On the Road to Burma

That post is a bit misleading. I am not on the road to Burma actually, or rather, that’s now how I am planning to go. The land border between India and Burma is closed, apparently. I have to fly and that’s where the dilemma comes in. The dilemma was this:

Should I pay more to enjoy one day more in Burma?

Or take a cheaper flight that involves an overnight stay in KL’s international airport?

I thought about this the whole morning. And like all the things that vex us, I was wondering what is that I really want? Money or time? You would think the answer is self-evident, is it not? Perhaps, not to all. Yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine, Mahesh. And I tell him I stay in a PG in Marathalli for Rs11,000. “Why so much?” he queries, incredulous. By now, I am used to these kind of questions. You just have to pay a lot more so that you can breathe in the pleasures of mud, dust, and walk on unpaved roads, I wish to reply.

Really though, the real estate in this area is pricey. So, you smile and try to ignore the daftedness of that question. But Mahesh is not about to let that go. “But why should you pay so much? You have the car. Go and come every day. Petrol prices have gone down and it would be cheaper than Rs 11,000.” For a second, I am shocked. “Why would I do that,” I ask, now more incredulous than he. “I did that,no. For 7 years, I traveled from RR Nagar to Whitefield.” At that, I decided not to continue this incredible conversation. Time is money to some. Money is time to others. And that brings me back to the original dilemma:

I chose the above, more expensive one. I might never go to Burma again, but I trust that life will give me a lot of opportunities to make Rs3000. That one day, this one day, I will never get back again. Perhaps, the same as Mahesh not getting 7 years of his life back.