The urban lights of Bangalore faded into oblivion as the aircraft took me to my longest trip outside India…My laptop accompanied me onboard this official journey across the oceans to US yet again….it stared back at me with a muted promise to be with me through the very end and I can safely say that it definitely kept its promise…’work’ was that trusted companion that rode beside me through every waking US hour…work was that ‘being’ that stayed with me in my hotel room as the midnight oil burnt and work most definitely shook me from my ‘jet lagged’ slumber through the wee hours of the morning….
But ‘business’ aside, a sluggish Pensacola town in Florida welcomed me into its midst………initially the roads and sights seemed just like any other US town…but over the days the city ‘grew’ on me and suddenly I developed a strange familiarity and attachment with its picturesque cottages, historic town square, wide expanse of highways and beloved greenery…The days rolled by and I experienced the ‘US way’ of life with my ‘little Indian gang’ as I tasted varied cuisines, ‘chittered-chattered’ through our ‘highway drives’ and experienced the ‘adrenaline rush’ through our numerous shopping trips..slowly but steadily I was unveiling my prejudice against this country…….My most ‘wow’ moment in that one month would have to be jointly shared amongst my miserable attempt at ‘ice-skating’ and an equally adventurous attempt at ‘clutch-free’ driving in US!
A weekend long drive to Atlanta was yet another perfect getaway that comes to my mind……..We zipped past the sweet sights of Alabama, its cotton fields and ponies and farms waving and cheering as we moved towards destination Atlanta! I marveled at the speed and ease of the US highways….no fear of a bullock cart accosting you mid-way…no fear of ‘restroomless’ (forgive my ‘female’ instinct) stretches…! Atlanta acknowledged me like an old mate..its attractions bringing me memories of my earlier trip…but this time I stopped, stared and seeped in the beauty of Atlanta downtown as the sun’s dusky rays painted it golden brown! As the night broke, the Olympics Arena park in the heart of the town lit up a thousand lights and Atlanta Downtown shimmered its beautiful best that night! That was that one cherished ‘Sony Cybershot’ moment in Atlanta!
But Pensacola hid its best treasures from me till the very last day……….And on my departure date, I rode through a mighty bridge through the ocean to reach that treasure island…on that beautiful misty morning I experienced enchantment on Pensacola beach!! There it was in front of me…a white carpet of sugary snowy sand………laced with azure blue waters…….. ! I braved the cold and dashed through the crystal sands and blue waters……….nothing to beat the feeling of sand and water seeping through your toes…..It was almost as if earth, water and sky united that morning for a stellar performance!
With a strange ‘contented’ heart, I boarded my flight home reminiscing the moments that went by….but fate had something else in store for me…….!Suddenly a chain of events led me from a flight delay to a missed connecting flight and finally landed me a free night stay in PARIS! As I stepped out of Paris airport in search of a shuttle to my hotel, I couldn’t believe my fortune (good or bad)……here I was in PARIS….. a disheveled ME with no clothes to change.. a freezing ME in sub-zero temperatures with just a jacket! PARIS…….now what can I write and say about Paris that has not already been written..the best of the best creators in the world have praised and painted this city since BC days?? But for me that evening in Paris was an exhilarating journey……..images, words, thoughts… French class and text books, Marie Antoinette, French revolution, Renaissance, fashion capital…all danced through my mind as I meandered through Parisian streets and finally stood face to face with Le Tour Eiffel!! Not plastic, not the miniature but the real one! Its architectural splendor and sheer size humbled me, the museum, bridge and cobbled streets around awed me…I couldn’t get myself to return but finally I had to succumb to the biting cold and head back to my hotel..that night I slept a content and thrilled woman!
The rest of the journey offered me nothing more and I reached home definitely looking a tramp but feeling a hundred years richer..would I go through this again? Yes, the answer is a loud emphatic yes..
