Hello Dear MSians,
How have you been? Today I am back with a memorable experience which turned two days of my romantic honeymoon into a suspense thriller! Sounds interesting? To know what happened, read on:
We went for our honeymoon to the beautiful destination of Vizag - Rishikonda - Araku. The beginning of the journey was very sweet and romantic. We enjoyed the calm seashores of Rishikonda and checked out local attractions like Indira Gandhi Zoological Park and Kailasagiri. We then bid a farewell to the seas and headed straight for the mountains of Araku valley. We boarded a train from Vizag to Araku. The train passed through more than 60 tunnels and allowed us a glimpse of streams and mountain valleys. It was a fascinating experience!
On reaching Araku station, we boarded a hired Ambassador to our hotel. The driver was in his 30s, appeared friendly and well mannered. He told us, if we wanted to go for local sightseeing we may hire his car. I also enquired the fare he is going to charge. Reaching the hotel, the man handed me our luggage from the car's dicky and took his leave.
That afternoon, we went out of the hotel to roam around in the locales on foot. We saw the driver outside our hotel, he smiled and waved at us. Now, no mobile network other than BSNL runs in the Araku valley. Since we did not have that connection, we went to a STD booth near our hotel to make calls to our home. The booth owner was an aged man, humble and polite. We asked him the cheapest ways for sightseeing. He recommended shared Jeep cars to Chhapra, a local perennial stream.
We came near the phone booth the next day, and the booth owner helped us to get in a Jeep which was heading to Chhapra. We got the front seat. My wife suddenly looked at the rear view mirror and noticed something very strange. The driver with whom we had come to the hotel, asked the phone booth owner something, which sounded like "Chhapra? Chhapra?" and then hurriedly got into his car and was now following us. It was a bit weird, but I ignored. We roamed and enjoyed the stream in Chhapra. It was a bit downhill from the main road. On our way back, when we reached the main road, suddenly the driver appeared from nowhere. He smiled and asked "Had a good tour of here Saab? Going back to the hotel?" I dryly replied, "Ya, we will take the bus". I felt a bit irritated that he actually followed us all the way.
In the evening, me and my wife walked our way to the Padampuram Garden. We enjoyed roaming around the magnificent flowers. And when we came out of the gate, oh there he was, again! The driver was there with his white Ambassador, his smile and stare made me feel uneasy.
We went back to the hotel room and this time I was seriously agitated. Why the hell is that guy stalking us? Is there any danger to our security? My wife also started getting a bit worried. I was thinking of ways to avoid him the next day, when suddenly the Intercom rang. It was a call from the hotel reception. "Sir, your driver has arrived, he wants to go to your room." I replied, "There's no need to come to our room. What does he want?" "Don't know Sir. He's already headed towards your room." I slammed down the phone flabbergasted. How can the reception allow this? The doorbell rang.
I was now in a mental state to confront the driver, both verbally and physically, if need arises. This is too much, I have had enough. I went out of the room, closed the door behind me and faced him. He smiled and asked, "Would you go for sightseeing tomorrow?" I replied, "No, we are not in the best of health. We won't go out tomorrow." He said okay and stood there. I said, "Anything else?" and was about to turn around when he said, "Sir, please pay me my fare of Rs. 40 from the station to the hotel." I was surprised, "What, I did not pay you yesterday morning?" And then I remembered NO, I DID NOT. I just took my luggage from him and left. The poor guy has been following us for the past two days for only 40 rupees!!! I rushed inside my room and came back with his money.
When I told my wife what actually happened, she burst into laughter, "Oh my God! He wasted 200 rupees of petrol to retrieve his 40 rupees!" I was relieved and had a laugh too. I could not help but feel for the man. He was following us, thinking we will go back to Vizag, and never pay his money. My forgetfulness caused so much tension and trouble to him and us. I had doubts over his intentions, thought so much wrong of him. But actually, he is such a shy guy, and he is innocent to the extent that he is dumb.
Looking back now, it's an amusing experience, which added so much masala to our Honeymoon days! Even today, whenever we remember this incident, me and my wife can't help but smile. Hope you enjoyed it too.
Love you all,
Avi
