Tuesday 7 October 2008

Shuttle Bus

I had a real nice time riding around in this shuttle bus from my hotel to anywhere in Pittsburgh. Of course I had only the other hotel where my work was happening, to go to. Nothing adventurous or exciting for sure. But then the ride itself was always invariably fun.

The first day I was driven by a pimply chap who asked me where I was from. I reluctantly told him and they all oohed and aahed. I was quite tired and out of it but still managed to catch glimpses of dinosaurs which was cool (I knew their names, which was strange). In the evening, I expected to take a cab back but on a limb called the hotel and voila! there was the shuttle to bring me back! I was real surprised with this. It was just so convenient, I hardly needed to know the address to my hotel...

The best was over the next few days, I became friends with one of the shuttle drivers. She was so cool in her leather jacket making fun of all the 'vertically challenged' people. Hey! that means me! I told her. We talked about daughters. She has three. The eldest is sixteen. I imagined myself twelve years down the line. Talking about my sixteen year old girl. I missed her a bit whenever I was with Tracy. I was wearing my conference badge one day. So you are of course going to the same place she said. Oh I feel like a geek I said. I kid you not, we were so upset the day I left. I thanked her profusely, wished her well, she assured me she would miss me a lot, and we both decided we would survive somehow, despite the distance that separates us.

And one night I was driven by this young chap. Two huge looking guys got in all giggling and clearly pretty drunk. Don't tell my mum or anything, it was 9:30 in the night (well, I was technically doing conference things, including the dinner), and I suppose I would have felt a bit uncomfortable but I was not thinking anything. So the guys went on and on about some woman called Honey and so on and finally I got irritated when things started getting just a bit too lucid and said 'Okay you guys, don't mind me' They suddenly noticed me and started asking me the usual stuff. Where are you from. Mumbai of course. Back in Indi-er. So this fellow, goes "Do they have pot in India?" I KNOW mum would have advised me to keep my trap shut. But I am nothing if not completely foolish. So I tell him "Of course! Why do you think the Beatles went there?" That took them off in a loop about Maharshi (which they could not pronounce), and Maha Gandhi (OH HEAVENS), and so on. It was appropriately the Second of October and, instead of feeling it was absolute sacrilege, I encouraged them on. I felt like Ice Maiden or something when I refused their offer to go out for a drink with them and went back to my room and watched "Married with children" and "Full house" in a loop.

That apart (or that experience included?), my shuttle bus rides rocked. It was topped off with a nice ride back to the airport during which the driver assured me that my parents must be super proud of me. When I told him that my dad has passed on, he says, "So what? The dude is walking around looking at you from above, and telling his friends, that's my girl! and feeling ten feet tall"

I do hope so!

11 comments:

Sraikh said...

All good blogging material your encounters with pot seekers and shuttle bus drivers. Although that last line from the driver is really sweet.

Does she love her crocs yet?

Sraikh said...

Hmm I think I lfet 2 comments on this post :)
Ignore me and my sleep deprived double commenting state

dipali said...

Smashing! Loved the last part especially:) So heartwarming.

Preeti Aghalayam aka kbpm said...

sraikh-
Yes, very much so!
dipali-
But it is good to be back. :-)

Unknown said...

awwww. OF course...ten feet tall. God bless our fathers wherever theyre looking down at us from.

Unknown said...

hi de-lurking here..I was just curious about your blog title? Why kennebunkport? I ask because I lived in Maine for 7 years...:)
-prita

Preeti Aghalayam aka kbpm said...

Prita-
Welcome! & Thanks for de-lurking!
The Kenny-BPM etc. is just some nonsense from Grad School days. Based on Kenny from a show called SouthPark. An annoying little kid with a foul mouth...My friends started calling me Kenny because of .. well, who know anymore?

BPM was added on by my husband as we were fascinated by all things New England, and especially this name for a place! OOH FALL COLOURS.

Choxbox said...

kenny, you make me laugh even at midnight you funny girl.

Choxbox said...

also reminds me of one time in bangkok when i went to an indian restaurant and hogged away till nearly midnight (having starved for an entire week - never go to thailand if you are a veggie) and then was roaming the streets looking for a cab and bumped into coupla drunk guys. oh story for another day mebbe.

Preeti Aghalayam aka kbpm said...

Chox
What are you saying girl? I LOVE Thai food, and have had some good veggie thai food in Bangkok. In any case I am supposed to go there early November. So will refresh my memory for sure!!

Choxbox said...

aah but you went to bangkok - unlike me who lived all day in a plant in some remote place outside the city and only came back to crash in the hotel after dark.
in any case even in this supposed hip hotel the typical conversation for the first few days was like this:
me: i eat no meat. what can i eat here?
waiter 1: solmoh? (pointing to something that i cannot recognise)
me: what?
w1: solmo? feees?
me: aah salmon? no fish actually.
w1: oh. oh. omlay?
me: no, no eggs.
w1 goes to w2 and whispers and both look at me like i'm from mars or some such.
i end up with just fruit and cereal bcoz even croissants have egg in them :(

lets not even get into the stuff at the plant. most times i'd eat just plain bread. no kidding.