One Day, One Ride, Many Memories
“We planned to attend an event. We ended up attending a full-on adventure instead.”
It’s been a long day after a heavy trip. But wait, what? Yeah, we made a good trip yesterday — not just a trip, but a trip with vibe and a ton of knowledge. Yeah yeah, it was a think tank trip, loaded with fun and learning.
We five friends rolled out for a session at Ernakulam’s Tinker Space. Let me introduce the crew: Arjun Krishna, the tough rider; Nikhil T Das, the Histiotech guy (Histories + Technologies); Abhishek V Gopal, aka our meme troll king; Badhusha Shaji, the exact sleeping baby on a wild trip; and finally, yours truly, the navigator — the one who translates Google Maps into real-world directions for this wild gang.
On 17th May 2025, Tinker Hub Kochi hosted an AI workshop, and we planned to attend with full power. The vibe was on the Alto — yes, our trusty 12-year-old, fast & furious Alto from our point of view. The plan? Start the ride at 6:30 AM sharp from our usual meetup at PMJ Complex, Changanasserry.
By 6:30 AM, we were off. No music, no distractions — just pure chilling inside our furious buddy Alto. Arjun chettan kept the speed between 60-80 km/h to reach on time. The morning was beautiful, pleasant even, with some light rain trying to join the party but no big deal. We cruised through cities and curves, all calm and chatty, while I stayed focused on guiding our way.
Now, Ernakulam traffic is legendary for all the wrong reasons — honking, chaos, and chaos. But we’re not your average crew. Arjun, our fearless driver, said, “No worries about distance; we’ll find a good route.” And so began our shortcut hunt.
Enter Chembu — a peaceful village with narrow roads, water bodies, and a vibe so calm it almost felt like time slowed down. People sipping tea at small shops, kids playing, elders chatting — the real, unfiltered village morning. We soaked in that vibe from inside the car, escaping the city noise for a moment of peace.
Around 8:15 AM, we hit Kakkand and stopped for breakfast at a cozy restaurant. The food? Good quality, perfect prices. Nikhil chettan pointed out, “Porotta is just 10 Rs here, much cheaper than back home.” I fired back, “What about egg curry?” He said 40 Rs, while our place charges 30. And so the classic breakfast price war began — laughter included. But hey, the food was worth every rupee.
By 9:00 AM, we reached Tinker Space Kochi. This was my second visit, and honestly, every time I enter, there’s this positive vibe I can’t explain but love. We bumped into our friend Nithin Daniel, who’s working in Ernakulam now, and quickly caught up before storing our laptops and exploring.
The morning session was led by Rutuja Pol from Ikigai Law. She was amazing — mixing law, tech, and government affairs into a perfect talk.
The event was buzzing with people from all walks — lawyers, architects, developers, writers — and the group activities kept the energy high. I even made a new connection, Radhika, a high court lawyer and great conversationalist.
Lunch was a hearty mix of chicken and neichor — fuel for the brain and belly. Post-lunch, I skipped the session to catch up on some pending work and hang out with Arjun and Nikhil, who were multitasking on the first floor.
Evening rolled in, and the event wrapped up with egg puffs and tea — classic combo. I talked with Radhika a bit more, and then said goodbye to Nithin Daniel, ready to head back by 4:45 PM.
But wait, the fun wasn’t over.
We detoured to Thanneer Mukkam Bund for some chill vibes and planned a rash drive to Alappuzha. The evening traffic was the usual slow-motion movie — horns, jams, and all. Despite a 1 hour 43 minutes delay, the journey was memorable. Rain added a little drama to the ride, but the Alto and Arjun chettan handled it like pros.
Abhishek, our meme boy, took a lot of good-natured roasting from the gang — because that’s what friends do. The road and vehicles might be wild, but we kept our cool, dodging two accidents thanks to Arjun’s mad driving skills and our faithful Alto.
At Thanneer Mukkam Bund, we soaked in the vibe, then unleashed our rash drive moment — pushing the speedometer to 100 km/h for a few thrilling minutes before calming down to normal speed. The thrill was short but sweet.
We ended the day at a cozy restaurant that felt like a houseboat — perfect spot for dinner.
After some delicious food, we hit the road again. Night was dark, rain was light, and the ride back to PMJ Complex wrapped up by 9:20 PM.
This trip was powerful — vibes hitting an all-time high. Starting from a simple Kottayam-Ernakulam ride, we returned via Alappuzha, experiencing the best of all three places in one day — the night beauty of Ernakulam, the calm of Alappuzha, and the familiarity of Kottayam.
Here’s the takeaway: If you’re in the mood for vibe, don’t waste time. Enjoy it. But don’t forget the surroundings or the people. The vibe should be yours to cherish, not to disturb others. Remember, trips move on, vibes come and go, but memories last forever.
