If anybody remembers the island called Ogygia in Homer’s Odyssey, well, this is that island. I am guessing a few things have changed since then.

Found this in Valetta. Never seen this or heard of this in any other country. After all the climbing up and down the streets I just did, I need access to this minister, just about now!!! I did not find any suggestion box around the ministry, but I was going to suggest that it might be more to the point to have the minister’s parking spot a few hundred yards away from his /her office so that he/she can stay active!!

Jokes apart, have you seen anything like this?

Every single street is packed with folks eating dinner or drinking. There is just some small space left to walk along either side. And these streets go up and down about 5-6 stories. The tables are set up on the inclined streets! Every other server is from Nepal or India. The whole area is seeping in energy. We tried out the local buses today. Very efficient, I must say!

If the view was clear, we might have been able to see Sicily. It is about 80kms away

I have no idea why it says INDIA 1 on the ground. Anybody has any clue?

One thing about this island I had learnt from Tim and Christine was how it has been ruled by so many different folks. Given the location in the Mediterranean Sea, a very short distance away from Europe and Africa, this island has had very strategic implications from a military as well as a trade point of view.

Over the centuries, they have been ruled by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Greeks (Byzantines), the Arabs (Adhlabids), the Italians (Normans), the Germans (Swabians), the Aragonese, the Spanish, the Order of St. John, the French and then the British. Somehow the Ottomans could not ever conquer them.

When I was talking to the hotel gentleman about airport transport, I found out that we are actually going to land up amidst their Independence Day festivities. Malta finally became free on Sep 21, 1964!

The Air Malta plane had just cleared the clouds and started straightening out when I got up from my dozing off. Sharmila was still sleeping. I picked the magazine up (yes! they still have the airplane magazine!) and started leafing thru the pages. Rather desultorily, I might add.

And then this page hit me! I woke up with a start! Had it not been for the inconvenience of taking my glasses off, I might have even rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not dreaming.

HORLICKS!!!

In an instant, I was taken back to the those days of stealing Horlicks from the jar in the kitchen when mom would not be around! It was meant for my baby brother. But my dearest baby brother be danged, the Horlicks had a taste like no other thing I had tasted. Ever. And it was not just the taste. It was that texture of the malt grain as it soaked up the saliva from the tongue and coagulated in the mouth. I can still feel it.

Some of my friends from those years in Bengal might remember the ad where different personalities (including Moon Moon Sen) were expounding on why they have Horlicks – “Ami keno khai?” when a cute kid interjects with the sweetest reason – “Ami to emni emni khai”

For crying out loud, the airline was serving Horlicks! There was no mom or baby brother to cry foul! This was going to be my day.

Moment the air hostess came asking for our drinks, I (who could barely conceal his inner child exuberance) put on an extra nice tone and asked in a matter of fact way – “Do you have the hot Horlicks?” pointing to that magazine page. As much as I had the calm exterior, inside me, I was chafing my hands, going “Muaaahaaahaaa!”

“No!”, she informed me.

I unchafed.

“What? You have it in your magazine”, my completely unprepared self blurted out.

“Sorry, sir! What else can I get you?”

I had no ability to think. I was on a brain freeze. Like a robot, I went for my go to drink… “Red wine, please!”

“Sure, sir!” She went away wondering what kind of idiot drinks red wine at ten in the morning.

Apparently somebody who has been thwarted from his beloved Horlicks after 45 years!