After some untoward incidents led to the cancellation of our dear project "Mission TTTT"(as we called it), I was left with no where to go. I tried my best to pick up a destination but was unable to finalise the place. So, I ended up choosing Munnar, Wayanad, Valparai, Nelliampathy, Coorg, Jawadhu and Ooty and planned for all the places. I was going to finalise the destination just two days before the departure after looking at the latest road condition reports and weather conditions. A lot of incidents happened after this and they would require a big essay themselves so I am going to skip that part.
28 June, 2013
When every other student was erupting in joy after completing the semester exam, I made a silent walk along the campus quietly pondering about my whereabouts on the next day. I went home and started the boring task of packing my bag. I messaged some facebook page admins and several of my friends and they all were of the opinion that Valparai in peak monsoon was going to be risky but it would be possible if tried hard. And since there were too many guys dropping out and the only other finalised friend who was travelling with me was a freak just like me, I had the luxury of choosing the destination at the last moment. I left home on 29th afternoon at around 3 PM after Karthik found it too boring to sit at home..hmm, a headstart...we were now almost 5 hours ahead of schedule. The only issue: Our destination was not finalised. We only knew that we were going to Coimbatore as most of the places that I had picked were close to it. I even had the courage to tell this to my parents(a big blunder I accept-about 180 phone calls in the next 2 days followed). We shared a lot of memories and spoke all kinds of crazy stuff.
29 June, 2013
The bus conductor had said us that the bus would reach Coimbatore by 4 or 5 the next day morning but we were surprised to find that the bus had reached Coimbatore by around 3 in the morning. I was so unsure that I checked with some people whether it was actually Coimbatore before I got down. Even before I could think about deciding the destination, I spotted a bus that went to Gudalur so I asked Karthik to board it. There we were, sitting inside a bus just because it was there at that time :D We took tickets to Pykara, about 22kms away from Ooty.
Since it was the monsoon season, the place was quiet deserted. In fact, not a single shop was open when we were taking a stroll around. It was nice to see Ooty this way! We started to hike along the roads to Ooty and after crossing about three kilometers, we took a small break when a small group of nilgiri langurs started to bother us. We started to walk a bit faster now. A lorry crossed us now and all of a sudden, I wanted to hitchhike. Surprisingly, the lorry stopped after some weird looks. And, thus started an epic trip of adventure and fun. We got down at the 9th mile and started climbing it after paying the entrance fees. We climbed it pretty fast as we wanted to enjoy before the tourists could come there. We had a nice time in the peak enjoying the views and taking some pics. We spotted a family in the distance so we started to go towards the other side of the mountain. After some more roaming and fruitlessly waiting for some clouds to appear, we started to get down and started to walk again. After some time, we realised that it was not going to be possible to hike all the way to Ooty before noon. So, we started to jog downhill :D Now, a small tempo loaded with jackfruits passed by and we hopped in. My pants got spoilt by the jackfruits and we were literally holding on to our lives by sitting on a small gap with one leg inside the tempo and the other hanging freely in the air travelling at some 40-50 Km/hr....AWESOMENESS! I realised what I was doing and couldn't stop smiling realising how much of a freak I was. We stopped for some time and the tempo drivers sold some jacfruits to the local traders and we started again. This time, we got down near the Sandynalla reservoir surrounded by pine forests. The place had been spoilt by the tourists and it was stinking like hell. So, we didn't spend much time here. Then, we enquired with a local trader about the distance to Ooty and he said that it would be around 12 kms(if my memory is right). When he saw us starting to walk, he was like, "Ooty ku nadandhe po poreengala?? poi sendhirveengala??"(You gonna walk all the way to Ooty?? will you reach it??). I smiled back and speeded up a bit. Another lorry passed by and we got in(these people are too big-hearted :D ). He left us in a nearby bus stop from where we boarded a bus to Ooty which was 10 kms away. We reached Ooty bus stop and took another bus to Emerald and Avalanche dam after some talks with the locals.
The road was awesome with plenty of hairpin bends and tea estates along the roads. The locals, bus conductor and the fellow bus mates were very friendly and helped us get down at the right spot. We hiked for a few kilometers and passed some awesome landscapes and a few local boys who were playing cricket. I made a mental note to join them on the way back. We finally spotted the entrance and it was a shocking sight. An old rusted metal gate with a board saying "No entry..permission necessary to enter". Luckily, a few locals passed by and they asked us not to worry and get in. They asked us to speak with a police officer after we reach the security office. So, we trespassed and were relieved to find the police officer to be a friendly guy. He let us in after asking us to deposit our bags, mobiles and cameras. He questioned us about where we were coming from, why we were coming there and so on. We spent a lot of time in the dam. What a sight it was! I really wish I had somehow taken a photo of that place! Whenever we bent down a huge wind would blow across our face and it was so refreshing. Rains were on the way and there were a few droplets falling on us. The surrounding mountains were engulfed in dark clouds and we could spot a majestic waterfalls in a distant mountain. I promised myself to somehow get permission from the forest department and climb those mountains one day :D We left the place and proceeded towards Avalanche dam. I could see a car coming from the distance and ran towards it to check the route. The guy ended up showing a wrong way and we were later showed the right way by some friendly locals. Two women accompanied us and we shared plenty of light moments. They were surprised to see two guys coming to that place in monsoon without any sort of vehicle and choosing to walk all around the place. At one point, they bade goodbye to us and proceeded on a different route. This time too we trespassed and this police officer was also friendly. This dam was also too beautiful and we could see the other side of the Emerald dam from here. I also managed to take a photo after listening to some criminal ideas. While leaving the place, the police officer asked us a few questions like "En pa engineering padichikittu rendu peru mattum indha madhiri edathuklam vareenga?"(why do you guys come to these kinda places inspite of studying engineering?). I didn't know what to reply so I just smiled, thanked him and started our return hike. We had our lunch along the path and it was nice to sit there away from the crowds...the place was calm and serene :) On the way back, I joined the boys in their cricket match. What a bad decision it turned out to be! The first ball was bowled so well that I just managed to touch it :D The second delivery was better and was a reverse swing delivery and I escaped just because the stumps had been placed with too much gaps between them :D Not wanting to get out, I said "Ok guys, thanks for the game...I gotta go" and quickly fled the scene :D Shame on me! On the way back, we met an old man and he explained us a lot about the local settings. We boarded a bus to Ooty and caught another one to Coonoor. We spoke with the conductors about our plan to trek along the railway tracks and they asked us to get down at Wellington as it was late. We did the same and on the trek, we met a line man who warned us not to proceed too much beyond Coonoor as there were elephants and it was late in the evening so it would be dangerous. We listened to him and stopped our trek at Coonoor. We even managed to make a really brief visit to a cemetery. Some passengers were loking at us weirdly as we were getting out from the railway tracks wondering where we were coming from. We took a bus to Coimbatore from there and since the bus was full, we were standing all along the way till Mettupalayam. We had some tea and snacks in a bakery in the bus terminus and charged our phones(for about 45 minutes). We then decided to watch a movie and after enquiring with some auto drivers, we walked all the way to Brookefields(so much to kill time)..a really long walk..We found that there were no tickets till 10PM so we ended up using our visit to charge our phones and camera batteries. We also planned a trek for the next day. We decided to sleep in the bus stop itself but the police didn't leave us :/ So, we went to the railway station with the idea of sleeping on the platforms but an hour into our sleep, we found the police chasing away people. We immediately woke up(waken up to be honest :D) and left the place. I was so sleepy that I had worn my shoes wrongly :D We caught a bus to Gandhipuram bus stop as I had seen some hotels there. However, sleepiness ensured that we got down in a wrong bus stop(I didn't realise this till the next day!). At around 12:30 AM, we were walking around looking for hotels. We found one and after checking my id card, he gave us a room for around 500 bucks. The room was too small but that was more than enough for 4 hours of sleep. The bed was full of bugs though and I remember Karthik waking up and scratching himself too badly :D We had planned to start at 4:30 that morning but I was shocked when I checked the time after waking up.
The road was awesome with plenty of hairpin bends and tea estates along the roads. The locals, bus conductor and the fellow bus mates were very friendly and helped us get down at the right spot. We hiked for a few kilometers and passed some awesome landscapes and a few local boys who were playing cricket. I made a mental note to join them on the way back. We finally spotted the entrance and it was a shocking sight. An old rusted metal gate with a board saying "No entry..permission necessary to enter". Luckily, a few locals passed by and they asked us not to worry and get in. They asked us to speak with a police officer after we reach the security office. So, we trespassed and were relieved to find the police officer to be a friendly guy. He let us in after asking us to deposit our bags, mobiles and cameras. He questioned us about where we were coming from, why we were coming there and so on. We spent a lot of time in the dam. What a sight it was! I really wish I had somehow taken a photo of that place! Whenever we bent down a huge wind would blow across our face and it was so refreshing. Rains were on the way and there were a few droplets falling on us. The surrounding mountains were engulfed in dark clouds and we could spot a majestic waterfalls in a distant mountain. I promised myself to somehow get permission from the forest department and climb those mountains one day :D We left the place and proceeded towards Avalanche dam. I could see a car coming from the distance and ran towards it to check the route. The guy ended up showing a wrong way and we were later showed the right way by some friendly locals. Two women accompanied us and we shared plenty of light moments. They were surprised to see two guys coming to that place in monsoon without any sort of vehicle and choosing to walk all around the place. At one point, they bade goodbye to us and proceeded on a different route. This time too we trespassed and this police officer was also friendly. This dam was also too beautiful and we could see the other side of the Emerald dam from here. I also managed to take a photo after listening to some criminal ideas. While leaving the place, the police officer asked us a few questions like "En pa engineering padichikittu rendu peru mattum indha madhiri edathuklam vareenga?"(why do you guys come to these kinda places inspite of studying engineering?). I didn't know what to reply so I just smiled, thanked him and started our return hike. We had our lunch along the path and it was nice to sit there away from the crowds...the place was calm and serene :) On the way back, I joined the boys in their cricket match. What a bad decision it turned out to be! The first ball was bowled so well that I just managed to touch it :D The second delivery was better and was a reverse swing delivery and I escaped just because the stumps had been placed with too much gaps between them :D Not wanting to get out, I said "Ok guys, thanks for the game...I gotta go" and quickly fled the scene :D Shame on me! On the way back, we met an old man and he explained us a lot about the local settings. We boarded a bus to Ooty and caught another one to Coonoor. We spoke with the conductors about our plan to trek along the railway tracks and they asked us to get down at Wellington as it was late. We did the same and on the trek, we met a line man who warned us not to proceed too much beyond Coonoor as there were elephants and it was late in the evening so it would be dangerous. We listened to him and stopped our trek at Coonoor. We even managed to make a really brief visit to a cemetery. Some passengers were loking at us weirdly as we were getting out from the railway tracks wondering where we were coming from. We took a bus to Coimbatore from there and since the bus was full, we were standing all along the way till Mettupalayam. We had some tea and snacks in a bakery in the bus terminus and charged our phones(for about 45 minutes). We then decided to watch a movie and after enquiring with some auto drivers, we walked all the way to Brookefields(so much to kill time)..a really long walk..We found that there were no tickets till 10PM so we ended up using our visit to charge our phones and camera batteries. We also planned a trek for the next day. We decided to sleep in the bus stop itself but the police didn't leave us :/ So, we went to the railway station with the idea of sleeping on the platforms but an hour into our sleep, we found the police chasing away people. We immediately woke up(waken up to be honest :D) and left the place. I was so sleepy that I had worn my shoes wrongly :D We caught a bus to Gandhipuram bus stop as I had seen some hotels there. However, sleepiness ensured that we got down in a wrong bus stop(I didn't realise this till the next day!). At around 12:30 AM, we were walking around looking for hotels. We found one and after checking my id card, he gave us a room for around 500 bucks. The room was too small but that was more than enough for 4 hours of sleep. The bed was full of bugs though and I remember Karthik waking up and scratching himself too badly :D We had planned to start at 4:30 that morning but I was shocked when I checked the time after waking up.
30 June, 2013
It was around 5:15 and the alarms were nothing in front of our sleep-deprived minds. I woke up Karthik and we both rushed towards the bus stop. We caught a bus to Palani and decided not to go to the temple as we didn't like the place much. We proceeded to the base of the Palani ranges where we had planned to trek. Some bus hopping followed. On the way, we met a man who asked us not to go there(Kuthiraiyar dam..we planned to follow the stream and get to its source..and if time permits reach Kodaikanal which is on the other side of the mountains). We proceeded though and after getting down at a village, we checked with a villager and she too said the same thing. She was more appealing though with these words "Nan indha ooruku vandhu 6 maasam dhan avudhu...aana andha eduthuku poga koodadhu nu mattum theriyum...en pasanga madhiri irukeenga adhan soldren". Once again, we ignored this and proceeded. The bus that would take us to the base never arrived so we decided to walk the 8 kms that lay between us and the mountains..En route, we caught a lorry and it saved us around 4 kms. WE were now walking on an empty roads on which nothing other than buffaloes and an occasional TVS 50 were plying. We met a few more locals and everyone asked us to turn back. Now, this was strange even to a guy like me. People warning us against their own people. Proceeding inspite of knowing that it would be dangerous is adventurous but proceeding knowing that something wrong is happening is foolishness. So, we turned back. The bus that we were waiting for was coming now and we tried stopping it but it didn't. This made me think about the safety of the place. Why would a bus not stop in a village like this? In almost every place I have visited, buses stop in the middle of nowhere to pick up and drop people. Why was an exception here? Surely, something was wrong about this place. So we caught the same bus on its return(After walking to the bus stop were we met the same locals who said the same thing over and over again). Time to go back, I decided. After reaching Udumalaipet on bus, we decided to go to Thirumoorthy hills as we didn't want our palani visit to be a wasted one. This place was beautiful and full of monkeys. So, it was fun and some monkey chases were inevitable :D We took some photos in the falls(from a distance) and started our return walk. THe place was under the watch of forest guards and they were pretty strict. They had even closed off some trails for the purpose of "safety"! But, nonetheless, I am sure that it will save some of those places from tourists! We caught a bus to Coimbatore and took some walk around the streets of Gandhipuram while waiting for my friend to arrive. We had a nice talk and plenty of "kalaichifying" followed. After my friend left, we killed time by eating corn, icecream and drinking cold chocolate :) Then, we went to the railway station and took tickets to Chennai. The trip had been pretty much succesfull till then and only one final adventure remained-Getting a seat in the unreserved compartment! This wasn't going to be simple. We sat on the queue waiting for the same train and I left with our mobile phones to charge them so that we could listen to songs all night if we end up getting a bad seat or no seat at all like in our Sathuragiri trip. I had a nice chat with a daily wages labourer from Odisha and it turned out ot be a good brainstorming session(I will write a separate blog on this-it was one of the best conversations I have ever had!). However, luck was on our side and we ended up getting window seats!!! :D All good things come to an end and this epic journey was also now concluding..
Epilogue:
I sat in my seat pondering about how we had come to Coimbatore with no proper plan and how we let our fate and mere luck decide where we were headed..That's life at times..TOO DAMN UNPREDICTABLE! And this was my life too...something that very few of us live...away from all that chase for marks, degrees, jobs and girlfriends...something that I don't regret doing..There were many moments in this trip when I was smiling and laughing for no reason looking at how much of a freak and a weirdo I have become...The craziness that I was missing for sometime has now returned to my life :D More epic trips will follow...WELCOME TO MY LIFE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
"Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere..and Sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself!"
PS:1) many thanks to those lorry drivers and tempo drivers who gave us a ride(freely) for a distance of almost 15 kms2)thanks to the fellow bus travellers and the bus conductor who helped us get down at the right place near the Emerald valley3) a billion thanks to the lady who showed us the correct way to the Avalanche dam after a stupid tourist showed us the wrong way!(we would have ended up walking 8 kms to nowhere had we proceeded)4)thanks to the old man who gave us a lot of info while walking back to the bus stop from the dam4)thanks to the bus conductor who showed us the correct place to get down and start the trek along the railway tracks. I am sure that it would have been a bit challenging to reach the tracks from other places.5)thanks to the shop keeper at Coimbatore bus stand who let us charge our phones and cameras 6)a zillion thanks to the villagers near Kuthiraiyar dam who promptly warned us about the anti-social elements near the dam and literally begged us not to trek in those mountains!7)I guess no thanks is necessary but anyway, thanks to my friend for coming and seeing me in the bus stop..I would have been quite bored else 8)thanks to all those people who helped me out with the weather and road conditions without which the trip would have been nothing. I could have ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time 9) thanks to the lineman who saved us from a possible elephant encounter 10)and finally, thanks to the Odisha guy(plenty of respect too) for sharing his experiences on the daily wage labourers here
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