Saturday, July 4, 2009

As the world turns

Date: 28th June 2009
Location: Tel Aviv
Scene:
Having a stroll in Tel Aviv beach at the end of the day. The Tel Aviv beach is artificially made. The sand there is so soft that, it does not stick to our skin. When you pick it up in your hand, it escapes throw your fingers. Every day in the morning, a truck comes, to clean all the dirt people have left. I really did not see any trash scattered on the beach. It is such a clean beach. The people play a very important job in maintaining it. They don't throw trash into the sea. Unbelievable but true, they are very disciplined. People going on a evening jog to stay fit. Most of them go jogging or cycling to stay fit. There is a free gym on the beach, where in you can go and pump up some muscles, the weight is your body weight. You have to lift your body weight, some of it is tough body exercise. All my efforts to go jogging did not help me. I could manage only 3 days of jogging in the matter of month I was there. I got a inferiority complex looking at all well built guys and girls with amazing body. Truly I must give my back a strong kick and get fit. I gained almost 4 kgs, which is totally unacceptable. As I was walking, I saw many girls having a tattoo done, kids playing around with firsby. People sitting on the beach enjoying a drink talking with their friends and family. Amazing place to get rid of pressures and tension at work for some quite time and get going the next day with a refreshed frame of mind. People with full cycling gear with light flickering on the front and back of their bicycle were going up and down. It was something like watching "Tour De France". I am a fan of Lance Armstrong, read his autobiography some years back. Some musicians were playing violin, some clowns were making money by dancing on the pathway, doing lot of tricks. But literally, it was amazing seeing all these guys caring so much about free time and also about staying fit. I also had a smile on my face, as I was leaving the next day for India.


Date: 4th July
Location: Andheri(W), Mumbai
Scene:
When the rain does not come, we people of mumbai complaint that there is no rain and it is very hot. When the rain eventually comes, we want it to go off as it disrupts the normalcy of life. It pours in buckets not drops. I had been on my bike to Andheri W for watching a movie. It was raining when I left home. I did reach the cinema hall on time for "Terminator Salvation"; I liked the movie. The action scenes and also the camera work is cool. Coming back to the scene, when I started my way back home, I did not know the worst nightmare awaiting me :)
It was pouring, and I was caught in a worst traffic jam. The water levels were raising. The traffic did not move an inch. I had to take a big detour from my normal path. All of a sudden coming from such a nice climate and place like Tel Aviv enjoying the sun set view and late night walks, I was jolted back to reality. I had to reach home some how. All the roads were jammed, me being on a bike did not help as I was getting almost fully wet now. My only concern was my bike, in this water should not give up on me and my mobile phone in my bike should not get wet. I have already lost one costly mobile to rain water. There was no discipline in the traffic, everybody was going on the wrong side, running scattering. Traffic police were present only at important junctions. It was impossible to regulate traffic, with such disciplined people at the first place. You cannot say anything, as everyone is trying desperately only one thing, to reach home by hook or crook. I took a detour route. I did not know this route as I had not been through it at all. The rain had shown no sign of stopping. The autoricshaw drivers were very helpful in helping me map a route back home. When it rains, it is not impossible to get lost. The water level raised to my knee. I took almost 2 hours, to reach a distance of half an hour journey. The reality of your world does hit you so hard sometimes, that it takes you some time recover from it!!

2 comments:

NIM said...

awesome pics...looks like a great place to visit and photograph...
were mumbai rains so much of a mess again... i mean it was just for a day... its ridiculous.
good thing i was out of town that day ;)

Lan said...

hey thanks!! you should have been here man; it was raining cats and dogs; water filled everywhere!!
there will be more days like this for sure!! :) :)

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