A random connection...

Life has blessed me with opportunities to travel to some of the beautiful places. Of the excitements I see in people when they ask me about the places I have visited, I even see dismissal in many when they are confused as to why should one travel twice a year spending money which could be invested elsewhere. 

As much I enjoy explaining the excited souls I don’t complain about the other clan. If only you are not able to justify your travel then the purpose of the travel is surely not met, having said that I don’t say that there needs to be a reason to travel but surely when you have returned from a travel you will have 100 reasons which justify the trip you have made. And that is the beauty of traveling to newer places.

In my experience, Travel for me is all about how much I connect back to home. In order to feel the innumerable ways we are connected to our home it surely takes you to travel to a totally new place. I sort of experience the serenity among the strangers, different culture, marvelous sculptures, and exotic sceneries by weaving back to my people and culture back home. And when back home, known people, known streets, expected rain, fragrance of food drags me back to memories of the places I have traveled that’s when all my travel gives me the bliss of being in those places.

 

Over the last weekend when I stood at the window gazing the people walking in the scorching sun pause all of a sudden to experience the most unexpected rain in the middle of summer and the unintentional smile floods across the street amongst the stranger, my mind randomly made a trip yet again to all those places where I had experienced such scorching sun, unexpected rain, smiles from stranger and much more.   

Isn’t this a random connection? Do you all feel it too?

There is only one thing required to change your life...

It was her usual working hours when she got a call from her boss to meet her last client before she heads on her planned vacation. Dressing up in her best she walked in style, her beautiful body swayed to the rhythm of her heels clack on the glassy mosaic. Gasping at her flawless skin, manicured fingers, hot red lips and perfect figure, receptionist handed over the guest entry form for her to meet the client residing in the hotel.  

She smiled at the travesty in writing “Social Worker” for occupation in every other form but today she felt pride in filling occupation as “Social Worker”. A thought of hugging those kids in the refugee camp and being with them for next 3 weeks of her life felt like a cool breeze caressing her face on a sunny afternoon. 

She was a very high priced call girl. Money is what mattered to her; she had long given up association with human relationships, values and social moral for she had always seen only negativity in them. But memories of her childhood when she had longed for caring arms and selfless love pushed her to give something to those little kids far away in some other part of the globe. She was waiting to feel the bliss in hugging and kissing which did not involve lust or money in it.

She fastens the seat belt after filling in the immigration form with the occupation which she was going to be really doing for next 3 weeks; she slips into the deepest sleep in peace after many years. 

There in the orphanage, little children gathered around the waiting room holding a welcome card and handmade bouquet of exotic flowers. They were eagerly waiting to see their guest who would stay with them for next 3 weeks. Any such letter from the guests willing to stay with them would bring immense joy and celebration in the orphanage for there was hardly anybody who visits them. There was unrest amongst the kids as the wait got longer, warden made an effort to convince them to go back as there is a delay in their guest’s arriving. As the little feet walked back with tears in their eyes, he very well knew that this often happened with rich who do change their plans for their obvious reason of busy life.

As the kids gathered everyday to wait for their guest, world screamed about the missing flight. Having no relatives or friends all throughout her life she would have never imagined that there would be some little eyes which did wait for her and prayed for her.

As the tear dropped from those little eyes on learning the fate of their guest, a soul rests in peace somewhere deep in the ocean. 

P.S- Imagining the plight of families of those on board the missing MH370.

Care for a Coffee???

An Addiction, Culture, Romance, Aroma, History, Flavor, bloody what not is related to this amazing drink, The Coffee. We addicts laugh at the ads which say carefully chosen, highly toned, sinfully roasted, freshly brewed, Coffee!!! Arreyyyyyyyyy, who cares? God damn it! It’s “COFFEE” and that is all what matters!!!

Such is my addiction and I crave to explore every flavor of this magical divine potion. And so the topmost “Must do” activity on my list was “Coffee Tasting” in Bali, Yes Indonesia is known for its best coffee beans which is grown in the most fertile lands near the Volcanic ranges. What can be a better way to roast the beans other than growing it on the land which has spurting lava deep in it!

Infinite times I touched  cloud 9 with every sip of coffee that I gulped, so much coffee went into my system that if there was a cut in my body caffeine would ooze out instead of blood.

Finally there was this one thing which put a brake to my coffee exploration in this island and it was a special very unique flavor of coffee called “Luwak Coffee”. Every person we met in Bali kept praising this coffee and kept blowing a kiss in air every time they uttered the name “Luwak”, Such madness in people drove me to one of the best coffee farms of Bali. 

As we entered saw some tourists lost relishing on a cup of coffee which I mostly guessed to be this “Luwak coffee” we were also introduced to a guide who walked us through the farm introducing to different flavor of coffee and was kind enough to let us taste all of those. As I enjoyed most of them he assured me that he has the best kept for the last and I was also longing for that mysterious “Luwak Coffee”.

As he led us to the end of farm I felt like those Indiana Jones movies, searching for the hidden treasure. Finally he pointed us to the “Luwak”, my jaw dropped at the very sight. I was expecting a very different kind of Coffee plant, my imaginations even had spun an image of golden glowing Coffee plant which Balinese called as “Luwak” but much to my dismay it was a Cat! Yes, you read it right, a “Cat!!!”

I started panicking and expressed my shock to the guide thinking that they kill this poor animal to make this flavor, for which the guide smiled and told in his broken English “Madaaam, no no kill cat, cat go night out smell smell best coffee fruit, eat sleep in the morning and next day shit going, we dry cat shit and take coffee beans”

Had somebody captured my expression then for sure that would be huge hit among whatsapp forwards with every possible weird tag!!!

I ran out of the farm in one breathe as he offered this “Luwak Coffee”, Now I generously will give up on self proclaimed “Coffee Enthusiast” title with no regrets. 

So anyone amongst you care for a carefully eaten, warmly egested, serenely shit, “Luwak” Coffee????