reach my place..or forget it...ill wake you up"...so much for trust in my 'waking up' abilities

and damn her...she called 10 minutes earlier to wake me up..bloody early risers. i hate it. and what i hate more than that is taking a bath that early. who needs to do that? when you know you'll be covered in sweat(not only your own), mud, dirt, pollution. but the entire debate is in vain and you have to bathe for 'general well being' of by-standers.

turned out to be a futile exercise as we got into the same compartment as the machhi waalis (wow that smell..i can still smell it) and by the end of the journey you cudnt make out where you ended and the other person began. so much for bathing at 6 am.

btw we were heading out for matheran. after the lame start the trip turned out to be good, with the degree of good increasing as the day progressed. after we hunted for food (not literally..she's pure veg..damn them) she wanted to 'do a horse'..forget it was my response..i was not going to ride those creatures in this life atleast..and before i knew it i was on one of them..scared and insecure.

not bad was the initial reaction which unfortunately remained the same till the end. though the fear galloped out.

the honeymoon point was the hit of the day. initially we were little amused that we shud go to the point given the circumstances that were that time. but then turned out to be a good place even for two girl friends who have been thought of as lesbians more than once by more than one person. major heart pouring from my side there. she thought it was a good time to get all truths out of me (chance pe dance as she says) . even asked me to look her in the eye to prove the veracity of my claims. dunno whether i passed or failed. she didnt tell me that.

then came the next high point.. rains..we were walking now..forest on both sides..thin lane and dense fog..perfect setting for that kiss according to me..seconded by her. nobody else to third it. nobody to kiss :( seriously nobody in sight, not a trace of human race..which made her freak out a bit. but then there i was.. her pillar of strength..:)

and then i was like "you know what would make the setting perfect? a chai" and as if a genie had heard me..there was chai and biscuit...it was absolutely heavenly..maybe i could have asked for a spaceship and i would have got that too..

and to end that almost perfect day was the walk on the tracks...

i wish my life was like that track...just keep walking straight...no crossroads...no options...no decisions..no regrets...