song of the road

Feeling so much refreshed coming back from the cool trip. It was very good. We started around 10 am on Saturday. I was up early packing and getting ready. It was about 2 hours drive from Bangalore. The driver we took with us drove real slow for some reason. He later said that engine wasn’t working well. We stayed on a very lovely two storied villa and a log hut. They had tents too but we hadn’t booked those. It is a eco-resort near the river Cauvery. From the main road we drove for a couple of km on a unpaved narrow mud road through the jungle to reach it. It was really serene.

They had a small artificial lake near the villa with lots of ducks, hens and one turkey who felt he(?) is a peacock. The kids went crazy chasing the ducks and hens. We giggled a lot too chasing the kids and keeping them away from water. And realized how less I know about anything after the numerous whys and hows? If I have a kid, I will teach her using Google right away and I would use it till she can, to keep answering. Quite a few of my friends took their kids alone and I really admired their stamina. There IS a reason why nature has not made me a mom yet. I don’t really think I can do justice to a kid.

Anyways, we had lunch which was very rustic and delicious and vegetarian. I overate a bit. Left some food on my plate but that was only because I decided to have second helpings of the things I loved more. They had a jungle gym where we tried walking on logs, a bit of archery and some other things. I was not fit and brave to try most of it. Then we had tea near the river bank. It was lovely. The silence and the hills a little farther away. We did took turns boating in a small round boat called a coracle. The kids pointed out each submerged rock as crocodile or “crocile” for most part. And one kid was particularly interested in explaining how he will save me, if I were to drown. It was a job to make him sit still so as not to overturn the boat. We lazed near the bank for some more time till it was very dark. Then it was time for more snacks and a camp fire. We chatted a bit and some sang funny songs. Some kids sang too, including a two year old who made up her own lyrics. The dinner was early and very good again. Though not as good as the lunch but I guess I was not that hungry any more.

After dinner six of decided to have a facial and a face pack each at the Ayurvedic treatment center they had. That was truly fun. They massaged our face with some kind of an aromatic oil. It was so relaxing. Some fell asleep on the table. Then there was a pack to wash off the oil. And a red face pack containing red sandalwood powder among other things. We had to wait till it dried and it burned so much. They said it was okay and not to worry. I christened it “chilly powder pack”. After much giggling and making fun we finished all that by midnight. We took turn being the tribal chief with the face pack on and sitting on an arm chair and ordering people (mostly managers) to be boiled. The faces did look much brighter and rejuvenated after the treatment.

A few of us went to sleep at the log hut. It was a lovely wooden house with the floor raised a bit from the ground. The next day morning after breakfast and some more duck chasing, we couldn’t go for the trekking because we were not sure if the kids would be able to walk and climb that much. So we went to another nearby place where Cauvery meets another river. We stayed nearer to the bank as there are many dangerous undercurrents in that place. With much splashing and playing and running around in the water, we all got drenched from head to foot. But it was such glorious fun. We should have taken some balls for playing. I think all the stress got washed away in the river. Everybody let go and became kids themselves. I don’t know what it is about water that brings out the joy in us so much. We dried ourselves a bit sitting on a big rock in the middle of the river (which is a meteorite from a far away sun as explained to me by a alien cartoons crazy 4 yr old kid I also got graphic descriptions about something called “a ghost freak” (I think) who opens its stomach and tentacles come out of its stomach and the rest). I am actually thinking of watching some of these crazy cartoons a bit. They did sound interesting.

Well anyway after the river jaunt, it was back to the resort for cleaning up and lunch and we came back home by 7:00 pm. I am so happy I did it. I had loved my trips with R too but there wasn’t ever this much laughs.

So I am back to work today. I couldn’t make it to gym today as well. I will need to do some self talking starting from evening onwards to make me go back to it from tomorrow. I remember Ruby saying she would rather clean the bathrooms. Once I am in the gym, I don’t feel so bad but the dislike for exercising is deep in my bones. I need to keep myself in tight check or I would not go. But I know I will go back and work on being more regular. By the way, I felt during the weekends that my stamina has not increased that much. Oh, it has increased but not by any spectacular amount. I guess I still have a long way to go. One of the ladies on the trip has lost an awesome 12 kg by gymming and dieting. I need to too.

Lots of love for all of you. I would try to catch up reading all of you by tonight. Thank you again and again for being there for me when I go down. I am going to work hard today to not lose the good feeling but I guess I will go up and down under once in a while. In fcat the ups bring the worry of the oncoming down but no forethoughts of grief any more.