Travelling

Its a 3 day weekend here so am currently on a little trip to the country side. I won’t be writing about my time here since I have already done that on a previous occassion here.

I love travelling on the road…especially when I have a say in the flow of places to stop over…visit…ie move at our own comfortable pace. But when it comes down to travelling on a service provided by others – I hate it !
On such trips, one has to control one’s schedule…one’s intake..maybe even adjust on your standards of hygiene :-/ .
Which is why when long distances are to be covered , you will usually find me on planes rather than the cheaper alternatives of trains & buses.

However there are times when you don’t have much of a choice. To visit my ancestoral place, commutting via bus is the most convenient way as far as time goes (abt 6hrs or so). The thing is – I like travelling on the bus here . Why ?

Its a Sleeper bus ! I think they came out 10 yrs ago in these parts of the world…& they are defintely a boon for travellors who need to spend around 10 hrs or less on the road.
Comfy space for your whole body….spending the whole journey sleeping in the natural position…..compare that to the rigid seating posture which most passengers opt for :-/

I usually cannot sleep on buses….though a sleeper bus defintely gets me a few hours of rest for which I am thankful for. Besides it gives me the ideal activity for times when I am not able to get some shut eye – star gazing

Nothing like viewing the night sky far away from the glamour of the city….the same stars & planets that existed long before you did…& will probably remain long after you are gone too (sigh…)

Returning from a vacation

Sigh…its that dreaded time of the year again. As hard as I try, I cannot avoid it. Its the time when one returns from a break….a delightful break which unfortunately one cannot forget

Let me explain. Having been born & raised in the city, I am addicted to the fast pace of city life. Making the utmost use of time – thats something which I have been conditioned to believe in. I also earn my living doing something I love – Yep…ideal circumstances for me to develop workaholic tendencies.

But somewhere down the line , one realizes that a break is needed. Else one can end up as the other rabbits from the Duracell ads…stop functioning normally & the results of your choices show up in your health report if not in your performance. Causality aka Karma …who can escape from it?

I have taken breaks before where I traveled to other cities. Returning back to work from such a break doesn’t bother me much since the only things different from the usual surroundings are the absence of work & the change in location. But when I go to my native place – ie a visit to the rural parts – thats when the change truly makes an impact.

Picture some of the situations I ended up in :

• Lazily talking away delightfully with long lost friends & relatives with meal times being the only distractions in between.
• Walking through the forest with the sound of dry leaves under your feet. A gentle clean breeze waltzes past you as you marvel at the greenery that surrounds you from all directions.
• Sitting at the top of the house with the rising sun spraying the surrounding trees with his bright light. Chirping birds welcoming the start of a new day. Huge trees swaying their leaves, dancing away in the rhythm of the winds.
• Sitting under the night sky. Stars visible in all directions. A gentle reminder of how small we are in the scheme of things.

I could think of a single sentence – “I could grow old here”.

Yes…that was the effect my vacation had on me. Still reeling from the after effects on returning back to the city. The fact that I live closer to the place now (about 7 hrs) than I did before (I moved to this city recently) somehow tempts me to drop everything & rush back….Sigh..Time is supposed to be the great healer…but the wait is more agonizing…

At such times my mind takes pity on me & reminds of the lines from the Robert Frost poem -
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

& I carry on…till the next time.