The sounding cataract

The sounding cataract

                     

                      The hotel room was adequately curtained to help us sleep late in the morning. The overnight long drive from Detroit had prompted all of us to steal some morning slumber. Since the long awaited visit promised a lot, I tossed in the bed and was awakened by the rustle of sheets. It was eight. I knew it was already late. Quietly I got out of the room and was on my own. There were many tourists on the road and almost everyone was only on a specific direction. I followed them.

                      Soon I could hear the roar. Among all sounds the sound of water is unique. It never bores you. A narrow walkway led me to a parapet with steel railing. As I edged it I could see it. Gallons of pristine white sheet of water just vertically fell down to giant boulders at the base. The Niagara was making a thunderous blow while spewing a huge spray of whiter mist. All around me I could see the excitement of those whose dream came true. Their cameras grew busy. The joy of sharing this experience with their kith and kin was manifest on their smiling faces. Meanwhile the river, unmindful of the enthusiasm it created went on its way down the vast valley of blue green water. Freezing some moments in my handset, I retreated my way to the hotel to explore more

adventure.

                      Two hours made a lot of difference. The crowd swelled around the ticket counter. Nobody minded the cost; they only wanted fun filled moments to let them frolic with its violent fall and the hazy spray which was very welcome under the hot summer sun. We were ready for the adventurous voyage in the Maid of the Mist, claimed to be America’s most amazing boat ride operated only from April to October. All the languages under the sun were heard mingled with gleeful laughter. Provided with thin blue rain ponchos which we wore over our clothes to arm ourselves from getting drenched, we slowly queued into the huge boat destined to carry at least 500 tourists into the middle of the swirling deep waters. Every second we were getting nearer and the scream mingled with the resounding thunder of the grand fall enveloped everyone. The climax was when we got into the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Blinded by the attack of water spray and deafened by the roar of the falls and the people we were safely navigated by the crew from the deep pool. Many of us got wet in spite of the covering. The powerful summer wind soaked us and the half hour thrill made us remember the experience for a life time.

 

                      A walk on the Rainbow Bridge which connects USA with Canada is possibly a dream of all tourists. But the formalities of international emigration defeated the dream. So the bridge in an almost semi circle was just a visual feast from hundreds of feet below it. Pocketing the Niagara sojourn, we left the small town to reach home through Buffalo and Cleveland. Driving on the long bank of the Lake Erie on the summer evening was another memorable keepsake.  

The long flight

The long flight

                      Flying has its social status and other added attractions. But truly speaking, it is the most monotonous medium of travelling. All the charms of looking out through the window of a bus or train just vanish when you have an air ticket. Howsoever the tedium is compensated by other miscellaneous sidelines, the long flight lasting for about fourteen hours is not my cup of tea. Hours before I boarded this huge aircraft I happened to take a short journey by train. To me there is nothing comparable to a train. How cosy, how relaxed, how expansive it is! You may not view your favourite movie, you may not be served something of everything in a narrow tray which would overflow with smaller containers; still the train by its modest service suits me as the best mode of travel. If you are bored of sitting hours in a train, you could always choose to get up, stretch yourself, walk away to an unseen corner, look out through a door, get the wind on your face as long as you want and then when you had  had enough, come back refreshed to your seat. The joy of opening your snack bag which is ready to offer you home packed food is indeed matchless. On the pretext of washing your hand, you get away and remain standing as long as you please. One of my friends even managed to have a bath in the toilet which had provided him with homely comfort.The window view brings a series of pictures of greenery, hamlets, cattle lazing and dozing, babies waving, boys hooting and chasing their pets, old men and women open mouthed and chewing and watching the moving train philosophically, impatient drivers waiting for the train to disappear at the level crossings, passegers in the smaller stations wondering at the speed of the passing train and the innumerable visions that defy words and description.  Every second hour the train slows down to stop at a big station to offload some and to accommodate a few among the sea of people crowded there. Sometimes you meet different co-passengers too. You may also get down on the platform to breathe the local air, walk around, buy something and leisurely get in. I miss all these fun in the plane.  If you are on the wrong side of luck, your plea for an aisle seat would be smilingly  and sadistically negatived. Then, huddled in a row of three or four seats,  you are at the mercy of the stranger beside you. Only if he is inclined to entertain your longing look, he would let you get up and move to the restroom. If you have a corpulant and sleepy passenger on the aisle seat beside you, your fate for the next several hours is sealed. Sometimes you gamble with the limited choice of meal and would be terribly disappointed because the next man would be slurping every bit on his tray with visible pleasure thanks to his preference to the alternative meal. You cannot but curse your prudence of choice. And whoever designed the restroom in a plane! Every inch in that cubicle matters. And when I depressed the flush sign for the first time I was in a plane, the explosive sound it made nearly shook me out that I cautiously came out to see whether everything was alright. I was expecting the entire crew to survey the state of the mischief monger. The prospect of taking a long flight back home gives me the creeps and it is my prayer that I should get an aisle seat and a friendly passenger of medium frame beside me.

A bug that cost 210 dollars

A bug that cost 210 dollars

                      It all began with the curiosity and anticipated fun of swimming in an American pool. So, out we went to the Troy Community Centre which housed a big blue pool that was accessible for 10 dollars each. The cool water was so inviting in the hot sun. Though it was crowded with more women and children, the deepest part, which was only 5 ft, was quite free. Sporting a new pair of trunks, I cautiously ventured in. But due to the sudden influx of water, I inadvertently swallowed some water. My swimming history was not without many failures. But the accessible depth and the strip of long fibre chord withstood my short breath and some compulsive rest now and then. When I got back home for lunch the onslaught of the bug had begun. Someone was hammering my head continuously. As hours passed by, the pounding was severe. Pearl diagnosed it as an attack of migraine. So a few pills went in along with massaging. Then began the nausea. I was throwing up whatever I attempted to swallow. By next evening food was anathema to me. A visit to a local physician was inevitable though it was expensive. Only after a series of formal declarations that ensured the doctor's safety I was led through a narrow corridor. When the doctor met me in a small cabin I was feeling dizzy due to incessant vomiting. Previous history was looked into and a series of questions was answered in monosyllables. The doctor complacently concluded that it was a stomach bug that infected me and dismissed me suggesting a pill every 8 hours to stop the nausea after depriving us her fee which was 50 dollars. We drove six miles to collect the prescribed tab which was packed under instruction through email. A pack of 30 tabs cost 160 dollars. I wonder at the quantity recommended by the doctor. Did she expect me to go through this illness for a week or so? But contrary to this weird notion, the first tab squeezed the bug, the second one deactivated it and I did not need the third one. I was back to form by the second day. The pack of remaining 28 tabs is still with me. Is there anyone smitten by the mischievous bug hidden in the pool? Don’t go to a doctor. Come to me. I will cure you for 5 dollars. I can treat 15 patients before I leave for India. I can make some money too.

Troy Public Library

Troy Library

                      The library was discovered on the net. When I casually aired my opinion about having nothing to do at home other than watching TV and dozing off at very odd hours, the net was surfed to find out the existence of a library in the vicinity. Then we found that there was this TroyPublic Library within 2kms. We breezed through the two minute formality of taking a membership and wow that’s it. A vast expanse of neatly stacked volumes welcomed anybody inside. Only one hindrance: the labeling of the shelves was going on and so you didn’t know where was what. It was rather a voyage of discovery – hundreds of authors from all over the world, from fiction to biography, from humour to adventure from science to history, from pulp to piety, from known to unknown, from knowledge to infinite ignorance. Any voracious reader would be humbled by the variety offered by the city library happily, conveniently and cozily. There were reference desks, help desk, cushioned sofas near the stacks, expansive journal section, potable water, cafeteria, restrooms, self-checkout counters, children’s play area and enormous parking space. Besides, the public was offered immense kind of seasonal activities that kept every member in good humour. I happened to flip through many books with palpable interest throughout the forenoon and jotted notes and references in a small green notebook for later use. Anyone who wishes to while away the available time by casually flipping pages, struck by a phrase that stands out, kept wholly absorbed by some lines here and there may boldly venture into this cavern of books and would never regret their endeavour.