The Adventure in Ticino:Lost and found

It was already 7pm.The bus stop had no other connection. We just started walking. We had left everything in the hotel, even our resident permits. There was no question of trying the hiking path which went through the woods. We were still hoping to get some cab or reaching a bus stop with another bus connection. I had the Orario (timetable) in my hand and we followed the bus route so that we don't get lost.

                                       
We were walking by the side of the highway on the thin path after the rightmost border. At times it was a little wide so that even two people can walk side by side. But most of the time it was so thin that you are afraid that your shoulders are across the border while your steps are barely outside the line. At least during the first one hour or so, there was some grass beside the road so that we could just walk on it. Cars seemed to be going past us in lightning speed. And each time I heard the cars approaching I clenched my teeth. After a while the road became more difficult. There was slope beside the road and it was uphill. The place beside the border line was thin. And I tried to imagine that we were in a circus...At first he was in front and I was following him. But the sound of the cars approaching from the back made my nerves wreck. So I asked him to be behind me so that if I lost my balance he could hold me.

The feeling that he was behind me eased my nerves a little and we continued with our trapeze.

                               

All this time we didn’t see any cab. He constantly tried to ask for a lift, but perhaps nobody trusted us enough to give us a lift. After all we were an Indian couple walking beside a highway at that hour of night...perhaps we looked like robbers...or actually they just didn’t care. We were actually hoping to see a police car or some police station nearby. But as luck would have it we never saw one.

Then it started to grow dark. There were portions of road where I couldn’t see my own hand until there was a car approaching with its blinding headlights. We could understand that it was very natural that in those portions of the street the drivers couldn’t see us either. I was constantly muttering my God's name and was trying to switch off my brain. But it was not to be. There were strange smells of animals coming from the forests. I remembered all the mafia films and all types of strange fears crawled up my spine

...my spine was gradually stiffening and my knees started showing signs of rebellion

I was waiting for some miracle to happen; I needed one desperately at that moment.

When we were out of one of those dark patches we felt so relieved...and for some time we could walk in the lights coming from Gas stations or nearby bus stops...But then again we had to enter the darkness.

We ceased thinking of anything else but the details of these path and when we walked in the darkness we could see very little dots of light far away...and we walked with the aim of reaching those lights...

Thus we crossed miles after miles of road...and we were still far from Bellinzona...

But now we were at least approaching the city...the bus stops now had seats...But we were afraid that if we sat down we would be overcome by fatigue and lose the stubbornness that was keeping our feet moving...



But now I was already limping. My left knee was so stiff by now that it was really painful to move it. We stopped again and again, tried to message my knees and again tried to go on ignoring the pain.

At one bus stop, I sat down. He now knew that my pain was too much...and became so desperate that he was actually standing on the road waving his two hands asking for a lift.

I was terrified and limped as fast as I could to pull him back...

"What do you think you are doing?"

He was almost in tears, ‘I am feeling so helpless. You are in such a condition and I can’t do anything!!"

It always happens that when he is in despair I become very strong.

I stood up and said "But I can still walk"



It was the last patch of the journey.

By this time it had started raining. We didn't have a drop of water with us and the rain seemed so soothing.

I was now leaning on him and he was almost dragging me...My left knee just refused to fold. We were now just two bus stops away from the hotel.

But the nearer we were towards our destination, the faster my strength was giving away...I leaned with all my weight on his body and even walked with my eyes closed...

Finally, when we reached the Hotel, we found the door was closed and locked.

We sat down on the stairs and I could guess from his face that he was about to burst and do something violent. At that time a lady came from nowhere...she was returning from a party and was late...she also stayed in that hotel...she rang the bell again and again, did the shouting and pounding...

Now she noticed my condition and asked us what the matter...was

"We are in this state because of the excellent hospitality of the people of your country.” he burst and told how we were left by the driver and how no one gave us a lift...and the distance we had to walk...

"Mamma Mia! This girl walked that distance “and she hold me in her arms as if I was a little girl.

Now I broke down completely and started sobbing and I sobbed as I took my breath and couldn't stop.

The Hotel Guard has now opened the door. The lady went to the manager and told our story...We told him we wanted to cancel our reservation for the next day as we were neither in the mental nor physical state to enjoy anything...He sent some bottles of mineral water to our room.

I tried to open my shoes but my feet were so swollen that I couldn't. My husband pulled them off...

Next day we started for home and thanks to the excellent transport system of Switzerland, even with my incapacitated leg we reached our home quite smoothly.

I stayed at home for a whole week after that as it was really difficult to walk.

The leg however healed much quicker than my heart.

Even long after that I used to have nightmares where I walked beside the Highway and Cars were passing close enough to knock me down any moment.

If we had a cell phone with us, if we saw the return timetable before we started, if we trusted the Swiss transport system a little less, we would not be in that situation...we speculated afterwards.

But what we gained was a strengthened relationship...walking that distance together and being in that helpless situation made our bond even stronger...the best part was that we didn’t blame each other or get angry on each other in spite of the situation. And we didn’t lose our faith....

And after this day we trusted each other more and the Swiss transport system a little less. Never again we went anywhere before knowing exactly when the last bus or the last cable car or last train connection was.



Now, when I am writing this I am In the US where driving on the highway is almost everyday affair...and whenever we drive on a highway I see the sidewalk and when it is very narrow I thank God for saving us that day...
                                        That Was the miracle

Our Adventure:Lost in the Wilderness

When we reached Bellinzona,it was already past midday.We were very exhausted.We went straight to the tourist office.The lady there was so helpful.She booked a room for us within our budget at a hotel just opposite the railway station. We walked a little in the beautiful town.The town had a medieval flavour in all its architechture.The skyline of Bellinzona,the capital of Ticino, is defined by the powerful fortifications of the three medieval castles,which are also Unesco World Heritage Sites.The town is the gateway to Italy and seen from the South it acts as a keyhole to the Alps.
The lady at the tourist office had asked us to come to downtown in the evening as there was some local event there...there would be music...some jazz band was going to play...
I felt hungry as I saw the chicken being roasted at the roadside stands.The whole day we have been surviving on snacks as we didnt have time for lunch.
So we decided to first go to the hotel,check in,have a bath and then come downtown to have a good meal and enjoy whatever music and festivities they were arranging.
When we came out of the hotel it was already 6pm.But as it was summer it felt like it was just 4pm or so.It was a five minutes walk from there to the downtown.
We thought we should first have a look at the area surrounding the hotel.Though the hotel was near the station, it was still quite a peaceful place.
There was a bus station just across the street.We thought we should check the bus timings so that we could decide which bus to take next day and when.We had plans of exploring the virgin Biasca valley the next morning.There was really a bus connection to Biasca and as I was just looking at the timetable a bus arrived.

We asked the driver whether this goes to the Biasca and he nodded.

We asked by what time we'll reach there.He showed on a little timetable the time we'll reach there.It was only 30 mins.We thought we could just take a ride on the bus and thus we'll have an idea about the place.So we boarded the bus and sat down.There were only two more passengers.The route was so beautiful that for the next few minutes we lived just in our senses absorbing every sight and smell and sound and forgot our bodies...
When I think of that day I wonder when we were feeling so hungry why did we ride that bus in the first place?Curiosity and the madness in the blood that makes me a traveller are the only answers I can give.

One of the passengers got down.I got up and took one of the timetables that were lying there.I wanted to know when was the last bus to return.And what I found?That it was already too late.The last bus had already left.It was just 6:45pm.I went to the driver and bought the ticket and asked to make it a return one.He said the bus was not going to return today.It was the last bus.
And within 10 minutes we were there.
The last stop.
I requested the driver even if the bus doesnt go all the way to Bellinzona...he could just drop us anywhere in the way back.He denied and left.
There we were... standing in the Biasca or whatever it was with all our romanticism thrown on our face with a nice slap.
There was just his wallet and camera and nothing else with us.The bus stop showed that there was only one bus route and the last bus had left at 6:30.
It was almost in the midst of wilderness.There were a few houses at a distance.
But most of the place was forests beside a highway.There was obviously a direction mark showing Bellinzona was 23km from here but it pointed towards the hiking path through the forest.
Still we didnt cease to hope.
Want to know what hapenned next?
Tell me what do you think we did after that...

What Seas,what shores,what grey rocks and what Islands...what Images return...

                                                  The summer of 2003.

It was like a dream.Every weekend we went out to explore the beauties of nature.This weekend we went to Jungfraujoch(top of europe);on the next we started walking aimlessly on the hills above Montreux and reached Glion;then for the coming weekend we planned to escape into the tranquility of Zermatt;after a weeks rest, we started for the medieval castle above Gruyers to attend a folk festival...

At that time,neither of us had a cellphone.We didnt have internet in our home.There was no question of car;we didnt know the ABC of driving.

I used to collect free Brochures from the Montreux tourist office which were given in abundance...read them,decide where to go,find out train hours from SBB-CFF timetable,decide whether we can return the same day,if not book hotel (again from brochures)through phone.Yes,in switzerland,you can book hotels on phone without giving your credit card number. They will keep the bed ready for you.But if you wont go,you should do the courtsey of cancelling it on phone again.If not done you would be rebuked on phone and reminded of your manners.

Of all these journeys,I will tell you today of the one that is haunting my dreams for the last few days...

A trip to Ticino,the southern part of Switzerland.We aimed to go to Lugano and Bellinzona and explore the virgin beauty of the Blenio valley...

Wait for my next Blog and let me know your thoughts