Awesome Threesome
I must confess I loved my wife but I loved another too. Her smile could make any man weak. She, was my Sweet Pea or simply P for short. She was the breath to my lungs and the butter to my bread she was my girl, my first love. Abigail was my wife no doubt but who forgets your first love, it’s always nice to have more of something in your life. I mean who doesn’t enjoy some extra spice like oregano to their pizza? Abigail was not keen at first, who would! With lots of convincing and buttering she too saw the benefits.
I’m sure you have your eyebrows raised. But before you get all judgmental and quote the seventh commandment, I’m just talking about my pistachio green Tata Nano. A 3000 plus km, coast to coast trip with a NANO, from Mumbai to Pondicherry and back home to Mumbai was our idea of a honeymoon road trip. Yes, there, were genuine concerns of how P would fare on such a long drive. It was a car of course but a dainty one. Up till now a trip to the nearby mall, little outings to the city were the only accomplishments in the log book. Her, range and engine capacity did not instill confidence. Put three, five litre, Bisleri cans in a row and that gives you an idea of the tank capacity. This meant more stops to fill her little belly. As a timesaver we came upon a challenge finding a food court and a petrol pump in close proximity. Additionally, owing to a small engine to avoid overheating adequate rest was required making us cover a max of 600 kms in a day.
With ‘there’s no word can’t in the dictionary,’ my motivating line as my wise mother- in-law always said, this was going to be our 1st voyage into the unknown. I could almost hear the Star Trek monologue ringing in my ears, ‘‘to boldly go where no Fernandes has ever gone before.’’
Multiple hours were spent on Google maps planning and re planning, relying on reviews & examining the location though satellite imagery feature which helped in separating the fake from the genuine. Back up plans and diversions in case of road closures were reviewed. We, invested in a handheld TOM TOM (GPS device) that really came in handy in areas of low network coverage. We also went old school with a humble Atlas just in case technology died on us.
Our first stop was a night halt at Hubli before reaching the city of palaces Mysore. Reaching these two places on our list gave us a sense of immediate accomplishment. Adding, to this were the super slick roads in the state of Karnataka. After basking in the rich history of Mysore and paying a visit to it’s zoo, we head to the hills of Ooty. The roads took us through the scenic & beautiful forest reserve of Bandipur in Karnataka. Interestingly, when you crossed borders into Tamil Nadu the same forest is known as Madumalai. One gets a chance to gaze at elephants and deer going about their simple lives totally oblivious of their surroundings. Even though we didn’t plan on going on a safari, this route surely made up for it. Then came the steep Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu with its serpentine 36 hair pend bends. I, loved playing snakes and ladders as a kid, but this was taking it to an all new Jumanji level. P slowly climbed that too after giving me a mild attack as she could climb only on 1st gear & thus took 45 mins to make her way through the all the bends without a huffing & puffing and minus any snake bite to the top of the hill entering Ooty. The 25 km route to Coonoor consisted of winding roads with just a climb here and there leading to Coonoor. This town was less congested and gave us a much needed rest to take in some nice aromas of tea as we drove past many a tea estate, our pistachio green Nano blending so well as we passed every bend ,she felt like one of the leaves, like a water colour in the rain.
The December winters in the mountains was a perfect LOVE IS in the AIR mood. After much touring and seeing the Botanical Garden ,the well manicured Sim’s Park and other tourists sights, it was time to for our next stop. As P came down the mountains we could hear her sing the famous song by Steve Roslonek, any guesses? “P’ll be coming down the mountain when P comes”. To fulfill Abigail’s vow we headed to Velankanni, a devotees paradise. The serenity inside the Church was like still calm waters of the river yet having the oceans magnus depth of the power of God. A bliss experience it was indeed. A 2 night stay here and we had to say Varukiren (Bye) Velankanni & Bonjour Pondicherry. The relaxed, chilled quaint French town lifestyle, with offices shutting down by 6pm & the open Promenade which closed for traffic at 5pm everyday making way for leisure walks & the health conscious was truly a site to see in contrast to the manic life in Mumbai. On the way back to Mumbai we halted for a night stop at Hubli.
Our, itinerary now resembled the origin and destination board of an Indian railway’s interstate train:
Mumbai-Hubli-Mysore-Ooty-Coonor-Velannkanni-Pondicherry-Hubli-Mumbai – 13 days @ Rs.71k (2015)
So!!did we get it all right?? of course not!! I recollect once, on the Bangalore highway I mistook a VRL logistics truck halt to be a food court. As a result, our bite to eat was delayed. We, were lucky enough to find another gem of a place albeit 70 km later.
However, if, you want something you’ve never had, you need to do something you’ve never done. The, greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination, it’s about all the wild stuff that happens along the way. Your, not being bogged down with commercial sight see tours that ensure you see sights and locations distantly from a bus window. Or travel by air, busy surfing the infotainment without gathering a moment to look below to gaze at the change of the topography with every passing mile. With, it’s ever diverse culture and changing geography, you get a sense that much is there to explore and experience in this beautiful country of ours.
People set to define their honeymoon with flashy destinations, here we were re-defining ours. How many couples can really claim of not following a trend rather than starting one?. I can proudly say we are one of them along with P who proudly sits daintily in the parking lot.
Here’s to many more journeys as a threesome couple.
Nigel and Abigail Fernandes
Do leave your comments to this article in the space below.
Fr. Warner D'Souza is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He has served in the parishes of St Michael's (Mahim), St Paul's (Dadar East), Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (Bandra), a ten year stint as priest-in-charge at St Jude Church (Malad East) and at present is the Parish Priest at St Stephen's Church (Cumballa Hill). He is also the Director of the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum and is the co-ordinator of the Committee for the Promotion and Preservation of the Artistic and Historic Patrimony of the Church.
Enjoyed the penmanship but was a trifle distracted by the punctuation in many places – commas after the first word in a sentence were a bit of a puzzle. Nonetheless thank you for sharing your experience and wish you Abigail and sweet Pea a happy ever after…💝
The article was written by the author.
very good read e
Enjoyed the journey 😊♥️
Way to go…Nigel..
Quite a start, with Pen Partner n Pea..
God Bless..
Let the ink flow..
Cheers
Gilroy Miranda
Dearest Nigel, Abigail and Sweet Pea.
Thanks so much for this awesome description of your honeymoon adventure. You are so right! India is a beautiful country if we take the time to discover it. Besides I can imagine the fun and excitement you had, all along the way. Beautifully written! Looking forward to reading more about your adventures, and sweet P, you certainly proved yourself. CHEERS TO THE 3 OF YOU!
Awesome threesome, an awesome story, a wonderful and beautiful journey you’ll have taken me through. God bless u and may u have many more pleasurable road trips in life and in ur “P”. Waiting to hear a lot more from you both Nigel and Abigail. 😊👌
The travel tale makes for delightful reading and is short and sweet like the Nano. It is inspirational in motivating one to move off the beaten track, in a quest to discover the real treasures that nature has in store for the adventurous. Cheers, Nigel and Abigail, and wish you many more happy journeys.
Awesome threesome, an awesome story, a wonderful and beautiful journey you’ll have taken me through. God bless u and may u have many more pleasurable road trips in life and in ur “P”. Waiting to hear a lot more from you both Nigel and Abigail. 😊👌
Nice article Nigel and Abigail. Hope to see many more.
Super fantabulous magical experience for a honeymoon trip. Hope u have many more trips as such and share the experience with us. God bless u both.
Dear Abigail, Nigel and Sweet Pee,
Loved every bit of your adventure in a Nano (great advert for the car). Doing something different in life is always exciting and you both have pushed the boundaries with this one. So happy that you both have created wonderful memories to cherish. Very well written and thank you for making us a part of your honeymoon.
Best regards – Melroy
Hi Nigel and Abigail,
Nice! Sweet ride! Sweet memories, nicely written, wow, thanks for sharing your adventurous honeymoon trip.
Sure enjoyed reading it 🥰🥰🥰
Nice read👍and am sure u guys had great honeymoon with some adventure..
Hi Nigel, Abigail and Sweet Pea!
A well penned article and a joy to read. Absolutely practical and very exploring. Nothing like a road trip and enjoying all the scenic places along the way. Hats off to Sweet Pea too for withstanding a long journey with the honeymooners 🙂
Look forward to many such articles on your future journeys in life with Sweet Pea.
Cheers to all the three of you!
Maria (Misquitta) Fernandes
Well written Nigel and Abigail. They say it takes 3 to make a marriage work 😀.
I worked for Tata Finance when the Nano was launched and I was actively involved in the launch of P. To read this article makes me proud to know that P took you on such a wonderful and long road trip. May the force of P be always with you. God Bless you both.
Well written Nigel and Abigail. They say it takes 3 to make a marriage work 😀.
I worked for Tata Finance when the Nano was launched and I was actively involved in the launch of P. To read this article makes me proud to know that P took you on such a wonderful and long road trip. May the force of P be always with you. God Bless you both.
Nice article Nigel,
Sincerely appreciate your guts doing the whole stretch in your nano. (Keeping the terrain in mind)
If the car was still in production sure the Tata guys would have paid you a hefty sum for the story.
My hi to Abigail & a hug to sweet pea.
Regards as always
Aladdin Pais
I have only one word to say to Nigel and Abigail “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
Super fantabulous magical experience for a honeymoon trip. Hope u have many more trips as such and share the experience with us. God bless u both.
Nice article Nigel,
Sincerely appreciate your guts doing the whole stretch in your nano. (Keeping the terrain in mind)
I
If the car was still in production sure the Tata guys would have paid you a hefty sum for the story.
My hi to Abigail & a hug to sweet pea.
Regards as always
Aladdin Pais
I have only one word for you both ANF “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
Dear Nigel, Abigail and Sweet Pea,
Wow…that was quiet a honeymoon I must say and beautifully written. God bless, keep traveling keep writing looking forward to more of these. All the best the Awesome 3some. Cheers
Nigel, Abigail and Sweet Pea,
Wow…..that was quiet a honeymoon I must say and very well written. God bless looking forward to many more of your journeys and write ups awesome threesome. All the very best…cheers
Hey N A P,
It was lovely reading the article and fully agree with Man’s first Love being his car particularly on long drives without any breakdowns. Am sure this will always be your favourite getaway story. Keep enjoying your journey through life and cruise at a gentle speed and take time to smell the flowers on the way not only stopping to P.
Darryl
Hi NAP, It was nice to read the adventures on your first ride, awesome threesome. The description of the journey was lucid & picturesque. Sure you will be putting pen to paper more often. Looking forward to many more of your roadeo jaunts in future. – Ashley Misquitta.
Good read. Kept me engrossed till the end. Well written Nigel. All the best. Keep it up.
A Unique way to plan your honeymoon more like an adventure. When I looked at P – I was like OMG are they going to make it all that way up the steep mountains and you guys did… My hats off to you. Wish you many more adventures.. God bless
A really relaxing journey in your sweet pea. What’s surprising you defied the engine and body of your little car, which is out of production as it cannot fulfill a couple of safety norms. Wow ! You made it real far Nigel and Abigail ! I think you can bring Nano back on the road. Most of all this article is a beautiful read.
_Awsum unique threesome honeymoon and memories for a lifetime with Sweet Pea…wot a combination!!!_
Indeed you are a trendsetter. I liked your writing style which doesn’t even allow us to wink while reading the post. Keep it up! Looking forward to more
Indeed you are a trendsetter. I liked your writing style which doesn’t even allow us to wink while reading the post. Keep it up! Looking forward to more
Indeed you are a trendsetter.
Enjoyed every moment of the read.. the words are chosen so beautifully and are our together like a bunch of exotic flowers. This article is actually honeymoon goals for travel freaks