It had been three days of hectic work, filled with sleepless nights. Finally, most of the work was complete and the Sales Conference was well underway. He now had time to explore the place and chill out for the time being. So, he had set out, with a rented bike and a back pack, into the unknown land of friendly smiles and beautiful beaches.
Yes, Phuket was a very beautiful Island and it was sheer fortune that he had gotten a chance to travel there with his team. He did not quite believed it at the start that he was actually going to go there, it had been only 3 months since he had joined the company.
Still, somehow, there had been an opening for an extra hand in the organizing team and he had been pulled in, by his boss.
After almost days of putting in long hours, back at office and three days of madness, at the venue, he had gotten time for himself. He was riding out across the picturesque island.
The Google Maps had shown a distance of about 25 Kms, one way. The Honda H2C, scooter that he had rented from that kind old lady, was flying across effortlessly. He was maintaining a healthy 60+ on his speedometer and the roads of the Island, were a pleasure to ride on.
The towering hill and its foliage, on one side and the clear blue waters lapping onto the white sands of the beach, on the other, a sight in front of him, was something no Camera could capture.
With the clean wind on his face and the bounty of nature in his sight, he rode on. After almost half an hour of riding, he noticed that his fuel bar was nearing empty and remembered that the lady had instructed him to fill up something called “91 Number” fuel only.
He kept riding on, keeping a close eye on the shops he was crossing for any sign of fuel bunks. All along the way, he had seen many a small grocery shop with fuel boards and had thought it would be easy to find them, and so he had not cared about filling fuel.
He had been wrong, the moment he had crossed the main market area, the shops had thinned out.
He kept riding, hoping to strike it in the next road or so, but soon he saw that the fuel bar was hitting empty.
He was panicking a bit, what an experience it would be to get stuck in the middle of a foreign island, where no one knew what you were speaking. The part about language was not something new to him though, he had been in many such situations even back at home.
After a few minutes of the fuel bar hitting empty, he spotted a lonely shop in the middle of nowhere, and it had a gasoline bunk. Gasoline 91, was written on it. He took his bike and stopped right in front of the shop, and looked around to see if anyone was around.
There was a young women, with a baby on her lap sitting inside the store, holding an expression as if she would die from boredom.
Harsh, waved at her and pointed towards the fuel bunk. She slowly got up, placed the baby in a nearby cradle and walked over towards him, looking at him with a blank face.
She asked him “How much”, in English and he replied “50 Bhat”. In a minute, the fuel had been filled and his fear had been quenched.
Closing the fuel tank and revving up the engine, he turned around and smiled at her, wishing her “Khob Khun Krap”, Thank you in the Thai tongue. One of the few words he had learned in a “Thai Culture Class” at the Marriott.
The blank and emotionless face of the young women, immediately lit up and she was smiling at him with all her teeth showing.
A single word of greeting, and the emotions it had evoked. Positive energy was truly contagious he realized and he in return had felt happy. With this burst of energy from the exchange, he set out towards the hilltop temple, with the big Buddha Statue.
The road was exemplary throughout, but he lost his way twice. The google map app was causing him trouble. He finally stopped at the side of the road and popped out his phone, to see where he was.
Just then, he sensed someone coming up to him.
Dressed up in a pair of jeans and a biker jacket, sporting a pair of Raybans, this guy was riding out of a side street on a cycle, when Harsh was glowering at his google maps.
“What’s up kiddo, where are you going” he remarked at him, smiling widely, showing off his shining golden canine.
“I want to go to the Buddha Temple” Harsh exclaimed, looking at him curiously. He reminded him of someone he had seen before, but he could not quite place him.
“Go straight, keep to your left and you will see a board for the temple on one of the side roads”, he told him.
“Thank You” Harsh had wished him and was revving up the scooter.
“Yo! That’s a long ride now. Happy Riding BRO!!!” He exclaimed, showing a thumbs up, with both his hands and smiled wildly at Harsh, before pedaling of into the sunset.
It was a crazy encounter, but Harsh had finally found caught the right route.
Almost, twenty minutes of riding later, he found that side street board and turned away from the highway towards the hill.
Just after travelling a few meters on the side path, the road took on an elevation upwards and he felt himself being transported to another time and age. He felt as if, he was back in Nainital and the Ghat roads of Uttarakhand. He had never had the courage to ride on those mighty mountains and now, this small hilltop made him realize what he had missed.
A fifteen minute ride up the hill, he reached the Grand Temple and parked his scooter in the scooter pen. He then made his way up the steps and finally reached the Big Statue.
The smiling statue of the Buddha, towered over them all and looked over the entire island.
Standing there, he could see the entire island in a panorama. The crowd was thin and he noticed dark grey clouds were gathering above them all. The days’ forecast had had a 50% chance for rain.
He had made his way now and there was no point in worrying about rain. He would somehow get back, he told himself and went about exploring the place.
The Statute was sitting on top of a platform with pillars forming a wide open area, containing an open door to enter. Some people were chanting songs from inside the building, Harsh realized.
The Buddhist chants emanating from the building, reminded him of some very similar beats from a distant past. The language felt strangely, very familiar to him, even though he did not understand it.
He slowly, made his way around the building, taking in the sights around and breathing in deeply.
The place, made him feel extremely calm and peaceful. It made him forget all thoughts of worldly issues. He roamed around exploring the place and curiously reading what the murals said.
After one full round, he went over to an empty table and sat there. Looking over at the scene in front of him. The landscape with the sun setting on one side, diving into the blue ocean which was pushing its way towards the hilly island’s lagoon.
Smiling, slightly, he thought…
Someday soon, I will paint this scene, with my words…
My Discovery of India 