Chasing The Rains

3 weeks back we went chasing the rains across the ghats of Goa.
Since i have a memory bordering on severe dementia, Indrani thought it wise to threaten dire circumstances if the highlights of the trip , failed to get penned.
The purpose of all this documentation does not flow from an appreciation of my wit or writing capability but from our combined corporate cockroach sensibility of ,' Lets template everything because tomorrow we might be asked to produce a new measurement metric'.
The purpose of this excercise is to wrap something up in the leaves of Blog spot , hoping it will still be around when we do our 40th 'Chasing The Rain trip' at age of 74.....The brief snippets.

1. We were so busy making the most of our prepaid weekend, we forgot to visit the beach.
   


2. Well actually , Hina and I did visit the beach early one morning. The other two kept driving past them , declaring that wet sand was well wet!. They assured us that nothing gave them more pleasure than scowling at the distant beach from various available cliff tops which dotted our drives.



3. We raced across the borders of 3 states, chasing the rains , driving around in sub zero visibility until we reached the waterfall hills of Amboli.



4. Lake sodden grasslands , rushing rivulets and picturesque tea shanties dotted the misty roads while the ipod lustily sang 'Pi Lu', the popular romantic ballad of our time.



5. We ate hot pakodis and garam chai , at a fog hidden , monsoon drenched cafe , lost in the half shadows of smoke shrouds .



6. We fought with a drunk beach shack owner one night , who specialized in extravagant overcharge, and nearly escorted him to the police station when he threated US, with police action. Indu , just to drive the point home (and because she works in a sales driven financial organisation), gave him 'ma-behen ki gali' and insisted on slowing the car menacingly next to his shack , for a last invitation ...while the rest of us were trying to make a dignified exit.



7. On the bank of stringy tissues , drunk, with richad stained fingers we formulated ' Templar Associates,' who would use the blurry Cloud to provide ' Every bluhfy friggin kind of zolution..from woperations to EIIICH RRRRRRRRR.'



8. Next day, nursing hangovers we went to a little book shop called Litterati , and had warmish iced coffees . I completed my Tariq Ali,'Islam Quartet Collection ', Indu bought the William Series, Hina bought 'The Subtle Knife' and 'The Amber Splyglass'. while .....Pritha fell asleep in the dark musty, bookshop , with it's high beamed ceilings.



9. Hina , wanted me to make friends with the owners, so that we could understand ' their operational store management model' which going forward would enable us to one day own our own bookshop by the sea.



10. The owners however did not oblige, they were 2 Bengali women...who acted terribely busy, were quite flaky , and refused to engage in any chit-chat whatsoever , when approached , they wanted us to contribute to some charity work they were participating in !....We will have to look elsewhere ...



11. We gorged .. 5 hour breakfasts, which seeped into lunch, which waned into slow sonorous dinners .Every kind of available sea & land animal, spirits of different hues was, as they say in the mother tongue, 'Conjumed' ...leaving behind a rose tinted bubble of floating happiness.



12. 18 days left for our next adventure...to a cold mountain desert, with barrel chested mountain yaks, and blue lakes. Getting all ready to make the next bunch of memories..............for the old creaking chair , the cottage which we will build in Amboli, the herb garden which Hina will tend to..after she retires as IBM's Cheif Strategy Director......................................after Pritha has sold her company(possibely to IBM..that is the last deal Hina will broker as she officiates as CSO ) and has got enough money to build that cottage....................and after Indu retires from AIG and becomes an undercover agent for the Mossad ........Sweet Dreams are made of these.