Crossing over to India - from Myanmar

1600 hrs

I am sitting in a warehouse that houses the ticketing office of TTA express

under a noisy black ceiling fan, watching a hen family outside create mess

1700 hrs

The bus that leaves from Mandalay for Tamu, at India-Burma border is late

So, the woman selling toothpaste and incense sticks returns to try her fate

1800 hrs

Struck still by the sun throughout the day, people now begin moving around

The bus finally rolls in, but we wait until our luggage is set in, safe and sound

1900 hrs

They distribute water bottles, face wipes, dental kits and black plastic covers

for the locals as they trickle in, chewing kun-ya (betel leaves) amidst cheers   

2000 hrs

We cross the Irrawaddy river towards Sagaing, catching a glimpse of the city,

With golden and white pagodas shining bright as if enlightening since eternity

2100 hrs

A rom-com Burmese movie begins and the actor in lungi catches my attention

as he tries to woo the girl with his friends’ silly ideas, but gets caught in action

2200 hrs

Finally, the driver stops for dinner at what is possibly the only place for miles

But it is impossible to ask them for vegetarian food with hand signs and smiles

2300 hrs

We continue with potato chips while dreaming of a good lunch back in India

trying to figure out the silhouettes outside, to make some sense of this area

0000 hrs

I fold and unfold my legs to find an ideal sleeping stance for this long journey

But end up banging my head each time as my arms yield to tiring monotony

0100 hrs

Oblivious of this twisting choreography, my man snores to the beat of the bus

holding on to his bag like a pillow; a perfect travel partner who makes no fuss

0200 hrs

I decide to slay some time browsing the Myanmar trip pictures on my phone

editing the vivid memories of the last ten days spent out of our comfort zone

0300 hrs

From the time my gaze was bound by the grand Shwedagon pagoda at night

till the time, I set foot on the ancient wooden bridge, speechless with delight

0400 hrs

After a brief stop at Kale to unload boxes of fruits and vegetables, we continue

on the road along the Chin hills, the sky yielding from sooty black to inky blue

0500 hrs

Light begins to scatter over the fields, unfolding indigent straw roofed villages

with a church being the only building, people there would have seen for ages

0600 hrs

Now, in the last leg of the drive, we speed over many makeshift, rusty bridges,

fully awake and praying for safe passage, as our bus lurched towards the edges

0700 hrs

The GPS pointer oscillates along the border, as we reach Tamu, much before 8

Out of the bus, we walk over to Moreh, via the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Gate