Desi 'light'- packers Episode 6!

The airport shuttle came to life sharp at 08:30AM and they both were seated in a two seater, in the second row of the bus. There were only two other passengers, as it was the first shuttle that day from the airport. One was an old lady with a small frame, in her mid-fiftees and the other was a rather stout tourist from SE Asia with a state of the art Digital SLR, big telephoto lenses and tripod almost occupying his entire seat.

"Which part of India are you from?", made them startle and turn back towards the direction from which the voice originated. It was the lady with the small frame who was smiling back at them. On close observation they found out that the lady was an Indian origin, but long-term stay outside has changed the colour of her skin considerably along with her slang.

"South!", he annswered and smiled back at her throwing the inevitable question back at her.

"I was born in Delhi. Which place are you from?", the lady asked.

"You know Chennai?", she asked and he replied, "I am from Thiruchirapalli"

"Oh! Yes! I know Chennai and Thiruchirapalli.... is it not Trichy which has the famous Srirangam temple?", she asked with her eyebrows crossed, looking at him as if she is expecting the answer in the affirmative.

On hearing her, his face glowed with pride and became soooo big as a child's face in trying to explain something in excitement. "Yes! Its the same place you are mentioning! It has river Cauvery running through it and many other temples", he said with eyes wide and a smile on his face with kiddish enthusiasm.

"Now! Who says me?", she murmured to him in a teasing manner that his face turned red and continued his conversation with the lady as if he has heard nothing at all!

" You must have heard about Akhilandeswari temple too", he continued.

"Yeah! I've been there when I was young. My parents took me. They are such beautiful temples ! I still remember", the lady elaborated.

"Where do you live at present?", she asked the lady.

"I have lived in Toronto Canada for 26 years now", the lady replied with a smile.

"Oh!", she exclaimed, "Thats a long time"

"Yes", the lady continued., "Before that we lived in Brussels, Belgium for 12 years, and every year we used to visit Keukenhof during this very season for the Tulip festival. We haven't missed a single year! It used to be very nice to drive down from Brussels to here, spend a day or two and return back! I am hopping over in Amsterdam this time on my way to India and thought that I had 7 hours time, I can visit Keukenhof and here I am! After 26 years!", the lady said.

"Wooooooooow! ", she said.

"Yes!", the lady continued, "It is a nice memory. See, from here and from now onwards it is just Tulip farms non-stop for 34kms", pointing outside the window and only then the two's gaze went outside window to see the ever stretching, never ending fields of flower mat, interwoven with such brilliant array of colours, spread like an ocean on both sides. For the first few minutes they found it too difficult to decide what to see and what to miss! After a few moments they have come to a conclusion that they are going to miss a lot for sure, even if they record whatever they see!

The heavenly mat stretched far beyond ones eyesight could reach, laced and fringed with such precision, that it was hard to believe, how all the plants could flower at the same height and time. They just wondered about God's creation for the nth time during the past two days.

"How are they maintaining such large farms with such dedication? Can we have entry access to get inside?", she asked the lady.

"Sure, their dedication and hard work has to be appreciated, othrewise the country wouldn't have had the world famous Tulip festival during this season. The farm owners usually give permissions to enter inside when we go and ask them personally. For that driving helps a lot!", the lady explained.

"Yes! That is true!", he said disappointment clearly etched on his face on missing a chance to get inside the farm just for the reason of not driving.

Desi 'light'-packers Episode 5!

04:00 AM

Saturday

Apr 7, 2007 

Dorint Novotel, Schipol, Netherlands

"The canal cruise is starting at 9AM and each trip takes about an hour-and-a-half!", said the brisk guy in the concierge.

"Where is the boarding point?", he asked.

"Just outside the station Amsterdam Centraal",  he replied.

"Oh..Okay! Thank you!",  he said and moved away from the concierge desk to where she was waiting with a small brown crochet handbag, wearing a tan coloured overcoat over a brown cloured 'V' necked tee, with blue-black jeans. 

"You look crisp and fresh today", he said looking at her.

She smiled back, her usual trademark smile with a dimple in one of her cheeks whenever she gives a glorious one. 

"You look wonderful, as always!", she complimented him, with eyes glowing with pride.

They started walking towards the hotel entrance hand in hand expecting a splendid day ahead! As soon as they reached the hotel entrance....

He sat bolt upright when the alarm in his mobile phone, kept on the bedside table started ringing.

"Oh! Is it 4 o' clock already?! I was dreaming is it?", he said in a slumberous-alerted tone.

When he received silence as the reply, he realised that she is not awake as yet, smiling, stretched his hands out to reach his phone to switch the alarm off.

"Wake up! Its already time", he shook her.

"Dont bluff! The alarm hasn't rung yet!", she said in a muffled-shaky voice.

"Ha!Ha!",  he crooned like a rooster and started to giggle.

She sat up on the bed lazily looking at him, he looked at her and his giggles volcanised to fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"There-should-be-an-atom-bomb-kept-right-beneath-your-ear...", was all he could muster trying to suppress his giggles, but before he would finish, she was on top of him with her pillow in hand.

"Don't -you-dare-tease-me", she retorted, between clenched teeth, every word uttered for every blow.

"Stop-hitting-me", he said between blows with strained rising tone for each word, that the 'me' sounded shrilly. She stopped hitting him with the pillow,  "Its time! We have to start!"

The next hour was spent on getting ready and they were out sharp at 6:00 AM for the breakfast lounge. The continental breakfast contained a shuttle to the Schipol airport, twisted fries ( it is an enhancement made with french fries, which is twisted and flavoured with garlic), veggie burger, coke each!

"I am a great fan of twisted fries. Oh! Let me call it garlic fries!", she said, carrying them in a tray to their table in Burger King.

"I know! Do you remember the story of a lady who got snubbed by asking this option back in London?", he asked with a mischievous smile.

She replied with a stern stare, " Do you remember who got bugged in the morning for teasing me?"

"Okay! Let's drop it!", he mumbled and started chatting about the enquiries they had made yesterday in the very same airport, where they were having their breakfast.

"So! Its a shuttle from here at 8:30, a 34 km ride, which would take, say 45 mins...!"

"Wow! Don't say that! I am getting too skittish!"

"...and now we're Off to Keukenhof!"

"Yessssssssss!"

And here are some teasers for the next episode!

Desi 'light'-packers Episode 4

" I had been to Utrecht last time, to meet my client, do you remember?", he asked.

"Yeah", she answered.

"You take a train from Amsterdam to Utrecht. Its a 20 mins ride and you will get a life's worth to watch", he said, "Thats how it is", he added.

"I have heard about it. When I was with IBM, some of my friends travelled to the office here in Utrecht and they have said that the place is pulchritudinous! Didn't realise it then!", she said.
"Yes, I have seen your office. Utrecht a small industrial town. ", he replied.

By this time they were reaching Amsterdam Centraal . They wanted to travel to Schipol Airport, where they have planned to stay in an accomodation nearby. He stood up from his seat and started moving towards the driver's.

"How do I go to Schipol from Amsterdam Centraal?", he asked the driver.

"To Schipol? From Centraal? You have to take a metro train. Its quiet a distance from here. Around 30 mins by train", the driver replied back, he seemed to have lost in thought about something which the hero of our story couldn't comprehend.

"Oh! Is it that far?", he asked.

"Yeah!", the driver replied, totally lost.

When he wanted to resume his way back to the seat with a polite "Thank You!", the driver told him, "I can drop you at the airport! Would you mind waiting for 15 minutes, until I unload all the passengers and their lugguage?"

Startled by the driver's unexpected question and the offer, he was in search for words "Er.... yeah! But how could you do that?"

"The airport is on the way to the garage. So I can drop you if you want", the driver replied.

"Thank you!", he said unable to generate any other word from his totally baffled brain.

" Its not a problem at all", said the cheerful driver.

Awed by the generosity of the coach driver, he told her about the offer . She was surprised on hearing it and reacted in her usual dramatic manner.

Friday

Apr 6, 2007
Schipol, Amsterdam, Holland


It was 5:30PM when the coach driver dropped them in Schipol. They both enquired about the shuttle buses to the hotel and reached the shuttle stand. On their way, they met a cheerful set of people who wished them which theyresponded with equal enthusiasm. When the shuttle arrived, they took their seats and the vehicle started. At the same time there were claps from the people outside and passengers in the shuttle turned to see what caused the applause, to find out a person running to catch the very shuttle which has started to move. The driver applied brakes to stop the bus for the running pasenger!

The two were astonished to see the unfolding scene, with wide-open mouths wondering whether they were dreaming. Their previous trip to this place has made them familiar about the good-natured people, but this was hard to believe. It was 15 minutes by the Accord hotels shuttle to reach Dorint Novotel. They saw the wonderful poster behind the receptionist and smiled secretly of the enquiries that they made, just a few minutes ago, in the airport about their plans for tomorrow.

When they reached their room he said, "Lets call it a day! We have a great day ahead for tomorrow. We need rest!"

Desi 'light'-packers - Episode 1!

Friday 04:15AM
Apr 6, 2007
Paris, France


The two walked out of Hotel Elysees Mermoz, Off Champs Elysees, hand-in-hand with not a worry in the world, feeling as independent as a bird on its flight, with a very exciting plan on their heads, as light as their bags. They boarded a metro train to Haussmann Saint-Lazare from St. Philippe Du Roule, from where they took another train to reach Gallieni. The two reached the ticket counter and bought tickets to board a 07:30 AM Eurolines Coach Service to Amsterdam, Holland.

"I am still not able to believe we are doing this" said one to another

" Yes, we are!" he said.

"Why did I ever buy myself into this plan? " she asked.

He laughed at her admiringly, combing his hair, ruffled by the brisk early morning breeze, with his fingers, which has become habitual.

"If we are going to pull this off, it is going to be a memorable one!", he said.

"Yes ", she replied excitedly and both exchanged excited looks.

"Tickets please", shouted the coach driver. He verified the tickets, helped passengers one by one, to board the coach.

"Here we go! I think we are crazy!", she said.

"I think so too!", he said and took her hand to sit beside her.

And the coach took off sharp at 07:30 towards the early morning sunrise, which showed, what a fine typical spring day it is bound to be! Spring in Europe is nothing but pure bliss! The sprintness in the breeze, brings a fresh inner feeling for walkers, striding by the innocent looking flowers exhibiting their bewitching smile as a bloom! She was looking outside the window watching all these sights trying to take-in and register every pixel of beauty spread in-front of her eye.

"Our eyes are a thousand Digital SLR's put together! I always wonder God's creations... our eyes, the beauty that lies in front of us! ", she said, eyes still outside the window busy capturing whatever it can.

"Why do you say that?", he asked, puzzled.

"When you hold a camera to take a picture of the frame which lies ahead, you will notice how panoramic our eye-view is and how little can these digital state-of-the-art man made machines , pack to a single shot!", she answered.

"Phew! I've realised this many times... but Kudos! beautifully worded!", he said appreciatively.

She turned away from the window still wide-eyed to smile at him. "Thank you!"

Brussels city center

The 10 hour journey continued through the picturesque town of Lille in France , then through Brussels and the industrial town Antwerpen in Belgium with light conversations between the two and a lot of sight-seeing. When the coach wsa nearing the border of Holland, excitement had started mounting again already! The two had travelled to Amsterdam before, the previous year and were so fond of this country for the spellbinding scenic beauty, the helpful people and the careless lifestyle.... And oh! Who can forget the windmills? ......

Ho! Ho!..... Holland!

To be continued...