How many of you can go in a route and not forget it at all? Some are ingenious in this matter. Some can't remember where they have come and how they have come.
We lived in Pune in the initial days after our wedding. It was then I discovered that our S has a stupendous memory in remembering routes. I still can't believe how we went on vacation each weekend without knowing any route. Honeymoon days, sab chalta hai!
I bet each of us have our own way of remembering roads. Some mark them by street names, cross streets, some by land marks or by the 5th stop light on 1st Ave etc., whatever. I used to go by landmarks but now by street names too.
It was not all that bad in India. You could stop anywhere in the middle of the road too and ask the next person how to get to your destination. I started getting the gifts of S's knowledge only after coming here. Thanks to the WWW or else god knows what my plight would have been.
GPS was an expensive electronic when we came here. MapQuest or Yahoo maps were still there to save my soul.
It was not all that bad if we attended a local birthday party or some place within the city.
The real trouble began on long journeys. S would have printouts of the directions from the starting point to the destination. All printed out, mugged up like an essay answer for an examination. However, if we had to take an exit or a turn and S sees it coming 15-20 miles ahead; the modus operandi: I have to first read them out, that means he is prepared mentally he has to take a turn. I have to keep chanting the next direction like Gayatri Mantra so that it implants in his brain. And mind you, no one is to talk till the direction is followed and the supposed route is taken. Ufff! A big Sigh!!! Now, what if we have multiple directions one after the other. That's a different story altogether.
Chaos. Complete chaos.
I thought men had better navigational skills, but S proved it wrong. In our case, it's me who's better :)
S panics in new routes on full day light itself. So, how is it going to be in a new place, at night, that too downtown? I didn't tell you right. He has a downtown syndrome. He hates down towns as he is very successful in missing a route every time.
On a one not so fine Friday evening, I was working late. Really late. As it was a Government client, you don't expect anyone to stay beyond 5:00 PM. Obviously I was the lone creature in the whole building. I lived 120 miles away from home and would go home on weekends. So, S, mom and the kids were to come, pick me up and then spend the weekend at a friend's place. I already recited the directions to my building over the phone. Btw, S is a very punctual guy. Super punctual for that matter. If he has to pick me up he gives me 10 warning calls to come down.
And as lucky as S could be, he takes the wrong exit and then the route to my office has one ways; of course downtown is full of one-ways. As many of you know, the streets in a downtown are named from A to Z and then from 1 to whatever!!! Let us get back to our story. After ranting the directions on the phone, I tell him to keep coming from J street towards Q street. You know we are pretty lucky in this matter. There is some construction going on in the area and the road is blocked at N street. Trying to hide my tears out of anger and frustration, I t(y)ell him to stop where he is and to wait for me while I walk there.
Stars in my favour, there were no weird persons at that time of the hour. Wondering what time it was? 10.30 PM. Yes, 10.30 PM. I kept running with my hand bag and lunch pail swinging. I spotted a senior couple who were doing their daily walk and asked how I could get to N street. They showed me the direction and advised me to take the other street as there would be people and it wouldn't be too lonely. May god bless them!
Though it was 4 blocks away, it felt like 4 miles.
Are y'all wondering why I didn't take a cab? I had no smart phone and no access to the internet to have a cab number. And once I am out of the building, I can't go back. Well, I finally met them and All ezzz Well.
If I don't stop here, I will end up writing a book exclusively about his adventures.
P.S: He worked with me in the same downtown, same office an year later :P
Image Courtesy: Google Images
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I am blessed that way. I don't forget routes and lanes. My husband does. But it can very disconcerting in a new city.
ReplyDeleteMe too Alka. I almost never forget a route. And husband, oh God!! He's terrible in that matter.
DeleteYes, I remember going around US following stacks of print outs and the confusion that can occur when you end up missing an exit!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jaish. Only thing is you have to keep your cool when you miss an exit. Take the next exit, stop at any gas station and ask the guy how to get to the previous exit and you are back on your route :)
DeleteLovely post!You know what is worse than not remembering the route?Not asking anyone for directions.You can guess the result!
ReplyDeleteI know...and you know, he won't slow down to stop and think about the direction...he keeps driving and that pisses me off even more.. thank you aunty! :)
DeleteLatha you could actually publish this as a hilarious series of road adventures and I can imagine the plight of poor S:)
ReplyDeleteHahaha..I sure should do that, except that I keep forgetting these incidents..That one incident is an unforgettable one, that's why I remember it so well. You should say poor Latha and you are saying, Poor S..see, men support men :(
DeleteOMG!! That can be pretty frustrating at that moment but hilarious later on! Husband has a great sense of direction, and I am good at it too. While he may not ask for directions frequently, I do not hesitate to ask a 100 times too!!
ReplyDeleteThat's good for you, Shilpa. :-) It is really troublesome when we go to a new place, but after these smart phones have come, life is much easier.
DeleteI think women have a better sense of direction:)..mu husband also cant remember routes and places.
ReplyDeleteNot all of them...some smart women like us :P I have some women friends who are Really dumb. They do not know the route to the grocery store they visit every week..:-)
DeleteI remember that I would be the navigator reading from the maps and giving directions while the husband drove. Of course, when I drive, I prefer GPS or ask a friendly soul if confused :).
ReplyDeleteIf they follow it carefully and not miss an exit, that would be next to bliss ;-) Today too, my smart phone acted extra smart and I called hubby (wrong person, wrong time) to give me the directions and lo....I took an exit, went to a gas station, reset my gps and drove again..
DeleteI know it is very disgusting when you don't know the exact route. Especially at night time it is all the more frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI know Latha,it is very disgusting when you don't know the route and get stuck.
ReplyDeletewhen you said night time, I remember an incident. I should write another post on how we got stuck in traffic and snow and how my friend guided us through out...that was a nightmare.
DeleteI don't forget routes easily and for everything else, there is a smartphone. :)
ReplyDeleteThen, Geet is lucky :-) For me, this is the only matter where I can catch him and ......lol...
DeleteFeel funny to read. But I know how frustrating the whole situation was for you. I live in the SF Bay Area for a long time. I know.
ReplyDeleteBut you are lucky you all live in California. Here in California, on the freeway, if you miss an exit you can go head and take the next exit and make a U turn and reach your destination. Not so in many other states.
Very true. I found driving in CA was easy. Now, we moved to Texas and here they have something called Service road which runs parallel to the Freeway; which is good in a way and at the same time very confusing...each destination has 3, 4 routes and the GPS picks only that it likes..not the one we choose..it's frustrating at times...sigh!!!
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