I'm back in Indianapolis, after what can be termed as wild ride. I did have fun. In fact had the time of my life but the trip included some moments which i wish would not have happened, due to which i had to miss out on going to Bangalore and Hyderabad. I left Indy as planned on the 27th and reached Chennai on 29th early morning. Everything went smooth as planned. No missed flights and no lost luggage's and as a result was able to attend my best friend wedding the same night. Had some good biryani at the wedding and had fun too. Not to forget the few shots of tequila we had before we went to the wedding. Came back late and spent the whole night chatting with buddies and catching up with the events of the last two years. Not that i was out of touch with the happenings, but there is always this thrill of talking into the night.
Went over to my friends place the next day where we had a barbecue. It was fun. Chicken was plenty and so was the booze. We ate and drank into the morning and the music never stopped. One guitar was all that was needed. Everybody can sing and i sometimes wish i could sing too. The songs never stopped and after a few drinks even the lamest singer gathers guts. Even after more than 24 hours of travel, sleep was the last thing on my mind. I was going to be there just for few weeks and i was determined to make the best use of it. I kept my eyes open least i missed anything. The next day was spent at home lazying around due to the hangover. Did nothing much during the day because we knew it was going to be another long night thanks to new year. Late at night we all went to church. Was nice to just hang out with everyone and the most awaited moment was going for an early breakfast after church. Got back home early morning and i was due to leave to Bangalore that morning.
My ordeal began this morning. Had to be in the station to catch the 6am Shatabdi and while packing i decided to take my passport and visa from my bag and keep it safe in the shelf. I open my bag and i could not find my pouch containing my documents. I did not think much about it and i just assumed that it would be somewhere in the room. Where else could it be. I leave for Bangalore and reach by 10:30am. I ring up my friend in Chennai and ask him to scan the room. He searched every possible inch of the house and could not find it. The seriousness of the situation slowly began to hit me. No passport, no visa and no ticket. How could i go back? Would I ever be able to get back. I began to realize that i would not be able to finish my course. I was so close to finishing. I thought and thought and just could not figure out where i dropped it. All i remember was that i had it with me till i got out of the airport. That was the end of my Bangalore holiday. It was ruined and it was over before it even started. I had initially planned to stay there few days but i had to rush back to Chennai. The next few days were hell. Pure hell. I could not think properly and i was so numb. I could not even react to the situation. I was like a zombie walking around. I called every possible place like the airport, travel agents, gulf air office, but none of them had received the lost items. I usually react late to such stressful situations. My cousins, uncles and my brother did the worrying for me. They has sleepless nights. My brother developed ulcers inside his mouth. My uncles BP shot up. I had still not informed my parents. I did not have the strength to. How could I just tell them that what i had slogged my ass for three years had suddenly gone down the drain. I may have got another passport, but getting another US visa was impossible. Anyway after few crazy days, i did manage to locate it. Some kind soul had located my pouch containing my documents and they had handed it over to the airport. I immediately went and collected it and held on to it so hard. During these few days, i learnt how to pray, all over again.
My future secure, I left to kerala the same day. Was nice to see dad after so long. Also got to eat a lot of good food that i had been craving. The hardest part of this trip was visiting the house where my grandma lived. I was not around when she passed away and this was my first trip after that. It was strange walking in without being hugged and kissed by her. It was strange to pass by in the train in front of the house and not see her waiving from the door. The food and the aroma was missing. This was the house where I was born and where i took my first steps. Spent most of my childhood here. Now that grandma is no more, I don't think that the house may be around much longer. As soon as they find the right buyer and as soon money exchanges hands, this house would be reduced to nothing but a piece of my memory. Most of my time in Kerala was spent visiting relatives and listening to their complaints that i did not spend much time in their house. I guess the best thing i did was to take a half day class on Imago therapy, for some counseling students and the professors, at the counseling institute where my father works. Goodbye to Kerala and another train ride back to Chennai.
Met more friends in Chennai and another sleepless night. Had to cut my Hyderabad trip and instead decided to head out to the north east, to Nagaland. Caught the early morning flight from Chennai to Kolkata and from there caught the noon flight to Dimapur. Seeing my girlfriend after such a long time was much needed for me. It was much needed for the both of us. The next four days were heavenly and probably the fastest of my life. It was over all too soon. Time suddenly seemed to make no sense. It flies so fast when you wish it would slow down or maybe even pause for a few hours. This trip even gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of her relatives. Something i had not done before in spite of her having met most of my relatives. To my surprise, it went off better that i had expected. I had managed to adjust and fit it with a whole different culture and life style. I was also supposed to visit this place called Mokokchung and meet her parents. This did not work out as it required more traveling and I would have also needed an ILP or an Inner Line Permit, to go beyond Dimapur. I have heard that its a beautiful place. Have even seen snaps and it sure looks tempting. Guess I am saving the best for last. We roamed around Dimapur. I liked the place and the people. It just made me feel so comfortable straight away. Also had my first sip of rice beer. Or should i say glasses of rice beer. It tasted a lot like wine, and sometimes even tastes like toddy from Kerala. A really good drink and i did enjoy having it. HongKong market is a must visit place for any shopping buff. I hate shopping but even I was tempted to buy stuff, just because of the price. Its unbelievable how you can get good stuff for such low prices. I am definitely going back there, and this time with more money. The flight back to Chennai was uneventful, except for a minor delay at Kolkata.
Last two days in Chennai was spent visiting more friends and relatives. Boarded the Gulf air flight from Chennai on18th early morning. Had a 15 hour break in Muscat and thankfully the put me up in a hotel. I just ate and slept. Caught my next flight to London Heathrow where i had a three hour break. Arrived in Chicago an hour behind schedule due to strong head winds. As a result, I saw a slight possibility of missing my connection to Indianapolis. Rushed through my immigration and waited for my luggage. Waited and waited till someone told me that it never arrived. The wait made me miss my flight and I was re-booked on the 5:30 flight, which the pilot tried to start but was unsuccessful. He tried for more than an hour and announced to us that it would not start and that it needed to be jump-started. A flight ??? Jump Started??? It was finally jump-started and we took off by 9:30pm and i reached home by 10:30. Had a wash and hit the bed. After more than two days of travelling, there was nothing I needed more than a long sleep.
My ordeal began this morning. Had to be in the station to catch the 6am Shatabdi and while packing i decided to take my passport and visa from my bag and keep it safe in the shelf. I open my bag and i could not find my pouch containing my documents. I did not think much about it and i just assumed that it would be somewhere in the room. Where else could it be. I leave for Bangalore and reach by 10:30am. I ring up my friend in Chennai and ask him to scan the room. He searched every possible inch of the house and could not find it. The seriousness of the situation slowly began to hit me. No passport, no visa and no ticket. How could i go back? Would I ever be able to get back. I began to realize that i would not be able to finish my course. I was so close to finishing. I thought and thought and just could not figure out where i dropped it. All i remember was that i had it with me till i got out of the airport. That was the end of my Bangalore holiday. It was ruined and it was over before it even started. I had initially planned to stay there few days but i had to rush back to Chennai. The next few days were hell. Pure hell. I could not think properly and i was so numb. I could not even react to the situation. I was like a zombie walking around. I called every possible place like the airport, travel agents, gulf air office, but none of them had received the lost items. I usually react late to such stressful situations. My cousins, uncles and my brother did the worrying for me. They has sleepless nights. My brother developed ulcers inside his mouth. My uncles BP shot up. I had still not informed my parents. I did not have the strength to. How could I just tell them that what i had slogged my ass for three years had suddenly gone down the drain. I may have got another passport, but getting another US visa was impossible. Anyway after few crazy days, i did manage to locate it. Some kind soul had located my pouch containing my documents and they had handed it over to the airport. I immediately went and collected it and held on to it so hard. During these few days, i learnt how to pray, all over again.
My future secure, I left to kerala the same day. Was nice to see dad after so long. Also got to eat a lot of good food that i had been craving. The hardest part of this trip was visiting the house where my grandma lived. I was not around when she passed away and this was my first trip after that. It was strange walking in without being hugged and kissed by her. It was strange to pass by in the train in front of the house and not see her waiving from the door. The food and the aroma was missing. This was the house where I was born and where i took my first steps. Spent most of my childhood here. Now that grandma is no more, I don't think that the house may be around much longer. As soon as they find the right buyer and as soon money exchanges hands, this house would be reduced to nothing but a piece of my memory. Most of my time in Kerala was spent visiting relatives and listening to their complaints that i did not spend much time in their house. I guess the best thing i did was to take a half day class on Imago therapy, for some counseling students and the professors, at the counseling institute where my father works. Goodbye to Kerala and another train ride back to Chennai.
Met more friends in Chennai and another sleepless night. Had to cut my Hyderabad trip and instead decided to head out to the north east, to Nagaland. Caught the early morning flight from Chennai to Kolkata and from there caught the noon flight to Dimapur. Seeing my girlfriend after such a long time was much needed for me. It was much needed for the both of us. The next four days were heavenly and probably the fastest of my life. It was over all too soon. Time suddenly seemed to make no sense. It flies so fast when you wish it would slow down or maybe even pause for a few hours. This trip even gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of her relatives. Something i had not done before in spite of her having met most of my relatives. To my surprise, it went off better that i had expected. I had managed to adjust and fit it with a whole different culture and life style. I was also supposed to visit this place called Mokokchung and meet her parents. This did not work out as it required more traveling and I would have also needed an ILP or an Inner Line Permit, to go beyond Dimapur. I have heard that its a beautiful place. Have even seen snaps and it sure looks tempting. Guess I am saving the best for last. We roamed around Dimapur. I liked the place and the people. It just made me feel so comfortable straight away. Also had my first sip of rice beer. Or should i say glasses of rice beer. It tasted a lot like wine, and sometimes even tastes like toddy from Kerala. A really good drink and i did enjoy having it. HongKong market is a must visit place for any shopping buff. I hate shopping but even I was tempted to buy stuff, just because of the price. Its unbelievable how you can get good stuff for such low prices. I am definitely going back there, and this time with more money. The flight back to Chennai was uneventful, except for a minor delay at Kolkata.
Last two days in Chennai was spent visiting more friends and relatives. Boarded the Gulf air flight from Chennai on18th early morning. Had a 15 hour break in Muscat and thankfully the put me up in a hotel. I just ate and slept. Caught my next flight to London Heathrow where i had a three hour break. Arrived in Chicago an hour behind schedule due to strong head winds. As a result, I saw a slight possibility of missing my connection to Indianapolis. Rushed through my immigration and waited for my luggage. Waited and waited till someone told me that it never arrived. The wait made me miss my flight and I was re-booked on the 5:30 flight, which the pilot tried to start but was unsuccessful. He tried for more than an hour and announced to us that it would not start and that it needed to be jump-started. A flight ??? Jump Started??? It was finally jump-started and we took off by 9:30pm and i reached home by 10:30. Had a wash and hit the bed. After more than two days of travelling, there was nothing I needed more than a long sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment