MY FIRST TIME # 7 : SNORKELING

May, 2012

The man has desires. The desire list has no end. Every time we do something, immediately our mind ticks to do ten other things. Time and again in my daily life I am tickled to try new things. Every time I want to do this and that.

So the hunger to experience has no end. For an instance I have travelled 32 countries but, I want to go 18 more to make it 50 and sometimes I am greedy to say that I want to travel in 100 countries. If I could, I would not say no to pilot a flight. Then I come here to share as my first time # ** .

Similarly, when I was a child, I used to go to the beach with my parents. I would not wait for their permission. I would get down the car and immediately run towards the sea. I always wanted to know where it ends. What is after when the sea ends. Is there is an end at all. What is beneath the water of the sea. So, for the answer to my vast question bank, I would run towards the sea and sometimes even fast enough to touch the waves. I was a stupid and would always trouble my folks.

My mom would be always scared and dad would try to answer my questions very patiently.
I: what's after the sea?
Dad: Its land again.
I: whats is in the sea?
Dad: Plants and animals. Its a huge world of living organism.
I: Is it a different world than us ?
Dad: No we join together and make one world.
I: How do you know that there is another land after this vast sea?  How do you know about the animals and plants inside the sea?
Dad: We know because, science tells us. We have studied in school. When you grow up you will study too.
I: Have you seen it for yourself?
Dad: Yes, somethings.
I: Then dad please let me go inside. I will come back. Please only for 10 mins.
Dad: No, not now. When you grow up, you will know.

Yes, I was very stupid.
I would cry and dad used to hold me tight. He always told me that I know there is land after this sea and he is sure there are definitely crazy children out there who think like me. One has to wait for the right time to know all these.

Listening to my dad paid off. On one of days in the month of May, I was lucky. I was in company of my very best friends at Perhentian Islands, Malaysia. They were Awie from Malaysia, Sachin from India and Jorge from Portugal. We were there for two nights to lead an island life and celebrate the birth day of our friend Awie.  One of the afternoon the weather was very good to snorkel. One of my long time wish came true.

In the beginning I was very scared and in the end I was snorkelling like an expert. It was my first time and was one of the best experiences of my life.

So, here one of the very old saying turns true,"The more we get, the more we desire".
However the positive of the above saying is that, there will be more of the first time experiences in my life :)

MY FIRST TIME # 6 : DIVING

I have no words because I am yet to wake up from my dream.

A dream which I realised. It happened for real and yet feels like a dream.  I am not sure if it was my dream or a real world which feels like a dream.

Yes, it is true!! I went to dive today. It was one of my first time which I am always scared to attempt.

My first time to dive in the history of Mankind.

MY FIRST TIME # 5 SKY TRAIN

It was 2010, when I made smalls steps into the gigantic Asia to kill my travel bugs.

It was not the first time I was travelling outside India, but the first country I visited outside India in Asia is Thailand. A very convinient destination for Indians to travel. This country gives Visa on arrival at its immigration for 15 days. 

But I realised, what impressions I had of Thailand was not enough. 

This country is way developed than I had imagined in terms of tourism and infrastruction. High rise buildings, great night life, good fashion at cheap price, delicious thai food etc floods the immigration gate at the airport. 

One of those days I decided to take a metro train with friends. I was surprised when my friend called it Sky Train. I had been in metro  train in Calcutta but never I had been in a sky train. I was amazed. What is it anyway...!! 

Later I realised it is an organised system of transport which runs on an elevated bridge. I was very impressed for the passengers commuting in this organised system. The ticketing, the signs, the dos and the donts and most of all the dedicated queues of passengers to enter the train. 

Everything was calling for my attention and I was very wishful to have the same systematic medium to commute in India. 

I am very glad to do this sky train in my travel in Thailand for the first time. 

MY FIRST TIME # 4 : VOTE

This is an experience of Lifetime. Yes, I voted. It was for the first time.

I feel proud that I did. It could have happened long back, almost 9 years before. In India, you have right to vote when you are 18 years. However, when I was 18, I did not have the voter card issued by my village registry. Then as soon as I had the voter card to exercise my vote, I left my hometown for higher studies in Bangalore. A city in the south of India.

So until this day I was never in my hometown to exercise my vote. Never, did I exercise the power to elect. However, as some one says : Never say never. This year, I was in my hometown and helping my sister for her corporate elections. Unfortunately I could not vote for her as she was contesting for another ward.

But coming to my story of voting, I was very thrilled. It was my first vote ever. I rarely wake up early as I work until late hours in the night. But this day it was 6 am. I woke up, took a shower and dressed in formals. Of course the formal attire is not necessary to vote in India. But, I did to enjoy my experience, to add the details and make it full of fun. To make it memorable. I did early morning prayer and started for the vote station.

There I arrived at the vote station and immediately some supporters try to influence secretively as the election promotion stops two days before the vote day. I was one of the first ones to be there. The third person to vote to be precise. Still I hear voices in my ears, vote for the HAND with your own hand, please offer the LOTUS to the god as it will be blessings for us, also some said bring the CONCH as it will bring us peace. For those who do not know, the HAND stand for Congress Party, the LOTUS is the sign of BJP(Bharatiya Janata Party) and the CONCH is for Biju Janata Dal.

It was like a Paparazzi experience. I know what I know. I had to escape into the vote station and after the formal procedures, I was there at the ballot box. It is forbidden to use Camera. But, I had a gut feeling and I made a picture to share here.

It is no more like the old times where you get an A4 sheet with the series of candidates and the corresponding signs to stamp your thumb impression on your choice. Now there is new technology and it is there for good i.e to save trees. Of course it takes many trees to produce and that much paper for the whole country to vote. Now we have an electronic device with signs of the political parties and you press the button to its right.

Hence I made my first vote.

MY FIRST TIME # 3

My first time # 3 goes back in past. It is my first Portuguese Poem.

O Rio da Minha Aldeia was not the first Portuguese poem, I heard. Although, it is also from the famous and timeless Poet, Fernando Pessoa. It is MAR PORTUGUES, which I heard from my friend Jorge long back in Kolkata.

MAR PORTUGUES (THE PORTUGUESE SEA)

It is a poem known and celebrated by every Portuguese with pride. So being in Portugal, meeting the Local people, visiting the monuments this is how I relate to the Poem :

The Belem Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, the river Tejo and every thing else in Portugal has one question to the salty sea. How much of your salt is tears of Portugal.

When the mariners left the land to find new lands, the mothers stayed behind crying. The children prayed for their return and the brides stayed at home unmarried as many never came back. You leave the eyes full of salt and go for the salty sea.

But was is it worthwhile ? There is a voice of self confirmation, yes everything is worthwhile for Human being full with infinite aspirations. There is an aspiration to go beyond the Cape Boujdour, to explore Africa, to find the sea route to India, to go far in the east and find what is east of east. To go even with all the pain of Portugal.

As this pain is the price for the glories, i.e to find Heaven.

MY FIRST TIME # 2 : MY FIRST DRIVING

To the end of June 2013, I have many many first times to share. However since I am in a remind mode at the moment, today would be one of my first times from the past. So my first time # 2 is from my favourite Portugal.

As kids we play with cars and dream that we are driving them. For me it was nothing different. The only difference was as I grew up to an adult, who never drove a car. I was not allowed by my family. That is why I never had driving classes or drove a car. However, my driving lisence allows me to drive four wheels and that is a different story altogether.

In India I am never allowed. However while driving to the Volcano of Mt Bromo in the Java Island of Indonesia, our driver offered to drive on the ash desert. The next moment my friend Jorge was with the stearing to enjoy the experience. How cool it is drive miles and miles on a desert made from the ash of the Volcano and the perk was Range Rover. You are a very good driver says our guide cum driver to Jorge.

With all smiles, the happy Jorge offered me to drive aswell. I who does not know how to drive, Of course I know some techniques but never had a practical lesson. So I was on the stearing and Vrummmmmmn......

Vrummmmmn....

Vrummmmm.....

Vrummmmm.....

Bunty, have you ever driven before, asked the Jorge. No, never was my answer and there is always a first time. I was too reluctant to give up and was insisting to learn in the middle of the tour on the ash desert.

However my first time driving never happened at the Volcano of course. I had to give up when I was promised by my friend that I would be allowed to drive on better roads.

So, My first time driving happened in streets of Sintra, Portugal. Where my friend kept his promise and allowed me to be on the strearing. I did a fair job with some lessons and drove back and forth.

I am still not driving yet, but my first experience of driving would be always huge from the beautiful Sintra in Portugal.

The perk this time was a Mini.....woooohooooo :)

MY FIRST TIME # 1 : EXPLORE THE WORLD

There is very popular old saying "The more you get , The more you desire".

But the new is "more you travel , the more you want to travel". Is it not true?
May be that is why I started to explore the world only in 2010.

Before that I always had a wish to travel but there were other priorities. Once I went to South Africa in the July of 2010, I realised what is beyond the ocean, the land after that and the many seas after is exactly the same I read in books.

When the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic at Cape Point , how is it like! The colour and the temperature of the water is different. The pole with pointers in all directions also says New Delhi 9296 Kms. The pleasure to be there and be part of everything  around is immense.

So, now there are priorities in Life and traveling is one of them :)

MY FIRST TIME

Its always special when its our first time.
We always wonder or dream of doing different things and when we do it for the first time, then the feeling stays for ever to cherish. How about a bath with an elephant on its back or to ride a Camel in a desert.

How rare is it to ride a donkey to visit one of the seven wonders and may be to do it on a mule is even rarer.
How does it feel to think about the first snorkeling experience. What is it to be in an island for the first time and there is a big storm. I still remember when I took the flight to Capetown, South Africa, I did not sleep the entire long journey as I was very hyper and excited about my first international travel. I was always making pictures outside the window, ejoying the food and TV. Where as now a days I get some of my best sleep while in air.

While we travel to a different place where people are different, they create a different world for us to experience. We have many first time experiences. Last year I counted that, I had about 54321 new travel experiences. That doesnot mean, all my first time experiences are over. This Journey is beyond this world and there would be always a first time all the time.

So now every time I would share MY FIRST TIMES.