The Journey

Our bus trip was awesome. The rain gods were merciful, the roads were clear of landslides
and fallen trees, and we reached pretty decently at 8.30 - after a wonderful sleep... and
some excitement :)

It was around 3.30 am, the bus had stopped for a couple of passengers to take a leak, and I needed it too! I was a few meters behind the bus, enjoying the eerie stillness of the lonely highway punctured by the gentle purring of the idling engine, the fields and the tress billowing in the wind and the gentle rain, enjoying the calm and peace, and wondering how far we were from civilization - when I heard the engine change it's rhythm - the driver had put the bus into gear, and released the brakes. Oh come on, I thought, give me a minute here - and started walking back... then I realised with horror, he didn't remember I was still down there! The thought of spending the night walking down that highway wasn't comforting at all, and I guess that pumped the adrenalin I needed to catch up and hop on!

I wouldn't even have been able to make a call - my cell, for once, was not with me. Not that it would have helped - there was probably no range there anyway. Madhavi and Sanam would have found my berth empty around 8.00 am :)

Next time, I am gonna take the driver along with me!

A few minutes later, we were on the Gaganbavda ghat section. A few days back, the road was closed - courtesy the rain which brought down big boulders crashing onto the road. It's always thrilling here - the hair pin curves, the mists rolling in from the plains below, the rain, the bus headlights trying to pierce the vast darkness of the valley below, the driver straining against the inertial forces, steering the vehicle and it's blissfully unaware and sleeping passengers back on course, in time for the next big curve.

Safely down into the Konkan plains, I finally settled into the cozy upper berth - hugging the pillow tight, wrapping the rug around me, and looking forward to the Goan vacation! Prawns, crabs, the rain... mmmmmmmmmmmm zzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz