22nd Sept Thought – “Aaj Mai oopar, Aasman Neeche” – First experience!!!

 It was my first term break visit back home. I didn’t want to wait for a single minute after the exam. If asked for, I would be ready to write all the exams in one day and get back home.  Not that I was so prepared for the exams but he fact that I was missing home extremely and the week before exam was passing too slow. But I had to wait for one day after exam due to unavailability of tickets and limited transport.

I had never travelled by air till then. Various reasons could be accounted to it. I was never away from home and so most travels were with family and mostly self - driven by road. And also I didn’t consider my time to be so precious that I need to reach a place so quickly spending huge bucks. I think flight journey is more of convenience than luxury. It is a matter of opportunity cost and no one how much ever wealthy would be willing to spend unless it is worth for it. So, I hardly or actually never visited “makemy trip.com” or individual airlines website. Thanks to a friend, who explored this option, considering my eagerness to get back home. And as always, I am god’s child. The time I was to travel back, there was an introductory offer by one of the airlines, and I got the maximum bargain during the window I booked the tickets. So I had no repent of not leaving the same day and I was excited of the First journey ahead.

Dabolim Airport - Goa

Its Location...

 Back home, they were unaware of this part of the story and according to them I was to arrive later than I actually was. I remembered my first travel by train as I left my room to board a bus to the airport. I was 8yrs old when I first travelled by train with my maternal grand- mother and still the memories are so very clear. This is going to be another such journey I told myself. Around 40-45 batch mates had their flight almost at the same time to different places and hence we were together. Goa airport is not very big. So almost everywhere I could see familiar people. I was little conscious too, trying to take quick cues and understand what is to be done. Although I didn’t care for revealing that it was my first travel but why do you have to until you can manage? (*wink* - managerial learning)

1st :)

My flight departure time was the last among all batch mates. Having done all the formalities, I threw my laptop bag back on the shoulder and moved towards the boarding room. Sitting in the room, I wondered how independent I have become. Here I was on my first flight journey and I was alone strolling through the airport, getting the luggage checked and boarded, took the seat of my choice and walked heads up. I always longed for such things and I loved travelling alone.  But a pinch of anxiety lay there in the bottom of the heart. After all I was to travel by air and I recollected few instructions given or experiences shared by first time travelers.

Natural was best...

The new customer to .....

As I took my window seat, I was helped by air hostess in tying the belt. While others didn’t bother, I gave all my ears to the instructions given by the flight attendants. As it started, I felt like being in a car with no gears and breaks. It started, raised the speed on and on and on with no pause and here I was on the end of the run way and the wheels folded and I was in the air. Suddenly I felt as if nothing was moving and outside window my eyes confirmed I was in the air and there was no relative ground to measure the speed. And hence such feeling. Aaahhh!!! It was beautiful. Goa airports location is one of the beautiful, I had heard people say. No sooner the plane took off from the runway, I was over the sea. It was pleasantly sunny and I saw the rainbow kind of shadow of the plane down on the sea. That moment is memorable. There was blue stretch of water all -way long, and the distance between me and the sea just kept on increasing. I was still not sure of the speed of the plane, and I tried to analyse by looking back and seeing the amount of distance covered ( how kiddish!!!) soon I was “Up above the world so high” and for the people on the ground “like a diamond in the sky”. It was cloudy. And soon we were above all clouds.

Own pretty world

Then I raised my head up, I could see plain blue sky stretch and as I looked down I was mesmerised. I was in a completely different world. There were all patterns of

Till the eyes can see

clouds or I can say snow white clouds and nothing else could I see. It was as if it was 

their world. I could see them 

moving, and trying to interact with each other. All this while, I was smiling continuously and that made my neighbour wonder if it was my first travel. I nodded my head and again I was back in my world. Let me enjoy this. I don’t want anyone to disturb me. As I kept looking, I imagined the game of Mario, the clouds stage. It resembled just the same. I was cursing the pilot to fly the plane sooo over the clouds. I was instructing him from inside to take the plane down and down till we reach the clouds and once I reach there I instruct to open the window so that I can put my hand out and feel the snowy clouds that in no way resembled so. They were so thick and opaque, I imagined myself putting my foot on it, and start walking miles and miles. It was a different world and an experience one of its kinds.

In the meantime, the flight attendants came and went back after offering snacks and I didn’t realise. The journey was short and now we were asked to put back the seat belts. Now my wish came true. No no I was not allowed to sway my hands in the air or put my foot on the clouds but the plane started moving downward and downward. The plane was in the middle of a cloud and it zoombled and there were butterflies in my stomach. I could see a thin aura of white vapours around me. It moved out from one and went into the other and my happiness exemplified. Next I could see all huge building and a damn area of drought ground and I realised I was in Hyderabad.  There were clusters of buildings that looked like conglomerates from the distance. They sparkled as the reflected rays of sun passed through the height and reached my eyes. Hyderabad is a beautiful and green city but the airport is located too far from the heart of the city and so it looks deserted. The only impressive thing while landing on the hyd airport was the pattern of the outer ring rode. I have been on those long roads on often long drives with family or friends. But the aerial view was worth taking a look at the pattern of how it was laid. It is one of the best works done by hyd govt.

Zoom out

Zoom In

The tyres were out and we were close to the runway. Closer and closer, finally the wheels touched the ground and I felt a “zoomp” in my stomach and lyrics of “Ding ding ding ding – Rang De Basanti” in my ears. Again I felt the speed and finally it stopped. I was on the ground again and things looked large. It was a journey of just an hour but a journey I shall remember lifetime.

RDB

Wright Brother watch their first plane

P.S : I never felt before the advancement of technology to this extent. The journey form goa to hyd takes 18hrs by train, 14hrs by bus and just an hour by plane. Hats off to the first person’s thought and the first team’s execution (Orville and Wilbur wright).

Back at Home :) Journey that cherishable from start till end