Two road trips

It rained twice, very heavily yesterday - at daybreak and again in the late afternoon, so even today it is deliciously cool, and I am relishing it to the full, knowing that the terrible summer is just around the corner. In fact, it had gotten unbearably hot at around this time last year already: the first of three successive heat waves that lasted till end-May. I wonder how soon things will take a turn for the worse, and how badly.

I have been planning to make a trip to the Dooars for ages: ironical that I have travelled so far and wide across India, but haven't visited two of the hottest sites in my own state, the Dooars and the Sunderbans. This time round I made all plans for a Dooars trip, end-February being my vacation time, but it had to be cancelled at the last moment. This has to be something more than a nasty coincidence. Anyway, I didn't waste the fortnight. In two successive weeks I made two three-day trips to nearby resorts - the first to Palash Bitan beside Murguma Dam, an hour's slow drive from the Ayodhya Hills in Purulia, the second to Gramer Bari, beside the elephant corridor through the sal forest just beyond Jhargram town in Medinipur. And both were lovely experiences, though I fell ill during the second trip, and narrowly avoided what could have been a truly bad accident on the road with very little damage. Both resorts were nestled prettily in the lap of nature, both were quiet for the most part (except for a few disgustingly noisy groups), both offered very cheery, informal, friendly service and good food, and nothing to do but 'stand and stare' to one's heart's content, night and day: just what I like. I keep looking for such places within reasonable driving distance - meaning four to six hours - and the more places I find, the happier I will be, because I intend to keep this up as long as I can keep going myself, and can afford it. In both places they said 'Do come again', and warned me to avoid the weekends and peak holiday seasons. On the second trip my mother accompanied me - she is approaching eighty and still enjoys these outings greatly, God bless her soul.

And now to brace up for yet another admission season. Something that seems to have been going on for ever - I wonder how I will feel the first year I stop doing it?