Haven of happiness

Often, friends rib me saying I’m an irredeemable homebody and that I keep myself tenaciously stuck to my home precincts with layers of invisible glue! That is because, unlike them, I haven’t felt the need to embark on endless holiday jaunts, which according to them, is essential in energising one’s fagged out mind/spirits.

However recently, when spouse suddenly got few days off from his workplace, by default, we set off with our son to spend some two days at one of Mercara’s spectacular holiday resorts, situated on a sprawling elevated area.

After reaching there, standing at its foot, I tried casting my eyes around. The entire area was shrouded in verdant greenery with umpteen varieties of trees and plants. The lush green shrubs were interspersed with teeny lily-white and pale-purple flowers that had the gossamer-winged butterflies flitting across them. The exotic looking cottages seemed like simulated thatched-huts, with their roof blanketed by fake straws/ fronds. To reach each cottage, one had to clamber up, like the way one trudges upward during a trekking expedition.

Stepping into the cottage, one could behold gleaming furniture with their glossy veneers. There was a set of miniature table and chair too for children. The side-table, with quaint hexagon-shaped top, had a cane bowl, containing fresh fruits, to instantly quell hunger pangs. The electric-bulbs, emitting warm light, were ensconced in cylindrical structures. The mattresses were snugly sheathed in squeaky-clean counterpanes, having soft quilts, tantalising cottage guests to drop into a drugged slumber!

There were sachets of sugar, dairy whitener, coffee/tea bags along with electric water-heater to facilitate quick whipping up of brewed beverage. The restrooms looked impeccably clean with swan-white towels, hanging from iron bathroom bars, adjacent to the open shelves, displaying an array of toiletries.

Of course to cram down food, one had to tramp further up to the restaurant, located at the top of this elevated ground. The food was delectable, served by genial looking stewards, sporting radiant smiles. From the top, one could see jaw-dropping panoramic view of the surroundings, with vibrant alpine vegetation, grown chock-a-block. Through open glass-window of next building, one could sight sport-fiends in a game of snooker, while bibliophiles thumbed through books in a mini library.

Finally, it was time to bid adieu. After all, howsoever enchanting the holidaying places are, one has to ultimately come back to one’s own abode. But amazingly, the comfort I felt returning home was  unparalleled. No wonder, the exhilaration we experience in those supposedly exquisite places are only for ephemeral moments, whereas the exultation we feel at home, along with one’s own family, is truly everlasting. That is why it’s said, “If one can’t find happiness at home, one can’t possibly find it anywhere else too”!