A stroll in the rain

Posted on June 30, 2011 by akhilunplugged

The hectic day was finally coming to an end and riding back home relieved to have the rest of the evening to myself, the first drops from the sky were mostly unnoticed. It wasn’t until I saw the rider ahead of me pull over to a side to cover himself up with his raincoat that it hit me. The long impending shower which had been clouding us throughout the day was finally happening. Cursing my luck for being caught in the rain without a raincoat, I pulled into the parking lot behind the Marine Drive. Running across to the GCDA building in a failed attempt to not get wet, I quickly found myself a spot on the marble laid stairs at the back of the building which faced the water. Realizing I was going to be here for a while, I took out my phone and started listening to some music through my earphones.

As the rain grew stronger, the heavy winds that accompanied it gave me a chill, and soaked in rain my clothes weren’t really helping me out here. I watched as a man passing by fought desperately to keep a hold of his umbrella before the winds took along with them what they felt was theirs, leaving the man drenched. A subtle smile spread across my lips watching his dilemma as I went back to a time when I was with my friends on a bridge which had very little traffic and enjoyed the rain which had been showering on us. Thinking of the feeling it gave me then, I felt a want to walk through the Marine Drive in the rain. Realizing I had nothing to lose here, I was quick to get up and walk down the stairs. The few people who had been sheltering themselves from the rain like me watching me losing reason momentarily held me back momentarily, but the breeze gave me the little motivation in needed and soon I was strolling over the wet and slippery floor which reflected my image back at me in parts as the rain kept me company.

My loss of reason was further cemented when the makeshift shop selling ice cream gained from my lack of sense as I walked past it holding an ice cream in my hand. Entertainment was aplenty, with people drenched in the rains tried miserably to dry themselves out.

The stairs leading up to the Rainbow bridge required a bit of an effort, with the slippery steps giving me a hard time. Atop the bridge, I was treated with a view of the water unlike any other. With the rains putting the several boats which invaded the water out of business for the evening, the spotless view in front of me was spectacular.

I don’t know how long I spent on the bridge but by the time I decided I was done for the evening, the rains had subdued a bit. The strong downpour had been replaced by a calm drizzle. Realizing it didn’t really matter whether it still rained or not, I walked back to my bike. Starting off the engine and warming it up, a smile grew across my face as I contemplated the ride back home in the rain.

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Escaping Daylight

Posted on June 27, 2011 by akhilunplugged

The sharp, twisty curves which we had been steadily and slowly climbing for the past half an hour were in itself the biggest source of entertainment for me right now. Claiming the ascending altitude inch by inch all the while negotiating the occasional rural jeep which sped past us out of hairpins on my unsuspecting driver kept us intrigued about this trip. While most travellers who were on these narrow roads for the first time would choose to keep their eyes on the road and measure their driver’s skills taking the extra effort to ensure they had a safe trip, I trusted the taxi driver to know his way around and decided I would rather treat myself to the fantastic landscape that stretched for miles around us. The beautiful greenery that the vast tea estates presented which spread around for acres was enlightening to say the least. My favourite U2 CD which was destined to be my companion on this trip was playing the song ‘Magnificient’ when I asked the driver to switch off the aircon in the car and rolled down the window, stretching my head out the window and feeling the chilled breeze sweep across my face. My soul had already attained a state of comfort which was one of those moments that I looked forward to at the end of every great trip; the only difference this time being that I was still on my way to my destination for the weekend.

My memory of Munnar is quite shallow with the only other time I had been to this amazing hill station being with my family on a vacation long ago when I was a kid. The only things I could remember clearly from then was the hotel we stayed at and the tall glass of hot chocolate that I treated myself to during a dinner at some restaurant. So for me, this trip to Munnar was a first of sorts.

It was still early in the day and the sun was finding it hard to make its presence felt in the chilly weather with rays of sunlight seeping through periodically in an attempt to remind us of its diminished existence. I watched as women carrying tea leaves in their wicker baskets moved along the edges of the road.

Around the end of yet another sharp twisted curve I spotted a roadside shop and almost instantly a desire for a steaming hot cup of coffee grew within me. Pulling over to the side of the road, I took my time out to stretch myself once I got out of the car, and wrapping myself around with my sweater I walked up to the shop. The coffee only took the vendor about a minute’s worth of labour and soon I was sipping on the coffee as my driver lit up a cigarette. Spending almost ten minutes sitting across the wooden bench laid out in front of the shop, the hungry cries from my stomach had to work for it to get me up on my feet and back in the car.

Another half an hour or so on the road and the banner on the side of the road reading Tall Trees  led is into the hotel where lunch and a meeting with the GM of the hotel awaited me. Understanding my priorities, the considerate GM led us to the restaurant where a delicious meal of traditional biriyani awaited us. I spent my time wisely with the food we had been served, and almost an hour of feasting later, the impending meeting happened.

By the time I came out of the conference room, evening had begun to approach. Not wanting to get caught up negotiating the hairpins in the dark, I soon boarded the car and the drive back began. Although the visit had been very brief, it gave me ample reasons to spend a good weekend here again and the thought of it gave me enough fodder to while away my long journey back to reality.

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A Solo Ride in the Rain !

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Rittu J Jacob

I decided to go for a ride in the rain, it was just drizzling when I started my engine and I had worn a jacket to prevent my shirt from getting wet, but just as I was about to set off,  I looked back to find my jacket’s trouser hung on the string. Confused whether to take it or not, the rain which was gaining momentum helped me make a quick decision and I accelerated onto the road without it.

As the rains poured in, I felt myself getting wet and cold. Not having decided my destination, I took the first roads which caught my eye and 15 minutes into the ride, I decided to head for Kuzhupilly beach, almost 25 Km from the city. I had been there once before and I could remember that the roads were better compared to any other roads I could imagine in the city.

I waited at the level cross to see the train pass by as fellow riders pulling out their raincoats. The halt at the level cross was a blessing in disguise for them. We had to wait for almost 7 minutes to hear the roar of the engine and the sound of the horn warning everyone using the track to move. The train was passing by slowly as it was heading for a station not for ahead. I saw a kid in the train enjoying the rain by putting his hands outside, only to see his dad suddenly pull his hand in.

The signal turned from red to green as the full length of the train disappeared. Motorists kicked their vehicles to life. I could see the railway guard raising the bar used to prevent vehicles crossing it. Inch by Inch the bar rose, and vehicles started to race to get a little space for them to pass through. I waited patiently for the vehicles in hurry to pass me.

I took the road where traffic was less. By then, the rain had lost her fury, but it was still drizzling which prevented me from speeding. Towards the left side of the road, I saw the remains of old railway station built by the King post-independence. I wondered what was happening with the plans of getting it converted to a railway museum. History says the King had to give away everything in his treasury to build the railway station but sadly it was neglected by the authorities after the new railway station was built on the southern side of the city.

I took the bridge connected three islands, Bolgatty, Vallarpadom and Vypin. I halted atop the bridge connecting the city with the Bolgatty Island at the sight of a man fishing from the bridge in the rain. I went to him to strike a conversation. I asked him, “How long have you been fishing here.”, the man looking curiously at me answered, “About two hours. ‘.I continued, “In the rain?”, his reply came suddenly but harshly, “Yes, can’t you see.” I replied, “Okay.”I continued to walk back to my bike parked alongside the bridge. I saw a team of fisherman down the bridge pulling up the Chinese fishing nets. They had a good catch.

Did I mention that the view of the city, mainly Marine Drive is just fabulous from the bridge? It is, you got to see it if you pass through the Goshree Bridges. I got on to the bike as it started to rain heavily yet I decided to go further. Looking for a bit of adventure, I went ahead accelerating the bike to a higher momentum and it almost cost my life as I had to apply the brakes in order to avoid a pedestrian crossing the road. The rear tire almost went out of control but thanks to God somehow I could gain control. I remembered the CEAT advertisement, ‘Roads are full of idiots’. Adding a bit more to it, I came to the conclusion that “Roads are full of idiots including me”.

The straight road towards the beach side helped me to concentrate more on the ride. I made sure I rode within my limits for the rest of the journey. I reached the beach a little while later. It was a beach which was less promoted by the tourism department, but I saw more infrastructure developments around the beach.

They had erected beach parasol with the leaves of coconut and palm tree. I took shelter under one of them. Taking out a book which I had rented from the new home reading service in Kochi – ‘The Readers’ Web‘, I sat there for almost an hour enjoying the small drizzles and my book as the rain had almost completely withdrawn. I had taken off my rain jacket as I sat to read the book. Realizing there was no one at the beach where I was sitting, I took off my shirt as well which was half wet. The strong breeze at the beach helped my trousers and my shirt get dry. I called off the day as the light faded.

I drank hot coffee from the shop nearby before starting my journey back home. It felt like heaven to gulp the hot coffee down. I reached back home happy about the ride in the rain.

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