A Trek to Kumara Parvata

It was one of those weekends which did not go waste with the universal excuse of rest and rejuvination. On the contrary it was  quite a challenging outing that tested  both my physical and mental strengths.

Yes it was my second trek to the three in one peaks to "Kumara Parvata" about 230kms from Bangalore, Karnataka, India. I should say it was my first of its kind trek where you keep conquering a peak with great effort and persistence only to find another one that requires probably a little more effort to reach it than the first one. In total there were 3 proper high points (peaks) apart from small ones enroute. "Kumara Parvata" is the name of the third and the highest peak which will take somewhere around 5-7 hrs of continuous effort to conquer it depending on your speed and stamina.



Trekkers at the start



We were a group of 9 people who said we don't want to go through the same routine resting phase this weekend too (as always) and lets got out and get some adrenaline rush into our bloods. So we all were like "Aaj kuch toofani karte hain" sorts of mood  (offcourse at the beginning of the trek).

Temple town at the dawn, The Subramanya

A mini bus was hired and we started at around 10 pm on the Friday night (22/02/2013) with a hope of reaching the foothills before sunrise. With passion in our hearts and luggage at our backs our journey started in the dark. A special mention about the mini bus driver is mandatory here because of whom our adventure was preponed even before reaching the foothills. That was one journey which taught me the dangerous effects of sleep debt. We tried all possible ways to keep him and our journey going. In the mean while, few of our enthusiasts had a good enough excuse to try their hand on mini bus driving too. I should say they were pretty good. At the end somehow fortunately we could reach the foothills town named Subramanya (temple town) at around 8 am safely. It was a beautiful little town. The early morning sun rays only added to its splendour which woke the photographer inside me almost instantaneously and ended up with few beautiful snaps.

After answering to nature's call and freshining up, we headed into a restaurant to fill our bellys to start our most awaited trek. It was around 9 am when we started our trek. With  our baggages at our backs, we were very excited to climb up the mountain at any cost. After walking through the city for distance, we reached the bottom of the mountain. We stopped there for few moments to click few snaps just before launching into the trek.

Our way through the jungles and rocky trials

It was more of a rocky climb without any pre-defined flat trials. Route was running through thick jungle cover amidst the chirping of birds and hushing of the tress. After about half an hour of climbing all of us were like steam locomotives with hussshh.....Pusshhhhh.... gasping for breath. With frequent intemittent breaks we could make it to the one and only food centre, should I call it. It tooks us around 4 hrs to get there for lunch. So with food in our plates, puzzling thoughts in our minds whether to go forward after lunch or not, we had a quite and fullfilling lunch I should say. Mind you, we were only half the way up now. It will take the same if not more effort to reach the summit, is what we understood from the local people's talk.

I sincerly admit that our group was a courageous bunch of enthusiasts , so braving the heat and body aches, all of us decided to start our journey towards the peak except one of our mates as he was down and out in dehydration. This journey was like three times tougher than the previous one. Steeper slopes, hotter winds and slippery rolling round stones. Braving all that we could reach the first Peak in 1hr. A sense of awe about the enormity of the nature filled me by the view from there. Not left with much time, we started our journey to the ultimate peak "Kumara Paravata". It took around another ~1hr to reach the second one. But this was the toughest period of the trek I should say. Many a times "Why should I move any further" thought flashed hard on my mind screen brightly. But something within me was even more strong enough to overlook that thought whenever it popped up and kept my desire and journey alive.



Me at "Sesh Parvata"



Finally when we reached the second peak (~ 600 m above MSL), all the pain and suffering I went through enroute vanished in the chill winds of the place. Few snaps ought to be clicked there. But one dissapointing fact was that this peak is "Shesh Parvata" and not "Kumara Parvata". The ultimate peak was standing tall on the other side of the valley which demands  atleast another1-2 hours of climb. It was already getting dark and we had to get back to our camp with very little time left. So the trek to "Kumara Parvata" had everything else except "Kumara Parvata" itself. We decided that lets come back exclusively to conquer this giant, "The Kumara Parvata".



Hurray I have done it !!



While on return, the next day, it was an equal fun when we all trickled down the hill cautiously. It took only half the time to get down as compared to climbing up. The return journey saw all of us to be more alive with songs and dance in the mini bus, creating new definitions for fun and excitement. Dance for songs like "Appadi Podu" and "Fevicol Se" requires special mention.

By around 5pm in the evening (sunday) I am already at home, warming my legs in the hot water and fiddling with TV remote. But my mind still in the clutches of the fun and excitment of the whole trek but somewhere a small dissappointment still prevails as I could not conquer the ultimate "Kumara Parvata".

Thanks to all my fellow companions who made this trek a very special one which will remain etched in my memory for a very long time.



Bangalore to Ooty via Bandipur/Mudhumalai in my Pulsar (Cheetah)

Firstly Happy New Year to all of you !!

As an avid bike lover who cherishes travelling long distances across districts and sometimes even States, it gives me an immense joy to share my latest unique experience of my ride on my Cheetah (Pulsar 180) from Bangalore to Ooty via Bandipur/Mudhumalai. It was a funfilled round trip of about 700kms in three days.

We were a group of 4 friends (Aravind, Alok, Prakhar and myself) with three bikes, one Fazer, one FZ-16 and of course my Cheetah. We started at 6:30am on Saturday (12/01/2013) from Whitefield, Bangalore. It was an unexpectedly cold morning. Once we crossed the city limits we were freezing even within those thick jackets and tight leather shoes. So we kept having our rides a bit slow until we struck the Nycee ring road which was mind blowing. Even the coldest winter breeze could not prevent me from touching speeds of 3 digits. In a few minutes I came to a cross road, one going Mysore way, eventually which I took. In no time I hit the Mysore road which was a bit of disappointment for me as it was small and congested than I expected it to be. So it was an extra cautious drive on Mysore-Bangalore highway.

After a few kms of drive on this highway it was time for breakfast. After a tasty breakfast of idlis (rice cakes) and Puris (wheat pancake), journey resumed in the same extra cautious way. It was another ~100kms drive to Mysore. We could covered it in less than 2hrs times. So by 11.30am to 12 noon we reached Mysore. A quick look around the ancient city and a few snaps of the famous Mysore Palace is all that was required in the heritage city as the time was a strangling factor.



Fellow Riders at Mysore doorway



From there it was another about ~80kms drive for Bandipur/Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve Forest. Though a single lane without a divider as seen in some sophisticated highways in the country, the road was as flat as a cricket pitch and helped me touch the highest speeds of the trip more consistently. By 1:30 pm we were clicking snaps at the entrance of Bandipur Tiger Reserve Forest. A few minutes of rest was sufficient as there was quite a good amount of distance to be covered to reach our coveted destination, the Ooty.

Just before entering the Reserve Forest

The drive into the Jungles of the Nilgiris in constrained speeds (40kph) was a thrilling and a very strong experience. As it was scorching heat at the noon time, as expected we could not spot any animals on our way throughout our ride inside the Reserve Forests. After about an hour, we reached the border of Karnataka, driving out of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve Forest, but immediately within a few feet, starts the border of TamilNadu, the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve Forest (no idea to whom the  land in between belongs to). At first glance anybody could tell that Bandipur Forest is a bit more thicker jungle than Mudhumalai Forest. Not sure about the reason but this was my subtle observation.

After travelling through the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve, a small beautiful village greeted us with chill shades and few smilling faces. We stopped there for a quick refreshment before our final leap to our hilly destination, Ooty. Time was close to 2:45pm and signboards were showing another about 36kms to be covered. So without wasting much time, we got on to our bikes and started our journey towards the Nilgiris hill top.

Foothills of Ooty

After a few minutes of drive, we reached the foothills, where an awesome scenic beauty was awaiting for us. I had to stop without choice to capture it in my cam before heading to the hilltop. The road after this was the highlight of the whole drive. We had to go through 36 hairpin bends. Even with little apprehension initially I started crossing each one of them extra cautiously. But once after first few were crossed successfully, ease prevailed within me and I actually started enjoying the later ones as they came.

It was already 3:30pm as we reached our most awaited destination, the Ooty. We decided to stay just outside the main city to save a few extra bugs that may have to be shelled out for the same quality of the rooms within the city. So we decided to stay at Fingerpost (3-5 kms from the main city). The resort was an excellent one named as Vel's Dingle Dale (strongly recommended by me). We were given a big room at nominal rate (~ Rs.2000/- per day). It was spacious enough to accommodate all 4 of us comfortably. The food served there needs a special mention. It was the tastiest food one can get if you keep the memories of the home made food aside. Cook and all the staff of the resort were cordial and helpful and made our stay a cherishable one.

During the night, there was an obvious party as we recollected the whole drive we went through the day. As we were all very tired, each one of us slept like a pig after the party and could get up at ~9 am only the next morning.

At Dodabetta Peak

This day was dedicated for sightseeing in Ooty. So we started our journey to Dodabetta, the highest peak (~2600m above MSL) of Southern India, at the junction of Eastern and the Western Ghats. It was a dream come true as we clicked snaps from the highest tip of Southern India. From there we headed to Pykara Falls. On the way there were few places which were called as Shooting spots locally, which were very beautiful and did not fail to bring out the hidden photographers in us.

Pykara Falls was also awesome, even though volume of water was very little. The enormity of the falls could be understood by just looking at the huge boulders on its beds that could have been rolled only by high pressure and high volume waters. Snaps again at different angles here. After playing in the water for about an hour, we decided to return back to the town for shopping as we were heading back to Bangalore the next day.

Wild Pigs at the Reserve Forest

The most unfortunate incident happened then, when my cheetah's clutch wire got worn out and I was stranded on the midway towards the town. As we were 4 people, it helped when Aravind carried me on his bike to the town market around 10 kms from breakdown spot. Another shock which was awaiting us was that it was a Sunday and no bike spare part shop was open. After much perseverance we could locate a bike mechanic shop open, who helped us to bring my bike down from the hill top (one of his aide actually drove down my bike about 10 kms without clutch). Then the mechanic actually pulled out a scooter wire to put on a temporary arrangement for the clutch so that I could reach Bangalore without any hiccups in between. It was his day and he charged exorbitantly, like Rs.400/- (original clutch wire costs around Rs.120/-). We had no other option but to oblige for his demand. My kind advice to all those long drive bikers is to carry an additional clutch wire with you to overcome any such hassle in your otherwise passionate beautiful journey.

Baby Elephant after its bath

Now then its time to say good bye to Ooty, next day we left pretty early (~6:30am) with a desire to locate animals in the Reserve Forest. Actually our strategy of leaving early partially worked that we could spot few wild pigs, two elephants apart from deers and peacocks. Few snaps of them were taken on the way. Our return journey was relatively quicker. We had our brunch at Mysore and then headed straight to Bangalore without much stoppage in between. By 3:30pm all were at our homes warming our feet in hot water and fiddling with our TV remotes with a satisfaction of accomplishing such a fascinating and unique task of completing a round trip of about 7ookms in about 3 days.

Thanks to all my friends who made this journey an enjoyable and a memorable one. Special thanks to the resort staff and the bike mechanic and his aide.

Will hit you all soon with another fascinating accomplishment sooner :)

For more beautiful frozen moments please visit

https://picasaweb.google.com/108658661943637393099/BengaluruToOotyViaBandipurMudhumalai#

Happy New Year 2013

As I hear a video about the most debated topic of the day, the Delhi gang rape, I am writing this article with much grief and pain. I strongly hope the punishments be severe enough to bring fear in the minds of people who dare to attempt such barbaric acts in future.

Now amidst the year end celebrations going on all around the World, let us not forget there are many people on this same planet still struggling to fulfill their hunger, cover their bodies properly and have a decent place to stay. It will be unimaginably arrogant to blame their destinies for their present horrible situations. As we gear up to greet the new year with all enthusiasm and zeal, lets not forget these poor unfortunate souls present all around us. Let us not show blind eyes to their pathetic condition and should do whatever we could to bring smiles to these less priviledged friends around us ateleast on these festive occasions.

I am not trying to be philosophical but just trying to root myself in reality and see what can be done from my side to the underpriviledged beings around me. As small as getting them a meal, giving them your clothes and even a smile from you as you pass them can make their day. So let us take conscious efforts to do whatever we could to bring smiles on the faces of the underprivileged souls that surround us. A quote which comes to my mind right now is "A million of drops make the ocean". So if each one of us does what we could do to help these not so lucky friends as we are, I am sure that the cummulative effect with time will be stunning and beyond our imagination.

Let this new year give you right opportunities to enhance your potential and multiply your joys

Wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2013