DISCLAIMER: Everything mentioned here is very true and related to extremely alive people. If you recognise a touch of yourself somewhere, be honored. Do not come after me with a baseball bat! (All in good humor!)
Whew! It's been a month since I last wrote. Mind you, not because I didn't want to, but more because I just didn't have anything to write about. I have been uninspired for the better part of the month that has passed. I was brainstorming with Vivek (read: me nagging him to suggest a good topic I could right about), and he suggested I write about the trips we have taken together and my post-trip revelations . I sarcastically retorted with a "what would I write about?", followed with a couple of funny and cynical take-aways from the trips, and realised that it might not be such a bad idea after all! So, Vivek, thank you! Next step, deciding what constitutes a trip! Distance, duration, or something else? I considered my trips to St Louis from Rolla (a mere 100 mile drive) a 'trip', merely because they were fun, and well, burnt holes through my pockets! Nevertheless, excluding those one day outings, I have been on (*gears in motion*) five trips, to Texas, Georgia, Florida, the East coast (NYC, Buffalo, Atlantic City and DC), Colorado and Texas again (albeit different cities) respectively. (I, again, exclude my Chicago sightseeing, since I now live 70 miles from it. I have sightseen on multiple occassions!) None of these trips feature the same company (well, except Ritu!) and perhaps, that is what has made each trip unique and memorable in its own way. If I went into details about each trip, I would need bugles to wake you up from your deep slumber, so I decided to stick with what Vivek suggested; revelations!
To be honest, revelations is too strong a word. (For the most part, at least. There were some revelations!) So, it's more like take-aways from these trips. So, what have I learned? Hmm, for starters, as much fun as road trips are, your circulation system begs to differ, especially when its function is grossly restricted by the back-most seat of the seven-seater you are travelling in. You soon know the gas prices in every city you pass by, and are shocked if it is lower than the city of origin, and "top-up" the fuel tank, even if it is nowhere close to being empty. Sometimes, the only other person you see for hours is the gas station manager! (That's probably more true the more south you go!). You are forced to listen to the songs that are on the iPod of the only person who remembered to get an iPod (and its charger!), and more likely than not, after hearing those same songs throughout the trip, when you are nearing home, you know all those songs by rote and probably sing along too! (you know, memories of the trip. You will probably associate some of the songs to that trip for life!) You try your best to not be the first person to fall asleep, and consume cans of red bull/ gatorade just to prove that you can stay awake (the absolute worst is if you have to drive, or give the driver company, when everyone else is asleep! In this case, by the end of the driving turn, you probably know the names of each other's nieces and nephews!)
So, you have now completed the first leg of the trip, which was just reaching the destination. Now starts the actual 'fun'. Or so you would think. Here starts the endless discussions of how to schedule the next day in the best possible way, to see everything that everyone wants. If anybody involved has a friend/relative they just HAVE to visit, you are screwed! More likely than not, they live in a suburb at least 50 miles out of the way. So, you finally decide on a schedule that satisfies the majority! Believe me, the saying 'you can't please everybody', never applies more than on a trip. So the happy ones fall asleep satisfied, and the disgruntled ones murmur angrily till they are appeased. The following morning always brings a flurry of activity. More so, because, due to financial constraints we have always had 6-7 people in a room meant for 3-4 people. The first revelation is always that no one had the foresight to get a tube of toothpaste (the habitual, 'if not me, someone else will get it' mentatility, which, well, is always true. Someone does get it along). And obviously, there is a schedule in place that details the exact second you are expected to be awake and in the bathroom, so as to not fall behind schedule (again, there is one person, who just does NOT wake up. No, tolerance of five minutes is not tolerated!) So after a lot of rummaging and scurrying, everyone is finally ready to leave (even with the stringest of planning, we are always atleast an hour behind schedule!)
Well, the sight seeing is always fun. I love it! Even if it is something silly like sitting on a carousel (yes, although we were at least three times the age of the average rider, we did that because Sadekar claimed he'd never sat on one before), or clicking crazy snaps, or getting into the ice cold waters of the Florida beach, or simply eating ice-cream while waiting our turn to plummet head first into the Royal gorge! But then, of course, there is always one unhappy person, who didn't get an equal amount of 'personal' snaps, or wanted to see some obscure monument (yes, that is me!), or is hungry and hence grumpy, or simply is pissed, because, well, not everyone can be pleased, remember? So, you get past these initial hurdles, and unfathomably someone gets upset or pissed off about something no one else knows. So, there's one person consoling him/her and the rest discuss in a detached group as to what could have triggered the reaction!
Okay, as I re-read this, I realise I sound like a cynic; a big one! Yes, I have mentioned all the negative (albeit, slightly funny) parts, but believe me, I have enjoyed each of these trips more than I thought I could. Right from the carousel and ferris wheel in Houston, to the beaches of Florida and the shops of Panama City Beach; from the Statue of Liberty to the Atlantic City boardwalk to the chicken and rice from the streets of New York; from the unbelieveble view from Pike's Peak to the pizza on 6th street in Austin to the crazy, crazy New year's eve table dancing! These are memories forged for life. These are friends made for life. No amount of squabbling during these trips can take away from the laughter, the fun, the shared tequilla shots, the sometimes hysterical, sometimes emabrrassing photo-viewing sessions, the discussions about one insane incident that apart from you and your group no one else finds funny, or the post-mortem of every single moment so that everyone knows everything (just in case they missed something!) There is so much more than I can add, but I fear it may piss off people I don't mean to piss off! Also, I do not want to make this longer than necessary. So I end here, in peace. The good parts would constitute a different blog entry altogether. We'll get there, in time...
Cheers to each of these trips and all the moments spent in the company of some of the most wonderful people I know!
PS: I just realised I missed my Vegas trip...but well, it's Vegas. there's not much that can be said, right? ( I resisted the urge to add the cliche, 'what happens in Vegas...')
