Friday, November 04, 2005

The jungle calleth..

The last weekend in October was one of those rarest & finest moments of life when you dont plan a trip, but everything falls so beautifully in place that you really start believing in "never plan in life, just take it as it comes & you will be the happiest".

Anshuman's friend Simha called us on Thursday nite to ask if we were interested in going camping to Alexander Springs @ Ocala National Forest. And Saturday morning found us picking up our camping gear - the tent, propane lamp, stove (didnt get to use this) et al from Simha's friends at the University of Florida, Tampa. Leaving Tampa, we first made our regular Saturday trip to the Sai Temple @ Inverness. After attending the noon aarti there followed by the lunch @ the temple, we set out on our journey to Alexander Springs. On our way, we stopped at the Walmart Super Store to pick up a few basics - bread, croutons, Nutela, Ranch sauce, insect repellant, propane gas, et al.

Driving for more than 2 hours, we found ourselves at our destination where 2 other friends - Ramesh & Lokesh - had already reached before us, and had gone ahead on a "mud trail". Collecting firewood & directions to our camping site from the office, we landed at the small clearing designated as camping site # D51 - well furnished with a wooden table & benches, an iron pole to hang the lamp, a circular fire pit in the ground and... and thats it! The other things provided us free of cost were the tall trees & thick bushes & shrubs - courtesy Mother Nature. The fun part was setting up the tent - the chief coodinator in achieving this Herculean task was Lokesh, while a couple of others were giving a some really useful tips here n there, on the basis of their prior camping experiences.
That done, we had only an hour and a half before the sun set, to go on a small walk in the park and check the place out.

Venturing out on foot in the Ocala National Forest made me wonder about the strange name. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan Indian term meaning fair land or big hammock. The Ocala's vegetation lives up to its name, as you will discover towering palms, large live oaks and scrubby sand pines dominating forest's scrub oak ecosystem. The forest offers camping, horse, bicycle & hiking trails, hunting & fishing in designated areas. When you drive to the forest, you will see signs of "Bear Country", or images of running deers that tell you what to expect in the forest. Speaking of signs & warnings, I had read this one online -
"Do not leave any food item open or unfinished at your camping site - that will attract bears." - no wonder we threw the banana chilkaas as far away from our camping site, as we could after eating the bananas!

Coming back after our short walk around the place a little after dusk, we sat around the fireplace to set up the fire. Once the fire was lit, the ambience turned to a very different setting - reminding me of Gulzar's line "zaraa zaraa aas-paas aag rehti hai" from a song in the movie 'Yahaan'.
It wasnt that cold (so we thought, since we had the fire) - someone warmed up his hands, someone his derriere, someone literally tried playing with the fire by holding a long dry twig and trying to toss the logs here n there to keep the fire going. Finally, we were hungry and sat down for dinner - a sumptous meal of idli-wadaa & chutney. Believe it or not, but since the wadas were cold, one of us actually roasted it over the fire - apna-apna BBQ style! ;-)

Post dinner, we saw the stars while the fire burnt. There was no moon, but the stars were quite playful - bright n sparkling - and oh so many - you wonder why you do not see those many when you are in the city. All of us tried to locate the "Saptarshi" or the Great Bear, and oh boy! We were so happy when we could locate that, along with Venus, the evening star (or is that Mars?). Nevertheless, dare-devils that we were, we set out on a night trail in the dark that took us to the other side of the Alexander Spring. The trail took not more than 30 minutes or so, but just imagine walking in the middle of a jungle that is pitch dark (no worry, we had torch lights), with those queer sounds around you, and the road though well marked goes a little zig-zag and you have one fellow amongst you who's terrified (or pretends to be terrified) about snakes and constantly keeps asking for the torch light to be displayed on the trees surrounding you to watch out for the cobra that he saw on a National Geography documentary the night before!

We did manage to return back safely to our tent from the night trail. The fire was still there, and we enjoyed its last moments of warmth before settling down in our cozy tent. Sleep was not of paramount importance, and we sat inside to play the card game - Bluff aka Challenge. That surely was a lot of fun and it was a little after midnight when we decided to call it a day!

Next day morning, we went out canoeing on Alexander Springs. A warning at the Springs said - "Do not feed the alligators - it may turn out to be dangerous." - now I would definitely never do that. Fortunately or unfortunately, we did not happen to meet these absolutely cute, loveable & adorable (these epithets are showered since we didnt meet them) creatures. Though, had it been March or April - I would have definitely not risked venturing into the Spring in a canoe after knowing that those are the months in the mating season of the gators when they are known to attack!!!

Nonetheless, we set out canoeing - wearing the orange life jackets (I was sincerely hoping that we would not these, this being my first canoeing experience) - Anshuman & Simha very wisely took the oars while I sat in the middle of the canoe - someone has to balance it right? Canoeing turned out to be real fun - initially, it took some time for us to figure out how to coordinate the movement between the front & the back oarsmen - the speed, the direction & everything had to be well orchestrated. But there was nothing stopping us once we were on our way.

The water of Alexander Spring was quite clear and we could see turtles and schools of fish swimming in the water. Lokesh & Ramesh also claimed to see an alligator sleeping under the water, though we seemed to be quite unlucky to miss out on that. There were a few others as well who had come canoeing or kayaking. Everyone felt really happy to be out there in the sun - looking at the fish in the water below, the water birds perched on the tree trunks in the middle of the spring waiting to pounce on the fish, some of us wishing to have a look at an alligator.. from a distance...

I changed positions with Simha and took charge as the oarsman at the back, while Simha replaced Anshuman at the front after a while. Rowing downstream was not much of a hassle, while upstream was definitely more pleasurable - the arms had started getting a little sore. Since we had stacked our canoe with bread, Nutela, chips, ranch sauce & croutons - we did have a nice Sunday brunch sitting in the canoe.
By the time we returned, it was almost noon..

Leaving our camping site, we then decided to explore the National Forest a little bit by driving in the Mustang & the Altima that we had. Dust flew and the wind blew as we rattled the earthy roads in the National Park, before we landed up at a very beautiful lake in the middle of a forest. There were some very well manicured lawns and small cottages to stay at the lake front, and we relaxed a little bit on the grass & felt the fresh air. The clear blue sky, the calm & alluring lake water, the fresh & bright yellow flowers at the lake front and the shelter offered by the tall huge tree created a moment of absolute sheer bliss for us.


Like all good things that come to an end, it was time for us to leave & go back home. The weekend got over, and we still live in those vivid memories that keep telling us - "Never plan in life... and you will be happiest."

Sunday, October 23, 2005

A road less travelled...

My first roadtrip in the US - a 700 mile trip to the Smoky mountains - definitely not a road less travelled for more than 9 million adventure seekers & sightseers who visit the Smokies; but definitely a first for moi. And to say that we covered the trip over just a weekend is testament to the enthu of the bunch of 12 PwC India guys that included the spouses of a few.

The dozen bravehearts accomodated ourselves in 2 dodge caravans, and left on Friday a'noon around 3 o'clock. I was quickly into my act - a few minutes into the trip, and I was happily catching up on my post lunch siesta, as soon as we hit the interstate I-75. The journey was going to take us through the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and finally Tennessee. Our destination was a small town called Pigeon Forge nestled amongst the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

The journey till dinner time was pretty easy - Google & Yahoo maps were indeed quite kind to us, and the road was also quite good with 355 miles coming straight out on I-75. People took turns at driving, navigating, listening to music, chatting, catching up on sleep or simply lazing around - I showed more zeal in accomplishing the latter two activities. ;-)

The real fun began when we missed a turn thanks to Yahoo maps at midnight, and then drove more than 50 miles east, when we were just 150 miles south from the destination. Thanks to the fellow at one of the gas stations near Nantahala, who gave us the right directions that we were back on track. The last 30-35 mile part of the journey was through the mountains on the US 441 North. Trying to locate the Park Way (since we were unaware that the US 441 was the Park Way itself), our van took the Blueridge Park Way that took us east again! But as they say, everything happens for the good - the moonlit night gave an absolutely stunning view of the mountain ranges that could be distinguished in different shades of black across the horizon. Little did we know then that these mountains would look even more beautiful during the day.

We finally reached our destination close to 4 in the morning, a good 2-3 hours later than our expected time. But, the chalet which we had booked for our stay made every effort worth in coming all the way from Florida. A nice wooden cottage perched on the hills furnished with jacuzzi, pool table and fireplace was an ideal holiday home for twelve souls in search for nirvaana.

A few of us freshened up with a few games of pool, while some retreated to the cosy beds. At 6.30 in the morning, 6 adventurous guys left to explore the mountains a little bit to have a look at the sunrise. Pigeon Forge is located a few miles off the town of Gatlinburg, an entry point to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, that sits astride the Tennessee–North Carolina border amid the majestic southern climax of the Appalachian Highlands.

I had read a description of the Smokies that goes -
"Worm your way into these rugged, convoluted mountains and you'll find 900 miles of superlative trails, tracts of old-growth forest, views of undulating mountain ridges draped in hazy-blue, "smoky" tendrils of fog, and vivid reminders of the folkways of the Appalachians' early pioneers."

And that morning, I couldnt agree with a more apt description of the place.

Later in the day, we went hiking to Laurel Falls that let us explore the mountains on foot. The trees had begun showing signs of fall colors; the birds were busy with their evening chirpings oblivious to us. The cascades had hidden themselves so beautifully within the neighbours provided by Mother Nature that we had to traverse quite a few turns before we could actually set our eyes on the 60-feet falls. The shadows cast by moonlight on our way back from the falls had an enchanting effect on all of us.


The next morning we set out early again to catch glimpses of what can simply be termed as God's poetry in motion. The sun rose on the eastern skies behind the mountains, the rays of the sun made their way through the morning mist reaching out to the small cottages and barns in the valleys below and all this while, we were rubbing our hands and somewhere in the mind a small thought just passed by,
"Oh God! I am indeed quite lucky to view yet another of your beautiful creations!"

A visit to Ober Gatlinburg, the skiiing resort & amusement park, using America's largest aerial tramway gave us another opportunity to have an aerial look at the Smokies. This visit also let me have a try at ice skating - another first in my life. :-)

The return journey was quite remarkable - all of us werent quite as energetic as a couple of days before, but definitely there was no lesser fun involved - we played guess games to identify who was the biggest Amitabh fan by recognising AB's songs being played from the iPod. The last stretch of the journey was a non-stop 4 hour drive that helped us reach Tampa at 3.30 in the morning.

Looking back - everything seems to have been like a dream come true - the mountains towering over us, the valleys alluring everyone to come down, the fog covering the "Smokies", the chirpings of the birds, the autumn leaves rustling on the road, the gurgling of the little brooks finding their own way - all of these seem to be a distant dream, which I perhaps lived a few days ago...

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Three movies & - I, me, myself

Three people - "I", "me", "myself" - in this world - all three come from India - they cant be called Indians - they just come from India. There's more to them than being Indian - they represent three different ideologies, lifestyles, goals, aspirations, et al.

=====================================================
Lets start with the first - who am "I"??
"I" am an Indian, or rather "I" come from India, but currently stay in Sydney.

One one side, "I" am a 21st century guy who came to study architecture in Sydney, but opened up a restaurant to become what I always wanted to become - a chef! I love a live-in relationship, am ready to change my waking habits for my lady love, make breakfast for her, clean the house - BUT I hate commitment, I hate marriage & I am just not ready for a kid.

Alternatively, "I" am a nex-gen gal who doesnt want to get married, so escapes to Sydney to study medicine, and then becomes an RJ (Radio Jockey for those uninitiated) to make a living. And I want a live-in relationship as well - its only when I get pregnant (thank God, we have moved away from the hysterical "yeh kahaan se apnaa mooh kaala kar aayi kal-moohi!!") - thats when I realise the joy of giving life to another person, the joy of being a mother (a try @ being Mother India), the joy of doing what I really wanna do!

Oops, and if "I" have to greet you, "I" would simply say "Salaam Namaste"!and then I continue h(u)mmmmm-ing 'My dil goes hmmmmm'...

=====================================================

Moving on to the next person. Who "me"?? "Me" belongs to that heavenly paradise on Earth called Kashmir.
Me's brother is a terrorist & me's lover is an Indian army captain. Now, that definitely means a lot of ammunition in me's life.
Nevertheless, me's life recoils on every nook n corner with bullet shots.
But dont get confused - me's a very normal gal o'wise.. me's aspirations are as sky high as any other teenager... simply wearing a pair of jeans..
or like when me's in love, me likes singing 'Pooche jo koi meri nishaani, rang heena kehnaa' on the Dal lake...

It amazes "me" to know that life in Pune is so unhappening - no snow, no chinaar trees, no bullets - c'mon!! how can you live in a place like that???

Coz me firmly believes that,
Agar kahin dharti par swarga hai, to bas "Yahaan" hai, "Yahaan" hai, "Yahaan" hai!
=====================================================

Time for the 3rd person - talking about "Myself"??
What do you want to know about "myself"?

Myself comes from UP. Naah.. myself not a bhaiyya, but a police officer, who wants to clean out the entire crime system in UP. Yeah, myself face a lot of opposition - from politicians, criminals - but myself not give up - myself fight till the end, for the sake of society, for good, for truth.

And when myself feel tired, myself remembers mother's words,
" Jab aadmi thak jaata hai, to use Sehar mein ugte suraj ke saamne khadaa rehnaa chaahiye, thakaan apne-aap duur ho jaayegi!"

=====================================================

Three movies - Salaam Namaste, Yahaan & Sehar - all depicting life in today's India. Movies which are not your typical candy floss stuff, but come close to real life - and yet so unreal or rather so incoherent between themselves. Tough to believe that they represent the lives of Indians living in the same time. They belong to the same generation, are of the same age, come from the same country - yet they have different aspirations, different problems, different ways to define happiness..

It is unclear who amongst these three can be called a typical Indian - they all come from India, but their lives are so different.. they cant get type-cast as Indian..

Unsurprisingly most of us also belong to this generation - and touchwood! Our life is so much different!! (At least mine is...)

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Settling down in Tampa

Cant believe that I have been in Tampa for almost 4 weeks now. Time flies like anything. Things have been quite easy given the amazing desi junta that I have here for company - a good friend who picked me up from airport, and who's been khilao-ing (sorry, cant remember the English word) me, driving me to office, and at whose place I am also staying. :-))))

Kaam to chalte rehtaa hai. What one does look forward to is the weekend, and in the lingo of the junta here - the weekend begins from Thursday itself. This is definitely true - the overall mood of junta here on Friday is such that there are no meetings, or important deliverables scheduled for the last day of the week - many work from home (something which I would love to do all days of the week).

Nevertheless, time has been well spent on the 4 weekends so far. Went to the Clearwater beach & the pier @ St. Petersburg on the very 1st weekend. The views were mesmerising to say the least (open to interpretation), the water was cool and must recommend this - the pier @ St. Petersburg is an awesome location for a Friday evening date with its lights, parks, benches, restaurants, and the pier of course!

Today's just the 3rd day of this weekend (remember the w/e started on Thursday), and have just come back from a 80-mile drive in a red colored open top convertible - the Sebring from Chrysler. Had been to the Sai baba temple at a picturesque town called Inverness. Once you leave the I-75, you get to see some real American countryside, beautiful lakes, breathtakingly huge ranches, horses, weekend bungalows on the road to Inverness.

The experience of the drive became even more fantastic when the roof top was rolled back, and I pushed myself up for a bit to feel the air, while we were driving at a little less than 80 mph! At 90, I couldnt try this stunt - but even at 80 I could feel the wind rushing through my hair (there's still some left thankfully - touchwood!), across my face (had to take away my glasses), could listen to the loud hooosh behind my ears!

It rained for a while, so we had to stop & roll over the roof for some time - but definitely implemented what's now become a defining line of life

"zindagi mein prakruti ka anand le lenaa hai - jyaada sochnaa nahin hai, bas anand le lenaa hai."

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes

"If you can read this, you are probably over-educated."

Maybe an ideal opening for my blog. Thanks for visiting this site.
I guess it was time for me to start this piece - rather than flooding junta's mailbox, its better to post it here, so people who are interested in reading know where to find it. :-)