When you ask any Engineering or any Graduate student, for the matter, as to where they would like to head for the vacations, their unanimous choice would scream "Goaaaaaaaaaa". I am still not sure as what has captivated them without even an infinitesimal dissenting voice. My best bet is the superb perception and the glowing aura that has been created by their friends and seniors who would have definitely said that Goa is a heaven for rave parties and sublime relaxation from the mundane humdrum of the normal lives. I had the opportunity to visit Goa when I was in Engineering as a part of our In-Plant Training and Industrial Visit. As my sister's engagement was just around the corner then, I prioritized Goa to some other time. Never in my darkest nightmares that I could have dreamt that I would be visiting Goa all alone by carrying a heavy baggage of emotional turmoil and mental anguish.
After arriving straight from the Dubai airport to Chennai, one of my friend, who happens to be lawyer, recommended that Goa is the ideal place for relaxation and peace of mind. The flight tickets were extremely precipitous. So, I decided to take a train to Goa from Bangalore after meeting up with one of my friends from my MBA. Bading goodbye to her after a nice lunch, that was actually High Tea!, at Domino's, I headed towards Mangalore by bus to catch the Madgaon Express which was due in the next morning. As none of my travels were planned and were completely off-the-cuff, I had the vague feeling of discomfort that the world and time was controlling me instead of me being in command over the plans. Still, I enjoyed the feel to be truly in flow with nature just like a river meanders slowly and lazily across the plains.
Due to restless sleep in the bus caused by the vague feeling, the train journey was marked with me sleeping most of the time. By the time I woke up, the train was near Madgaon. This was the second time ever I was without a roof over my head in an alien place. The first time was when I made a quick trip to Kancheepuram to visit all the temples there before I caught a bus to Bangalore from Koyembedu Bus terminus. I was well in my comfort zone when I went to Kancheepuram as I was within the boundaries of Tamil Nadu and everyone spoke Tamil. So, finding an inexpensive hotel wasn't that difficult. In this scenario at Madgaon, I was completely all at sea, pun intended, with no idea whatsoever as to what the other people were talking since their conversations were in Hindi. A good soul at the Railway Station guided me to the Auto stand. But, to make him understand that I wanted to hire an auto was a herculean task by itself like carrying a big wheel on the shoulder.
A super nice person at the Auto Stand told me that he would drive me to a decent hotel as I had clearly stated my requirements that I would be visiting the beaches and other tourist attractions and that I just needed a good yet cheap place to sleep and bathe. He was polite enough to acknowledge it and used his sales skills to make me hire one of his vehicles for the extensive sightseeing. He also suggested some other places like The Big Foot.
After checking into the hotel, I went along with him to rent one of his two-wheelers. I can read your mind now. "How on Earth, Okay, Goa! did you trust a man who was nothing but a stranger?". Of course, I didn't. In fact, I was chanting 'Krishna Krishna' silently in my mind when we made our way to his residence. I perfectly knew and understood that I was in his territory and completely out of my comfort zone and that he was the person who was calling the shots there. If he had kidnapped or killed me then, no one would have ever known and I wouldn't be here alive now and typing out this blog. So, yes. I put the burden on Lord Krishna and left everything to Him. Fortunately, the person lived with his brother or at least that's what he told me and gave me multiple choices to select from his arsenal of vehicles .
As I wasn't aware of the road conditions or traffic, I preferred a Blue Dio after making sure that I got all the necessary documents pertaining to my Angelina, Okay! That's the name I kept for the Blue Dio!, and the most imperative of all - Helmet.
X---To be Concluded---X
After arriving straight from the Dubai airport to Chennai, one of my friend, who happens to be lawyer, recommended that Goa is the ideal place for relaxation and peace of mind. The flight tickets were extremely precipitous. So, I decided to take a train to Goa from Bangalore after meeting up with one of my friends from my MBA. Bading goodbye to her after a nice lunch, that was actually High Tea!, at Domino's, I headed towards Mangalore by bus to catch the Madgaon Express which was due in the next morning. As none of my travels were planned and were completely off-the-cuff, I had the vague feeling of discomfort that the world and time was controlling me instead of me being in command over the plans. Still, I enjoyed the feel to be truly in flow with nature just like a river meanders slowly and lazily across the plains.
Due to restless sleep in the bus caused by the vague feeling, the train journey was marked with me sleeping most of the time. By the time I woke up, the train was near Madgaon. This was the second time ever I was without a roof over my head in an alien place. The first time was when I made a quick trip to Kancheepuram to visit all the temples there before I caught a bus to Bangalore from Koyembedu Bus terminus. I was well in my comfort zone when I went to Kancheepuram as I was within the boundaries of Tamil Nadu and everyone spoke Tamil. So, finding an inexpensive hotel wasn't that difficult. In this scenario at Madgaon, I was completely all at sea, pun intended, with no idea whatsoever as to what the other people were talking since their conversations were in Hindi. A good soul at the Railway Station guided me to the Auto stand. But, to make him understand that I wanted to hire an auto was a herculean task by itself like carrying a big wheel on the shoulder.
A super nice person at the Auto Stand told me that he would drive me to a decent hotel as I had clearly stated my requirements that I would be visiting the beaches and other tourist attractions and that I just needed a good yet cheap place to sleep and bathe. He was polite enough to acknowledge it and used his sales skills to make me hire one of his vehicles for the extensive sightseeing. He also suggested some other places like The Big Foot.
After checking into the hotel, I went along with him to rent one of his two-wheelers. I can read your mind now. "How on Earth, Okay, Goa! did you trust a man who was nothing but a stranger?". Of course, I didn't. In fact, I was chanting 'Krishna Krishna' silently in my mind when we made our way to his residence. I perfectly knew and understood that I was in his territory and completely out of my comfort zone and that he was the person who was calling the shots there. If he had kidnapped or killed me then, no one would have ever known and I wouldn't be here alive now and typing out this blog. So, yes. I put the burden on Lord Krishna and left everything to Him. Fortunately, the person lived with his brother or at least that's what he told me and gave me multiple choices to select from his arsenal of vehicles .
As I wasn't aware of the road conditions or traffic, I preferred a Blue Dio after making sure that I got all the necessary documents pertaining to my Angelina, Okay! That's the name I kept for the Blue Dio!, and the most imperative of all - Helmet.
X---To be Concluded---X
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