It was my first time in many ways; first long flight (though I flew from Cochin to Chennai just a couple of days earlier, a short one though, but thanks to my brother in law!), first trip abroad and of course my honeymoon. Laugh out Loud :)
We took a 5.5 hour break in Bangkok because my husband felt I should experience an international airport; check out the many duty free shops and so on. Though I don’t have much to pen about those hours, the Cream Factory’s ice cream was delicious to the power n!
We touched the island of Bali aka Denpasar Airport at about 2pm. I expected this cool breeze touching my face but I was welcomed by the ‘incense’ of cigarettes! I am not kidding! But then our guide gave us a very warm welcome with garlands of Firangi paani. He wanted to be called Mr. Putu; looked 50 something and I immediately took to liking him! Extremely professional and quick he was.
We drove to the Benoa Beach Villa and Spa located at Tanjung Benoa Nusa Dua. It’s a short drive from the airport, say about 20 minutes or so. Oh by the way, we got this deal from ‘makemytrip’ and a good one too! The 4 day 3 night stay included our flight tickets, stay at the hotel, breakfast and dinner, a one day sightseeing of Bali and a day where we could pick from a list. Don’t remember what it offered but we chose to go to a spa, quite but obviously!
The Beach Villa is outstanding to say the least. They have extremely well maintained rooms with a lovely swimming pool overlooking the beach. The beach; words fail to explain the relaxed atmosphere and the buzz created by the water sports enthusiasts alike! The in house restaurant has a decent spread/menu and my husband, a non-vegetarian, had more choice obviously! He raved about the traditional Balinese chicken with coconut sauce and I loved the dessert made from pineapples and spices!
Bali’s economy is primarily dependant on agriculture and tourism. They have no industries and hence no pollution, Mr. Putu claimed! They eat whatever they produce that suffices. To give you an example – Mr. Putu said the Balinese farmers produce first grade rice and use it for their own consumption. They also produce a second grade rice which they mainly use to export to Java.
The next day, our guide took us to the Batik Centre of Bali and it is a must stop. The place costs of having traditional Balinese batik prints both handmade and woven, the latter being more expensive. One can shop quite a bit here! From there we stopped a phenomenally expensive wood carver’s showroom! Beautiful carvings no doubt! They are again mostly exported. This reminds me of the book ‘Eat Pray Love’ I read after returning to India where the author mentions foreigners who come to Bali and stay for a long time make money by helping exporting such carvings and furniture.
Next we go the famous Kintamani volcano which is said to be active as yet. The last eruption took place in 1976. We stop here for lunch at a restaurant which overlooks the volcanic mountain and it sure is a sight to behold! Most of the table cloth was on our filled plates, courtesy the strong breeze, but I don’t think any of the diners minded! Again, being a vegetarian doesn’t help as I had only noodles to eat and of course a range of desserts from fried bananas to a black rice pudding!
From there we head to a garden growing spices and a variety of fruits! The most interesting experience of my trip was in this very garden. Atleast till that day I was not aware of something called the ‘Coffee Luwak’. Luwak is a monkey, a special monkey which picks and consumes the Arabica coffee beans. The next day, it excretes the same in the same form (as a whole bean!), which is later washed, dried, roasted and ground to make a tasty coffee powder. One cup of it cost us $5 for all the pain they take in collecting the s&*$ of the monkey!!! This whole procedure may sound unpleasant but the taste of the coffee is far from it!
We then stopped at a market in Ubud which also houses a Balinese palace. Nothing out of ordinary to speak of; lot of junk jewellery made from silver, Balinese sarongs, scarves and so on. If I have to mention something special then it must be the exclusive bead store with a creative collection of original gem stones and other beaded jewellery. I spent most of my time there.
Now comes the thrilling part – water sports! I am one of those with an extremely less dose of the adrenaline hormone, much to the chagrin of my husband. We went to this place called the ‘Pandawa Water Sports’ and we tried the banana boat, flying fish and donnut boat. The banana boat is common, so I am not explaining what it is. The flying fish is apparently a specialty in Bali. A stingray like boat is shaped for two people to lie down amidst tubes and another guy accompanies us. He literally stands upright on that boat! Check pictures of Google as my explanation maybe inadequate. Frankly, I loved this one. The ‘flying fish’ is tied to another motor boat and the latter takes off at great speed. It later twists and turns and the aiding wind makes our ‘fish fly’, literally!
The ‘donnut boat’ as described by the name is a donut shaped boat and we are made to sit on it. Again, it is tied to another speeding boat and we do a 360 degree turn in the sea. But that was all I could take. I played a spoilsport by not throwing myself into water during the banana boat so my husband had to redo it the following day.
The following day was a full moon day and apparently that day was all the more special for Hindus, just like in India. So most water sports clubs were closed and we surprisingly found the one at our beach open. It was run by non-Hindus and so I chose to paraglide while my husband had another dose of the flying fish. He badly wanted to sea dive and watch the underwater creatures but it is said that those catching a flight on the same day are not allowed.
Check this link to know why:
I then got a temporary tattoo done! I badly want to get a permanent one done, so just to please myself momentarily, I settle down for the temporary one.
Leaving is not so difficult but not so easy either! I was longing to see my mom and close friends so I look forward but then the culture of Bali is so similar to ours (India) along with this really laid back attitude which makes you want to stay longer. Overall, the deal by makemytrip was good, our guide is definitely recommended and my memories just bring me happiness!
Bali is known for its night life but somehow I was not up to it. That maybe something I genuinely missed out on but that’s ok. Once I got back, I read ‘Eat Pray Love’ and learnt a lot more things about Bali. I am planning to pen another blog particularly on the similarities between the Balinese culture and the Hindu culture in India. This may take time because I have to remember what all my guide told me and right now it’s all messed up :)
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Atop the costliest hill!
Climbing the hill of Tirupathi to see the richest deity of Hinduism; to most, it sounds a Herculean task, I am sure. Trust me, when I was a little one, my mother along with my neighbours decided to climb and I was flabbergasted! More by the fact that I would not be seeing my mother for almost 6 hours! But within four hours, I was in her arms all smiles!
Almost 12 years later, I decided to accomplish this feat. The basics first: You need good company to keep you motivated, or at least speak with you constantly otherwise you will realise you are hitting the tiredness path and will lose out both on time and energy. The above may not hold good to those who love self-company and less talking! For a chatter-box like me, I have made my first do’s clear!
Travel plans for those who wish to climb:
Route: Bangalore to Tirupathi
• Package tours are the easiest bet! Generally they promise to put you in a decent hotel to rest and refresh and take you via a ‘quick’ route for darshan! My family chose this plan a few years ago, though we did not climb. Many young men had darshan arranged for themselves keeping in mind the time they would take to reach on top
• My favourite and mostly used plan: Take a bus from the Kempegowda Bus Stand, night times preferably. There are buses running to Tirupathi post 8 pm
I took a bus at 9:30pm and you will reach Tirupathi anytime between 3 and 3:30am. There is a guest house run by the government there, which is free for all. I cannot obviously vouch for utmost hygiene and cleanliness but you can have a quick bath without having to pay! For those who think otherwise, take a bus straight to Tirumala (the place of worship, atop the hill) and there are many places to stay.
Back to my trip: After refreshing, you take a bus to Alipiri which is hardly about 5 kms from Tirupathi. You begin your climb from here. I started at 5:15 am sharp. The climb up is about 14 kms long and can be divided under 3 stretches:
1. In my mother tongue it’s called, ‘Muzhankaal mudichu’ which means ‘knots in your knee’! Trust me, it is quite tough, this stretch! They are full of steep steps winding up with no stopping. But the good part is, they have well-maintained washrooms and lot of refreshment stalls for drink breaks. Make sure you carry a bottle and a pack of glucose. Do not eat anything because a full tummy may slow your pace down.
2. The next stretch is quite pleasant and easy. It is like a walk on the road with minimal steps and you will be treated to a herd of deer nibbling on grass. At this juncture, you could finish your breakfast as there are many stalls serving hot idlis and the like. Not to mention sinful ‘chilli bhajjis’ at 8 in the morning!
3. The last stretch is similar to the first one, but with less than half the steps! The joy of almost making it will keep you going and it is worthwhile!
As I remember, once you reach Alipiri, you can leave your baggage at the free luggage counter. Make sure you lock your bags otherwise they will not keep your bags. You pay a minimal fee which is refundable. By the time you make it to the top, they will have your luggage transported. So the first thing you do after achieving the feat, is to collect your bags!
Tickets available for Darshan:
1. Before leaving Bangalore, you can buy ‘Sudarshan tickets’ from the counters at Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanams which are across the city. These tickets are priced at 50/-. All you need to do is, stand in the queue for a minimum of 3 hours (!!!) and buy the ticket. The good part is that you get to choose the timings of your darshan, which again falls under 4 categories. The authorities take your finger print and a photograph of yours on the webcam.
2. As you finish your first stretch, there is a counter which gives away free darshan tickets for those who climb. I have never collected the same, so I don’t know how it works, but I have mentioned it as an option.
3. There is another ticket which can be purchased called ‘Anantha Darshan’ (the name may be different, will check again). This is priced at 100/- and the darshan time is early in the morning between 5:30 and 6:30
4. Several other options depending on the amount pay; higher the amount, easier the darshan!
I bought the ‘Sudarshan ticket’ priced at 50/- and you are entitled for 2 free ladoos! I hope I need not explain the value and the taste of the ladoos! The minute you enter the temple, the smell of ghee and dry fruits will take you to a different plane all right! You need to stand in the queue an hour earlier from the mentioned time on the ticket. For ex: A 10 am darshan, requires you to be in the queue at 9 am. In the three times I have climbed, twice I have waited not more than an hour. But the last time I went, it took me 3.5 hours so never time yourself and book your return tickets.
Yes, it is true that once inside the main place of worship, you are pushed and thrown to various directions but I guess it’s worthwhile to see the richest god! Your prayers in front of god will last less than a minute, unless you are among those who have paid a lot more! Following this, you are in yet another ‘delicious’ queue to receive prasadam! I must tell you, it’s a wonderful treat! They have sweet pongal (a dish made from dal, rice and jaggery), spicy pongal (a dish made from dal, rice, spices like pepper and cumin seeds), curd rice, puliyogare (rice spiced with tamarind) and many other mouth-watering stuff.
Next, you get to witness the money counting centre where men are busy counting away thousands and lakhs of notes and coins which contribute to the God’s worldly richness. You contribute to it if needed by offering money in the main Hundi (a huge gold vessel like structure).
Now to collect the famous ladoos; there is yet another queue. However due to many counters, they move quickly.
Note: Make sure you carry a bag; otherwise you have to pay 2/- to get a plastic carry-bag!
For those who want to shop, there are small shops which sell souvenirs where you could while away some time. There on, you take a bus down to Tirupathi. It is a 40 minute drive with some 14 hair-pin bends. Good time to catch up on some sleep. Once down, you must visit the deity’s wife, Alamelumaga!
She has a separate temple for herself which can be reached by another small bus ride. It is said that you must never leave the temple without buying Kum-kum (is a powder used for social and religious markings in Hinduism). Hawkers will persuade you to buy a lot of other things like bangles, mangoes etc. Once done, you go back to Tirupathi.
Take the night’s bus back to Bangalore; take a bus after 10 so that you reach early in the morning where transport is available back home. I took a bus at 6:30 pm and reached Bangalore at 1 am! The auto drivers are sure to give you unimaginable rates to take you home!
Do not visit Tirupathi during June and July. Temperatures soar up to 45 degree celcius! I once went in January and was welcomed by some pleasant showers which makes your climb pleasant too!
Add on more information if I have missed out on any vitals!
Almost 12 years later, I decided to accomplish this feat. The basics first: You need good company to keep you motivated, or at least speak with you constantly otherwise you will realise you are hitting the tiredness path and will lose out both on time and energy. The above may not hold good to those who love self-company and less talking! For a chatter-box like me, I have made my first do’s clear!
Travel plans for those who wish to climb:
Route: Bangalore to Tirupathi
• Package tours are the easiest bet! Generally they promise to put you in a decent hotel to rest and refresh and take you via a ‘quick’ route for darshan! My family chose this plan a few years ago, though we did not climb. Many young men had darshan arranged for themselves keeping in mind the time they would take to reach on top
• My favourite and mostly used plan: Take a bus from the Kempegowda Bus Stand, night times preferably. There are buses running to Tirupathi post 8 pm
I took a bus at 9:30pm and you will reach Tirupathi anytime between 3 and 3:30am. There is a guest house run by the government there, which is free for all. I cannot obviously vouch for utmost hygiene and cleanliness but you can have a quick bath without having to pay! For those who think otherwise, take a bus straight to Tirumala (the place of worship, atop the hill) and there are many places to stay.
Back to my trip: After refreshing, you take a bus to Alipiri which is hardly about 5 kms from Tirupathi. You begin your climb from here. I started at 5:15 am sharp. The climb up is about 14 kms long and can be divided under 3 stretches:
1. In my mother tongue it’s called, ‘Muzhankaal mudichu’ which means ‘knots in your knee’! Trust me, it is quite tough, this stretch! They are full of steep steps winding up with no stopping. But the good part is, they have well-maintained washrooms and lot of refreshment stalls for drink breaks. Make sure you carry a bottle and a pack of glucose. Do not eat anything because a full tummy may slow your pace down.
2. The next stretch is quite pleasant and easy. It is like a walk on the road with minimal steps and you will be treated to a herd of deer nibbling on grass. At this juncture, you could finish your breakfast as there are many stalls serving hot idlis and the like. Not to mention sinful ‘chilli bhajjis’ at 8 in the morning!
3. The last stretch is similar to the first one, but with less than half the steps! The joy of almost making it will keep you going and it is worthwhile!
As I remember, once you reach Alipiri, you can leave your baggage at the free luggage counter. Make sure you lock your bags otherwise they will not keep your bags. You pay a minimal fee which is refundable. By the time you make it to the top, they will have your luggage transported. So the first thing you do after achieving the feat, is to collect your bags!
Tickets available for Darshan:
1. Before leaving Bangalore, you can buy ‘Sudarshan tickets’ from the counters at Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanams which are across the city. These tickets are priced at 50/-. All you need to do is, stand in the queue for a minimum of 3 hours (!!!) and buy the ticket. The good part is that you get to choose the timings of your darshan, which again falls under 4 categories. The authorities take your finger print and a photograph of yours on the webcam.
2. As you finish your first stretch, there is a counter which gives away free darshan tickets for those who climb. I have never collected the same, so I don’t know how it works, but I have mentioned it as an option.
3. There is another ticket which can be purchased called ‘Anantha Darshan’ (the name may be different, will check again). This is priced at 100/- and the darshan time is early in the morning between 5:30 and 6:30
4. Several other options depending on the amount pay; higher the amount, easier the darshan!
I bought the ‘Sudarshan ticket’ priced at 50/- and you are entitled for 2 free ladoos! I hope I need not explain the value and the taste of the ladoos! The minute you enter the temple, the smell of ghee and dry fruits will take you to a different plane all right! You need to stand in the queue an hour earlier from the mentioned time on the ticket. For ex: A 10 am darshan, requires you to be in the queue at 9 am. In the three times I have climbed, twice I have waited not more than an hour. But the last time I went, it took me 3.5 hours so never time yourself and book your return tickets.
Yes, it is true that once inside the main place of worship, you are pushed and thrown to various directions but I guess it’s worthwhile to see the richest god! Your prayers in front of god will last less than a minute, unless you are among those who have paid a lot more! Following this, you are in yet another ‘delicious’ queue to receive prasadam! I must tell you, it’s a wonderful treat! They have sweet pongal (a dish made from dal, rice and jaggery), spicy pongal (a dish made from dal, rice, spices like pepper and cumin seeds), curd rice, puliyogare (rice spiced with tamarind) and many other mouth-watering stuff.
Next, you get to witness the money counting centre where men are busy counting away thousands and lakhs of notes and coins which contribute to the God’s worldly richness. You contribute to it if needed by offering money in the main Hundi (a huge gold vessel like structure).
Now to collect the famous ladoos; there is yet another queue. However due to many counters, they move quickly.
Note: Make sure you carry a bag; otherwise you have to pay 2/- to get a plastic carry-bag!
For those who want to shop, there are small shops which sell souvenirs where you could while away some time. There on, you take a bus down to Tirupathi. It is a 40 minute drive with some 14 hair-pin bends. Good time to catch up on some sleep. Once down, you must visit the deity’s wife, Alamelumaga!
She has a separate temple for herself which can be reached by another small bus ride. It is said that you must never leave the temple without buying Kum-kum (is a powder used for social and religious markings in Hinduism). Hawkers will persuade you to buy a lot of other things like bangles, mangoes etc. Once done, you go back to Tirupathi.
Take the night’s bus back to Bangalore; take a bus after 10 so that you reach early in the morning where transport is available back home. I took a bus at 6:30 pm and reached Bangalore at 1 am! The auto drivers are sure to give you unimaginable rates to take you home!
Do not visit Tirupathi during June and July. Temperatures soar up to 45 degree celcius! I once went in January and was welcomed by some pleasant showers which makes your climb pleasant too!
Add on more information if I have missed out on any vitals!
Monday, June 8, 2009
FA (R) TTY ISSUES!
First of all, why is this named fa®tty issues? Don’t ask me; actually I may be able to provide an answer! Oh wait! Before I state the reason, let me introduce to you the characters of this…well…3 day drama?!
1. The Silent Killer (SK) - Rags
2. Behka effect (BE) - PP
3. Adiye Kolludhe(AK) [Can be renamed as AK-47 for reasons only Rags, PP and I will know ;) – Rohit
4. KC! (Me)
So, yes, coming to why the headline? It all began in the wee hours at an underground cottage in Ooty! The sizzling incidents there, which are unmentionable on paper, brought me to this headline! Rags and PP, are you reading this? Can the reason ever be out in public? Ill be gunned down for sure :)
By the time I got off the local BMTC bus, my back was a wreck with one’s hand constantly on her cell phone’s keys, thereby her elbows nudging me, not to mention her piercing ‘give me space’ looks, and the other lady happily transferring all her body mass onto me like I was her pillow! Whew! How I was just waiting to see the big building nestling AXA and much to the anger of the traffic police, I jumped off as the signal turned green and oblivious to the innumerable honks.
AK-47 greets me after making me wait for ten minutes (It’s funny that women have begun waiting for men to arrive on time!!). The other two were comfortable in the car and man! I must say, it was nice to be greeted by the familiar faces again: BE, with his ever-sheepish grin and SK, with his silence!
My stomach was grumbling non-stop and so was I, to stop somewhere for a meal. After out tummies were duly fed, we set out for the long journey ahead. “Three choices”, said AK-47:
1. Ooty – Coimbatore – Palghat
2. Guruvayur – Palghat
3. I can’t remember??!!
We decided on the first choice. We women never agree upon this, but I must confess. Travelling with men is so much easier and convenient. There are no complaints of pain in the abdomen, head et all. No squabbles and petty arguments and men generally tend to forget arguments soon. So here I was, amidst three ‘well-behaved’ men who chose to change clothes in the middle of the road and attend to nature’s call wherever they chose to!!!
Now, mention must be made of a serious issue. The recent toll rates issue really caught our attention after what we went through at various junctions. It really ticked us off. On our way to Ooty, we had to drive via Bandipur and were rightfully stopped at a check post. We were asked to pay a meagre amount of 20/- which we obliged. However, we would have hardly driven 100 yards and we were stopped again. This time AK flared and we weren’t sure which one was the government owned. We were again asked to part away with money and no receipt was issued. This, I am writing amidst some this fun blog so that people are aware of they are being subjected to and with citizens and youth leading from the front against corruption, it might help!
The night drive via Bandipur was a rendezvous with the wild, literally. We bumped into wild elephants feeding themselves and man! Truly majestic! Reminds me of my previous trip there where I ended up thinking a clay elephant was the real one! But then, this time it was for real! It’s hard to explain everything in detail but then I’m just trying to talk of the important things, like a memoir so to say.
I wanted to go to the Mysore road Coffee Day and my wish was fulfilled, nothing very impressive but nevertheless I went! In between all this Rags and I were put through some 'gruelling activity'. PP and Ro wanted some personal space and one takes the wheel and the other sits right behind to ‘motivate’ the other!
Ooty invited us with its 7 something degrees at 4 in the morning! To get a roof over our heads, what stories were invited?!! One was termed a couple and the other two, students! While, here I am - THE REAL STUDENT! But we managed to get a lovely cottage and some sound sleep, ie, snoring from I don’t know which guy?!!
Ooty, known for its many suicide points and brilliant views, we chose to drive some place nearby and had a whale of a time the following morning. My first experience in Ooty as a child was miserable but thanks to the guys, my second trip was utterly lovely :)The butterscotch chocolates, hot chocolate tea was all too nice to describe on paper.
Our next point was Coimbatore. It was a sort of nostalgia for AK-47 as he took us through the roads of the small city, showing us his school, the place where he met his first love, his hangouts and others. We were treated to some amazing food, courtesy ‘Annapoorna Hotel’. Filter Kaapi and Nai (Ghee) Dosa was at its best. South Indian food is such a delicacy I must say!
Our final destination was Palghat and two men, BE and AK-47 were over joyous when they stepped foot in their ‘God’s own country’! The language was flowing after this and SK and I were left at their mercy. Of course! I would never miss an opportunity to belt my amateur Mallu to passers-by asking for directions, much to the chagrin of Ro and Peeps :) My only disappointment was that there was no place with water where I could relax! Kerala has always been a picture of backwaters, coconut trees, long haired gals with the smell of coconut oil and men, with their knee-length lungis!!! I was witness to everything other than the backwaters! Hehe! Palghat is a warm place and can get real hot later in the evening. The temples are real traditional like any other but one thing which stood apart was the playing of the ‘Chande’, a lovely percussion instrument of Kerala. The vibrations it created had a pleasing effect on me.
Satish’s wedding was my first experience with a Mallu style wedding. I have always been witness to an elaborate Brahmin wedding which quite frankly takes forever to finish. Getting up before the sun rises, watching the ladies clad themselves in a 9 yard saree, the innumerable ‘namaskarams’ (falling at one’s feet) by the bride, change of sarees, sitting on the swing with mom and mom-in-law throwing down cooked rice in turmeric and kumkum, the groom getting his last chance to run away in the form a ‘Kashi Yatra’ and finally sitting on your father’s lap while the groom stands and ties the mangal sutra is an extensive affair indeed. The rituals which follow there after is another paragraph long!
A Mallu style wedding is over in no time! Garlands of Tulsi exchanged in front of Lord Krishna early in the morning, by early I mean not before sunlight but a convenient 6am something. This is followed by a very casual meeting in the wedding hall, when it’s almost time for lunch! Ten minute formalities and you’re hooked for life! Yum food filled our tired and hungry stomachs and we were ready to set back to our good old city.
I will not be giving this blog a fitting conclusion if I don’t mention the lovely roads connecting Ooty, Coimbatore and Palghat. Not once did we have a hitch of a break down other than the irritating experience of the pay roll incident. PP got some lovely music and Ghus-Ghus, our beloved car did not let us down at all. All in all, a memorable trip and also a trip, which brought me closer to the guys!
As I conclude, my next blog should be one on men’s psyche from a woman’s perspective :)
1. The Silent Killer (SK) - Rags
2. Behka effect (BE) - PP
3. Adiye Kolludhe(AK) [Can be renamed as AK-47 for reasons only Rags, PP and I will know ;) – Rohit
4. KC! (Me)
So, yes, coming to why the headline? It all began in the wee hours at an underground cottage in Ooty! The sizzling incidents there, which are unmentionable on paper, brought me to this headline! Rags and PP, are you reading this? Can the reason ever be out in public? Ill be gunned down for sure :)
By the time I got off the local BMTC bus, my back was a wreck with one’s hand constantly on her cell phone’s keys, thereby her elbows nudging me, not to mention her piercing ‘give me space’ looks, and the other lady happily transferring all her body mass onto me like I was her pillow! Whew! How I was just waiting to see the big building nestling AXA and much to the anger of the traffic police, I jumped off as the signal turned green and oblivious to the innumerable honks.
AK-47 greets me after making me wait for ten minutes (It’s funny that women have begun waiting for men to arrive on time!!). The other two were comfortable in the car and man! I must say, it was nice to be greeted by the familiar faces again: BE, with his ever-sheepish grin and SK, with his silence!
My stomach was grumbling non-stop and so was I, to stop somewhere for a meal. After out tummies were duly fed, we set out for the long journey ahead. “Three choices”, said AK-47:
1. Ooty – Coimbatore – Palghat
2. Guruvayur – Palghat
3. I can’t remember??!!
We decided on the first choice. We women never agree upon this, but I must confess. Travelling with men is so much easier and convenient. There are no complaints of pain in the abdomen, head et all. No squabbles and petty arguments and men generally tend to forget arguments soon. So here I was, amidst three ‘well-behaved’ men who chose to change clothes in the middle of the road and attend to nature’s call wherever they chose to!!!
Now, mention must be made of a serious issue. The recent toll rates issue really caught our attention after what we went through at various junctions. It really ticked us off. On our way to Ooty, we had to drive via Bandipur and were rightfully stopped at a check post. We were asked to pay a meagre amount of 20/- which we obliged. However, we would have hardly driven 100 yards and we were stopped again. This time AK flared and we weren’t sure which one was the government owned. We were again asked to part away with money and no receipt was issued. This, I am writing amidst some this fun blog so that people are aware of they are being subjected to and with citizens and youth leading from the front against corruption, it might help!
The night drive via Bandipur was a rendezvous with the wild, literally. We bumped into wild elephants feeding themselves and man! Truly majestic! Reminds me of my previous trip there where I ended up thinking a clay elephant was the real one! But then, this time it was for real! It’s hard to explain everything in detail but then I’m just trying to talk of the important things, like a memoir so to say.
I wanted to go to the Mysore road Coffee Day and my wish was fulfilled, nothing very impressive but nevertheless I went! In between all this Rags and I were put through some 'gruelling activity'. PP and Ro wanted some personal space and one takes the wheel and the other sits right behind to ‘motivate’ the other!
Ooty invited us with its 7 something degrees at 4 in the morning! To get a roof over our heads, what stories were invited?!! One was termed a couple and the other two, students! While, here I am - THE REAL STUDENT! But we managed to get a lovely cottage and some sound sleep, ie, snoring from I don’t know which guy?!!
Ooty, known for its many suicide points and brilliant views, we chose to drive some place nearby and had a whale of a time the following morning. My first experience in Ooty as a child was miserable but thanks to the guys, my second trip was utterly lovely :)The butterscotch chocolates, hot chocolate tea was all too nice to describe on paper.
Our next point was Coimbatore. It was a sort of nostalgia for AK-47 as he took us through the roads of the small city, showing us his school, the place where he met his first love, his hangouts and others. We were treated to some amazing food, courtesy ‘Annapoorna Hotel’. Filter Kaapi and Nai (Ghee) Dosa was at its best. South Indian food is such a delicacy I must say!
Our final destination was Palghat and two men, BE and AK-47 were over joyous when they stepped foot in their ‘God’s own country’! The language was flowing after this and SK and I were left at their mercy. Of course! I would never miss an opportunity to belt my amateur Mallu to passers-by asking for directions, much to the chagrin of Ro and Peeps :) My only disappointment was that there was no place with water where I could relax! Kerala has always been a picture of backwaters, coconut trees, long haired gals with the smell of coconut oil and men, with their knee-length lungis!!! I was witness to everything other than the backwaters! Hehe! Palghat is a warm place and can get real hot later in the evening. The temples are real traditional like any other but one thing which stood apart was the playing of the ‘Chande’, a lovely percussion instrument of Kerala. The vibrations it created had a pleasing effect on me.
Satish’s wedding was my first experience with a Mallu style wedding. I have always been witness to an elaborate Brahmin wedding which quite frankly takes forever to finish. Getting up before the sun rises, watching the ladies clad themselves in a 9 yard saree, the innumerable ‘namaskarams’ (falling at one’s feet) by the bride, change of sarees, sitting on the swing with mom and mom-in-law throwing down cooked rice in turmeric and kumkum, the groom getting his last chance to run away in the form a ‘Kashi Yatra’ and finally sitting on your father’s lap while the groom stands and ties the mangal sutra is an extensive affair indeed. The rituals which follow there after is another paragraph long!
A Mallu style wedding is over in no time! Garlands of Tulsi exchanged in front of Lord Krishna early in the morning, by early I mean not before sunlight but a convenient 6am something. This is followed by a very casual meeting in the wedding hall, when it’s almost time for lunch! Ten minute formalities and you’re hooked for life! Yum food filled our tired and hungry stomachs and we were ready to set back to our good old city.
I will not be giving this blog a fitting conclusion if I don’t mention the lovely roads connecting Ooty, Coimbatore and Palghat. Not once did we have a hitch of a break down other than the irritating experience of the pay roll incident. PP got some lovely music and Ghus-Ghus, our beloved car did not let us down at all. All in all, a memorable trip and also a trip, which brought me closer to the guys!
As I conclude, my next blog should be one on men’s psyche from a woman’s perspective :)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It was a lovely Bangalore drizzle and Amma bid me well as i got into the ric. Discussions with the auto driver about the trafiic was a mind numbing thing to do all right, but did i have a choice?? "Thank you Madam, happy journey!", said the auto driver and i smiled thinking of what lay ahead. My eyes were searching for my big fat bro and would it miss? ;) Ah! there he was! Walked towards him and dropped my bag. "Whew! Where are the rest?", I ask and pat comes the reply, "As usual, we have to wait!" First comes our flautist, 'Pan Parag' Shivling whose smell just stifles me! I mutter to myself and wonder how people even manufacture such stuff! Finally Nag aunty and Small make their entry and off we go!
Destination Platform 5, here we come!! We all wonder where our beloved sir has gone and "Bhoo"! I look back and there he is with his everlasting, soothing smile and the gang of 6 entered the Kochuveli Express!
I enter the coach and Oh my God! i see one of the most handsomest faces ever and there goes another name into my list of crushes :) My eyes said it all and Tej was glaring at me!! Please for heaven's sake, not one more!! But depression sets in like a boomerang, cause he's a dad of a cute lil baby, Gladys. Hehe! as long as he was a feast to my eyes, i quite frankly dint care much!
Sir and Pan Parag had different seats so the rest settled down for the long journey ahead! Oh yes! I finally learnt a sentence in Mallu and here goes, "Nyaan trivandrum poi tiruchi varum" and the cute papa (dad of Gladys) smiles at me and i feel oooooooooooooh!!!!
Our guru beloved treated us with his perfect sangathis and all of us sat listening dumbfounded, as always! We all sing in unison many of his compositions and life cant get better :) I sing 'Silent Night' and my Tej sings swaras for that too much to Gladys' mom's amusement!!
Come thaaci time and we settle in for a good night's sleep as we have a long day ahead!
Oh by the way! the purpose of travel - A TV recording for a channel called 'Amrutha' where each of us will be singing Bhajans for a slot of half and hour.
Trivandrum welcomes us next morning with a lot of humidity, men clad in lungis showing off their thighs and mallu-kuttis with their oily hair let loose! Oh yeah! Shivling welcomes me with his Pan Parag stained mouth!! :(
'Sony' (quite frankly, even after the trip i cant figure out who this person is!!) picks us up and off we go into God's own country. The hospitality is warm and the room is just perfect - a honeymoon suit for three ladies :)
Though i knew my recording was first, the fragrance of Appam and Stew took over me and i satisfied my tummy! We headed Co-operative Banking Society for thats where our sets were. A beautiful set i must say, a perfect 'baitak' in white! The director, Reggie, a warm person greets us and sends me off for 'make-up'! Ugh! How i dreaded sitting through the 5min ordeal! The 'make-up uncle' has just finished smoking his ciggie and he was all over my face :( i was finally 'made-up' and was asked to sit on the 'baitak'. Lovely accompanists, my beloved guru on the tabla and his mere presence boosted me enough and I began my first classical music recording. Real good feeling! I suppose my songs came out well, cause thats what the others told me!
I don't quite feel like talking in detail about the recording, guess its for those who watch it to talk about! It was getting late and i decided i needed to buy the chips i had promised Keer, rather he ordered for it!!! Did i have a choice?!! Mr.Santhosh, our co-ordinator was kind enough to arrange a cab and i went away into the city at the mercy of Vishnu, my 'driver'! Nice chap! With my butler Mallu and 'perfect' Tamil i managed to converse and he told me about his background etc etc. He thought i had a lovely name ;) Though i have my reservations about Mallu men, i quite liked the respect they have for women. Neither the driver nor the chipswaala let me carry my bag of chips which weighed about 7 kgs! i ventured back to the sets and Rashu was recording her bit. It all went well, sad to see sir totally zonked! We quickly went through all the formalities and went back to the hotel soon!
Ah, m waiting to talk about this! Our tummies were rumbling and we had decided to let go and eat like pigs. Haha! but we had other things in store. Ordered for French Onion soup and what could one expect? Onions obviously you'd say! No! Egg yolk and something brown in color which i have no clue what it smelt like! We made all the wrong choices that night and the last spoon of 'Banana Flitters' was just not ready to go down my throat!
A good night's sleep we had nevertheless and came yet another Sunday :) The three ladies decided to buy a Mallu saree and got things arranged. Our driver, a guy who loved showing all his 32 teeth and who thought he was Micheal Schumaker in the making showed us the entire city when we had just an hour to catch out train back home. I think we knew the city better from the way he stopped at every corner of every street to find out where 'Karalkada', an age-old handloom store was! We finally did manage to find it and oh! what a place!
Karalkada, which Tej and super cool aunty thought, when translated was kara-hand, kada-shop and called it 'handloom shop' but later got to know that it meant seashore'!! A shop which is 200 years old, had some amazing stuff. We settled for a mustard color Mallu saree. Mention must be made of the plastic 'vetthalai' they gave us. Real neat!
Sir wasangry that we were terribly late! We gulped down whatever possible and got into the car! I ve heard people say fights can be easily picked up in Kerala and i witnessed one. Our driver just honked at two men who were in our way and Boing! one bang on the car and the two men just couldn't wait to get their hands on our poor driver who keeps mum just to save himself and us some embarrassement.
Back in the train now. Hmmm no cute guys :( But we do have loads of fun! I coin the term '6:15'!!!!! An achievement of sorts i must tell you! i explain the meaning to Tej, super cool aunty and of course! Small in spite of Tej's angry glares :) Sorry Tej! Hehe :) actually m not sorry! hahahahaha!
Another lovely session of Sir's music and i sang 'Thendral vandhu' for him which he recorded! I just loved that moment :) We settle for the night and Pan Parag and his funny antics kill me! But what an artist! He really is good at his art so hats off to him for that :) Art must always be appreciated.
We reach namma Bengaluru next morning and back to our everyday chores. Lovely trip! Enjoyed every bit of it! I m sure i ve missed out writing a lot of stuff here but hell! certain things cant be penned, they are to be experienced and cherished for life!
Destination Platform 5, here we come!! We all wonder where our beloved sir has gone and "Bhoo"! I look back and there he is with his everlasting, soothing smile and the gang of 6 entered the Kochuveli Express!
I enter the coach and Oh my God! i see one of the most handsomest faces ever and there goes another name into my list of crushes :) My eyes said it all and Tej was glaring at me!! Please for heaven's sake, not one more!! But depression sets in like a boomerang, cause he's a dad of a cute lil baby, Gladys. Hehe! as long as he was a feast to my eyes, i quite frankly dint care much!
Sir and Pan Parag had different seats so the rest settled down for the long journey ahead! Oh yes! I finally learnt a sentence in Mallu and here goes, "Nyaan trivandrum poi tiruchi varum" and the cute papa (dad of Gladys) smiles at me and i feel oooooooooooooh!!!!
Our guru beloved treated us with his perfect sangathis and all of us sat listening dumbfounded, as always! We all sing in unison many of his compositions and life cant get better :) I sing 'Silent Night' and my Tej sings swaras for that too much to Gladys' mom's amusement!!
Come thaaci time and we settle in for a good night's sleep as we have a long day ahead!
Oh by the way! the purpose of travel - A TV recording for a channel called 'Amrutha' where each of us will be singing Bhajans for a slot of half and hour.
Trivandrum welcomes us next morning with a lot of humidity, men clad in lungis showing off their thighs and mallu-kuttis with their oily hair let loose! Oh yeah! Shivling welcomes me with his Pan Parag stained mouth!! :(
'Sony' (quite frankly, even after the trip i cant figure out who this person is!!) picks us up and off we go into God's own country. The hospitality is warm and the room is just perfect - a honeymoon suit for three ladies :)
Though i knew my recording was first, the fragrance of Appam and Stew took over me and i satisfied my tummy! We headed Co-operative Banking Society for thats where our sets were. A beautiful set i must say, a perfect 'baitak' in white! The director, Reggie, a warm person greets us and sends me off for 'make-up'! Ugh! How i dreaded sitting through the 5min ordeal! The 'make-up uncle' has just finished smoking his ciggie and he was all over my face :( i was finally 'made-up' and was asked to sit on the 'baitak'. Lovely accompanists, my beloved guru on the tabla and his mere presence boosted me enough and I began my first classical music recording. Real good feeling! I suppose my songs came out well, cause thats what the others told me!
I don't quite feel like talking in detail about the recording, guess its for those who watch it to talk about! It was getting late and i decided i needed to buy the chips i had promised Keer, rather he ordered for it!!! Did i have a choice?!! Mr.Santhosh, our co-ordinator was kind enough to arrange a cab and i went away into the city at the mercy of Vishnu, my 'driver'! Nice chap! With my butler Mallu and 'perfect' Tamil i managed to converse and he told me about his background etc etc. He thought i had a lovely name ;) Though i have my reservations about Mallu men, i quite liked the respect they have for women. Neither the driver nor the chipswaala let me carry my bag of chips which weighed about 7 kgs! i ventured back to the sets and Rashu was recording her bit. It all went well, sad to see sir totally zonked! We quickly went through all the formalities and went back to the hotel soon!
Ah, m waiting to talk about this! Our tummies were rumbling and we had decided to let go and eat like pigs. Haha! but we had other things in store. Ordered for French Onion soup and what could one expect? Onions obviously you'd say! No! Egg yolk and something brown in color which i have no clue what it smelt like! We made all the wrong choices that night and the last spoon of 'Banana Flitters' was just not ready to go down my throat!
A good night's sleep we had nevertheless and came yet another Sunday :) The three ladies decided to buy a Mallu saree and got things arranged. Our driver, a guy who loved showing all his 32 teeth and who thought he was Micheal Schumaker in the making showed us the entire city when we had just an hour to catch out train back home. I think we knew the city better from the way he stopped at every corner of every street to find out where 'Karalkada', an age-old handloom store was! We finally did manage to find it and oh! what a place!
Karalkada, which Tej and super cool aunty thought, when translated was kara-hand, kada-shop and called it 'handloom shop' but later got to know that it meant seashore'!! A shop which is 200 years old, had some amazing stuff. We settled for a mustard color Mallu saree. Mention must be made of the plastic 'vetthalai' they gave us. Real neat!
Sir wasangry that we were terribly late! We gulped down whatever possible and got into the car! I ve heard people say fights can be easily picked up in Kerala and i witnessed one. Our driver just honked at two men who were in our way and Boing! one bang on the car and the two men just couldn't wait to get their hands on our poor driver who keeps mum just to save himself and us some embarrassement.
Back in the train now. Hmmm no cute guys :( But we do have loads of fun! I coin the term '6:15'!!!!! An achievement of sorts i must tell you! i explain the meaning to Tej, super cool aunty and of course! Small in spite of Tej's angry glares :) Sorry Tej! Hehe :) actually m not sorry! hahahahaha!
Another lovely session of Sir's music and i sang 'Thendral vandhu' for him which he recorded! I just loved that moment :) We settle for the night and Pan Parag and his funny antics kill me! But what an artist! He really is good at his art so hats off to him for that :) Art must always be appreciated.
We reach namma Bengaluru next morning and back to our everyday chores. Lovely trip! Enjoyed every bit of it! I m sure i ve missed out writing a lot of stuff here but hell! certain things cant be penned, they are to be experienced and cherished for life!
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