Holi Hai!!

Have colour! Will play!
Technically, this was my last Holi on this Island. And was one of the best. But the celebrations weren't that grand this time. Till about half past 10 in the morning the place looked dead. But then thanks to some high spirited juniors, colours were splashed all around.
I had been awaiting Holi like any other festival with loads of excitement! Not to be influenced by some incorrigible lads who never seem to have anything positive to say about FUN filled days like these. But do they wish I care? Even if they do, I really don't.
So Tarj, our unoffical sponsor for the Holi colours; SM, our partner in crime and I; were the first few to step into the battle field. And what happened next is history!... Drenched lots amongst us with mud, colour, smashed eggs, shoe polish, diluted shampoo greeting everyone with more of it.
It was a moment worth capturing...
But the story was different for the opposite gender most of whom were dragged and thrown into mud...and oh!! Did that taste nice?? Well, I'm not the right person to answer that :-p
In all it was another enjoyable day...
So play on.....
PS: Sunz and G*, it would have been more fun with ya guys around!! Missed ya!

A Walk to Remember

No, this post is not a review of the book and movie of the same title. The movie which has been one of my all time favorites; one I had chanced to watch on HBO while channel surfing.

Rather the 'WALK' in the fore mentioned title is that to Grand Bassin on 15^th February. Yes, you read it right, we walked almost 30km* to Grand Bassin! And, I'm still ALIVE!

Maha Shivratri is celebrated in a grand grand way in Mauritius; and in a much more grand way than one can imagine!! People walk to Grand Bassin/ Ganga Talao, one of the chief religious spot from every part of the Island. Be it the rain or the scorching sun nothing seems to drive down their spirits. And,I haven't seen the number declining in the past 4 yrs! Though, I never did opportune my self to be a part of the pilgrims. But this year, technically my last on this Island; things were a bit different or should I rather say, a LOT different.

We, ie Sunz and I, had decided to cover the journey on foot; though, a few others had also thought of joining us but a couple of days before, they had a change of plans. So, now it was left on us to carry on with it. And, never did we give a thought to, backing off.

So, after a good night's sleep, we set out in the morning. Here, I would not forget to mention a note of thanks to Sunz for bearing with my tantrums and apprehension before the start of the journey. Though, I had got reassurance from all ends owing to my, very high tendency of falling into a hypoglycemic state. [ Mom, if you are reading this, then the situation isn't as grave as your imagination stretches to, with mention of 'hypoglycemic state'; I'm just being a bit melodramatic!!.... I'm fine.... Eating well]. Still, I was a bit uncertain about my chances of covering the entire distance on foot. And as for Sunz, since she had done it a couple of times before, so it was yet another trip for her. Though, this time it was going to be a longer one, since we decided to walk from Belle Rive rather than Curepipe.

As we headed on, we saw many colourful processions, on the other side of the road. And enthusiastic but tried, groups of people returning back. We kept going, without halt until we reached the ' Millennium Monument' which was our first stop. From there we had a breath taking view of the area, we had been living around since the past 4 yrs!! And,never did we take out time from our mundane routine to appreciate the beauty, amidst which we had been living!! And apparently, this monument corresponds to the center of the Island and was inaugurated on 31^st Dec,1999!

Our second halt was at Curepipe, where we hurriedly had some potato wedges and Pepsi, to energize ourselves. We then crossed Winners ( a super mart) and few other shops and houses on the way, to reach a long wide road, which seemed to be never ending. We had been walking for almost 3 and a half hours now. The road got wider and we were able to spot many more processions, pilgrims and stalls on the way. There were acres of sugarcane plantation on the either side of the road and way beyond stood huge mountains with their empowering dominance. The picturesque surroundings were worth admiring.

What followed were occasional showers, shoe bites, greetings & reassurance from fellow pilgrims, stalls with goodies, Mare-aux-vacoas Reservoir, new musical compositions by us, cool breeze, fatigue, reassurance again, constant inquiries by us about the distance left and a never ending road.....

But we were nearing Gangs Talao now, our legs were failing us,we had been walking for more than 6 hrs!!
In the fog, when we vaguely spotted the huge statue of Shivji from far, we shrieked with joy!! FINALLY! FINALLY! We were THERE!

The trip back, is yet another story!!... of which, I may never write.... but will always remember.....

And before ending this post, I would like to thank many friends for their concern, few amongst them being Ann, Asha, Nad and Tarj [ in alphabetical order]. And, I owe an apology, thanks and gratefulness to someone for whom I hold high regards and respect. Also a prayer and good wishes & luck to the person who helped us sail through......

And, thanks to Sunz, my friend, companion and guide on this adventurous trip without whom this 'walk to remember' would never have been possible. Thx a million, babes!!

Diwali!

21/10/06

Hey all,
Happy Diwali! I wish you have a fun filled and cheerful Diwali!

Well, my Diwali celebrations... started, with me over extending my blissful sleep... deliberately & stubbornly.
Ahh! What a lazy start! I could hear my cellphone beeping and the messages were pouring! But dare, I open my eyes and ruin the prefect start to the day.
But finally I decided to bless everyone around me, by my presence; so started to get going. After the usual ablutions & finally ready; I graced the mirror in my all new PINK traditional wear. Gawd I had been waiting like crazy to wear it,since the time I had bought it.
A few brushes & I had a satisfied smile, happy with the results. It was a day of matching & for once it was perfect. On the other hand, Shix was giving me completion with her million dollar smile & perfect looks.She chose to wear contrast of brown & purple,which looked great!

Diwali is one time of the year we visit temples & we kept the tradition going. On our way, at the bus stop there were brief exchange of greetings with friends!
Spirits were high!
Long uphill walk to the temple, made everything worthwhile, but tiring. Then it was CRACKER time. We ran to the supermarket to get there before the closing time & we did manage to; shopping for crackers was fun, hope we are able to burst them all!

Now, that everything was done & settled, we relaxed a bit, but I wasn't going to leave Curepipe without satisfying my taste receptors with that rich chocolate mousse at Monoprix. Happy and content, we set out on our way back.

Lady luck, was our side, got a direct bus to Dubreil and were back in the comforts (pun intended) of our room!
Greetings from home. And near an hour long chat with dear bro. So far I'm enjoying the festivities.
Got to sign off now... Got lots to prepare for the evening.