when do i get to hit this highway you must be thinking… well the answer is the last of the last year i.e. 2005 took me to meet Deepak… a friend i have not known for long and i still call him a friend… which makes him a very nice fella… i do not emotionally care about whatever happens to anyone in this world.. but as someone has said.. exceptions are always there… my life has given me a few exceptions always to care for… ok… lemme get away from the senti stuff… i will tell you at the end of this post why am i feeling kinda senti right now…..i might even forget coz i am going to write about a different new year celebration tonight… another FIRST in my life…

chennai…. 30th dec-2005… Anna International Airport…. Prashant is smarter after his experience in mumbai and heads straight for the Pre Paid Taxi Counter… and takes a taxi to the Thiru-Vaan-Miyur… where Deepak lives… this plan was being thought of for a while.. and it finally had been taken care of.. he and Deepak were to go to Pondi to celebrate the new year… two friends… fond of travel.. and fotos… both with their own thoughts and ideas… it was supposed to be fun !!!! prashant was looking forward to it !!!

deepak came down to make sure prashant does not have a problem in searching for the house.. prash was thinking and imagining a society like the ones he had seen in gurgaon and noida and other places…. but this was different… right on the main road… later he found out that it was the HIGHWAY…. now how cool is that… 7th floor.. the highest prash had ever stayed at so far… and a cool breeze… a few talks about the plan, and this is what was decided… they both go to mahabalipuram with parul and her folks who were in chennai for a holiday and they move in a different direction from there…

sleep greets prashant only at around 0100 hrs on the last day of 2005… and he has to wake up around 0800 hrs.. its going to be a long day ahead hero.. get up… so gathering all his will against the sweet sleep he gets up and gets ready… what the FUCK… this is what comes out of his mouth when the tap water goes in the first time.. the water was salty… well the water was not really salty… it was the bloddy salt that was a li’il waterry… huh !!! and after he has taken his bath deepak also happily points it out and asks him how was the experience of having a bath with salt 🙂 well… good to be different… bad to be usual… prashant was wondering how tough it is for deeps to stay there…

anyway parul is about an hour late.. and then we make them wait… for about 5 minutes… the deluxe qualis… peeche wali seat bhi middle seat jaisee.. its the best muv pras has traveled in so far.. the most comfortable of all… and then he realised.. the car was comfortable.. and the driver NUTS… the driver was driving as if he was driving in a video game… it was like he was realising that there is a vehicle in the front when he could read the fine print on the number plate on the rear of the vehicle in the front.. and thenhe would suddenly move to the right.. and then suddenly to the left…. and prash sitting at the rear seat could feel that… and he could see that speedometer as well to make him all the more uncomfy.. anyway a few kilometres helped him adjust to the unique way of driving… in anycase he had see something of this sort in the amby last night too… the car would go all the way to the left.. and then all the way to the right… and just inches before it would hit the divider all the way to the left again to kiss the footpath.. was a drive.. and imagine without a headlight 🙂 some talent pool chennai has in the drivers !!!

ok back to ECR….. and cut to the parking outside the shore temple in mahabalipuram… pete or prash had thought of the temple to be huge temple.. but it was smaller then he imagined… it stood beautifully next to the sea and also had managed to survive the Tsunami in 2004… however the walls were big time corroded.. nevertheless it was beautiful… and CROWDED…. the good and the bad have been mixed up pretty nicely for prash in this trip of his… a walk around the temple… a few fotos… some of them without humans too… good work done.. and then off to the other side of the road to check out some rock carviings and a light house.. one of the better parts of that trip.. walk around the rocks… climbing up and down.. and then managing to catch a few good shots in the cam… makes all the effort worth it.. and the phone camera also came out good to click a few snaps too….

and now the golden question… how do they go from here… do they continue with parul and folks.. or do they stay back and do some other arrangement.. the display of intelligence came when they decided to hang in there with the folks.. where else could they get that kinda comfort.. a smooth drive.. and decent lunch away was the small town of pondi… the sea was so different here… mumbai was calm.. this was more aggressive… white waves.. green sea… rocks… air.. purrfect… and when they tried to find whats there to catch up in pondi the answers were not very appealing… visiting a church too.. and then after a few thinking sessions.. and some questions and answers.. the dynamic duo decided to move back to chennai with parul and party only !!! and that was a good decision !!!

chennai back again… wondering what can be done… and pete and deeps move to eat… Pondi also went ahead to meet his friends… shit why can’t i remember his name.. one of the guys was Swapnil, the fighter.. and pondi was who.. anubhav??? i think its better to leave it upto to deeps to correct this name !!!!

three autos and 20 minutes later, deeps and prash climb the stairs of EDEN… a wait of 45 minutes… dissapointment and anger because the bloddy waiter did not tell the lady assigning the tables about the two.. and then finally a table and two chairs to have dinner… prash kept looking others’ plates till he got a seat.. everything looked so yummy.. this was a restaurant for continental food.. and pete never had been to such a restaurant.. so another first… the dinner started with the Cheese Toasts.. something that just melted as soon as he kept it in his mouth… lovely.. pizza hut’s garlic bread with cheese is SHIT !!! and then a pasta dish… and spaghetti followed by the fresh fruit icecream !!!! A W E S O M E it just could not get better then this in 2005.. pete ate the best food he ever had in a restaurant… ofcourse the times when he was dead hungry and GE or Green Park’s parantha stalls greeted him are not counted or taken into account in the comparison.. but whatever said and done.. this food was good enough for him to just go back to chennai and have food after waiting for 45 minutes standing inside the restaurant…

this is where conversation brought them to the topic of wines and daaru.. and prash was kinda interested in having the white wine which was to be used in the night… this is when prash found out that deeps is a few months younger to him.. and he was pleasently surprised… its good to know people who you can get into conversation with.. and most of the time prash has been able to give that kinda respect only to people elder to him… khair.. the best food ever.. and a good conversation.. and a few new things about deeps made prash a more knowledgable fella… when deeps likes the food he is eating, he would not talk but would eat with complete concentration.. so if you happen to eat with him.. and he looks more interested in food… let him be… he will give you your share of time when the time comes… but food comes first 🙂

and then back to his home… and then pondi arrives with his friends.. and some things to eat.. hey his name is Anubhav only… he opens up the white wine bottle after freezing it for a while.. and pete is also given a peg it the divine drink… now the first question that comes to his mind is.. why is the wine called white.. if the colour is a pale yello.. anyway.. he wanted to taste it.. so he did.. and thats IT… bas abb aur nai.. one sip was good enough to let pete know that he is most definitely not a wine guy.. he can never drink wine or beer or any other drink whatso ever.. so that wine is saved from getting wasted by the rest of the gang.. and after watching a few episodes of the Great indian laughter challange and wishing each other a happy new year.. the gang goes off to a sleep only to wake up late late late in the morning… a wonderful lunch with rajma chawal in chennai 🙂 and then a relaxed auto journey to the station saw pete through… he also saw the marina beach.. which was nothing but an ocean of people.. only human heads all around the beach.. what shit !!! a train to banglore with a lot of south indian language all around… and some decent enough food in the train helped prash reach Banglore in the last hour on the first of january 2006…. the rest is history.. and has been mentioned in the Banglore Bugs !!!