Saturday, April 11, 2009

My 2 Week Vacation- Day 1

After a long time- in fact nearly an year- I have got a chance to go on a long vacation. As some of you already know, I am visiting my wife in Boston. And since blogging had taken a back seat for sometime now, I thought this is an apt time to start writing again. So......I have decided to blog every single day while I am here. Without wasting more words in setting the context, H E R E...I... G O.

Day 1

I set off for Boston (from Mumbai) on 10th morning at 5:10 AM (India Time). Though I knew it would be a long journey, I never thought it would be so tiring. A quick recap of the journey:

Mumbai- Doha ( 3 Hours)

Doha Transit (2 hours and 30 mins)

Doha-New York (13 Hours)

New York- Boston (4 hours and 30 mins by Bus)

So it took me nearly 27 hours to reach the final destination.But I enjoyed every bit of it. The key highlights of Day 1 follow :)

1) The commotion and crowd in New York. I just love bheed bhaaad....in fact in terms of energy, I found New York very very similar to Mumbai. I found the vicinity, en route my train journey from the airport to the bus station, ejjactly like it is around Indian rail tracks. Graffiti, slums, construction etc etc

2) On reaching the bus station, I found out that all buses going to Boston were full because of the long weekend rush. So I was placed on something called a standby line. Luckily, just like it happens in Multiplexes in India, since I was alone and needed just one seat- I managed to get into the bus. many couples and people in groups were left behind..he he he

3) The bus journey was really uncomfortable. I was already tired by travelling nearly 24 hours and add to it the very little leg room in the bus. The 4 and a half hours in the bus seemed to be longer than the entire journey so far. However, I got some respite from the fact that the bus passed through very beautiful surroundings and there was a movie playing.

4) Reached M's hostel around 11 PM and there was some excellent food awaiting! Pork Ribs...Rice....Baked Beans..and some white and red wine. Dozed off after a sumptuous dinner.

5) Thanks to the jet lag, got up at 6 AM. And I really thank the jet lag for it. Coz I experienced one of the most beautiful mornings of my life. Since I was up early, I decided to go on a jog. The weather was cold, and for a minute I decided to go back to the room and get a cap. But then I thought, "what the hell" and started running- and within a few minutes I was totally immersed in the surrounding and was enjoying the chill in the wind. Cambridge is just so beautiful. So calm, so peaceful, so scenic. The run down the charles river was just so refreshing. The cool breeze rising from the gently flowing water, the sight of ducks floating in harmony, and the thrill of watching the ongoing rowing race between MIT, Yale and Harvard sucked away all the pain and tiredness of my long trip.

6) After the run, I deserved a heavy breakfast! So eggs, bacon, toast and juice it was :D :D

I have promised my self 3 things:

a) I will run every single day in the morning while I am here
b) Will eat and cook a lot
c) Will blog everyday

Till tomorrow..ciaos!

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