Alone on a Snowy Day??

When travel plans go haywire, they can ruin a perfectly beautiful day for you.

I was snuggled up in a Razai (quilt) all sad and sombre. My friend was away for double laning of the Joshimath-Badrinath Highway. This was their peak working season before the tourists poured in.

I would have been in Auli skiing and basking in the high altitude sun on the best ski slopes in India. But here I was wallowing in self-pity and anger, all alone. It had snowed heavily and the roads would take a few hours to clear. This meant one whole day was going to get wasted out of the two I had planned here.

I decided to go and sit in the balcony.

The view outside took me by surprise. What was bare and barren yesterday looked majestic today. The snow had transformed the desolate driveway.

A lone sparrow perched proudly on a branch put me to shame. She was so full of life and dignity that my misery seemed unwarranted. I smiled in awe. I picked up my camera and don't remember how time flew. Such proximity with nature is possible only when one is alone. Think, reflect, muse, soak it in....isn't that what we want to do from time to time?? Somehow it gets lost in the mad adrenalin rush to log in and check mark our 'to do' list.

I can now genuinely claim that a li'l birdie told me, "It isn't always so bad to be alone on a snowy day".

I went skiing the next day. Absolutely loved it. But those few serene hours in the balcony still remain the highlight of my Auli trip.

Ghumakkad

I started a new Travel Blog called 'Ghumakkad'.
All interested may please visit http://ghumakkad.blogspot.com/ or click on the option 'Travelogues' on Raindrop.

My first travel post is on Kiruna, the northernmost city of Sweden. It lies in the Arctic circle and is surrounded by Finland on one side and Norway on the other. Enjoy the post  Kiruna Lappland!!!

All those interested in only seeing the photographs of where all I have traveled, please see:
Ghumakkad goes all over the Planet :)

The Gold Bug

The first time I buy sweet potatoes and see what I get with it. It is such a cute bug that I couldn't help but do its photo session before leaving it out in the wild. It is the 'Golden Tortoise Beetle', feeds generally on morning glory and sweet potato leaves. It can change the colour of its hood from transparent to dull red.

SODA

If you ask any YO (Young Officer), "What's the best thing about the Club?", their answer will be, "The swimming Pool!".

Why so?

Coz it is full of, 'aadha Soda aadha paani'! (half Soda, half water).

Before your imagination drifts to a cellar full of oak casks let me clarify what they mean by Soda. They mean the bevy of beautiful young women who belong to an undisclosed faction of a mythical world called "Senior Officers Daughters Association". Not that any such union exists but that's the class these girls belong too.

Having been a SODA myself, I was aware of it from a very young age.

The Sodas are divided into two classes.

One, the effervescent convent educated extremely high maintenance kinds who have passed out from a reputed college and are pursuing happening careers. This indicates two things - Their fathers are the influential kinds who have somehow managed to get posted only in the metros or can magically afford exorbitant city rentals for families when they are away. Or maybe they were born rich. This breed of Soda is not interested in any alliance with a younger officer, friendship yes but nothing more.

Second kinds are the ones who have less fortunate fathers who tend to get posted into far flung remote areas.
They are less likely to be high-maintenance coz of their central government school backgrounds but they too would not want to get involved with a junior officer. They have seen the hardships way too closely .

Blissfully unaware of this mindset, the young officers continue to woo them. Sometimes they do get lucky but most of the times it's the Senior Officers who have the last laugh. After all, they can arm-twist the poor chap into marrying their daughter in case no one else is.

Then there are these '16 going on 17' Sodas. Eternal optimists. Super awed by their fathers and super duper awed by any youngster who assists them. "He is just like my dad" is what they are thinking.

All of the above is null and void when the cupid strikes.

Sometimes it strikes young.
And sometimes, when you least expect it to.

It will be soon two years since it struck me.
Happy Anniversary in advance dear Husband :)
You got me back into a world I had vowed I would never come back to.
And what a beautiful world it is :)

This SODA is happy to be back where she grew up.
I am home!