Day 1
This is a day to day account of our 12 day trip to the North East part of India. We covered Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. ‘We’ consisted of myself – Vaidy , K and S , friends and co travelers having done a few trips together earlier.
Day 1’s adventure began at an hour that’s illegal in
most civilised nations: 2:30 am. Like sleep-deprived ninjas, we stumbled into
our pre-booked cab at 3:15, dragging both luggage and whatever was left of our
dignity, for an Indigo flight that believed in “early bird gets the
Brahmaputra.”
Touchdown in Guwahati was followed by a sluggish carousel war for baggage and a frantic “Where’s Rajesh ji?” scavenger hunt. Victory! Our saarathi appeared, and with the grace of true explorers, we set off - well, after a mandatory coffee pit stop, because caffeine is non-negotiable at such ungodly hours.
Our home base was a surprisingly swanky studio apartment (Airbnb’s algorithm must have liked us).
Local groceries were secured, future Masterchef aspirations fuelled by ice cream - clearly, a balanced diet is all about sequencing! Lunch was a lipsmacking homemade affair, promptly polished off before we attempted to cruise the mighty Brahmaputra at 4:30 pm . But, as fate (and Guwahati traffic) would have it, we watched the cruise ship’s rear end heading off into the fast approaching sunset without us.
Thankfully, our collective look of crushed dreams convinced
the ticket counter guy to let us board the VIP “fashionably late” cruise at
5:45. Cue: loud music, disco lights, and typically vacation mode co-passengers
trying to out-dance the waves. Disco on a moving boat? Only in Assam! Special mention of course of the surprisingly good live music with a youngster doing an amazing Karaoke job of lovely old musical numbers.
Evening explorations took us to Fancy Bazaar, where, in a
plot twist, nothing was actually purchased. (Apparently, someone read Marie
Kondo before the trip.) Back at our studio pad, we ate dinner and fell asleep,
dreaming of upcoming adventures - 11
days to go, and already so many plot twists!
Vaidy, you are an outstanding blogger!
ReplyDeleteYour writing feels so vivid and alive. The photos were stunning, your friends brought such warmth to the narrative, and the orchids were absolutely mesmerizing. Every detail was captured straight from heart and your memories reflected so beautifully. Blend of simplicity, planning and team work calls for a big round of applause 👏👏👌👌 You were looking great in all pics 😊👌🏼🎉❤️ Wishing you many more memorable journeys and adventures!
Sree , Thank you . Coming from you an accomplished blogger , this really really feels good :)
ReplyDeleteVaidhyyyy....That was a smashing start about day 1...You bring in a lot of curiosity & fun to the narration...👌👌🌹🌹🌹
ReplyDeleteLoved the opening; enjoyed the punch lines. :D
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the rest.