Tassie- Australia 2

Launceston-With a sleep deprived aching body but a heart full of cheer we touched down in Tasmania.Sniffed and cleared by a biosecurity dog wearing uniform and socks(food from mainland to island is prohibited!Hah!) a cool zephyr and bright sunshine welcomed us to the riverside city in Northeren Tasmania. We also took possession of our ride at the unmanned Car Rental-A Tesla. A visiting card was our key to this motor marvel and no human to explain it.Amol & me were like the 3 blind men touching and feeling an elephant. We rubbed the card along the car sides, expecting a genie to open the car.The car relented when we found the sensor and voila! it was a space craft meant for the roads.A couple of more senior moments and we discovered mandatory seat and steering adjustments in no time. The sense of adventure in a holiday kicked in a heady mix of adrenaline and oxytocin and we hit the Tassie roads. This road trip for the next 8 days was love I have never experienced before . Asphalt roads recited poetry.

Our hosts were to recieve us later in the evening so we started the day with a sumptous brekkie at the Harvest market held every Saturday in Launceston.My first brush with artisan everything from food to bevereges, (even salt is artisan) and also Aussie humour.It was brrrr cold and I was seated amongst locals while Amol was away to get me a bite and a sip. I was quickly integrated into their conversation and it led from them tracing their ancestors from the first fleet of convicts inhabitants to a couple meeting their respective dates on a nudist beach. And I was like how can romance even be ignited in this cold and in the nude.Amused by my chattering teeth in their so called "sunny day good for a swim kind of day" one guy said that he got to eat quickly and leave beacuse at the stroke of 10 everyone has to take off their clothes in the harvest market. All on a cue quickened their eating pace and got into a sense of hurry. Amol not by my side added to my worry. I watched the time tick and they kept up the charade with straight faces. 9.55AM I panicked. I began to gather my things and Amol walked up with eats signalling not to leave my seat. And rapturous laughter followed. They made a mickey out of me and how. The Harvest Market was lovely and truly a paddock to plate experience served with brutal honesty. A berry shop had 2 different packaging for the same berries with different prices. When I asked the reason, I was told you get what you pay for. A man wearing a viking hat was selling mead. I asked him innocently if non alcoholic options were available and he remarked why would anyone waste time making that. After the nudist joke debacle I did not want to expose anymore of my ignorance and I left the place in haste , which I regret now because I may never taste such good stuff again.Mead, I learned later that it is an alcoholic drink made from honey from my all knowing boy.

Cataract gorge on the South Esk river was our next stop.Deciphering parking signs and buying a parking tickets is an adventure by itself in our trips abroad.In Portugal we went to buy Percebes(edible barnacles) for 10 minutes and came back to find a parking ticket for 100 euros.We did a short and a easy trail, a couple of photos, saw Tassie peacocks(they looked happier than the Goans ones) rode down the world's longest single span chair car lift and headed out along the River Tamar. A saline tidal estuary that rises and falls with the tide of the Bass Strait that separates Tas from Aus Mainland.

Beauty point - A wharf on River Tamar.Warm in the sun, cold in the shade. Chef's catch, a small seafood place with a great view served us fish and chips with a dash of Tasman salt.Even the salt had magic in Tasmania.

The evening was spent in the company of old friends and worlds best margarita. The magic spilled into the next morning Tamar Valley wine tasting tour with award winning wines, delectable food and lovely banter with friends.

We headed to Burnie to meet another friend and now the charging the Tesla adventure kicked in. Tesla plans charging pit stops very well. As long as we know how to use it. We drove to a Tesla supercharger station place at Devenport. An unmanned charging station like all in Tas. The charging cord wouldnot just come off the dock and there was no one to ask for help. Being a Sunday evening did not help. A man wearing a reflective vest with a board in hand, directing vehicles on the port was the only human I could ask for help. The following conversation ensued He-"I know how to use it, but I cannot help you because it is in not my line of work" Me- You can explain to me how it works and then I will do it He-If I explain and you still end up breaking it, then it would be my fault, so I cant help you Me- Please lead me onto a helpline I can call He- I can help you but I will not. Moron. In reality the supercharging dock keys are kept inside a shop that has it installed and the shop was shut and hence our conundrum. And the moron could not have helped me even if he wanted to. Tas Moron.This is post facto knowledge. We just got more worried at this point and drove to another place as directed by google maps. This time we were led to an almost empty parking lot with 2 vagabond looking men and me a sub 5 feet middling asking for help.We drove around 2 more times in circles and reached a fast charging station that worked with our credit card. All was well again. Only our friend had to report for duty in the next 2 hours and we were 1 hour away. So we partially charged enough to reach Burnie and let the charging continue in Burnie while we caught up and made new memories. Also I found my forever love in Avocados.Meeting old friends in new countries is like comfort food on rainy nights. Warm and heartening.

We headed to Waratah after the last light of the southern sun. And road kills are abundant. The Marsupials are nocturnal and they wander to warmer asphalt roads at night and meet a crushing end. Every kilometer a dead wallaby is not a pretty sight. We reached a pre-heated Air B&B, stocked with Indian food and a bubbly.

Next morning Amol was accosted by an eager white man to sell his plumbing bussiness when he discovered we were Doctors from India.Felt nice to get the, "Indians are moneyed and not the "gareebon ka desh" vibe. The Tesla helped I am guessing.

Cradle mountains and Dove lake has Wildlife, temperate rainforest, high altitude and marvellous scenery.

It rains 300 days a year but we got a bright day to trek around the lake and took classic pictures against the backdrop of the imposing snow peaked summit.Walking on a high of such exquisite natural beauty we ventured into the enchanted forest walk.

Just then a tiger snake , highly venomous, large black and yellow banded snake also decided to sun himself on the trail. I let out such a shrill shriek that the snake slithered away with the sonic transposed terra vibrations but I swore off all temperate rainforest trails from then on in Tas.We were told all snakes are venomous in AUs,Tas. So they have a diagnostic test available that makes it possible to confirm the type of snake venom present in the body of an envenomed patient. This test uses antibodies to recognize specific types of venom produced by different species of snakes.And the snake specific antisnake venom(ASV) is administered to the patient. The turn around time and the logistics involved before treatment would be administered made my head spin, that I did not want any more encounters.Vis a vis in India we have one ASV that is administered for all envenomations(one size fits all) and most of our snakes are non poisonous. Aus n Tas has so many venomous animals.Even the cuddly cute nature's stuffed toy koalas are vicious and more aggressive than a crocodile.Eww While we drove out of the parking lot of Cradle mountain we were low on charge in the Tesla but high on camaraderie and by now had figured out charging solutions in a foreign land.

A charging pitstop at Queenstown ( all charging stops were centrally located so we could grab some eats and coffee always and parking fee was included)and a evening show of Australia’s longest-running play,"The Ship That Never Was" . It is a hillarious parody of the last great convict escape from Sarah Island to Chile and when the convicts got caught after 2 years of freedom they argued that the ship never existed.Audience members play minor characters and bring their own energy and I played the jelly fish. In Strahan for the next 24 hours I was addressed as the jelly fish because the place has only 700 residents and we bump into each other every 5 minutes.Even our residential colony in Goa will easily exceed that number. Our host graciously shared his meat stew and rice by the side for dinner because all grocers shut by 7 and we lucked out of reservations in all local eat outs. Besides the food they shared insights into aborginal customs,concerns and culture. She was well travelled and taught at the uni.So we got detailed explanations to all our queries ranging from wallaby road kills to First Nations honour.

Gordon River cruise- Quiet cruising on the Gordon River with an electric motor in the whispering mode shows how dedicated they are about reducing the environmental footprint. The guides(college students with a part time job) on board were so engaging and confident. Facts about engineering marvels of Hell's gates, wild temperate rainforest Huon pines, piners(Aus for lumberjacks) treachorous lives,blood curdling stories of convicts at the Sarah Island were nice .Pristine clear reflections make for the best pictures of the trip.The waters were brown from tanins leached from the dense rain forests.Salmon aquaculture trivia took the crown for me.Salmon in their natural habitat are pink because they feed on small crustaceans. Industrial farmed salmon has grey flesh so a dye is added to get the salmon pink shade which varies according to the market.Oriental market get a brighter shade no 27 while European market demand a paler shade 25. The fresh salmon in the buffet on the cruise was the tastiest salmon I have had till now.

We drove out of strahan on the Lyell highway. The famous 99 bends( not really 99 in number and not that we really counted) a curvy, winding road of perfect tarmac that snakes its way over the mountains above Queenstown is easily the most picturesque road in the whole world. A road trip especially in an electric car with all its challenges is worth just this road alone.We drove along Derwent valley and saw blue painted tress for metal health awareness, large campers which Amol thinks should be our next holiday,somemore wallaby road kills and reached Hobart in good time.

Hobart - Rose cottage overlooking the Tasman bridge was a home away from home. 8 days into any holiday we start to miss home. This Air B&B run by a teacher again had such eye for detail and instructions that covered practically everything(but we being us scraped the undercarriage of an SUV trying to park , got knocked 3 times on the head by a door that couldnot keep itself open because reading instructions is for weaklings obviously)

Bruny islands- A short ferry ride took us to this highly recommended twin islands connected by a narrow isthmus called THe Neck. The light house on the southern island is the land mass before Antartica.

After we found a spot to charge our Tesla we walked 2 kms for some sea food. I was given Bruny island apple cider to drink while Amol settled down with a beer. Lovely holiday with 2 people in love for 20 years,Tesla charging woes overcome, credit card(Amex didn't work but Visa did)conundrums sorted and 2 more days to the holiday still left Life was perfect.Till I felt Tizzy.I read the alcohol content in the cider was 5.7%.(I did not know cider had alcohol even) So in absolute terms I had had more alcohol than Amol per kg body weight.Rest of Bruny island I was deliriously happy and oblivious to all beauty and surroundings. Amol cajoled me,dragged me,carried me piggy back for almost 2 kms.I was mindlessly talking but I remember the worry on Amol's face.A can of cider flicked the holiday switch off for the big man.By the time my head cleared we had reached mainland. From that moment on I am the biggest apple cider fan. Tastes like appy and hits like an atom bomb. We tried many ciders after that in Tas but not one matched to the bruny island buzz.

Sunset at Mount Wellington(Kunayi for the locals) and the drive up there,the wind speeds at 30km/hr almost knocking me over,the observatory with all its trivia(Darwin was here collecting specimens),sweeping panoramic views of Hobart below is etched for eternity.

Swansea was the charging pitstop. The beach was beautiful and the fish at horny cray was mediocre.

Freycinet National park and the hike upto wine glass bay had us drained in the afternoon sun.

Bloody red raging tempers that followed could not dampen the beauty of Clear blue skies, aquamarine waters, neverending stretches of white sands and a white Tesla on grey roads .In haste We took a C route( The route numbering system in Tas is composed of National Highway 1, and three categories of alphanumeric routes: 'A' routes, which are the state's most important arterial roads; 'B' routes, other important sub-arterial and connecting roads; and 'C' routes, significant minor roads.) This C route was a 'kachha' road (least expecting this with our previou silky smooth roads experience and hence shocked that this could exist in Tas), not a single human for 40 km and even sos on Tesla was sketchy and battery was draining fast. We had no satellite phone and we didnot know where this road would lead. Being nasty to each other did not help. Finally we reached

With a full stomach and a fully charged car the veil of anger and anxiety lifted and when we saw sunset at the Tesselated pavement at Lufra, Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula of Tasmania. This tessellated pavement consists of a marine platform on the shore of Pirates Bay, Tasmania. This consists of two types of formations: a pan formation and a loaf formation.The pan formation is a series of concave depressions in the rock that typically forms beyond the edge of the seashore. This part of the pavement dries out more at low tide than the portion abutting the seashore, allowing salt crystals to develop further; the surface of the "pans" therefore erodes more quickly than the joints, resulting in increasing concavity.The loaf formations occur on the parts of the pavement closer to the seashore, which are immersed in water for longer periods of time. These parts of the pavement do not dry out so much, reducing the level of salt crystallisation. Water, carrying abrasive sand, is typically channelled through the joints, causing them to erode faster than the rest of the pavement, leaving loaf-like structures.The science and the sunset veiws are both memorable.

MONA-Museum of Old and New Art- A disneyland for adults. Either one loves it or loathes it. I loved it and Amol suffered it. One of my faves are the oil room(built out of sump oil and steel. The oil fills the whole room with one narrow viewing path that goes straight into the center. The oil is about waist deep but you cannot tell the depth from looking at the surface. From above, it’s an optical illusion. It looks like another level to the building, but really, it’s the reflection of the ceiling above you).

I am definitely no art expert or culture vulture, but I loved it for its sheer cleverness and willingness to completely disregard farcical adult correctness. It is so overwhelming and exhausting at the same time.

Battery point- We Climbed Kelly’s Steps – a clever inner-city shortcut hacked into a cliff – to reach one of Hobart’s most charming suburbs, Hobart’s first suburb, and widely regarded as the best-preserved colonial-era suburb in Australia.

We walked past a sculpture of Roald Amundsen at the Institue of Maritime and Antartic studies commemorating his historic visit to Hobart in his ship Fram in 1912 where he telegraphed the success the first expedition to reach the South Pole.We had visited this wooden Fram ship in the Fram museum in Oslo a decade earlier with Adi and this scultpture nicely tied up our wanderings with nostalgia.

Salamanca market on Saturdays would have been nice if we had not done the Harvest Market. We walked to the Botanical garden to admire via the war memorial.

We packed our bags with cider and hearts with memories and left Tas and Aus.This time we even packed a chicken sandwich to eat on the flight out.

Winds of the heavens dance Down Under-Sydney

Australia-The Mainland-We landed in Sydney bright eyed and bushy tailed,fingers interlocked, hearts warm with love even after a 13 hours long flight and a 20 years of marriage for 3 reasons. This is the first holiday that we have ever taken-just the 2 of us(People who know my unbridled nervous energy were skeptical and said a silent prayer for Amol and the Aussies). Second, this international holiday was after a "corona,send son to college" combo hiatus of 5 years.Also it was my birthday gift that I had bulldozed out of Amol. 29 Feb 2024-It was one of those perfect days.Mother Earth planned her spinning for those 24 hours just for me.The biosecurity at the airport is infamous.They confiscate all and sundry from "pardes ki matti" Many a warning and memes about it had me highstrung but the cute dog just let us through. We headed to a nice breakfast at a cafe.My first brush with the Aussie food.Fresh, organic with no pesticide residues were only words till we tasted it. And it can make such a difference is something I learned on this holiday. Also their attention to detail while drawing hearts on cappuchino or plating food makes the 60x rupee to A dollar math reasonable.

We headed to the Taronga zoo as per the Bday girl wishes. There is a Chandran family lore that my favourite animal in the Hyderabad zoo was Divyafee. With the gifted vocabulary of a 2 years old I explained to all who didnot get the reference that it was an animal with the long neck. Such is my love for animals, words and myself and the order of importance varies on the order of the day. Taronga zoo had all the animals my heart desired, the seals show had me clapping and cheering and I had my first sighting of a zebra, meerkat ever in my life. The zebra B&W markings are unique to each like our fingerprint and they are designed to create cool currents to beat the African heat. The koalas are cuddly and cute but I didnot get close to any. Apparently they are inflicted with chlamydiasis. Eww. We also had the first glimpse of the Sydney opera house and the harbour bridge from afar. Now I am person of "first" moments. Like the view of Taj when we enter through the archway is breathtaking. The unfolding of the Eiffel tower as we entered Paris had my body empty out all its oxytocin and I had an "romatic arrest". The leaning tower of Piza even up close left me wondering. Opera house and the harbour bridge had me thinking , " even if one woke up to this view every single day , one will never stop being amazed " We saw it from the waters approaching it from a ferry, saw it at a height of 3000mts from the bridge, admired it up close from a restaurant that provided the best views, through the greenery of the Botanic gardens , through daylight, sunset and sublime nightlights and it was always spectacular. The next day we headed to the Bondi beach - the worlds best beach and for a reason.Disclaimer - I am not a beach holiday person and also I think Goa has the best beaches and seafood in the world. I was proved wrong on all accounts. Bondi beach is so clean that if we baked its white samds with a little vanilla it will make a lovely cake. So clean that the seagulls must be wearing a diaper while flying over it. And the fried calamari and oysters served there are just another realm in gastronomy. We chose to explore the city over the coastal walk for 2 reasons. The beaches were too virtuous and FOMO one of the best cities in the world. The walk to the historic Rocks district took us through the city highrises, Stock exchange, opal museum. Adequate photos clicked, displeasure expressed at the insane numbers( also bday was over), we boarded the train to meet friends.

This is the first holiday where we met friends along with vacationing.Wining and dining and catching up, revealing some embarassimg deets, their kind spouses accomodating us and thier kids Aussie accent had all my heart. We lived a little slice of the Aussie life through them vicariously for the next few hours. I was having so much fun that I wanted this day to never end and in a weird way it didnt. After a mandatory brush with the night life and the pub culture of Sydney we reached just in time to pack and leave for Tasmania or Tassie as the Aussies call it. We skimmed through Sydney maybe even rushed through it but life doesnot have to be perfect to be wonderful.

My leap year birthday

Most people in a brief interaction with me know that my birthday is on the 29 of February. Always followed by jibes about how small I am because my birthday comes once in 4 years.Not complaining because I love the attention btw.Also with follow up questions of when do I actually celebrate it and how I must be getting a big gift once in 4 years. More about the gifts later. My Dad was so proud of my birthday, when his colleague casually remarked that it was no achievement but mere coincidence,this person was permanently cancelled in Dad's mind. 3 days into internship on a February 28, I walked into a busy medicine OPD with some tinkling embellishments on my dress. Amol, my then Resident likened me to a cow with bells.I launched into this awkward actual conversation, "actually it is my birthday today but actually it is on 29 February, so it is not my actual birthday but I actually celebrate it on the last day of February" Brevity was never my strong point clearly. Amol just got up and asked me to follow him out. 100 patients on either side of us, waiting for their turn to see the doctor peering at us, I was led into a canteen and asked to choose an icecream. I was too dumbfounded to react so Amol just chose a butterscotch Cornetto and told me very sincerely with those soulful eyes that he didnot know anyone born on this special date and hence this special treat.And even now my husband maintains that was the only reason he bought me that icecream and not for the vibrant, vivacious me.In his defence he has never indulged any other girl to an icecream. But definitely the start of our young romance.So my leap year birthday landed me the nicest man-husband. Lots of stuff happens between birthdays , personally and the kind that affect the human race in general. Like a pandemic, National education policy ,change in US prez Trump to Biden(Modiji has been a constant though, he could use it as his election campaign with due copyrights to me) Like Adi having answered 10th boards, 12th boards,JEE , entry into IIT.moved from home to hostel, going from a smooth faced chubby boy to fuzz and zit covered face, taller than dad, lost all my baby fat and now I am the kool kid look. All of this happened from one bday to the other. He still finishes all phone conversations with "I love Amma" and hugs me without hesitation or awkwardness, so I am blessed like that. Also I have the distinction of remembering my own first birthday. I was 4 years old and Dad carried me around the entire evening in a makeshift shamiana pandal erected on the terrace of our Hyderabad home, where lots of people had gathered to wish me.As a matter of fact I remember all my birthdays. My parents always made a big deal of it and I revelled in it all. So Amol had big shoes to fill. When people joke that Amol has to only buy a birthday gift once in 4 years , he says that atleast on the leap year the birthday celebrations are limited to 1 day because in the intervening 3 years it is over 3 days. 28 Feb -last day of the birthday month. Midnight wee hours between 28/02 -01/03. On 1 March because it follows 28/02. As corny as it sounds I am big on greetings and gifts. This leap year Amol has gifted me the leaping mammal Kangaroo land holiday. So this time , just the 2 of us, (discounting the plane load of people sharing this flight with us)for the first time ever, I ring in my birthday midair, somewhere over the Indian ocean.And in the "around the world" time zone hack, also the longest hours one can possibly fit into a day kind of birthday in another hemisphere, another continent having the perfect day with my Cornetto Resident-husband.The Universe loves me and gratitude is the name of the fragrance.

Spiti Valley - Treacherous terrain,daredevil driving, picturesque peaks

I am writing this blog 2 months post travel to Northeeastern part of Himachal Pradesh- Spiti Valley - for 2 reasons 1.one feels good about An adventure after the rigours are over 2.some bad parts of the trip fade over and the good parts get glossier in our heads with time This circuit is along the neck of India, almost kissing China was envisioned,planned and executed completely by Amol. I was so ignorant that I did not even know that, this was a road trip. Importantly that Amol would drive us all the way in the Himalayas. So instead of the dreamy kissing the neck, it was a trip that goes for your jugulars- definitely not for the faint hearted Chandigarh- We landed and dived right into Pal Dhaba's original butter chicken. Highly recommended by all (even Indigo inflight magazine recommends it) and in my opinion definitely avoidable. Delhi belly just moved north and gastronomically, all blasted southwards. But not to be miffed we seasoned travellers hurtled up the Shivaliks to Shimla in a temporary registered Thar.(We found many more such temp reg vehicle in the hills,apparently to save on taxes during interstate transit).

The Thar was so new that even the plastic sheets were not taken off the seats, which just added to the discomfort of the growling bowels. Also the self drive car hire owner came across as this usual sweet Punjabi uncle and hence earned inversely proprtional distrust and suspicion from me. My dictum in life: If anything is too good to be true, then probably it is. Our first night stay was just outside Shimla, a bit off the road.A good host, clean rooms, breathtaking views, home cooked meals. The temple bells rang in the misty hills, the source apparently a short hike to a Hanuman Mandir and my first of many Marriage advice from my son. While I floated like a leaf carried by the wind, up the hill , Amol huffed - puffed and when he could do no more , we started to argue. Adi was like ,"Dad always tries to measure up to Amma's madness but it is never enough for her aka me." A happy marriage has to come with low expectations and even lesser efforts. Maybe. We did reach the temple and a compromise to behave and reign it in. The night view of the lighted Shimla church and the crowded hill town from afar was the start of spectacular views of this trip. Whoever said Shimla is ravaged by rampant tourism has to see this. Amol couldnot sleep well that night but I attributed it to the butterflies related to Pal Dhaba and the journey ahead. And I took a teen's marriage advice too seriously. Lesser the effort and concern for the spouse happier the martiage. I slept well unconcerned by the propped up heaving big man next to me. The dawn brought us our four wheel drive. A big butch car, with 2 and a half working seatbelts, a friendly but crazy hill driver.He had to share the car till the end of the day. Also we got introduced to other vehicles and fellow drivers in our convoy. They were young, unkempt, aggressive in words,actions and driving. I instantly named them "Thar guys"(7 men indistinguishably in form and unkemptness) "Guj gang"-(a troublesome car that they dragged from Delhi to save some pennies, a chiseled macho vain man and 3 minions.By Arjun Reddy logic - good looking people surround themselves with definitely less than good looking people to look even better. Anyways these minions took pics of the vain guy from all angles. So they had a 100 photos of each pose. Good thing was that I could borrow them to get good pics of our 2/3rds photo averse family. Our ride was middle aged in car and character.We skipped the Shimla traffic and saw the landscape change from conifer trees to small bushes and meadows.

The rocky overhangs and the natrow roads made their apperance from Day 1. BRO -Border road organisation does a commendable job of making and maintaining the mountain roads .The apple plantations were so many that the whole world could feed on a apple diet and there will be some to spare. We reached Raksham village named after a stone bridge by nightfall but in time to witness a local wedding and all the Himachali folks in their finery. I read later that Kinnaur district has the age old tradition of polyandry and adelific form aka common wife of brothers- ring a bell- Draupadi. These parts has housed the Pandava brothers and Co. during their exile and trace this custom to them. We had a changeover of guides and this time was Mr Sunil, a man of few words and nerves of steel.When things got bad he would remark,"Spiti kiya jaisa lagna chahiye"

Chitkul -the last village on the Indian side of the Indo-China border. A glamping site, bonfire, and biting cold air. Daru and sutta went around but not without me being judgy. I named them the sutta gang and the name stuck till ..... In the luxe camp we 3 cuddled and lulled to a oxytocin rich sleep. Amol was propped up and worried.And he decided to wake me up this time. His oxygen sats had dropped to 65% and he was finding it difficult to breathe. In my sleep I asked him to do recruitment exercises and take an acetazolamide. He slept well after this and I slept non plussed just as adviced by my teen son.A teen who has to be reminded to catch a flight in time but will dole out marriage advice. The problem is not him. It is that we after 20 years of experience, still need marriage advice. I got up early, bright eyed , bushy tailed and went for a solo walk towards the village. A gurgling Baspa river on one side, sun rising over snow peaked mountains, colourful birds, green meadows, wild rose bushes. Pity these sights are 4000kms away. 2 kms later I was joined by a local, friendly enough to scare me back to the camp. A Hot water bath, yummy parathas, social media aware camp boys (who make gram worthy bytes from all tourists) later we left this abode. Amol took charge of the wheel, foung some brake pad niggles,Sunil giving some useful insights,and after some mandatory sign post pics we hurtled on the mountain roads. We fixed the brake pads in a garage that overlooked a hanging bridge,under a walnut tree , overhung by hydrangea blooms. Btw snow peaked mountains are a given in this road trip. The most picturesque garage in the whole world . Garage "muy bonito".

Khab sangam bridge- This is where Spiti river joins the Mansarovar lake originating Sutlej river. Besides being a good photo point, a small underbridge eatery also whipped up some local dishes for us. Adi had a mountain rule- we have to try Maggi at every eat stop. So Maggi, local sweet n spicy dumplings were washed down with the tastiest apricots(khubbani in the local lingo) and dried apples sold by pretty sunkissed wrinkled vendors and we had left Kinnaur district and sped along spiti.

Lots of hydroelectricity plants and their creative warning sogns kept us company on this stretch.

Nako village-Right on the neck of the Indian map has a lake that freezes in winter and hosts ice skating. The village was quaint and the air was infused with dung smells. Villagers keep their cattle in the basement and live in the floor above them. The biogas keeps their hearth warm.

Spiti river( a tributary of Sutlej) accompanied us throughout this road trip. I would describe this river as "fuming with bad blood". Let me explain. The river is turbulent and churning grey with the black mountain silt. If a crocodile strayed here by chance he would be blinded by the silt and end up with a ton of mud in his mouth remarked our teen during our "what ifs" conversations in this long long ride. This river has inspired spiritual quests for over a 1000 years. Tabo, Kaza, Dhankar monastrieries are testimony to this.

I wanted to run after a donkey that had strayed from his folks and Amol kindly obliged. I scared the poor beast away. Excess of adrenaline,dopamine,oxytocin,serotonin in the lack of oxygen makes one go cuckoo. Though this drive was supposed to be in a convoy with 3 other vehicles and Sunil in a trailer, it was hardly so. The partial pressure of oxygen in these parts is low but as the air got thinner the "sutta gang" hiked up their fags.Also they wanted to hurtle down the treacherous slopes at speeds that our family car refused to keep up. We were given walkies that did not work and whats app group updates were patchy. It was fun in a way because it was just us and the endless mountain roads. Sunil suggested we take a detour to see a mummy in Gue village. Apparently an i phone can catch Chinese phone network here.The drive was at the end of the day, we were tired and Spiti was a dangerous black along the darkening day and the roads were no longer under BRO jurisdiction. This means rubbles are the road. At the end of this lay a tourist trap. An excuse of a monastery, mummy validated by "Oxford university" of California

The night at Tabo monastry was the most urban of all our stays. Buffet style dinner and chicken(welcome in any form) had us tummy happy. Amol sats had gotten better. Now we played this "who has the best oxygen sats" and I always won. Adi not to accept defeat stung at me that I was sucking out all their oxygen. The mountains have light till late and early sunrises. The monastery is the oldest operational Bhuddist Monastery with student monks. Early morning prayers in a dark sanctum set to rhythm with Bhuddhist chants, the fading Thanka paintings on scrolls and wooden columns , cute round red faced kids, extra furry but severely matted mountain dogs..I even wanted to bring one pup back home and Amol humoured me with pet adoption queries. Sunil shot them down instantly citing inhospitable coastal climates for these fur balls would be a death knell...mind marvelled while my body grovelled.

Dhankar Ghompa- Dhan means cliff and Kar means fort. A fort literally hanging off a cliff( so was everything else on this trip) housed a white Bhuddhist monastery.We had a lunch break here and drove up and some more up to reach Kaza. In Kaza everything was world's highest - petrol pump,restaurant, post office,motorable roads. If one sneezed here then you have achieved the distinction of having sneezed at the highest human inhabitation.

The mountain roads are so narrow that when one has to give way to an oncoming vehicle, which is often,one of vehicles has to have 2 of its wheels off the ledge dangling dangerously. A complicated moving forward and reversing retinue (akin to the mating rituals of birds and bees) was performed each time to give way.

Also We spotted some mountain Ibis and witnessed their nimble yet sure footed jumps cross the cliffs.

Our homestay at Kaza was the warmest of all our stays. Our host made us some local delicacies.The pahadi food is spicy and rich and unique.

Hikkim , Komic and Lanza were in a circuit around Kaza.Beauty beyond words. We posted postcards to F&F from the world's highest PO One of the sutta gang cars in the convoy met with an accident and they had to cough up a lakh and waste a lot of time at the local police station(world's highest mind you) With slightly dampened spirits we drove away from Kaza.

Kye Monastery - The biggest , over 3 floors, and a training centre belonging to the Gelugpa sect. Picturesque and peaceful. We met a lot of senior citizens from Ladakh on a pilgrimage here and greeted all with joyous "Julle"

Chicham bridge-The bridge is at a staggering height of 13596 ft and connects the two villages named Chicham and Kibber. A 1000 ft deep gorge and hot Maggi upstairs set the mood for some romantic captures on Asia's highest bridge.The gorge below is known by the name of Samba Lamba Nallah; the making of this bridge cuts down the journey from Kibber to Losar by 40 km.

Losar-Amol got a pic at the milestone of this village for the antihypertensive losartan that goes by the tradename Losar and the nephrologist that he is.

We saw a mountain stream hydroelectric powered contraption to continiously rotate the Bhuddhist prayer drum at a monastery here.Supplies and roads are open only for 3 months a year(July,Aug,Sept). A sparse population of a couple of hundreds,one can hear the sound of silence . The preicipotous black ravines echoes sounds 3 times apparently and each rock to a speck of dust in this cold desert is unique. Maggi in the mountains as we ascended in altitude just got magical.

We had to go through Kumzum pass to reach the final destination Chandrataal lake.Our convoy was more scattered than ever. The Guj gang car needed resuscitaion and Sunil was torn between his car kids. He stuck to the sick car and let the healthy 2 drive on.Sutta gang unperturbed by the accodent or just false bravado just sped. And we were boldened by an uneventful 1000kms of mountain roads at half Everest altitudes. There was some precipitation along the way. Kumzum pass passed by in ethereal driving bliss set to pace with intimate family conversations over lovely snacks and even better snow pics.

The views and photos just on this stretch made this entire trip surreal. We had to make way for some HRTC buses . My heart was filled with pride and awe for these divine modern day Garudas and Airavats. Some tempo travellers too went past us. With precipitation roads got muddier and GPS signal weaker. We finally were on the road to Chandrataal guessing by the mules and tents on the way.We caught up with Sutta gang during their sutta break and they said that our camp was just ahead. And just ahead our car skid. Amol also lost his bearings. We realised that I was of little help in this slush-mud-rain-car crisis.I tried to move a big stone to create an alterante path for our car. A shepherd helped me and I swear I had a glimpse of tha "Good Shepherd " that day in the mountains. 15 minutes of helplessness (felt like an eternity ) and finally Amol gathered his wits about him and the car got past with one last hurrah and we finally reached our camp site soaked in rain and anxiety but safe and sound. Sutta gang welcomed us warmly and during small talk Amol discovered they were IITians. Amol's heart sank to his knees. Being parents to an IITian we foresaw our son's future in them. And it was not an encouraging one..... While we warmed ourselves in the campfire we met friendly Americans and a father son duo on bikes. We shared stories of the treacherous routes and felt less bad with each one of our experiences.I had even started to give Amol some gyaan about reading theory of mountain driving before he exposed all of us to this perilous journey. Sunil came with the Guj gang much later and much harassed. So I didnot launch an attack on him for abandoning us but made myself clear that we will stick to the convoy in every sense of the word and road from now on.

We all went in a convoy to Chandrataal , a moon shaped mountain lake with clear emarald waters , got over a 100 photos, and returned safely back to the camp.

The drive down to Manali was probably the most rugged, took a toll on my lower back,we yearned for the coast and curd rice, but we did drive in a convoy. Sunil signed off and we all bid adieu to our fellow car mates and the hills and parted ways. And we kissed the mountain air goodbye one last time and thanked Hidimba for the safe sojourn. Our experience of the mountains may be unique to our family but the magic is universal. Mountains are magestic and its moods are whimsical and I am in awe of the first and humbled by the later. So long.

Adi takes a flight

Adi 2sem finished uneventfully and it was time to get home. He first got us to book tickets a week after exams citing hostel room change and some miscellaneous but "important to him, irrelevant to us" reasons. I used all my "Maa ki Mamta" and got him to predate this by 4 days.He agreed and before the end of the phonecall Amol got the flights changed. This meant he had to pack his stuff and leave it in the new hostel room that was not yet allotted(IITB has strange operational delays like that, for eg ID cards took 2 sems to issue.) all in 24hours and catch the flight. 24 hours is also the time frame engg students study for any exam. By extension of this universal law I argued it was ample time to wrap up stuff and head home. I got down to making my dream reel on insta with K3G song in the background welcoming my "laal" back home.The whole world had to know about the Mama Drama queen.Modakam had to be Adi readied, snack boxes were refilled , Amol had to move out of Adi's bathroom, Adi's room had to messed up a bit (too sterile a room turns off hostelites I have heard, and with the welcome placard to be waved at the airport made, I began the countdown.I felt Every minute pass by that day and waited by watching some DDLJ on TV(I watch DDLJ for every emotion). Life was too good to be true. I felt like Waheeda Rehman dancing in Guide Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai Aaj phir marne ka irada hai Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai Aaj phir marne ka irada hai Apne hi bas mein nahi main Dil hai kahin to hoon kahin main The Indigo flight was at 10:30pm at night and last seen by Adi on whatsapp was at 2 pm. Amol had enquired if he will manage the ride to the airport on his own and was replied in the affirmative by the boy at 5:30pm. I kept up the charade of not calling Adi and all communication happened on Whatsapp. 8:45 pm - Amol storms home and in between lots of expletives I gathered Adi was running late.Now when we are proud of ADi's achivements we always call him our respective son. From this minute onwards Adi was referred to as my son.So you get the drift. Amol was shaking with anger while I unleashed all my zen on him and I remained annoyingly calm.I reasoned that all we had to lose was money on the flight bookings but Adi would learn his lesson, from time management to eventually self discipline. My insta reels also were cursed and Amol was convinced that this has resulted in this situation.I was banned from social media.Adi was asked to share live location. The GPS signal was moving in the oppsite direction of the airport. More curses.We spoke to the driver and he rattled off some landmarks and sounded confident about reaching the airport in 20 minutes. 600kms away We just had to trust him with the directions and our son.Amol stress ate and Captain Haddock could have learnt a few curses from Amol.Adi was given instructions to pay the driver in advance and scram for a rapid security clearance at the airport. My zen riled Amol visibly and I was patting myself on the back for not losing my cool. I had indeed become the cool mom. 9:30pm The GPS signal stopped 1 km outside the airport. It refused to budge for 5 minutes. Discounting for a traffic jam and winning with my unruffled zen I tried not to think too much. 10 minutes and still no movement. I was getting teeny bit worried.I tried to call Adi. The call connected but no sound. I thought ADi was answering on his wretched headphones and tried calling again. Now no response. Whatsapp call - no response.I challenged Airtel network for the next 10 minutes with 50 phone calls - no response. GPS signal -still stuck. Amol now said that the driver had kidnapped my son and now he wants to see me practice my zen.As these words rolled out- full blown panic- I was splayed out on the floor in front of my Gods to bring my son back to safety. I suspected Amol's lips curled in evil laughter. 9:55pm Adi answers the phone with the words"I am at the boarding and they have not yet announced boarding" hah Aditya's version of the same The day began at about 8 am with me bleary-eyed and dazed. First things first, I started cleaning up the room, an activity I had begun the previous day but still needed to be completed. The moved-up schedule meant that instead of 4 leisurely days to pack up my things like a swaddled babe, I was stacking and shoving like the Brits out of Ireland. Running away from, or rather towards, my personal IRA, I stormed toward the library, benching 225 in books. Procrastinating porter that I was, I had forgotten to return the bloody things. After a hasty lunch at ye olde mess, the next order of business was clothes. The process of folding clothes is usually meditative in its repetitiveness, but not this time. Clothes were not folded so much as squashed into an approximately rectangular shape in rapid succession. Tired and seeing the time left, I decided to take a short nap. The "short" nap ended up taking three precious hours. With no time left to procrastinate, everything had to be kicked into high gear. An hour later, I was done packing and ready to move my stuff to mi casa futura. Finally, I had a bath and freshened up to travel since there were temporarily no taxis to be had. The Taxi drought continued till 7:30 when one lone man arrived, ready to ferry me. Getting on the darkly lit discount Pumpkin carriage, I was already late per the original schedule. After a quick riposte with a guard, I had my worldly belongings shoved into a room that made Tihar jail look palatial, and I was about ready to leave on my jet plane. The taxi apps then decided to play a prank on me. First, the Uber I had booked cancelled on me, which was quickly followed by the Ola guy somehow transmuting a 1-minute distance to a 10-minute distance that refused to change for five. Finally, with my dad screaming instructions in my ear, I girded my loins and ran out to catch an Auto to T1. What followed was an intense ride through Bombay traffic, with the pollution in my hair and far too many vehicles on the road. All the while, my parents were trying to give me a heart attack by proxy. Unfortunately, being Aditya and not Noah, I could not part the sea of cars ahead and had to wait and pray. With five minutes to boarding, I descended upon the airport like a short Viking berserker. Luckily, security was rapidmente, and I got through in time for boarding and some Bhakarwadi on the way.