112 - Tour of Gondar, Simien and Lalibela ends - Settling of Accounts!

 

Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/charminar-monument-india-travel-896162/

We were at the end of the tour to 4 out of 9 World UNESCO sites of Ethiopia. It was a rollicking journey full of surprises and yes, learnings. As we sat in the bus and remembered the good times, I was struck with the thought, why do Indians want to save so much? They happily sacrifice their today for a hopefully better tomorrow. 

I know many of my friends who stay in Hyderabad who have never climbed Charminar. Till the early 1980’s it was possible to climb right up to the top of any of the four minarets of Charminar and enjoy the spectacular view. After the horrible Qutub Minar stampede, the government of India banned climbing up Qutub Minar, and promptly, the Andhra Pradesh state government too banned climbing at Charminar. Luckily for me, Abhay Kumar and I climbed the Charminar minarets in the early 1980s when we were doing our intermediate. 

Similarly, we met many Indians who stayed in Gondar for years at a stretch and never visited the Gondar Forts. The reason, the entrance fee was 50 Birr (Rs 250) and that was supposed to be exorbitant (by Indian standards). 

Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/caravan-desert-safari-dune-camels-3341872/

I have no statistics of Indian teachers who visited The Simien and the Lalibela Churches. Only elders like Dr. Naidu sir and Dr. Azaz Ahmed Sir who have stayed in Ethiopia for many years can clear this query. 

I am sure that present-day Indian teachers have it easy. Nowadays Ethiopia has wonderful cemented roads. The road journeys have been cut by half and Bahirdar to Addis Ababa road journey takes 6- 8 hours. In 2003 it took almost 12 – 14 hours on rocky and dusty surfaces! 

The bus journey was slow and tedious. To keep the boredom away we played games, quizzes and the quintessential Indian pass-time, Antakshari (a sort of pass-long musical medley). 

Our bus was not liking it at all. It was getting annoyed. How could this Indian troupe have it so easy? With an almighty shudder and nerve-wrenching groan, it gave up and the engine died. We were still miles and miles away from Bahirdar. The only saving grace was that the bus broke down in a town. Daniel and the driver got busy. There was nothing we could do. 

We wiled away the time. The small town didn’t have anything to offer. We had Shai and bought some Guavas and bananas. Finally, after a titanic struggle of more than five hours, the bus started and we were on our way. Ghion hotel tried its best but the bus was a damp squib. It broke down twice in three days! Not road-worthy at all.   

We got down to a post-mortem. I asked about the things that the tour party's likes and dislikes. There was unanimity that all the three places Gondar, Simien mountains and Lalibela were wonderful, the arrangements were good, hotels decent and food excellent. The only anomaly, the slowpoke, a tortoise pretending to be our bus. 

Dr.Kuldeep Singh Gehlot 

I gave a conspiratory wink and told Kuldeep, “Dr. Kuldeep don’t let the bus hear you compare it with a tortoise. Just to prove you correct it might travel even more slowly or break down again, just to spite us!”.  We reached Bahirdar by 09:00 p.m.!

The tour party thanked me for arranging such a lovely tour. I thanked each one of them for maintaining strict punctuality and for overlooking any minor irritants during the tour. 

A funny incident that happened at Gondar hotel needs to be told. Padma forgot a small bag containing some medicines and omnigel (a cream to cure aching muscles). Taking the help of Daniel, I called the hotel receptionist and asked whether it was possible to get back our medicine bag. 

After a long wait, the hotel receptionist came back with a response. The hotel wanted Birr 250 (Rs 1,250) as a fine and asked me to pay the postal charges too. On top of it, the hotel wanted me to give them back the hotel key. Indeed, we had by mistake carried the hotel room key with us. A quick calculation showed us that we need to shell out almost 350 birrs (Rs 1,750) to return the hotel key and get back the medicine bag. 

Padma told me that the cost of the medicines and the bag would not be more than 100-150 Indian rupees (20-25 birr). We dropped the entire idea of getting back the small bag as quickly as dropping a bag of hot potatoes. 

I still feel that it is the hotel's responsibility to check the room at checkout time and also ensure that the guest doesn’t walk away with the room key. But to expect 350 Birr for returning a small bag was a little too much to digest! 

On returning back to Bahirdar, I sat down and prepared the tour expenditure. The result was startling. I had collected 1000 birr as advance but the total expenditure per person came to 787 birrs! 

The tour party assembled at our house (except Alex who stayed at PEDA Campus, and Jeevan Sir and Geeta Madam who stayed at the POLY campus). The expenditure sheet was closely examined by all and everyone was thrilled at the low tour cost. 

I explained that I divided the entire expenditure by 12. I considered Pranav as a full tour member and that brought down the cost considerably. Dr. Kuldeep who did not like it, one bit. He said, “Anil Bhai, divide the entire amount by eleven and do not consider Pranav as an adult”. 

Even though I like what he said, I stuck to my guns. I told him that our family would have undertaken the tour by ourselves.  The group members made the trip more enjoyable by their presence. 

Most tours exceed the expected budget and getting back nearly Birr 250 was like manna from heaven. For the bachelor Indian teachers, it was their one-month expenditure. 

Alex, The gentle Russian teacher from PEDA Campus 

Alex the quiet Russian was taken aback when I presented the tour expenditure sheet. His English was not very good, but his communication was crystal clear. He enjoyed the trip and thought It was a sacrilege to check the correctness of the tour accounts. It was a refreshing viewpoint. It took all my persuasion skills to make him accept the 213 birr due to him! – 1059 words.

107 – A day in God’s own playground, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia.

 

 

Picture Credit: httpspixabay.comphotosethiopia-simien-mountain-gelada-4371441

Simien mountains are known for Gelada baboons or weeping heart monkeys. These territorial baboons have a red heart-shaped patch of hair on their chests. Even though they appear to be cute they can cause deadly damage with their razor-sharp teeth.

Luckily for us, they were quite shy and escaped scrambling up small hillocks the minute they saw us. Alex, the Russian teacher proved to be a worthy chaser. He took off after them and clicked some worthwhile keepsake snaps.   

 

Tasleem was quite disappointed that she could not snap the Gelada Baboons. Someone remarked, “Those are monkeys, and they are our distinct cousins. They need to show respect by waiting to be clicked by their Jaat Bhais (Cousins in Hindi)”.

 

Not to be outdone Kuldeep replied, “Arrey bhai log, they are Ethiopian monkeys and not Indian. So they are not aware of our Reethi and Riwaaz (our culture and customs)”. The entire group roared in laughter and our real Bhai (Ethiopian guard with the AK -47) was nonplussed, but smiled politely!

 

We found huge berry-like fruits, hundreds of them. Jeevan sir cracked one open. It was not pulpy but had many black seeds. We were pondering whether to taste them. “Tewe (STOP) !!!!!” said the guard snatching the fruit from Jeevan sir’s hand.

 

None of us could understand Amharic, but his mime was chilling. He was telling us that the fruit and the seeds were poisonous. That the seeds were ground to make poison used as a dip for the arrows. The final rubbing into the wound.  “The fruit is so poisonous that even the Galada baboons would not touch them. Someone whispered from the back, “Oh my god, he is insinuating that the baboons are better than us. At least common sense wise!”

 

Somebody else said, “At least he is better at mime and acting than most of our film stars”. I could not agree more!

 

Finally, we reached the mountain’s table-top. The air was cold and brisk. Even though taking a breath was slightly difficult due to the rarefied atmosphere, we could still enjoy the vistas, the low that came in quickly and played truant with us all the time. It was as if we were floating in the clouds.

 

We had limited time at hand. Our drivers gave us an ultimatum. “One hour” they said. We were in unison with them. The drive up was scary and we were sure that the climb down would be equally hard and scary.

 

Even If one of our vans broke down, we were done for the night. Simien mountains were not home to dangerous animals like tigers and Lions but the nights can become cold. We were wearing woollens but they would not be adequate for spending a night in one of the coldest places in Ethiopia! Night temperatures could fall to as much as -10 degrees centigrade.

 

The guide informed us that we were very near a hot spring source. We were all excited as hot springs are supposed to be elixirs for health. We tried approaching the hot springs but were stopped dead by the stench! The approach to the hot springs had an obnoxious smell.

 

Undeterred Kuldeep and I approached the hot springs. The hot springs were a huge disappointment. It was a shallow place and the government had fitted some taps for people to use the hot water. But the locals and the tourists were using it as a free toilet and the stench was unbearable. We bet a quick retreat!

 

Away from the hot springs we sat down and had our humble lunch. We invited the drivers and our guard but they declined. They were not very keen on our chapattis, curry and rice menu. They had meagre lunch, Injera, some chilli powder and onion. Once their lunch was done, some quick chewing of the Khat leaves and they were ready to move again!

Surrounding us and greedily looking on were a group of blackbirds. Menacing and quite big. So big that forget Pranav and Sahithi, even the elderly were scared!

Listening to the whispering the Zoologist in me woke up (after all, my basic degree was in B.Z.C! Botany Zoology and Chemistry). “not to worry, not to worry” I Cooed like a smug Pigeon, “That is not an eagle or a vulture, it is a Raven”.

 

This scared the group even further as most did not know what a raven was, “Raven is a sort of a crow, big crow”. The showman in me could not take it any longer, “raven is the bird that was featured in Damien (Omen 2). In the movie the raven plucks a lady’s eyes out of their sockets” I glibly explained.

 

Now the entire group was dead scared. Head down they munched on the food, never for a second looking at the innocent Ravens. The magnificent ravens were not bothered. They were harmless and were quite happy with the bits of the chapattis and the tiger rice (Pulihora) flung in their direction. They were majestic birds, totally black and completely harmless!

 

Lunch done we climbed down and reached Gondar back without any hitch or accident. I told the group, “maybe we were blessed by the Ravens” Giving me scornful looks they all disappeared into the rooms. Wanting to rest their aching bones!

 

Padma, Aunty, Pranav, Sahithi and me went around the beautiful Gondar city. We bought ten Kgs of precious Sona Masoori rice. At 10 birr/Kilo (around 50 rupees) it was a steal. We bought Semiya too! Gondar is a bigger city than Bahirdar and has many ice-cream centres, unlike Bahirdar.

 

Wonder of wonders we found and bought Cadbury chocolates much to Pranav and Sahithi’s delight. They also had avocado juice. Avocado juice in Ethiopia is the 8^th wonder of the world. Juices in Ethiopia at least at that time had to be eaten and not drunk.

https://pixabay.com/photos/coffee-beans-ethiopia-549647/

Served with a spoon, even an eight-year-old Pranav could not finish a full glass, He had to share it with Sahithi! Aunty, Padma and me had sissy drinks, Macatho (Coffee with milk)! Something that the Ethiopians simply abhorred (hated). For a blue-blooded Ethiopian coffee had to be black and strong, and many cups of it in a day! (1040)

106 - Simien Mountains - God's own playing ground!

Finally, we were on our way to the Simien mountain viewpoint. The drive was as scenic as it gets. As we started climbing higher and higher, the air got crisper, and we could sense and feel the mountains, literally. 

Picture courtesy https://pixabay.com/photos/ethiopia-mountains-road-valley-sky-1960539/

Some of the most spectacular mountains surrounded us! Jagged and abruptly arising from the surroundings. Before we could admire one set of mountains, another would appear and gone before we could saviour them. The entire tour party had fallen silent.

The drama that was unfolding in front of our eyes was as spell-bounding as an Imax 3D movie. We can watch an Imax 3D movie again, but a trip to Simien has to be captured in the hearts and treasured!

The mountains were not bare. They were bathing in shades of yellow, purple and green. The yellow colour was from the Meskel flowers, and the other predominant colour was purple. The purple flowers were small but made it up by their enormous volume.

They were simply a riot of colours! Surprisingly some of the mountain slopes and meadows had dark yellow flowers, and some had light coloured ones. Throughout our drive, we could see either dark yellow or light yellow flowers. Never a mixture of light and dark yellow Meskel flowers together.

Anasuya aunty got overcome by the visual tapestry unfolding in front of her eyes, “The yellow colour reminds me of the turmeric that we had pound for Satish’s (Padma’s cousin) marriage”. Not to be outdone her daughter, Padma piped in, “Yes Mom” she exclaimed, “the vast yellow and purple colour in-between reminds me of Dhup-Chaav (double colour) sarees ”.

I groaned internally. Women! They immediately have to associate the scenery with marriages and sarees!!!. But the grandeur was such that it gave people ideas, even to the very practical Padma.

The van screeched to a halt, and a check post beckoned. Swiftly we got out, and an officer took a roll call. The government officer quoted an astronomical permit fee. By now we knew the game! Mulugeta feigned disgust and threw in a barrage of Amharic. 

We could not understand the conversation but could get the gist of what he was saying. He was uttering the words Astamari (teacher) and Abessa (a native of Ethiopia and not a foreigner) quite frequently. He was telling the government official that we were a group of teachers who have come to Ethiopia and that we were not foreigners but were residents and that we had R.P's (Residence permits).  

The government officer wilted like a tired rose faced with such eloquence. He meekly asked us to show our residence permits and grudgingly agreed that we could pay the Ethiopian fee to enter the Simien Mountain National Park. I think the fee was 20 birr per person and the fee was around 20 U.S. (170 Birr) dollars for a foreigner. The difference was quite astronomical.

But the government official had the last laugh. Mulugeta returned to the group. His demeanour was down, and he looked crushed. Semien Mountain National Park was a protected area, and it was quite common for tourists to tease and harm the wild animals.

The national park was also home to many wild animals including the unpredictable Galada baboons. We had to hire the services of a guard, and the guard came with a fee of 250 birrs (almost 30 U.S. dollars). It was a shocking price. At that time our secretary in the management department at Bahirdar University salary was 250 birrs/month.

We had no choice. Either we take the services of the guard, or we had to turn back. Faced with an ultimatum, we caved in and meekly paid the 250 birrs. The guard appeared. He was a lean non-discrepant Ethiopian man, quite frail. He didn't inspire any confidence or had aggression that would frighten a band of thieves or a group of marauding monkeys (Galada baboons).

Picture Courtesy https://pixabay.com/photos/ethiopia-africa-national-park-2980034/

The guard sensed our scepticism. He went to an Almirah and whipped out something nonchalantly. And in his hand appeared – a shining mean as mean can be AK 47 gun, fully loaded and ready to take on the bad guys and the badder Baboons!

Pranav was mesmerized with the AK 47. He had (in fact all of us had) seen AK 47 guns only in movies and seeing one in real life, and that too in such proximity was an experience in itself. The guard turned out to be a lovely person. Quiet and friendly he later allowed all of us to handle his gun (of course with the safety catch on). We took keepsake photographs of us brandishing the AK 47 gun, the Simien Singhams! 

We spotted a grand waterfall snaking its way through the majestic mountains. The waterfalls, the colourful mountains and the foggy and dreamy weather made the sight of water gushing through the fall made for a great view. 

The foggy weather and the low slung clouds made the drive surreal. It was as if we were driving among the clouds. Suddenly, someone shouted, “Simien Fox, Simien Fox”.

The van screeched to a halt. We poured out. The spotter was damn sure that he saw the elusive Simien fox chasing an Ibex, the beautiful Ethiopian mountain goat. But the foggy weather meant that we could spot neither the cunning fox nor the doughy Ibex.

Ibex are incredible climbers and can climb any mountain cliff. They are such good climbers that they can climb even the most vertical cliffs and graze in a matter of fact manner – as if they are on stable ground.

As we were climbing to the viewpoint, I explained to the group “Ras Dashen the highest mountain among the Simien mountains is close. But the non-motorable road means that it takes a seven-day trek to reach the summit and come back. The trek is arduous, and only the most experienced trekkers can endure the trip. And the mountain top at Ras Dashen can be biting cold”. 

105 - Simien Mountains - God's Own Playground!

The day was the 29th of September, 2003 and the day of our visit to Semien mountain ranges. Right from the early morning, we could hear the rhythmic Amharic music. The Meskel festival was in full swing.  

We started at 05:30 in the morning. The roads were full of burnt wood and ash and uncannily resembled the south Indian festival, Bhogi. The streets were full of the acrid smell of burnt wood. Added to the cold climate, foggy weather and quaintly old fashioned houses, it looked as if we stepped out into a medieval world of kings, castles and wars!

But the loud purring of the van and the diesel smell that it was emanating brought us all back to the harsh realities of life.

The weather was cold, and we were wearing sweaters, mufflers, monkey caps and gloves. But still, it was biting cold. We would be driving 105 kilometres to the Semien mountain ranges, and we were thrilled but quite apprehensive at the chillness that we would have to experience.

The going was slow and Mulugeta our tour guide started grumbling. We were losing time and were forced to have breakfast in the vans. Mulugeta made a grudging concession. He gave us a scornful look and declared, “You can have a restroom/short tea break for fifteen minutes”. He had the demeanour of a haughty king doling out alms to his fawning peasants.

We did not wait for a second offer. The tour party jumped out and made a beeline to the nearest restroom. Most settled for Shai (tea without milk). My eyes fell on the roadside table tennis table. The table was hard, undulating and sported an apology of a net. The rackets were hard, lumpy and had a ‘blink and you will miss’ sponge padding.

The players were taken aback when I requested them to allow me to play. It was hard to play. The table was not exactly the correct size, and the surface was like Kanpur’s fifth-day cricket pitch. Once the ball hits some of the inundations, no one knew the direction that the ball would take.

I quickly adjusted and started playing confidently. Slowly the leering grins from the crowd turned into polite smiles and then into worrisome frowns. There was palpable tension. This was not on the cards.  They could not let a firang (a foreigner) beat them in their courtyard.

Suddenly a thin as reed youngster unravelled himself from the dusty wooden stool. Without a word, he took the racket from my opponent. I knew it was the wild west, and the best gunfighter was here!! The town’s honour was at stake.

By now our touring party too was taking an interest. I tightened my mental loins and tossed the ball. The fight was on. But it was a lost cause. The local boy had too much advantage. He had the support, knew the conditions well, handled the racket better and knew exactly how the ball would move once it hit the crevices. To cut a long story short, the local champion bet me. There was a triumphant cheer, and as a token of appreciation, I gave the winner 5 birrs! That gesture made me very popular among the locals. 

As we left town, Mulugeta lobbed in the next grenade. We would not be stopping at the handicrafts village of Beta Israel or the Ethiopian Jews. We were disappointed but not shattered. By then we knew that most of the Ethiopian Jews had already left Ethiopia and that the village, handicrafts and the local shops were all operated by the entrepreneurial Ethiopians who learned the iconic Jewish clay pottery from the Falasha before they migrated to Israel.

As we climbed into the mountains, nature manifested itself just like a peacock unfolds itself after a torrential downpour. The Meskel flowers were everywhere. They were so numerous that the entire mountain ranges looked as if God gave them a bath in turmeric! And in different shades too!

There were curving roads, misty fog, jutting mountain peaks, breathtaking meadows, long drives over flat surfaces and suddenly the way would end up in narrow ridges. We could see scary drops of over hundreds of feet into valleys on both sides. In many parts, there were no guard rails! A plunge into the valley would mean curtains!

The mountain ranges were rugged and jagged. The mountain peaks were not smooth and looked like as if they were thrown helter-skelter by some unknown force. I was already into the mood of the things, when a spirit spoke to me “You know, they are called gods own chess pieces. the local folklore is that gods played chess here and that is why all the mountain peaks resemble chess pieces. Simien is god’s playground”

I was taken aback, why would a spirit talk to me? Reality dawned. It was not any spirit.  It was Mulugeta who was whispering in my ear! I took my ear out of the range of his mouth and thanked him. Now I knew why the spirit had the smell of stale tobacco and strong Ethiopian coffee!   

The mountain ranges were awe-inspiring. The highest mountain in Simien is Ras Dashen which at 4550 metres is Ethiopia tallest mountain and 10th highest in Africa. Similarly, Ankwar stood at 4462 metres (12th highest in Africa), Kidis Yared at 4453 (13th highest in Africa) and Bwahit at 4437 (14th highest in Africa). All were in the Simien mountain ranges. No wonder Semien mountain ranges were a UNESCO world heritage site!

Out of 75 tallest mountains in Africa, 51 are in Ethiopia. Ethiopia houses the mountains of Africa. We were peering at some of the highest peaks in Africa, just like watching Mount Everest and watching alongside some of the highest mountains in the world. Scenes out of National Geographic channel! 

103 - The devil in Detail – Gondar, Simien and Lalibela trip.

Mulugeta our tour guide gave us the details of the tour. We would be starting on the 26th of September and would come back on the 30th of September 2003. The trip would begin from Bahirdar, and first, we would go to Gondar. Gondar boosts of some spectacular forts, churches and Fasilidas bath a world heritage centre. 

From Gondar, we would go to Lalibela, and incidentally, the 27th of September is Meskel the big Ethiopian festival. Meskel is the annual religious festival of the Ethiopian orthodox church which commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena in the fourth century. 

Meskel occurs on the 17th Meskerem in the Ethiopian Calendar or the 27th of September in the Georgian calendar. "Meskel" is the Geez word for "cross". Geez is the holy language of Ethiopia. Geez is the language of the holy scripts. It is the Sanskrit language of Ethiopia! 

Many Ethiopians who live in cities return to their villages to celebrate the national event. The Meskel celebration includes the burning of a large bonfire or Demera based on the belief that Queen Eleni as she is known had a revelation in her dream.  

The prophecy was that the queen should make a bonfire and that the smoke would show her where the true Cross lay buried. The queen ordered the people of Jerusalem to bring wood and make a huge pile. Frankincense was added, and the bonfire was lit. The smoke rose high to the sky and returned, precisely to the burial spot of the true Cross.

The Demera procession takes place in the early evening the day before Meskel or on the day itself. Charcoal remains from the fire is collected and the faithful mark their foreheads with the shape of a cross. One of the significant occurrences of the festival is the coinciding with the mass blooming of meskel flowers, the golden-yellow daisies.  

We had not seen the Meskel celebration and were in great anticipation to witness it at Lalibela, the holiest of the Ethiopian sites. It is like witnessing Brahmotsavam in Tirupati. The festivities have the same energy and vibrancy of the Ravana Samharam performed on the 10th day of the Indian Dussehra festival.   

Then it was down to the costing. The trip estimation was 12,000 birr or 60,000 rupees. It was overall 1200 dollars or 100 dollars (Rs 5,000/-) per person, and It was a dirt-cheap deal. However, it was puzzling that the Indian community was so stingy that it was not willing to spend Rs 5,000/- on a trip that they would never get another chance to experience. 

I told the group that the costs were only an estimate and that expenses could go up or down. Everyone paid the 1000 birr without a murmur. 

I cautioned the group and told them to carry woollens, essential medicines, mosquito nets, trekking shoes and water. Water is critical as water quality is quite variable in Ethiopia and bottled mineral water was not available at all places. There was an agreement that we should carry at least five litres of water per person. 

As we had kids (Pranav and Sahithi), it was decided that we carry homemade food. Padma volunteered to make masala pooris, Murukulu (a readymade snack) and Mango pickle. Kuldeep's items were fifty chapattis, pudina chutney, garlic chutney and alu (potato) curry, Tasleem got to prepare fifty chapattis, T.N.Murthy got one kg fried groundnuts, Geeta madam got pullihora and chips, Dr. Neelima's items were lemon rice and mango pickle.  

Man proposes, and God disposes. Exactly twelve hours before the trip Mulugeta dropped a bomb! There was a change in the plan. The bus that we had booked was not available. Another group of tourists booked it, and that information did not percolate down to Mulugeta. 

Now we would be provided two minivans. The travel itinerary changed too. We would first go Gondar, then from Gondar to Simien mountains. From Simien mountains, we would return to Gondar. From Gondar, via Oreta, we would go to Lalibela. The bus would be available from Oreta onwards. And from Lalibela, we would come back to Bahirdar. And to top it all there would be two Irish tourists who would be joining our group. Like all things African, it was a flat ultimatum delivered in a no-nonsense tone. We had no choice but to accept. Time was not on our side. It was Mulugeta's way or the high way (get lost you, Indian group!)

That day evening, we had the final meeting before the trip. Dr.T.N.Murthy took to the floor, cleared his voice and spoke in the most stentorian voice. As he spoke we cowered, such was his eloquence "Good evening, brothers and sisters of Kable 7 and Kable 3 (Jeevan sir's house was in Kable 3). Our trip starts tomorrow. All of us have to maintain time. 

Don't think that it is only Anil Ramesh Sir's trip. It is our collective trip. We are spending LOT OF MONEY. Let us share responsibility. We will have buggy leaders every day. Day one it will be Anil sir, 2nd day it will be me, the third day it will be Dr. Kuldeep, 4th day it will be Jeevan sir, and on day five it will be Dr. Neelima and Tasleem. Let us take collective decisions. FRIENDS WE HAVE TO ENJOY TO THE MAXIMUM AS WE ARE SPENDING LOT OF MONEY" .  Even after 16 years, the speech still rings in my ears. It had the same effect on me as Mark Anthony's speech had on the commoners of Rome! 

Then came the dilemma, what to do with our Valuables? Passports, gold and relevant documents. Pesto, an idea flashed! Why don't we entrust them to Chidambaram (our ever helpful, eager beaver next-door neighbour)?

I knocked on his door, and Chidambaram cautiously it. I barged in and gave him the bag. I chirped "Chidambaram sir; please keep this bag. We are off to the trip tomorrow morning" I was sounding more confident than I was feeling! 

Chidambaram gave me a look that would have burnt lesser mortals. He took the bag without a word and nodded his head. 

I came back and gave Padma conspiratory wink "It is done" I smirked. As I was smirking, there was a knock at the front door. Who else, it was Chidambaram. 

He was carrying our bag. Without a preamble, he said "I don't think I can keep this bag. I might have to go to Gondar on an official trip. In which case, I can't guarantee the safety of your valuables." 

I was bewildered. Chidambaram and I belonged to the same department, and there was no official trip on the anvil. "what official trip?" I gaped at him. It was my best imitation of a fish gasping for air. Chidambaram fixed me with a stern look "I never said that there is an official trip. I said if there is an official trip". 

I often thought of myself as being smart. I cooed to Chidambaram. My voice was dripping with sugar "That is right, that is right. Official trips can be a pain in the backside". I brightened up "Sure, sure, if there is an official trip, where would you keep your valuables?". 

Mr. Chidambaram looked at me as if he was looking at an eight-year-old imbecile "I never trust anyone with my valuables. I would carry it with me" and added with extra emphasis "on my person". 

My defences collapsed as if they were a bank of sand hit by a Tsunami. I took my bag and bade him goodbye. I had to go to PEDA campus and request Rajani madam to take care of my valuables. Luckily for me, she accepted to keep them. Exhausted, we quickly went to sleep as we had an early start the next day morning.