A trip to COORG:)

A working life doesn’t have too many luxuries to offer. A single day off from work holds invaluable significance. I sound despondent but that has been the case so far, at least with me. Much can be attributed to the environment I work in.

September 10th &11th were 2 such days that evoked a sense of jubilation in me and my friends who are as much troubled and forlorn as I. Let me cut the melodrama short and get to business.

September 12th being a Sunday, I had 3 good days to unwind & de stress. I tagged 2 other friends of mine to visit COORG.1 was as excited as I and was raring to go, the other was confused and was in an unstable frame of mind, I can bet things haven’t moved much in the latter’s case!

So 3 of us packed our bags and made a dash from our respective destinations on Thursday i.e. 9th sep 2010 after office hours. I had other plans but eventually had to de tour because of my unstable friend. So from Bangalore both of us went to Mangalore to meet my 3rd friend.

The travel in detail:

1.My friend & I have dinner at his place and set off on our journey at 9.15 pm in a bus to the main bus stand. The bus is scheduled to leave at 10.30 pm. We have enough time to spare.

2.The bus is stuck in traffic for a good 20 minutes. We are about 3 kms away from the bus stand with 10 minutes to spare.

3.We panic and jump out of the bus and make our way through the traffic.

4.We call the bus driver (of the bus that was to leave for Mangalore) and plead with him to wait.

5.It seems filmy but we run a good 3 kms or more and reach the bus.

6.We are panting and puffing and soaked in sweat.

7.We fling our bags on the seats and make ourselves comfortable.

8.The bus runs 1 hour late as there were many who got delayed because of the jam.

9.We somehow loose our check on time and slip into slumber.

10.Just over 1 hour into the journey our blessed bus hits a swift and an imbroglio crops us.

11.The matter is settled and our bus sets on its journey at 1 am.

12.With a sense of despair that the bus would reach not earlier than 10 in the morning we again catch some sleep.

13.In the morning pensive & curious co passengers smile at each other.

14.We make some friends and talk to them in fits & starts.

15.We try & gather information about COORG and the time it would take us to reach Mangalore.

16.My friend at Mangalore gets impatient and calls me fervently.

17.After getting so many versions I decide to check with the conductor as to what time we would reach Mangalore.

18.The super responsive conductor after repeated attempts of mine to extract information from him looks at me and writes something in the air and smiles eye to eye.

19.I throw my hands up in the air in despair & disgust.

20.PASSIVE VOICE: We had embarked on a journey that lasted for 12 good hours. We could feel the heat we had generated throughout by sitting on the seats. Had it been a little longer we would have hatched eggs!!

21.Finally we reach Mangalore. Both of us were in precarious position. Since we are running late and have to board the next connecting bus from Mangalore to COORG we can’t go to my friend’s place to freshen up.

22.Within minutes we see a mall named BHARAT MALL.( Malls till then had never appealed to me). All hell was breaking loose. We go inside the mall and then………

23.My otherwise unkind and insensitive friend at Mangalore gets us bread & omelets for us. It surprises me but then I chuck the thought and hog.

24.After another 8 hours of traveling 3 of us reach Mathikere and take a taxi to Kutta. ( Mathikere & Kutta are the northern & southern part of COORG.Kutta is the place where all the action is).

25.Finally about 7.30 pm we reach the guest house and order both our pending lunch & scheduled dinner. We gobble up everything much to the amusement of the care takers.

26.The room is good and spacious but the problem is the darkness with some dim lights en route the bathroom.

27.Somehow we muster strength as it scary and we sense something eerie .We take turns to freshen up. We move like ants 1 after the other and take guard outside the bathroom door till 1 finishes. Phew!!

28.We then fall asleep cuddling each other out of fear.

29.Next morning i.e.11th Sep 2010 we do white river rafting & take bath at Irpu falls.

The memories are still fresh and it urges me to go for another such trip!! God willing I shall be able to narrate more harrowing experiences 