Travel Fun Part I


            One of the major things that the year 2011 gave me is the travel opportunities. Though most were strictly official, still I have had the best of times. Be it the overnight train travel filled with noisy and over the top uproarious gang of IT guys or the uneventful 45 minutes flight travels to Hyderabad, I really liked them all. But the best was my trip from Kolhapur to Chennai :) Story time guys :)


The highly professional and over clocked LG had really had it all and turned into the enthusiastic girl she ever was, deciding to have the best of her times. She knew something was awaiting for her at her home (two days holiday) hence the enhanced cheerfulness :) She hopped into her taxi, with her oversized luggage, extra heavy backpack and the not so large Eatables (that was the most blatant lie, of my times), thus well prepared for her long 5 hrs journey from Kolhapur to Pune by drive. She was almost worried to think about her 24 hrs travel from Pune to Chennai by train, but then reminded herself that she might never have got those holidays, if she had flown. She would have had to report the same noon, probably. So she gets back to her normal self, consoling herself that she had had three books to give her company.


Thus began her eventful journey, with a Marathi driver who knew a little Hindi. Having said that, it would be terribly unfair not to add that our own LG knew only a little Hindi too, or so she thought. So she just kick started the chatter of the driver just by admitting that her Hindi was terrible, for which he replied mine too. Thus began her roller coaster ride. He started to explore his Hindi showing around the places all through the highway. For instance, 

Example 1:

Driver: That is a shoe shop
LG: (rolls her eyes, thinking "yes very unidentifiable") Oh is it? Are they cheap?
         (Clearly utilizing the chance to use her new word "sastha")
Driver: Yeah, real good. (Not catching the word, sastha)
LG: (Disappointedly) Oh.
          (Thank God, Oh was Oh in all languages, or is not?)
Example 2:

LG: do you share Parathas with me?
          (He gives a real shock look, clearly none of his previous passengers would have offered food in such a terrible language)
Driver: No madam, I have to drive
LG: (So? you mean no?) 
          (Gives one blank look and bites into her parathas)
Driver: Do you like the food here? 
LG: (Paratha is paratha everywhere) yes no big difference


After ten minutes
Driver: I had food before I started, so I did not accept your offer.
     (yes he took solid two minutes to complete the sentence, of course way better than our LG's talent)
LG: it is ok, but you can still have if you want, I have plenty
Driver: (eats a piece to shut her mouth)

Example 3:

Driver: Madam you told to come by 10
LG: No, later I called and I clearly told to your boss that I need the car by only 12
Driver: Will you call and inform him the same?
LG: give me his number; I left his card in my room
     (Everything seemed in sync till this point)
Driver: #&*#^@& 
     (Numbers in Marathi)
LG: ("ya, Missed just this") (frustrated) Show me the number in your mobile
          (Hated all the poor quality screen resolution phones, that second, when she found she can’t see a thing in that darn mobile. After trying many positions and many angles of sunlight trying to see the number, she hands over the phone back)
          Please dial the number in my mobile and give
Driver: (Sees her high end smart phone touch screen and back at her, then dials the number in his own mobile and hands it to her)

Example 4:

LG: So what is Famous in Kolhapur? 
          (For the fifth time during the trip and third time during the day)
Driver: (still unable to comprehend the meaning of "famous")I don’t understand madam
LG: (helplesslywhat is?? Nothing.. Leave it..
            (still she has not found the word)


Then God answered to his prayers, LG slept for two hours. But then her God was also not unkind, He woke her up such that she would not miss the beautiful drizzle, in the greeny mountainous scenery. I know it is cinematic, but I am narrating what really did happen. LG then asks him to switch the AC off and she opens the windows. She was thinking to plug her headset and the driver turns on the radio. Wow you think? No... He turns on some loud banging music and irate her to the core and makes her shut up. Or was it the idea??

Anyway, the driver offers to stop in a tea shop and LG says immediately "yes", just to get out of the car and feel the breeze over her. Then for the first ever time she enters a roadside shop, thinking of Bch, her best friend, who has many a times wished for such an opportunity. She drank the tea, wisely following the driver's advice about avoiding the coffee and ignoring the noisy crowd, the dirty glasses, the wet chairs and the blatant stare of the people. By now she had become accustomed to the latter, for she understood the people's open surprise about a girl, correction, south Indian girl travelling around alone. She had understood the south Indian tag was inevitable, and was of no disadvantage, at least on the surface. By then she felt she had accomplished something in life, not just drank tea in a roadside shop.

The journey then began to get more interesting, because by then terrible Hindi had become accustomed to both. So accustomed that, the driver ate LG's brain by giving full description of his boss, his lifestyle and the other non interesting subjects. Then in the midst of all these trivial talks, he dropped the bomb, that he did not know the route to Pune station from the Highways. But they were ahead the schedule by two hours, so what the heck she thought, "we could just enquire the route and buzz off", still worrying what to do in station to spend that two hours, after reaching the station. 

Only after reaching Pune, she understood his "poochke jayange" was not asking to the locales but to his boss back at Kolhapur through his mobile phone. Very ironic that she remembered the way she gets lost inside her own city often like this. But she can afford to do that, but being a driver how could he? She should have cursed him under her breath but she was calm as ever, no, more excited about the whole thing. She is getting the glimpse of Pune, which she normally would not have. That is the crazy damsel LG for you.

After one hour, she understood she had been in the same place few minutes earlier, or not? She saw the time and it was 4 45 already and her train was by 5 55. She decided to take things on her own hands, if she were to save her back. By now clearly lost, the guy had decided that LG was going to fire him, instead our lady asked him to shut his phone and ask the passerby. Without even leaving one fellow pass them, they enquired around, again went to another ride around the city and then reached the station by sharp 5.40. She asked the driver that he has to help her till the train with luggages, if she were to catch the train. He understood he had to oblige and followed her into the station.

Of course, for the first time, she decided against getting tickets for the platform, and literally ran all through the station into the next platform. And by 5.55 she was on the train. Only then she was able to see the relief on the driver's face. She then thanked profusely and he escaped from the place. Thus she boarded into the train, without much injury, but I can’t tell the same for the persons, who were in the station, passerbies and other co-passengers, for she had dashed, banged and stamped everyone near and around her. 

Now Now!! Did I come to the end of the story? No just a part of the story. Part II is on its way and is much more fun than this.

Stay tuned in!!!
Cheers!!
Elgee 




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