I am totally bored with writing this huge travelogue, especially because it is now almost a month since I had the vacation. I guess, I should have started writing this the day I returned, but unfortunately, I was swamped with work when I returned to the office and couldn’t get to this for some time.
But anyway, for the record:
Sunday 25th May –
Visited Somnathpur. Very old temple practically in ruins. Taken over by the ASI, it is a must see place for those interested in historic monuments, especially temples. The architecture inside the main temple is stunning. There is this representation of the various stages of the blooming of the vaazhai poo (flower of a plantain) in the ceiling and words and pictures cannot describe it. A very clear case of MUST SEE TO EXPERIENCE.
Monday 26th May –
Reached Madikeri the previous night. Monday morning was spent at Bhagamandala where there is a mini sangamam of Cauvery, some other stream and a mythological river as usual. A small peaceful place up in the hills and has a Kerala style temple nearby.
After Bhagamandala, it was then off to Tala Cauvery, which is considered to be the origin point for the river Cauvery. Strictly speaking, this small well which is depicted as the origin, may not be the real one. But for many many years now, it has been considered to be the starting point and so we will leave it at that. And all said and done, it is really difficult to trace the origin of a river, so we shall leave civilization to continue treating this point as the origin for the problems between Kannadigas and Tamizhs!
After a small break in the afternoon, we went to a place called Raja’s Seat. This is a small park and has a lot of benches on one end of it. We get to see a very good view of the valley from this place.
After this, we went to the Omkareshwara temple. This is again a small temple but a very neat one. It has a superb little water tank which has really fat fish roaming around. I took a picture of this water body with a small mandapam in the middle. I consider it to be one of my good photos because the lighting was good and also, I did some really good centering of that mandapam!
I think we retired for the day after doing some shopping for spices.
Tuesday 27th May –
The plan for the day was to go visit the tourist spots down-hill. We went to Dubare Elephant camp. Again, this is situated along the banks of Cauvery when it reaches the plains from the mountains. It is a very scenic place filled with rocks and the river flowing at fairly slow pace. Apparently the speed increases drastically after the monsoon sets in, but at the time we went, it was quite slow. As the name of the place contains the words “elephant camp”, one can see a lot of elephants albeit with mahouts. They give a bath to these elephants on the river bank and also allow the visitors to join the elephant bathing. My mother was a gleeful participant and scrubbed one elephant for a couple of minutes. We tried to go on the elephant ride, but unfortunately, these authorities said that the wait was going to be very long and so we had to skip it.
After spending a very pleasing and peaceful time there, we set off to the next spot called Nisargha Dhaama. It is basically a bamboo grove, again on the banks of the Cauvery. This place is quite peaceful and there is an elephant ride here too. The wait time was much less here and so was the time spent on the elephant. After the ride was completed, we fed cucumbers to the elephant and also to the deer in an enclosure nearby.
It was lunch time and once that was done, we took off to the Tibetan settlement nearby. These refugees (at least that’s how they started off in these parts of India) have established quite a big settlement. The main tourist attraction here is their monastery. I haven’t been to Tibet and would like to assume that this is how Tibetan monasteries would look like. These were very big structures and well painted in bright colors and a liberal sprinkling of gold – plating or paint. I don’t know. Inside one of these temples, are 3 statues plated in gold. Each of these is 58-60 feet tall and is for Lord Buddha and his principle disciples according to Tibetan beliefs. The walls of the temple feature a lot of painting that apparently depict a lot of Buddhist philosophy. All in all, it is another experience that gets classified under “different”.
Afterwards, we went back up the hill to see the Abbey falls. Abbey in the local tribal speak actually means waterfall and so in a way this was “waterfall waterfall”. The trek leading up to the falls is quite an interesting one. You are actually walking along a fenced path which has a lot of coffee plants on either side for a long stretch. After that, it is plain wild growth and features VERY tall trees and a lot of foliage that only a botanist or a local can identify. You get to hear a lot of insects buzzing too and I believe, there are many leeches of the blood sucking kind available in abundance. After this trek, you get to see a small but beautiful waterfall of probably 70 feet height. This is not one of those “bathing falls” and so I was able to enjoy watching the waterfall. We then called it a day since the trek really drained the energy left with my parents.
Wednesday 28th May –
We started off to Mysore and before reaching the station, had a very brief stopover at Nanjangud which is yet another old (but active) Shiva temple the visit was very brief because my mother got very paranoid about missing our train. So we rushed back to the main city, had a quick lunch at the other Dasaprakash and then reached the station with some 40 minutes to spare. We paid off the driver and gave him a good tip as well.
The Shatabdi train to Chennai from Mysore started on time. My parents thoroughly enjoyed their first trip on the Shatabdi. A point to note: there are juice packets/biscuit packets etc. that were given in the train, still lying inside my fridge!
So, this concludes my travelogue for the real vacation I took after many years. I returned to office on the 29th with full excitement and energy and had everything drained out barely 2 hours after I opened my mail box!
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 6
It was getting quite late by the time we set out to the Brindavan Gardens. The road that we took to reach the Gardens was filled with vehicles and it was quite obvious that a very sizeable portion of the traffic was headed where we were going.
Since the traffic was getting heavier, our driver decided that he had to do all he could to ensure that his passengers saw the dancing fountains at the appointed time. The entire stretch of road from Mysore city to Brindavan Gardens was just an assorted collection of potholes. But this didn’t deter the noble intentions of our driver to take us to the show on time. He started to overtake vehicles from the left. Sometimes he even started driving on the right hand side of the road just to pass some 3 or 4 cars in front of us. I was having a ring-side view of the action since I was seated in the front, next to the driver.
He didn’t care for potholes; of course, if he started to, then we would have reached the Gardens only the next morning. By the time we neared the Gardens, it was clear that the parking lot was full. Cars had come out to the road and there were even big buses waiting on the main road. Our driver decided to drop us near the entrance and then go somewhere for parking. Luckily, he got a slot in the lot near the entrance and we proceeded towards the Gardens. By now, it was past twilight and officially night.
Once inside the Gardens, I was able to relate to most of the fountains. It was an area full of Patel Points and I joined in the fun. At some point during our walk in the Gardens, my mother made the comment “Idhu atthanaiyyum enga oorukku vara vaendiya thanni…paavigala….” (“All this water has to flow to my town you sinners”). Considering the general Karnataka-TN political water wars it was quite a bold statement to be made at Brindavan Gardens. Thankfully, the place is filled only with tourists and I am assuming that barely 10% of it would have been Kannadigas and even those would be the ones who don’t know Tamizh.
So without any incidents, we were able to proceed with our walk around the Gardens. Since it was getting late, we couldn’t stay back to enjoy the Garden some more. After we came out, we had to wait for nearly 15-20 minutes for Raji. She had also come there with her friends, but was on the other side of the Gardens. It took her and Mahendran that long on the phone to sort out their co-ordinates (with some help from me too). We then took off towards Mysore to have dinner and then officially wrap up the day.
After another exciting drive, we dropped Uthra and co. at their residence. We went back to the same restaurant where we had lunch. But now, we had to wait for a while before we got a table. My parents and even Mahendran to a certain extent had a quick nap in this gap. Raji joined us late since her friend took a wrong turn on the return and it took them a while to retrace their path in the darkness.
So after an arduous day (at least for my parents), we finally returned to our hotel. We planned to start a little late in the morning next day, with the main (and probably sole) agenda being the visit to Somnathpur. This was because I wanted to leave Mysore in the afternoon, so that we could avoid driving in the mountain route to Madikeri at night. The additional factor was also that my room was booked only for one day and I thought I could get a free hour or two before I check-out of the hotel. Unfortunately the hotel guys had other ideas.
Since the traffic was getting heavier, our driver decided that he had to do all he could to ensure that his passengers saw the dancing fountains at the appointed time. The entire stretch of road from Mysore city to Brindavan Gardens was just an assorted collection of potholes. But this didn’t deter the noble intentions of our driver to take us to the show on time. He started to overtake vehicles from the left. Sometimes he even started driving on the right hand side of the road just to pass some 3 or 4 cars in front of us. I was having a ring-side view of the action since I was seated in the front, next to the driver.
He didn’t care for potholes; of course, if he started to, then we would have reached the Gardens only the next morning. By the time we neared the Gardens, it was clear that the parking lot was full. Cars had come out to the road and there were even big buses waiting on the main road. Our driver decided to drop us near the entrance and then go somewhere for parking. Luckily, he got a slot in the lot near the entrance and we proceeded towards the Gardens. By now, it was past twilight and officially night.
Once inside the Gardens, I was able to relate to most of the fountains. It was an area full of Patel Points and I joined in the fun. At some point during our walk in the Gardens, my mother made the comment “Idhu atthanaiyyum enga oorukku vara vaendiya thanni…paavigala….” (“All this water has to flow to my town you sinners”). Considering the general Karnataka-TN political water wars it was quite a bold statement to be made at Brindavan Gardens. Thankfully, the place is filled only with tourists and I am assuming that barely 10% of it would have been Kannadigas and even those would be the ones who don’t know Tamizh.
So without any incidents, we were able to proceed with our walk around the Gardens. Since it was getting late, we couldn’t stay back to enjoy the Garden some more. After we came out, we had to wait for nearly 15-20 minutes for Raji. She had also come there with her friends, but was on the other side of the Gardens. It took her and Mahendran that long on the phone to sort out their co-ordinates (with some help from me too). We then took off towards Mysore to have dinner and then officially wrap up the day.
After another exciting drive, we dropped Uthra and co. at their residence. We went back to the same restaurant where we had lunch. But now, we had to wait for a while before we got a table. My parents and even Mahendran to a certain extent had a quick nap in this gap. Raji joined us late since her friend took a wrong turn on the return and it took them a while to retrace their path in the darkness.
So after an arduous day (at least for my parents), we finally returned to our hotel. We planned to start a little late in the morning next day, with the main (and probably sole) agenda being the visit to Somnathpur. This was because I wanted to leave Mysore in the afternoon, so that we could avoid driving in the mountain route to Madikeri at night. The additional factor was also that my room was booked only for one day and I thought I could get a free hour or two before I check-out of the hotel. Unfortunately the hotel guys had other ideas.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 5
The campus at Mysore has nothing to do with work. Let me make it clear. It has enough facilities inside to keep you from working. Honestly, I am amazed that clients actually come to this campus and still award us projects. Of course, most of the facilities are available only outside of normal business hours. But still, the very fact that it is there on campus is going to make one seize the earliest available opportunity to use them.
So what facilities are we talking about? Here is the list:
1. Huge swimming pool with water fountains in the middle
2. Swimming pool area surrounded by sun-bathing style chairs
3. A juice shop near the pool
4. Big aerobics room
5. Bigger room for music lessons
6. Probably a bigger room for yoga
Note: All these above rooms have appropriate flooring, insulation, equipments etc.
7. 8 lane bowling alley with one game costing barely 50 bucks
8. 8 courts for badminton
9. Very big gym – easily some 2000 sq.ft
10. Billiards room with 10 tables
11. 4 squash courts
12. 20 or so table tennis tables
Note: All these above areas are air-conditioned
13. Big cricket ground – almost the size of the Marina ground with a much greener outfield
14. 10 tennis courts – hard courts and synthetic surface
15. 6 basketball courts
16. 4 volleyball courts
17. I am sure there is a golf course thrown in somewhere
18. A multiplex movie theatre with 4 screens; each with a 150 seat capacity.
19. Grocery style store to buy daily/weekly/monthly needs
20. Gift shop
21. Beauty parlor for women
22. Beauty parlor for men
23. Cosmetics shop
24. Clothes store selling company branded articles and other branded articles
25. A restaurant built around a small pond; the pond had big fish too
These are the things that I remember. I am sure I have left out many other shops/facilities, but I think the above list is enough for one to get a fair idea of how the campus is equipped. Along with all these things, there are hostels everywhere. Each hostel is basically a two-bed room. The rooms are without exaggeration at a 3-star level.
Give all this to someone fresh out of college and throw in lush greenery for acres and acres, it is no surprise that 90% of the trainees want to be in Mysore itself. The trainees have other reasons that are a side-effect of such an environment, but only after seeing the campus do I understand why so many want to remain there. Hell, I would like to stay there myself!
Anyways, this grand tour did delay our schedule slightly and finally we returned to our hotel to pick up my parents, after picking up Uthra and co. en route.
So what facilities are we talking about? Here is the list:
1. Huge swimming pool with water fountains in the middle
2. Swimming pool area surrounded by sun-bathing style chairs
3. A juice shop near the pool
4. Big aerobics room
5. Bigger room for music lessons
6. Probably a bigger room for yoga
Note: All these above rooms have appropriate flooring, insulation, equipments etc.
7. 8 lane bowling alley with one game costing barely 50 bucks
8. 8 courts for badminton
9. Very big gym – easily some 2000 sq.ft
10. Billiards room with 10 tables
11. 4 squash courts
12. 20 or so table tennis tables
Note: All these above areas are air-conditioned
13. Big cricket ground – almost the size of the Marina ground with a much greener outfield
14. 10 tennis courts – hard courts and synthetic surface
15. 6 basketball courts
16. 4 volleyball courts
17. I am sure there is a golf course thrown in somewhere
18. A multiplex movie theatre with 4 screens; each with a 150 seat capacity.
19. Grocery style store to buy daily/weekly/monthly needs
20. Gift shop
21. Beauty parlor for women
22. Beauty parlor for men
23. Cosmetics shop
24. Clothes store selling company branded articles and other branded articles
25. A restaurant built around a small pond; the pond had big fish too
These are the things that I remember. I am sure I have left out many other shops/facilities, but I think the above list is enough for one to get a fair idea of how the campus is equipped. Along with all these things, there are hostels everywhere. Each hostel is basically a two-bed room. The rooms are without exaggeration at a 3-star level.
Give all this to someone fresh out of college and throw in lush greenery for acres and acres, it is no surprise that 90% of the trainees want to be in Mysore itself. The trainees have other reasons that are a side-effect of such an environment, but only after seeing the campus do I understand why so many want to remain there. Hell, I would like to stay there myself!
Anyways, this grand tour did delay our schedule slightly and finally we returned to our hotel to pick up my parents, after picking up Uthra and co. en route.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 4
We decided to visit the temple, with the standard “having come thus far, let us at least make an attempt”. As we neared the temple, I realized that my memory of visiting this place 12 years ago (as part of my Study Tour in my 3rd year while at college) was blank. I didn’t remember the route to the temple, didn’t remember the temple and didn’t remember the general neighborhood.
Since there was a very heavy rush, we decided to take the special darshan route; a route which was charged at Rs.100 per adult head. Surprisingly, the counter issuing the special darshan tickets was itself very crowded and we got ours after a good 10-15 minute wait in line. Thanks to the special ticket and of course the relatively small interiors of the temple, we were able to have a quick darshan and come out very quickly.
We came out of the temple and took the mandatory pictures with the gopuram as the background. We headed back to the car and then it was off to visit the Mysore Palace. We didn’t stop over at the Nandi temple and had a quick 5 second glance from the road.
Once again, when we entered the Mysore palace, I didn’t remember too much of this place either. I only had very vague memories of the outer of the building but that could very well be due to the pictures one comes across in various media. But during our visit inside, I was able to relate to couple of places. Yet there was one memory where I was in this room filled with various swords and other weapons used by the Maharaja, but I was not able to see that room this time around. Perhaps it was closed for maintenance! The palace, for those who have not visited it, is simply magnificent.
By the time we came out of the palace, my parents were quite exhausted since it was well beyond 1.30 PM. We then returned to our cab and headed out to Hotel Dasaprakash Paradise for lunch, yet another place very strongly recommended by Raji. As has been frequently observed in our group, what she likes most of us don’t and what we like she doesn’t. The restaurant we went to was no different.
A bunch of us ordered their special thali meals. Mahendran and I were trying to figure out one of the side-dishes that was served for the Roti, when my father discovered that it was actually bisi bhella baath!!!
After we wound up our lunch and gathered around the lobby, I chanced to meet upon the brother-in-law of a close friend of mine. This person is actually staying in Adyar and I rarely if ever, meet him. It was ironical in a way that both of us met each other at a city where neither of us resides!
After the lunch was done with, we started from the Hotel leaving behind Raji, since she was planning to join some friends of hers who had come there. She would then accompany them to Brindavan Gardens which was supposed to be where we were headed for the evening.
But my parents were naturally a bit tired with the car journey and the late lunch. I decided to let them take rest in our hotel room, whilst Mahendran and I would go to the Mysore campus of my company. We were going to drop off Uthra and Co. and pick them up on our way back.
I had a brief stop-over at Uthra’s place, to take a look at her house. Dunno if it is considered auspicious or not, but before I set foot in their house I spotted this “pooraan” and her MIL killed it; I helped in removing the carcass.
We then headed to our office in Mysore and what I saw there is going to remain etched even in my RAM like memory for a long time to come.
Since there was a very heavy rush, we decided to take the special darshan route; a route which was charged at Rs.100 per adult head. Surprisingly, the counter issuing the special darshan tickets was itself very crowded and we got ours after a good 10-15 minute wait in line. Thanks to the special ticket and of course the relatively small interiors of the temple, we were able to have a quick darshan and come out very quickly.
We came out of the temple and took the mandatory pictures with the gopuram as the background. We headed back to the car and then it was off to visit the Mysore Palace. We didn’t stop over at the Nandi temple and had a quick 5 second glance from the road.
Once again, when we entered the Mysore palace, I didn’t remember too much of this place either. I only had very vague memories of the outer of the building but that could very well be due to the pictures one comes across in various media. But during our visit inside, I was able to relate to couple of places. Yet there was one memory where I was in this room filled with various swords and other weapons used by the Maharaja, but I was not able to see that room this time around. Perhaps it was closed for maintenance! The palace, for those who have not visited it, is simply magnificent.
By the time we came out of the palace, my parents were quite exhausted since it was well beyond 1.30 PM. We then returned to our cab and headed out to Hotel Dasaprakash Paradise for lunch, yet another place very strongly recommended by Raji. As has been frequently observed in our group, what she likes most of us don’t and what we like she doesn’t. The restaurant we went to was no different.
A bunch of us ordered their special thali meals. Mahendran and I were trying to figure out one of the side-dishes that was served for the Roti, when my father discovered that it was actually bisi bhella baath!!!
After we wound up our lunch and gathered around the lobby, I chanced to meet upon the brother-in-law of a close friend of mine. This person is actually staying in Adyar and I rarely if ever, meet him. It was ironical in a way that both of us met each other at a city where neither of us resides!
After the lunch was done with, we started from the Hotel leaving behind Raji, since she was planning to join some friends of hers who had come there. She would then accompany them to Brindavan Gardens which was supposed to be where we were headed for the evening.
But my parents were naturally a bit tired with the car journey and the late lunch. I decided to let them take rest in our hotel room, whilst Mahendran and I would go to the Mysore campus of my company. We were going to drop off Uthra and Co. and pick them up on our way back.
I had a brief stop-over at Uthra’s place, to take a look at her house. Dunno if it is considered auspicious or not, but before I set foot in their house I spotted this “pooraan” and her MIL killed it; I helped in removing the carcass.
We then headed to our office in Mysore and what I saw there is going to remain etched even in my RAM like memory for a long time to come.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 3
I had booked a family room asking for an extra bed. The room that we entered into was a normal sized one with just about free space to put in the extra mattress. The pillows on the bed were slightly larger than a folder hand towel. The room was very poorly lit and had only 2 wall lamps which were powered by 15W bulbs I think. There was a dressing table with mirror hidden in one corner of the room where there was no light. There was an AC which seemed to respond to the various buttons pressed on the remote with a nice click sound, but always responded with its standard setting that had it pumping mildly cool air into the room!
Anyways, it was time for us to freshen up and my dad decided to use the bathroom first. He came out after 15 minutes or so and informed us that we don’t get cold water in the taps! I mean, usually the hot water availability in a hotel is subject to timing, so I was surprised to hear him say something like this. I checked whether he was referring to the normal water pipe giving out warm water (like it does at Chennai due to the heat) and he clarified that all the taps in the bathroom were giving out scalding hot water direct from the geyser/water-heater. I went ahead and checked the taps and found his claims to be true. We rang up the housekeeping staff who then came up to inspect the situation. He then said that he’d switch off something somewhere and that would ensure that we get the correct type of water from the taps. Thankfully he did what he promised and so things were normal.
While my mother was using the bathroom, I decided to step out of the hotel and buy the toothbrush that I so badly needed. On the way back, I checked with a tourist car operator next to my hotel about the costs involved in hiring a car up for my Madikeri trip. He gave me a quote with various options like – just a drop and then a pickup at the day I wanted to return and retaining the car throughout the 3 days. I simply noted down the numbers and returned to my room.
My friends then called me to inform that they were all on the way and would be in the hotel in another 20 minutes or so. It was then my turn to use the bathroom and after getting ready, I went down to the lobby to meet my friends. Mahendran and Raji were there in the restaurant to have their breakfast and Uthra decided to use this interval to do some sari shopping for her landlord!
Finally all of us took off around 10.45 AM I think (not sure about the exact hour since it is now 2 weeks since I went there). The driver of the Sumo that was hired by us, suggested us to first go to Chamundi Hills. Since there were mutual introductions required between Uthra’s family and mine, the journey towards Chamundi Hills started off on that note itself. Surprisingly there wasn’t much of the “oho, neenga avaalloda ivaalla” or “neenga ingayaa vaelai paaninaell? Ungallukku innaara theriyumo?” etc.
Uthra’s daughter Shruthi was one non-stop giggling machine. Ask her what her name was and the first response would be a 10 second giggle and then if you were lucky, you would get to hear her say her name. Ask her a question immediately after she answers one and you are likely to be confronted with a giggle that would be louder and last some 5 seconds longer. By the end of the trip I was really amazed about her capacity to giggle so much.
We reached Chamundi Hills around noon and were immediately confronted with a large crowd. We got into a deliberation over whether we should actually proceed with the darshan or simply move to our next stop – the Mysore Palace.
Anyways, it was time for us to freshen up and my dad decided to use the bathroom first. He came out after 15 minutes or so and informed us that we don’t get cold water in the taps! I mean, usually the hot water availability in a hotel is subject to timing, so I was surprised to hear him say something like this. I checked whether he was referring to the normal water pipe giving out warm water (like it does at Chennai due to the heat) and he clarified that all the taps in the bathroom were giving out scalding hot water direct from the geyser/water-heater. I went ahead and checked the taps and found his claims to be true. We rang up the housekeeping staff who then came up to inspect the situation. He then said that he’d switch off something somewhere and that would ensure that we get the correct type of water from the taps. Thankfully he did what he promised and so things were normal.
While my mother was using the bathroom, I decided to step out of the hotel and buy the toothbrush that I so badly needed. On the way back, I checked with a tourist car operator next to my hotel about the costs involved in hiring a car up for my Madikeri trip. He gave me a quote with various options like – just a drop and then a pickup at the day I wanted to return and retaining the car throughout the 3 days. I simply noted down the numbers and returned to my room.
My friends then called me to inform that they were all on the way and would be in the hotel in another 20 minutes or so. It was then my turn to use the bathroom and after getting ready, I went down to the lobby to meet my friends. Mahendran and Raji were there in the restaurant to have their breakfast and Uthra decided to use this interval to do some sari shopping for her landlord!
Finally all of us took off around 10.45 AM I think (not sure about the exact hour since it is now 2 weeks since I went there). The driver of the Sumo that was hired by us, suggested us to first go to Chamundi Hills. Since there were mutual introductions required between Uthra’s family and mine, the journey towards Chamundi Hills started off on that note itself. Surprisingly there wasn’t much of the “oho, neenga avaalloda ivaalla” or “neenga ingayaa vaelai paaninaell? Ungallukku innaara theriyumo?” etc.
Uthra’s daughter Shruthi was one non-stop giggling machine. Ask her what her name was and the first response would be a 10 second giggle and then if you were lucky, you would get to hear her say her name. Ask her a question immediately after she answers one and you are likely to be confronted with a giggle that would be louder and last some 5 seconds longer. By the end of the trip I was really amazed about her capacity to giggle so much.
We reached Chamundi Hills around noon and were immediately confronted with a large crowd. We got into a deliberation over whether we should actually proceed with the darshan or simply move to our next stop – the Mysore Palace.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 2
The noise was basically the toothbrush falling out of my shirt pocket, bouncing on the footrest and taking the exit route out of the closet on to get in touch with the sleeper logs and pebbles on the railway track. The tube of toothpaste was probably inspired by this valiant act of the toothbrush and decided to take the jump out of my shirt pocket. Unlike its predecessor, however, it couldn’t make a smooth exit and landed between the footrest and the edge of the toilet. I had no choice but to nudge it towards its destination.
Feeling like a complete idiot first thing in the morning, I simply washed my face and returned to my seat. I narrated my sad story to my mother, who much like Abhishek’s mother (read the last portion of this post) gave me a quick admonishment on my irresponsible behavior and having at least the sense not to keep my phone/watch in that pocket (actually it was only my morning laziness that prevented me from taking my phone from the jeans and restore it to its usual position in the shirt pocket) and handed me her tube of toothpaste. My father remained a bemused spectator to the whole event. I then proceeded to brush my teeth using the loaned toothpaste and my own right index finger!
After this auspicious start to the day, I was eagerly looking forward to a refreshing cuppa. But for some vague reason, the coffee vendors seemed to have closed shop by 7 AM itself. My parents were of course waiting even more eagerly than I was for the same reason, but to no avail.
Not wanting to stay put in that coach and with an equally eager intent to wake up my friends, in case they were still sleeping, I walked over to their coach. I was disappointed on that count as well; since Mahendran was already wide awake when I checked his berth and Raji had also just woken up and was pondering about her next activity. The 3 of us then went out and stood near the exit doors to discuss our plans for the day. I think we actually made a clear order of the places to visit, but as history would record in its annals, we didn’t execute that plan to the letter, but we stuck to it in spirit.
We retreated back to the coach and finally found one of those omnipresent railway food vendors coming towards us with a can of coffee. We ordered our coffees and also ordered the local delicacy that was on offer – the Madur vadai, so-called because it is a vadai made in the town of Madur. It was strongly recommended by Raji with the claim that it was very tasty and very different. I don’t remember the exact details now because it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. But if I remember right, it is a flat vadai, like the ones you would find when a vadai maalai is saathufied on Lord Anjaneya. But the taste of the Madur vadai, was very unlike the aforementioned one. This one tasted a little bit like that, but also had a liberal dose of the medhu vadai taste, while also resembling its distant cousin the aamai vadai.
After I gulped down my coffee, I went back to my coach to check if my folks had had their share of the elixir. They had. By then, the train was nearing Mysore and we finally reached Mysore around 8.30 AM. As usual, before the train came to a complete halt, a swarm of porters rushing into the cabin. But this time around, I refused to avail the services of one and with the help of my parents, I managed to get the luggage on to the platform in one go.
We then bid farewell to Mahendran and Raji at the station since they were headed to the hostel in the office campus and we were headed towards the Jag Mohan Art Palace, since our hotel was located opposite this landmark. The plan was that, Mahendran and Raji would refresh themselves and come to my hotel with the car that Uthra had booked. Breakfast would in all probability have to be independent affairs to save time.
The hotel staff at the reception were quite a courteous lot but were apparently new to the concept of using computers. After spending 5 minutes with them, showing my internet booking voucher and explaining the type of room I’d booked, it was quite apparent that these folks were new to the hotel and not so experienced using computers. They took so much time that at one point, they suggested that we have our breakfast first and they would sort out the allocation of the correct room for me.
We were quite famished and warmed up to this suggestion. We moved on to the restaurant section and had our breakfast. The taste of the food there was quite unlike the standard Kannadiga food that people talk about – sweet sambhar and the likes. The sambhar here was actually spicy, but the size of their idly and vadai were matching local settings – these were real big ones. The food was okay in the overall sense and after paying the bill we were informed that the room was ready. One of the bellboys took our luggage in a cramped lift and insisted that the 3 of us also join him. When we got out at our floor, and followed the bellboy, we found the corridor to be quite narrow. After reaching the end of the corridor, the guy opened a room and let us inside. One look inside and it was clear that we had received a bad deal.
Feeling like a complete idiot first thing in the morning, I simply washed my face and returned to my seat. I narrated my sad story to my mother, who much like Abhishek’s mother (read the last portion of this post) gave me a quick admonishment on my irresponsible behavior and having at least the sense not to keep my phone/watch in that pocket (actually it was only my morning laziness that prevented me from taking my phone from the jeans and restore it to its usual position in the shirt pocket) and handed me her tube of toothpaste. My father remained a bemused spectator to the whole event. I then proceeded to brush my teeth using the loaned toothpaste and my own right index finger!
After this auspicious start to the day, I was eagerly looking forward to a refreshing cuppa. But for some vague reason, the coffee vendors seemed to have closed shop by 7 AM itself. My parents were of course waiting even more eagerly than I was for the same reason, but to no avail.
Not wanting to stay put in that coach and with an equally eager intent to wake up my friends, in case they were still sleeping, I walked over to their coach. I was disappointed on that count as well; since Mahendran was already wide awake when I checked his berth and Raji had also just woken up and was pondering about her next activity. The 3 of us then went out and stood near the exit doors to discuss our plans for the day. I think we actually made a clear order of the places to visit, but as history would record in its annals, we didn’t execute that plan to the letter, but we stuck to it in spirit.
We retreated back to the coach and finally found one of those omnipresent railway food vendors coming towards us with a can of coffee. We ordered our coffees and also ordered the local delicacy that was on offer – the Madur vadai, so-called because it is a vadai made in the town of Madur. It was strongly recommended by Raji with the claim that it was very tasty and very different. I don’t remember the exact details now because it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. But if I remember right, it is a flat vadai, like the ones you would find when a vadai maalai is saathufied on Lord Anjaneya. But the taste of the Madur vadai, was very unlike the aforementioned one. This one tasted a little bit like that, but also had a liberal dose of the medhu vadai taste, while also resembling its distant cousin the aamai vadai.
After I gulped down my coffee, I went back to my coach to check if my folks had had their share of the elixir. They had. By then, the train was nearing Mysore and we finally reached Mysore around 8.30 AM. As usual, before the train came to a complete halt, a swarm of porters rushing into the cabin. But this time around, I refused to avail the services of one and with the help of my parents, I managed to get the luggage on to the platform in one go.
We then bid farewell to Mahendran and Raji at the station since they were headed to the hostel in the office campus and we were headed towards the Jag Mohan Art Palace, since our hotel was located opposite this landmark. The plan was that, Mahendran and Raji would refresh themselves and come to my hotel with the car that Uthra had booked. Breakfast would in all probability have to be independent affairs to save time.
The hotel staff at the reception were quite a courteous lot but were apparently new to the concept of using computers. After spending 5 minutes with them, showing my internet booking voucher and explaining the type of room I’d booked, it was quite apparent that these folks were new to the hotel and not so experienced using computers. They took so much time that at one point, they suggested that we have our breakfast first and they would sort out the allocation of the correct room for me.
We were quite famished and warmed up to this suggestion. We moved on to the restaurant section and had our breakfast. The taste of the food there was quite unlike the standard Kannadiga food that people talk about – sweet sambhar and the likes. The sambhar here was actually spicy, but the size of their idly and vadai were matching local settings – these were real big ones. The food was okay in the overall sense and after paying the bill we were informed that the room was ready. One of the bellboys took our luggage in a cramped lift and insisted that the 3 of us also join him. When we got out at our floor, and followed the bellboy, we found the corridor to be quite narrow. After reaching the end of the corridor, the guy opened a room and let us inside. One look inside and it was clear that we had received a bad deal.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 1
I went on a long vacation with my parents after nearly 4.5 years - the last one was in Jan 2004. This vacation was easily one of the best I've had with my parents. I got to see few sites of historic importance, sites of cultural significance and sites brimming with nature at its beautiful best.
However, I wouldn’t say that the tour started off on a correct note. You see, we had packed around 5 bags (including my backpack) and when we got out of the car at Chennai Central Railway Station (to board the Cauvery Express to Mysore at around 9 PM on the 23rd of May 2008), we were swamped by porters. I warded off a couple of them, but one old man stayed put. My parents somehow decided that they wouldn’t be able to get the luggage to the train. So much against my wishes, they hired this guy.
The old man was definitely a frail looking chap, but one who insisted on earning every rupee by working. I mean, he refused to let me take up even one piece of luggage and except my backpack he was carrying all the other pieces. I somehow felt extremely embarrassed having to make use of a porter and an old one at that, but I had no choice. He took the luggage right up the door of the carriage and even insisted on loading it inside. I decided to put a stop to the show at least at that point and took the luggage inside.
We were actually able to get tickets in the 3rd AC coach, though I was trying for 2nd AC. But the travel agent really screwed up the booking and net-net we got 2 side upper berths and 1 middle berth (for me!). I had planned to work out an exchange with some well meaning soul inside the compartment. Unfortunately, all such entities (if any in this World) were not in this coach.
Moreover, the coach was filled with kids and young mothers and it was very evident that the "ladies & childrens" factor would kick in and we would get nothing in turn. The worst part was that in the cubicle (is it called a cubicle?) where we were allotted seats, the lower berths were going to be occupied by a family of 3 with the youngest being a 15 year old girl and the oldest being a 40 year old guy. The parents were quite protective of their child and as someone who has experienced similar upbringing myself, I did feel a li’l sorry for that kid, but I digress.
In effect, I was unable to get a lower berth for my parents and my request to the TTE fell on deaf ears. So I let my father take the middle berth and my mother went up to one of the side upper berths. Before going to sleep, I just went to the 2nd AC coach where my friends Mahendran and Raji had their reservations. I guess the travel agent ensured that they got the 2nd AC since it was an official trip!
By the time I visited them around 10.15 PM, I found that the entire coach was already in slumber mode and my friends were no exceptions. I returned to my coach and by then the obnoxious little weeds (thank you Mathew Hayden) had sort of settled down. I went up to my berth and started trying to sleep. I say “trying” because, I couldn’t sleep for around 10 or 15 minutes due to the following reasons:
1. The yellow colored night lamp was strategically positioned to look into my eyes from a distance of 12-15 inches
2. I suddenly heard a voice from the lower berth, with the teeth gritting maternal tone that only mothers of boisterous kids possess, saying the words “Abhishek, ippo ozhunga thoonga poraya illaya?”
I finally managed to fall asleep, though I wouldn’t claim it being peaceful and uninterrupted. I woke up the next morning around 6.30 AM and the train had passed Bangalore by then. I also noticed that many people in the coach were up and my parents weren’t the exceptions either. So I got off the berth and took the toothpaste and brush from my backpack and went to the toilet to freshen up myself.
Once inside, I remembered that my jeans was actually quite long and to avoid it getting wet in the toilet, I bent down to fold the jeans around my ankle. That’s when I heard a minor clanking sound and there on the metal surface of the Indian Style closet was my...
However, I wouldn’t say that the tour started off on a correct note. You see, we had packed around 5 bags (including my backpack) and when we got out of the car at Chennai Central Railway Station (to board the Cauvery Express to Mysore at around 9 PM on the 23rd of May 2008), we were swamped by porters. I warded off a couple of them, but one old man stayed put. My parents somehow decided that they wouldn’t be able to get the luggage to the train. So much against my wishes, they hired this guy.
The old man was definitely a frail looking chap, but one who insisted on earning every rupee by working. I mean, he refused to let me take up even one piece of luggage and except my backpack he was carrying all the other pieces. I somehow felt extremely embarrassed having to make use of a porter and an old one at that, but I had no choice. He took the luggage right up the door of the carriage and even insisted on loading it inside. I decided to put a stop to the show at least at that point and took the luggage inside.
We were actually able to get tickets in the 3rd AC coach, though I was trying for 2nd AC. But the travel agent really screwed up the booking and net-net we got 2 side upper berths and 1 middle berth (for me!). I had planned to work out an exchange with some well meaning soul inside the compartment. Unfortunately, all such entities (if any in this World) were not in this coach.
Moreover, the coach was filled with kids and young mothers and it was very evident that the "ladies & childrens" factor would kick in and we would get nothing in turn. The worst part was that in the cubicle (is it called a cubicle?) where we were allotted seats, the lower berths were going to be occupied by a family of 3 with the youngest being a 15 year old girl and the oldest being a 40 year old guy. The parents were quite protective of their child and as someone who has experienced similar upbringing myself, I did feel a li’l sorry for that kid, but I digress.
In effect, I was unable to get a lower berth for my parents and my request to the TTE fell on deaf ears. So I let my father take the middle berth and my mother went up to one of the side upper berths. Before going to sleep, I just went to the 2nd AC coach where my friends Mahendran and Raji had their reservations. I guess the travel agent ensured that they got the 2nd AC since it was an official trip!
By the time I visited them around 10.15 PM, I found that the entire coach was already in slumber mode and my friends were no exceptions. I returned to my coach and by then the obnoxious little weeds (thank you Mathew Hayden) had sort of settled down. I went up to my berth and started trying to sleep. I say “trying” because, I couldn’t sleep for around 10 or 15 minutes due to the following reasons:
1. The yellow colored night lamp was strategically positioned to look into my eyes from a distance of 12-15 inches
2. I suddenly heard a voice from the lower berth, with the teeth gritting maternal tone that only mothers of boisterous kids possess, saying the words “Abhishek, ippo ozhunga thoonga poraya illaya?”
I finally managed to fall asleep, though I wouldn’t claim it being peaceful and uninterrupted. I woke up the next morning around 6.30 AM and the train had passed Bangalore by then. I also noticed that many people in the coach were up and my parents weren’t the exceptions either. So I got off the berth and took the toothpaste and brush from my backpack and went to the toilet to freshen up myself.
Once inside, I remembered that my jeans was actually quite long and to avoid it getting wet in the toilet, I bent down to fold the jeans around my ankle. That’s when I heard a minor clanking sound and there on the metal surface of the Indian Style closet was my...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Me back
I am back from my vacation; returned home on Wednesday night. It was one of the best vacations I've had - probably The Best.
BUT, ever since I reported to work on Thursday morning, I've been swamped with work. There are 3 proposals that we need to submit to a client and all of them have the same deadline date. So much so, that I've been working late in the office, returning home and continuing work. My Saturday and Sunday is also screwed up because of phone calls!
So, I may not have time to indulge in a travelogue this time around. I will, however, try to give you snippets of the tour as and when possible.
BUT, ever since I reported to work on Thursday morning, I've been swamped with work. There are 3 proposals that we need to submit to a client and all of them have the same deadline date. So much so, that I've been working late in the office, returning home and continuing work. My Saturday and Sunday is also screwed up because of phone calls!
So, I may not have time to indulge in a travelogue this time around. I will, however, try to give you snippets of the tour as and when possible.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Vacation
I am going off on a long pending vacation tomorrow night. The plan is to go to Mysore for a day and then go to Coorg for 3 days. I will be returning on Wednesday night.
My parents have started all their packing today. I am yet to start mine and am planning to do that tomorrow evening. I will be working out of the office closer to my home, so that I can return early and do my packing.
While on the subject of packing, I overheard my parents say words like "sweater", "kambilli", "monkey cap" etc. All this preparation is for the visit to Coorg which is supposed to be a cool place. Looking at the current temperature there, it looks like Chennai's best case Maarkazhi! But according to my parents, no harm in being prepared.
Anyways, you will not be seeing any posts from me for another week. I should be starting off on my next travelogue from next weekend. You can breathe easy until then!
My parents have started all their packing today. I am yet to start mine and am planning to do that tomorrow evening. I will be working out of the office closer to my home, so that I can return early and do my packing.
While on the subject of packing, I overheard my parents say words like "sweater", "kambilli", "monkey cap" etc. All this preparation is for the visit to Coorg which is supposed to be a cool place. Looking at the current temperature there, it looks like Chennai's best case Maarkazhi! But according to my parents, no harm in being prepared.
Anyways, you will not be seeing any posts from me for another week. I should be starting off on my next travelogue from next weekend. You can breathe easy until then!
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