Last day of my treep

Arrived in Bangalore at 6.00 am on the 13^th. Another 5.30 am in the morning awakening. Took a prepaid rick and went to Sheri’s house. Did early morning chitchat with both Sheri and Kunzu, his wife. They have spent 11 months living in B’lore and are looking for a change in pace now.

They left for work after a lovely morning brekkie made by Kunzu – stuffed mushroom omelettes and pomegranate juice. Left to my own devices, I faffed, unpacked a bit and sat down to watch tele after millions of years :) Kim Basinger movie set in Africa caught my attention and I watched it till the lights went out.

Showered and left to do shopping. Bought my amma a lovely silk sari from Mysore Silk House on Commercial Street, one for Maman and something for myself. Walked along Commercial Street and then had to meet friend N for lunch.

N is a dear college friend of mine who moved to B’lore about 4-5 years back. I hadn’t seen her in a year or two so it was great to catch up with her. Went to Tangerine in Indira Nagar for lunch where I commenced to have lovely bifteck …yummy…We jabbered and caught up on college gossip. Dessert was waffles (absolutely divine stuff)

Having finished lunch, my plan was to go towards Blossoms, a book store opp. Amoeba on Church Street. But not before I got taken for a ride by rickshaw driver buggers – not once but twice! Total dammit it was!! 1^st bugger insisted that N had given these directions. 2^nd bugger dropped me off randomly near Commercial Street. Luckily people were around to help so go to Blossoms about an hour after I started off.

Spent a blissful 60 minutes at Blossoms and if the clock and my wallet weren’t ticking I would have spent more time. Bought 3 books – yay! :) The Bourne Ultimatum is finally in my possession. Elmore Leonard’s 1^st book I have ever read – Tishomingo Blues as well and this one called ‘Three Cups of Tea’ – which btw my dear reader is a brilliant book and I would highly recommend it.

Proceeded with an uneventful rick ride towards Koramangala where Sheri and Kunzu stay. We rested for a bit before going towards Firangipani – English pub interiors and nice whisky followed.

Went for dinner next door to Sahib Singh Sultan – had nice khana there. The interiors are like a train and nice ambience eet ees.

Got home and did sleep. Up 14^th morning at 5.30 am to catch my Jet flight to Bumbai. Home beckons. My vacation has ended. New job awaits. Have had a brilliant 13 day vacation – visited so many place, met lovely people and had a blast. I am sitting in the flight and ending my travelogue. I hope to do more such trips and travelling alone has given me such self- confidence. Here’s to more such treeps :)

Hazy Time

lovers, originally uploaded by нasн.

Brown eyed girl
Van Morrison sings
Memories come back
Glances and hot summer flirting
A bike ride quite not forgotten
Moonlit skies on warm white sand
A kiss soft and gentle
Smile lights my face
And stays there….

Retrospection

Sheece wrote a beautiful post on 2008 and finding beauty in life. I won't go on about that post and you should read it here for sure ...its brilliant and I found myself with a tear in my eye when I was done reading.

I have been meaning to write and nothing and I mean nothing has been coming. Its like post the 'terror attacks' my writing dried up. My fotos luckily didn't and I really really wish I could make that my alternative career but sigh..if wishes were horses and all that jazz.

My city is healing. We are heading back towards some routine. Have I moved on? I don't know..I still feel pangs. I went to the Taj on that magical Friday evening and my heart ached. I felt such pain at the desecration caused and still don't understand why. The war rhetoric has got me worried too. People think its like some f***ing video game and I remember Mom's stories about it. You should read Annie's post here for more on this.

A friend has been dealing with heartburn and I have been holding her hand. I think I felt heartburn when Bombay burned. My love life has been a dud for sometime and my parents go on about the shaadi thing. I keep wondering if there is someone out there for me or I am meant to do this all alone. There was an excellent comic strip that I saw a couple of days ago in the papers. All the birds in a row on the electric wire and one turns to the other and says, 'Is this all there is?' :)) So true of all our existence no?

I haven't drunk a drop of alcohol in the last two weeks and I am broke. I want to keep off the drinks till 31st. S said if you don't drink alcohol for sometime, the taste really hits you. I think I want to drink my Haig something like that.

Office has been dead since Monday. It is going to get worse next week. People have taken leave and done disappear. I know friends who are struggling for leave and here we have people taking 3 weeks chutthi and doing general disappear.

I still haven't finished blogging about my S. India trip. I am going to attempt finishing doing that before the New Year hits. NYP as H put it so eloquently is going to a place called Ladghar and I have no idea how eet ees going to be. We are booked and we are going and I am itching to get my arse out of Bumbai land.

Reading..I am still devouring books. Sophie Kinsella is darn good with her 'Shopaholic' series and my sister and me r huge fans now. I entered Crossword and started reading one of those easy reading books and got called away for my appointment. Goddamn annoying eet ees because I don't know the blooming ending of the book now :(

Think am all written out for now. Will leave you with one last thought....take it or leave it....

Here comes the sun
It shines it burns
Let it envelop you
Warmth heat and all
A lil burning never hurt no one
A lil love never hurt no one

Come on then ...open them arms wide
Embrace the world
Good bad and ugly
All at once...

Last day at Hampi

Very fits and jerks start with RG suddenly getting up at 6.30 am and like saying, “Let’s go.” Thoda henh moment so early in the morning. Anyways we had good brekkie – masala dosa fro me and butter toast for RG. RG loves reading newspaper in morning, so of course he ended up reading the menu in desperation in lieu of his morning newspaper. :)

I really really wanted a coracle ride but it was nigh impossible as the ‘boat riders’ were away voting in their villages. Bloddy elections! So we saw Kondarama temple instead and then proceeded forward to the Royal Enclosure.

Walked and walked and it was flaming hot on top of that! For some reason, today was hotter than yesterday. We saw this Krishna temple in such a dilapidated state! Then to see the Ugra Narasimha, the iconic statue of Hampi. Boss, this statue was huge and I mean huge – 6.7 mts in ht.

Then took a rick towards the Royal Enclosure. We had contemplated walking and a man on bike had said 1.5 km but I have come to realise distances in the South are a lot, with the locals estimating a different distance and time taken to cover said distance a whole lot differently from you. We saw the Underground Siva temple that smelled of pee. There were water channels flowing into the inner sanctum

From here we walked towards the Hazararama Temple. Wondrous, bootiful carvings – all of Rama and his life. I loved this place and thanks to RG got the chance to see it (I wasn’t very keen on going in earlier). Then decided wanted to see the Queen’s Bath and kept wandering towards it. We saw the Mahanavami Dibba which was this gigantic ritual platform at Hampi used by the royals. Walked further to the see the Queen’s Bath – a very uninspiring building except for this

Decided it was time we made our way back towards proper Hampi. We started walking on the road and were posing for the perfect snap with the gulmohars when the bus going towards Hampi came barrelling towards us. Hopped on the bus and went to Mango Tree for lunch. Had curd rice and watermelon salad followed by Mixed Fruit juice..yum yum yummy..

Went back towards the rooms to rest before RG left. Time flew and well he left. I left almost within a hour of his leaving. Bus to Hospet cost 10 bucks and lovely scenery on the way. Noticed the Indians staring at the only phirang couple on the bus.

The whole day RG and I kept avoiding desis. Wherever desis turned up there would be noise, yelling, bloody mobile music turned on and talking loudly on the fone. We seem to be incapable of less noise or respectful silences.

The bus broke down at Hospet luckily some kms away from the train station. The phirang couple got down and decided to walk with me towards the train station. We started walking and I got introduced to Josh and Morgan in the process. They were from England and are going to teach art at ‘The School’ in Chennai. This is part of the Krishnagiri Schools based in and around S.India offering an alternative system of education.

We stopped by for a bite (thank God for that as el stupeedo train doesn’t have a pantry) and chatted some more. Very nice people and I hope we get the chance to meet again.

Reached station in time for the train and writing these words at my seat. Tomorrow is the last day of my vacation in Bangalore. Going to catch up with old friends and do shopping for my amma.

Three cheers to travelling alone in S.India – here’s to more of it (hic)

Mrs Dalloway

Time is the enemy

Doesn't stand still

We are pushed through the current

Like poor Mrs Dalloway

Ah, poor Mrs Dalloway

A character quite unparalleled

Oft quoted still

Virginia oh Virginia

You bred a Hydra

No Hercules around

To slay her either

The verse is drawing to a close

I bid adieu

Wish you well

And ask you to remember Mrs D sometime...