Trippppuuuuu!!!!

Last week this time...I was wondering if I cud ever climb down the hill..I had barely managed to climb...simply coz fear had gotten the better of me.....

There is fun in fear....n believe me...u dont realise it then...u realise it after the trip is over.....

Fun...Fun...Soooper Fun...is how I will describe our trip to Skandagiri.....a twin hill located very close to Nandi Hills.....

This was one long awaited trip....d last one being 10 months earlier.....n after a certain Mr.X (ya...ya..I am back with X' and no Y's):)....complained that he was tired of weekends...doing nothing....n wanted to plan a trip.....V were only too happy....infact a certain Miss was looking forward to only the trip n nothing else...n in the weeks leading to d trip...I think...she ate...drank and slept ...thinking n planning abt the trip:)

So...U had Miss having heart attacks.....on knowing that Shw wud not be joining or abt how v would manage food on the hilltop or anything else....which d others wud have hardly cared for:)

I especially loved the trip coz we actually trekked there in the night...well..almost:).....all coz of me....hehheheh

I mean I was told that ppal r not allowed to trek there before 6am...so had insisted that we reach there only at around that time....also...I mean trekking in the daytime is also such a herculian task..how can anybody expect me to trek there in the pitch dark....

Like any1 ever listens to me:)......coz we reached there at around 4am...after being misguided by a wayward guide...n getting our Tempo Traveller do some rounding about in yavano's field....

We were picked up from my place at 2am.....the guys were actually sharp on time.....

Pravs..Shila n Madhu stayed back at my place...d previous nite....n that koshavathi Pravs...did not get us to sleep at all.....

Shila....Madhu n Pravs...were in trippy moods ever since they left their homes that evening.....I heard they had a lovely walk to a very famous eat-out called Gullus in Sheshadripuram...n land at my place at around 9:30...

I, on the other hand.....was busy running off to the airport, Electronics City n Brigade Road....but ya....as Pravs mentioned ....all u had to do was sit in the car.....But..hey.....it is a tiring too..ok.....

Our driver had to rush...n I had greatly told any1 who dared to call ki....Breakfast on the hilltop...We will take care...thats when Pravs gave a chamak idea...To buy bread...butter...etc...etc....

I will never forget the ride from Nilgiris to my place....carrying 2 plastic bags:(.....on a cycle:) .....of all the possible snacks..I cud lay my eyes on...it included a lot of creamy buns.....Ruffles....bla...bla..bla...

Y I mentioned the creamy buns..was coz I didnt want Mr.X' roadside fly-laden creamy buns!!!

To Journey

Sooper...tho these ppal tried their best to pull my leg for whatsoever reasons...I must add that they failed miserably in their attempts n were suitably bashed themselves:)

We played Anthakshari...n I was amazed to discover that tho...Jayesh was like this 1 big repository of songs...he was 1 person ..I cud sing better than:)

The opposition was a very weak one.....n it was a cakewalk for our team:)

Other than Masakali which they insisted on singing till the last word .....our song selection was far better than theirs.....I mean v had action...emotion...patriotism...etc..etc

Our plans of visiting the new airport for a cup of coffee....which BTW is on the way to Skandagiri...were immediately quashed by the "have to do the moonlight trek" gang....

Starting the trek

After landing there.....in the dark....I cud hardly see the altitude v were expected to climb...but I happened to mention ki...."I think I will get lost"...n the lizard did "ki"....incase u dont know what that means.....it means that it will happen....n it did!!!

Pravs was chiding me for not enjoying d trek...n tat I was constantly cribbing...ki...I dont know where Im going....I cant see where Im going...n all my constant bickerings....I even went ahead n wanted to ask the person who chose this place to trek...ki...y....Skandagiri:)...or was getting all philo...n asking ppal..as to y ppal trek...I was imagining the typical Sunday Morning scenes at home...when u get up all lazy...n have nothing in particular to do!!!

The hills were goonjifying with our names echoing......simply coz there was this group in front with the guide n our group in behind...n to gauge the relative apparent distance between the 2 groups....sound waves were used:)

The mission of the trek was to watch the sunrise ...which I was told is an awesome thing.....But leave the sunrise....after a certain point of climbing up.....n trusting that my 300 Rs ka Minnie Mouse shoes wudnt give way.....Pravs n me reached a point where in we were separated from the rest of the gang totally.....

Thank God...mobile phones worked there..or else...I really dont know what I wud have done there!!

Pravs was managing fine...stooopid gal:) was making it all seem so easy...that I felt foolish going down on all fours:)

There were a  total of 3-4 points when I used to just freeze n tell Pravs...that this is it...I remember holding on to a muddy rock...looking down n seeing the drop from there...imagining my teeth all broken after falling from there......n looking up at Pravs...n telling her....that I cant move ya....that poor gal came down on that slippery muddy slope n gave me her hand.....

I also reached a point where in I stopped fearing...n had only 1 thing on my mind...n that was to get out of the point...Pravs...n me had manged to get ourselves lost into:)

We had reached a peak point...where in ...there was this wall...part of Tippu Fort...n it was like  a dead end was for us....There were no visible paths to the right n left.....n Pravs used her Buddhi n was telling me things like....c I dont think ppal have ever trekked here...coz otherwise v were most likely to see a way between the bushes....To me..it meant ..The End.....I had climbed that stretch with trembling legs.....n was wondeting how to get down...coz even if u try to ignore the fact that ya...I cant really see all those lakes or the fields at the base of the hill....everytime I looked down......Damnit!!..that was d only thing I ever saw.......After calling Shila...who thankfully handed the phone to the guide...who asked us to walk towards the sun...all I remember doing..is clutching Pravs hand....n listening to her ...put ur leg here.....this rock is strong....or....ya...v r making it ..sort of words....n yes...d trembling stopped!!

After reaching the hill-top n treating ourselves to the horribly puli orange-musambi hybrid fruits....rock-tamatar smashing....v had an uphill task....again..."THE CLIMB DOWN"

Even before I climbed up....I remember warning all those who cared... that the climb down was gonna be no easy task....but I was wrong....

The climb down was sooooper fun...all thanks to Jayesh...Sachin...Dinesh....Shila...Pravs...n Madhu......

U had Jayesh giving us gyaan to walk in Amberish style...sideways....while climbing down muddy paths for better grip.....or Sachin talk abt snakes jumping out of snake holes....or appreciating the flora n fauna around.....all to Shila's fury....who didnt want Sachin to get distracted by the sights n sounds around him....n focus on getting them down the hill safely:)

There was this dog...which kept following us.....from the hill-yop to the base...n I kept wondering who was attracting it amongst us...d most:)

Half the time...the guys were giving us pep talks...like v r almost there......just there....half a km only.....all this even when v had 3 more kms ...I think.....But ya...all that pep talk worked....

After a while...my trekking standards returned n I didnt need help.....n was silently laughing my heart out...when I saw Pravs n Shila take help...I was wondering...these ppal cant do so much also:):)

V posed n posed for any1 who wanted to take our pictures....n sang n sang.....n in no time...v were done with the trek.....

Drive Back:)

Our Drivers...Swami n his friend...were these soooper cool ppal.....n when I mentioned that if anybody dares to play that "Hale Pathre Hale Kapda" song once again...I will jump out of the TT....after playing with the playlist...they got that song...n asked me to get out:)

Enjoyed the Dumb-C ...on d way back.....which had my acting skills out:)

Unfortunately everybody was very tired n had dozed off...to me it was unimaginable..so I went to Pravs n Shila....n v gals...had some lovely times....

My acknowledgements in typical Cluny Style....remember Vote of Thanks:)

Pravs insisted that I thank every other person who got up n down d hill....for giving me a chance to trek...or d ppal on the road...for getting me there...But I have my preferences:):)

Drivers: Soooper Cool....n it seems they told Shila...that it was such a fun thing for them to endure some of us in our asli swaroopas:)

Rajesh, Dinesh, Jayesh n Sachin...I think u guys were hearing me sing for d 1st time....wud love to know if u thought it needed any more Dum....

Jayesh...Sachin...Dinesh...thanks for giving us haaath:)..n making the climb -down a memorable one!!

CJ.....Poor gal hurt herself while climbing up....but she didnt crib...she didnt let that dampen her spirit....or stop her from pulling my leg:).....Even though she was alone..she never even once made the others feel guilty..n kept telling us that she was enjoying the sunrise from the spot we had left her in......Love ur energy...Gal:)

Madhu....was an absolute revelation to me....n needless to say...tho...she is not a Clunyite.....she acts very much like us:)

Raga: This guy hardly let me sing...coz every time I started...he would correct my lyrics...telling me...it was a "AAA" here or a "paa" here...heheheh....probably a strategy to stop me from singing...but it didnt work:)

Uday: Had just landed straight from the US to Skandagiri.....Must have been a tiring 1....

Shila, Jayesh n Sachin...U guys need not feel guilty and all....that v got lost...come on..U didnt even know...its ok.....I guess d experience in itself was enriching:)

Shila n Pravs: Is there anything left for me to say??

Shila: Was soooper cute with her constant Sachin Bashing.....But it was sooper fun for all of us to just listen to her blah-blah-blah:)

Pravs: I know u enjoyed it as much as I did.....but there will be a day...when I can pout better than u:)

N finally am glad that u ppal didnt listen to me abt not opting for d moonlight trek:)...n yes....Mr.X for choosing Skandagiri betta......