Coolly forgetful

For the past couple of weeks, the workday ended anywhere between 03:30 and 07:00.

Not that I couldn't work through the day, but there would be several interactions with people, and I prefer to address dependencies before getting onto my own tasks. That way, no other work gets blocked or I don't become a bottleneck for a bunch of tasks. The first thing I'd do in the morning, around 11:00-12:00 is check for messages with barely one eye open, rub them both open if there was anything useful/interesting, stretch a bit, get out of bed and into the shower--instead of walking around the house and looking for chores or some tidying up to do as has been my habit--and then have a leisurely meal while watching some stand up comedy--or some subscribed YouTube channels, note my gratitude in the journal, and then get to work between 13:00-14:00.

No matter what, I'd step out for cycling or a walk at sunset and come back when I felt contented with the activity I chose to do. Then, supper over watching some videos again, a little bit of Kalimba or coloring, some more writing, and then back for the night shift.

The milestone for which this routine was being followed was achieved on Monday, and I thought it would take me a couple of days to rest and reset my body clock.

However, I was so calm, content, and clear-headed throughout this period of focused, critical work, that my mind/body didn't need any recuperation. Achieving the milestone gave me a teensy bit of a high and that night I was in bed by 11:30! Even though I actually fell asleep somehwere around 01:00, I opened my eyes around 05:40, and felt fresh enough to go for a walk. After 4 kms of that, I was bored, and so I went cycling again for another 12 kms and returned a happy puppy.

Had my leisurely breakfast, watched some more standup, journalled, and got to a few more hours of focused work. My cousin came over to stay for a day, and we spent the next nine hours chattering away like monkeys. When he went to sleep, I instinctually logged on, and there was just enough work for me do be able to quickly and happily finish. Thereafter, I slept for seven hours, which was the longest in two weeks. Since the cuz was around, there was no plan to work in the morning. We chattered some more as I cooked/cleaned and we had brunch. Then it was nap time, after which I logged on and did a bit of work. Later, the power went off and didn't return for a few hours. I doodled a bit, but the outdoors had been calling out to me since the morning.

So, I got my sippy bottle ready, the batteries for the safety lights were fully charged the previous day, and all I needed to do was get on the cycle and go as far as I felt like. Instead, as I started off on the road, I remembered that I hadn't worn the scarf that serves as a face mask, so I went back for it. As I entered the house, I remembered that the power bank was discharged too, so I decided to use the outing today to get that and my cellphone charged, and maybe even work a little, while they got charged at my other house, where there's an inverter backup. I happily wrapped everything in plastic, slung my bag on the shoulders and stepped out, only to realize, yet again, that I had forgotten the scarf. This time, I felt like all was well until about four kilometers later when I realized that I had forgotten the water bottle. Thankfully, it was raining and I can anyway go about 20-25 kms, even on a dry day, before I feel like I should hydrate myself. I let the music in my ears wash away that minor irritation at my forgetfulness and pedalled on happily for another 4-5 kms. As the street lights came on, I realized that I had forgotten to strap the charged portable lights onto the bike. More eyerolling-at-self happened, but the weather was so good, I didn't feel like indulging in any more self-flaggelation.

17 kms later, thoroughly drenched, I was asking the STOBEH to lay a plastic sheet down on the sofa-chair for me to sit on as I worked while the devices were being charged. He asked me to change instead, and so, this time, instead of being a smartass--and remembering the scatterbrainedness from earlier--I had a nice shower, cleaned all the dirt from the clothes and the bag, and sat down to chat with him for a bit. Attempted some work, but by then, the laptop's battery had drained, and in all my awesomeness, and I had forgotten to bring along its charger. I also complained but my mouse's broken scroll button, so he gave me the one he doesn't use, except for gaming on his laptop. Bless his heart, poor fella, he not only tolerates me randomly showing up at his door, he also indulges me when I ask for help (which is rare, btw, and I've done enough to balance it out).

I gave up all pretense of being awesome, and we decided to watch Angrezi Medium instead. Such a disappointment considering it's precursor, Hindi Medium. An hour of watching with intermittent forwarding later, we gave up. I wrapped up my Duolingo and MemRise practice, and then thought of noting all of this here. You know, just to remind my future self of all the delusions I have about my coolness and to keep myself grounded in the reality of my forgetfulness. So there.

That doesn't mean I can't share some World Cycling Day swag, though...

Even though I didn't know that it was that day while I was cycling. I am totally cool with cherry picking what days to celebrate and what days to be a Grinch about.

2019.04.18

This has been an unexpectedly calm day. I wasn't productive or efficient or any such thing, but I don't feel any throbbing guilt about it, nor am I disappointed in myself. In fact, looking in the mirror, I caught myself thinking about how each one of us is free to find ways to make peace with the world and the reality of everything, as opposed to some utopian dream, and therefore to make peace with ourselves. Yes, we're all eventually going to evolve into something else, maybe better, but that might happen over a dozen or more lifespans. No point rushing to attain nirvana during this one. Learning happens at its own pace, depending on how hungry or how desperate you are to learn (or maybe something else that I haven't perceived yet). As of now, all I am looking forward to is my Phoebe tattoo on Saturday night. I'm looking forward to that pain, and I want to spend those hours thinking about her and the love and lessons she brought for me while being the one true manifestation of unconditional love in my life.

2019.04.13

'All over the place' is how my life is right now. And so are my thoughts. In fact, the latter influence the former.

The very next second, a totally contradictory thought appeared--my life is on the verge of a big change; all the things I've done so far have lined up to form this event that is on the cusp of happening.

It goes to show that it's all about perspective. I can call it a mess or I can see a pattern that is leading to a certain kind of outcome. The patterns are all present, but we have to look at them from various angles to notice them.

It's also about how we choose to feel about the patterns and/or their outcomes. For example, "I'm about to be abc, xyz, and in search of a new life," versus, "I'm about to be pqr and free to make a life that I really want." Or, for example, "I've been lost and unfocused and have stumbled my way through life to get to this point," versus, "Every time I had a choice, I went with whatever was doable at the moment. At times I took the easy route, at times I used a little foresight and swam against the current, and I found that the latter took me to places that were more interesting and rewarding."

When I awakened today, the first thought I had was to write down my patterns--healthy versus unhealthy, productive versus counterproductive, useful/helpful versus useless/unhelpful. I guess each of my habits can be put into these categories (given a context) and then I can choose to replace the unhealthy/counterproductive/unhelpful ones with the healthy/productive/helpful ones over time. However, as I think about or enlist the former, the statements feel like self-beliefs and that scares me into inaction. I need to remind myself that the whole point of the exercise is to change those very self-beliefs by a constant, intentional chipping-away, until those thoughts or statements begin to resemble the latter.

So, when I think of an unhelpful habit or pattern, it is only an initial state, not a permanent truth about myself. Similarly, when I think of a helpful habit or pattern as a desirable outcome, it is an achievable state that I maintain over time with less and less effort; that too is not a permanent truth, because we fall back into our old patterns from time to time, when efforts need to be temporarily increased in some other area of life. If this is done with awareness, it is easier to feel self-appreciation and to reiterate efforts in the desired area of life.

There are certain habits, which if you focus on cultivating on a daily basis, can help almost every other aspect of life run smoothly. Health, for example, both mental and physical. If I do something to maintain my health on a daily basis, however small, it lays the foundation for me to pick up more and more tasks with greater ease. I can also better distinguish between the important versus the urgent ones and the ones that can be set aside or delegated; what we call prioritization.

Basically, making better choices lets you make better choices. (I'll be happy to be quoted on this one some day. (giggle))

And, being alone is better than being in unhealthy company. (This seemingly unrelated thought came to me in a flash as I wrote this, and it crystallized the reasoning for a very important life decision.)

(And then, I actually said this: "Thank you for the insights, self!" Super corny, I know, but hey, I did get to this point with a lot of help from myself after being inspired by other people and their stories. So there. :))

2019.04.10

Grateful for how things turned around over the past couple of days. Better each day. Received good advice at counseling, which I now consciously implement--decoupling the exhaustion of carrying the XYZ burden for ## years from the tasks that need to be done on the journey to independence. Also, the journey is the destination--I am living the life I want, a little each day, not waiting for a specific task to be completed to start a new life. Change happens gently, slowly, organically. Enlist all the tasks that you can think of and expect that they'll be orchestrated intermittently, parallely. There's no assembly-line approach here, and inclines and plateaus are all part of the natural landscape. Plateaus are breathing spaces, rest-and-recovery phases, not time wasted or whiled away. Do a little each day. The changes and growth and patterns will become apparent in retrospect. Have a wonderful day, love!

I feel a familiar ache

A very tangible one, in my heart. The one one feels when they miss someone. I miss my dogs right now. Often, these days, it feels unreal that I was a mother to four-legged creatures just a few months ago. I thought I'd feel a void when they're gone. But when Phoebe passed away, the time was taken up by providing extra care for Mojo. And when Mojo left, I took on several projects, determined not to dwell on the feeling of loss.

I happened to look at a picture of Mojo propped up against one wall of the balcony. Propped up because he didn't have the physical strength or the neurological ability to stand by himself. I was preparing to help him pee. Something we did about 5-6 times a day. The picture reminded me of the physical feeling of touching a dog. Then, specifically, his bony butt. And I miss it all.

I looked at more pictures. Some of them from the clinic where we used to take him for his weekly treatments. He used to whine loudly all the way there and during the 2-3 hours we spent there each time. I even miss those annoying sounds. No, he didn't hate the clinic or the caregivers. It was pretty much his only outing and he did enjoy getting fussed over and pampered there. It was just him vocalizing his excitement at being out and his annoyance at having to lay down on the table as the various treatments--none of them intrusive or painful--were administered as opposed to frolicking with the other creatures.

The moment we got into the car to return home, he would go quiet, as if a switch had been turned off.  It was hilarious! The memory makes me laugh out loud.

They were both like that. I can't stay sad for more than a couple of minutes when I think of them. Which is why it's rare for me to feel this ache. This might sound masochistic, but I want to bask in the feeling while it lasts. It makes me feel alive in a way. Otherwise, I'm quite stoic, maybe even heartless in some ways.

I miss Phoebe's gentle, persistent whining, asking me to get off the couch and pay attention to her or to play with her. Not because she wanted to be entertained, but because moving around was good for me. She was always teaching me lessons I refused to learn. So I made it a point to remember and to act after she passed away.

And then Mojo left after making sure that I was doing what I needed to do. He made sure I took the time to prepare myself for what I had to do next in my life.

So, as always, muchas gracias por mis perros, Universo! <3

Emptiness and epiphanies

As I was walking into my building premises at 1:45 am, I found a dog lying on its side, in an odd position. The parking light wasn't bright enough for me to see the details, but I immediately sensed that it had suffered some form of brain trauma and died. Since noone would respond at the time of the night, I made a mental note to call the municipal corporation's dead animal pickup service, and walked by. As I entered the house and locked up, I was struck by how matter-of-factly I took it. Where were my emotions? How did I not feel anything at the sight of a sentient dead animal, especially a dog, when my own four-legged boy had passed away in a very similar manner just 4 months ago?

I went through the motions of changing, doing my routine journaling, brushing, etc, and slept well enough. Went cycling early in the morning, and when it was closer to the time at which the municipal corporation starts answering calls, I dialed the number. Surprisingly, a well-mannered person responded in an efficient manner--asking for my name, number, and location, and letting me know that they will arrive sometime in the day--they could't predict the exact time, but they would call me an hour before they could reach the spot. By then, it looked like noone from the neighborhood had realized that a dead dog was lying in the compound. I made a hand-written note about having called the pickup service, mentioned their contact number for follow-up, and stuck it on the ground next to the body, just in case someone was curious enough to inquire.

Even though I had no tasks to do before bathing and leaving for work, I felt inclined to lie down and rest for a while. I went out to the balcony intermittently, so I could see whether anyone else had taken note of the event. About an hour later, I finally saw a woman kneeling next to the dog, so I went out to talk to her. She--let's call her PD--was crying profusely, because, it turns out, she had been looking after the dog since she was a puppy. PD told me they called her Kaali--easy to remember because of her coloring. Kaali was a sweet, gentle dog. I took down PD's number and asked her whether I could help in a any way besides making sure that Kaali was picked up. PD wanted to bury her in an empty plot at the back of the colony, instead. So I offered to load Kaali up in the car, and deliver her to the spot.

PD went away to get the tools needed for the burial and another animal-friendly person from the colony came by to assist a few minutes later. In the few minutes that I stood alone outside the car, looking at Kaali lying on the seat, I welled up. Not with emotion--okay, maybe a little,--but mostly with a sense of purpose. It felt right. Like, this is what I am supposed to do. The instinct to stay back home and to not rush to work even though I had a bunch of tasks awaiting me, served this purpose. I was meant to do this little bit of service. I would have even stayed back and helped them with the burial if it was a holiday. But even that little bit that I could do, of making sure that Kaali was moved away with a modicum of dignity, gave my life a meaning.

If the pickup service had not come through by evening, I had planned to take the dog to the cremation facility myself. That was an obvious action that I would take, to see this to completion. But the little help I could offer to the lady and the dog made me feel like--I was, for that slice of time at least--a piece of the puzzle that fit perfectly where it should. Like, feeling a strong emotion may not really be my thing, but acting on something where it makes a difference, or being effective in some way is what I am here for. And that gave me closure.

What a morbid, weirdly satisfying way to start my 40th year on this planet.

Three months ago

...this day, our remaining baby moved on.

This was an hour before he left...

We had force-fed him a little bit of the mush that we used to call food. I wanted with all my heart to let him be, not to torture him, and to let his body heal itself. I wasn't strong enough to act on my instincts. This will serve as a reminder--yet another one--to do what I know in my gut to be right for me and my loved ones.

FW: Thanks for all your help!

After almost 42 years I have decided to retire!  [date], is my last day.

Now I didn’t “personally” know Charles Babbage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage) but I have had some interesting times:

• First computer language: FORTRAN66 (on punch cards).
• Biggest advancement in computer language: FORTRAN 77 (Block IF statements, DO loops).  After that they have all looked the same to me.
• Scariest moments:  Carrying a box of COBOL punch cards to the card reader (and yes, I dropped them once).
• First real project: US Department of Energy data collection from burning coal underground (the data said it was still burning when the project was shut down… oops).
• Program most likely not to succeed:  A cookbook application to test a user interface SDK on VAX/VMS computers.  Required a raised floor computer lab and $4,000,000 computer (but team did use it to exchange recipes).
• Most costly bug found:  A hardware addressing error that caused lots of boards to be trashed ($$$$$) and delayed hardware production (our show stoppers are nothing compared to that).
• Scariest meeting:  Had to tell Dave Cutler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Cutler) that we needed a CDROM in the hardware instead of tape drive to do the installation of the new OS.  People were hiding outside his office to see if there was anything left of my body to return to my family (learned to have undisputable facts and duck when things are thrown… and not take it personally).
• Most interesting customer:  Executive Branch (The White House).  I did get an insider’s tour of the Oval office (at least a foot in) and places the public never gets to see.
• Most disappointing project: Cancellation of new hardware/OS combination at Digital Equipment.
• “Things that make you say hmmm”:  3 years after cancellation of the above project while in a Windows NT class I get training on ACL data structures that I helped design at Digital Equipment.  “Hmmm, I guess it wasn’t only ‘people’ that move from Digital to Microsoft.”
• Project with the most freedom: Rewrite of PEM (PEM2).
• Most dangerous:  Development of office laser printers, we could only put 10 sheets of paper in at a time because it would burn… and a full ream of paper would set off the fire alarms if it caught fire.
• Most aggravating moment:  A prototype office laser printer that had lots of problems.  It was solved by using “transparencies” instead of paper.  Service guy said it looked like something melted in it… we said “yea… probably the gear that was squeaking.”
• Project with the most diverse interaction:  Secure Comm.  Customers, developers, executives.  Travelled 9 out of 18 weeks.
• Project most wanted to be involved with but didn’t get to:  Landing the first man on the moon (not as old as you think!).
• Most satisfying moments:  When someone I’m mentoring proves me wrong…  I know I’m done mentoring.
• Most important piece of advice:  Keep your personal standards higher than what anyone else will ask of you.
• Greatest achievement:  I have, with every project since 1979, developed friendships that I still have today.

If you’re in [location] areas let me know.  First cup of coffee is on me!

Mark Ditto

[email and phone]

~

This is an email I received at work today. The title of this post is the subject line of that email. I added the prefix as a nod to the corporate email culture. (Way to kill a pun, isn't it, when you end up explaining it?!) I didn't suppress the name, because the credit for everything here (including this post) still goes to the wonderful person who wrote it.

I haven't ever had the opportunity to work with this person, and I usually scoff at widely distributed farewell emails, but this one, quite literally, made me tear up with joy. Specifically the italicized bits. And the subject line. Such humility is a mark of true greatness. This post is simply my way of paying respects to this gem of a person. May he continue to inspire others.

Say hello to Denise

...who's the resident guinea pig at Raintree Veterinary Clinic where Mojo gets his acupuncture and other treatments every weekend.

 

 

That's me trying to get friendly with her by feeding her lettuce, but she scampers off and hides as soon as she gets a chance. She's so utterly cute, and nice, though! She's scared but she neither digs in her nails when we pick her up nor does she bite.

Days of mindless indulgence

...like the ones I had yesterday and today totally kill the momentum that I gain on the other days when I am mindful.

Yesterday, for example, between 1:15-8:15 pm, it felt like I was constantly munching on something or the other. Had a fusion box, a chocolate brownie, and an iced tea from Box8 for lunch. Each time I passed the pantry, I picked a few morsels of बटाट्याचा चिवडा. Went out with a couple of old teammates in the evening and had peanut butter toast, fries, and a cappuccino. The husband wanted to have पाणी पूरी for dinner since his birthday last week, but we did something else instead, so we took the opportunity today, because the cook was on leave. However, my frustration wasn't the effect of binging, it was the reason it.

Today too, although I've been at home and have had to attend to Mojo's pee-routine every few hours, I've walked less than 3000 steps, and neither cycled, nor practiced Yoga. It's as if my mind has been in a fog and refused to participate in the real world. Procrastinating everything has been the order of the day.

And now, I don't even want to make any plans to recover from this tomorrow. Luckily for me, I know that it will happen, automatically.

It's been like this, two steps further and one step back, week after week, for the past couple of years. I've sort of given up trying to keep the momentum up for too long.

I'm just happy I now have goals in life. It's something I've never known previously, at least never practiced consciously or with any sincere effort. I've been an impulsive, obsessive person all through my teens, and have wasted time and efforts on people and things that did me no good, really. It's time now to divert those energies towards things that matter to me.

I sometimes wish I could hire someone to keep me focussed. Like some fella who hired a girl off of Craigslist to slap him each time he got distracted from his goal. However, misanthrope that I am, it's not a realistic solution for me. Nor do I know anyone who's jobless enough to want to do this for me. Also, it won't be possible for me to let someone tail me along all day at work--it would be flagged as a security threat. :D

Anyhoo. I hope that unproductive "episodes" like these get fewer and fewer over the years. I know that that will happen. I've just got to be patient and practice being mindful as often as I remember. For now, I take comfort in these words that I read somewhere today:
"Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be."

...and the comfort food (सांजा) that I cooked this morning for brunch:

Books I started reading

...and am hoping to finish in the next few months or at least this year:

1. Refuse to Choose - Barbara Sher
2. How to Hypnotise Anyone - Confessions of Rogue Hypnotist
3. Become Healthy or Extinct - Darryl D'Souza
4. The 80/20 Principle - Richard Koch
5. A New Science of Life - Rupert Sheldrake (first edition of Morphic Resonance)
6. Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge - Arthur Osborne
7. Life with My Guardian Angel - Richard Bach (the first ever RB book that I didn't devour right away)
8. Declutter Your Mind - S. J. Scott & Barrie Davenport (I found Headspace here and got distracted... talk about irony)
9. 10-minute Digital Declutter - S. J. Scott & Barrie Davenport (irony again!)
10. You Are Smarter Than You Think - Thomas Armstrong
11. Level Up Your Day - - S. J. Scott &Rebecca Livermore
12. 10-minute Declutter - S. J. Scott & Barrie Davenport (oh, the mother of ironies!)

And then there are these that I bought, but have barely even started reading:

1. Autobiography of a Yogi - Paramhansa Yogananda
2. Shivaji: The Grand Rebel - Dennis Kincaid
3. Animal Farm - George Orwell
4. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
5. Break Free: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 3 Steps - Tanya J. Peterson (rolling my eyes at this now)
6. Thank Your Wicked Parents - Richard Bach (this isn't a linear read anyway, and almost none of it is applicable to my situation, thankfully!)
7. S.M.A.R.T. Goals Made Simple - S. J. Scott
8. How Google Works - Eric Schmidt
9. Talk Like TED - Carmine Gallo
10. Game of Life - Kanishka Sinha and Girish Manimaran
11. The Ultimate Writing Guide for Students - Grammar Girl / Mignon Fogarty

Those are too many for me to finish in a year, or even two! Also, I used to believe I'm more of fiction reader. Clearly, my preferences have changed over the years. Or, maybe these are things I thought I should read, rather than what I am really motivated to read. Maybe that's why I have had trouble completing any of them.

Vegan omelette batter

...somehow looks better than that of an egg omelette. The latter may look better later and may even taste better, but there's something about this one that makes it look adorable to me.

For the record, I didn't eat this one, because I'm not too fond of tomatoes-onions-mint in my vegan omelette. I prefer mine with just plain coriander, probably because I loved the ones mom used to make. Dear old कोथिंबीर धिर्ड आणी लोणी--comfort food!

Side note: This used to be good old "veg omelette", but now that I am considering going vegan at some point, I'm so glad to realize that this will continue to be kosher. ;)

Raiding a stationery shop

...is what I did as my fun beginning to 2019!

I've been journaling more of less consistently since 2016, and have found immense help and encouragement as I read my previous entries all through 2018. Wanting to do more of it and to get better at it, I got myself these presents today.

The tiny one at the top has handmade paper, and I'm going to use it for doodling.

The black one is like a planner, and I'll use it for my daily to-dos and affirmations and reviews.

The blue ones are notebooks, which I intend to use for my Spanish class homework and exercises. I scribble with pencil on the textbook and erase it later, after I write down all of it in a fair notebook. During class, I use a rough book to make notes and do on-the-spot exercises.

The green and the magenta ones are what I will use for journaling. I've grown fond of that paper size and I need a hardcover book so that I can write fairly legibly even if I happen to be seated in a somewhat uncomfortable position.

Spoon feeding vs encouraging self service

A team mate just pinged me with a problem statement. Instead of giving the answer right away, I led him through the process of understanding the problem itself. And he got it soon enough. But when I asked him to conclude or tell me what he understood and what his course of action would be, he clammed up. Or at least it seemed that way, because he didn't answer soon enough, and I was quite impatient to know whether it worked.

So then I said this... it's not a novel idea, but I've put it in my own words, and am quite happy with it, so here goes...

I apologize if that felt condescending. It is never my intention. Whenever someone comes to me with a question, I like to help by guiding them to understand the question/problem itself in the first place. If I give them the answer, they won't know the method of arriving at it. When we understand a problem, the solution feels very obvious. So wrapping our head around a problem is really the key to any solution. For me, the bonus in this way of helping is that, the questioner may then be able to arrive at their own method of solving the problem... alternative solutions! And that's how I get to learn too! So I'm being selfish, really.

Later, he pinged back saying he got what I was trying to do and he appreciated that style of knowledge sharing, and he felt comfortable approaching me with questions. That put me at ease.

I don't like to offend people, and I am quite non-confrontational, but I also love sharing knowledge in a way that truly helps people enable themselves to find their own answers rather than spoon-feeding. I am mostly scared of how others might perceive the way I say certain things, but I know my intentions are right. If i don't think the person on the other side is open to my style of response, I just shut up and walk away, or I do the least necessary bit and then walk away.

Winter Solstice 2017

Here's a lovely article on this topic, which includes fun things you could do with photography and the sun:
https://www.vox.com/2016/12/20/14027402/winter-solstice-2017

And I'm going to start with my er... small steps... on the shortest day of the year. If can do "so much" on this day, I can do "so much more" on others. And if I manage to do "nothing" (that being quite difficult to achieve) on this day, I can do so much more of that too!

There's one thing I've had on my mind for a few years. And I might as well give that a go now that I'm thinking of "doing something" (whatever that means). There's a lovely little tree on my way to work and I have often thought of taking a picture of it every day for a year to compare how it changes colors and how its foliage looks glorious in all its forms. I've wondered about what would be an appropriate time for this activity, such that there's sufficient light to take a good picture and not too much traffic on that route and that I don't have meetings to attend at that time of the day. As of now, 12:30 pm comes to mind, because that's the official beginning of lunchtime at work, and so mostly there aren't any meetings scheduled around that time. Of course, there will be days when I can't make it at that time. In which case, I think 16:30 or 17:30 would be a good time. Anyway. I'll shut up now and just get to it tomorrow. Off to set a recurring reminder!

Madagasikara - Day 05

#ThisDayIn2016

Woke up around 5:30 or so, because we wanted to leave by 7:00. As the day dawned, I took pictures of the rising sun--zoomed in to check if I could see nostril hair... I mean solar flares. :P

The barrenness of the sand and the dead twigs lying around made it look like some alien landscape.

The guide and the boatmen got to prepping for day, while we wandered about looking for places to hide and do our erm... business. Apart from that nasty necessity, though, the misty morning was quite thrilling after the full-moon night.

In a bit, we all had breakfast.

Then we had some time to while away while the tents dried out. There were dewdrops from the mist that settled on the tents through the chilly night.

So I went click-happy with our neighbors. The hut was about a mile away, the shrubs were all around, and the cautiously curious dog was furiously wagging her tail in her excitement at meeting us, but refused to come too close.

Spotted these beauties too.

Then, on the last leg of the safari, which lasted only about an hour and a half, we saw these guys. The croc was about 12ft long, and was sunbathing with its jaws open. I guess it was too lazy to make breakfast and he wanted some in bed. :P

Our boat ride ended at a village, which we had to pass through in a bullock (zebu, as they are called locally) cart. Twenty minutes of pain in the behind. I wasn't too happy for the bulls, either, poor fellows! Part of the road was submerged under water, even though it was farmland. Our cart owner brought his little son along. The path was so uneven that a few times during the ride,the plank (gosh, I don't know what it's called!) would slip off and a bull would stop or drag us in a different direction. A little 9-10YO lad ran alongside our cart for part of the way, and helped put it back in place! The things that rural kids do! City folk would shudder at the very thought of how dangerous something like this could be for their kids.

The next mode of transport was a ferry across the Tsiribihina river, further northwest. It took us about half an hour, and our SUV was loaded onto a ferry made of two little boats held together with planks. There were several such makeshift ferries, that would take upto 6 SUVs on them! How they managed to get the vehicles on and off the boats itself was amazing... the coordination, the precision, the trust!

Next stop: lunch at the Karibo restaurant and lodge. It was lovely place with clean, unique place settings and knife holders and check holders and whatnot. Even the simplest meals were served with such flair... the little decorations on the plate are made with honey!

This how the place looked from the outside. Apart from the dining area, it also had a karaoke room. The painting on one of the inner walls was a glimpse of the main tourist attraction of that place--the Tsingy. The little was hiding near a bamboo close to where the toilets were and he was so still that Pawan completely missed him after looking at him directly for a few seconds. I only noticed him accidentally. Or maybe my brain is better wired to spot non-human creatures. :P

We moved on for a few more kilometers are lunch by road until we had to cross the Manambolo river by ferry. This time we were in a smaller ferry and the ride lasted only about 10 mins or so.

Finally, at dusk, we reached our hotel, L'Orchidé Du Bemaraha, which was delightful too, but my heart still pines for Chambre Du Voyageur, the one in Antsirabe. BTW, we were told that this one and its neighbor, L'Olympe Du Bemaraha, are both owned by Indians.

The sight of a proper toilet was SO welcome after 3 days out in the open!

We had a HOT shower (the last time was a cold one right under the waterfall 2 days ago!) and proceeded to check out the place for a few minutes until our dinner was served. There was bougainvillea adorning the railings of the straicase that led down from our rooms to the restaurant. That bright green gecko with the red polka dots was so fun to watch--and I'm one who can't stand lizards! And, finally, the meal was good too.

Bathed and fed and in a warm bed, we drifted off to sleep quickly, super excited about tomorrow.

Madagasikara - Day 04

#ThisDayIn2016

After waking and freshening up, we found this laid out for us on a wooden table+bench right next to our tent. There were several other tourists around us--about 3-6 different groups--and they had breakfast in/near their tents or in their motorboats, but our guide and boatmen seemed to be so much more cooler spreading a treat out this way for us. We just felt so blessed!

Soon after we cleared the table, it was Lemur time! Scores of brown lemurs flocked the very table+bench where we ate a few minutes ago.

A guide from another group brought them fruits and fruit peels. Tourists are told not to feed them so that they do not get dependent on humans, but once in a while some locals indulge them. People used selfie sticks to take pictures of the lemurs from up close. Thankfully, they weren't as cheeky as monkeys and didn't grab anyone's camera. :)

We set off after drying our tents and cleaning up the site, with bright West views ahead of us and a brilliant sun behind. We crossed a few tourist motorboats that were coming back upstream after completing the river safari. Those complete the journey in half the time, but I guess they don't have as much fun as us because they camp for only one night on the river. I'm conflicted about this, because this way, our boatmen get paid well, but it's a LOT of physical effort for them.

We saw a lot of migratory birds in the trees where the terrain was hilly.

And then some gorgeous view like these...

A few minutes later, our boatmen spotted the house of an acquaintance who made oars, so they made a quick maneuver and docked the boat. They checked out a couple of oars and settled on one, which they would use immediately.

Later, we watched as locals went about their day--washing clothes, bathing, fishing, cooking...

This one in particular caught my eye... see how coolly she's swaddled her baby and tied it up on her back so she can go about her day? Amazing!

Further ahead, we saw a few boats docked near a group of huts/houses. Our guide mentioned that this was a popular spot for lunch, but we moved on...

Because he had better plans for us. He knew we liked calm, uncrowded places, so the boatmen stopped at a private spot next to someone's miniature farm. A bunch of kids surrounded us, but we gave them some eatables and then they left us alone. The meal, needless to say was amazing--they made pasta and a simple salad and we also had chilled juice from the cool box!

Post lunch we encountered large flocks of birds gathered on the banks and on trees and shrubs...

And some lone wolves, erm... birds, trees, men...

And some kids loafing about...

Until we got to the spot where we'd spend the night. For about a mile before this spot, we ran into really shallow waters. The boatmen asked us to walk along the sandy bank while they pushed the boat for a bit by hand until they reached deeper waters and took the long-winding route to our camping spot.

While the sun set beyond the west bank...

The moon appeared on the east...

While, we found a lone, dead tree branch some distance away as a cover to erm... cover our behinds while we relieved ourselves, the boatmen and the guide went about preparing our dinner. We asked for plain french fries, so they gave us exactly that. And then made a dessert out of banana, sugar, and wine! Man, those guys were resourceful!

The full moon that night was a beautiful synchronicity. It was just the 5 of us in two tents, with this heavenly orb watching over us.

Magical!

Madagasikara - Day 03

#ThisDayIn2016

Started with a wonderful breakfast in the airy, sunlit restaurant at around 9:30, and then headed off to the Tsiribihina river in our SUV. I made an attempt to drive for about 10 mins - yay! Didn't do more, because it would have slowed us down with me being careful and learning my way around the gears and pedals of the vehicle. The river entry was about 20 kms from the hotel. Our boatmen and their families rode with us into the village on the banks.

While waited for the boat to be brought, a bunch of kids surrounded us and demanded (very sweetly) that we give them something. We gave away a few biscuits and some empty bottles, which they use to carry water to school sometimes. To get into the boats in the middle of winter season, we have to climb down the bank and walk about a hundred feet. River safaris are not allowed during the monsoons, of course--the rivers turn into muddy monsters and the crocs are annoyed at the lack of visibility.

We saw a variety of boats cross us all through the morning. Other tourists, locals going up/down the river to different vilages/towns, fishermen going about their jobs, and some people ferrying grain via the river!

Our boatmen rowed for about an hour and a half before we took a break. We were at the front of the boat, our guide in the center, the boatmen rowing at the back, and all of our luggage interspersed.

 

We also saw people going about their chores, birds doing what they do, and reptiles chilling--until they saw us. One of the first sights as we began the safari was a baby croc (almost 2 mtrs, about 1-2 years of age) sunbathing at the edge of the water, not 20 feet away from us!

Our boatmen and guide found us a nice spot in the shade of tree, settled us in on a mat, and brought simple, but hot and yummy food to gorge on. They were heroes and angels all at once.

Then onwards, it got sunnier and hotter, but our boatmen went on for another four hours or so, while we could only hold on to our umbrellas! (Psst... I forgot to buy sunscreen even though it was second on our shopping list... the first being mosquito repellent cream.)

Post lunch we came across stunning landscapes, amazing shapes and colors of rock that formed the banks...

The trees were fantastic too. The sun was beating down on us, but the water made us (okay only me) feel calm and serene.

As the evening drew nearer, the colors seemed even deeper, enticing.

The river, in the middle of the winter was about a 100 mtrs wide. Imagine how swollen and angry it gets during the monsoons! I splashed about a it, because the water was so close... at the center, the edge of the boat was only about 4 inches above the water!
 

 
By the time we reached our destination for the night, the boatmen were tired and we all hurriedly unloaded our stuff let them get on to their next chores. The guide took us up the campsite to the base of a waterfall, which felt like a magical place. The water was crystal clear, and not too cold, so I promptly jumped in. The husband did too, but I was 'in the zone' and so didn't click any pictures of his--my poor, sweet fella. It was a moonlit night and I could capture this...

Soon after we got back from the waterfall and dried ourselves and changed, the guide got us dinner--another lovely meal. We went to sleep at about 10:00 or so, after chitchatting in the moonlight for a bit, in our tent, on a sandy slope. If it weren't for the mosquitoes, we'd have slept under the stars!