Things from an earlier trip were yet to be fully unpacked when another one knocked at the door. The prospect of spending a full day, doing nothing but just driving in the English countryside, was too tempting to turn down.

Being someone who believes in the dictum of 'grabbing opportunities with both hands', it meant that the few stuffs that made way out of the travel bag were back again inside.

Charm of English countryside

One must admit though, not being a great fan of the Brits (perhaps history must have had an influence on the thought process), there were no expectations of having a great time while in England.

The 45 minutes of hovering over London awaiting clearance to land at Heathrow and another 25 minutes parked at the tarmac for the Biman Air to clear way to the aerobridge for disembarkation only strengthened that dislike.

Plus, the 'more-loyal-than-the-king' female of Indian origin at the immigration with her stupid questions added to the irritation of having spent over ten hours inside an aircraft.

But then, as they say every dark cloud has a silver lining.

After about an hour of travel and 15 miles from Heathrow towards Ascot, the Berystede Hotel at Sunninghill in the county of Berkshire welcomed with open arms. Darkness had descended and the typical chill of the English evening coupled with light drizzle said it's time to retire for the day, for the next one offered a lot more to look forward to.

A new sunrise, and it was time to experience the real thing. But before that, Nigel and Adrian--the guides--gave a few instructions about the drive, how to follow instructions of tomtom--the GPRS enabled electronic guide, and the dos and don'ts while speeding on the English countryside.

The route read like this: Flagoff at Sunninghill, breakfast at Hampshire, lunch at Midhurst and back at Sunninghill. On the way, places like Windlesham, Camberley, Basingstoke, Winchester, Petersfield, Chichester, Petworth, Billinghurst, Guildford and Woking were to be crossed. A total of over 150 miles in a day's drive. Sounds cool.

Daffodil in full bloom at Langrish House - Hampshire

The daffodils were in full bloom, so were the rapeseeds whose flowers had formed a carpet of yellow over the vast undulating fields. As soon as the car hit B3020 and then A30 (routes) towards Basingstoke, it was a sort of awakening, being woken up by the picturesque English countryside with a subtle message that there were a lot to be learnt from the Brits.

Village in England had a completely different meaning to what it means to we, Manipuris. For us, it means dusty roads, place with no infrastructure, no power and only poverty lurking around (old hat, isn't it?).

On the other hand, to them it's just the opposite. Drive either a BMW or an MG Rover, own a 100hp combined harvester and be the modern day farmer. The question was, when will the definition of our village change?

It is hard not to get lost in thoughts when you drive through an experience of a perfect blend of best modern day infrastructure (nevermind that roads can be just as narrow as Top Leirak at times) and nature's craft, only to be brought back on track by 'tomtom', whose instructions were never wrong.

Breakfast at Langrish House, Hampshire was another eye-opener. Built in 1600s by the Talbot-Ponsonby family, the house today is one of the main attractions for travellers, thanks to its cellars dug by Royalist Prisoners during the Battle of Cheriton in 1644.

It serves as a perfect place to have a nice cup of hot tea during a stopover, raking in million pounds every year. Would it be blasphemous to think of a similar model for Kangla or the Kheba Ching or the INA memorial at Moirang? No matter how we despise them, there's something that can be learnt from these colonial rulers of the past.

Amidst the driving and the thoughts, the infamous British weather kept changing. Windy and chilly at one moment, then drizzles, a few snow flakes later then suddenly it was bright an sunny like anything.

But when you are behind the wheels in South East England, then don't miss a chance to be at The Goodwood Motor Circuit at Chichester, West Sussex, where famous drivers like Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher have burnt the rubber.

Of course, having seen the countryside, it's worth a roaming in London as well. Do some window shopping at the Oxford Street, look for toys at Hamleys at Regent Street, count the people standing in the serpentine queue for the sale at Harrods. Never a harmful exercise!

In the end, the experience of the countryside and the city of one of the most developed nations tells you that it is possible to make life to be as good in the rural areas as in the metro, just that you need the willingness to make it happen.