The weekend escape

The MRI room no 11 buzz with activity at 4:30 in the evening. I monitor a 2 year child with development disorder in the globular contraption that scans his brain. He is the 10^th child we drug to unconsciousness that day. Life becomes monotonous and dreary as a PG registrar. There is no time for Alice and our temperament begins to strain. So we decide to escape.

 It is 4 in the morning on Saturday.  Ours is the only light illuminating the corridors in the annexe. We wake up in a jerk, pack the backpack and get down for an auto rickshaw. We get into a terrifying 3 wheeler that picks the rough spots on the road for us to tumble. We reach the bus stand for a bus to Chennai. As the vehicle starts, Alice falls asleep. I watch the majesty of NH 4 as my ears are plugged to Don Moen’s tunes. The bus races past the 120 kms in two hours. The green country side gradually gives way to the metropolitan bustle with universities, hospitals, real estate villas and restaurants filling the landscape. As the sun wins the slug fest with the adamant clouds, we are already in Koyambedu. Our excitement builds as our destination became closer.

 We have a quick breakfast before the call taxi arrives. Soft Idli, fluffy Vada with Madras coffee is the perfect start to our culinary feast.  We are on the road again in no time. We relax over the plush seats of the taxi and glimpse at Chennai’s road ways. Soon we get onto the east coast road (ECR), the beach road of the city. International schools, world class costume stores, KFC, Marry brown, Pizza huts, Café day, Sub way- all make their appearance ! Though it is a beach road with a toll, we cannot not see the beach. Private investments and structures eclipse the view of the blue bay. But the scenery hints the marine milieu around us. Moist wind, the roar of the waves, sand all over and the coconut trees become increasingly frequent.

By 10:30 AM we reach our resort and our destination. It is situated on the beach and teeming with people already. Groups varying from CSI, Tata consultancies to trainees in hotel management are in for retreats in the place. The resort is very beautiful. The rooms are painted in orange and sprawling green lawns spread across the area before we meet the private beach. The serpentine pathway leads us to the restaurant facing the shore. The reception offers us to walk around as they prepare our room. The swimming pool is busy with patrons. Children and adults alike vent their exhaustion out as the cool waters pummel their bodies. We decide to take a dip. What a refreshing shower!

Our room faces the beach and has a private balcony.  The chaotic roar of the waves becomes very much audible to us. We grab our camera and run to the seaside. We explore some shells and mollusks and compete to utter the tongue twister-‘She sells sea shells at the sea shore!’ I lose the very second time. Alice does better! Sea enthusiasts venture into deep waters on mechanized boats with fluorescent life vests. Gladness is evident over their faces and their countenance brims with the spirit of adventure.

 It is lunch time. We order Bengali fish with Naan and Mutton Biriyani. The serving etiquette is good and food a gastronomic delight. We are tempted to rest after a heavy meal. But it is precious time, the time of freedom and no moment is to be lost. But the clouds have a different idea. It begins to drizzle. We stay indoors. We think our holiday is done.

But we are wrong. The best part is yet to come. By sunset, the rain settles. We are out in the beach again. Tourists play volleyball and others race in stylish beach jeeps. We go to the restaurant for some tea. We sit on the promenade as hot drink is served in cool weather. What a sheer bliss! We appreciate the serene environs of the resort for a couple of hours. It is dinner time and it comes free with our package. My wife reluctantly calls the restaurant for some dinner. She gets the polite reply- ‘beach side candle light buffet dinner starting at 7’.  

This is the best part of our weekend escape. Variety of food is showcased in various sections. We start with chicken soup and cucumber salad. We have fried rice, butter Naan, mixed vegetable stew and Paneer peas on the menu. But we tickle our taste buds with a series of fish and crab fry which is Alice’s favorite. We see Dosai and omelets being freshly made on request. We think that the former would go well with mutton stew. Awesome combination! We finish our dinner with a couple of papads and pieces of chicken barbeque as our faces grin in satisfaction under the candle light and the canopy of coco trees. We rest early to witness a seaside sunrise!

We are up by six and our eyes search for the sun. But it is cloudy and we have no trace of him. Tough luck! We are called for breakfast on the beach restaurant again. We start with the traditional dishes of Idli and Vadai before advancing to Aloo parantha and curd. We maintain with egg sandwich and cheese and close our morning treats with tea. It is time to leave.

The taxi is summoned. The resort manager asks us to rate the experience. My wife blushes and declares ‘full marks’! In an hour’s time we reach Chennai metropolis. We are in shopping mall moving around the vanity fairs of our era. People are enchanted about soda vending machines, liquid chocolates, fried chickens and high calorie burgers. But we both like an epiphany realize it together that the peace one enjoys by being in the embrace of pristine nature cannot be found in any manmade enterprise. This is another lesson that man ought to be in touch with the natural surroundings like the flowing waters of the river, the starlit sky, the beautiful sunset and the blooming flowers. When have we last done it?

We come back to our place by evening as we gear ourselves to another session of hurry and worry. May God give all of us these moments of rest and more importantly may we take them when He gives us!