A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
said
Lao-tzu....... better know as Johnnie Walker.
The journey of the first post begins with a thousand scru ups!
But
Jai Mata Di. Here we are.
The team had been screaming for an outing for quite some time. Technically, ever since Gallup wanted to know if employees were deliriously happy or not. So on the 4th April we set out off on our maiden outing to Sankarpur, a quaint fishing harbor on the Bay of Bengal in the land of
Maa Durga.
The Blog itself has two parts and the laws of numerical progression state that we begin with 1.
Part I - Getting there.Yes! You read it right. Getting there. A bloody adventure in itself.
So it all began at my workstation. I was supposed to close work by 0600hrs. Tatha came to call me at 0615 and by 0630hrs we were out. But first some THC. Thanks to Archie who had spent the last 15mins rolling..... wherever, whatever.
Archie was not joining us. His sis's wedding was due and he was leaving the city on the 5th.
Tatha and I finally reached the State Bus Terminus 30mins late where the girls stood waiting. Fuming behind their shades.
Ah well...
Next.
The tickets for the state AC Whiteliner was all sold out.
So was the Private Volvo.
And the govt bus lines were too long.
So we booked tickets on a 3 by 2 Non Ac Volvo. Whatever that may be. Think Chicken Coop.
Now this was fun. The girls were all geared up to for the AC experience. Blow dried hair and all.
Finally after crossing a busy intersection, winding through a few lanes.... on foot. We reached the bus.
Now the Journey.
First the bus refused to move till it was full, which took quite some time as the entire population going the same direction as we were was apparently not as stupid as we were.
Next it took a long winding road to avoid paying a toll of Rs.125
Sometime then.
Ring Ring (for lack of better sfx)Archie : Duuude! Where are you guys?
Me : In the Bus.
Archie : Dude. I'm coming.
Me : Where?
Archie : To Sankarpur, with you guys.
Me : Whaaat !
Archie : Sis's wedding is on the 7th of May. Not April.
Me : Alright. But how will you get there?
Archie : Don't worry. I'll get there. Just give me the bloody directions.
toot toot (for lack of better sfx)Meanwhile the bus kept stopping every 5 mins for 20 mins. Finally 100 meters down the highway. It stopped dead in its tracks. No, no. It wasn't a halt for breakfast. The dammed engine copped it.
5 cigarettes, 2 mechanics and 3 spanners later we were off again.
This time for good. The bus driver really floored it now. Ferrari and McLaren would have been proud of our boy. Slowly the landscape changed. From city to industry to farms. Gray to black to green. The color of the soil changed from concrete to the reddish hue of agricultural land in West Bengal. After a halt to empty our bladders and stock up on tobacco, the bus driver set off in his quest to put the entire Fast and Furious community to shame. Somewhere between
Mach I and Midnapore, our bus came to
(you guessed it right) a screeching halt.
Looking out of the window all we could see in rural West Bengal was bumper to bumper traffic.
Please tell me this was not a political procession.
Apparently it wasn't. Some truck driver, eager to set the man to woman ratio right mowed down 10 men.
10 corpses, 3 cigarettes and 2 police cars later the road opened up.
15 mins into the journey. A lady fainted. Now this is the coolest thing I ever saw. She faints. People make the usual noises and some good Samaritan offers his seat to her.
Traveling Tip: When standing in a crowded bus. Faint and you are sure to get a seat.Finally an hour later we disembarked at 14th Mile. To make our way to Sankarpur.
......to be continued
...