Heidelberger Bergbahn

Heidelberg is a sleepy little town. I got down at Marktpatz. It was cold and windy. Few people walked the street. As I walked on stone paved roads towards the castle I admired the beautifully decorated shops. Christmas 2007 was a month away. I had come today having heard about seeing snow in heidelberg.

As I crossed the last of the shops I took a right turn which lead to Bergbahn. It is a small station. I collected my tickets after showing my monthly pass. As I waited for my train I wondered around the meuseum. I only did picture reading as the text was in German. The train which came was magnificient and modern. I took an window seat. The trained climbed up. Ride was amazing as the climb was steep. Midway up the hill we reached a small but thins time an old lookin station. Here after some wait i saw what i had come to see. A very old loco much behind our times climb down into the station. It was being pulled by huge pulleys and metal ropes. As one loco climbed down the other climbed up and both connected by this metal rope. The door shut and we were huddled into the loco carriages. The glass windows with wooden and metallic frames closed. The loco started to climb slowly once we had filled after it could accomodate mo more. The wind was getting chill. I had to keep wiping the moisture of the glass. The color had changed from green to white when pur loco came to a halt.

Chilling gusts of wind welocme us as we got down the loco. I missed by gloves which i had lost @my hotel. I quickly tucked my hands into my pockets. Walked out of the station into the wild. The walk through the white jungle was amazing. Kids were playing in the snow. Dogs ran down the down and some crazy guys were even jogging in their shots. I held some snow in my hands till i could hold no longer. My hands went numb. I blew hot air into them for the rest of my walk till the end of the walk before it bent down. The walk back was rather brisk. I had seen it all. I had planned to cook a good meal to kill time this evening. Earlier in the day I had a hearty Chicken Biryani and a glass of wine at the Indian restaurant in Heidelberg. It was neat place and well decorated though i can not recollect its name. But the cold had got me that evening and hence i dropped the idea to cook. Back in Mannheim I walked into Burgerking and grabbed a burger.

The day had come to an end. I had to do some reading for my Project but I would keep this to another day. The day had been lonely but I had felt the company of strange good experiences. I eased into my sofa sipping Martini.

A Marriage

Blink. Journeys which I enjoyed most were the ones which I never planned. They just happen.

A marriage between a Thakur boy from the UP heartland and a Catholic girl from Cochin. Here was a chance to be part of an event of which great tales are made off. But what made this so inviting was the love of adventure the love for the highways . The bike trail to nearlyooty had started it all. This time it would be a car.

The journey from Bangalore to Allepy and back is roughly 1200 kms. The Santro had clocked a mere 1000Kms. The drivers new. Mid Monsoon. All this added that extra bit of adventure. Packed a few casuals. http://maps.live.com/

Day 1
We start at 2 pm from office. Since the entire team knew of our journey we had a grand farewell. It took sometime before we hit the highway to Mysore. Getting used to the highways took sometime. But slowly we picked pace with experience. Crossed Mysore at 5:30. The evening was fast approaching and our destination Coimbatore was still far. Driving on State Highways from Mysore to Coimbatore in night would be the first hurdle. Nanjangud(25Kms south Mysore) is a temple town with a beautiful Shiva temple. From Nanjangud , to make matters worse we took the wrong exit towards Gundulpet while we should have been heading for Chamrajnagar. The road was deserted. I enjoyed the sunset from the backseat of the Santro. For dinner we halt at Chamrajnagar. This would be our last halt before Coimbatore. The terrain was now getting hilly. The roads curvy. We now only meet trucks on the road. A typical problem of driving in the night is most vehicles use high beam. So it was very difficult when we cross vehicles coming from opposite direction. As we near Satyamangalam the road now climbs through the hills. From the top of the hills Satyamangalam glitters. We are running out of time so we give it a miss. We take a bypass to Coimbatore. After nearly 10 hours of starting from bangalore we reach coimbatore. The night we spend at a hotel. Snores and body aches. Well nothing can stop sleep tonite.

Day 2
Early morning we start after a light breakfast. Kerala border is 15 Kms. It takes us nearly 30 minutes before we can get out of the heavy traffic. The roads get narrow and crowded. The way is scenic. We stop for breakfast 100 Kms from Cochin. I have never been a fan of the Kerala style of cooking. While Himanshu and Sidharth feast on appam with egg curry I turn to the tried and tested masala Dosa. This sounds a warning of things to come.

We hurry for the marriage. Reach the church where the ceremony has already started. Unlike Hindu marriages its fast. But the ceremony ends without any drama you would expect from a movie plot. We head staright for the reception. Bolghatty Palace is set in the middle of the back waters. Beautifully decorated, great food. This time its the desert. Shadi karo ta aisa karo.

From here we head for Allepy aka Allapuzha. Its 60 Kms to the south of Cochin. Known for its houseboats and backwaters. We book a house boat. Beware of thugs. At the Boat ferry we meet characters. Most Drunk. Very rude and very cunning. Bargain as much as you can. For Re 3000 we find ourselves a spacious and decent houseboat. Legs spread. Light breeze. Pale sky. The boat glides over the clear waters. Scenic Kerala. People returning from their work on their canoes carved out of coconut trunks. We wonder for a moment on the their life. Later in the evening we chat long hours. Our chef does wonders with the fish fry on board, chicken curry.

Day 3
Woke up a fresh morning. The day is beautiful. Motorised boats are the means of transport. Kids jumping into the waters. We hungrily eat our bread and omelet. A light drizzle starts. It was one of the best coffees as we kept refilling my cups. The backwaters has this mystique appeal. As I bid adios to Allepy my heart yearns for more. I promise to return.

The day is long. We had taken roughly 15 hours to reach Allepy. We had gained some experience. We hoped to make the trip back in quick time. We decide to avoid the Satyamangalam route as the hilly tracks had taken a lot of time. This time we take the Salem (pronounce as Selam) route. Though we did not find the road to our delight. The most difficult part of a trip is the return journey. Exhausted. Longing to back to the comfort of the bedroom. But we did pretty well. We kept up the fun mood. The santro didn't have a music system but still we enjoyed the drive. This time we take nearly 14 hours.

My discovery still remains incomplete. It has just begun..

Nearly Ooty

"How can you be nearly headless ?" asks Hermione Granger.The ghost of Sir Nicholas just flips open his head while it remains hinged on one side.

Our trip was similar in many respects. It was nearly Ooty yet not Ooty. It was a tough gruelling yet so much fun and adevnture. To sum it up ....6 guys 3 bikes 2 days 1 night.

This journey is special. Remains very close to heart.

Naba , Charlez , Bibhuti , Sujeet , Girija and of course myself.
Pulsar 180, Unicorn, Apache. It would be a real test of our endurance as much as it would be for the bikes. The time was winter.
My Pulsar responds exceptionally to the ride conditions. The Apache which had just clocked 900 Kms caused some concern with its over heating engine. It also had that extra bit of vibration @60Kmph. But as we go on the engine comes to terms with the conditions. The Unicorn I would try another day.

The Bangalore ~ Mysore highway is superb. My only regret, as soon as you have picked up speed and cruising you come across a small roadside town or village.
From Mysore to Ooty the road is good in parts. The hills stand tall and beautiful. The best part of the journey is through the Bandipur and Madumalai forests. On our way we spot wild elephants , deer, wild hens, gaurs. If you are a pillion rider the roads through Bandipur (Karnataka) might unseat you. The roads through Madumalai(Tamil Nadu) are a notch better. We pay a friendly tip to the cops on the Tamil Nadu border.

Early morning next day we have a safari. We spot some wild elephants. It wasn't a memorable safari as we couldn't venture deep into the forest. On our return journey we visit the Brindaban gardens. Diwans of Mysore planned and built the gardens in connection with the construction of the dam. Known for its musical fountain. A wonderful engineering marvel of mordern India.

It remains to date my most memorable bike trek.

Goa in Rain

My first visit to Goa was in the winter of 2000. I was in my 3rd year. After that I returned twice. Once in 2004. My last visit was in 2006 during prime monsoon season.

All my visits have been special. The Company of my friends. The beautiful beaches. The sunset. The seafood. The unique architecture. The parties. The adventure. Above all the spirit of Goa.

Candolim , Bagha are good beaches to relax. Try out sea food while basking in the sun. Crabs are a speciality here. Juicy and delicious. Goa was where I learnt how to swim.

KumaraParvata

Cracked a tough puzzle? Got my first salary? Everyday I do something. Sometimes new. Sometimes the same thing differently. Why do we do what we do? Are we looking for something?

"Sense of achievement".

So I don’t have to answer "why do I go trekking?”. It was just to re-live this sensation that KumaraParvata was overwhelmed. I did not believe it when I read about failed attempts by many bloggers. But those 2 days my courage was to put to test.

After an unsuccessful attempt to convince my friends for a Wayanad trip we decided on Kumaraparvta. Nervous beginning. Mangalorian dinner. New people. Butterflies in my stomach. Well when I reflect on it now could not have had a more perfect adventurous start to an uncharted territory.

Base Camp 'Kukke Subramanya'. We prepare for the climb. Found bathrooms dusty yet usable. The first part of the journey was through dense forest. Was a well trodden path winding through the forest with stretches of rocks or fallen trees. Sun rays floating through the trees. We were quick at the start. Climbing higher and higher as we negotiated the forest path. Stopping at intervals to fill our lungs with air. Tired and hungry we came out of the forest into the dry arid grass lands. With every hill or hillock we put behind us we were getting higher and higher. After 4 hrs we came upon a small habitation with mud huts. It was green and looked cool. We hurried the last few steps to reach our 1st pit stop.

Owned by a villager who lives down below at Kukke Subramanya. A hut with a big orchard. Used by trekkers. It’s the 2nd highest peak in Karnataka. After lunch we reach the forest department check post. Our initial plans of camping on top of KP were ruined as we were denied permission to camp. So our only hope was to camp here and start the climb next day early morning.

As evening set in, we set up a small camp fire. Tents setup. We lay outside hardly anybody speaking at all. Had dinner. Later that evening we were visited by a Gayala. Its eyes shone in the darkness. There was a group of school village kids camping as well. We chased the beast into the forest. Didn’t have energy to worry about the biting cold nor the wild beasts. We slept.

Day 3. We had over slept. We were late by more than an hour. Out of the 9 who traveled only 6 of us had the courage to take the next step. We had least idea what lay ahead of us. We had body aches. Muscles tight. The mountain weather was also playing on my mind. When I reflect back I could never have forgiven myself if I had succumbed that day. But it was not to be. It was my day. 6 people start the last phase of the journey to El Dorado.

It was twilight. We move with our torches on for sometime. The early winter morning mountain air felt so good. We almost jog for the next 1 hour. We coax each other. Some falling behind while others vanishing round the corner behind the hills. We reach the first stop. When I looked back I could now see the path right till Kukke Subramanya.

For the next 2 hrs we continue the climb up on the dark side of the parvata. The misty forest. The small river winding through the hills below. The artificial reservoir. The Golden sun rays. We saw it all. What we did not see was the peak. After about 3 hours when we started we all gathered below peak. Here we climbed down through dense rocky forest path to reach a cliff . It was to be a steep climb. What Joy. Indescribeable.

We had a light breakfast. I could not see the Arabian Sea as people had claimed. But who cares, I was on top of the world. And we danced to the tunes of "Kajra re ....".

Over the last 2 days we had trekked for about 10~12 hours. When I look back it still remains my toughest trek till date.

Summer of 2001...

After this journey our lives will never be the same again. This would be incomplete if I donot describe ...
Rajesh : Witty and funloving. A carefree attitude. A childish smile with humor which could bring a smile on anyone's lips. There are no 2 people alike in this world but today I wish there were more like this guy. We were going to be very good friends. I am sure for as long as I am alive I will never forget this guy nor the time we spent together.

Ramakant : Initially he came across as a very arrogant and selfish character. But all this would change. Cannot forget the what happened that evening ...After being drunk he had lit up his umbrella and held it like a torch.

& me...

We didn't know when 3 different stories became a song.

First impression lasts longer ...

First impressions last long ...We had to reach Barauni. Its in Begusarai district in the heart of Bihar. People tried to warn us and frighten us with tales about Bihar. I have been afraid of very few things but this was not one of those things.

My encounters with men in Khaki in the train was an indication of things to expect. I call them the new rulers. When the British left people said everything would change, a free country with no fear. I was born much after the British left but I donot think they would have been much different from these men in Khaki I saw on the train.

After reaching Barauni station we were swarmed with people all ready to take us to our destination in a truly Indian way. Well truly speaking we did not expect such a warm welcome but did we know where would decision lead us. We were in for a ride of our lifetime. We selected our man and decided to go with him. He warmly picked up our luggage and carried it to the bus and then hurled it on top of the bus. There I stood at the door of the bus looking inside where and how would I fit into. Our escort kept on saying there is enough space but where !! On the roof. Like a king we were seated on the roof under the sun with my legs dangling. We captured this moment on reel. So our days in the heart of Bihar started off in a truly Indian way.

Before I write more on this I guess my mom and dad always knew what I was growing up into. But the day I said I was going to Barauni for my summer training they were furious and it took me a lot of effort convincing them. I cannot lie convincingly but when I believe that its for the good of someone I love I get thatstrengtht and I can convince anybody. I am not a liar but I always believe that sometimes a lie said for the good is 100 times better than the truth which could have upset my parents for the entire duration of my stay in Barauni.

We got down at Begusarai bus stand.Looked for some place to stay. Well the search was tiring and the rooms we settled for was a pigeon hole. Our first lunch in Barauni too was spectacular in a way. We ordered and wait seemed to be endless. Then finally what we saw caused my stomach to turn inside out. I saw the Gobi being brought in. We saw an innocent smile at the the corner of the manager's lips. Yes it was for us. Another 30 mins and we had a great feast (not to mention of the half cooked curry).

We meet the Training incharge next day and he made it very clear that we were not welcome. Wecouldn'tt use the IOCL schuttle service. We were not to be providedaccommodationn within the IOCL Towninship. But who cared whatever happened with us.

3 musketeers.

By the end of first week of training we felt like we were rotting away. The pollution, the smell of kerosene in food, the power cuts had pushed us to the edge of our endurance. Moreover there was nothing to do in this sleepy town. Somebody suggested why not go to Nepal. The thought filled us with an excitement. But we needed 5 days for it. We had little money and no holidays. But the call of the Himalayas was too strong. We bunked training and took off. First stop was Muzaffarpur then Raxaul.Raxaul is in Bihar on the border. A bridge(No Mans land) separated India(Raxaul) from Nepal(Birganl). No passport, No Visa. We walked over to the other side and then into Birganj on a rickshaw.

The culture and people were not much different yet it was distinct. Our rickshaw driver wore jeans and goggles.

We took the night bus from Birganj and reached Kathmandu the next morning. We stayed at Nuroad gate ( Marwadi Sevasadan). In peak summer it was so pleasant and cool. In Kathmandu the common means of travel is by autos(electricity driven) and vans. It was a first for me. We visited Pashupatinath temple, Boudha, Pagodas, King's Palace, Durbar square. The next day we visited Manakamana. This was on a rope car. This was a terrific journey and again a first for me.

I flew over the Everest ....

Here we heard of a place called Pokhara.A hill station. It was truly amazing place and luckily quite cheap compared to Kathmandu. Pokhara is a place where we found newly wed couples on their honeymoon. We took the guided tour. We visited Bindhyabhasini Temple, Mahendra Caves, Sati River, Davis fall, Fewa Lake(Nepal's largest lake), Museum. The Mount Everest is very near from here. Lack of resources did not permit us to take the ride. There are 2 ways you can see the Everest. One you take a taxi and watch the sunrise. The other you take a ride on the Russian made single engine glider. This takes you over the Everest. Well at that time it would have cost us 3000 Indian Rupees for a ride on the glider. But that day I promised I would return one day to make that journey over the Himalayas.

That night in my dream I flew over the Everest...

There were other incidents worth mentioning here. During our stay we faced severe resource crunch. We survived on exactly 2 square meals a day. No breakfast no snacks. In Pokhra Ramakanta broke the hotel bed. I had a fight with the hotel staff. 1 against 2. Not much just some boxing and throwing slang's. Ramakanta and Rajesh saved the day for me and got me out safely. For the first time in my life the hotel staff also showed us some cool snaps of Nepali beauty's available for our service. I am not ashamed to admit that it scared the shit out of me.

Hijacked ?

Returning from Birganj to Raxaul we were caught. From no where had all the security checks come up. Here we realized that before crossing over should have filled up a form. Okay after 4 days of hectic traveling we were in no mood to enter into another hassle besides we did not have any proof that we were Indians(we had left our ID cards safely locked up in Begusarai). We coughed up 100 rupees each.

We reached Raxaul bus stand. It was early morning 6 AM. Here we got our escort who helped us find the right bus. We boarded the bus. Soon we feel asleep. After 3 hours when we woke up to ask where were we and how long to reach Begusari we were in for another shock.
We had been hijacked. We had been taken as idiots by our escort and now we were being hijacked to Patna. There was no turning back. We had our lunch in Patna. Then took the next bus to Begusarai.

Never call a cop "Mamu" ....

It was one of my earliest adventures.
Have you ever been to a sea? If your answer is NO you would have believed me if I said its the sea on which this dam is been built. With 15 Kms length Hirakud Dam is the longest dam. It is built on the Mahanadi river.

Winter of 2000.As students we traveled light.First by train then by bus and then by a Ford Trecker to the base. From where (if I remember correctly) we hired an auto to the dam.

Midway at a checkpost we were stopped by 2 cops. First a routine enquiry.. Then it dragged on for sometime. The subinspector was fuming after sometime and was about to bring our journey to a sudden death. Why ?Well someone had whispered "Mamu paisa maguchi"(Mamu ko paisa chahia).

I shouldn't have whispered. Later my friends said they didn't hear me. Well then I guess the cop read my mind. It took a lot of soothing his ego that he finally allowed us to proceed. The scenery was awesome.

I still remember the incident long after the images of the dam and the surroundings have been erased from my memory. I had learnt my first lesson. Its the journey which is more important than the destination. Later I have traveled to so many other places and every journey reiterates the same learning.