KODAI – REDUX

Authored by D-Dany with inputs from Djinn

After much deliberation on D Ravi’s health condition it was finally decided, that we will go for relaxing and rejuvenating trip to Kodai. After much difficulty I could postpone my visa appointment and confirm my participation. Usual high flying level boy Nagi and his Mrs. had to satisfy with a second class sleeper ticket as against usual 3 AC preferred by D-Men.

The participants – DD (Dany), Lower Body (Ravi), QQ (Santhosh), Mrs. QQ (Madhu), DNagi, Sandhu (Nagi’s wife), Djinn (Raghu)

The D Day arrived; traditionally it has been a hectic d-day for all D-Men activities, the day started with a somber note from Raghu, a sad story of Shhhh falling ill of 11^th hour. It was decided that Kiran from Mysore is the replacement to travel as 23 year old girl -J-.

With some confusion over departure time of train we just managed to reach station in time for departure only to find the train was delayed.

We boarded the train (Tuthkudi express) at 9.50. It was an eventful train journey because of Ravi's adventures of straying far from the coach in search of juice/snacks and joining us late. Ravi had also kept our tickets with him during that time and then we somehow managed to ask the TT to hold on for sometime till he came back.

<30/07/2005>

Come Saturday morning; some of us completed our ritualistic poos and had cuppas. The train ambled into the sleepy little station - Kodai Road around 6:30 am. We found that Kumar had deputed some one else to come and pick us up in his jeep. We crammed ourselves in and the wagon whizzed past green fields and nice hamlets in the lovely morning. We saw the Rat tail falls as our vehicle wound across the hills. In a couple of hours we found ourselves at Kodaikanal.

Selvaraj and family greeted us at the ITC guesthouse and Bhiraa growled and barked at us with rage. Morning ablutions complete; we were treated to a sumptuous breakfast of idli, vadas, chutney and saambar.

Off we go in Kumar's Maruti Omni Van for the first day's adventures. Saturday was a day of leisure. The weather was perfect...the View from the Guest house offered some splendid panaromic views of lush green mist topped hills. We could spot the dew drops on the leaves and flowers of the small shrubs.

We had great fun visiting...

i. Guna caves, where the area tapering off into a dangerous ravine is fenced out.
ii. Silent valley with the eerie looking large shola trees and soft ground to tread on.
iii. We trekked our way covered with moss, ferns, vines, and flowers of many kinds alongside the beautiful Pambar falls.

We soaked in the verdant beauty of the surroundings. One group comprising Madhu, Ravi, Nagi and hendthi walked in the cold stream. The other group of Santhosh, Raghu, Dany and Kumar walked along the nice grassy terrain just skirting the falls. The calls of the birds (Malabar schoolboy thrush, Information courtesy Madhu) were music to our ears. The slushy grasslands, very cold water gushing down from the edge to a small steep fall, rain coming down in drizzles were fabulous views, postcards like.

We saw the majestic Pillar rocks in full glory as the sun cleared the mist for a while.
boating (one group opting for the oars and the other paddle boat). Madhu managed to oar quite adroitly while Santhosh and Ravi did ok. Madhu cried out in alarm as soon as Djinn was at the helm.

Then it was time for a nice walk in Coakers Walk park with the guys trying their skills on sharp shooting. Evening time snacks comprised of Egg pakodas, Mensinkai bajjis and piping hot masala tea.

All this culminated in the evening with Teachers and local brandy and wine and watching "Raat" in the night. The team of Dany/Raghu beat the duo comprising of Kiran/Ravi comprehensively in the game of carrom.

<31/07/2005>

Come Sunday and we were off for a nice trek to Perumal Peak in the morning. The first 50 meters of the trail is full of kakkoos (turd in English). Thanks to Mr. LowerBody's josh (really unwanted because of the delicate condition of his DVT legs!) we took a shortcut and lost our way up but finally found it. Kumar, Kiran and Ravi went along one particular way. The rest meandered through in another way. Raghu initially led the way through the thorny bushes and fallen logs as Santhosh and Dany covered the flanks.

Nagi and his sweetheart were also seen screaming about leeches and running, on our way back to the base.

Got to know from Kumar that there are no theaters in Kodai because people preferred the reclusive mode of life and would rather movies on TV/DVD. Football and volleyball are the popular sports that are enjoyed by the local populace.

Return back to Kodai Road was with a heavy heart as we basked in the beauty of the mighty mountains and the odd sneaky falls here and there. The men also talked of how the Rat tail falls, from one particular view looks like a split V. Madhu gave us a informative lecture about the birds in that place - robins, bulbuls, mynas, doves. She eventually got confused about Swifts and swallows.

We told Kumar that we'd like to be back for a big trek this December sans Santhosh and his wifey. This sojourn was memorable also owing to the fact that this was Madhu's last trip from ITC. We had dinner packed thanks to Selva comprising of bread and omlette.

Morning...Back in Bangalore to face just another Manic Monday...Wish it was Sunday…
:-))

VISA & Vishakanya

Author: Santhosh

Short travelogue - When I went for my VISA stamping

June 27 2005: And we chugged along to the railway station to board the train to Chennai. Madhu had a cozy I-Class seat in Shatabdi while I plunked myself in AC Chair-Car. She guzzled on the cashew nuts provided by the caterers (oh the rewards of luxury!!!). We reached Chennai central at 9:30 pm and made ourselves comfortable in Hotel Grand Orient. With a tub & hot water, the hotel looked enticing and mighty costly too. What the heck, the company was paying for it.

June 28 2005:
Waking up after fits and gaps of sleep, got ready to attend the interview at Chennai consulate. A tie was noosed around my neck, but I didn't have a belt around my waist. The interview was a breeze, with questions like, "what is your educational qualifications?", "who's your client?", "what's the application about?". I was back in the hotel by 9:30 am. Madhu went off for her interview, dressed in the traditional choodi-dhar? and a prominently displayed thali. Even her interview was a breeze with simple questions like "where is your husband?" (bangalore), "will he be traveling to the US too?" (depends on his work!! hooot). She was back at the hotel by 11:30 am. I had an L1 and she had a student visa.

Booked a taxi and off we went to the famed and much traveled ECR (east coast road). A trip to croc-park and Mahabalipuram was on the cards. I have been there, done that. ECR with its tolled and metaled road never ceases to amaze you with it's non-potholed stretches, vistas of the sea & the cool breeze.

First stop croc-park. Had another dekko at the melee of crocs. At one time, a bus tire burst with a huge noise - the sight at the croc park was of mayhem. All the crocs jumped, scrambled and went diving into the water. With such alacrity and alarm. The next second one could see just trails on the sand, trails of scampered crocs. The whole croc-pond was deserted. They were back for the sauna after a while, slowly trudging out of the water, to get back into their siesta.

Holding a croc was cheapskates for me, having held one with gusto the last time I was in croc-park. This time it was Madhu's turn for a snappy pose, holding a croc. Obviously I had held it with more state manly grace. Madhu held it with affection in her eyes and not fire in her belly(Oh lord! Won't you save me from this reptilian pest?).

Next was the turn of a Python to be mollycoddled. Shelling out Rs 30/-, Madhu was ready to drape a Python around her a.la vishakanya. Being used to humans (it might be a good prop for the infamous live bands) it didn't hiss, bite or crush her. Python anyways is not poisonous. It's skin shined in the sunlight, a thousand hues, with beautiful patterns. It didn't feel slimy as I expected it. Madhu was dazed in happiness, a dream cum true - Holding a snake. She didn't want to let it go. Crowds gathered around, wanting to snap both the femme-fatales (hope the Python was a she). I had to pry her away from the Python, fearing losing her to the snakes charm rather than mine.

Our lunch was at Guru lodge; in the heart of Mahabalipuram. The last time I was here, my friend Biju had waxed eloquence on the quality of the food, and the bare furniture and service. It was a place only the locals would eat, with visitors shying away from it by 100 yards. I indulged myself on fish and prawns, eternal favorites.

Mahabalipuram, blazed in the heat. However the sculpture and bass relief are always a delight to watch. I showed Madhu everything I had heard from the guide the last time I was here, the deer which is on the old Rs. 10/- note, Arjuna enervated from the tapas, a cat with it's tummy full having eaten some of the rats praying around it, Krishna's butter ball, the light house, etc. A goat (meke in kannada) traversed the breadth of a steep rock on the steepest ledge. It balanced precariously using it's derriere to hug the rock. Absolute delight to watch an animal without grapples, hooks, or climbing shoes perched on a 85 degree gradient with apparent ease.

At the five rathas, we were stopped and questioned on our citizenship status. He wanted to know if we were Indians? For someone who has skin like burnt wood, and accompanied by a wife having skin like golden wheat it's an odd question.

I finally fell hook, line and stinker into the traps of a guide at the Shore temple. We had avoided them like the plague. An innocent question on the restoration work; led to some wordy explanation about the temple and a pond near it; at the end the explanation demanded a price of Rs 20/-. I gave it with chagrin, but Madhu seethed with anger for being cheated (sic!).

We sat on the shore for a long long time. Madhu as is her wont, got wet in the water. A bunch of teenagers were on a gymnastic spree. They had placed a truck tire on a wood plank; and were using it as a gymnastic Vault to launch themselves into a heady somersault.

We had a quick go at a shooting game. Shooting at balloons hung 5-6 feet away with lead pellets. Some of the guys gaped when Madhu was able to get a bulls eye on most of her shots. I had only one shot and as usual found my mark!

A long drive back into the city and we reached Chennai Marina. Melting pot of Chennai, rich or poor, high or mighty, you are all the same here. A vast stretch of sand, splattered with multitudes of pushcarts and people. We walked by the sea side, and savored bondas, bajjis etc. Pani puri here was a unique blend of puri with thick & spicy south indian sambar/rasam concoction. It gave one a feeling of having a meal rather than snack. And of course, Madhu had her favorite Rum-stick ice cream.

Back at the hotel, we chose to skip having a dip in the tub. Tamilnadu is the most conservative user of water, with the best of rain water harvesting schemes, and we didn't want to break this sanctity by wasting a lot of it. Dinner was at an "authentic" Punjabi dhaba which proclaimed "pure ghee" everywhere. Then it was bed time.

June 29 2005: Early morning Shatabdi train to Bangalore. Reached home for a wonderful session Yoga & a cold water bath; which induced one of the worst fever ever in my life, but that's an "offline" topic.

Creepies & Crawlies in Kottebetta

Creepy, crawlies in Kottebetta

Author: Santhosh & Raghu

Participants: Santhosh (Mr QQ), Madhu (Mrs QQ), Raghu (Djinn), Dany

Preface
Dany, having missed our earlier K2M trek was enthusiastic of going on a trek. He wanted to show us his penchant for trekking and prove a point or two to the d_men gang about how fit he was. Having booked accommodation thru Coorg Trails, based out of Madikeri, we were ready and raring to go. Ravi dropped out of the trek on the last week citing some weekend work at office (sic).

Day 0, Friday 13 May 2005

Dany had booked tickets to Madikeri from Bangalore. As usual he didn’t book our seats in the comfortable “Mayura” A.C. coach, but made us sweat it out in “Rajahamsa”. Madhu being the resourceful madam had made arrangements for tents and foam beds at Wildcraft.

The road to Mysore is a stairway to hell, with humps every 100 meters or so. Hope that slob Dharam Singh uses this road at least once a week and goes thru the same suffering as us. We had dinner in the bus, having packed some eggy delights in the KSRTC Andhra restaurant (I wonder why all restaurants in blore are from Andhra).

Day 1, Saturday 14 May 2005

We landed in Madikeri early in the morning. Karumbiah from Coorg Trails picked us up in a rickety old Contessa and took us to his office. Adjoining the office is an “Authentic Chinese” restaurant where we finished our morning duties. As usual, Raghu took around 25 minutes to finish his karya, much to our “pressured” wait. Dany was aghast when Karumbiah charged him 500/- per person per day for the trek. We had hoped it to cost a lot lesser.

We boarded a bus to Hattihole, about 15 kms from Madikeri at 7:30 AM. The bus wound thru the hills, sometimes on the precipice and the driver steering in gay abandon. We reached Hattihole and had breakfast at a roadside tea stall. Breakfast consisted of “Pattal”, made from rice and fried in oil. We had sambar along with it. It was a strange tasting breakfast, and had much telling effects on Madhu’s stomach over the next 2 days.

Hattihole is on the banks of a stream (“hole” is stream in Kannada). From Hattihole we had to go to Mukkodlu (8 kms) where we had our home-stay. From Mukkodlu we would trek to Kottebetta. We boarded an auto from Hattihole. This ride to Mukkodlu was one of the most fantastic rides in our lives. Imagine driving thru a valley, with mountains on either side, the road meandering thru the valley. The road follows the bends and the twists in the stream, both of them coiling through the countryside. You have a lot of wooden bridges, spiked across the stream; trees bent low over the water, kissing it. Grass having grown on the road covers the road like spurs. We decided that a walk on the road would itself be such a beautiful hike. It had not rained for quite sometime now and monsoon should have onset; so informed our rickshaw driver. The auto zipped across ginger plantations back dropped by the beautiful “mighty” mountains. The plantations had sprinklers sourcing water from the mountain stream. After a long ride we reached Mukkodlu, our home for this trek.

The house where we were staying belongs to Karumbiah. Even though most of Coorg has been explored by many, Mukkodlu is one of those rare places which haven’t had much exposure. The place is laidback, there is not much coffee plantation as the yield is low. Karumbiah taking advantage of the situation has converted his house into a home-stay, and earns a lot! Everyone who has been to this place is a pleased lot, because they experience nature in its virginity. Karumbiah benefits a lot, and is one of the people contributing to raping of this beautiful place. We could see the sneaky bit of plastic, and the usual tourist dirt in this place. Over time it will become as bad as central Coorg.

We dumped our bags in verandah of the house. We were not called into the house and had to make ourselves comfortable in the verandah. Change of clothes, a quick wash was all in the verandah. In fact much to our chagrin we were not invited into the house, during our whole weekend stay there; So much for home-stay!

A guide had been arranged and he would take us atop Kottebetta. Kottebetta is a mountain behind Mukkodlu; it’s the third tallest peak in Coorg, next only to Thadiandamol and Brahmagiri. Surprisingly Kottebetta consists of two peaks, one a sharp pyramid and the other a rocky plateau. The rocky plateau is the higher of the two peaks. There is a tank atop the rocky peak and a shrine dedicated to Shiva. The past month, some Tantris had come over from Kerala and consecrated the temple. Owing to this no visitors were allowed atop the peak. Our destination was the pyramid peak. Getting ready, the guide named Gappa told us that the last batch had chickened out midway and had completed only half the mountain. We had to be back at Mukkodlu by lunch time, and having started at 8:30 AM he said that it would difficult to reach the top. As a matter of fact the guide was portly!

We started our climb thru the estate at the back of the house. The initial climb as in any trek was what took our maximum energy. With our feet crunching on dried leaves and twigs on the forest floor; we passed thru a canopied jungle with a lot of trees bearing “bay” leaves. Madhu was all agog wanting to collect the leaves for making curry at home. The forest is humid like an evergreen forest. We reached a clearing with some huge rocks. Climbing on top of the rocks we could see the foliage around. The guide compared this to places described by Kannada’s state poet Kuvempu in Kavishaila!! We felt that this is a rather nice place for a tiger to lurch in the foliage. Proceeding further we broke thru the forest and reached a clearing. The view was beautiful with a panorama being presented to us in one direction. Far away about 20 kms as the crow flies we could see Madikeri, marked out as a white line on a mountain. It was beautiful.
(how about the barks of trees that were covered with a thin layer of mud? The effect of elephants rubbing their itchy backs)

Our flanks during the trek consisted of the guide and Raghu in the front; Dany in the middle, followed by Madhu. I covered the rear making sure that Madhu kept her pace. For someone who was sick, Madhu kept her pace rather amazingly. Many a times the guide would get tired and stop. To hide his fatigue he would tell Raghu that Madhu cannot keep up as she is a girl. Raghu would reply otherwise and say that she is sick, but as strong as they come and egg the guide on. The guide’s fatigue was not lost on Raghu and we chuckled at the portly guide. (Raghu the real Kodagu, portly guide’s verdict!!)

Our first stop was a rocky ledge midway up the mountain. We could see the whole valley from up here. On all sides were hills, with grassy tops, beautiful butterflies hovering over exotic flowers of crimson and purple hues and forest covered foothills. (please please don’t forget to mention the golden flying bug, disc shaped, and completely golden, and the bright red beatles with black spots – supposedly they sting, and locally called chappli hula or some such thing) Far away we could just make out the road to Hattihole. We took a lot of photos. It was 11:30 AM and we had to climb up further to reach the pyramid shaped peak. It looked far away. Seems that this is the farthest that many people come; they have a look at the far away peak and feeling the daunting climb turn back. We had glucose to replenish our reserves. We wanted to reach the top; Raghu and I made a pact to run the last 20-50 meters and reach the peak once we reached it. It was a sunny day with a bit of cloud cover.

We trekked on, encountering cows and cowherds. The guide warned us that cows were our sign of safety; if they run then we need to run coz it indicates that a tiger is nearby. At one place the soil was dug out. The guide told us that this was made by “Oddas”, the community from Tamil nadu employed to break stones in the temple. They had dug the soil in search of rats to eat. Madhu with her NatGeo intelligence corrected him and said that they were “Irulas”. Further on, rocks were piled on in a circle, with another pile of rocks at the center. It reminded us of the scary scene in “Blair Witch Project”. They were made by the boys grazing the cows as their private temple!! We rested midway at the peak at a clump of trees. The last climb was about 100 meters at a rather 30-45 degree gradient. As decided earlier I started running up the hill. I could feel my heart and lungs pounding, but the run up was worth it. At the end I was on the verge of collapse and the view was beautiful!!!!

Our view was blocked only where the other peak of Kottebetta loomed large. On all other sides were beautiful cloud topped peaks. From the peak where we stood, the mountain dipped and gave away to other mountains, it was a range connected by grassy tops and it rolled on and on. We wanted a lot of photos and took to the task with gusto. Removing our shirts we posed and preened. Our photos cannot capture the brilliance of the surrounding. Fishing out our cell phones we were surprised by the clear signal. We called all our frens who didn’t make it to the trek and made them envious. We had exhausted our water, but even that could not kill our happiness. Tse tse flies droned all around us and bit us on our exposed body parts; surprisingly it did not bite Mrs. QQ.

Our climb down would be thru a different route; so informed Gappanna. We would reach a stream to catch water and then climb down thru Tiger territory. On the way down Madhu found a lot of Orchids and was happy to tuck them into her hair. Sadly we lost the Orchids while climbing down a treacherous and slippery patch of trees. Nestled in between the trees, in cool splendour was a minor stream. Water dripped down ever so slowly and there was a puddle. We filtered the water using Dany’s handkerchief. Dany gives all his clothes for wash at IFB washcare, but we wondered whether the washcare center would use IFB or would pack it off to the usual dhobi ghat for that vigorous mucky scrubbing. The water soothed us. The stream was perfect for a Tiger to cool down.

The next part of the climb was the most treacherous. It was downhill at an impossible gradient and slippery as hell. On one side the mountain gave way to a semi-steep ravine. Raghu with his worn out shoes fell more than once and his bum was sore as hell. The guide pointed out a cave where Tigers came by when they had cubs. The climb down exhausted us more than the climb up.

Long back when the guide was young a Tiger roamed this place and ate all the cows. The guide’s neighbor wanted to catch the Tiger and laid a trap with a heifer. However the neighbor being deaf could not hear the Tiger killing the heifer; but he heard it when the Tiger cracked one of the bones. He fired injuring the Tiger’s rear. The tiger dragged itself out and hid behind some rocks. People searched for the Tiger but could not find it. The guide’s brother saw the Tiger’s tail in the rock and fired at it. The Tiger getting angry jumped out, but another shot got him and he fell in the ravine. The guide pointed us to exact spot where it fell.

Madhu said that it was surprising that she had not slipped even once in this climb down. The next moment there was a skid and she fell!! Raghu warned her of being so confident and had a hearty laugh. Before reaching the house, the guide pointed us to a place where they had spotted a 13 foot long Python some days back. It was around 2:00 pm as we reached the house from where we had started.

There is a table in the verandah of the house. We sat down in the chairs and our hosts served us lunch. Lunch was average fare; rice idli pellets, brinjal curry and some sambar served with rice. Madhu petted the cat at the house for quite some time after which the cat got bored and went off inside the house to its owner.

Gapanna led us across to our next destination – the Waterfalls. It is half a km walk from the home base. Amazing is the word to describe the falls. Although not in its full glory owing to the delayed monsoon it was still a sight to behold. We sat down on the rocks near the base of the water falls and took snaps. It was a relaxing experience; soothing for our eyes and music to our ears as the water gushed down to a short fall creating froth. We headed to the top of the falls. There were tadpoles galore for Madhu to play around with. She raced across the small boulders on the water and dipped in the cool waters. She also caught a tiny frog which we mistook for the poisonous dart frog. She held it out on her palms for all of us to see and the little guy livid with anger seemed to glare at us. (it had beautiful red rimmed eyes)

The rocks had been cut into shapes of bath tubs by the waters. Gapanna didn’t seem to know the difference between a fish and a tadpole; so much for a guide! We then walked across to the edge of the waterfalls to see a shoal of fish swimming across in gay abandon. The fish are available in different shapes and sizes and are considered holy by the local populace. The waterfalls is also holy for the local populace, you can play above the waterfalls but you cannot play under the waterfall!!!

We followed Gopanna for a mini trek across the green fields to a small water hole which he said is a great place to swim and frolic about. On the way, Madhu vent her spleen at me for not helping her cross the stream. I gave her my hand, but to no avail, as she plunked into the water losing control. Raghu had a hearty laugh again. We stripped down to our basics and lowered ourselves in the cool muddy river. It was rocky at the bottom and the water was chest high. Madhu was in full josh as she showed her newly acquired swimming prowess. She seemed to look like cine comedian mehmood as her hair fell across her face. Djinn Raghu banged his leg against a rock and seemed reluctant to swim. Django Dany had a severe cramp hitting his leg and was in considerable agony for some time before returning to normalcy. Out of nowhere a fellow (with his dog) appeared and watched us swimming for quite some time and seemed to give us some tips on swimming. He was apparently drunk and blabbered in the local language. Then he suddenly leaped into the waters and started showing us how to swim. Veins on his legs were curled and in knots as it became clear that he was suffering from varicose veins. His swimming was pathetic but he was all enthusiastic in showing his prowess.

Circa 5 pm we headed back to our retreat to decide on the place to camp for the night. We selected a nice place besides the woods and the water to pitch up our tent; but owing to some quick logic we decided to pitch our tent in a field nearer to the house. We all had a quick bath and set ourselves busy on the task of setting up the tent. Unbundling the tent fabric we spread it around, pegged it and set up supporting poles to fashion a nice tent which could house 5-6 persons. As night fell; we headed back to the house to get our food supplies as part of dinner. We talked about the possibilities of creepy crawlies hitting our tent in the night. Djinn Raghu started the topic on the deadliest snakes in the world – black mamba, taipan and the deadly King Cobra. Subjects considered in the discussion ranged from tigers, to panthers to wild dogs, red and black scorpions, in summary every kind of creepies and crawlies. The only saving grace as uttered by me was that we were at least not worried about ghost cos we didn’t care about them.

With torch lights and our food supplies and not to forget our usual yenne hot drinks stuff; we headed towards our tent. A blazing fire was set up in the vicinity of the tent. Starting off with MCB along with some hot mixture and uppinakayi we had dinner comprising of akki rottis, coconut chutney. Don’t understand why chutney has to be served in such small quantities always everywhere. It was our experience in Thanjavur, Madurai and wherever we went; chutney seemed to be served in very small quantities.

It started drizzling as we concluded our dinner and headed into the safety of the tent. We arranged the foam beds and hit the sack. It became hot inside as we had closed off the tent to prevent any kinds of creepy crawlies. Thankfully no one farted that night or else the consequence would have been disastrous. It was a night of snoring as Dany snored and so did the quintessential Raghu. It irritated Mrs. QQ Madhu no less; she made me wake up and shake up everyone much to their chagrin. Think it was 3 am in the morning when Raghu woke up to find a silhouette of a black thing outside the tent. Afraid that it might be a panther or a tiger, he peered at it closely not willing to flash the torch light at that thing only to find that it was a small black dog probably wondering at all the sounds that emanated from the tent.

Day 2, Saturday 15 May 2005

Morning 7 a.m; we woke up to fold up the tent and head back to our retreat to undertake our ablutions.

In the verandah there are 4 love birds housed inside a small cage. There is a small earthen pot at the corner of the cage. One bird out of the lot seemed to have a fetish to go and squeeze itself against the walls of the cage and the pot and wriggle out; it seemed to simulate yoga asanas like sheersaana and chakraasaana. There is also a groove in the compound wall wherein nests a kingfisher family. We took a look inside the nest with a torch light and found 3 baby KFs gorging on their staple diet of lots of creepy crawly worms, maggots and the like. Our enthusiasm to snap photos of the KF irritated Madhu as the KF flew away instead of feeding its babies.

Our guide Gopanna was supposed to take us trekking in the opposite direction today. But he didn’t turn up till very late. Later we found that Karumbiah had sent a new retinue of tourists today. We smelt the commercial desire of Karumbiah in making money; we had already paid for the day. We were given a book to note our experiences and feedback; I praised the surroundings and also vent my scorn at the commercialization.

We decided to hit the road and walk back to Hattihole instead of waiting for Gopanna. The road to Mukkodlu had been enticing yesterday, and we found that a walk on that road would be better than waiting and getting irritated. Packing all our stuff we started on the hike back.

Madhu as usual stopped at all the clearings in the stream. Gopanna caught up with us, but we bade him goodbye not needing him anymore. The walk back was interesting encountering wooden bridges across the streamer. The bridge creaked and looked like it would give way. We had fun on the bridge, while Madhu jumped into the water to cross the stream beneath. Finding that carrying the tent was tiring us, we shared the different parts of it. Sharing with Madhu was a strict no-no cos she was the sick-baby amongst us. We had a few more stops on the road, and reached Hattihole. Raghu leading us stopped a bus to Madikeri; we sprinted the last 50 mtrs to board the bus.

We reached Madikeri at 2PM and went to a hotel near the bus stand. Lunch consisted of warm beer and loads of Pandi Curry (Pork) and Chilli Pandi. Later we boarded a bus back to Mysore. Our trip to Mysore was uneventful and we reached Mysore safe and sound.

Goa'dalli Gaamparu !!!

Author: Raghu & Santhosh. Inputs from Nagi.

March 17, 2005 - Thursday.

We were all looking forward to this one heck of a trip. Preparations had started off in right earnest with Djinn sending out a detailed invite on this trip to Goa (Gopakapattana in the epic Mahabarata; Govapuri or Gove in the epic Ramayana) and then it was QQ to create a well crafted detailed itinerary. Nagi D was ready with his Video Cam to shoot us in action.

Ravi D was dilly dallying on this one citing some constraints (roofing ceremony of his house in Mysore!). Sanjay excused himself saying he had training to attend.

Ultimately it was the 5 of us – Nagi, Santhosh (Mr QQ/QQ), Madhu (Mrs. QQ), Dany (DD) and Raghu (Djinn). Tickets had been already procured in advance by Nagi.

8:30 pm it was; near RV Dental College in Jayanagar IV block. That was the rendezvous point.

Madhu forgot to get the football and the Frisbee. Consequently, Nagi and Madhu went back to QQ villa to get the same.

Circa 9 pm we boarded an “ordinary” PAULO bus. For a sec we thought it was a googly looking at the bus. Another half an hour and we were at the PAULO office, Race course road to board the “real” AC sleeper VOLVO coach. We found time to have our dinner (dosas and fried rice!) at Sanman followed by Nandini flavored milk.

The night journey was uneventful except for the fact that Djinn spent a relatively sleepless night in the upper berth, being tossfully assaulted by the person sleeping beside him (AC sleeper had sleeper berths where two people had to sleep beside each other)

March 18, 2005 - Friday.

We woke up early as the bus slowed to halt at a place near Karwar (7:00 am). We did our pees’ but not the poos’ here. A girl in the bus started screaming that “How dare you break my bone”, probably at her boyfren. She later screaming out for help, which she refused when some kindred soul tried to help her. We wondered how anyone would are break a bone, and what kind of a person would retort quipping “how dare you”.

The bus wound its way around the ghat roads. We could smell the sea around us. We also had a good view of the Project Seabird naval base.

Around 10:30 am we landed at a spot near Goa Medical College. This was supposed to be close to Donapaula. Henceforth we took a local taxi from medical college to the ITC guest house.

We arrived to a warm welcome from the ITC guest house caretakers (Anand, Sukanya, and Mrs. Rosy). After our cursory poo break and a quick shower we gorged on a breakfast comprising of omlettes, aloo parathas with yoghurt.

And then we arranged for a taxi to pick us up to get on with our Goa Dhamaal!

Our driver cum tour guide for the next two days was Tony. We framed a draft plan: tour N.Goa (1^st day); S. Goa (2^nd day) and take a relaxed heritage tour by going to the old churches in and around Old Goa.

Tony bhai took us in his Maruti van to a shop which sold tickets for the local Ferry “Paradise”. We bought the tickets and a bottle of local Goan port wine.

Tony bhai drove us through the clean and well maintained roads along the Miramar beach, Kala academy and Inox Theater.

Around 12 pm the d-men entered the Mapuso flea market. This market sells a lot of stuff from junk jewellery to skirts/tees/shirts to vegetables etc. We shopped for some time here. Djinn bought a nice short skirt for his friend/beau Sh… and so did QQ for his wifey. Nagi bought sunglasses for himself.

We left for Wagator beach where we had a ball splashing around in the sea with its gentle waves. It was hot and humid alright.

We played football under the blazing sun; the team of Djinn/DD dribbled and did some great passing around to ultimately beat the QQ/Nagi team 3 nill. The “CHEER” girl was busy poking at the crab holes; there were a lot of crabs – small ones, medium ones and the biggies to give her company in the beach. Mrs QQ new short skirt tore while coming back, because of the inferior quality.

Then it was time to visit another beach - Anjuna beach in the afternoon. This was more relaxing, we were hungry; so had some light stuff and downed Bacardi breezers and some chilled beer. Then it was click-click time.

Then we were off to the Calangute beach – lots of phirangs relaxing in the shade and one female in the buff was getting massaged by a local lass. We again splashed around in the sea. A note of highlight was Mrs QQ screaming in fear when DJinn passed by her in the water. She confused him for a shark. Her scream was shrill like the movie stars whom she despises. Everyone compared Mrs QQ with the heroine from Spiderman Kirsten Dunst, who also screams, to her anger. Mrs. QQ went crab/oyster hunting on the beach.

It was 5 pm and time to move on. Off to sail in the local ferry ~ Paradise Cruise. Tony cautioned us to wear our shirts while boarding the cruise to which Nagi said “Yes, otherwise if girls faint seeing our beautiful gym bodies, it will create a lot of trouble”. This is a triple deck ferry. This started off a bit late on its way to show us the landmarks of Goa from the water. There was a MC hosting some kind of show on the ferry which comprised of Goan music, dance. He seemed to invite all and sundry to come and dance. We locked our gaze on to a pretty girl in a blue dress. NagiD filmed her while she was dancing away. The whole thing lasted for an hour.

We found Tony bhai waiting for us outside as we boarded our taxi. We asked him to take us to a nice place to eat. We wanted to eat good, tasty ethnic Goan food.

So, Tony bhai took us to Moti Mahal. We ordered Coconut fenny and chicken vindaloo, some rice. Nagi and Mrs. QQ opted for a vegetarian course. The verdict on the place: the ambience was there...but the food was just about ok. All food except the Goan tasted sweet. Another note of observation was Mr QQ in abstinence, and not touching much alcohol except for coffee liquer.

Dinner done, we headed back to our shack for a good night’s sleep.

We had a few rounds of port wine before hitting the sack. It was a nice room with a/c turned on full blast. Nagi was missing his sandhu aka chinumari and so had a lengthy chat over phone with her before signing off.

March 19, 2005 - Saturday.

We woke up in the morning around 8 am and completed our ablutions. No bath, we decided. For breakfast we ate bread and butter and paav with some curry. Then it was time for some strong coffee.

Tony bhai was waiting for us outside the guesthouse as we marched outside dressed appropriately for the beach. It was a very sunny morning. We walked though our plan for the day with Tony. Fort Aguada it was, the first place for the day.

The d folks admired the cleanliness in and around the city and the well maintained roads. NagiD was heard and seen pointing at all the road signs as we went along. There were very less or no traffic lights. We drove over the Mandovi bridge and saw the new Legislature along the way. We could also smell the smell of fish as Tony showed us the local fish market. Madhu argued that the fish food that her mother prepares does not smell (as it typically does!) and we were arguing about it as we went along. Finally it was decided that Djinn would go to Mrs. QQ’s house in Mysore and do a rigorous test. Tony explained how Charles Sobhraj escaped from the Fort jail moved around in disguise in the local area before being nabbed again by the cops in a bar.

In some 20 mins we arrived at Fort Aguada. We walked inside the ramparts of the fort which had housed Charles Sobhraj. QQ scaled one part of the rock wall ala spidey with no support and no ropes. Nagi captured all this on his camcorder. Mrs. QQ had to follow suit and so she did. Some more Clik-cliking there and we sat on the fort wall to savor the splendid view of the sea from that height. We also happened to have an ultimate dudey darshan. This phoren item in a nice tight bustier and sarong was accompanied by an Indo guy. This drew a nice comment from Mr. QQ as well. Then it was refreshments time and we drank yellaneeru and soda.

Tony bhai told us that the next pit stop would be the Pilar Monastery. This is the place where aspiring priests study. It was a nice half an hour drive in the hot afternoon. We arrived at the monastery to find the doors closed to our dismay. But, some kind soul opened the doors and let us in. Established by the Capuchins sect, the Pilar Monastery flourishes as an important religious and educational centre for Christian missionaries. The first place we visited in the premises was a museum housing some stone pieces from the Kadambas and satavahanas period; some palm leaf manuscripts; as well as Christian paintings showcasing different saints – Lucy, Agnes, Marie etc. There is an interesting stone sculpture of Krishna Jesus (Jesus looking like Krishna!) sitting on a bench with one hand on a human skull and the other on a globe in a pensive mood. There are some coins of various countries collected by the resident priests that were on display.

The history of Goa is also traced in some writings in the museum;

“Goa's history stretches back to the 3rd century BC, when it formed part of the Mauryan empire. Later, at the beginning of the Christian era, it was ruled by the Satavahanas. Control eventually passed to the Chalukyans of Badami, and then the Kadambas. Goa fell to the Muslims for the first time in 1312, but the invaders were forced out in 1370 by Harihara I of the Vijayanagar empire, whose capital was at Hampi. Goa was the ideal base for the seafaring Portuguese, who arrived in 1510. Afonso de Alburqueque sailed up the placid waters of the Mandovi river and wrote the beginning of an entirely unique chapter in Indian history. For the next 4 hundred odd years, the distant land of Portugal ruled Goa and created here a synthesis of Indo-Portuguese culture which pervades all facets of life: from architecture to food and liquor; from song and dance to exquisitely carved furniture. St Francis Xavier is the patron saint of Goa.”

We went upstairs to the roof of the museum. The view from the top was superb.

We also visited the church of our Lady of Pilar, a fine example of 17^th century architecture.

Then it was time to take our leave and leave for the next place to visit. This time; tucked away in the meadows of interior Goa is a place - Big Foot at Salcete, is the place that truly deserves a visit. With a miniature village called Ancestral Goa, a nature walk, the Big Foot legend, an Art Gallery and Handicraft Center occupying some nine-ten acres. Buying tickets of Rs. 20 (cameras and videocams cost extra); we went in to experience Goa (as the place promises!) Little structures show a fisherman, a coconut chopper, washer-women, potters, bangle sellers, the village barber and many more. The process of distilling cashew 'feni' is displayed. The place simulates a little village complete with a typical farmer’s hut; a Portuguese house and a tavern. There is a “peeing” beehive in the place. It also houses a horizontally etched monolithic sculpture of Sant Mirabai in the premises. It also houses a lot of botanical specimen – fruits, vegetables. The Big Foot Legend, talks about a devout guy, who through his generosity attained a boon from God. This guy left his footprint behind while standing on one leg and meditating (God apparently wanted to test him and made the stone very hot; flaming hot and still he did not give up!!), on his way to heaven. According to belief, if one stands on his footprints and makes a wish, it would be fulfilled. So we did!

Then it was time for some more refreshments; we were thirsty as the sun in the late afternoon blazed. Kabbina haalu!

Time to make a move! The last stop for the day was the beautiful Colva beach. This was again a drive through the streets of Goa. We also saw the local cricket ground along the way. Tony regaled us with his Mumbaiyya brand of Hindi.

The Colva beach is a popular beach in Goa as we could see quite a number of people. We wanted to eat something and then relax in the beach. We headed to a beach shack and downed cocktails – concoctions of pineapple, orange, rum, vodka. A little rice, a beef platter and some vegetables for Nagi D. However DD was having a bad day with his stomach.

After some time of relaxing we stripped and headed towards the water for loads of fun ’n’ frolic.

DD and Djinn dribbled around with the football for some time. Then it was diving time to catch the flying disc as it flew around. QQ did uthak/baithaks on the sand as Djinn and DD did some squats and pushups. Then it was “palti hodiyodu” time. Then the head spinning “urulu sevey” across the sand into the water. QQ stood first in this exercise. Nagi spent time in the sea trying to learn floating and succeeded to a little extent because of coaching from Mrs QQ. It was 5:30 pm in the evening when we decided to wrap it up. We wanted to do parasailing. It was a costly affair though. There was one boy (from Hubli and a fan of Puneet Raj!) who took off along with each one of us to control the movements of the parachute. This was good ride, rising up in the air, but very very short lived.

6:30 pm and it was time for us to get back into the car. We took a bath in the Sulabh restrooms. Mrs QQ blasted the Sulabh owner for not keeping the bathrooms clean, with the poor man blinking his eyes. On the way back Tony talked a lot, and finally Nagi quoted “Ek baat aata hai, ek baat jaata hai!! Magar vishwas bahut mukhya hai”, his favourite dialogue.

We wanted to go to a massage center. As luck would have it; the shops were closed as it was late in the evening. We went to the Anjuna church but found that this was closed as well. This is a beautiful place in the heart of the city.

We headed back to our guesthouse for dinner. We bid adieu to Tony bhai who said he would not be available for Sunday as he had some other engagement.

Dinner was a sumptuous experience with the course containing the local favorite pork vindaloo, dhal and rice. We also toasted to each other with a glass of feni. Nagi D was feeling a little heady and retired to his room to talk with his wifey.

We were tired and were fast asleep in no time as we hit our pillows.

March 20, 2005 - Sunday

It was Velha Goa or Old Goa this day on the itinerary. A predominantly Catholic village, Goa Velha is marked by many crosses and chapels. The numerous bars and upcoming restaurants in the village is only one of the characteristics which lend it that typical Goan touch.

Breakfast comprised of Aloo parathas with yogurt for breakfast. There was a new driver who would take us around for the day.

A quick shower and we were ready. We started off with a visit to the famous Basilica of Bom Jesus. This houses the body of St. Francis Xavier. The main altar is very beautiful with exquisitely carved sculptures. There is a monstrance containing the toe of St. Francis which the local populace worships. The side altar hosts our Lady of Hope sculpture.

The next church we visited was Se Cathedral, opposite to Basilica of Bom Jesus. We were not able to see much of the interiors as there were Sunday services in progress. We had maaza and coke to quench our thirst. DJinn and Nagi were doing everything in opposite to Mrs QQ. They did not want to see any places which Mrs QQ wanted to see.

In the same campus we visited the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Mention must be made of a mural painting of a lady pressing one of her exposed breast to squirt milk at a tired and hungry Jesus!. Beautifully etched high vaulted ceiling.

Attached to the church is the Convent of Church of St. Francis of Assisi. This hosts a museum which we visited. Mrs QQ commented that here unlike in Mysore most of the paintings were well preserved. DJinn and QQ remarked over the remarkable sculpture of Betal. This sculpture of Betal had a scorpion on the stomach and had it’s penis and balls hanging down almost half the length of the leg (yes, even the balls); further there were bells tied to the balls. DJinn wanted something similar on himself.

The driver to took us on a long drive to visit the Mangeshwar temple at Priol-Ponda. We saw a lot of lorries stalled on the road; and they were being hauled by huge cranes. To Mrs QQ’s dismay, we ran to the Mangesh temple barefoot, over the hot tar road. Mangesh temple looks very new, even tho it is almost 3-4 centuries old. A priest describing the temple to visitors took pride in showing the Belgian glasses used in the temple.

We rode back to Old Goa, to visit the Tower of the churt of St. Augustine. This church is in ruins, and a lateral half of the tower has collapsed. A lot or restoration work is being done at the church. This is one of the most beautiful of churches.

Our next stop was the Museum of Christian Arts hosted at the Convent of Santa Monica. This has a lot of silver ware used in the church services. Influence of hindu art on Christian art form in Goa is well depicted by the various artifacts on display. Trimurthi of Hindus is also displayed here albeit in the form of Christian cross.

Leading further from this art museum is the Church of our Lady of the Rosary. This is a vaulted structure, looking more like a fort of defense than a church. We climbed the church tower, on a winding staircase to have a beautiful view of the Goa. Mrs. QQ also found a secluded place in the church where large no. of rats were resting.

From here we drove a little farther to reach the St. Cajetan Church. There is also a ruined Adil Shah gate in the church premises. Further ahead was the Arch of the Viceroys. We had some juice and boti for snack here. An island could be seen from here, which we decided to forego for lack of time.

The last church we visited was the Church of Our lady of the Mount. This is a smallish church with not much artwork or decoration. A Guy from Bagalkote serves as the caretaker for the church and lives in it. This is the biggest church, but all in ruins; there were supposedly 200 odd rooms here. It was earlier notorious for thieves and the black elements of society who used to kill, rape and pillage here. This church is also unique in terms of the view it offers. Situated on a mount, this is the only church from which all the other churches/cathedrals of old Goa can be seen. We took a lot of group photos. Mrs QQ was able to collect a lot of cashew fruits and geru beejas here.

After the heritage tour we were back in the city wanting a massage for our tired backs. After a lot of search we found this small shack of a place. We checked in and got ourselves massaged. Nagi D was disappointed. He was expecting the masseur to get “nitgeys” (which is the snapping sound when one bends the fingers and presses them!!) out of him which she didn’t. It was an ok kind of experience. And that’s about it. Initially nagi was afraid on seeing the masseurs confusing them for bazaari women. QQ abstained and accompanied Mrs. QQ to a hotel as she was hungry.

Willing to taste Jamun with Rabdi speciality we visited Sher-e-Punjab. Similar to the south Indian Anand Bhavan, photos of the spectacled owner is hung behind the cashier, which d men concluded as proof the hotels genuine inheritance. Dany bought a lot of wines, fenny for the folk back in bangalore and coorg.

We then drove to Dona Paula beach. Mrs. QQ made the d men to agree for a moped ride in the sea. There was not much excitement in it as the bikes were slow and driver did not treat us to bumps over waves.

Further on, we reached the Dona Paula watch tower. Dona & Paula, lovers from earlier had a pact to commit suicide here. Even though the tower is not very high, the craggy rocks around would have helped kill them. We had a beautiful view of the sunset which Nagi missed capturing in his camcorder.

We returned to the guest house and packed our stuff after dinner. Reaching the PAULO travels office, we were told that the bus had left. Nagi lesson learnt - "If return tickets should be booked earlier, need to confirm at the destination". We took a taxi to reach Margoa (some 30 kms away) to catch the bus. The taxi driver was a speeding bullet in the traffic and took us to Margoa well before time.

Dany completed his task of account settlement and analysis in the bus. We were happy that the whole trip had been a blast and cost so less.

March 21, 2005 - Monday.

Come Monday, we are back in good ole Bangy by 10:30 HRS.

Author : DJinn and Mr. QQ, with inputs from Nagi.

Naagamale Trek

Some noises in the wild –> some sweat in your pants

Youth hostel Mysore had arranged a trip to Hogenakal & a trek from Gopinatham to M.M.Hills.

Author: Santhosh G R

Participants (as I know it): Ms Madhu a.k.a Mrs Santhosh G R, Prasanna, Parasivamurthy, Pushpa, Matilda madam, Kumuda, Yogi, Aman, Ganesh, Rukmini, Fateh Khan, Ittagi.

Day 0 / Feb 11 Friday

Me and Madhu were to board the Tuticorin train at 9pm at Bangalore. Rest of the huge gang (around 25) would board the train at Mysore. The evening was hectic what with the rigmarole of packing, putting in the sleeping bag, food, stuff. Parsivamurthy called up in between, asking us to get a “bandli” (a cooking vessel) to make some rice. We bought a thick heavy bandli, which would be a bane for everyone later.

The whole train journey was a whole lotta noise, songs in kannada, hindi. Youth hostel members have a unique way of singing. One of the songs was sung very innovatively with the whole gang dragging each word of the song to endless infinity, it took them almost 5 minutes to sing the first sentence. ( Kannada song listeners would definitely appreciate the song from ManasaSarovara “neene saaakida gili”, where “neene” is dragged for a minute, “saaakida” for a minute, and so on). Another popular song was sung by using only the first two words replacing the words of the whole song. (Again for kannada song listeners, imagine the song from bandhana “nee meetida nenapellavu”, but being sung only with the words “nee meetida” substituted for all rest of the words; and hilarious coughing of vishnuvardhan imitated to the boot).

We had puliyogare with cucumber/onion/yoghurt salad for dinner. Yogi celebrating his birthday distributed sweets. We also had a look at a woman called Matilda madam, a rather roundish woman whom we felt was nowhere near a trekkie and wondered what she was doing here.

We reached Dharmapuri at midnight. After cajoling the station-master, Prasanna & Parasivamurthy managed to get the first-class waiting room to spend the night. We had tea at the railway canteen; with people describing the tea to be more water than milk (guess, the british way of a spot of milk in hot water). Spreading newspapers, mats, carpets, sleeping bags we went to sleep in the waiting room. Some people slept on the platform. The night was slow, and thick with the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Day 1 / Feb 12 Saturday

The day began early at 4:30 am. We used the spartan facilities of the waiting room for our Local/STDs/ISDs as pointed by kumuda later (Local is for your urges, STDs if you want to take a pee, ISDs for the nefarious necessary activities of potting).

We walked around 2 kms early morning to reach Dharmapuri bus-stand. The walk on the national highway was scary, with buses and lorries passing by you at breakneck speed and no indications of slowing. After tea/coffee we boarded a DVD bus to Hogenakal. As we neared Hogenakal everyone woke up from his/her slumber to admire the picturesque drive thru mountains and valleys.

Hogenakal is on the banks of Kaveri river (even though major portion of the water comes from the Kabini river, people still revere it as Kaveri). In kannada Hogenakal means “Smoking Stone”. This is because the water falling over the rocks and in rapids creates a fine mist like smoke over the rocks. Kaveri river here forms the border between the states of Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Its and idle place to enjoy water and water-falls.

Deciding to have our breakfast, we walked over to a sandy beach by the river, where the organizers of the treak went to making the breakfast with zest. The menu was Ragi-huri-hittu; A combination of thick milk, fried ragi powder(south karnataka’s staple cereal), jaggery. Mixing all the above you get a semi-solid black ball (black being the color of ragi), interspersed with pieces of jaggery. I remember awaiting to eat these balls in my childhood. Most of the others, not being familiar to this rough food, awaited the making with dread and terror. There were jokes galore on the preparation, with a lot of them taking umbrage if it was to be served later. All in all, the food went in and served us well for the rest of the day. We walked towards the falls, with a host of theppa-steersman following us.

The best way to see Hogenakal is on a theppa (a coracle which can seat around 5-6 people, ~2 mts in radius). The boatsman places you carefully in the theppa according to some very good balancing positions; note that coracles don’t topple if well balanced. The boatsman’s eye of balancing is skillful. You sit around the theppa with our back to the sides and all around you is the flowing river.

We took theppas for hire (along with the steersman) for a sum of Rs 200 per theppa. The ride was amazing. Some masseurs also accompanied us in the boat. The theppa is steered in fits and stops, not for a long distance because you reach the rocks of Hogenakal within 10-20 meters.

Hogenakal is also famous for it’s masseurs and therapeutic nature of the water. Sometimes the theppa-boatsman acts as the masseur. Reaching a mini water-fall amidst rocks with a small pond we retired for some good massage. Massage is not a fine art, it’s a rough art. The masseur pounds the living daylights of you. Using copious amounts of oils, he goes about thrashing your whole body to pieces. You just grab on to the stones for balance and show a non-chalant attitude to the pounding. Once the pounding stops you fall into a daze, the daze giving over to a soothing demeanor in your whole body. After the massage I swam in the waters and reached the water-fall. It is said that only the force of the water falling over your head from the heights can drive the oil from your head after the massage. The swim was wonderful, anytime you stop you feel a hundred pinpricks, which is the fish trying to eat the dead-skin from your body. Some more pounding by the masseur, this time with soap, which you wash away in the river. Madhu had the same experience, albeit in a secluded place by a female masseur, she came out glowing with the feeling and enjoying it to the hilt. She was very pleased with lalitha her masseur and tipped her heavy.

We had an idyllic ride on the theppa around hogenakal, visiting its innumerable falls and water-carved rock formations. There was some local lads who were willing to jump from a height in to the water, if payed 5 rs. A lot of the rock had been carbed hollow by the flowing water. Riding further we were in between cliffs of rock with the river flowing calm in between. We reached the other bank where we had to board a bus.

Our next destination was Gopinatham, a village amidst the dreaded Veerappan territory. When alive, this place resounded with the deeds of the poached Veerappan, with even the police fearing to go here. The ride to Gopinatham was uneventful, except for some of the team riding atop the bus, trying to dodge the various electric and telephone wires, and branches of the tree.

We had lunch at Gopinatham, having tea at a hut, with chapattis and obbattus. A borewell served us with water to drink and to wet our towels, hats and hair. The heat was intense with the sun sweltering. After lunch we started our long trek.

We had to trek from Gopinatham to Naagamalai, uphill; around 10 kms. After the first kilometer, the whole trek was uphill thru the mountains. We were carrying some heavy watermelons and cooking utensils; which bogged me and madhu in the first kilometer. After reaching a temple we put our foot down, saying that we will eat the watermelon and reduce the burden of carrying it. The temple was unique with the statue of one of the forms of durgi; the uniqueness being a man, dressed in regal hunte-wear standing beside the goddess, like her equal but with shoes on (which is a taboo in India). Someone quipped it might be an earlier version of Veerappan sans the the famed moustache. The rest of the journey was arduous and team spilt into multiple not everyone being able to cope up with others.

Me and madhu were in the group forging ahead of others. One of the surprise members of the group was the afore-mentioned Matilda madam. She trudged on and on with gayful abandon, swallowing the miles with ease. We were surprised to see her trudge on with such ease, what with her weight and shape. It was a true revelation.

At around 5pm, me and madhu walked ahead of others, wanting to reach the summit faster. Coming to a bend in the path, we stopped to rest. The moment we stopped we heard a loud noise, two shrill cries. We froze. It was an animal, a wild animal and it sounded very near. Deciding to move back and join the rest of the gang, we took two steps when we heard the noise again. Madhu could see the sound of footsteps on the forest floor. The next sentence she uttered was “kusi, take out your knife”. I was ready with the knife in my hand. The following sentence was “kusi, we are standing with our back to a wild animal”. So we faced opposite directions with our backs facing each other. It was chilling. It was an interminable wait, for a long time. Silence. Madhu also told about her sweat, and her legs all being wet and sticking to her pants with sweat.

Finally we heard the voice of the rest of the gang catching up with us, Matilda madam hurrying ahead and asking us if we heard the sounds too. She was alone when she heard it. Deciding to walk together we proceeded.

It was getting darker and we still could not see the end of our walk. At a rest on the way, Parasivamurthy pointed to a far off flag waving on top of the mountains. It seemed a good 2-3 miles further away. He said that was our destination. Naagamale. Madhu was pissed off, so far to go and the dark setting in thickly around us. No way, would we reach it before sun down. Her resolve was to walk faster, much faster than the others. Gathering up the remnant strength from the pits of her stomach she walked ahead, in fact speeded ahead, overtaking everyone. I was surprised by her stamina and walked behind. We reached our destination very soon.

What we had reached was not the flag that we saw fluttering ahead earlier, but a well and a flat land. This was where we would be cooking food, and sleeping for the night. There was a small pond beside the well.

Relieved to have reached a safe!! haven, we washed ourselves, drunk lots of water and got about the job of cooking. It was a huge affair with all the girls getting to the job in gusto, and most of the men sauntering about. Meanwhile some of the guys made some very powdery tea, which was relished by everyone. We had a very very hearty meal of vegetable pulav & curd raita.

A big discussion ensued after the meal, of whether to stay beside the well or trek up towards the flags. One group did not want to stay near the well, because of the pond and the prospect of some animal coming there for a drink. The other group wanted to stay put as this as safe as it gets. Meanwhile, we heard the animal-calls again in the dark of the night. Many dogs rushed ahead barking at an unseen object. Madhu was scared, and I scared her more pointing at the trees asking her to visualize a ghostly hand. Finally the group reached a decision to trek up. It was another arduous walk, after a heavy meal and in the night. However bulbs lit our path on the way up. It was another half and hour before we reached the top.

The place was amazing. We had reached a rocky outcrop. One side of the outcrop had a small temple, with a jagali ( a cement platform ) in front of it. Close to 20 people could sleep on the platform. On one side of the platform, you had a breath-taking view of the whole country, we could make the silhouettes of the other mountains. In another direction to the north, we could make out lights in the yonder distance which was Male Mahadeshwara hills, our destination for the next day. After a lot of shuffling, we laid down our heads and went to a blissful sleep.

Day 2 / Feb 13 Sunday

The day started early again, with me getting up at 6. I walked out into the forest trail beside the temple, in search of a closed bush. Finding one I finished my morning kriya’s. Prasanna showed us a path to a distant machan (watchtower) where you could have an amazing view of the whole valley. We trekked to the place, so as to view the sunrise from the machan. However, sun rose out of the mist and horizon midway in all its glory. After snaps of the sunrise we walked further to reach the machan. The view from the top was breath-taking. One could make out the river kaveri, mettur dam in the distance, the madumalai ranges in the distance, and the deep green valley. Many expressed their disgust at the plastic strewn around the machan.

Naagamale is the name given to the rocky outcrop where we rested. From a distance one can see a huge rock in the form of a lingam. Behind it is a thinner rock, like the hood of the snake, and over the lingam. This gives an impression of a shivalingam with the hood of the snake protecting it. Hence the name Naagamale.

After madhu finished her ablutions, I packed our bags, taking most of the luggage from her bag into mine. A pujari turned up, and offered us prasad and theertha. A photo session, with a lot of cameras clicking and we were on our way down to the well. Breakfast consisted of leftover pulav and puffed rice in milk. As a part of the team had gone to the watchtower a bit late, they arrived late for breakfast. Deciding to trek ahead of them, we set off in the hot sun.

Unlike what we had felt the previous night, Naagamale is surrounded by many villages. Sadly, even though there is electricity at Naagamale, there is none in the villages. That was the reason, we couldn’t see any lights the previous night.

The road to MM hills, winds thru the mountains. It is a narrow path, but unlike the path we took the previous day, a lot of villages use this path. This is the only road that the villagers can take to reach MM hills. Few coffee shops and rustic hotels litter the path. Some of the vistas from the path are breathtaking. But the sun, beats down on your head with utmost intensity. We proceeded on this path with intermittent rests. Once we rested on the verandah of a local school. Here we took over some “extra” luggage which was to accompany us for the rest of the journey. Madhu mixed some orange and lime juice into our water bottle, which later turned out to be a disaster for her, not having plain water to drink. Kumuda picked up a localite for accompaniment and trudged on with her. Rukmini, Pushpa, Fateh khan, Prasanna and us trekked along, passing each other, every other mile. Pushpa sprained her ankle in between, but it was not serious. We saw a lot of tourists trekking to visit Naagamale, and a lot of localites trekking to MM hills to cast their vote, this day being the Panchayat elections. I gulped down 3 glasses of buttemilk in between, which led me to have a constipation. At one of the borewells, madhu dumped her head so as to make it all wet to escape from the heat. At around 3 we reached MM hills, but to our ill luck, the free lunch served at MM hills had finished.

To enter the MM hills temple, we removed our shoe and jumped around on the hot tar road to reach the temple. The temple was not remarkable except for some garishly painted sculpture on the gopuram. Mahadeshwara, the god, sits atop a tiger. He was asked to fetch milk from a tiger, which we got with ease. The temple celebrates his success.

Madhu and Pushpa had lunch in a local restaurant and we boarded the bus back. We reached kollegal and found that there were no buses to Bangalore. Choosing to go to Mysore, we boarded the earlier bus to reach Mysore.