This is the first time in a long time that I have actually felt rested & replenished—WOW. The stress of this trip, & the last few months melting away. At least temporarily. I rose out of bed with renewed energy & a fresh outlook. Prepared to take a shower, oh, that episode took half an hour to get started because in my search for the light switch, I inadvertently turned off the heater. Way dah go Bird! Needless to say, it took a very long for the water to get hot again. Though the bathroom was chilly, I did enjoy that shower, boy it sure beat bathin’ outta bucket so if I had to wait a year I was takin’ a shower this day! & so what if I had the company of a worm inching his/her way up the tile opposite me. Nothing was going to ruin this feeling.
Later I sat on the half-completed deck, inches from the rain with a fantastic cup of Indian tea [Chai] inhaling [FINALLY!] fresh clean air sans the discordant sound of horns, gazing out on virtually...NOTHING. I couldn’t see a doggone thing there was so much fog; visibility was reduced to the trees mere feet away, the rain unrelenting. No wonder it’s so lush & green here. Taking in the present moment & discarding the expectations of what I hoped the weekend would be, I was struck by the beauty in motion against the absolute stillness. Serenity. I am sitting with Serenity & holding Her hand…
until a worker shows up. I don’t know what the heck he’s doing but between bouts of booming conversation on the phone, rummaging through a drawer, banging, & his humming, my radio station of bliss had unwanted commercials, static & drifted onto another station! Then the stinky dog demanded my attention, what a sweetie he is though. So I pet the stinky dog fondly. Then another worker shows up, then Nandoo’s family including 2 small children who wanna know what in the cows on the streets of India I could possibly be. The frequency of my radio station hits the fritz altogether. Goodbye Serenity as She boogied on outta there!
So I work on keeping the calm atmosphere despite my growing aggravation & thought I would bust with Joy when at 6:00 the sky started to clear, revealing a SPECTACULAR sight. I gather Nandoo ‘cause it’s Internet Cafe time! About a 15-20 minute walk UP HILL, I chug along toting my laptop, totally out of breath alongside my guide who is barely breathing. & I thought I was in shape LOL! I had eaten way too much earlier & dinner was coming in a few hours. Phew, it’s a tough haul! All-n-all, it’s a beautiful walk with breathtaking [like I could afford that] views. Wow. Finally we turn a corner that reveals the ‘village’ consisting of 3 stores, one being our destination. I have to contain myself from getting too excited because they may not let me use the laptop. Well heh hell I am stunned to stupid at how simple this cafe experience starts off, I had forgotten that it should be simple! When I asked if I could use my laptop the man showed me to a table to hook that puppy up & I was in blissful bid’ness! No asking for a passport or having a book to sign in which I have to provide my great great great grandmother’s maiden name [ok, I admit I’m going a bit overboard but you get my drift…]
Still in ‘Stunned to Stupid’ mode, I sit moments more, gagging at the simplicity of it all. Then I power up & surf to my technology-addicted-in-withdrawal having self’s delight!
Until it was time to leave. Had to be a catch somewhere, what was I thinking since it’s MY story? Happy like a kid in a mud puddle, I’ve already turned off the computer when the proprietor tells me there’s a one rupee surcharge for every MB up or downloaded. Now WHY DIDN’T HE TELL ME THAT WHEN I GOT THERE?! So I had to power up, show him how much I uploaded [mere KBs] shut down again, & paid, only to step out into the night to do something so INCREDIBLY dumb, stupid, idiotic, AND insane I can’t believe it! Shoot, maybe I should stop here that’s how bad it was.
Well, okay, this is what happened…
I have an UNCANNY sense of direction. UN-CAN-NY. If I am paying attention initially, I can successfully get back to the same place only having been once. It doesn’t matter how much time has gone by or what country I'm in. It’s an inherent gift I was born with. I used to tell the cabbie at age 5 the best way to get home from my aunt’s to my house in Brooklyn. So. Having said that, here’s the deal. Once again, I have an UNCANNY sense of direction but I arrogantly & irresponsibly thought I could make it back ALONE IN THE DARK. I was not prepared for Pitch Black, wow it gets dark up in the mountains! Heading down the hill or I should say, the mountain, the path was lit but there were some dark patches. It was a clear night & not too chilly as I trod on but became increasingly concerned I’d taken a wrong turn. Moments later, concern turns to razor sharp terror as I get the memo in the Mental Inbox confirming that I am very lost AND scared. & I had to use the restroom, which of course only gets worse when you’re scared. I don’t recognize anything & I notice that I am heading toward Mall Road, the strip of markets I road past the day before, definitely not the way to…where the heck am I staying? I have no address & of course there are no street names or signs! Dumb, Dumb DUMB! Lost, scared & had to pee, a trio not felt since I couldn’t find my mommy that day in the store, eons ago! I can only really take the duet Lost & Scared, which I’d traveled with a bit on this trip but throw in the third Gotta Pee & I was close to being a babbling idiot. ‘I WANNA GO HOME, WWWAAAAHHHHHHHH!’ Hiccup!
And to top it off, I am out of signal range for my cell phone, unlike in the movies!! Notice how they ALWAYS can get a signal? NOT! So I turn back to retrace my steps. A man on a motorcycle stops to offer me a ride. Yeah right! I politely decline. But man I wanted to get on the back of that ride SO bad!!! I continue on, visibly & audibly winded ‘cause this uphill trek is worse than when I first went to the cafe. Plus I’m anxious & rushing because I realize that if I make it back to the internet cafe & they’re closed I’m REALLY in trouble.
