Unforgettable

This blog is something I have been wanting to write for quite a while, but I must confess its not coz I never found the time to write...I had all the time to sleep n b lazy...u c:).....It was just that I was not sure how it would turn out.....

At present, the state of mind I am in...is pretty different from what I have ever been......I am in the "I dont care" sort of a mindset.....so here I am all set to write...

There are a lot of things I have got to do in the past one year...things I have always wanted to do....will get to the details regarding the others a little later...will start with my travel account of Kodchadri.....

It was a team outing. We had this guy in our team, will call him Mr.X. I knew that he was into a lot of cultural activities, but I got a taste of his trip organizing skills only after we started planning for the trip. We were a 3-member team, who were to decide on the place and other details. I still remember this guy being a little too meticulous about the planning. If he were to suggest a place, he would also be shelling out details about everything on the place!

There was this suggestion, which I absolutely loved....That on the day of the trip, all of us come packed...n until then, none of us should even have a clue as to where we were headed towards.

I had just 1 concern regarding the trip, that we had to get to places, where there were decent rest rooms.

We had almost decided we would head to Jodigere, close to Muthathi. Muthathi to me, has some unpleasant memories associated with it, though I must admit that the place is awesome, serene and soooper cool. Will get to the Muthathi story also a little later, as I have this habit of drifting from 1 story to another and then totally losing the main track...and yes..I know..I know..not everyone's that patient......But thanks to the rains in Jodigere,the track was closed and so we had to decide upon another place.

Even before we knew, Kodchadri was on the minds of the main organizers and then it was unanimously decided that we would trek there.

We start our journey on a Friday night to Kodchadri. We were 9 of us. Our driver was a complete mystery. After subjecting my team mates to my wonderful singing skills.....there was this person who told me that I sounded like an old transistor. I felt truly "classic" then.

We were to have dinner in Tumkur, but even before we could head there, our mystery driver had hit a fellow vehicle, and surprise surprise!!...there was an extremely small fight after that. What I should mention here is the valour my team mates displayed in lending support to our mystery driver and in settling the matter pretty amicably.

I forgot to mention that ours was a video coach and my fellow team mates, wanted to watch Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and the other Yashraj and Karan Johar movies. Their only comment was that watch th emovie with us and u will enjoy us ripping the movie apart.

This didnt quite happen, as we ended up watching "Naksha". I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes predicting "What happens next", coz even if u slept through half the movie, you would be able to predict the very next sequence.

After we had our fill of the "Naksha" experience. We were all set to sleep. I have a sleeping problem, everytime I set out on a trip. I just cant sleep. I can only sleep when I am heading back home, after the trip.

Its not that I am all soooper excited about the trip.....n all...but its just that I feel that I shudnt miss anything.....coz I know that I will enjoy things a lot more....once I think about them after I am back....

Its also a totally different matter that I was dying to go somewhere...n this trip was a blessing in disguise....as they say.....The timing could not have been better....

But imagine staying awake with a whole lot of blaring songs giving you company. The only song which brought me solace was "Chitranna Chitranna".

At around 2am, our mystery driver had actually stopped the vehicle at a point and had set out to sleep:). I was wondering why we were still stranded in the same spot for such a long time. What followed next was a string of persuasions and v resumed our journey....

We reach this hotel in Kodchadri at around 7 in the morning. It was a small little one, probably the best we could locate in and around the place. Even before I could figure out the whereabouts of my bag which was dumped in the last seat to get ready..U know Brushing, etc, etc...all the male members of my team were busy seated around a table...and ordering food.....

K....U have food...ur wish....dont hit at poor other people who care a little for hygiene....All the male members with the exception of 1 gentleman who was quiet throughout the trip.....seemed extremely happy with the fact that they could get away with no brushing...no bathing...etc...etc....while on this trek......

In the meantime, my sharp ears pick Mr.X' comment that Abbbba....For 2 days....Full enjoy....No brushing....hee heehee...Hello..saar..werent u d 1 who was asking us to get tooth pastes during our trip planning meetings so that v dont end up troubling others by asking for the same:)

Please note that this blog has been updated over a couple of several weeks...so lack of flow in the thoughts is bound to get onto your nerves:)

A good friend of mine has sincerely requested me to lessen the number of smileys I use in my writings.....after I sent a mail to like every other human being I knew did or did not exist asking for funds...and ended up putting atleast 1 smiley after every 3 words or so....Will try and stick to his advice....and as far as my previous warning goes....it still holds hold...didnt I tell u ....that u would start off reading about a particular thing and would end up reading something else altogether....

K..k..will get back to Kodchadri....where did I stop..Ahaa...at the hotel v stopped for breakfast...I should not forget to mention this....The people in that hotel were extremely sweet .....they helped us sooo much....and they were doing it...not coz they were forced to...but coz they really wanted to.....Wish I was a lot like that...I was going on getting the impression that in small town places...the people will be sweet and ever ready to help....

We started our trek at around 9 in the morning...and then started a joyride I will not forget in a long time to come....

The trek seemed pretty usual till something unusual happened....The ground was a little moist...and even before I could realize it...I could feel something holding onto my feet. At first I shrugged it off...thinking that it was all in my mind...and then when I heard someone scream leech....I knew mine was a leech bite too.....

My first...I am always a teeny weeny bit wary of anything creepy, crawly or slimy....and to top it all....it did not hurt one bit...I could only see a few blood spots here and there....I did all I could to express the fact that I was not very comfortable getting bitten....I m sure the others would have wondered why this girl was hyperallllly screaming....But I am like that.....U should have seen me at home...when I killed a cockroach...when I was all alone ....I didnt eat peacefully for days....coz I would always spot the cockroach on the way to the kitchen....and when I killed it....any cockroach rights person....also would have put me to bars for a lifetime...as I had mutilated it beyond recognition with a frying pan!!!

So, after the leech bite...I run to Mr.X....and put him in a spot by asking him to pull out the leeches..as I refused to touch it.....Thankfully...he did pull them out...But they were everywhere....I was wearing socks and shoes...the leeches had gotten into my socks...and onto the interiors of my shoes as well....Mr.X was a thorough gentleman...only coz he helped me get rid of the leeches....

After some sunny areas of grasslands.....the photo sessions started.....I was surprised at my fellow camera person's views on photography....Devare...deavame....they seemed only interested in shooting the mountains, valleys, insects, birds, flowers, butterflies.....There was this 1 gentleman who was carrying a camera largerthan himself...and was so interested in capturing photos of the nature...that he actually refused to take a single picture with any human beings in it.....

I started my singing thanks to the frequent requests of my team mate..which got me thinking....that only this guy appreciates good music....Nobody else in my team did...U c...

After about an hour....the terrain started getting way too tiring .....and given the weight of the things I was carrying in my bag....I was beginning to get very very tired....The climb up seemed never ending....and whats more...My team mates had found a way to motivate us....Just a few yards away...U can see grassland..there you can rest.....This did motivate me ..But as soon as I heard another team mate claim that there are bound to be leeches in these lesser sunnier places...My feet was flying.....

Let me introduce you to Mr.Himalaya.......I was Miss Kemangundi......Well....To be more precise..I had trekked in Kemangundi ...when I was in college...cursing everybody who was responsible enough to get me to trek for hours together without any food...or water....My mother would have fainted ...had she known that her daughter was drinking water straight from the taps...to quench her thrist in the 4 hour long trek....

The icing on the cake...was that I reached Abbi Falls first....

And here..I had Oh Oh Himalaya...who had actually trekked to the Himalayas....to give the winner of the Kemangundi trek comepetition....

I never even got close to his speed or the ease with which he was climbing...But I coined him"Oh Oh Himalaya" after a famous kannada song...and I enjoy calling him that..........

Then I was introduced to the terms "Battar Mane"....I kept thinking that since these are the hills ..we would find some shepherd or a cowherd who had a house ....and that after getting there...we would get food....

Much much later ...did I realize that "Battar Mane" had nothing to do with cows or sheep....It was just a local house on the hill top....which also served as a restaurant to trekkers...

Here, the man of the house was doing all the work...and the lady did nothing.....I felt sad for the Battar. His wife looked extremely dominating...and he looked like a poor troubled man...who had to obey her orders.....Im betting that not one other person on the trip.....would have made this observation....

The guys wanted to go visit some waterfall...called Agastya theertham...but I had no intentions of going with them.....All coz I have a rockophobia.....will get to that a lil later....

Post lunch and a well deserved bath, the guys returned from their falls......and we resumed our trek to the peak....

Im sure I forgot to mention 2 important things here....

1st ...we were planning to stay at the peak of the hill for the night...All we had were rented...begged, borrowed or stolen sleeping bags......

2nd....One other gentleman in the team...had got a walkie talkie...and this is what I liked the best about the trip..it was well executed....I know Im talking like an IT professional..Helloo...Its been like say...what...3 looong years.....

The 1st and the last person always had the set with them...and this helped us quite a lot in tracking people as we were in a place..that had no network coverage ...no electricity......

The views of Kodchadri are mindblowing.....I mean you cant really get enough of them....There were times when I would stop...go back and then want to take in the views I had just passed....coz I had really seen nothing like it...ever before...and definitely not this close.....

I was actually silently thanking anybody and everybody responsible for getting me to this place...as I knew that....I was enjoying every bit of the place....

Trust me....it happened.....and when it happened...it shocked the hell out of everyody there..K..k..will cut the suspense...I was referring to a phone call ..I got from a certain "No Gift"person...from office asking me about some tool....and then sudd suddenly......I like using sudd suddenly....U c....There was range...Mobile coverage...and that too....only on my lovely soooper dooooper mobile phone.....To this day...It is 3 years and 4 months old..as old as my experience with MindTree...and It has seen me through a lot of things....I sometimes feel that it is my friend....That it has a life...and so on and so forth...k..k....By now u know...that I love my phone.....

What followed later was something I had never thought possible...I was treated to my first sunset experience....and it was truly a great one.....

We had reached the peak at around 4pm....all the time wondering what we would do if it rained......as we had plans of sleeping out in the open...

One gentleman was actually suggesting that we race to "Battar Mane" incase it rained....

...I would have loved doing that..as I love walking in the rain....But I was only thinking about 2 things....wet soil would attract leeches..and leeches would bite Cma.....so I did what I do...when I have something in mind.....and cant express it for the sheer audacity of the thoughts...I smiled sheepishly...so the next time I do it.....U know y........

At the point when we got there...the whole place was engulfed with the clouds...I mean it was almost like I was touching the clouds.....Check out the photos ....as I am sure no matter what I write.....it can never match the sights of Kodchadri that the photos showcase......and thanks to my fellow photomen.....there were plenty and more of only such photos....

Im sure nobody would have believed me if I were to tell them that I had been on a trip to Kodchadri....had it not been for my wonderful camera..k..k...people ..I am a lil self -obsessed in life.....There are only 2 gadgets that I absolutely adore...1 is my phone and the 2nd is my camera....

At around 5:30 pm ....the whole place was lit with golden light....with the sun setting amonsgt the clouds...and it was a view that looked so close ...got me lil philosophical....i kept thinking that .....Oh...God....There is so much beauty around us.....I mean a sunset happens everyday...right...but we all get so tied up with our work...or with our lives...that we hardly get the time to enjoy such sights...I know what u r thinking now...that the sunset in B'lore would never match the one in Kodchadri.....true...agreed....but...How many of us even get the time to think about such things....I dont....

There was this small Shankaracharya mutt on the Hill top....even before we realised it...it was getting dark.....and we had dinner....and then all of us were planning to catch up on some sleep.....

One gentleman started off with a story about a ghost which existed in place of a man...and I must admit that I was able to cleverly predict the climax of the story...which I am still very proud of.....

I knew I could be a writer.....Once when I was 10 years old in Pune...A computer had predicted that I would one day...be a very famous writer....hehheeheee...Now u know y I am blogging...

It was a star lit night......It was beginning to get very cold...and for the 1st time that day...I was acknowledging the fact that I had carried a heavy bag....as the sweaters were actually paying off....

After chatting with my friend.....when we set to sleep....the stars had begun to move away...and clouds were slowly moving right above us......

Without bothering about anything else.....I drifted off to sleep.....

All of a sudden, I am asked to wake up....and I see people rushing to get to the small verandah of the mutt. I am still wondering as to why the ground is so rough.....as I thought I was on my bed at home...U c....

When drops of rain hit my face...I realize y everyone was rushing about.....V all ran to the verandah of the Mutt...which thankfully had some shelter atleast...I was just thinking what we would have done ..if it wasnt there.....

There were other people besides my team...who were staying with us...at the peak.....A 3 member Mallu gang.....who were going on and on about Mohanlal and Mamooty...two of the finest actors in Malayalam Cinema....and I was getting to hear all the gossip regarding their lives, their movies, their families...I was happy as I felt very Mallu Mallu...listening to Mallu talk.....

Now the 3-member Mallu gang ppal...were very smart...for that matter...All Mallus are...as they had occupied the inside of the mutt...and unlike us....had a very sound shelter inside the Mutt...

The rain was not too heavy....But it had gotten me all worried...I was wondering that it was only around 10pm ...and if it rained the entire night...what would we do.....My worries were heightened after someone mentioned that we could climb down the hill and stay in "Battar Mane"....To which I was wondering that the moonlight and the torchlights were also insufficient to notice the leeches...I had this strange imagination that the leeches would come running to the Mutt Verandah....to bite me....

The only thing which quashed my worries were the awesome conversations that we had.....I know that ppal failed to recognize my geography knowledge....and all....but we had loads of fun....chatting and laughing .....given the situation we were in.......

After a while, after the rains had stopped...it was decided that a few bravehearts wud sleep out in the open....while the rest of us would continue sleeping on the verandah.....

My sleeping problems were back with a bang!!....the surface i was sleeping on...was extremely rocky...sleep was the last thing on my mind....i turned to my friend...but she was fast asleep......and my Mallu cinema chat stars were also snoring...so I only had nature for company....

From 12:30am midnight onwards......there was this strange loud alarm of the 1100 nokia phone....now u know how loud n louder it gets......unless u switch off the alarm...it will keep ringing and ringing....and ringing....

When it had rained.....we had dumped our bags inside the mutt...with the Mallus...and the alarm was from my bag:)...heeeheeeheeee.....

My mallu friends obviously troubled by the alarm....were complaining abt the loud alarm...ppal around me were stirring in their sleep...and i was smiling away ....actually giggling away to glory....I mean....what do u expect me to do.....Its pitch dark...I cant even see my friend's face clearly....and how can anybody expect me to get inside the mutt...hunt for my bag...in the dark...and switch the damn alarm off....

So ...as I was unable to do anything about it.....I laughed......Actually..I do it all the time...whenever I am in a hopeless situation...I just laugh....sometimes it helps....

I kept sitting up so often...that I was only wondering why this night wouldnt get over.....All I could hear was a strong fierce wind blowing from the east...with all its vigour ...all through the night...d only thing to keep me company.....

And then it was sunrise time....again it was a lovely thing......everytime ...d sun came out...a cloud cover would get him.....and then he would return to hiding....

At around 7, we left the peak and trekked down to "Battar Mane" ....where we had a quick breakfast.....and then v set out to start a new trek to a place....nobody amonsgt us had any idea as to how to get there.....

This was their moment of joy...anthe...having this feeling that.....oh ...we are lost...n then retracing paths....finding ur own tracks....k.....If I were a little more confident about my trekking skills...maybe i would have felt the same....but i wasnt.....though it was huge fun....trekking across unknown lands...n i was beginning to feel so close to nature...i was wondering if we would find trees we could get food from...and i was also beginning to predict the time by the look of the nature:)

After another huge series of marshy land .....yes...leech bites....d worst part being that my official leech remover was nowhere in sight and we were also advised not to stop...as the ground below our feet had nothing but leeches...so i ran with leeches drawing my blood...that 2 O-VE in glory....

This time we reach another "Battar Mane".....and then 1 person from there was supposed to guide us to a waterfalls...located closeby.....

After re-locating Mr.X who helped me un-locate my leeches......and who kept advising me that ...Cma...enjoy the nature around u...u will not get to c such things everyday....to which i smiled sheepishly again.....n u know y....Coz d only thought on my head...was......get the leeches out of me...nature can wait....call me boring...or call me leechy.....

Our guide takes us to the waterfalls....and my rockophobia is back with a bang......i hate slippery rocks....as i can rarely maintain my balance on such terrain.....imagine my state when I c terrain...that I am sure I would have never thought possible climbing up or down ...in my entire lifetime.....There were sometimes these 45 or 60 or 87 degree bends...and Mr.X and another gentleman...would tell me....Cma...hold this root to ur right...n this twig to ur left...n climb.....Now I dont trust my shaky...rockophobic legs...so I was on all 4's......n if it werent for Mr.X...and 2 other extremely sweet gentlemen...I would have never made it....as only I seemed to be having a problem....d other gal with me...was climbing with absolutely no difficulty.....which got me a lil embarrased and guilty...as I was relying so much on the 2 gentlemen who were patiently guiding me and getting delayed themselves....

I will never forget that trek...as I was doing it hopelessly......i was somehow a lil too over cautious...n a lil too scared.....but i was glad when we were done with it....

After returning back to "Battar Mane"....we resumed our journey by trekking across strangely calm terrain...n then headed back to our vehicles to take us home.....

What I loved about the trip.....it was not merely the sights or the sounds that i enjoyed......it was the complete experience of doing the unknown....and of doing things that you know ...you will never get a chance to do....otherwise......

This trip had it all...Trekking across terrain...good...bad....n d not so bad....d leech bites....sleeping under the stars.....sunset...sunrise....ppal helping each other.....i hardly knew my team mates.....before the trip.....they were strangers...but ...strangely....after the trip...these strangers are the ppal...i would love going for trips with.....in the future....that is..of course...if they decide to call me........k....Sahasa Cma is also fine with me:)