After settling down on the windows seat on the Vistara flight from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi, I had to wait patiently for half an hour as the giant beast growled on the turmac. Running behind schedule it finally took off from Odisha's soil. I switched my head towards the window to take a view at the fading string of the lights below. The flights from Bhubaneswar Airport fly right above our home after take off, so I tried to get a bird's eye view of our house from above. My wish was belied as the airplane slowly vanished into the cloud.
I have already covered the topic of a large number of Odias these days talking in Hindodia (Hindi mixed Odia). When you look at a person after a hiatus, you can perceive any noticeable change rather than someone who sees the same person every day. Similarly, visiting Odisha after a long gap one other thing I did notice - there is a drastic drop in the quality of Odia songs. They are filled with nonsense lyrics and double entendre. Not to be left out the Odia music videos play cheap songs full of gyrating hips in gay abandon. Modern Odia music videos are made for the masses by asses.
Long distance travel is real pain in the back, literally. I could feel the soreness in my back after I am back in USA after a grueling 30 hour long journey from Bhubaneswar to Delhi to London to Atlanta to Columbus interspersed with several stops. I was welcomed by 100 degree (38°C) heat here. From one heat wave to another, heat follows me everywhere. Looks like I am a hot guy, destined to be roasted this year. I could sense the heat, but can't feel it so much here as I just came from India after encountering the prickly humidity of Bhubaneswar adding to the heat index factor which makes it energy sapping.
It felt odd not to hear a single vehicle honking on my 100 miles (160 km) road trip from Atlanta Airport to Columbus. Miss the din and bustle, crowd and the continous kickee...kickkee..kickee...of bikes yonking horn and slicing their way through the traffic - the ubiquitous jerk on the road and the bumpy rides. The roads here are too smooth, comfortable to my back. A person who has driven on roads of Odisha, driving anywhere else in world is a walk in the park.
Already miss the murmuring of the mosquitoes and brutally clapping them to death, the yodelling of mongrels in the middle of night to mark their territory. The air of Georgia feels refreshingly fresh after spending hours inhaling the breath and fart filled stale air emitted by hundreds of passengers inside the flight for 21 hours.
The 30 hour long journey including the in between flight stoppage time seemed eternal and tiring when you are packed like sardines inside Cattle Class, better known as the better sounding Economy Class. Above 40,000 feet in the sky the moon looked a whole lot bigger and brighter in the pollution free air - the rabbit inside the moon looked eager to jump out into the window seat I took.
US President Ronald Reagan was known to doze off during meetings he attended abroad as he couldn't get sleep inside long flights, even inside his comfortable Air Force One. I also share a similar trait of not able to go beyond sporadic cat naps on long haul flights. I am scared of turbulence. The slightest of shaking of airplane gives me nightmares. I feel tired but could barely sleep inside a flight. The whirring sound of airplanes still humming around ears.
My first day at work wasn't too bad except late in afternoon when my chin started to drool and hit the space bar of computer keyboard. Still drooling over my India trip. No black coffee or aspirin can assuage this post vacation hangover, only time will heal it. My trip didn't go in vain. Travelled miles to achieve several milestones meeting my parents, friends and relatives, connected with old friends and met new ones, ate a lot of local food with fun filled moments.
Reminds me of Kamal Hasan from the movie PUSHPAK who while staying in a posh hotel could not sleep as he missed the sights and sounds of his locality, where his deep rooted roots lied. The pleasure of staying amongst your own is unparallel. One always tends to fall in love with own millieu. Love it or hate it, amidst all these there is a unique flavor of incredible India which you do not find elsewhere. It concluds my travel blog to India. More next time...
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