Solo Trip Diaries

The seat in the van was comfortable. But I didn’t crave comfort. The whole point of this trip was to escape the familiar and get me out of my comfort zone. It was easy to doze off as the van veered through familiar roads.

When I reached, the sun hadn't risen yet. It was not yet morning and the chill of 4am was not something I was used to. I hid in an ATM cubicle. It’s funny how we use these to escape the heat in the city but here it was a warm haven…with money! Thankfully the rickshaw that picked me up had curtains that prevented the winds from chilling my bones. I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders all the same.

When I reached I apologised for waking my hostess so early and then just unhooked by bra and flopped onto the bed. I didn't expect to fall asleep immediately but it was strange how I missed someone to cuddle with. I dreamt of family and it helped.

“Why did you decide to come alone?”, she asked.

“I needed to”, I wanted to say.

Breakfast involved a lot of staring into the green eyes of a meowing cat, daring her to inch closer to the food. She was a poser though, copycating my eyes and flared nostrils.

I thought of how writing this is just writing about my experiences but it’s impossible to do so by leaving myself out. This place…as experienced by me. Breakfast… as experienced by me. Cos there’s no way another person could experience the same things the way I do. Each of us is shaped by our own values and past experiences. Maybe you wouldn't have noticed how long the cat’s eyelashes were. Maybe I’d have to point that out to you, making your experience all the richer.

I fell into daydream again while eating lunch and the beautiful thing about zoning out when you’re alone is that there is no one around to snap you out of it. It was so quiet I could hear myself eat. Thunder rolled past and then big droplets of rain. I wanted to sit there forever and listen to it pour down.

Putting your toes on the ledge is not the same as dipping them in the waves, but it feels as good. I soon had to pack up and move inside. Even though we were on floor 1, there was a tiny swimming pool in the main living area and I preferred keeping my toes toasty under covers for a while.

When I ventured out again, the clouds had cleared and the view was back, with just a few extras mopping up the mess. The help was loud but nothing seemed to take my attention away from the chirping birds and the light tap-tap of my keyboard, except…except maybe the power cut. Ctrl+S, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+S. This is probably the only productive things I’ll do all weekend, still more than I do on most.

Binge baba would describe me well on an ordinary Saturday. I might venture out for a walk on Sunday, but it’s unlikely. The idiot box is too much of a temptation and online deliveries make life so lazy.