Friday, December 25, 2015

The Land of Thundering Dragons - Bhutan Part 2

Hey Guys, I am back with another set of long break and this time I will conclude on my last post about our Bhutan trip. So please keep reading.

Our Days in Thimpu
As I said, we stayed in hotel Norbuling right in the middle of the city centre just opposite the archery stadium. It was a good place to stay though a bit expensive but then all good hotels in Bhutan especially Thimpu are on the expensive side. Imagine Taj Tashi was quoting over 30K INR for a night during our stay, so be prepared unless you are ok with a B&B in Thimpu.

Sight - Seeing in Thimpu

Thimpu has a lot of places to go and see, we chose a few as we planned to enjoy the town rather than clicking selfies at all of the tourist attractions.




Breakfast : We started our day at around 9 in the morning and since I didnt take the breakfast plan at the hotel, we moved out to grab a quick bite. The wife had a plan to eat something local while I planned something conservative ( aka continental). Thimpu is like any small lazy hill town and few shops open early. We found one great cafe right opposite the town square called Ambient Cafe. The sandwiches and handmade chocolates are great, the coffee and the hot chocolates are good. The staff is courteous and teher is free Wifi. They open up early and we found the place value for money. Do try them, they also have a B&B if you are interested. ( Trust me they havent paid to advertise here).

 Moving further our first stop in Thimpu was the Chorten Memorial, just a short walk from the main square. Its a memorial in  that was consecrated in the memory of the third king of the current dynasty of Bhutan in 1974 after his untimely death.  The memorial has four stone sonwlines gaurding the four corners and is very popular among local and foreign tourists, People come and pray here by circling the monument chanting hymns and lighting incense sticks. The paintings and statues represent the philosophies of Buddhism. Its a good place to sit & see how traditional people live their lives in Bhutan.



To go there you can just take a walk from the main square and ask anyone for directions, pretty close to the newly opened Le Meridian Thimpu.

Our next stop was to see another place called Tashichho Dzong but it was closed that day for public visits, so we decided to explore the local markets before we go to the next stop. So we walked along the main market just to see around the local town markets. After a while we passed the Indian Embassy which is quite centrally located in the town.

Next we took a cab to the Buddha Point which will be once it is fully completed one of the most famous tourist spots in entire Bhutan. It's actual name is Kuensel Phodrang & has the largest statue of Buddha in Bhutan. The 51.5 meter bronze statue is almost three story high with several chapels. There is a well paved road leading to the Buddha and is used for drives, cycling, jogging and walk apart from those who go there to pay homage to Buddha. The view of the Thimphu valley from this point is exhilarating. There is a museum which was under development when we went and this place is thronged by everyone who comes to Thimpu especially the Japanese tourists. You can easily spend a couple of hours and this place has some great views of the valley. The sky was clear and the sun shone well on the bronze statue to give some great shots. The drive is around 20-30 minutes from the town square and you can negotiate with the driver for going up and coming back. We did it in INR 400 after some haggling.

My wife was anxious for her first Bhutani lunch and talked the driver into taking us to local restaurant in the town. So we ended up at around lunch time for a Bhutani meal at a small restaurant which was called Tashi ( which is common name in Bhutan ). Anyways we tried Ema Datshi which is chilli in chese gravy and is supposedly the national dish of Bhutan. It is a bit on the hot side for most people, but once you get the hang of it, it is OK. You east it with boied rice. Since Bhutan is a cold country thus a hot dish serves its purpose.

Me being a vegetarian limited my exploring of food to Ema Datshi and some rice along with a local noodle brand Koka made in a soupy gravy. My wife on the other hand tried her hand at Jasha Maroo ( a chicken dish) and rice along with Ema Datshi. These are common staples in Bhutan and do try it at any small restaurant to get the actual flavor.

Once done with the food, our plan was to relax and have a stroll walk in the lazy sun. The afternoons become slightly cooler as soon as the sun starts to lose its intensity and we walked across the local market for search of some handicrafts. There is a big market here which is run y local craftsmen and women who sell genuine Bhutani stuff at very good prices, you can haggle a bit too. There are goods made from wood, leather, yak wool, hand made paintings etc which you can buy. We didnt buy immediately but planned to return around dinner time after the long walk.

By 4 PM we were back in the hotel to rest a bit, before we move out again in the evening.  After a short nap, we decided to eat again at the Ambient Cafe and walked to the town square, by 6 PM the city is bustling with youngsters making their way to pubs in the evening and Thimpu becomes very alive. Reminded me of Shillong in the winter months.

We had a good meal at the Ambient cafe & then went to the handicraft market to get some stuff my wife earlier shortlisted. By 730 we bought a purse, a shawl and a stole all of it in 2000 bucks. This is what value for money is but haggling is required.

So we ended our day and then planned to go back to the hotel for a long day ahead to Paro & to the famed Tiger's Nest Monastry.





Next Morning we woke up and checked out after breakfast and quickly moved to the city bus station to get a cab for Paro. Paro & Thimpu are on two ends of a Y shaped road from India, so we took the road back to India for a bit and then we reached Paro. For anyone who comes directly to Bhutan by flight will always come to Paro as it houses the only international airport in Bhutan almost on the river bed.

Paro is another valley and is around 60 km from Thimpu ( an hour ride in Taxi). We reached Paro by 11ish and decided to go to our hotel and check in. The hotel we chose this time was Sonam Trophel. Paro is an exteremely small town, so it will have properties which will be isolated luxury resorts or otherwise a bed and breakfast sorts. Sonal Trophel is a comfortable bed and breakfast. It was recommended to me by another friend. Though I would suggest if you have the time and are not on a budget then you should try a stay at any of the resorts, the only problem is that unless you have a cab for the entire duration such resorts become a problem as there are no taxis available unless you pay for an exorbitant fare to the hotel itself. Since we were there for only one day, we didnt mind the stay and quickly moved to our next destination which was Tiger's nest monastry.

We hired a cab to take us there and meet us back on return, since it was afternoon the guy charged us more ( 600 INR). You take his mobile number and give him yours ( comes in real handy)

Tiger's nest is a monastry on a mountain top and is a very popular hike for any traveller to Bhutan. I have had a good set of experience is easy and moderate treks/hikes but for my wife it was the second time after doing Vaishno Devi to climb any hills. People usually start in early morning and finish by around lunch time, however since we were short on time we planned to climb in the afternoon session and return by evening.

We started at around 1230 to climb and it is good 3000 feet climb before you can see the Cliff edge monastry and have a view of the Paro valley. You must take care of the weather and water ( the two essentials in the hills). Always carry some high energy foods and enough water with you. Wear good shoes as some parts can be tricky in the climb. Weather is chilly despite the sun and refrain from the habit of taking clothes off as you walk uphill as the air gushes are cold especially in the late afternoon. We took around 5 hours to go all the way up and return by 530.    

There is a stoppage at midway where Bhutanese tourism department has a small restaurant for travellers. Bhutan is a very clean country and they do their bit by not polluting the hike trail.
At the top you will find a couple of big waterfalls which feed the main river in Paro city, the water is refreshingly cold and enjoyable. We didnt spend much time at the monastry as it was getting dark.

We started our downward trip and got some great shots of the view of the valley. This is a a hike between easy to moderate and saw many elderly also complete it with relative ease. Do visit it for the sake of the views if  not anything else.

After a long day we were tired and eventually opted for in room dining and rest. We ordered some food at Sonam Trophel and ended our day there. Shopping and town hopping was for the next day before we return to Phuntsholing and then to India.



The next day we started with a good breakfast at Champaca Cafe - a very nice cafe with wifi and the next best option after Paro Pizza which was unfortunately closed in the morning. We however had  a sumptuous meal there and planned to walk around the city and laze in the strong sun alongside the river which flowed in full fury before we started our return journey. My idea of vacation is more about lazing around than going to all sort of places just to get pictures clicked.

The river front is nicely made and it is great to take a quite walk and feel the fresh crisp mountain air rather than do anything else. We soaked the sun and visited some small handicraft shops but did not buy anything.

After 12 we took another cab back to the town of Phuntsholing from the hotel. Sonam Trophel is a decently priced hotel and can be booked over email. You can find the reviews on trip advisor for more details.

Our return cab again costed us 2500 INR and we reached Phuntsholing by the day end, it gets real misty in the evening on the way back and you see some clouds coming on to the road when you car just drives through. An experience to have unless you had such earlier.

We stayed again at Hotel Park and had dinner at Kizom cafe. The next morning we bid goodbye to Bhutan as our taxi driver took us back to Bagdogra for our return flight. The return cab costed me another 2500 INR. We took the return flight to Delhi and reached Delhi by 5 in the evening. That was our short Bhutan trip, a pretty eventful one. Looking forward to your reviews on the post. Will post another trip very soon.

Cheers. 

Saturday, December 12, 2015

The Land of Thundering Dragons - Bhutan Part 1

I am writing a post after a long time, lot of things have changed, not only did I get older and more sober ( as if I ever drank), I got married on the way. So I thought why not start something new.

My marriage gave me the opportunity to do something for the first time, have an international holiday and bigger than that plan it myself. So here it goes, after all the difficulties I and my better half went through, I have planned to write a detailed travel plan for all the misers of the world who can save some few hundred dollars using some of the tips from these posts.

BHUTAN !!! BHUTAN !!! BHUTAN !!!

Well Bhutan is a small landlocked countries nestled between China and India ( for all the guys who flunked geography). It is a mountainous country and is called the land of the thundering dragons. I planned Bhutan trip by sheer luck and some help from a few colleagues and online posts. It is a country worth visiting if you like the crisp mountain air and want some peace during your holiday. We just finished a 6 day trip ( actually it was a 4 day trip with two days in transit) but the transit itself was fun as we moved by road rather than taking a flight.

There are two type of tourists who go to Bhutan
1) Citizens of India/ Bangladesh & Maldives - No Visa needed, permits granted easily, no tourist fee or other restrictions
2) Rest of the world - You need to pay tourist fee, book through an authorized travel agent, get visa etc. etc. etc.

My post is primarily for the first category.

We planned our trip such that we enter Bhutan at one of the land borders and go to Thimpu via the main highway. The route is extreemly picturesque. We landed in Bagdogra ( Siliguri Airport). This is well connected with all cities in India. We took a cab from the airport till Butan border town of Phuntsholing. Our driver took us through the better route going through the "Dooars" and not the Siliguri Guwahati main highway. It is a 4 hour drive but can get extended. We landed in the afternoon and reached only by late evening in Bhutan.

Dooars are densely wooded region of west bengal. I have lived in the city of Calcultta or Kolkata twice in my life but Dooars made me realize that North Bengal is entirely different from the southern part of the state I was accustomed to.Given a chance, it is worth staying in one of the tea gardens around Siliguri & exploring the region further. On your way to Bhutan you will find a number of tea gardens amidst dense jungles. The wind you feel on your face is clean and cool unlike the wind we feel in the big cities.


                                                                     Kizom Cafe


                                                    Reception at Hotel Park, Phuntsholing

Phuntsholing is a small bustling town in Bhutan used as a trade centre by both India and Bhutan. Phuntsholing is connected with India via a large gate which serves as the border entry point. On the Indian side there is a west Bengal town called Jaigaon. You can find a number of hotels here and stay for the night while you check at the immigration point. The most famous of them is Druk Hotel right at the border, I found another hotel decent enough to stay as Druk was full. So it was the Park hotel for me. They readily accept Indian currency without any hassle. The border immigration point stays open till 7 in the evening and starts work in the morning at around 830 ( though you can check with them as sometimes they start even earlier). We were not so lucky as due to rain in the week preceding our stay the internet lines went down the day we landed. So we couldnt get the immigration letter that night and stayed at the hotel itself. It was a long day and so we decided to rest in the evening after a short walk in the border town.  For dinner, we restrained ourselves to continental food at Kizom Cafe ( Must Visit).

                                                       While we walk Around Thimpu


                                               A monk offering prayers at a local stupa



                                                             On our way to Tiger's Nest

POINTER: You can take a local sim card & call India at INR5/minute. We didnt take one though & managed on watsapp. Phuntsholing has decent connectivity without international roaming ( just set your signal to manual and select any indian telecom company during you stay in Phuntsholing).

The immigration point has a long line during tourist seasons so be ready for spending some time there. Just carry your Passport or India Voter ID card & fill up a form ( I will attach the PDF link here). They will take your picture there and print you a letter.

Bhutan Entry Permit

Once you have the letter with you, just take a bus from the bus stand there or a cab ( we took the latter). If you negotiate well you will get a cab for 2500 INR.



                                             Waterfalls & weather on our way to Thimpu

POINTER - The earlier in the day you go, the cheaper is the cab as it takes time for people to come back from Thimpu to Phuntsholing. Also try a BT01 number plate cabs ( Bhutan Taxi - 01 stands for Thimpu), as these cabs tend to naturally return to Thimpu from Phuntsholing.

The ride is almost 4 hours, since we got our permits in the afternoon due to the connection loss, we reached Thimpu only in the evening. Else if you start early you can reach by late lunchtime.

RECOMMENDATIONS : Hotel Park/ Hotel Druk/ Kizom Cafe ( Pizzas are good) - Bookings for stay can be done online or over email. ( They give good discounts if you ask for it)

The drive to Thimpu is great, speially for all those who love the mountains. There are a number of gorges and waterfalls and over that the Bhutani songs that the cabbies run while they drive are great. Do ask your driver to stop for a while in between to take pictures, Couple of big waterfalls too, avoid going too late as it may get dark sooner along with some amount of fog.




Thimpu - This being the capital city is the largest city in Bhutan and will look a bit more planned and organized, unlike most Indian hill-stations this town is in a valley so the sun is harsh even in Septemeber October ( so be prepared for a light tan). The day is mildly warm and the nights are cold. CIty has a lot of good hotels right from a Taj to lot of cafes running bed and breakfast. The options to stay are many so you can chose. We stayed at Hotel Norbuling in the main town area only close to the city centre. ( Booking was done through Agoda.com)

                                     Archery Grounds from our room in Hotel Norbuling

RECOMMENDATIONS: Hotel Druk/Norbuling - Try staying close to the town as staying in far off resorts will only cost you more as you will need exclusive taxis everytime you want to come down town.

Thimpu is pretty famous for its night life & has a lot of pubs and night clubs & we saw decent mix of local and Indians there with some expats too. You can give it a try though we skipped it as we had a packed day the next morning.

There are a lot of places to go eat all across Thimpu and we being sucker for  something new in cuisine tried a whole local meal.....  more on that later..... Will post the rest of our journey in the next part....see you guys soon

Friday, July 12, 2013

Secret Admirer

There she stood besides the tall trees
There was hustling of leaves with a small breeze
I was watching her from a distant path
Careful enough to hide, so that no one sees
I was a secret admirer, an amateur poet
There was nothing which my lips uttered on a glance of hers but a sonnet
Life can be blissful with her presence
Without her, I was a diamond without a facet
As she walked across the hill
I watched her, keeping absolutely still
My eyes lost the movement, my lips mumbled smatterings
But I sweated even in a Nordic chill
I love watching her hair play with her
With the slightest breeze they shift places annoying her
Still she holds them straight and smiles at all
Like a fairy she vanishes in the deep forests of fir

Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Flower Girl

It was the day we all got dressed up
It was the day, when it was all messed up
I was playing the near perfect host
But somehow I was not all charged up
There she stood in all black attire
Her burgundy hair were flowing like rivers of fire
A sparkle in her eyes made me smile
Her sweet scent of divinity spread across miles
She held a pack of roses, crimson and gold
It was a love story in my eyes, unheard and untold
Days like this rarely happen
When the petals of the precious edelweiss unfold
Her finesse was cherubic yet mystically divine
I was surely in love and this was god’s sign
I wonder what to do now
Her eyes were engulfing my heart like pools of wine

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Mano -a- Mano

There are some wishes for which a man can die
There are some things for which there is always an inner sigh
Her hand in mine would be my dream
That would be the best gift of all which money cant buy
I imagine her walking besides me
Our shadows become one as we see
Mano – a – Mano we walk slowly towards the sunset
With the clouds coming in and the sun about to flee
I hold her soft hands in my rough palms
I have a look at her; her smile is ebullient but calm
She pinches my hand like a little child
I bring her close to my heart, in my arms
The sun has set as we sit on the hill
Her head on my shoulder, as the winds bring a chill
I pray to god this moment remains forever
She is the one whose gap I would never be able to fill
Mano – a – Mano we walk back
As the full moon sets in, crickets come out of cracks
Life can be blissful if your wishes come true
You only live in those moments and there is no looking back

Sunday, June 02, 2013

Angel Eyes

I have never been so silent and lost
Her eyes have taken my soul at all costs
I am trapped in her mystical brown eyes
Away from the whole world, I got my much awaited prize

Her eyes are like a magic potion

Spells move around in the ocean
I am unable to do anything but see
And her cherubic smile finally got me

Who says that heaven is beyond death

I found my heaven, before my last breath
She is the angel I was looking for all this time
She is the one for whom my words begin to rhyme

Her chocolate hair and her pristine scent

Has taken over my heart, soul and mind to full extent
She is my ruler and I am her slave
There is nothing more in this life for which I crave

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Wishing for Love !!!


They say praying helps a lot
So pray for what you never got
I pray wishing for your love
Seeking your love I pray to god

They say angels help a lot
So wish to an angel; the one who lingers in your thoughts
With your cherubic face on my mind
I wish for the girl whom I always sought

They say go and wish in the wishing well
So I ask the fairies as my heart swells
With you my love inside my heart
I can even agree for a soul to sell

I am tired of angels, wishing wells and god
I am tired of wishing, asking and praying a lot
But I keep loving your more and more
And come what may I will always wait for your nod

I am backkk !!!

After almost a year, I am back in the game.....There has been a lot in my cupboard and I never told anyone about it....Will start posting poems which I wrote a few years back and never published here thinking that I will jinx my chances....anyways years have gone by and the intensity faded away as my then love interest never came to know about how I felt....So here they come at regular intervals...hope you guys like it.... 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Brother in Arms



It was a late evening when a sharp cry made everyone aware that the newborn was here. It was not a fancy hospital, no nurses or doctors to attend but a cold night with bright twinkling stars. Mary saw her baby and smiled within. It was her first born and she was delighted to see the little one. Meanwhile as she looked at the baby she was also aware of the tough life he awaits as he grows up but then wasn’t everyone in the ghetto was destined for it. Maybe this one will have something better in his hand when he grows up.
Time lost its importance as I grew up from a little baby to a young handsome lad called Fred . Every now and then I used to see my reflection in the puddle of muddy rain water and realize that I was fast losing my childhood. No longer did I jump with joy and showed affection to my step brothers who were born after my father died and our mother moved to another neighborhood with her new husband leaving all her kids to her old sister who limped across the alley to manage me and my half brothers.
One night I noticed that another young boy sitting across the alley with nothing but a bag and a big rod which was almost inside the big head of rubbish that lied on the corner. He must be looking for something which he lost I thought knowing that seldom did young boys came to the dirty alley adjoining the ghetto of the most livable city in the world. After sometime I saw the boy leave with a grin on his face and he vanished into the lights on the other side of the street. I often sat on the dark end of the alley as my eyes shone seeing all the fancy stores with cakes and breads and clothes and shiny objects kept in a very eccentric manner across the glass barriers with all the light being focused on the cherries at the top.
As the evening grew dark I realized that a shadow appeared in the almost dark alley. The sole lamp at one end glowed as I realized it was the boy I saw earlier. He held a big loaf of sweet bread which looked fresh and savory. "He must be a rag picker who sold his collection for the day", I thought. He sat down on an old box under the lamp as he saw me and the twinkle in my eyes as I stared the bread. I hadn’t eaten since last night and I would have loved to devour that loaf. As he started eating, I sat there controlling the saliva in my otherwise dehydrated mouth. He saw me and offered me the last bite as he gobbled the rest of it without any haste. I was glad that I could snap the last piece before he would have changed his mind. Rarely does it happen that a stranger would share his food with you and today was my lucky day.  
An acknowledgement came up from my side as we shook hands after the meal. He introduced himself as John from a distant hill town who came to the city in search of a job. He looked barely fourteen with his thin stature and freckled face. He showed me his stick which had a loadstone at one end to capture any metal pieces. He used to sell them to the scrap dealer and buy his meals from the local deli. He slept in one of the big water pipes abandoned long ago by the municipal board. He had made all arrangements already to ensure a cozy night after. I told him about myself and introduced him to my half brothers who were busy playing regardless of the time. John moved back as he took off to his den and promised to meet the next day.
We met the next day and moved around the ghetto to collect some scrap, I wasn’t of much utility to him though we talked the entire day about our past lives. I told him about how I ended up being nothing more than an urchin despite repetitive efforts to break the clutter and move on to a greener pasture. By the time he ended his day, we had walked a couple of miles from the Ghetto and incidentally crossed over to a rival gang’s area. Though it was still daylight but one of the boys there saw us and gave a loud cry to his gang. Before we realized we were surrounded by them and in our defense we had little more than a loadstone stick and some pebbles. I don’t know whether it was the adrenaline in my brain or the debt of the sweet bread a night before, I gathered courage and before they mustered courage to attack I had taken two of them down while I shouted a war cry. John ran towards the pole which marked the beginning of a new block which was marked as out of bounds for the gang here. While I was not aware of the blows and wounds I received, all I knew was that I had passed out and could hear only faint voices around. I felt like I have died and am on my way to the world beyond. When I opened my eyes I realized that I am not dead but was lying in a shanty with John looking over me. There was another couple of young boys standing beside him. I realized that somehow John managed to bring me out of the brawl and save me.
“You almost passed out when I shouted for help and these two boys helped me to send back those guys away from you. These boys here are the real heroes, they knew how to tackle them.”, John told me as I found my way to a cup of some warm milk. Instead of me being the savior it appeared that he became the savior. The two boys were armed with sticks and bats and were known for their animosity with the alley gang. Though they were no friends of us but they did save our lives this time.
After the incident, John and I became almost the best of friends, though both of us knew that in the ghetto no friendship can last beyond hunger and the desire to outlive each other. Our case was a bit different, we fought for each other and soon enough others in the alley knew that we cannot be separated. One fine day John invited me to share his water pipe house with me and I agreed with utmost pleasure. That winter was perhaps the most comfortable winter of my short life, though I was not yet so old but occasionally I did feel a jerk in my legs when I ran too fast or for too long.
With the cold weather giving way to spring, life was at its usual pace, brawls in the alley, food hunting till late evenings, daily hustle and bustle with my half brothers for whom I had no regard earlier. Slowly I developed a sort of respect for John as we lived together. Sometimes even despite us being so different I felt that he was more than a friend and even much more than a brother to me.
Slowly days passed and it was almost a year since I met John. Amongst all the fights we had, today we had something which was pretty nasty. He was angry with me and simply walked off as I tried to explain him about my point of view but to my resolve he was not ready to listen. He walked alone too far and I could not make sense of which direction he went. I was tired with my ailing leg which got a nasty nip when I tripped over some broken glass pieces. I even had a little limp in my walk. The day passed and as the sun started to set I heard a loud cry. It was Alfred the eldest of my half brothers. He ran as if there was no tomorrow. He came to the opening of the pipe where I stood. He told me that John was surrounded in the other alley and the gang was in no mood to let him go today. I lost all sense, did not think twice as I started running. With each leap I felt the pain but I ignored it, for the first time I saw Alfred running besides me. I never thought he would but there he was. As we reached the alley we saw John on the road, lying down surrounded by the gang boys who were ferocious with their weapons and teased the injured boy. I asked Alfred to pull John to the side as I distract the gang. It was my time to repay for all the brotherly love and save him. With a big leap I jumped on the old trash cans which lied at the end of the dark endless alley, I saw a couple of them distracted, no matter the time lapsed between our last fight they still had the grudge against me. Leaving John aside they started crouching towards me. I was scared but I stood there with a slight limp. I stood as I was surrounded; I knew it would be almost impossible for me to get out of this time. The last I remembered I had beaten two of them down to the floor which the other two got me by my neck. Before I closed my eyes for the last time I saw that Alfred had pulled John to a side well towards a safe block. He stood up and shouted with a stone being hurled towards the gang but I knew that this time it was too late. The pain in my leg and in my life was about to end. I took a deep breath, thanked god for the swiftness and closed my eyes.
After some time John called for help and Alfred brought all my step brothers to fetch my body. All of them surrounded me. John lifted me up as I lied in the pool of my blood. I was lifeless but he kept holding me in his arms. I wish I could tell him how happy I was. He never treated me like a man treats his dog. Alfred and the pack started howling as tears came down John’s eyes. He moved slowly towards the sunset. I felt comfortable even as I knew that I will miss those days of brotherhood. A couple of street urchins across the street shouted and asked John – “What happened?” “My brother died.” , he replied   
    

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Lyf Is Lyk Dat Only !!!

Well, I am back after a really long time. Life has changed a lot in all this while, for good and for bad. I am a year older now and hopefully a bit wiser. Work has been hectic along with the travel & I have sat down finally to write something yesterday. Many of you pinged me and asked me to pen something down, so here it is. Hope you guys like it.


It s been years since I first started to walk
Been years since I played paper scissors and rock
Its been a while when I first left home to study
Been really long when I returned home with clothes all muddy

Though I am not complaining to you about my long lost childhood years
But then I realize I am old when marriages and babies are the new norm amongst my peers
I stopped celebrating birthdays long ago with cakes and all that pomp and show
Maybe it was my own way of stopping time and making myself grow

Life has been a rollercoaster all these years
I have grown out of my emotions and childhood fears
But new pages of chapters unknown still await me
Lot many things I await to know and see

In these times of merry & distress
I have met many new faces and cherished the old ones
Some grew near to my heart
While some did tore it apart

While many dream became a reality for me all this while
Many more dreams are making up a pile
I have learnt a lot in these times
Letting my soul free as the ringing wind chimes
I say to people I hope that I become wiser with years to come
While I really hope that I gain some more wisdom
I wish to god that I don’t lose the child in me during my entourage
I hope that I will still remain that reckless boy I was in the years to come


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fast & The Furious X.X

I am back, and sooner than I expected myself to be here. Again a sunday morning. A lazy one, well readers, I am sitting here on my bed with my number of phones and notebooks spread all across writing this post while I should have been getting ready for the F1 race finals. Well Diwali was fun, though my role was revolving around buying stuff, putting candles, decorating the house and taking money out of the ATM. Finally the weekend came and I like my lazy self should have wasted this one fruitfully sleeping and well ummm uhhh doing nothing but reading random stuff off the internet I was asked to join the First Ever Indian Grand Prix in a place called greater NOIDA. Reluctantly I being a good colleague agreed and readily accepted to cheer the Ferrari team whom we sponsor globally. Anyways it was the novelty effect, so I said why not lets give it a shot. Unlike the 1200 actual fans of F1 in India, I was the part of the larger team (1.2 billion -1200) non fans who dont know the A B C of motor racing besides names like Vettel, Alonso et al.

So on a saturday morning, when I should be clearly either sleeping in mid day or driving around, I was sitting in a Volvo with several other pseudo enthusiasts to a well umm a town some 70 km away from my posh South Delhi environ to see few cars burning rubber and making big noise. When we reached the venue that was actually in middle of nowhere, I saw a big race track with galvanized iron stands ( I was in south premium) on uneven earth spread with a green carpet. Cows mooed across the track and people were sitting gazing at a super smooth road (highly unlikely in India barring central Delhi). Most people were a part of the bigger entourage, offered tickets by corporates as they were employees, vendors and small clients (though I did saw some hot chicks in hotter hotpants) and I swear by their degree of hotness (habahabahaba) that they were hotter than the hottest cars :P :D.Anyways with the first car coming on track, the crowd did stood up to cheer but neither did they know the difference between teams and their cars, nor did they know that what is the actual fuss about. I mean why are so expensive cars running at such tracks burning millions of dollars for some one hour of fun.

Little that most people know that it is a mere conspiracy by auto and auto related companies to test their material strengths and designs of their products. Anyways back from the technical details, I saw a jump in the crowd, when the announcer said, Force India ( like everyone felt that Sachin of F1 just arrived). Well their car did look like the Indian flag. Anyways the noise of the rubber burning the tarmac was so much that neither could you ignore it nor can you live with it. With the first qualifier getting over, people lost interest and moving to the food stalls ( for cold food and hotter cold drinks). They did hover around and see the cars but it did became monotonous for almost all non fanatics ( rich well traveled boys who were sitting in the Paddock). Girlfriends were there to show their boys that they support their cause too, oldies were there to be a part of History. Anyways after the race, I was too tired to go back again the next day for the grand finale, so I decided to call it quits. For me a chilled out Sunday is a much more interesting thing to do that visit Mayacity :P.
All I was wondering about the last night was, will the operating expenses of the BIC, be compensated by the revenues of stale burgers and seats only. (PS: Dont try the burgers, keep to the sandwich, they are OK.)

BTW Never drive after an NFS Most Wanted Game ....Even after the game is over, you still drive as you drive in the game.

Just to end this post found an interesting post somewhere, so linking it here too :) Happy racing boys and girls. I am off for a drive. Image Source http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com


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The posts are chaotic in nature and reflect the moods of the author who is an eccentric person.