2010 has been extremely exciting for me in terms of travelling. Let me to try to list the cities I've been to:
Starting with Paris, Metz, Reims, Strasbourg, London, Nottingham (Well this was 5 times), Pamplona, Sevilla, Valencia, Barcelona, Firenze, Pisa, Rome, Munich, Luxembourg, Monaco, Qatar, Delhi, New York (3 times), Atlanta, Daytona, New Orleans and finally to add to that Jamaica the country!
Wow reading that list makes me feel really lucky! To rank them would be foolish, all trips were wonderful in their own way.
So my latest soujourn was to Jamaica, one of the carribean Islands. It was for a friend's wedding over thanksgiving break! Umm thanksgiving, what a wonderful American holiday. Of all things American, I think one great holiday that makes everyone feel nice and fuzzy inside is Thanksgiving. Simply put, friends, family, friends of friends and friends of family, and family of friends (:P) meet over a lavish spread which includes if nothing else Turkey. Now I was under the assumption that there are other Staples like gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce but turns out apart from the Bird, it's a free for all. It is however very interesting to see what is dished out at these dinners. Having eaten one previous thanksgiving at a Southern Families house where the grandma was truly mesmerised to see a foreigner to the one I had this year with my 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' up in New Jersey. There was a baked turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, lip smacking tangy cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and much else I can't remember. The one thing that stood out was a basic Indian potato which in my aunt's words was, "For those who didn't like the other fare." It added a nice touch I must say.
Anyway enough about thanksgiving. I ate a lot, you get the point! I flew to Jamaica from New York for 2 days. Definitely not enough time in what I discovered to be a very relaxing place. As a child growing up in India, watching Cricket, West indies (Jamaica is a part of the West Indies cricket team which comprises of some other Carribean islands) was the mysterious land to me. The games used to begin late at night, there was continous music and alcohol flowing in the stands, and the fans had a natural rhythm in their body that made them perpetually sway. To me it seemed like our Cricket team was on a holiday! I didn't think I would be going there anytime sooon...
Alas I landed at Jamaica's Montego Bay Airport. Jamaica is composed of 11 parishes (I might be wrong) and i was in Montego Bay. Jamaica like India was a British territory and is part of the commonwealth. Men in shorts, and women is skirts, the immigration line was abuzz. After the long immigration line and getting my money exchanged, I came out into the arrivals hall and at once felt right at home. The chaos, the buzz, the heckling ala my beloved India was happening right there. I knew I was going to enjoy my short stay. The bus driver named 'Chicken' promised us under a 30 minute ride. Before we even began he argued with another bus driver and put the other guys 5-6 passengers in our little bus. Packed to the brim, still brimming with excitement we departed. The roads seemed rickety, the traffic was wild, pedestrians crossed roads at will and peanut sellers just stood in the middle of the street as traffic navigated it's way around these wild jamaican's. The half an hour very quickly turned into 2 hours as we pulled into our gorgeous resort called the Grand Palladium. They say pictures speak better than words and I'll let the pictures do the talking. Situated over hundreds of acres on the northern coast of Jamaica, the resort plush with amenities looked like something out of the British era. High ceilings, massive arches and pillars, large windows, rich flora and fauna around. To add to this was the magnificient weather and the smoothest most gentle breeze. Wow this was going to be amazing I thought....
Though I was in Jamaica for two days, I'd be lying if I say I saw the country. I meant I saw it in the 'touristy' sense of hearing the occasional 'ya maan', taking an odd cab ride and well buying the token bottle of rum and flip flops! Being there for a wedding at an all inclusive resort meant, one didn't need to leave for anything and when I did want to there were the numerous functions that go with an Indian wedding. Ahhh the wedding... My two friends, Namit and Alefiya, both Indians but one a Hindu and one a Bohri Muslim. For those who don't think that means anything, that is not a match you hear about often. Given the societal 'identity' of the two, we were all curious to witness the wedding? What would it be like? Would it be a Christian wedding we thought, since that would have been the acceptable settlement between a Phera ceremony (Hindu) and a Nikkah (Muslim). Read on...
The first evening, arranged was the Sangeet. The Sangeet in recent times has become a function wherein friends and family depict the couples life in dance and skit. Throw in some drinks, the crashing waves in the background, some traditional Jamaican dancing and an international crowd and you have yourself a modern day destination Sangeet! Though I had landed a few hours ago, I was already enjoying the hospitable Jamaicans and the familiar wedding tunes together. Followed by a fancy sit down dinner, that was the end of day 1.
Day 2 began lazily, with me meandering about from my hotel (Oh I was not staying at the resort but at a cheap mom and pop kind of place 7 km away with two other girls who were trying to save money as well) bumming rides with the local cabbies who don't drive till they have filled their cars with passengers. Enjoying the aquamarine coastline, the wind in my hair and the sun shining down at that appropriate brightness, I got to the wedding resort. Seeping in the sun, it looked even more gorgeous than it did at night. I was told that I was one of the groomsmen and was made to scavenge for Khaki pants and a blue shirt which was to be the code! (Made me think of 27 dresses. Ok don't judge, I like Katherine Heigel) After the mafiaesque pictures (As mafia 8 brown men with different amounts of receding hair lines can look) was the time to bring the Baraat. The traditional 'Baraat' is when the Groom's side goes to the Bride's house on a horse. But remember this was a wedding off the beaten path so in our simulation, the horse was a beautifully decorated Golf cart the road to be taken was from the reception to the Bride's room. The obnoxious, ill coordinated dance to loud by gone bollywood tunes still remained the same. As we awkwardly danced to the small speaker of the portable dvd player that the driver was holding, we got some dazzled looks, but it didn't matter because we were going to get the Bride...
Picture this. It's about 5 pm, the sun is not threatening anymore, the weather is a perfect 20 degrees, you're on a green pasture with the blue ocean in the background and the beautiful palm trees on one side. The decor is plain yet classy. Chairs lined up and a simple decoration piece at the front. The scene couldn't have been more perfect. All the Razzmatazz, the dancing, the noise, the months of preparation was all a build up to this moment. As the groom walked the aisle to Bittersweet Symphony, everyone watched in silence. He was followed by the groomsmen who lined up besides him. Then came the bridesmaids and alas standing up front in the corner when I saw the bride, I almost gaped, i can only imagine what the groom felt! It was very surreal being part of a wedding from such close quarters. This was the moment we had been anticipating, what was the wedding going to be like. To everyones pleasant surprise the minister talked about love! There was no religious connotation, nothing traditional, nothing out of a book! It was pure. To sum it up, as she fought her flowing tears, gazing intently into his eyes, holding on to his hand she said, "Namit we're the same person, just viewed through different lights." As everyone in the crowd and on the wedding stage wiped their tears discreetly, it dawned on me that it is society that pollutes the purest of things and love is no different. As the new couple embraced and walked away, I gave myself a little high five in my heart! (For those who know me, you'd know why)....
Speeches, a 5 course sit down dinner, dancing and drinking followed! A truly fantastic night that ended in the pool with all the young folk and newly weds, some Jamaican rum and a box of Cuban Cigars....
It was already time to fly back the next day.. I don't know what exactly to take back from the weekend. It was too short for me to say I saw Jamaica. It was too locational and occasional (I don't think those words can be used like that) for me to say I saw Jamaica and for that reason I will go back! The slight taste of the outside Jamaica I got was enough to make me want to go back very soon. I did witness something very special though. A marriage of two people I have known since I came to Atlanta. I saw their relationship blossom while I myself was growing into a young man. The wedding was beautiful in the true sense, with the underlying theme being Love! The Jamaican Sun, Sand and Surf added that little zing which would embed those memories in everyone's heart forever!
Cheers to Namit and Alefiya Bhatia! Genuinely happy for the two of you!
I would like to end this post with something that Alefiya's father said.
"Life is like a sheet of snow, everything you do leaves a footprint so chose your steps wisely. I am proud of you child."
I know many of you out there are intertwined with your lives, not really sure of the concept of love anymore, battling base emotions of greed, fear,guilt and the like, let's take a moment to remember something or someone that brings us pure joy. A feeling that is so pure, that it brings a smile right away! Try it, it's therapeutic! Think of one friend, child, better half, co-worker, place, pet that makes you feel warm inside like a quilt and fire place on a cold night!
Keep Smiling Everybody.. A bientot!!
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