Water, Water, Everywhere ...

Around 1400 hrs, I woke up, feeling very woozy. A bath, followed by a quick lunch, and off went trudging in the sand to the Equipment hut. After collecting the equipment, again back to the jetty, hauling down the gear to the boat. This time there was no ‘Schnellboote’ tactics and we sedately drifted out from the jetty and on to the lagoon. Then started the checklists, checking for any leakage from the tanks, checking for any wear and tear on the BCD and the weight belt, seeing the integrity of the facemasks and then we were ‘on wait’. The feeling was like waiting for an inevitable counterattack. We reached our dive site and the anchor was cast. Now we elected to go for the vertical dive. We followed our instructor and we slowly sank down, releasing the air in our BCD in short bursts. When we were around a metre from the seabed, we levelled off and began to cruise. The challenge now was how to maintain the depth without hitting the seabed. The best that was achieved was a gap of 20 cm from the seabed. At that depth, we had to keep on swimming or else sink to the seabed. Underwater, the colours were muted but still very diverse. It was like seeing an astonishingly beautiful tableaux through blue Polaroid. Even the white seabed had a tinge of blue. Here and there some small rocks littered the landscape on which some weeds were growing. My brother touched one and he immediately took his hand back as if he touched a live wire. Two seconds later, he touched the weed, this time with delight, for it was the sea counterpart of ‘Touch-me-not’ or ‘chhui-mui’! In the sea, of all the five senses, the sense of smell was completely blocked. So there would be no associated smell with the dive. But the touch of the rocks and the corals was like touching slippery velvet, soft to caress, too slippery to get a grip. The seabed sand was not at all coarse but then in water, they were not slippery either, just a touch of ethereality thrown in. While it was not fine as the sand in the beach, thankfully, it did not create any problem for the gear. We selected a patch of clear sand and we started our lessons. After completing the lessons, we started towards a patch of corals, ascending slowly. Soon a steel ladder was lowered and we hauled ourselves up to a cup of sweet tea and hard Rusk. The sun was lower in the sky, its ferocity tempered by the lateness of the day. The wind picked up and the boat started pitching up and down. Soon it was time to unload the gear, and off went to relax on the beach.

The next day, at 11.45, we were going for our penultimate dive. We hit the seabed and this time selected a clear patch of seabed to finish our lessons.BCD exchange, Buddy breathing, checking the gear underwater, and so on. The difficulty level of our lessons had increased considerably, which we thought was impossible to do in water. But impossible, is just a perception of the mind. In no time, we finished our lessons, so as to start exploring again. Sure, we were concentrating while doing our lessons but the one overriding thought which was going through the mind was to explore the sea. That adventure of exploring, the fear of unknown lent us wings to finish our lessons quickly and flawlessly. Submarines use Sonar for seeing underwater. But then like for sight, the limit is the horizon, similarly for Sonar it is the waterfall .In this case, it is the ambient noise all around at some indeterminate distance away. The sound of it is like hearing a waterfall from some distance away. Any sound made nearby would be heard clearly, but then farther out it merges into the waterfall. During our dive, the sense of sight was paramount. The visibility of the water was around 15 metre, beyond that, it gets a bit blurry. The Visibility in the coral islands of Lakshwadweep is the best in the country. It is also the safest. In the Andamans, the dive sites, while of comparable quality, have a danger of saline crocodile. Before going on this dive we heard news that an American tourist was dragged underwater by a large saline crocodile while snorkelling off Havelock Island in the Andamans. I still remember when I went to Calangute in Goa, which is supposedly the best beach in Goa, the visibility was extremely low. This was confirmed by my diving instructor that visibility in Goan dive sites is very bad. Further, Lakshwadweep Islands are free of snakes and scorpions, on land anyway. We did not encounter any seasnakes during our dives, though that might be because the snakes have excellent eyesight underwater, and they are a reticent lot. But then the high visibility did allow us to see some manta rays which otherwise would be part of the inky horizon. This time though, we decided to go over some mushroom corals.In a dirty green coloured mushroom coral crevice, we suddenly came face to face with Echidna delicatula. 
Nothing delicate about it though.In common parlance it is known as Moray Eel.It is among the very few things in the islands that are universally feared.Long lines of serrated teeth and a reptilian body, mottled green.Its mouth was closing and opening as if feeling the surroundings.It seemed as stupefied as we were and had withdrawn into its crevice as much as it could.Which was not much considering its size. We decided to flank it and bypass. If we had unwittingly swum over it,then one of us would have had to be helilifted to Kochi. But then as we flanked it and bypassed,it zoomed out and swam away. We thought it was enough for the dive and after a short swim to a sandy patch, we ascended vertically to the surface and climbed onboard. It was muted all the way back to the shore,  either because of tiredness or this encounter.

 A dive table, in addition to telling how much time one can spend at a particular depth with one tank of air, also tells how much time one should spend between dives.This is primarily for the dissolved nitrogen gas in our body to slowly dissipate.But the table gives the time difference to avoid any untoward effects,just enough to ensure we do not rush to a decompression chamber every time after a dive.But effects are felt.So,after the third dive,we were bone tired literally.The joints didn't feel normal.It felt as if we were at a workout,though without the associated ache.No pain,no aching, just tired.And so the feeling,the senses were muted.The only thing we were looking forward to was a shower,high calorie lunch and a short but intense sleep.

The last dive was different in the sense that we were accompanied by Mom and Dad. This time, the dive was pretty much automated, as in we knew what to do and did so. To break the developing monotony, our instructor decided to take us this time a bit farther from the divesite. As we left Agatti 123, the seabed curved downwards, the mushroom corals giving way to brain corals. We descended extremely slowly, as the pressure was increasing and we had to equalise the pressure in our ears before we could descend further. This time, our instructor could not equalise his ear pressure. In diving, the deeper one goes, faster is the air supply used up. Hence instead of proceeding deeper on an impromptu planning, we decided to maintain the depth, the deepest so far at 21 meters. My instructor during all these dives maintained an extremely cool composure, which also had a cascading effect on us. Now we were swimming just over corals which were at a depth of 25-27 meters all the while cruising at a depth of 21 meters. Over centuries, man tried to fly. even now, after all the MiG 25s and SR 71s,we still miss not flying with our own power, the manoeuvrability not constrained by the quality of equipment designed by someone else. We still hope for a situation wherein we can be the designer, pilot, and mechanic. However, substitute water for air, depth for altitude and water surface for ground and that’s what I was feeling at that time. I was flying through the water. Tyndall effect was a phenomenon studied in school and I saw it in all its beauty 21 meters below the sea level. Where looking up is the wrong way and looking down does not induce vertigo. This time we did not encounter the many shoals of fish. Earlier, I saw Pigeon fish, Clown fish, and many other fishes (whose names I don’t know).A lobster lodged in a crevice. Anemones fluttering as elephant grass in wind. In the distance large rock like things were suspended in mid-water. Soon it sprouted two flippers and began to move. This was the famed Olive Ridley turtles. We moved over and touched the shell and latched on to it. The shell was very slippery and covered with moss giving it a dirty green colour. The turtle was at least 7 ft in length and well it looked elderly and experienced as only turtles manage to look. Frankly it was more bored with we humans than frightened, though as like all ‘wildlife’ it took the safe option of shaking us off. As the turtle moved towards deeper water, we let it go keeping just the memory of it. Soon, we saw that the air pressure indicator of the tank was inching towards the lower side. Hence we broke the surface. Now, after handing over all the equipments, and with only a facemask and a flipper, we began to swim just near the boat. At that moment it hit me, I was in the middle of Arabian Sea and not in a swimming pool. Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink. Water, water everywhere and not a shore to be seen. At that time a little of trepidation, a little of daring and a little bit of sadness tinged with relief. Trepidation because, no matter what, it was the middle of nowhere, daring, well we did dive in the ‘nowhere’ and didn’t get lost ! Sad because our open water dives came to an end, and relief because now I could quench my parched but a very wet tongue. Mom and Dad were mightily pleased to see us back. From their point of view, their two sons disappeared below the surface in the middle of nowhere and after nearly an hour after viewing nothing but the sky, the expressionless sea and occasional sea bird, we broke the surface pretty uneventfully. So now, back to sweet tea, which now I felt was good for counteracting the salinity of the sea, which Mom found to be too sweet. In no time the boat was being tied to the jetty and we were trudging up the sand.

Two days later, in the shadow of a palm tree, on the beach, sitting on a wooden chair and a small cosy wooden table, me and my brother were writing the exam which would qualify for the diving license. Dress code was shorts and sleeveless tees. Two months after any semblance of studies, holding a pen in the hand was a difficult task, far less studying. In this exam, my brother beat me by two marks. Understandably he was on cloud nine. I did not have the advantage of age, or unequal time of studying or any of that balderdash. When both of us had equal opportunity, he bested me. The next day the wind picked up and all sea based activity was suspended. We had finished our diving just in time. The next day, 17th June of 2010, we were certified as licensed scuba divers.

Agatti 123

It was morning 10 ‘o clock and the Sun was high up in the sky. There were a few clouds with a slight wind. It was hot yet cold when we walked up to the jetty. Hot because of the Sun rays and cold from the monsoon wind. Yet the sand was unbelievably white and the waters azure, a kind of mystic green colour...as usual ! Me and my dive buddy (in this case my brother) lugged around 20 kg of equipments (Tanks, BCD, Regulators, Fins and Masks) to the assembly point. Presently, our instructor walked up to us, made us ready the equipment and then took out a card from his BCD. He then proceeded to tell us, in 5 seconds, broadly what we will do. Then by 11.15, a small boat chugged up lazily along the jetty. It was a small fishing boat but quite big enough for our purpose. But, it was not covered. Then we put our stuff on the boat and by 11.30,we were ready to leave. The bo’sun, perhaps heartened by our enthusiasm, now handled the boat like a ‘schnellboote’ and we were literally thrown off our feet onto the deck. Furthermore, on turning from jetty to the dive area, our boat came so close to the shore, that I could see the sand being churned up underneath. Probably the bo’sun enjoyed showing off his skills to us mainlanders, but what the heck, we enjoyed that too!

Then started the long journey to the dive site. The Lagoon was calm and we made good time. We passed over turtles swimming, small fishes darting away and white birds flying around us. The time of the year is just before monsoon with moderately strong winds and scattered clouds. At the reef, two channels had been dredged for navigation purposes. One of them was in the northern part of the lagoon while the other was in the western part whose navigation channel was relatively deeper. This was the channel our boat was taking to the sea. The channel was marked by two bare-all steel structure lighthouse whose occupants were flying around us. Just as we passed their abode, our boat became a rollercoaster as we left the sheltered water of the lagoon. The sea was not choppy but it wasn’t calm either. I reached the bow-pole of the boat and just sat there. When the boat fell, my legs were brushing the water. The motion of the boat in the vertical plane was sinusoidal and for a short time ... I was experiencing weightlessness! Presently, our boat moved further into deeper water and slowed down. Our instructor guided the helmsman to a designated space (Still trying to figure out how...was it because of his experience or superb eyesight?) where there was no corals, only sand and a big stone. The boat was anchored and we prepared to dive. The dive site is known as Agatti 123,123 being the different levels of the seafloor (the seafloor descended as a staircase-level 1 , level 2,level 3).Since laying the anchor, the grumble of the motor was silent with only the sound of the wind being apparent. The absolute stillness of the sound was only matched by gentle bobbing of our boat on the high seas. There was an absolute stillness which is achievable only on the high seas. Try as hard to hear any sounds except those of the waves, there was only white silence. In a low voice, our instructor told us, now in detail, what was going to be learned. We then strapped on our gear and sat on the edge of the boat facing inwards. From a boat, there can be two ways of entering water. Stand on the edge, stick out a leg and jump. Else, as we did, sit, facing inwards and just keel over backwards. The advantage of the latter over former is that the face mask is not loosened by the force of the entry. However, this method can only be tried from a low deck boat and causes disorientation underwater. Soon after entering water our instructor directed us to follow the anchor line. There are two ways of descending to the sea bed. You can do so vertically or follow the anchor line. Since this was to be our first dive in open seas we opted for a gradual descent by following the anchor line. This was also done so as to equalise the water pressure in the ear. So, whenever we could not equalise the pressure, we would go up a metre or so and then come down again. When the pressure in the ear drops, you can feel it as a series of pops. Presently, we saw the anchor. The anchor line was either taut or going slack as per the bobbing of the boat. Hence we could know what was happening on the surface without the need to surface and see it. As we reached the floor, our instructor told us to just swim along with him, a half metre above the sea floor. We were to touch nothing and whatever happens, never to lose sight of him. And so we just cruised along, above astonishingly white sandy bed littered here and there with Christmas tree corals. Then we came to the second level of the dive site. The first level was only 10 meter deep, the second was at a depth of 15 meter and the third at a depth of 18 to 20 meter. Now the sea bed was predominantly smooth corals with few patches of sand. Here, we did our lessons chiefly mask clearing, regulator recovery and so on...and then on to third level. Now there was no sandy patch, where we could rest. Like sharks, we had to continuously swim and balance our buoyancy by using the BCD jackets. 

We could not rest on smooth huge mushroom like corals for the fear of damaging them. The scenery was something straight out of Pandora, only it was underwater. Huge layers upon layers of blue green mushroom like coral structures whose antiquity could be judged by their size, or the countless little  fishes  swarming around, of myriad colours and sizes, from the shy clownfish to the unperturbed penguin fish. Slowly, the realisation dawned that this dive has to end. Our instructor then took an orange crumpled bag, which inflated looked like a flaming long orange cigar. He let go of it and explained that it was the signal for the boat to come near us. And this time, we did a vertical ascent, but ever so slowly. At 5 meter depth, we stabilised and stayed at that depth for about 10 minute. This procedure is necessary to prevent bends. The air we breathe has 70% Nitrogen. Nitrogen dissolves in our blood. The more the depth, the more the depth, the more the pressure, the more the time spent at that depth, the more the Nitrogen dissolved in the blood. If the ascent is fast, the dissolved Nitrogen, now at lower pressure, forms bubbles and flows in the bloodstream separate from the blood. It causes painful contractions in the knees, backs etc, thereby giving rise to the word  – ‘bends’, bending the knee or back would be very painful. For any diver, bends is the most dreadful phenomena. Hence, it is also well researched. So at 5 meter for 10 minutes was the standard for our dive according to the dive table. And then, we broke the surface of the water. Sunlight blinded us, the colours were more bright. And so the first of the four dives came to an end.

Soon the droning of the boat came over the air...and water. We were told to remove our tank, regulator, BCD and hand it over to the boatmen, all the while swimming around the boat. Which was not difficult considering it is easier to float in salty water. On the boat, it was contrastingly hot and dry. So we donned our caps and sunglasses and waited for the journey back to the shore. The boatmen made us a cup of tea, which at that time felt like the elixir of life, and the sweetest, pleasant drink we ever had. Some Rusk breads to go along with it, but to us that might have been Caviar. Diving not only makes one thirsty, but also very hungry. And so, time flew by and we were at the jetty unloading our gear, washing them in non salty water and trudging back to bed to get some sleep before the afternoon dive. 

SCUBA Diving

“Welcome to Open Water Diver course...” and so started my adventure with SCUBA diving. SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. This makes sure that I can breathe underwater hassle free. Usually the amount of air depends upon how deep I go and how fast. Hence, the time when the oxygen supply runs low depends on these factors. The most basic rule in SCUBA Diving is ‘keep breathing regularly’, and also equalise pressure in body’s air pockets like ears, sinuses etc.

The equipment for this includes BCD (Buoyancy Control Device), a jacket like device which can be inflated/deflated for floatation at various depths; Weights (Believe it or not, our bodies can float to some extent in sea water) for sinking down (usually its 4 kg); Regulator which regulates the air supply and alternate regulator (redundancy and for emergencies); Submersible Pressure Gauge for depth, air pressure in the tank and compass for bearing; and the most important of all-air tank, which is made of aluminium and is of 12 litre capacity. The air is filled at 3000 psi (pounds per square inch) in the tank and on land it is very heavy. For comparison, the air in the tyre of the car is to be filled at 30 psi. Lastly, Fins (for using the powerful leg muscles for propulsion), Snorkel (for surface breathing) and mask (for underwater viewing and not breathing through nose).The total weight of equipment is around 20 kg. To top that, I have to carry that equipment from the dive centre to the shore through porous hot milky white sand.

My instructor for this course is Mr. Sikander Hussain who has been the dive instructor to Vijay Mallya. At first he taught me how to use the equipments. Even small regulation and protocol have a sound logic and reasoning to it and hence diving cannot be attempted by everybody. At the outset, I had to sign a medical health questionnaire which is exhaustive in its details. In the dive course, I have to complete my proficiency in confined water (i.e. inside the lagoon) and then move on to actual Deep Ocean. My first dive was exciting as it can get. Small colourful lagoon fishes were swimming all around me and the water was crystal clear for about 20 metre. All around me a world opened up which was quite different from the world we know yet oddly reminiscent of it...

When I Travelled without ticket !

It was sometimes in my Final Semester (early 2010) when I decided to travel to NIT JSR for a quiz meet.It was supposed to be fun (especially after me and my fellow teammate Prashant Mishra were qualified for the stage event at the Kolkata edition of The Tata Crucibles...) and more of a show off to others.Though the event was a superb fiasco than anything else,I will remember this trip for two things.

Firstly,the worst night I ever had to endure anywhere.More on this some other time....

Secondly,my first (and till date only !) ticketless travel in the venerable Indian Railways.

 
Around 1800 hrs that we (Me,Animax a.k.a. Anweshan Ghosh and Prashant) started from the campus.An hour later, we reached the railway station (Tatanagar Junction) when we got the news that Prashant's Uncle was seriously ill,and so we parted ways then.Around 1930-2000 hrs, we caught a train to Asansol.Chhat puja was just over and all Biharis and Jharkhandis were returning to their places of work.Hence,any train outgoing from the station was choc-a-block full.Needless to say,we didnt quite plan our trip in advance so that we could have a reserved seat to ourselves.Ours was a make-up-as-you-go type of journey where improvisation and street smart wit (and we had grandmaster Prashant in this role !) ruled the roost.So,to cut a long story short,we booked ourselves a couple of tickets which I guess was not admissible even in the General Coach of the train in which we were about to travel ! Well,at that time,frankly,we didnt have a lot of choices and we definitely didnt want to spend one more night at the campus.Hence,we managed to climb aboard the General Coach (Unreserved Coach).In the Indian Railways,a Sleeper Coach can seat 72.In practice,it is usually close to 80 souls traveling in a Sleeper at any given time (especially during peak seasons).A General Coach carries 3-4 times that number in the same given space in off-season.During the peak season well...far more than you would wish to count.Most of them who travel are those who havent got a ticket in the sleeper (like us !) or cant afford the fare.Into this maelstorm of human souls,climbed up two very bright eyed but resolute guys.Animax is XXL and we managed to get into the compartment...somehow.For the next couple of  hours or so as the train meandered through idyllic countryside of the pristine Jharkhand,we were standing near the door,just in front of the toilet breathing in the sickly odour of human sweat,dust and a whole lot of other things.Somehow we managed not to get suffocated in the concentrated Carbon Dioxide Exhalation of so many souls without the benefit of a rebreather.Around 2230-2300,we reached a relatively major station on the Jamshedpur-Asansol Line where the compartment became lighter and freer...somewhat.Now we managed to get a seat on the footboard of the open door.Trying not to think who might have stepped on what before setting foot on the hallowed footboard of the General Coach of this train,we monopolized that door to ourselves.The train slowly chugged out of the station and and picked up a soporific pace.Earlier events in the day left us pretty much exhausted but what the heck,we could not afford to sleep.And so started a Ultra Mega Mythology Quiz (UMMQ) between both of us.It must have been a incongruous sight indeed to have two spectacled backpacked guys wearing trendy clothes,sitting on the footboard in a train full of half asleep sons of soils discussing Venus and Apollo ! After that time chugged by and around 0240 hrs we found ourselves standing on a deserted but fully lighted platform wearing the midnight look of any station.The Signboard read ASANSOL Jn - Platform 1.We had the temerity to ask a nearby TE (Ticket Examiner) about the next train to Durgapur.Imagine our shock,when he pointed out to a train on Platform 5 and said that it was supposed to leave in around a minute.Off we went at a pace that would have put any Insane Bolt to sanity ! When a behemoth of around 100 Kg runs at the speed which would have launched a Harrier jet,no person could mistake the resolve to catch that train.We climbed aboard as the train started.Animax lost his wallet in the sprint of his lifetime.Now this was a new standard even for us.Two guys without ticket,in a General Coach (again obviously !),one without a wallet and another with barely a 100 Rupees in his wallet ! This time,the Coach was comparatively empty and we found ourselves some seat.The train covered the distance pretty fast (was it the proper seat or were we close to dropping dead of sleep,i'll never know!).

       
        We were suddenly standing bleary-dry eyed on Platform -3 of Durgapur Station.And there,right across couple of platforms was a person wearing Black and White Robe with a Black Headgear with a faded golden nameplate on his chest which I guess in normal times said TE.Bleary eyed?Sleep deprived?No way ! At that moment,the infusion of adrenaline into our systems was such that we were never more alive.Thank god,we knew the layout as well as any employee of that station.Using a small detour,we ended up in the Auto Stand.And the getting the driver ready to drop us for 80 rupees at that unearthly hour of 0400 hrs should be counted as a feat of our persuasion (or most likely,the driver must have taken pity on us). I am still searching my brain for the details after that,but I do know,I woke up around 1500 hrs still wearing my shoes and my backpack on floor !

Now, it is more than a year since that night has come to pass.But now,I can definitely cross one item off my bucket list.

Year of The Snake

The Chinese Zodiac follows yearly variations instead of the usual monthly Zodiac.I was born in the year of the Snake. The following is an interesting description of a 'snake' person courtesy The Mandarin restaurant.



Philosopher,theologian,Political wizard,wily financier - the snake person is the deepest thinker and enigma of the Chinese cycle.He is endowed with an inborn wisdom of his very own right. Graceful and soft spoken, he loves books,food,music,theatre,he will gravitate towards all the finer things in life. Elegant in speech,dress and manners,the snake person does not like indulging in useless talk or frivolities.He can be quite generous with money,but is known to be ruthless when he wants to attain an important objective.

AGATTI ISLAND (AGX) LAKSHWADWEEP

“This is Kingfisher flight 2453 descending to Agatti. Please keep your seats upright and your seatbelts on...”, and so the ATR 72-500 tilted its wings gently and landed with a flourish on the partially recarpeted Agatti runway. The flight was pretty much uneventful with no turbulence and as usual horrible food. In my seat, I was clicking away madly the picture sequence of the landing. Again, as usual, the breathtaking bright green lagoon and the deep blue ocean around it took my breath away. It was like coming to a second home which it was.

Agatti is one of the largest islands in the Union territory of Lakshwadweep. And, it has the only airport in the entire territory, with only Kingfisher flights on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. But unlike the connectivity with the mainland, it has superb connectivity with the rest of the islands courtesy Pawan Hans Helicopters (Two choppers permanently dedicated for inter-island air taxi), and various types of speed boats. Agatti is shaped like an enlarged exclamation mark with a dot like sub-islet at the southern tip of the island known as Kalpitti, which is inhabited by a lot of coconut trees and large crabs. The entire runway makes up the southern part of the island. Over to the north, around five minutes of chopper flying time, lies the picturesque island of Bangaram, reputedly among the top ten getaways in the world. The entire group of island known as Lakshwadweep are coral islands. Hence these are picturesquely fragile because of the fragility of corals. It is said that corals are best indicators of climate change because they die because of even slight change in the climate. In the islands, it is a crime to break even a part of coral for it takes decades to regenerate. The sand here is milky white because it is just fine porous remains of dead corals which had turned to fine calcium like rocks. The temperature varies from a cool 28 degree to a max of 35 degree Celsius. In short, the perfect paradise for me.

Now then, after clearing all formalities, my dad, took us to his quarters which we immediately set out to make it even more suitable for our habitation. That is, we (me and my brother) spread out all the electronic gear (Laptops, iPods, cameras and so on...) and just picked the place apart. In the evening, with the sun at a low point in the horizon, I finally came out of the cool house to bask in the setting sun’s rays. There are two beaches accessible from the quarters-Eastern side and the Western side. They are probably separated by about 200 metres-300 metres of land between them. The lagoon on the western side is huge while on the eastern side is just a sliver running along the length of the island. I just walked for around 30 seconds to reach the western side beach and saw a huge Olive Ridley turtle. And then another, and another and so it continued. The skies are very clear because of no pollution (I guess the entire island must have around 10-15 four wheelers). The horizon is just a distance which appears deceptively within reach. The visibility during best of times is around 20 miles. The evening usually starts around 1900 hrs. Later, that night we (Dad, Mom, me and my brother) went to an open air party with delectable local dishes (including an unusual sweet dish) and a very soothing ambience. Though my day (or night depending on the interpretation!) ended on a sweet note, the following days (undetermined as of now) promises to be more adventurous for me.

Test post.