Memories – Festival of Words – Day 1

Holiday and 'Memories' ought to be synonymous.....

Those long walks in midst of tea estates, sprawling around your own 'private' waterfall, walking hand in hand with your sweetheart as the light mist caresses you, trekking up to the hill top for the sunset, curling up with your favorite book at the nook-corners of the gardens , Cold beers to warm you on the crispy cold nights and the delicious local cuisine which spoils you with choice!  Life doesn't get better than this .. does it?

  Thus read the brochure of 'Memories'. Despite the tall promises in the brochure -  the place was  in reality a rundown home-stay tucked away in the heart of Niligiris. Nathan, the manager had his hands full during the weekends when this place was crowded with backpacking youngsters on a shoestring budget. Nathan looked up as yet another tourist walked into the reception door - for a moment he was nonplussed to see a middle class Indian lady in her 60s travelling solo ! He was all the more dumbfounded when the lady requested for the "Pent House" - Nathan rushed to explain that this was located right next to their open-air disc that was open until wee hours of the night and may not be the best of the choices. He even tried coaxing the lady to book into the next door "Murugan Guest House" which he assured her was a better choice for err... a senior citizen!

But all Nathan could do was shrug and complete the check-in formalities for Aalamma, as she was very firm in her choice of room! As she walked up the creaking stairs, Nathan couldn't help wondering why this old lady was so insistent on choosing this rundown home-stay and that too a room on the terrace when he had given her a choice of much more comfy room on the ground floor.....

Contd Here....

This is submitted as a part of Memories – Festival of Words – Day 1