is when you try to get away with posting pictures..and hoping that the obligatory lines thrown in at the side, qualify for writing, and that there are other freaks out there in the world who'd be interested in pictures of (nothing dashing about it) you and similar others in random places..And then you get a little greedier and hope that the said wanderer would also leave a comment, so you're sufficiently inspired to churn out more of such mediocre writing.
That said, here goes.
This one, from Manali is one of my favourites.
At the risk of sounding m&boony..before a kiss(though its more of a survival thing when ur freezing at -5 on Rohtang pass)..Its quite funny though, coz we were hardly the typical honeymooning couple. I mean I'm sure there was some bit of that romantic whiff..and there was some freshness about being in a strange place with vin alone..but its not like he was new to me, or me to him..and we'd sometimes share the jeep with this other couple who could barely stay apart, and we were charitable with agreeing to sit apart on the ride so they could sit together and all..but all said, it was the best of all the trips we've had..i can still feel the awe of wakin up in the morning in the bus and seein my first glance of a snow laden peak..maybe coz I was the typical southie and been bred on the usual Ooty Mysore Kodai Coorg Munnar circuit..which is all very fine and nice..but this was the Himalayas!! Another memory from the trip is the midnight stop at a Dabha and the paratha and chai we had..
This is from Achankoil..
the place merits a post in itself..its my mother's native village, though she herself spent only less than 2 years of her life growing up there before she was sent off, with siblings, to my grandma's house, growing up in a joint family with about 12 kids, for education sake..Ofcourse my grandparents still live there, amidst the rubber plantations and the perpetual power cuts and the elephant herd stopped the bus uncertanities and the river and the waterfalls and the floods and the granite wall'd house (necessity more than a novelty where friends from the wild often came knocking on ur door at nite) My growing up memories are dotted with the sights and smells of Achankoil, the venue of many a school vacation. For us city/town dwellers it was the quentessential escape. The baths in the river, the chilly mornings, the majestic western ghats so close up, you feel you could reach out and touch em..the food, anything that came off ammommaz kitchen was magical..the december vacations when all the 3 families would come down and the house would be abuzz with activity..the slow slow life..and the nights spent in the garden with the customary kattan(black coffee) warming our hands and throats.and then the men with the round of drinks before dinner, and my uncles respectfully offering my appoppan and my valyappooppan(105 notout, enjoys the occasional peg :P) their quota..And more than all else, 2 souls who had so much love to give, I dont even know whats a right metaphor here :)..And then came the teen years..and the realization that one has to, and sometimes the want, to get back to the all familiar world with school and friends and crushes and whatnot took precedence. Not that there was less love or anything. But you know how, sometimes, you outgrow all your childish things are none of those is as fascinating anymore..I'm only glad I've got em back and am once again the wonder eyed child..And I'm happier I'm married to a man who fits so much into the picture, I'm surprised how we did without him all these years..And when I showed him the trick of the disappearing mountains (yes stupid lil kids can be fooled by how the mist curtain seemed to make mountains go and come back again the next noon) life had somehow come half circle..
That's again from Akoil..
The overexposed posted everywhere pic. Well, every district has one such stone's throw from the city tourist place. With the typical crowd. Atleast so is the case if you're part of God's own country national geographic destination of the century or whatever. And Athirampilly is Thrissur's such..
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| From TCR Trip, 20/... |
Hyderabad..chakki tying a rakhi on her Jeej..Nothing unusual about it. Unless you knew how the two had got off to a terrific start, sometimes to the extent of making me feel left out, and then over certain things, stopped seeing eye to eye drifting off to painful politeness for what seemed, to the stuckinbetween me, an eternity. But like true brother and sister, they made up in style and in good time, making a mockery of my concerns and fears and whatnot..touchwood.
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| From ChakBday06 |
Banyan tree, not a fab place if you ask me, but that was the least we could do for pri, after lugging her all the way here from Mumbai with promises of an exciting holiday. I'm just kidding here, coz she went back smiling from ear to ear, and in awe of newfound jeej, yet again leaving me in the lurch as to who came first.
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| From BanyanTree |
Chennai, Kannamaman, who I'm told, has cuddled and petted me more than either of my parents, and propably more than he has either of his daughters :) I dont have a pic of my Ajimaman, the khadi clad politician. Suffice to say I cant chose between the two
The latest from wayanad.
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| From Wayanad |
The most sloppy shot from the lot, shaken and vague. But this was the place I liked best. A temple rumoured to be build by a jain princess for love's sake, right in the middle of a forest..We were lucky to have the most unusual hostess sherly aunty, whose life again merits a separate post. So we had the most unusual time and went to niche and unknown places, staying well off the beaten track. I was the thankless skeptic to start with, worrying about how much we'll miss and whether leaving our time in her hands was the right thing to do. The least I can do by way of making up is to say it was a lot fuller an experience than it could ever have been. So no, we didnt go to the pookote lake, or the blah waterfall. But we did go this huge sanctuary which even the world outside doesnt know exists
and the said temple..We spent an evening at kanavu with the kids there..we went for walks and drove through such terrain as would have suited an suv..
this is me and shirly aunty trying to find erotica in the ruins of another jain temple :)
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| From Wayanad |
anyways I'm sleepy and dragging like a superelastic rubberband and vin is getting restless in PClessness..Which means I'm adding more color to the 'pink vaio a necessity not an indulgence' placard!! which btw reminds me its my bday soon, only its 2 months away, but if anybodyz thinking of what to buy me..hint hint!!
Well, thats the story of my trips so far, and entwined in there is also the story of our life too, look hard and you might see..(just trying to be poetic and vague about here :))
That apart, I've been rather disturbed lately. In a nice sort of way, or so I convince myself. I'm forever plotting one of these
a) Alternate career. I've even found the place I wanna go, as long as they'll take me. I'm just not sure when. But I'll give it a shot, now or in 20 years..
b) I'm wholly madly deeply obsessively in love with the thought of motherhood. I've been telling myself its a passing obsession, and how it is absolutely not yet time, in the planned scheme of things et al. I've been telling myself its stupid and given how lazy the 2 of us are even the thought is so lousy right now. But no good, I've been reading sleeping dreaming babies. And doesn't help that the whole world seems to be either pregnant or having babies all around me.
Another scary and bad consequence is that I'm giving Vin the jeepers ( heebiejeebies as wodehouse would have it) big time. He's like so scared I'm gonna go over the top and demand the all important sperm rite now and make life more of a mess than it appears to be. I'm scared I'm killing the babylover in him, prematurely at that, and at my own peril.
