I got a ...

... bad tan!!! I really didn’t need it, but hey, the trip was worth every patch of tan on my already brown skin!!

I was a child again. Playing in the water and refusing to come out...making sand castles, playing beach volleyball... pretending to swim like a frog in knee deep water... I did not want to come back to the reality of everyday life... Our cottage was about 150 mts from the sea, and it was just amazing to go to sleep with the sound of the waves to give us company... No traffic and no villages! The nearest village was 9 kms away. Suryalanka is a rarity. It is still undiscovered and there is only one place to stay and that is the APTDC resort which has 12 cottages.

Tucked away, far from the maddening crowd, i rediscovered a part of me. For Three days, all I did was soak in the beauty of the sea and the beauty of life. On 26th, I was reminded of the Tsunami and felt a sense of awe at the immense power nature holds over us. No matter how much we achieve, nature has the power to tilt the balance in one powerful blow. I was reminded of how precious and fickle life is. Here I was on the 26th of December; exactly 4 years after Tsunami hit us. And as i stepped into the water that day, i said a silent prayer. For all those people who lost their lives and a prayer of respect for the sea, who is kind and all giving, who feeds a multitude but who is also capable of such devastation.

We had made a conscious decision not to spend too much time behind the camera and miss the beauty of the moment. So we have very few photographs, which i will post soon. We had also switched off our cell phones and worked HARD to stay away from the TV. That was easier said than done! What with a Boxing Day test match between Australia and South Africa looming large... Thankfully I enjoy cricket as much as Mallik!

Mallik ate tonsss of seafood. I think he was just trying to take in as much meat as possible before his one year of no-meat pledge comes into force from the 1st of January. I, on the other hand, didn’t have many options to start with, the tragedy of being a vegetarian!

My favorite moment of the trip was when we were taking a walk early in the morning. The beach was foggy and we could hear the sea..There was a slight chill in the air. Mallik suddenly asked me to wait and went away into the fog. Only to return a few minutes later with 2 steaming cups of tea!. It was just amazing to sit on the beach, with noone around, sipping hot tea...Amazing...

I also loved the evenings..the wind was nice and cool. ANd we were having our dinner just a few steps away from the sea. Yeah, I am in love with that place :)

I had promised myself a weekend away from IF but to be honest I was not successful. IF is a part of my reality now, and i cannot escape it. Fortunately, the emotions were not overwhelming, and I was actually able to watch a family with their little infant without feeling jealous or tearing up. I was happy that I got to spend time with Mallik, and most importantly, with myself. With a baby this wouldn’t have been possible (yeah i gave myself plenty of pep up talk).

We went to an old Temple in the tiny town f Bapatla (9kms from Suryalanka). The temple was constructed before 600 AD ! Thats pretty ancient if you ask me.

I love history, and sitting in that temple, I could imagine and feel the faith of the people who visited this place hundreds of years ago. Mallik is pretty religious (I believe in NO religion, and no Idol worship) and he did some kind of a puja at the temple. Later he told me, that it was for a baby. He has even promised god that if we have a son, he will add the word Bhavya to his name. ‘Bhavya Augustya’..hmm I can live with that. Mallik actually wants a girl, but has finally reached a phase when a child of any gender would do! It was sweet actually. We also went to a Durga Temple in Vijaywada, were I was again blessed with the promise of a son.. he he he.

The reality of life hit when I reached back home. All the silly home politics, the pollution of this city, the traffic....and PMS! Yup, am in the middle of a nasty phase of PMS. AF is due on the first, and i have almost zilch hope of having gotten preggo this time. Maybe that’s why I drank so much on this trip!

There is so much to share, but I have so much work to catch up to! Anyhow, the rest may be TMI ;)

We have decided to go ahead with the adoption procedure this January. I don’t know if we are even eligible to adopt. From the research I have done, it seems like you need to be married for 3 years. WE complete 3 years in Feb 2009. And Mallik is very particular that we only adopt a girl!
We will continue to try and have a baby naturally. Fingers crossed for a great 2009...