A Tale of Three Trips - Part 1
"Not all those who wander are lost" - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
I'm not bitten by the cliched "travel bug", but I have been travelling quite frequently for the past few months. The month of May was an exception, as I ventured out not once, but three times. Quite frankly, I can't recollect the last time I took three trips in a month (probably never). Being someone who obsesses over documenting events in my life through journals and photographs, I felt it would be a good idea to jot down my experiences on these trips, to look back on at a later time. To make things interesting, I am going to try and narrate it from a third person's point of view, with me (Abhi) as the central character.
Trip 1 - Clemson, SC
Abhi was ecstatic. Not only was he going on a trip involving two of his closest friends, he was going to make his first road trip with his new car. Things couldn't get better.
The journey to Clemson was smooth, and scenic. Sid spoke about his job, and the inevitable office politics that accompany it, which made Abhi wonder how much better he could do if he was in a conducive work environment. He was always in awe of the number of things Sid managed to do, and take responsibility for, and never once complain or lament about the inconveniences he faced, and it was no different that day.
Anshu was done with his last exam, and informed us on the way that he will be at an end-of-semester party, and asked us to join. "Why not?", we asked ourselves. The main purpose of the trip was to have fun.
Clemson was relatively calm compared to the hustle of Atlanta. Abhi found the university hall where the party was taking place and they eagerly entered, hoping to find their friend.
They did, and the circumstances were so funny, yet so familiar. Abhi couldn't help but control his laughter as he saw his dear friend trying desperately to engage people around him to dance along with him, and failed miserably. They observed from a distance, as he looked around more than once, until finally giving up and doing moves on his own.
Abhi approached him. "Nice moves, bruh."
A look of surprise, and then that yellow-stained glee. "Wow, you guys are here."
"Let's dance."
They danced a while, Sid trying to act cool, by not dancing. They were mostly isolated. Story of their lives.
"Can we go home?", Abhi asked.
Sid wanted a beer. They wanted an ID. Anshu had a beer.
They headed home to find Anshu's room was in a not so pleasant state. A series of jokes followed, each abusing the other on their handicaps. Abhi was tired, but they headed out to have ice cream. Oops, only drive-in. They head back, take the car and get the ice cream and head back.
There was a lake nearby, and they walked to it. Pitch black at 2 am, it was the most calming place to be. They went on a trip down memory lane, discussing about school life, America, India, politics, girls, terrorism and people in no particular order. As always, the conversation spawned across topics. They were also wondering at how improbable it was that the three of them were together in the US, on a trip.
All those nights on top of Abhi's terrace wondering what the future held for them, and if they would ever meet again, in ten or twenty years time; Abhi felt a warm glow as they were actually realizing that dream that very moment.
It was close to 3 am when they headed back from the lake. Abhi, as usual, was being pessimistic about the plans they were proposing - zoo, movie etc. Too tired to argue further, they slept.
The next day, Saturday, they planned to head to High Falls County park to join a college outing. Before that, they had to satiate their hunger at waffle house.
"The employees here are super rude", said Anshu.
"Always, or just today?", Sid asked.
"Always. Whenever I come here, I get the same treatment."
"It must be pretty frustrating to do the same job every day, and not getting tips from students", Abhi reasoned.
"Maybe."
The ride to the park was picturesque. It was their "Dil Chahta Hai" moment (or was it their Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara moment?). Each one ensconced in their thoughts, and simply enjoying the moment.
The park had a lake adjoining it. They walked around, and decided to take a dip in the lake.
"Brrrrrr."
Sid took the position of the resident "swimming expert", after figuring out the other two didn't have a clue what to do.
"I know swimming dude, it's easy."
"Yeah, right."
They tried different strokes, each more hilarious than the previous. Soon, it started raining.
They headed to the park, where there was a lot of food. They ate fruits, mostly. It rained harder. That put an end to their boat ride dream.
"Let's head back home"
"Yeah, I have to get done with my project submission."
"Your what?? I thought your exams ended yesterday!"
"Dude..." Anshu started.
There were a lot of good qualities about him. Punctuality was never one of them. Abhi reminisced to the time when Anshu used to always be the last one to enter class, sometimes exactly at 8.30 am, and usually, a few minutes late. The sight of a stick like figure racing across in his "Thriller" cycle was part of MVM folklore.
That effectively put an end to their plans for the day. Anshu got busy with his project, while Sid and Abhi talked.
"My mom wants me to get married soon."
"Lol. Why?", Abhi asked.
"No idea."
Around midnight, Anshu and Sid wanted to go to a bar. Abhi was against the idea.
"Let's do something else. Bars are boring."
"Dude, it'll be super fun, we can dance and stuff. Let's go."
Not wanting to be a spoilsport, Abhi agreed.
The bar was crowded with Clemson students. Loud music, and even louder people. They went around, and discovered it wasn't a dance bar.
"Now what?"
"Let's just..."
It went exactly like Abhi expected. They were just looking around, with nothing to do. "Kabali" teaser had released. Abhi headed out to watch it. Best part of going to the bar.
"Bar idea sucked, just like I said."
"Ok ok ok ok scene podathey machaaaa.."
They headed to the lake again for another round of talks. It was hilarious. They spoke till the wee hours of the morning and then turned in. One of their best days, no doubt.
It was time to leave, the next day. Abhi spoke to his mom and grandma over FaceTime. "Kannadi veetla irukken!", he told her, referring to how she called Anshu.
They headed to an Asian restaurant. On the way, they stopped by at a store, and Abhi got himself a Bruce Lee jigsaw puzzle. Why, he had no idea. Anshu engaged himself with a store clerk, asking him how they got weed undercover.
"Seriously??"
The restaurant owner was particularly disappointed with Abhi not liking the food. Not his fault, Abhi was nitpicky when it came to his eating habits. He got a lot of flak from his two friends for it though, as they munched their chicken with relish.
They bid goodbye to Anshu. It was short lived, as Abhi forgot his pillow and had to head back before starting again. They would meet again soon, they assured themselves, exchanging hugs.
The ride back was not so memorable. Atlanta traffic isn't the most friendliest. But Abhi was happy. This trip was long overdue, and he was glad it turned out so well in the end. Sid made fun of Abhi's constant need to validate his driving skills. Abhi wondered if he ever knew he creates such situations just to make his friends laugh.
THE END
I'm not bitten by the cliched "travel bug", but I have been travelling quite frequently for the past few months. The month of May was an exception, as I ventured out not once, but three times. Quite frankly, I can't recollect the last time I took three trips in a month (probably never). Being someone who obsesses over documenting events in my life through journals and photographs, I felt it would be a good idea to jot down my experiences on these trips, to look back on at a later time. To make things interesting, I am going to try and narrate it from a third person's point of view, with me (Abhi) as the central character.
Trip 1 - Clemson, SC
Abhi was ecstatic. Not only was he going on a trip involving two of his closest friends, he was going to make his first road trip with his new car. Things couldn't get better.
The journey to Clemson was smooth, and scenic. Sid spoke about his job, and the inevitable office politics that accompany it, which made Abhi wonder how much better he could do if he was in a conducive work environment. He was always in awe of the number of things Sid managed to do, and take responsibility for, and never once complain or lament about the inconveniences he faced, and it was no different that day.
Anshu was done with his last exam, and informed us on the way that he will be at an end-of-semester party, and asked us to join. "Why not?", we asked ourselves. The main purpose of the trip was to have fun.
Clemson was relatively calm compared to the hustle of Atlanta. Abhi found the university hall where the party was taking place and they eagerly entered, hoping to find their friend.
They did, and the circumstances were so funny, yet so familiar. Abhi couldn't help but control his laughter as he saw his dear friend trying desperately to engage people around him to dance along with him, and failed miserably. They observed from a distance, as he looked around more than once, until finally giving up and doing moves on his own.
Abhi approached him. "Nice moves, bruh."
A look of surprise, and then that yellow-stained glee. "Wow, you guys are here."
"Let's dance."
They danced a while, Sid trying to act cool, by not dancing. They were mostly isolated. Story of their lives.
"Can we go home?", Abhi asked.
Sid wanted a beer. They wanted an ID. Anshu had a beer.
They headed home to find Anshu's room was in a not so pleasant state. A series of jokes followed, each abusing the other on their handicaps. Abhi was tired, but they headed out to have ice cream. Oops, only drive-in. They head back, take the car and get the ice cream and head back.
There was a lake nearby, and they walked to it. Pitch black at 2 am, it was the most calming place to be. They went on a trip down memory lane, discussing about school life, America, India, politics, girls, terrorism and people in no particular order. As always, the conversation spawned across topics. They were also wondering at how improbable it was that the three of them were together in the US, on a trip.
 |
| Fun at the lake. |
All those nights on top of Abhi's terrace wondering what the future held for them, and if they would ever meet again, in ten or twenty years time; Abhi felt a warm glow as they were actually realizing that dream that very moment.
It was close to 3 am when they headed back from the lake. Abhi, as usual, was being pessimistic about the plans they were proposing - zoo, movie etc. Too tired to argue further, they slept.
The next day, Saturday, they planned to head to High Falls County park to join a college outing. Before that, they had to satiate their hunger at waffle house.
"The employees here are super rude", said Anshu.
"Always, or just today?", Sid asked.
"Always. Whenever I come here, I get the same treatment."
"It must be pretty frustrating to do the same job every day, and not getting tips from students", Abhi reasoned.
"Maybe."
The ride to the park was picturesque. It was their "Dil Chahta Hai" moment (or was it their Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara moment?). Each one ensconced in their thoughts, and simply enjoying the moment.
The park had a lake adjoining it. They walked around, and decided to take a dip in the lake.
"Brrrrrr."
Sid took the position of the resident "swimming expert", after figuring out the other two didn't have a clue what to do.
"I know swimming dude, it's easy."
"Yeah, right."
They tried different strokes, each more hilarious than the previous. Soon, it started raining.
They headed to the park, where there was a lot of food. They ate fruits, mostly. It rained harder. That put an end to their boat ride dream.
"Let's head back home"
"Yeah, I have to get done with my project submission."
"Your what?? I thought your exams ended yesterday!"
"Dude..." Anshu started.
There were a lot of good qualities about him. Punctuality was never one of them. Abhi reminisced to the time when Anshu used to always be the last one to enter class, sometimes exactly at 8.30 am, and usually, a few minutes late. The sight of a stick like figure racing across in his "Thriller" cycle was part of MVM folklore.
That effectively put an end to their plans for the day. Anshu got busy with his project, while Sid and Abhi talked.
"My mom wants me to get married soon."
"Lol. Why?", Abhi asked.
"No idea."
Around midnight, Anshu and Sid wanted to go to a bar. Abhi was against the idea.
"Let's do something else. Bars are boring."
"Dude, it'll be super fun, we can dance and stuff. Let's go."
Not wanting to be a spoilsport, Abhi agreed.
The bar was crowded with Clemson students. Loud music, and even louder people. They went around, and discovered it wasn't a dance bar.
"Now what?"
"Let's just..."
It went exactly like Abhi expected. They were just looking around, with nothing to do. "Kabali" teaser had released. Abhi headed out to watch it. Best part of going to the bar.
"Bar idea sucked, just like I said."
"Ok ok ok ok scene podathey machaaaa.."
They headed to the lake again for another round of talks. It was hilarious. They spoke till the wee hours of the morning and then turned in. One of their best days, no doubt.
It was time to leave, the next day. Abhi spoke to his mom and grandma over FaceTime. "Kannadi veetla irukken!", he told her, referring to how she called Anshu.
They headed to an Asian restaurant. On the way, they stopped by at a store, and Abhi got himself a Bruce Lee jigsaw puzzle. Why, he had no idea. Anshu engaged himself with a store clerk, asking him how they got weed undercover.
"Seriously??"
The restaurant owner was particularly disappointed with Abhi not liking the food. Not his fault, Abhi was nitpicky when it came to his eating habits. He got a lot of flak from his two friends for it though, as they munched their chicken with relish.
They bid goodbye to Anshu. It was short lived, as Abhi forgot his pillow and had to head back before starting again. They would meet again soon, they assured themselves, exchanging hugs.
The ride back was not so memorable. Atlanta traffic isn't the most friendliest. But Abhi was happy. This trip was long overdue, and he was glad it turned out so well in the end. Sid made fun of Abhi's constant need to validate his driving skills. Abhi wondered if he ever knew he creates such situations just to make his friends laugh.
THE END
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