Uncommon Friends

Uncommon Friends

This is a very personal project of mine, that talks about people I have met from around the globe and how they have managed to etch their presence in the stories I don't think I would forget.

I believe meeting people is a very important part of traveling and I am blessed to be able to gel well with strangers. It is of course easier when you are traveling solo as your involvement is only with the place you are in and the people around you. The best part to meet and befriend someone you meet when you are traveling is that either you meet a local from whom you get a very unique perspective of the place or you meet a fellow traveler who has a different experience from around the globe.

I love taking an image before we part and penning down the story behind the face on the photograph here in this blog.

Sayed Hossein (Iran)

During my first three weeks in Dubai, I was in company-provided hotel accommodation. Being new and alone in the city I got myself involved in some physical activities like Gym and Swimming available in the hotel to keep myself occupied and avoid boredom. Swimming was a must because I was not good at it and wanted to improve the same. Every day I used to meet this gentleman. He used to wish me “Good Evening Sir! How are you?” It feels so good when people are polite and friendly; I used to wish him back and continued my swimming till we said goodnight and bid goodbye while leaving back to our respective rooms. It was happening daily, until one day when we finished our respective swimming almost at the same time and headed towards the Jacuzzi pool, and our conversation took a forward stride. He asked about me and so did I. His name is Sayed Hossein, from Piranshahr, Iran. He was 52 then. He had 4 children; the eldest son was in the final year of mechanical engineering in one of the top Universities in Iran. He himself was a Civil Engineer and used to make business trips to Dubai very often. I made him remember his eldest son back home which gave me a good warm feeling. He talked about his family, why his son likes mechanical over civil engineering, how Iran is; like the weather during winter it even snows whereas it’s also quite hot in the summers although not as much as in Dubai. My last day in the hotel came quite fast and it was the time to bid goodbye and as a goodbye token, I clicked his photograph the same place we met first and promised to send (also sent it via his email id) him back the photograph.

Abu Qazim (Jordan)

My Jordan trip would have been a failure without this guy. My hotel arranged me a car to drop me at Petra and including a visit to the Dead Sea, Karak and Wadi Musa. Early morning he was at my door. He was in his mid-40s, tall reserve and serious kind of a guy. Whenever I am on a tour I prefer to stop anywhere I like the scenery, and initially, I thought he would mind if I say him to stop the car as I please. But as soon as I accumulated some courage to ask him to stop since I liked the scenery outside, believe me from there on I used to just look out of the window inquisitively hoping if I could capture the scene and that expression was enough for him to understand. His name is Abu Qazim, he drove me all across Jordan for two days stayed with me in Petra and happily fulfilled my all wishes related to exploration and photography. He stayed in Northern Amman with his family. Arabic by origin his English was good enough for our conversation and Arabic being his mother tongue he could communicate with locals easily to find places or get directions on difficult roads. Every time I used to take some time to click a photograph, he would stand beside and smile to see that I was happy by doing so. He shared with me that he has a friend who is a photographer and also showed me his Facebook profile. He arranged a desert ride in Wadi Rum and was really angry at the guy since it was too short and I was unhappy about it. I paid him 200 JOD for two days of driving and Wadi Rum tour and I did not have any more cash so whereas the bill he owed me 210 JOD as per agreement. But I gifted him a one rupee Indian coin as a gift since I could not give him 10 JOD, and believe me he was more than happy. Just to clarify 10 JOD is approximately 1000 INR. His hospitality was awesome, he made sure that I go back with a great impression about Jordan and its people.

Maiko (Georgia)

Among Georgian Wines, Saperavi hit me the most both in terms of taste and kick. I tasted it first in the Alevardi Winery but thought of buying a bottle from some city so that I get the same at a cheaper price. My car broke down at Telavi. After keeping my luggage in my guesthouse I went for a city walk after some food and wine in a nearby restaurant. After visiting the main attractions of the city I was searching for a wine shop to buy Saperavi but since Easter was around the corner most shops were already closed. I just walked into a bakery to ask if I can find any shop where I find Saperavi. There was this lady who owned the shop and two older ladies who worked there. It was a bit difficult initially to communicate that I wanted to get to a wine shop. One of the ladies showed me a bottle they had. Maiko, the owner of the shop offered me a glass of wine with some bread. A very generous lady she was. In those days she was learning English and had a book which translated Georgian into English. I was sipping the glass of wine and we had a long chat. She told me about her husband, son, and daughter, that she was actually from Tbilisi and moved to Telavi after marriage. She asked me about my family, saw my family photos, heard about my trip, at times my words were not vrey understandable to her so she had to refer to her book. I sat there for almost an hour over that wine and bread and a long conversation. Before leaving I took a photograph of her with that book. She insisted that we click a photograph together which I will send her back to Facebook. She neither took any price for the glass of wine or the bread as by the time I left her shop we were already good friends. She was a really simple and generous lady.

Teague Lavigne (Poland/America)

How about meeting a like-minded solo traveller from a different part of the world in a totally different nation? After driving back to Tbilisi I returned to my hostel. Took a beer and borrowed charging adapter from this guy since I had left my universal adapter in Telavi. With the beer started our conversation, when he said that he arrived Tbilisi 'today' early morning. He is yet to see the city much. I told him about my travel to Kabzegi, Telavi, Signagi and showed him the photographs of the countryside and the roads I traversed in my camera. He then shared how he hiked up to the Mother of Georgia, one of the highest points in the city from where the whole city can be seen during the sunrise. He added that he heard the sound of a waterfall within the city in the Botanical Garden on the other side of the Mother of Georgia Statue but could not figure out nor he had the energy to find it then after being awake all night. Both of us decided to find it out. We hiked up to the Mother of Georgia, and on the way had a long chit chat about our respective travel stories and varied cultures. Teague was a Polish-American currently working as a teacher in the UK. Being in Poland for some time during his school days, he also knows Russian apart from Polish. He has travelled around 24 countries with Georgia being his 25th. When we reached the top it was almost the end of the day with the sun dipping at the edge of the city. From the top, it was an amazing view, so I took some time to click some photographs. He was happily patient enough to wait although his main interest was the waterfall. We went to the gate of the Botanical Garden from which we can trail down to the waterfall by following the sound of it. But since it was quite late the gates were closed. He came up with an idea to climb down the fence since there was no security guard around. I was elated to discover such similar traits to take risks in the name adventure. Yeah, we did it and finally reached the waterfall. It was quite dark at that time. After taking some photographs and feeling the cold water we decided to leave and have some beer and good local Georgian cuisines. Since it was his first day I guided him in terms of choosing restaurants. Our conversation while dining extended from travel stories to BREXIT to life in India etc. I sent his photograph via Facebook later and he asked me to get in touch with him if I am travelling in Poland, the Czech Republic, or Germany in the future.

Rohit Gelra (Pakistan)

Humans are being divided by the people with big but wicked brains since ages. India and Pakistan have always been rivals, be it political or be it sports and the source of this rivalry was that they were divided in terms of religion and believe me, religion is the most weakening sentiment people carry. I have met people from around the world and I know that good and bad people always exist in any part of the world. When you go out of India and meet someone from India or Pakistan or Bangladesh, you time travel to an age before 1947, you don't feel any sense rivalry or major difference of opinion. When the division took place based on religion India chose to be secular whereas the other nation decides to be an Islamic nation. So, for this generation of ours who have known Pakistan in only textbooks and news channels, a non-Muslim and specifically Hindu from Pakistan was something very new. We never knew they exist. Rohit is first such example after Danish Kaneria, whom we have seen for a very less time playing international cricket for Pakistan. He comes from a place which is very disturbed and deprived within Pakistan and from there in-spite of all the struggles and crisis in the family he came out to be a socially successful guy. There are very few countries in the world, where minorities are given equal or privileged rights and for a non-secular country, such expectations are tough. Since he joined the company in Dubai, he was a very silent focused guy with a deep aspiration to be successful. In the backdrop, his determination was inspired to assure his family is secured for the rest of the life. Even other friends from Pakistan have admitted and praised his determination to come out of a place where being alive is a struggle and shining in his career to an extent that he can earn in some developed foreign currency was an achievement. He was the youngest among us and whenever I saw him since the first day, I saw him as a very fashion-conscious person who really takes time and energy out to look good; for a small-town Bengali like me, a guy so much concerned about looking good is something alien. After his joining, I remember we had very less of communication initially, maybe because both of us share a common characteristic of lacking the art to start a communication. But in due course of time, our friendship grew strong to stronger in an exponential way. We made tours, drove crazy distances, shared meals etc. Today he is getting married and I think this day will be the best day to add him to this album. Oh, and how can I forget these few months the effort he put in a gym to look good in his marriage album. That was also a reflection of his crazy dedication. Wish I could attend your wedding buddy surpassing all the political boundaries. Wish you a very happy life ahead and may all your hard work pays you back with all the unfulfilled desires.

Gökhan Karataş & Gülce Kaptan (Turkey)

A friend had told me that the romanticism of Istanbul can be felt in its air. Here, I did not meet an uncommon friend but friends. It’s like buy one get one free offer.

I was already lost in the fascinating sunset from the top of the Galata tower. Looking over the beautiful city of Istanbul in the pleasing colours of golden and blue hours had already occupied my mind and heart. The crowded balcony of the Galata tower had this smart guy proposing a pretty girl with a bunch of flowers and a ring. Their facial expressions were loudly speaking out their elated feeling. The blushing young lady and her gleeful admiring man were not only on the top of Istanbul but in their feelings, they were on the top of the world. They were accompanied by a common friend to share this happy moment and assist them to capture the same on his cellphone. I was happy to join them and add to their repository of memory from the day. While leaving we exchanged our contacts to share their photographs, but it did not end there. A couple of friends in a day in a new country was my priceless earning. Recently, I got an invitation via a Facebook event and it’s their wedding.

The guy was working in naval forces and his lady, a final year student; Gokhan and Gulce, who recently got married and when I publish their story, must be enjoying their honeymoon in some part of the world. Since I missed the wedding they invited to host me whenever I am in Turkey the next time and that was even more heartwarming.

Wishing for their good future and everlasting bonding, I would like to preserve them with lots of care as another story of my personal project called Uncommon friends, where friendship just happens, irrespective of any human trait or identity with like-minded people I meet while travelling.

Nollaig (Ireland/Germany)

Irish pubs and conversations with new faces and thoughts are quite synonymous. I was there in Heidelberg for work and stayed overnight in Mannheim to catch the morning train back to Dusseldorf. But due to some meetings, I postponed my travel to sometime in the afternoon. By 5:30 pm I was free and ready to board the next train, but the train was cancelled. My next option was the train an hour later i.e., 6:30 pm. I decided to have my late lunch or early dinner in a nearby Irish pub. Started with some fish and chips, followed by a half dozen buffalo wings; anyone observing me could easily figure out I was damn hungry.

It was this gentleman at the next table who said hello to me when he sat there with his drink. Before I could end my food, he joined me as both of us were alone in our respective seats. I had to catch a train at 6:30 pm which I had already missed, and I aimed to catch the one at 19:30. But the conversation went forever. Starting from the point that with the ring in my hand he could realize I am an English-speaking person; I never knew that it is actually something may the Brits introduced to the world like many other things. He introduced himself as Nollaig. He is an Irish who moved to Germany 40 years ago when he was just 21 years old. He right now makes chocolate but has been in multiple professions all these years. We shared conversations from language to religion to racism, culture, personal thought process, jobs, Germans and also about current-day thought process about technology and homosexuality. We discussed British dominance over India for 200 years and compared the same with them dominating the Irish for 35 years. Our conversation went on and on with my count of Murphy’s raising to 4. It was sunny and then it rained but we were busy discussing how we are different and celebrating the differences with a new glass of or respective drinks raised to a choir of “Cheers”. The strangest difference in thought was that in India we have domestic help sounded like slavery to him and I was surprised with such a notion. But despite all the differences, the outlook towards life for both of us was very much in synchrony and maybe that is why I missed 3 hourly trains just so that our conversation is not interrupted. Both of us knew we may hardly meet again but friendship is not a revision which you have to keep doing to pass the exam with flying colours and both of us were quite aware of the same. When we left for our respective dens with our last drink as a treat to each other. I treated him with the rum he was having, and he treated me with a glass of Bailey’s. So Irish!