My parents have made a vow never to travel with PP and me.
My parents have made a vow never to travel with each other.
This is the outcome of our recent weekend Kerala trip!
Let me tell you, a three day trip to Kerala is something I would never plan by choice. Kerala for me is a haven for finding my inner peace, an escape from the mundane world.. almost magical I’d say! I love that place more with every visit and I keep wishing I’d stayed longer!
Talking about the vows, don’t take them too seriously because next year same time you’ll find me writing about another such trip with my parents! They had taken this same decision after our last Kerala visit when a detour to the Cherai beach almost cost us our flight!
What time would you plan to leave from home for a 10.30 am flight??
People fall under three categories!
1) The disciplined type: They are born mathematicians. They do accurate reverse calculation, taking into consideration external factors.
10.30: Flight
9.00: At the Airport
7.45: Hail a cab
7.40: Step out of home
7.15: Breakfast
6.45: Bath and routine
6.00: Wake up!
2) The anxious type: They don’t do calculations. They predict the future. They know everything that could go wrong rather they know everything will go wrong! So they reach the airport at a time when the pilot’s either in his bed or in another country on an earlier duty!
3) The cool type: They’re the ones who reach the airport when the pilot is warming up the engine and the Airport authorities are doing their mandatory calling “This is the last and final boarding call for passengers…”
Actually I don’t strictly adher to any single category! I start off as an Iyer and end up as a Patil!
I’ll tell you why and how!
The earlier night Mom had laid down a flawless plan but she forgot to factor in her son-in-law’s modus operandi! Oh and her traitor daughter too!
By the time we got down and into the kaali-peeli taxi it was 8.40! Chembur – SantaCruz at 9.00 in the morning on a weekday! Any comments on the traffic situation?
I was sandwiched between mom and PP, both mentally and physically! To my left was mom cribbing about how she was better off without this tension and to my right was PP with an unperturbed look on his face and the maps on his phone as though he had everything sorted! And then there was dad on the passenger seat who was silent but I bet was calling out to all the Gods in his mind! I was trying to shut them all off and concentrate on the airport as though that would magically teleport us!
Guess what?!? We did reach the airport at 9.40 and I told myself I’d had enough of this crazy routine that always ended up in my getting a panic attack. You’d think I’d have learnt a lesson and turned a new leaf.. but..
Read on!
Our first stop was Guruvayur, the reason for this trip. I hadn’t seen my Krishna in two years, the longest gap ever in my memory. Guruvayur for me is about being Mallu; kasavu saree, jhimki, kanmashi (kajal), pottu (bindi) and a final touch with the chandana kuri (sandalwood paste bindi).
After our prayer rituals, we stepped out on the street that leads to the temple which is always a delight to look at and wander along! With shops selling sweetmeats, traditional clothes, accessories, handicrafts and artefacts lined up on both sides, devotional songs playing on the speaker and people either casually stopping by to buy or hurrying up to join the long queue into the temple, it’s a street that never sleeps!
Next day we decided to have a non-temple sightseeing day! After having heard so much about Fort Kochi from friends, I convinced my parents to go who wouldn’t have otherwise by themselves! With a European aura to it, Fort Kochi has such a laid back and artistic feel to it that you need a couple of days to explore and do justice! We had lunch at the local food court which turned out be a very enjoyable spread of Italian dishes! After a quick stroll in the market we headed out on a boat ride in the backwaters which was one hour of relaxation and picturesque scenes!
That night in the process of hunting for a hotel my dad made that vow! After a heated war in the car over the most ridiculous reason that involved one hotel, two temples and the distance between the three, we managed to find a very good place to put up for the night that made all us happy, including our driver who was glad to get rid of us!
After finishing off with temples next morning our final destination was the saree store! Note to self: Never visit a store that shares its name with your mother! The emotional thing that they are, they believe in giving the store good business resulting in you blowing up money with no same-name discounts and almost missing the flight!
Yes you read it right!!!
7.50 pm flight.. store location to airport – 1 hour (subject to traffic conditions).
We entered the four-storeyed building at 1.00 and nearly five hours later a bunch of madcaps dived into the car with fully loaded bags and then.. began the same story!
This kind of nostalgia I could really do without! Once again I found myself between mom and PP only this time mom was upset NOT about the traffic but having missed out on one section on the right side of the fourth floor! Also, she didn’t get the time to check out for footwear! Here I was already feeling like Cinderella with the clock ticking and all I could hear was mom rant about slippers! PP and Dad were their usual self, maps and prayers!
Either the driver was a noble guy or he wanted nothing more than to get away from us! He took a detour and dropped us off at the airport at 6.55! Lucky for us Mr.Murphy was on a holiday himself so the check-in wasn’t a hassle but..but..but
We hadn’t picked up any banana chips or Halwa to take to Mumbai as promised to many!!!!! And I wanted to empty my bladder, very desperately.
PP looked at me in the eye and asked ‘Halwa or Halka?” I had only one choice.
We set out in search of Halwa hoping mom and dad would call us once they reached the boarding station, which they did..Along with the authorities! I’ve always been a fan of Bollywood airport scenes and ours was equally good! I was running along the corridor toward the entrance when I stopped to search my pockets for the boarding pass! Missing! Not far behind was PP who was encouraging me to run on. I turned back and yelled “I CAN’T FIND MY BOARDING PASS”. I guess I was extremely loud because the store lady beckoned to PP and he ran back to retrieve it!
Finally we were seated with our bags and bladders both full only to be shocked to see one last family board the flight!!
All in all that was one eventful trip as always and we’re all looking forward to more such, yes yes, including my parents!
Cheers!! 😀
C.A.: Confused Aquarian 