Coimbatore experience was on its way was what I had promised, so I am
back ! Well, this was a total opposite to my expectations !
A dull, routine-oriented station, worse than Bangalore was what I
observed when I stepped outside the AC-3 Tier coach of Coimbatore
Express, for which my company paid for it (of course!). Everybody in a
big hurry to just snap off from the place and then get to work. an auto,
hired for a money bigger than my rail ticket (!) looked unconvincing.
But, I had to reach the new office as that was my first day on
deputation, a word and an experience, quite new to me.
This auto drew to a mere 4 kms and I was dumb-founded for the price tag
for it. Couldnt even fight as I was weak in Tamil and feared Coimbatore
to be worse than Chennai in terms of attitude. But still, controlled
myself and then reached the lodge where I was about to stay for a month
long of my visit (or wasnt one?).
The lodge was a guest house type, an apartment to be shared with another
person. There I found a new colleague. He was quite friendly, drove me
to my new office without request and helped me out with finding local
transport too ! I then, reached my office, in a temperature hotter than
an afternoon in Bangalore during morning and then waited for my manager.
She came and took me to a cooler place, from which I was unwilling to
get out and then started to work from day one itself!
Then, the fun really started ! Mails, Calls and work.. All is Hell,
rather than well now ! Took 15 days to settle down, but then discovered
some real fun filled pals, even in such a boring place. It was a sheer
co-incidence too. It happened like this: As I was going back to my
apartment, a tall, lean guy sat beside me and began to chatter in
Kannada. As I was just overwhelmed by the smell of my own land,
conversation was bound to happen. A small meetup, after which he got
down at this stop made me get closer. He then introduced to his gang,
all in fact from my own hometown, of course ! Well, then the fun
started. Withing 2 days of our meet, he invited me for the trip that
they had planned 3 months back ! Shocking part was, I jumped into it
too.
Scene 1:
Morning 4 AM: Everybody excited and ready for the trip. The van came in late, making everybody curse to the driver but then the journey started. The destination ? Alleppey, Kerala (or Alapuzzha in new style!). . 300 kms of joy ride, having good time pass: shouting in the van, singing loudly in chorus to the playing music and having a jolly time. Reaching Alleppey was a sweaty experience. I mean, too much of heat and Kerala chicks !!
Scene 2:
Scary Beach Experience: Whoa ! This was really weird. The beach was a short one, gushing in water swiftly due to huge tides. Add to the prank, friends were chasing the tides.. One of our gang members, tried to do the same and tripped. To our horror, a big, really big wave came over and pulled her into the sea ! To help her out, another held her hand, but to our luck, another monster wave came in now, pulling both of them ! I was completely lost seeing this, but all of us made a chain and pulled them back. Thank God, apart from meaty water into their bodies and minor scratches, nothing worse happened. Had a lush, smacky meal at a restaurant remembering the ghastly incident and changed ourselves for the next scene.
Scene 3:
Lovely Boat Experience: This was the show's highlight. We had already booked a boat house and were damn waiting for the moment. Then it came in, as per our expectations. It was a big one, exactly like a house (refer the link), wishing to stay in it forever. We then detached from the shore, and made a round trip all over the town, as it is called Venice of India.. Water, Water everywhere. Fun filled and exciting, nothing short of an illusion, somewhat similar to movies, it was truly, an exhilarating one. After the round, the boat rider, then hovered the anchor down in a remote place where in there is nothing but water. Sexy na ? ;-) Had rocking fun, of course after another lip-smacking meal, and slept over in the AC room provided in the boat (sounds cheesy, but true!).
Scene 4:
Another not-me one: Morning and we were back to the shore. To our surprise, the van driver (remember, cursing?) lost the keys and made us wait till the evening to get them back from Coimbatore !! That was sheer negligence, keeping the room door open so that anybody can snatch whatever they get is really foolish. But still, this gang was not disappointed. Played Cards (newer games this time), ate lip-smacking food (again)in a restaurant (somewhat unusual, as Kerala food was allergic to me, at the least !) and roamed around communicating in our as usual broken Tamil accent in Malayalam boarded buggatis (Autos, I mean).
Scene 5:
Back to Coimbatore and doze off to another day at the office till the last day of the stay, fortunately ending it as expected.
To summarize, I must say, those 2 days were the best days for me this
year. Backed by work upto my throat and short deadlines, I finally
completed the mammoth task and drove back to Bangalore. Of course, with
some pleasant memories !
