Am not sure what triggered it but I am reminded of my (kind of) solo trip way back in 1995 [I am old :(]. I was just out of college and was nursing a broken heart. My dad was travelling to Bangalore and I decided to tag along. This was a strategic decision. I knew my father would be away for most of the day giving me time to wander alone. And I also wanted to be away from Delhi. I can not recall the duration of the trip but I was there at least for a week if not more.
We were staying in Harsha Hotel, not very far from the heart of the city, MG Road. I felt safe in the city and roamed around without a care in the world. I have never ever felt lonely travelling alone so I enjoyed. Most memorable was the day trip to Belur and Shravanabelagola. I recall sitting next to a German tourist and being an Indian used to travelling in trains, I pestered him with so many questions that he finally stopped answering. It was a state tourism bus and even at that time I was impressed by the punctuality.
Then there was this incident at Lal Bagh. I was wearing my blue jeans and blue and yellow check top and happily wandering in Lal Bagh. For some reason, no auto was ready to come to MG Road on that particular day because of some rally. Since it was still middle of the afternoon, I decided to walk down. I asked a biker the directions to MG Road. And then he said that he can drop me. And since I believed in Bangaloreans and this guy looked like a decent well-educated student kinds, I said yes. However within 10 seconds of sitting I wanted to get down. The realization that this guy could literally take me anywhere sent shivers down my spine. I kept on sitting on the bike and decided that he would need to stop at a red light. And as soon as he did I grabbed the opportunity to get off the bike. The guy could see the panic on my face and knew exactly why I had got off. Nevertheless, I thanked him profusely and made my escape.
I totally loved the freedom. My father used to give me some money everyday which I used to diligently spend. Every morning after my father left for work I would go to a nearby small joint and eat idli or vada for breakfast (that time the breakfasts were not free). Whenever I was close to exhaustion of funds, I would start travelling in state buses. And almost everyday I would go to this Lake Side Cafe on MG Road (it is still there) and order Black Forest Cake with ice cream or banana split kind of a preparation. It was an amazing time and I thoroughly enjoyed the break from college and the pressure to look for a job. My father intuitively realised that I needed a break and did not once mention what I was planning to do with my life now that the college was over. We had some good discussions every night during dinner. All in all, a great trip. [I finally decided to extend my college life by going in for Masters, which was pretty useless.]
It was liberating for me to travel alone all around the city and even outside. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
We were staying in Harsha Hotel, not very far from the heart of the city, MG Road. I felt safe in the city and roamed around without a care in the world. I have never ever felt lonely travelling alone so I enjoyed. Most memorable was the day trip to Belur and Shravanabelagola. I recall sitting next to a German tourist and being an Indian used to travelling in trains, I pestered him with so many questions that he finally stopped answering. It was a state tourism bus and even at that time I was impressed by the punctuality.
Then there was this incident at Lal Bagh. I was wearing my blue jeans and blue and yellow check top and happily wandering in Lal Bagh. For some reason, no auto was ready to come to MG Road on that particular day because of some rally. Since it was still middle of the afternoon, I decided to walk down. I asked a biker the directions to MG Road. And then he said that he can drop me. And since I believed in Bangaloreans and this guy looked like a decent well-educated student kinds, I said yes. However within 10 seconds of sitting I wanted to get down. The realization that this guy could literally take me anywhere sent shivers down my spine. I kept on sitting on the bike and decided that he would need to stop at a red light. And as soon as he did I grabbed the opportunity to get off the bike. The guy could see the panic on my face and knew exactly why I had got off. Nevertheless, I thanked him profusely and made my escape.
I totally loved the freedom. My father used to give me some money everyday which I used to diligently spend. Every morning after my father left for work I would go to a nearby small joint and eat idli or vada for breakfast (that time the breakfasts were not free). Whenever I was close to exhaustion of funds, I would start travelling in state buses. And almost everyday I would go to this Lake Side Cafe on MG Road (it is still there) and order Black Forest Cake with ice cream or banana split kind of a preparation. It was an amazing time and I thoroughly enjoyed the break from college and the pressure to look for a job. My father intuitively realised that I needed a break and did not once mention what I was planning to do with my life now that the college was over. We had some good discussions every night during dinner. All in all, a great trip. [I finally decided to extend my college life by going in for Masters, which was pretty useless.]
It was liberating for me to travel alone all around the city and even outside. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment