BEGINNING MY BABLING (In the guise of a travelogue)

‘Fantastic’ and ‘very impressive’ were my feelings as I took my first look at this country. I am not sure if they are appropriate and express my feelings perfectly but have used them because they were the words that came out of my mouth when my niece asked me over the phone, what my feelings were, on taking the first look at this country. I am not able to sum up my feelings correctly in two words but think that they do the job quite well. She told me to start whatever I write about this place with those two words and I have done that. She did me a favour. I had no idea how to begin and really did not mean to sit in front of the monitor and start typing at 1.30 AM. Jet lag has forced me to. Every one at home are sleeping and I am typing after tossing and turning on the bed for two hours before falling off the unusually thick and soft mattress. I have a faint doubt that my wife, whose sleep I was disturbing, might have had a hand in it.

Now that I have stated writing, I am likely to continue and post them from time to time. If you like what you read, thank Sushma for giving me a beginning. If you don’t, blame the jet lag. (No originality here. Poor imitation of “padagoL chendaagidre endak sifaarsi. Chandaagildidranaka tapge bevaarsi – Sri GPR”).

I had read so much about the United States in magazines and books and had seen so much in the movies and on the television, I was sure that it would not impress me very much. I knew what to expect. And I had thought that jet lag was something that the rich, who comfortably travel in jets, had invented just to have something to complain about . I was wrong in both these assumptions as I am in many other assumptions. With the first look I was bowled over by the country and the jet lag has terribly upset my sleep and bowel movements. I have a feeling that I will remain awake for the next six weeks.

I had planned to begin my babbling in strict chronological order starting with the flight from Bombay to Frankfurt but find myself in a place from where I do not know how to proceed. Just as I was when I found myself in front of a glass wall through which I could not pass while confidently leading my wife to reach gate A67 in Frankfurt airport. I did manage to find a way through the glass wall - no chance to pat my own back. I just stood staring at the wall and it opened on its own as soon as a train arrived on the other side – and am confident that I will find a way to proceed if I patiently sit in front of the monitor and stare at it long enough.