Normally I share my own travel experiences in this blog but I also love to hear from others. Travel stories narrated by my friend Mr. Dattaprasad Sathe impressed me so much that I could not resist writing this article to share some of his pleasant travel experiences.
Humanity in God’s Own Country
Mr. Sathe is a backpacker and loves to travel. He is quite curious to explore and learn about the place that he visits, he also likes to know about lifestyle of people in that area and satisfy many other questions that come to his mind. This incident happened with him at Alappuzha, Kerala, a place famous for the scenic back waters.
Life in backwaters is a special feature of Kerala. There are narrow stretches of dry land in the backwaters and houses are built a few feet away from the water. In fact, the houses are so close to the water that an item tossed from the house can easily land into the water. Boats play a vital role in the lives of people. It is impossible for anyone to survive without boating skills. I was amused to see a floating Homeopathy dispensary sailing in the backwaters at Alappuzha.
Mr. Sathe was wandering near backwaters one afternoon. He saw the activities happening around and developed interest to know more about the lifestyle of people in the area. He decided to take a long tour in a ferry boat to have a closer look. His only concern was about returning to the hotel at Alappuzha by night. He spoke to a boatman and explained the purpose of the tour. The boatman informed that it was his last round of the day and was returning to his village but he could ferry Mr. Sathe and also assured that the return would be possible. Mr. Sathe boarded the boat with other passengers.
It took them a long time to reach the destination and by the time they approached the boatman’s village, it was already getting dark. All the other passengers had already alighted at their stops and Mr. Sathe was the only traveler left in the boat. The traffic was thin and there were no boats travelling in opposite direction. Finally, when the boat was docked near the boatman’s village there was no one around. It was a secluded place surrounded by coconut trees and a few houses. Mr. Sathe was worried now that he might have to spend the night under the trees on the bank of backwaters as there was no boat travelling back to the city. Also he was angry with the boatman, but the boatman was calm.
In a very kind voice, he assured “Sir, don’t worry. I will ensure that you can return to the city. It is dinner time. Please come with me to my house for dinner and then I will arrange for your return.”
Mr. Sathe went to his house. He was treated very well and enjoyed the hospitality of the boatman’s family. After dinner, the boatman sailed him back to a place from where the ferries were still operating for Alappuzha. In fact, journey in the ferryboat after dark was another interesting experience for him.
A great blend of professionalism and hospitality in God’s Own Country!!!
Wimbledon
Once he narrated another interesting incident to me. He was in UK in summer and went to Wimbledon during the games. While wandering around the courts he noticed a long queue. On enquiring, he came to know that people had queued up to obtain autograph of Maria Sharapova, the famous tennis player. Most of the people had some tennis gear with them on which they were going to seek her autograph. Since Mr. Sathe did not have anything for the autograph, he requested the authorities to allow him to join the queue for a photograph with Maria. He was allowed.
Maria Sharapova could not make it on that day, but the authorities did a nice gesture by allowing all the people in queue to enter the stadium and watch her game. It was a pleasant surprise in the form of a great reward. Mr. Sathe had cherished a dream of watching a match live at Wimbledon for 45 years which came true in form of a pleasant surprise.
That is the reason I love travelling.
Curious Explorer 