Stuck in Transit

Dodo said it first. Everyone else had it on the tip of their tongues. Tears welling up in their eyes at the awesomely built, poorly maintained Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, people(friends and family and the wife to be) blurted out their emotions. They said, "Please don't bug us with the links to your blog after you go there". And someone in the group even said, "You know your vocabulary sucks right?" and some other mean stuff. But no. I am not going to give up. I'm not going to surrender. If there was anything I learnt from the movie 300, then its this. So, I am not going to stop blogging just because you think I flaunt too much of too little. And yeah baby! Terpsikure and Meso Spaciosa, Go Global!! Huah!

It started with a family-friend departure function at the airport in Hide(that is what I am going to call Hyderabad from now, beeteedoubloo I hold the IP copyrights for it). Got some stuff at the Duty free store for my brother in US and a Hard Rock cafe ka tee shirt. Said some good byes and a lot of miss yous while waiting for the flight at the terminal on the phone. Soon after, my charge was gone. The flight journey from Hide to Dubai was good. I got the window seat but was pitch dark when I boarded so couldn't see anything. Three hours later and after a Puri-chhole early breakfast, the view I got to see from the window just before I arrived at the Dubai airport was exhilarating. It was a calm desert and a single strand of a grey line cut through it which I later realised was a road. And let me just tell you this, someone told me that the airport at Dubai is good. Damn it! They were so wrong.. the airport is awesome! The Duty free shops made me thirsty after a long drool. They had a Harley-Davidson Chopper in the display man! I couldn't even spit the three letters out. WTF. No I could not. It was overwhelmingly BEE-EE-AAY-utiful. A silver body with a V-twin and the darkest of the darkest jet black tires adorned it. Not to forget the metalic HARLEY-DAVIDSON logo on the fuel tank. I had two hours of time to board the connecting flight so I started walking from one end to the other. If you ever are in the Dubai Airport, then you'll feel certainly at home(if you are a Hyderabadi that is). Because people who have loads and loads of time(2-12 hrs) before their connecting flight departs, sleep at the gates. Yes! Reminiscent of the Sec'bad Railway station and other busy railway stations of the two cities. So after an exhausting wait in the line, I board the flight in what was going to be my longest air jouney ever. 16 hours. It was excruciating. No vegetarian food, fat neighbour throwing his weight on an emaciated me, no window seat and 'sweet memories' from back home haunting me. Nevertheless, the personalised entertainment system came to my rescue. I watched movies I always wanted to watch like Kung Fu Panda and all which I couldn't squeeze in time to watch back home and they had TV shows ala FRIENDS and HIMYM too! A little red wine would've helped me probably but without food, I didn't want any of that. So I took lite.

Houston airport gave me a warm welcome. Good officers and a great port of entry I say. Went on smooth. While waiting for the connecting flight to St.Louis though, I really missed home. Friends, special friends, best friends, bros, parents of course and more friends. Strangely, it wasn't nostalgia. I just wished things didn't go the way they were going. I felt bad for not giving into a prospective LDR but also felt good for the same. And when I switched on my mp3 player, hoping AR Rehman would give me some strength, 'Lukka Chuppi' moistened my eyes and if it wasn't for the urge to see my brother's face at St.Louis, Missouri, I think I would've wept. Shit. Did I just say that? Ok you are never going to mention that to me. Ever. I also never got time to ask them to take care of themselves but I hope they will. I already got a huge list of stuff I need to take back home, failing which my arse will be as red as the Texas Tomato which I might add is blood red in color. So finally when it was time for me to board my last flight for another week, I was more than happy. I slogged for two hours in the very compact Continental flight Hou-St.L, and Hola! I was at St.Louis. An American man came up to me, helped me carry my luggage to the exit and even let me give my brother a call. Very soon, a green Honda Accord Coupe raced to the place where I was standing and a guy who I know for the past 21 years greeted me with a wide smile. Felt warm in the already hot and humid St.Louis Lambert International Airport. When we hugged, I knew. I was home.

But no. I was wrong. Now, there are some words I cannot use on this blog which is quite intimidating at times to know but it starts with a 'C'. I guess all you guys and Mokam got what I am saying. So thats what I felt like. Later that night I spent some time with Corona Extra with an added slice of lime. DV was right when he described Corona as the enlightening juice. Cheerio bro! Next morning, my brother left his phone with me and left for work suited-up and all. After a few home calls and a notably long call to Manipal, I felt home again. Bro took me out in the evening and I met his friends and we went to Buffalo Wings Grill and bar and man! You get good food there. I got my phone very soon thanks to the bro again. My man, sponsored my first phone in the US. We went shopping and I got a jeans I always wanted to wear and of course got my newest Aviators. Old school Vintage. Like in MGIT they say, 'Not Listening Baaaaap'.

But time flies by. A week at St.Louis and I realised it was time to leave. The following Wednesday, I got a Business Class ticket to Corpus Christi(Huah!) and started packing again. And finally it was time for me to leave. Wednesday morning ushered in a lot of rains. Brother dropped me at the Airport but none of us had time even for a good-bye. I checked in and a few calls with heavy voice to India were unavoidable. Then got into a flight to Dallas from where I had to catch a connecting flight to Corpus. The skyline at Dallas was a pleasant sight. Especially when the plane flew very very close to it. It was a nice sight. Waited an hour at Dalls before I boarded the flight to Corpus.



There are times when you are idle and your train of thought takes over you and you are lost in the sea of memories. On the flight to Corpus, it was one of those times for me. Through the window, I saw the most wonderful view and memories from back home plunged over each other and hit me. The clouds were sometimes disrtributed unevenly like God had thrown fistfuls of cotton in mid air and sometimes really huge clouds with puffy edges would stare at you like strong men stare at puny kids. Nimbus clouds would gather like it were a meeting of the upperclass. Entertainingly fast grey clouds would whizz past and suddenly the green land would be visible. The propeller of the airplane looked like it loved 'cloud milkshake' as it greedily absorbed the white stuff. Sometimes, the plane would be at a level where you could see the ground and not the sky because you are a part the sky and later you realise that the horizon has absorbed you and you feel like you have reached the oblivion. My heart felt faint. It pleaded me to get off the plane and start hitchhiking my way home. It left me with bittersweet memories of home. Of the place, amongst the children, where I found lost love. Of the place, where you get literally the best biryani in the world. Of the place, where kids with kurtas and pajamas and a religious topi on their head innocently ask their friends, "Pacchas dallaar ek lakh rupai kaise hothe re by?"(How can fifty dollars equal one lakh rupees?) or "Special Chai boletho kya re? usme Ice cream daalthe kya?"(What is Special tea? Is it topped with ice cream?). And of the place, it dwelled for 21 years, no questions asked. At one point before we landed at Houston for a 15 min haul, the plane jumped into clouds and all of a sudden I was in the past, dipping my nose in the mountain of soft curly hair of a girl and the sweet fragrance of her body was all around me. Then the faces of my parents, who gave me unbounded love for 21 years and all I was giving them in return was seperation.


Fifteen minutes or so before the plane landed in Corpus, I got to see the South-West cost of Texas. Exactly like it was in the map. The thin islands and fluorescent blue waters. Layers and layers of different shades of blue waters hitting the thin, snake-like body islands. As the plane started getting closer to the land, I started passing through a guilt-trip. I didn't know it was just the beginning of it. As soon as I landed in Corpus, the university shuttle picked me and dropped me at the university square apartments. I got into the room, made new friends, played cricket, learnt some basic curries and yada yada yada. Since the day after I landed here, I've been searching for a room and freshie room mates. No result yet. Still haven't unpacked my bags which I packed back in St.Louis. Need a permanent accomodation yet. So...

Desperately trying to peek into the future, I realise... But I'm still stuck in transit!