Thekaddy

We were sad. Almost. To be leaving the serenity of the backwaters of Kerala. But, there was more waiting for us. And calibration was the word of the day !
As we drove towards our next destination - Thekaddy; we were amidst complete greenery ! Paddy fields and tea plantations. Pine cone types and coconut trees as well.
The uphill journey got some of us a little MS-fied. But it was a beautiful drive nonetheless.
His dudeness aptly put the experience as "it's difficult to capture some fun and crazy moments with a camera!" True that.

After an ice cream break and being all touristy at a pwetty waterfall, we reached Thekaddy and decided to fill ourselves with the amazing Beef Fry and Beer combo before going for an animal sighting boat trip.
Keralites are known for making the best and most exquisite Beef Fry. It has to have the right combination of coconut, curry leaves and their "secret masala". While our Mallus graciously decided to do our bookings - we gorged on plates of Pork chilly, Seer Fish fry and Beef Fry. The heaven - ness, again is difficult to put into words.

His dudeness had an amazing plan in mind for the Thekaddy leg of our Kerala holiday. It began with Us, in fatty orange lifejackets in a boat on the Periyar lake managing to see the sambar deers, kingfisher birdies, bisons, wild dogs, foxes and the beautiful sunset ! It will be rather difficult to erase the trauma MSKG went through shooing away a monkey who wanted a taste of our home - made chocolates. But we hope he'll survive !

We got to our "hotel" which was basically a large open field with many many "cute" bamboo cottages. Each cottage had a name and 2 single beds, attached bathrooms and no fan ! The weather again didn't play spoil sport to the plan, so far. A beautiful and almost "compact" tree house was located near our cottages. We were warned that unfortunately it wasn't big enough to accommodate all of us. We didn't even try !
We then took off for a 3 hour "night nature trail." I was sooper scared ! Darkness freaks me out. K promised to be my best friend for that duration of time and had my back. We were given leech socks, a raincoat and a torch.
It began.
The chills I got ! But it was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. The leech that managed to get to me will probably be burning in hell now. As creepy as it was then, in retrospect they actually aren't such horrible creatures. Almost harmless because apparently they suck out the bad blood and just die eventually. Anyhow, we managed to see a herd of deer crossing a small water body, the footprints of a bear and elephant and many many big big trees ! And we walked and walked and trekked and trekked. Except for a light drizzle - thankfully the rain God "blessed" us with no heavy downpour.
Getting the leeches off from your body, socks and shoes is a long drawn process; but it is necessary and the forest officers are there to help.
We got back to a very yummy and hot meal of - sambar, garlic rasam, rice, papad, beef fry, fish curry, chicken curry and thoran.

Following this - it was time we sat on our Flinstones seating arrangement and do the puttings. While I tried to give some gyaan on the types of schizophrenia, Sleepy not only got lazy to pee but also learned the Malayalam version of "That's right !" After that - there was no stopping him.
MSKG decided to retire early to bed while His Dudeness wished he had a recorder to record a few funny lines by me ! After a very very short walk, a few gangsta poses, promises of getting up early enough and watching music videos - Day Two ended as the sun was about to rise. The usual anyway !

to be continued...

Sisters for the Soul !

Someone is holding my hair back. The other is wiping my tears. Another is just laughing. For a second, while I was trying not to faint due to the exhaustion of emptying my insides, I'm grateful - for that I have them in my life !

My Girlfriends.

Whether it's sharing of clothes, footwear, food, money, accessories, stories, gossip; nothing beats the relationship and bond between a set of girls. Every time a memory surfaces - the first day at school/college, first boyfriend/fling, first kiss, first heartbreak, first graduation, first success story, first failure, first accident, first night out - what stands out is the umpteen conversations over the phone, through smses, skype, gtalk, BBM, coffee, ice cream, teas; dissecting every word, every expression. These conversations can never be had with a man ! It is about understanding another woman's perspective and knowing that she probably gets what you're saying - sometimes ending in being over concerned for you.

It's a standing joke amongst men - women like to visit the washroom in groups ! At the table - a woman will look across to another woman and ask "You wanna go to the loo?"; Men marvel at how this works especially if two women have just met each other half an hour ago ! It intrigues most men to know what goes on during hours long conversations over the telephone across seas, at shopping spree sessions, washroom encounters, etc !

Women love to chat. Talk. Converse and yes ofcourse Gossip. I call these - story telling sessions. We need to talk. About everything. News about who got married to whom and how. The latest store openings. The latest good looking boy in our lives. The latest break up. The latest mad mental mistakes we are so prone to making all the time. We need to talk about our families, homes, relationships, work, and our angst. We need to vent. One can feel fully and truly staisfied when we know that other woman gets that we are talking about and feeling the same way.

I have very few girlfriends; all over the place. Just enough. I am joined to them by a thread and bond that goes beyond geographical boundaries. We probably don't talk everyday or for weeks and months together - yet we can meet one fine day and begin from where we last left each other. I may not be part of a BBM group chat but I can still send a wall post if I get a craving for chicken ghee roast and know that she wishes she was here. One may not be able to talk to me for days despite being in the same city - yet I know that she worries for me. Trips for weddings and surprise birthday parties will be made. Finally save money and go to Greece as well. We hold each other when we cry over a loss. We laugh at each other's stupidity. We have fought and learnt to let go. We have forgiven and moved on. We have pictures to remind us of how awesome our lives have been because of this sisterhood.

We have codes too !

We will have bridesmaids. We will hold each other's hands during pain because of a tattoo or child birth. We make it a point to not judge. But, to be there in that quiet, strong way !

My girl ponjees are a different dimension to my crazy life. They are the calming and mad aspect of my existence. Our experiences to together, words, advice, hugs helps us sleep better at night.

They are a part of me. They have contributed and continue to contribute in every way possible to make me - Me !