Land Between the Lakes

Hi

Outside my India after almost a year now. This time its United States of America. My employer, my country's government and the government of the United States have documented my stay in America as "official". But those who know me, well know something otherwise very well :)

Anyway, gradually learning to walk and drive on the right side of the streets ('right' as in left-right), I had my first weekend out even before I could get over the jet lag. It was to a place called Land Between the Lakes. Oh! I am in the city of Lexington in the State of Kentucky here. It is one of those Southern states - the ones which have a musical, easy going and distinctly accented culture of their own.

With a GPS and a rented Ford 500, Ion (my flatmate) and I sat out for Cincinnati to pick up Sayandip. That is to the north of Lex. From there, we drove straight South to the most happenning city of the South - Nashville - the hub of Country Music in the Nation. And what a place is the Broadway street. Honky Tonks and Honky Tonks and Neons and Neons and crowd and crowd and me!

And it is nothing less than an unwritten law to get inside one these live music bars (the ones which I called Honky Tonks), get a Jack D and tap your feet and bum - either in the crowd or right in front of the stage where the band is performing.

Although I am not a party animal myself (at least not a clubber), but the culture was surely something new to be in the middle of. This was unlike those clubs in my city of Kolkata. Getting high is something not very primary here. It is about clapping and dance elbow locked with your partner in the sound of the live violin and mandolin.

Next morning we went out to the place called Land Between the Lakes. 

The fall colors had now started to go away behind behind the grey winter. Naked trees and a confusing chill (it takes time to figure out if you are enjoying the temperature or you need a jacket). With very few people around, when we reached this water front, I very prominent realization came to me - The existence of a human is very lonely.

All you are left with is the sound of the wind hitting your ear or the sound of the water hitting the stony shore. And that's it. May be your friend calling you at times, but most of times he is not. You struggle for sometime to keep those curly population on your skull from fluttering, but then you give up. You only look and keep looking, turning your neck to its biological limit over both the shoulders. You think that some music will totally go with this, but it does not.

And then breaks in the most viral feeling of this millennium - get some profile pics (a feeling you cannot help neglect and at the same time feel like polluting the magic of the place). And then you drive back, dropping Sayandip in Cinni and head back for Lexington.

Till next time,

Cheers!