First time, I tried scaling up the steep sides of the sand dunes of Michigan lake with my friend Aditi, I did so successfully. Except that I blacked out in the end.

Second time, I tried another very large sand dune in Mongolia with my friend Roger. I had explained him the details… “Roger, the sand is so loose that for every one and a half foot step, I am going to slide down about a foot. Which means, I am going to spend too much energy. Mt heartbeat will soar. Being the idiot I am, I am not going to give in. I will keep doing till either I reach the destination or my brain decides to put the whole body in unconscious state to stop the idiocy. It will last a minute or minute and a half. No need to panic. No need to throw water on my face. I will come around and and then we can go down like nothing had happened.” He thought I was kidding.

You should ask him what surprised him the most – my prediction, my blacking out like clockwork or climbing down like nothing had happened.

I faced the sand dune challenge third time in my life – The Curoninan Spit. It seemed like the slopes were not that steep and mit was not that high. Plus the sand was fairly firm.

Also, I did not come to this country to simply walk away after looking at the sand dune.

So, the trek began with my friend…

I had read so much about the Baltic Sea in my school years. I could, even then, name all the countries that surrounded the Sea. Although, at that time, it was much easier. I would just replace Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the exclave of Kaliningrad simply as “Soviet Republic”.

It was cold as heck. Biting wind. Which was whipping up some menacing waves. Look at the foam all the waves lashing the concrete was creating….

A short ferry ride later, we drove off into the one single road that runs thru this island. It is a very beautiful island that is only 2 km wide and 100km long. Reminded me of Eleuthera island. Verdant green and full of natural habitats. Sand dunes on either side bordering the Baltic Sea.

Now the trick is to not overspeed. If we fail to stop at Nida (our final destination today), we will be in Russian territory. Not exactly prepared for that this trip!!

My driver and guide friend – Gintautas – assured me that the Curonian Spit is the best view Lithuania has to offer. You climb up the famous sand dunes and get a brilliant view of the Baltic Sea. He himself had not done it in 20 years.

Moment I checked into the hotel in Klaipeda, I dropped the luggage at the check in counter and heade d out for the Curonian Spit. To do that, I needed to cross the waters and reach the Neringa island. The distance is very short – but there are no bridges.

So, as you see here, my friend and I waited patiently for 30 minutes for a ferry to pick us up with our car.

To know that the deer boundary stops exactly at 1,200 meters…
Why not leave it at 1 KM or 1.5 KM?

Overcast skies. Cold temperatures…

I had been walking inside the terminal for nearly 45 minutes to get some morning exercise in when I thought I saw a young lady with a familiar shirt. Well, at least the college logo was familiar. Having seen how Nikita used to wear Natasha’s NYU and USC shirt (which she had bought as a souvenir), I realized that the shirt may not have anything to do with the lady.

Still, I walked up to her.

“You go to GW?”
“Yes!” She was a bit surprised.
“Which year?”
“I am a freshman!”
“Ah! My daughter is in GW too! She is a sophomore!”
“Really? What is her name?”
“Nikita Roy. Which dorm are you in?”
“Thurston”
“That is exactly where Nikita was! This year she is in Shenkman.”
“Oh! that is where I want to go next year!”

And thus I struck up a friendship with this complete stranger. Crazily enough, Sofia Dayan (my new friend) lives literally under the room Nikita was in. Same room number. She is in 7th floor. Niki was in 8th floor.

Even more coincidences… Sofia was born in Atlanta. Although her parents moved to Pennsylvania eventually.

“What do you want to study?” I asked her.
“International Policy is what I am thinking. How about Nikita?”
“I think she is veering towards Public Health. Either the policy side or legal side.”
“That is very exciting”

“So, where are you headed all by yourself?”
“Warsaw!”
“Visiting family?”
“No. I am a figure skater. I am going for a competition there!”
“Oh! I think you are the first figure skater I have met!!”

My flight to Vilnius was called out the second time. I quickly gave her Nikita’s number and took a picture of us.

“Make sure you meet Nikita after Thanksgiving. I will send her this picture too.”
“Sure. Also, look me up when you come to see her in DC”
“Deal. Now best of luck for your competition and safe flight!!”

We went our own ways. But I am sure this is not the last time we have met.

There is some merit to wearing logos of your company or schools then. There is an old story about how my company logo on my T-shirt once helped me locate my in-laws who had gotten lost in an airport terminal – after landing in a foreign country for the first time!!!!!!

But that is a story for another day.