A Traveler's Memoir

I packed my luggage and rode towards Malana and Kasol. Being a stoner, it was something to cherish, to be there for the New year. With the present climate, I could not start early. I started around 9 in the morning and found a stay by 7 in the evening. On reaching Malana after 2 days, I ended up at a fake party that brought me together with a few boys from Kerala. We just smoked up and lazed. On the 31st we took a bus ride to Manikaran for a natural hot spring bath. My plan was to attend a party as it was the new year but ended up cooking dinner for 5 people.  Happy New year 2020. Yeah, Cheers!  The first day of the year was lazy and I didn't like it. Everything happens for good and good things take time.  The place was a mess. Torn blankets, filthy kitchen, dozens of bottles stocked up, ashes everywhere, with cigarette buds thrown around. Cleaning happened only once a day though. The guy running it, Regish was a lovely soul but in vain. He said he used to work in Dubai ...

I pushed myself to a 360-kilometre ride with unpredictable traffic when a Couchsurfer accepted to host. But upon reaching, he said since he lived in a joint family, my shabby appearance would be unacceptable to his family. I said that's okay and decided to take a capsule in the house of gipsies or HOG hostel that he recommended. I met some good people there, a biker from Bangalore on a 390 duke, A few people on business, a realtor from Delhi. Conversations on life and politics went on for a long time. Rajesh the biker from Bangalore was with his friend Arjun and we did a ride together to Ramnagar palace the next day. Varanasi, It's not a holy city anymore, except for the feeling of nothingness when walking on the banks of The Ganga. It could be because of so many souls who rest there every day. The moment we leave the ghats, we enter into chaos, a place overcrowded with, all kinds of people in a rush. Even walking is not easy on those roads, one just cannot walk freely, even th...

I was back in my country and soon started feeling pity and sad with all the crowd and the fast-paced life in my motherland. I knew that I had one of my homes at Siliguri and I started riding in that direction. I called Sanam but was not reachable, Samarpan wasn't audible on the phone either. So I just got there and stopped beside Sanam's house.  His father walked towards the road while I was parked. I asked, Sir pehechaana? He says "kyon nahi par aapka sathi nahi hai."  "Huh, kya Sanam nahi hai?"  ( I asked if he recognised me and he says why not and said, but your friend isn't here) He had gone to attend a wedding in Nepal with his mother. When I decided to move on, Samarpan walked in. I asked him what's up with his phone and he said his mike was screwed. We decided to meet the rest of the gang, Dewash, Antony and his brothers. Dumped my luggage in Samarpans house, where I met his mom, a wonderful woman who was wheelchair-bound for a few years due t...

I said, “Dev, I smoke weed.  He looked confused.  I said, “I smoke ganja.”  That moment! it changed my life. Now, I had the perfect life every middle-class man dreamed of. We started a homestay on loan, grew our own rice, had a house surrounded by plantation, and numerous pets. Life started to look different.   I woke up at 6:30, workout, deliver milk to the dairy, meditate, have breakfast, spend a few hours on the farm and then go meet friends. Weekends were busy with guests. Probably in a few years, I might get married, have kids, and take them to school. Maybe get a bigger car and house.  I wasn't happy. I'm not saying that's not life. But, maybe not for me right now, not for someone who felt being tied up all his life. Not for someone who wanted to see the world, put himself to the extreme, and live to the fullest.  Selfish love can be poison and That’s my family. The day I understood the definition of Love, I saw wicked people all around me. My wi...

Two days ago the General Manager of Club Mahindra visited my father. He asked about me and assured a job in the resort. When my dad told me about it, he did not stress much but asked me to think about it. I'm sure, he didn't like me going through this. I liked the offer, but first, I wanted to go as far as I could go on this journey. I never got a chance to decide for myself throughout my life, so now When I make a decision, I want to stick to it. He is having a tough time at work and sounded low. After working for 22 years in the industry his MD said, he is not in favour of the company, which hurt him. He may not be in favour of the company, but he is always in favour of the employees and that's how an HR should be. In recent times, with people's increasing greed for money, ethics are fading. I call it hospitality while they call it business. I tried to tell him, even if we startup we have to be like that to survive our corrupt system. The day I put down my papers at T...

I was forced to wake up at 6 since a guest called for water bottles, as I passed the reception greeting Karthik, he asked for some black coffee, while I waited to take it down, Jai arrived and said he would take care of the coffee and asked me to get fresh and come back. Selvam Sir called to ask me to collect my pay for 3 days from the previous month and handed my offer letter too. I received 1160 rupees, I kept 1100 safe, With the balance in hand, I started on my daily walk. Jai wanted to join but was stuck with Apton sir to make a room. I stepped in, we finished the job and hiked a hill, adjacent to the resort. I bought some juice and sweets which we sat down at a pear plantation sipping and snacking. Even picked some fresh carrots on our way back. It got stressful for Jai later when he had to do service, after a tough walk. Bugger is strong and challenging. He sticks on and is a good company. When we came back, I got to know Nitesh and Savitha had come to meet, they tried calling ...