Vamos!
Yes, Spain it is! Finally I am
down to counting days to the Spain trip. It’s a different matter that the
countdown started at 100 days!
It’s funny that every time I have
told anyone that I am planning a Spain trip, the 1st reference is of
ZNMD i.e. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the film. And this includes even my much
older relatives who I would normally not associate with watching such marquee
youth movies. Guess the movie did well then. But I am not liking it these days.
I loved the film when I saw it,
make no mistake. But the obvious conclusion that my trip is inspired by the
movie is kind of saying NASA’s space mission is inspired by Star Trek. Ok, bad
analogy! May be that’s the case with NASA – but clearly not for me. And the
more I think of it, the more I am amazed at how entirely different this trip is
likely to be from the movie.
Therefore, for nobody in general
but me in particular, I am trying to sort this out in my mind & distance myself
from any suggestions of being inspired by the movie. Next time anyone suggests,
I am going to send them the link to this blog. So here’s my list of reasons and
as with such banal matters, there is no order to this list:
1.
This is
no boys only trip: And herein I rest my case. The boys (age no bar) will
understand the enormity of this point. And the rest – well, that doesn’t really
matter but I guess they’d understand it too. So technically, I could conclude
this blog here itself.
2.
There’s
no car on hire: Much as the movie has made rented car travel so romantic, but
we don’t have any rented car in our plans for travelling around in Spain (at
least as of now). We’ll be travelling mostly budget airlines and trains,
sometimes the cheapest fares at the un-godliest hours. But who said good times
can’t be had on a budget. Besides, if you have travelled in trains in India
then the trains in Europe are like travelling in the lap of luxury. And I have
travelled in Mumbai trains – and that completely throws the whole luxury (or
for that matter comfort) argument out of the window.
3.
No la tomatina:
I have only fond memories of the sultry Ms. KK gyrating to pulsating music
covered head to toes in juices. Mmm. I am not even getting into describing the red
hot tomatoes here. Ok, FOCUS! Yes, I am so enamored by that song (actually just
her, can’t recall the song) that I am not letting anything mingle with that –
not even the REAL DEAL.
4.
No Adventure
Sports: With diving instructors like those (actually THE ONE) in the movie,
diving should have been my religion. Deep sea diving, sky diving, diving into
that gaze, diving in with…. STOP! FOCUS AGAIN! Ok, I am not doing any diving. I
may dive into the sea standing up which some people may call jumping. And Sky
Diving – Absolutely Not. I accord it to a mild case of vertigo - but I
rechecked my Life Insurance policies. It clearly excludes such acts of bravado.
My adventure quota is filled to the brim negotiating the mindless traffic and
dodging falling flyover slabs (yes, the one next to my office fell the other
day, but that’s pretty routine) in Mumbai – I can live without paid adventure. And
as far the adventure of the bovine kind is concerned (Bull Fighting before you
start imagining), again (ha ha) – the Mumbai traffic ensures that I am
out-running and side-stepping them all the time here and I am never short on
such thrills.
So then, the question that
presents itself is – why Spain? Let me try to answer that in my next post.
Planning a vacation after time
long
Visiting the mecca of football
this Bong
Go astray on vodka, beer, gin
& tonic
Please! It has nothing to do with
that film iconic!
Chilling by the beach and hopefully
some shopping
Followed by stuff touristy and
nights of bar hopping
If that’s the plan why then my
mind ponders
When not everyone is lost who
wanders!
Salud!
