Pink sunsets and pink gowns in Kerala (April 19-21,2008)

It became another dream realized :).. as i set out for Kerala (A place I had been really really longing to see for sometime)..of course the reason was for a greater purpose -on account of my friend's wedding on the 20th of April, which actually made my trip to Kerala possible. The other added bonus was the fact that I was going to be a bridesmaid wearing a pink gown...something I really wanted to be for a long time (don't ask me why..maybe just some girl desire to know how it feels like).

And now to begin!Well as usual our trips always seem to range on the extraordinary.. with the huge bus/ticket confusion in Bangalore as we mistook Trichy for Trichur (confirmed our geography and spelling too I guess does suck!). So after all the hullaboo and running as fast as we could in and out of the platforms and in between maze-like parked as well as huge moving buses(that made me feel like an ant).. we finally managed to get new tickets and board the bus on time! It really seemed like a nightmare that time. This is where writing cannot account for the experience..no kidding!
Although one positive note did come out from the whole fiasco, it was the realization of something we never knew we had in us, that would no doubt score us big points on Amazing Race (if nothing else but for the ability to run like mad, apparently making bags seem like featherweights but for that moment in time only :P) even as thoughts of 'why oh why does this have to happen!' kept running through my mind the whole time.But i guess they're all meant to be memories ..memories one could possibly do without but oh well..something to laugh over when we need to.

The moment we reached Kerala though, that episode was long forgotten as we entered a whole new scenario of coconut trees, banana trees, fields and greenery all around!It sorta felt like home in a strange way. The bride and her parents were the perfect hosts and they made sure we were full all day long. The bride's cousin, Arun took us for sight seeing and we got to see (I believe) the most beautiful parts of Kerala what within the short span of time we had. Arun was the perfect guide, with his constant urgings at us to hurry up and walk faster and not waste time (did i say tour guide?!? :P), then asking us if we were having fun amidst all the constant pressure of having to keep on schedule..whew! but wait.. all in order for us to see the sunset at the beach. First, we went to the elephant farm, then St. Thomas church, and after that we reached our final destination- the beach (one of Arun's fav. places too which we found out later .. and which explained a few things :P). Then from there we had a lovely surprise as Arun told us we could go see the back waters (something about Kerala I had been dying to see should i visit it someday). So like happy kids, we made our way to the car.. and there Arun, our driver sped like mad (did i mention the funny comment he made about Kerala traffic that everything is always flying in Kerala..no kidding its like a race car alley!.. to which my friend retorted the undeniable obvious 'even we are flying' and flying we were!)..and with stiffled screams but almost giving way and a grip tight hold on the car door, we reached... Chetuwa backwaters.And now if it weren't for Arun, my trip to Kerala would not have been half as much fulfilling :).

Sigh and Sigh.And all I can say about it now is it was absolutely breathtaking!! It made the whole slogging and running in Bangalore for tickets to Thrissur so worthwhile and my love for Kerala grew and grew and grew.. as the natural beauty continued to stretch on with the oncoming sunset. The groves, the bridge, the tiny boats, the balconied shacks on the shoreline, the sea gulls... all together it was awe-ing :).. I cannot begin to imagine how it would be like to spend a night on a houseboat (and that's for my next trip to Kerala someday). At the end of the day the exhaustion over the previous night set in and I slept content having fulfilled half of my desire for coming to Kerala.

20th April morn came and Anila was looking as beautiful as ever a bride could be on her wedding day. She was radiant! The wedding ceremony was a whole new experience for me- a Syrian Christian wedding. The moment had come as the bride entered the church while the four of us bridesmaids had our moment of glory too following in our pink gowns carrying pink carnations. But after some time, trying to be the disciplined bridesmaid was not as easy as it seemed, and the whole marriage became like a strength of endurance- to stand continuously on highheels for what seemed like hours! (but of course, we had the congregation as company to our standing test..if it helped any) .It was indeed quite an experience and I'm just glad I was there. Finally the sari's were exchanged and the necessary procedures completed. I think Anila is pretty happy for everything having worked out so beautifully in the end and I wish her a happy married life, she definitely deserves one. Because i always believe that everything works out for the best in the end, after having done all one can possibly do.

My friends and me came back exhausted after another day of bus traveling for almost two hours to the reception at the groom's house. We managed to go to Ernakulaum (I hope i got the spelling right) and also saw the pinkest sunset i have ever seen in my whole life that day. Truly breathtaking and the special moments that make time stand still.

Through the painstaking heat and humidity the next day on the train, we finally reached Hyderbad laden with our overloaded bags of banana chips, tapioca chips and jack fruit chips that we ate throughout the whole journey (which ultimately left us wanting to do without for sometime). Speaking of food - Cant forget to mention the local dishes of fish cooked in green mango curry with coconuts, pork and beef cooked with coconuts. Note think that's just the simplified version of used ingredients since i dont know what all more goes into the recipes but gosh they were all so yum!!I just loved the food, served on banana leaves for us. I think it tastes different somehow :) and maybe its the place too.

And so well that was how my trip to Kerala ended..with chips! :P.. na.. with memories of those time frozen moments,pink sunsets and pink gowns in kerala ;), promises to go back for more and happy beginnings for two newly married people. :)

the drifting

To be constantly swept away...
by the swell of the waves...
and the gulps of inescapable sighs...
And the endless breathes that just never seem to be enuff,
To feel the spirit filled winds breeze past me, my senses suspended,
..intoxicated, ravaged, wasted, satiated..

They are what i will yearn for..never ceasing nor breaking..
For a reason did i go..
Thinking i would find all the answers and come back..

And what did i find.. but more reasons to never want to come back..
to just drift in the vast expanse of nothingness..to just let go and let out.. where nothing but bliss and peace would fill my senses.. i think i found it in the beauty and the splendour...the soft waves, the light reflection on the surface, the endless sky..the streaks of red,orange or were they pink or yellow...the sinking sun in all its glorious glamour... granting the promise of an unceasing touch..

i knew i jus had to embrace the moment.. and i did..

and i told myself..

this untouched beauty will neither fade nor perish...but for want of this idyllic utopia.. i will come back to it...

for the moments of solace ..away from what i not even know of...

for it itself has become the reason for my solace.

My precious Goa trip!

It was the sand, the sun, the waves, the surfs –and there I was in Goa once again – Palolem beach before me! I took a long look at the stretch of the beach before me – the range of shacks along the beach, the other already settled tourists and vacationers enjoying the pleasures of tanning, dining and surfing. Even before i took one step i knew i was gonna have the time of my life...So there I was trudging along with my friends checking out the shacks that would most likely fit our expectations and needs and oh so excited to be out there. As we would later refer to our water escapades ‘to be one with the surfboard’ and ‘to be one with the water’, impatient we were to hit the waters and make use of every bit of the three nights and two and ahalf days we planned to vacation out there (including a birthday celebration of two friends who had been earnestly planning all along to spend their birthday in Goa). And so here begins my long awaited beach vacation I had been looking forward to for so achingly long!!!!

Day 1 March 27, 2008

Shack found what else could we do but hit the waters. There we went trotting with glee along the sand oblivious of the other tourists and vacationers around us towards the big vast expanse of water that seemed to be waiting for us. Now comes the free fall feeling of letting go, letting out, indulging in waves of peace, calm, and at the same time exhilaration and tinges of excitement when u enter the (I would like to call it) beach domain. Sorta transports you into another world that can't be felt anywhere else. There we played so engrossed that I actually forgot to take off some time to watch one of the things one must'nt miss in Goa - the sunset. But I left the waters that evening, grit determined not to miss it the next day . Next moment we found ourselves sitting around a fire (yeah still chilly enuff to manage a small campfire in Goa that time! ;).. more so for the ambience i'd say) waiting to be served a candlelight dinner out on the beach. The live performance set the mood (although the singers were'nt the best u cud ask for-a friend would later say it was like screams from the process of being bitten by an ant - but hey the tabla and guitar strumming was enuff for me) with the stars above and the waves crashing along the shore behind us- there we were spending our first nite in Goa. Later I sat on the beach till 2 a.m with my friend who had just turned 26, each contemplating and I guess each lost in our own thoughts but grateful for every precious moment.

Day 2 March 28, 2008

Yeah got up kinda late but excited for what I consider the best meal of the day – breakfast. Toast, bacon, beans , eggs , coffee and banana pancakes and big smiles on all our faces. Now skipping the siesta moments under the big umbrella with the flowing wine glasses that never seemed to end ;), here comes the best part of my day. The big surprise entry of a new special friend of mine ;). (Even the damper of losing my phone in the water while climbing the rocks wouldn’t be able to shake off the anticipated joy)Boy if I could capture the look and shock on my friends face when she saw the surprise visitor come all the way from Nagaland! I tell you, Goa is the best place for reunions long awaited for. Not forgetting how very romantic it is too ;). And of course we all hit the waters later together - this time with the surf boards. Also, that day I got to walk along the beach and watch the sunset. The dining, wining and downing began way after the sun went down and the stars came out... till the wee hours of the morn ;)

Day 3 March 29, 2009

Woke up early for the boat ride to Butterfly Island. And what else did we see besides butterflies? Dolphins! Along the waters, we were able to catch sight of two dolphins, swimming alongside each other with their shiny and glistening fins out of the water. It was a beautiful sight no doubt with the occasional screams and yelps of joy every time someone spotted a tiny sight of the water creatures ,even as distant as they were. Now the best part of this last day- I learned how to ride the waves! And there was nothing like the exhilarating feeling of being on top of the waves and letting it carry me all the way till the sandy beach. It kinda felt like a roller coaster ride actually. Though it was difficult to catch the perfect timing of jumping along with the wave, me and a friend would jump with every signal given by the surfer boy named Loren (yeah –strange coincidence that its pronounced same as my surname? ;)) as he said ‘Go now’ or ‘jump, jump’! it was a blast man and we cudnt stop ourselves. And the most breathtaking sight was seen in the evening - the sun ready to go down, streaks of red along the skyline,few clouds like cotton, the waves bopping up and down and me and my friend lying flat on our stomachs on the surf boards,looking towards the vast expanse of unending water that lay before us, with no desire to see anything else, but that for the moment - it was bliss! :) I will never forget that moment. Its been captured on camera..but hey there is nothing, nothing like the real thing. ;)

And well I could go on and on giving descriptions about the last day we all spent together. Despite me losing my phone(ouch!), our lost treasure of money(small ouch!) and the periodical hiccups, I’d say- we always come out happier, stronger and ready for more ;) and as usual I had an amazing, fascinating and breathtaking time with my friends thatll never be forgotten. We did it once again! We did Goa! We did Palolem Beach…and I just cant wait for more. :)

* Well this section is called making up for the 'erred unmentioned presence of a special friend' above (as Penny Lane so reminds me...and shucks to my memory.. geez!) that we made out there in Palolem Beach and who made our stay in Kinky Reggae as comfy as possible. His name is Ramu... definitely a beach lover and keeper of the shack, as well as apparent party lover with his constant beckoning of 'Go Party', 'U want to go to Party' calls. He seems to enjoy the simple beach life near the waters and is content with the constant beach tourists he meets everyday. It's always nice to meet people like him , ever-ready to help and be of assistance totally minus the outright cheeky sleazy guys one meets once in a while who constantly set our moods on raging fire. So thanks Ramu :) for nice guys like you and hope the shirt Penny Lane got for u fits. :P .