19th May,2007 again

The folks at home were very worried about us. But we charted our course in a careless way, singing songs by Coldplay, Parikrama, Metallica, Strings, Euphoria, and Swades to our hearts content. All we had for light was tiny flashlight from that made-for-India phone 1100, crescent moon and the stars above for company. Somehow Coldplay’s lyrics seemed very germane...

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow.

The road does get eerie at times and at places far away from you can hear a few lilting tunes of Konkani folk songs. There are times when on the road being totally quiet helps. It brings with it a certain sense of tranquility and then you can turn your thoughts inward and contemplate life. So after that really long walk totaled at about 10 kms we reached home, hungry as wolves. Long walks such as these have a positive effect on the appetite and help to clear the head. I need to do this often.Sleep came quickly that night.

19th May,2007

The morning sun revealed the beauty of the Konkan landscape. Trees dot the entire road. The hilly terrain looks stunning. At 8.15 a.m. we reached Kankavali. With one last lingering glance at the gorgeous firangs whom I didn’t hit on, I got off the bus.Hope I see them in Goa!

At the beautiful home with a hyper-excited grandma in tow we reached and were accorded a warm welcome. There they laid out a sumptuous meal of fish curry rice and fried fish. Mouth watering stuff prepared deliciously. After the heavy meal I slept off!

At about 5 p.m. we decided to surrender ourselves to the beauty of the village. There is river that flows away gently through the place in summer and with the vicious force of an attacking snake in the monsoon. We decided to check it out. In summer it looks a poor shadow of its full gushing glorious self. It kind of reminded me of myself! Nevertheless it’s a beautiful place to be at, especially when its dusk and the night is about to set in. there I spotted a wonderful bird, looking regally over the water surface and casting a kingly glance over the landscape.

Getting back home was the fun part. We didn’t have torches. Home is about 5 kms away. All we have is the moonlight and the stars and of course a few vehicle headlights that vroom away to their destinies on the SH117. Now it can get a bit tricky on the road. The Konkan region has some of the deadliest reptiles found on earth. The Russell’s viper, the king cobra and many other deadly and poisonous snakes are found here. And generally they hunt at night for their prey. One accidental footstep on a coiled snake and you would be breathing your last.

18th May,2007 again

Back on the bus to Kankavali, next to me is a babe of a Marwari with a cute little daughter and in front of me is another couple {Marwari again}.
Two seats ahead on the cushy seats rested my fantasy (two young hot firang chicks in skirts). Barney Stinson and his devilishly funny ideas floated in my head, but God you need to be Barney to do that.

Anyways the couple two seats ahead started getting way too close for my comfort. Fondling, smooching like hell and if it was a closed compartment, I would have witnessed some really gross acts in public. My conservative grandma sat with eyes closed and with really irritated look on her wizened face.

At night 12.00 pm the stupid movie finally got over. It’s sick the kind of bullshit they play in the buses. I was wondering what the firangs might be thinking, I mean crappy movies like these reflect poorly on our country’s cinema.

The bus stopped at some restaurant and we grabbed a quick bite. Then once the bus started again I turned on the ipod. They turned off the bus lights and music streamed in my ears. Highway star, open road, and other on the road kind of songs played on… Bliss …metallica, coldplay , aerosmith, my entire rock collection…consequently I didn’t sleep a wink. After a long time I saw the dawn break in … an amazing feeling it is!

As a kid I always remember traveling to my native place at night in a bus. That feeling returned as a surge of emotion in me. Ah! Nostalgia it can kill!

18th May,2007

It all started sometime ago, a crazy itch in my brain somewhere; something was poking me on the inside. Something was asking me to break away from the routine and do something interesting and exciting. It was there in my head somewhere I can’t put a finger to it and say “here” but I could feel it.Maybe it was the whole feeling of wanting to escape, to run away from all the stress and all the familiar people and places.
My mom suggested I go off to my native place.I am never really too enthused by the idea of going off to my native place-Kankavali. But here was I at my cousin’s place off to Kankavali in a Volvo with my grandma and my cousin Abhay. But let’s rewind a little.
How did I get to Borivali? Only after a great amount of drama at home. Firstly Abhay booked tickets for a Volvo {1000/- bucks total rip off}. And I wasn’t prepared for shelling that kind of money. Neither was my mom. So after a lecture that lasted hours, I packed my bags and was off with already a 1000/- bucks deficit.
Then somewhere in the middle of the road in the S. T. bus going to Borivali I realized I had forgotten the keys of the bag that was locked with my wallet and everything. With time running away fast, I asked that oh- so- helpful friend Sanket to come to my aid. He was kind enough to come to go to my place and get the keys. So after much heroic adventure I reached Borivali.