The Goan Diaries – Day 3

September 2, Sunday:

9:30 am –

Why?? Why Mukul has to do it always? Why did Avadhut join him in waking me up? Why can’t the world just let me sleep for a few hours more? “I am gonna book a separate room for myself  the next time on a similar lazy trip” . It was just another stupid thought when half asleep. We could hear the rain drops. The sound this time was irritating.

Avadhut’s idea the previous night of praying to Rain Gods had not worked.

Some light on Avadhut’s plan after being completely drenched while returning from Britto’s.

“As it is we will use abusive and offensive language for the rains. Why not use some soft words instead. The Rain Gods may in turn grant our wish and they might just stop the rains”

I agreed and kept on saying all nice things about the rains. The result was we were greeted with heavier rains on Sunday. Next time I am not going to listen to Avadhut’s crap.

10:30 am-

Breakfast time!! Corn Flakes, Toasts with butter and jam, Ham, sausages and of course a glass of Hot Chocolate (yummm!!) were on our platter. Like always Mukul’s order was decided by Avadhut. We followed this ritual of a brunch almost daily.

That lazy baby octopus was still in the bed. Since it was raining heavily the only option was to loaf in the pool.

We invented a game where in 2 of us defend one side of the pool by not letting the 3^rd reach to it. I hate to admit that Avadhut won the game very easily. He went underwater, crossed us and then used an aggressive back stroke (he was literally kicking us) to reach the other end of the pool. It also helps when Mukul is more interested in helping him win ;).

We scripted a song and were shouting it loudly.

The lyrics –

“Kaka, Kaka, Kaka!!

WWS, WWS.

Kaka, Kaka, Kaka,

Do u WS?

Do u WS?”

We were enjoying our guy-giri(more of gay-giri) but had to stop since Monitor came near the pool. Till that time Anmol was clicking Mukul and Avadhut’s snaps. It was now time for our hero to enter the pool. And he did it in style.

Mukul kept changing his moods- sometimes sticking to the walls of the pool, then suddenly completing 1 whole round of breast stroke (Imagine the white tigers in Sunderbans), sitting besides the pool, then in a romantic mood (with Avadhut ofcourse) and then lying on the wooden bed with a drink.

Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.  ~Peter Hoeg

I must add that Ronil Royale gave us some very nice hospitable treatment by serving the drinks pool side.

In one corner of the pool a poor soul kept on attempting a few strokes, hopeful of learning to swim someday. Just like Mukul can never learn football or Manmit can never learn a bike similarly the poor soul should stop thinking of swimming.

3:00 pm-

I had only 1 pair of footwear in Goa and they were my shoes which I was wearing. I had decided to purchase “Osho” slippers the moment I reach Goa. That moron Avadhut had got some 1 year old 100/- slippers which were already torn. So when Mukul was having his bath we slipped off to buy slippers. Mukul didn’t like at all that we had left him for shopping. But we couldn’t find a nice pair of slippers. I still remember the 500 m drive. The speed was 20 kmph and we were talking of the joy of driving at such low speeds. We returned to our room where my deodorant was used like a water spray. I hated it as Avadhut was interested in taking a vengeance on me since I had used his deos for 4 years in a similar manner.

4:45 pm-

Anmol was like a true guide (I am saying this in a nice way) for our trip. His numerous visits to Goa had made him a true Goan. He knew all the best kept secrets of Goa. But most important is he knew the kind of places we would love to hang out.

Lunch at Infanteria was his suggestion. It was a simple double storey restaurant serving typical English breakfast and Goan cuisine. The waiter was a “Nepta” and kept repeating the word “Extraordinary”. I asked for a “feni” and he told me “The feni of Goa is extraordinary. I used to drink 50 glasses”. Anmol ordered for a Vindaloo , I tried chicken cafreal and I think Mukul went for a squid dish. It was nice.

We decided of mailing a Marathi adjective/day to Monitor describing Anmol. Its English translation and if applicable an analogy will also be given. However till date it’s not being implemented and I fail to understand the reason. I think I have to take an initiative in this.

5:45 pm-

Monitor had some personal work in Mapusa and Anmol accompanied her. Me, Avadhut (who had some official work) and Mukul went to the nearest internet café. I was desperate to watch the snaps. I made a small presentation of the snaps and sent it to My Office Gang. We copied the snaps on Mukul’s pen drive (Thank God! He got it) and did a bit of orkutting. Mukul, expectedly, uploaded the snaps on his Orkut profile.

7:40 pm-

We meet at Mapusa circle and visit the Mapusa market as we wanted to purchase wine and cashew nuts. However, being a Monday, it was almost entirely closed except for a very few shops. It was a wise idea of Mukul (though Anmol will take credit for it) of sending stuff like cashew nuts and wine bottle with Anmol on Wednesday. But that a** charged one packet of masala cashews as Lagaan from me.BTW Anmol gave it to me today.

9:30pm-

We did a short photo shoot for Monitor (and Mukul comes by default).

My camera cover got lost and I took the opportunity to shout on Anmol. Finally Monitor found it under the bed.

Dad had called me in the evening to tell about the weather forecast in Goa. “Heavy rains accompanied by thundershowers” were the words used by him. True to our IMD’s prediction, we had to face the inevitable. We were still hopeful that it might stop. Monitor was dressed prettily and was all set for a party. But the rain Gods had made up their mind to spoil our mood. We had just crossed the road and it started raining so heavily that we even cancelled the idea of going to the nearest restaurant. It meant another meal in Ronil Royale. I felt sorry for Monitor. We had ordered Chicken in White Sauce (Monitor’s request) and Anmol had ordered Prawns Vindaloo.

12:00am-

We decided to party indoors. Avadhut prepared a cocktail for us. The recipe:

· 30ml Vodka

· 30ml Soda

· 30ml Khup concentrated syrup (which I had got all the way from Pune since Avadhut and Anmol don’t drink).

I liked the taste. We played soft music. Again bringing the speakers all the way from Pune was an initiative of me and Mukul. Monitor danced on the tunes of Shakira. She danced so easily when the steps seemed impossible for me. Mukul also displayed his skills. Monitor helped Mukul with a few steps of Western dance (BTW I label any “phirang” dance as Western). Anmol also joined in.

I joined Mukul when “Prodigy” was played. It was our last night together. The next morning Monitor was going to leave early…very early. I wished a final “Good night” and good-bye..since there was no chance of me getting up at 4:00am. We went back to our respective rooms. It was also our last night in Ronil Royale.

 

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles  ~Tim Cahill

The Goan Diaries – Day 2

 

September 1, Saturday:

1:30 am –

We reached Kolhapur. Gadhinglaj was still 1 hour away. We didn’t know the road and were aware that there were no signboards for the Gadhinglaj exit on NH-4. Staying at Gadhinglaj didn’t make any sense since we would have reached there at 3am and then getting up within 3 hours would have been extremely irritating. So we decided to stay at Kolhapur. Unpacking the bags in the transit hotel at Kolhapur was a bit irritating but we had no other option. We went off to sleep immediately.

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.  ~Lao Tzu

5:30 am-

Surprise: Anmol is the first one to get up. He wakes all of us. He gets ready by 6am. We are still brushing or just lying on the bed. All of us could feel his urge to reach Goa as early as possible. We depart from the hotel at 6:30am.

7:30 am-

The early morning drive was beautiful. Cloudy weather, a light drizzle, the best quality roads one can expect of and no traffic. We clicked a few snaps on the way. Mukul even clicked one while driving his CBZ @ 90 kmph. The timing and the way in which it was clicked (although by fluke 😉 ) is simply great.

We reached the Gadhinglaj exit. The road to Goa via Belgaum was continuation of NH-4 which is in great condition, but it is at least 30-40 kms more. The road via Gadhinglaj and Amboli has one of the best scenery in Maharashtra. (After all Amboli receives the maximum rainfall in Maharashtra). I kept on persisting for the Amboli road as I was interested in driving the bike through the ghat road and the hundreds of waterfalls. However according to Anmol’s (baseless) calculations the time taken to reach Goa via Belgaum will be less than via Amboli. Mukul too felt the Belgaum road enters Goa from the Panji side which meant driving15 kms extra within Goa..as if 15 kms is a big overhead. In the end I won 🙂 . We chose to go via Amboli.

Now I was feeling extremely hungry since we were out even without tea. But then breakfast was decided to be taken at Amboli since it was “just” 45 kms away. I requested Anmol for Avenger and it was granted 🙂 :). The condition of the road till Amboli was a bit awful. We felt it more since we were spoilt by the unblemished NH-4.

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey  ~ Fitzhugh Mullan

10:15 am-

We had reached Amboli at around 9:45 am. This was our last Veg (egg is an exception) Breakfast or rather any Veg meal in the next 8 days to come. It had started raining heavily. By 10:30 we had departed Amboli. Avadhut couldn’t resist the temptation of driving Avenger and eventually asked Anmol for the same. I was sitting behind Mukul and Anmol behind Avadhut. The best drive of our entire trip had just begun. Foggy and misty weather, occasional showers and a plethora of waterfalls which was perfectly captured in my camera.

 

Avadhut also made some failed attempts of capturing the beauty of driving in fog.

We reached the largest and the most popular waterfall of Amboli.

Expectedly it was flocked with tourists. We took just a 5 min break (Although me and Mukul would have loved to wait here for some more time).

Mukul was driving a bit slower as we wanted to enjoy the scenery. He must have been thinking of a fog light for his bike for our next trip.

The ghat was looking beautiful- enveloped in dark mass of cloud and greenery on the hills and waterfalls cutting the road. I enjoyed clicking a few snaps.

Mukul had decided from Pune itself that we will click a snap of the first milestone of Panji and his eyes were searching for the same. Finally he saw the milestone. Although Avenger was beyond our vision still we halted for taking the snap. I used the timer mode of my Olympus. It was perfect- exactly what Mukul had imagined it like.

12:00 pm-

We had crossed Sawantwadi where I had clicked a snap showing a smiling picture-perfect honeymoon couple and a lake in the backdrop ;). Anmol was busy talking on his phone. I wondered how beautiful the lake must be looking at night with all the lights that were cornering it switched on.

We had now entered Goa border where we encountered the first hurdle of our trip. Avadhut and Anmol were honking, shouting and screaming for us and we were just 10m ahead of them. CBZ’s foot gear had broken down. Mukul realized it only when he tried to slow down the bike. Mukul tried fixing the problem temporarily but we needed a service station asap. This time the Gods were with us. The nearest Hero Honda service station was only 500m away 🙂 .

1:15 pm-

We reached at Calangute circle (finally 🙂  🙂 ) waiting for Maureeta (who will be referred to as Monitor henceforth in my blog). I use my time management skills and immediately go to hire an Activa. I wanted to hire a bike but Anmol’s idea of Activa (since it has a dickey where we can keep the camera, wallets etc) was much better.

A little bit of heated argument between Anmol V/s rest of us takes place on accompanying him to the hotel where Monitor was waiting temporarily. But things are immediately sorted out.

The search for a resort with a swimming pool starts. We first check in at Hotel Riverside, Baga. However the swimming pool is under maintenance. I suggest checking the 600 /- non-AC with swimming pool resort which was advertised by the Activa-guy. On our way back Anmol suggests to at least have a look at Hotel Ronil Royale. In the meantime I go with Avadhut to check the other hotel. We reach Hotel Park Avenue which is like a residential society converted into Hotel with some of the flats of the 3 buildings given on rent. A swimming pool is exactly in the middle of the 3 buildings. Mukul calls whether we have confirmed the hotel but we tell him that we haven’t even checked the rooms. We have a look at the rooms and are impressed as in 600 bucks we were getting 2 spacious rooms with a refrigerator. I tell Avadhut to book 2 such flats.

Just when we were finalizing Monitor calls and adds to the confusion. She asks me whether she should confirm the bookings at Ronil Royale. It was already raining heavily and booking the rooms at Park Avenue meant again bringing all the bags in the heavy rains here. So we decide to stay at Park Avenue after Monitor departs and spend our weekend in Ronil Royale. We get a whopping off-season discount of almost 70% :).

 

3:15 pm-

Lunch in the same hotel was obvious since we were extremely tired of crossing the road. We decided to play a prank on Mukul and accordingly told him that Anmol has already given the order and it is *Veg* Navratna Kurma and *Veg* Kofta. Mukul couldn’t tolerate this and without even giving a second thought yelled with his entire unlimited database of slang words- all dedicated to Anmol. His words were so soothing to my ears. I enjoyed them the most. I still don’t understand how Mukul believed that Anmol has ordered for Punjabi dishes and was so easily fooled.

4:30 pm-

Me, Mukul and Avadhut went off for an afternoon nap and Anmol with Monitor went out for shopping. On returning back at 7:30 he tried to tease me that he really enjoyed shopping and also it was not raining. But it didn’t affect me. My sleep—Oh!! The lethargic feeling was awesome. I guess I had slept in the afternoon after about 5-6 months. (Mukul must be thinking “Swathacha kautuk suru zala”).

10:00 pm-

Our first dinner in Goa was very memorable…all thanks to Anmol for suggesting Britto’s Beach resort on Baga. The Sea food platter was yummy..prawns cocktail, stuffed crab, squid etc. The main course was even better. Anmol had ordered Prawns Vindaloo, a typical Goan dish. I (rather *we*) had forgotten *our* camera. The waiter got the bill and Avadhut smirked at us. It was 1800/- and like a wake-up call for the days to come. But we didn’t care as WE ARE NOT STUDENTS ANY MORE.

It seemed that the Gods had some vengeance in their minds. It was raining so heavily that even driving our bikes back to our hotel (which was only 2 kms away) seemed impossible. The worst part was it didn’t even seem as if it would stop. The only option was to drive back in these heavy rains. The dickey of the Activa came useful to keep our mobiles and wallets. (But I wont thank Haval the second time 😉 ).

It was zopi-zopi time and I went off to sleep the moment the lights were switched off..

Good night GOA!!

The Goan Diaries – Day 1

(I hope you have read the “The Prologue“)

August 31, Friday:

7:30 pm-

My dad was as much excited as all 4 of us. He helped me in packing, giving tips on traveling at night on bikes (although he cannot drive a foot gear vehicle) and was “serious” on his idea of driving our Maruti as a service car for our trip provided we sponsor the petrol.

Avadhut did an amazing job of tightly fastening 3 bags to Avenger. The joy could be clearly seen in Mukul’s eyes- after all it was his biggest dream. Anmol also helped Avadhut. I am not sure but I think he just prayed for a few moments in his mind. My biggest help was not helping them in packing the stuff 😉 .

7:50 pm-

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” — Lao Tzu

Avadhut followed our ritual of smashing a coconut on the road before leaving for the trip. We then clicked the first snap of the trip.

The dream… it wasn’t one any more. Our planning, since we watched DCH some 6 years ago, had finally materialized.  Kalyani arrived just as we were about to leave. I was wishing for the same. I bid my family a final good- bye. The engines roared. I was sitting behind Anmol and Avadhut behind Mukul (obviously). 

The timing of this trip couldn’t be better. My project was almost about to end. I had worked hard for it; really hard. Also I was desperate for some change in my life and I thought it could prove to be the best getaway from the unilateral thoughts of my mind. And the most important reason being I didn’t had one big trip in a long time. I felt as if I have achieved something really great.

“If you look like your passport photo, you’re too ill to travel.”– Will Kommen

8:30 pm-

We were on NH-4. I had finished messaging my VIT and Satyam friends. Our first stop was at the petrol pump. Another opportunity to click snaps.

  As were about to leave the petrol pump, the watchman of the pump gave me my wallet. It was lying on the pump’s floor and according to him it was almost under a Tata Sumo’s tyre had he not intervened. I thanked him but knew he was lying about the latter part.

The drizzle had started warning us about the thunderstorms in Goa which were predicted by our IMD. Mukul stopped the CBZ to wear his rain wear over his Harley-Davidson yellow jacket. He likes these small stops to wear the rain coat or at the petrol pumps (that’s why he never keeps his petrol tank full) or a small 5 min break only for the sake of taking one.

In just about an hour and half we had crossed Satara.

9:30 pm-

Anmol suggested the dinner place – a Kolhapuri version of Dhaba where the waiters were dressed like the Peshwes. I am sure it was the first time he was going to this Dhaba (Pranjali), but he sounded as if he has come here many times. The menu read Mutton in Pure ghee. Now the temptation was too much and I decided to break my Sankashti Chaturthi. I confess that I had a heavy guilty feeling later (good the feeling came after I finished my dinner 😉 ). I missed Manmit for the dinner since I know his weakness for Kolhapuri food. I was a bit surprised as “Tambda rassa” was missing from the Thali.

I don’t quite remember but on some joke we laughed like crazy. Even the ones sitting on the near by tables started smiling watching us laugh. Anmol (as expected) whined as he had to answer nature’s call (on an urgent basis). Before strolling to the near by bushes, Anmol was having a deep look at his bike by bending down (as if he knows about it). Just then I shouted- “Tithech basun karto aahe bahutek”. This might sound silly while reading the blog but it was a great source of laughter for us for the next 10 minutes.

11:30 pm-

I called mom and dad as I knew they must be waiting for it. I told dad that we are only 100 kms from Kolhapur (I wasn’t lying). I told them that its gonna be my last call for the night and that I will call them once I reach Goa. We asked Mukul as to what was so special in Karad since he was hell-bent on staying at Karad. He pre-decides on a thought which sometimes has zero sense. I remember Mukul saying – “We will stay at Karad and then in the cold morning ride on the highway”. Having said that I must say he is not stubborn like (I don’t even need to mention his name) and is always open for other options.

We played with my torch that has a LED, which when switched on shows the time from the red light emitting from it. Anmol kept on repeating his tape of a deluxe hotel in Gadhinglaj for just 300/-. Avadhut, as flexible as always, was open to any dynamic plan.

The Goan Diaries – Prologue

August 19, Sunday:

11:30 pm-

We had returned from our 500 kms Divyaghar bike trip which was more like those dress rehearsals for our school gatherings.

The dream was turning into a reality. Goa seemed practical and feasible.  But Manmit was still not confirmed, we couldn’t trust Anmol, our bikes were also not sure- Anmol’s Pulsar or my Splendor or Anmol’s Avenger.

Nothing was still sure. Not even the dates for our Goa trip. In this uncertainty what stood were 2 minds with one firm idea and a heart which had just one thing to say – GOA in early September.

August 22, Wednesday:

7:00 pm-

Mukul: “Its, now or never”.

Me: “But…”.

Mukul: “Is it possible for you in October for 8 days”.

Me: “No ways”.

Mukul: “I had a chat with Halvya yesterday. Sept. first week is also possible for him. In October probably I might be busy. And don’t worry about Anmol. I know him. We need to keep telling him that we are going in ANY CASE. No one is going to wait for him. I am 100% sure that when Anmol has no other alternatives he will come with us without any complaints. But make sure that we keep telling Anmol that the dates cannot be adjusted. He will even leave his KF job for this trip. He will be for the trip.”

“Regarding Manmit… I think he will also come. If not, you please talk to Seema regarding Manmit’s leave. See to it that the leave is granted”.

Me: “Hahaaa. Neither does Seema control Sutra nor I am its CEO. Lets hope for the best”.

Mukul: “So its decided..we are leaving either on Aug 31st or 1st Sept. Kiran, now dont think much. I am calling Avadhut and confirming the plan”.

(after 20 mins)

Mukul: “Had a chat with Kutra. He is all ready for the trip.”

Me: “Great..chal bye”.

Mukul: “Byee.. we will tell Anmol after 2-3 days otherwise he might create a problem. BTW Ava picked my phone twice today 🙂 . byeeeeee And talk with Manmit and Seema regarding the leave”.

 

“A wise traveler never despises his own country .” — Pamela Goldoni

My Office Gang

Today my office gang was at my place for dinner. I took the opportunity and requested mom to prepare Basundi. It was so delicious. ymmm!!

(From L to R) – Amit, Chandni, Shuchita, Sonika, Ankita, Radhika

We also had a brief photo session ,the primarily reason being Sonika was getting senti since she has already put down the papers. We then watched our Goa snaps( the next post, I promise, will be on our trip)

Chandni, Amit and Ankita are in my team and we share an excellent working (as well as personal) relationship. They have been with me in my toughest times and were a tremendous emotional support in the most hectic days of our project. Radhika (my ex-team mate) still helps me in coding. Shuchita is my table-tennis partner and is just as passionate when it comes to food as I am; and Sonika is the only 3 year work-ex person in our group. The best part about her is she doesn’t have the I-am-senior-so-respect-me attitude and is extremely down to earth (and also very beautiful 🙂 )

Since childhood in all my groups the gender ratio used to be like 4:1 (obviously the larger number being the guys). But its just the opposite here. Everyday I have lunch with 5 girls and 1 guy (he is also missing most of the times).

Now I can claim that I can understand a girl’s psyche and I have started to understand even their inherent complex neural network.

Coming back to the dinner. The menu was “Phulourie” rice which is prepared only in Karnataka, Chapatis and Tawa Sabji, Surlichi Vadi (outsourced to Chitale), Koshimbir, Pickles and Chutneys. Kalyani was also present for the dinner and helped my mom and dad.

In my room (mom had just cleaned it.. THANK GOD!!)

It was a nice and memorable dinner.. umm still the taste of Basundi is lingering in my tongue.