A road trip I wish never ended

I always loved last minute plans. But birthdays are something that you wouldn't want to screw up with, planning in the last hour. So I carefully started planning over a month in advance- weekend getaway options, friends, budget, dates, leaves, permissions- the check list was ready. All me and my friends couldn't decide on was a destination.

May 22, 4 pm: My friends were on time to pick me up, but neither of us knew where we are headed to. As we reached to pick up another friend, we fought over destinations. Mr. Adventurous Aakash wanted to explore a new place every hour. He sometimes wanted to go to Ooty and sometimes wanted to visit Dandeli and oh yes, Kabini Jungle resort and the list goes on. Mr I-agree-with-everything Aditya was obviously agreeing with whatever places Mr adventurous threw. Then we picked up Ms I-only-want-mobile-hotspot Priyanka, who just like Aditya, agreed with everything, as long as she had access to Internet :P. But Bengaluru was a place I personally wanted to visit. On my birthday, I wanted to be around my favourite people and Bengaluru hosts two of my best friends, so the choice was obvious. (P.S. I had never been to the city previously.)

Disney fan :P

9 pm: We realised we would be reaching Bengaluru in next 3 hours (at least that's what we assumed) but still did not have an accommodation. But hey, din't I tell you about how awesome last-minute plans are? We quickly stopped by, booked an accommodation we had been dodging for over 48 hours and voila! the  plan seemed to have fallen into place. As we passed by, Priyanka, a devotee of lord Hanuman, spotted a temple and said that we must visit it. We heard her and moved  on. 

2.30 am: As we reached Bengaluru, we were overwhelmed to have been welcomed by four street dogs (read angry street dogs). But the apartment made up for everything. A private terrace, a studio apartment, a room of our own and with the best people around me, the best way to kickstart my birthday. :D You know the best part? Mr  Adventurous (oh, and did I say nature lover) Aakash was still fighting over the  destination we must explore 200 kilometres away from the city. But did we care?  Oh yes, we did. But that night we retired to our beds as all of us were tired. But Mr I-agree-with-everything Aditya agreed to stay awake since I wasn't sleepy. Did I mention how awesome late night conversations are? Ok, now you know. Oh btw, it was Priyanka who wished me first (followed by Aditya and Aakash). Whoever she informed about the plan were upset and secretly wished that it got cancelled, but she made it to the trip. Speaks volumes about how much she loves me and I love her moreeee. (Ok, she doesn't like PDA :P)

 

Next day went as planned. Birthday with my favourite people- Priyanka, Aakash, Aditya, Sharath and Akash. The best part? Akash and his cake. Did I tell you how much I love you for this, Aku? A mango cake because there is a reason behind it. :)  

My favourite people- Sharath, Akash, me, Aakash, Aditya and Priyanka. That's Sharath's favourite pose btw :P Like he always says, 'PEACE' :P

Next stop: Look your best and go party! The best way to bring down the birthday. My beautiful group of friends :*

One of the best birthdays till date. Well, we still had another day to spend in Bengaluru and Aakash made an amazing adventurous plan and guess what? He slept over it and never woke up on time to make it happen. And I was secretly happy about it :D We are a bunch of lazy people, oh yes! There was nothing much worth mentioning about the next day, except for that I found Rockstar chappals, which I had been hunting for the past 3 years. Calls for a celebration. :D Everything else is best kept secret. ;)


Last day of trip: We woke up at 3:30 am to fulfill one last desire of Aakash, to visit Nandi Hills. And god, do I regret? The place was so beautiful. As we drove by the foggy roads, steady drizzle, we surely experienced bliss. As I quietly sat at a corner, lost in the beauty, wishing I could stay there for longer... not interacting... just me, my thoughts and a lot of peace. Just as I was lost in thoughts, Priyanka took me along for a few photos. And then we left for Hyderabad, never wanting to depart.

Of course no, the story doesn't end here. Life isn't a bed of roses. You need to experience a few thorns as well. If everything went right, what stories would I have shared with you. Things had to go wrong, at least for my blog.

TRIP Part 2:

Aditya and Aakash trying to
change the tyre. Bad photography
credit: Priyanka :P

As we were excited about being just two hours away from home, our car decided to give up. We experienced everything that you would while on a road trip, as they show in movies - car breaking down, strangers stopping by to see what is wrong, passerby, more passerby and then finally that one good soul that decides to help when you almost give up.

Hero Aditya with superhero Mahesh :P

Mahesh, resident of a nearby village, was passing by with two of his friends when he noticed us and stopped by. We asked him if he could take one of us to the nearest puncture shop, which he did. He helped us get the mechanic till the car and we thought he is doing it for a few quick bucks. But when we offered him money, he politely refused and stayed with us till the car was fine. Though the car wasn't absolutely fine, we had to drive depending on two screws or bolts or whatever you call them, and had to restrict ourselves to 60 km/hr to 70km/hr, I was glad that Mahesh did what he could to help us without expecting anything in return. Imagine, what would have happened if help did not arrive while my friends were trying hard to do their bit in the scorching sun. 

While we sat at a hut-shaped shop that sold food near the puncture repair point, we noticed a Hanuman temple right next to us (remember Priyanka wanted to visit one?) Coincidence much? At least I thought so. :)

We later reached Hyderabad, but not without our share of memories. There were many firsts during this trip- First road trip with friends (travelling over a thousand kms), first time got birthday bumps, first time a sense of independence induced into us and a lot more. Though the trip was just for 3 days, it gave me memories that would last a lifetime.

Priyanka, Aakash and Aditya, thank you so much for making it happen. And as we know, APAN awesome :)

Cheers!

As I finish writing this blog at 3.30 am, I realise that late night conversations are the best. It is that hour of the day when you are most comfortable talking about anything. Agree?


 

If it's not a happy ending, the story isn't over yet

It's Tuesday, 5 am. Though the sun hasn't risen yet, people have already started to go about their business. I reach home and decide to hit the bed. But I can't... I wasn't feeling good... I don't know what I was feeling... sad, upset, disappointed or may be a mixture of everything. I wanted to talk to a best friend, but refrained. I thought to myself, I could either start the day on a happy note or sulk all day long. I quickly changed my WhatsApp status to 'This too shall pass :)' and my display picture to the image below. And forced myself to sleep.

It's Tuesday, 11:30 am. I wake up after a brief 5 hour sleep to find that it's almost afternoon and the best part, its my week off. I check my phone, 12 messages from 8 conversations, notifies WhatsApp. I go through the messages... some one is happy about the day, someone apologised forgetting my birthday, someone appreciated the profile picture, someone wanted to know if I reached home safe but it was this particular message, 'I missed my flight' that caught my attention. This person was upset, I am sure, but did not want to complain or blame. I apologised, for I thought it was my fault that he missed the flight, but he kept taking the blame all on himself. We had planned a night out and things did not go as we hoped.

I have seen this person go through ups and downs in his life, but he always took that to his stride, and never will you see him blame somebody else or complain about anything in life. He would never say, 'why does it happen to only me?'. There was a time he wanted to go abroad and study, he sacrificed. He did not sit and complain but tried to set up a business of his own, which he did and I am extremely proud of him. He lost someone very dear, I did not show up or leave my condolences, he forgave. I once promised to help, I did not, he understood. I made a plan and things took an uneven turn, he was patient, did not complain, he was upset but didn't want people around him to spoil their mood, he was mature.

I asked him what would he do now, since he missed the flight and there was an important task on hold. He said- 'I don't know'. I know he was still upset, but instead of sulking in his room, he stepped out, went about his business, I understood that nothing could stop him. Be it happiness or sorrow, he is always there to fight hard and emerge stronger. This guy never fails to inspire me. Always motivates not to give up.

Brushing all the thoughts aside, I plan to open Facebook. A particular notification reminds me of the two months, back in 2012, when I was struggling to find a job, but couldn't crack one. Back then, I thought may be I wasn't fit for one. Three years fast forward and I realise that I am working as a journalist with one of the best media houses. If I would have given up then, I wouldn't have been here. I realised life is all about believing in yourself and to walk ahead with the 'never give up' attitude. I decided I woudn't be upset because of the turn of events. I got out of the bed, looked around for my mum, wished her 'Good morning' with a smile and decided that nothing could keep me down. Always have hopes, because that will keep you going.

Two hours later, I sit and I write this. As I write, I realise all the lessons this one night has taught me. I realised, not everything has to end on a sad note. If that one incident is what took me to learn a few more lessons, I am glad it happened. Well, if it isn't a happy ending, may be the story is probably not over yet. :)

P.S. You are my hero, A. A best friend I'd always be glad to have crossed paths with.