The journey!! :)

Bangalooru or the anglicized version Bangalore was where we were headed just as our exams ended. But the excitement knew no bounds and started man way before! Since we realized we were going to do a project in IIM B our day-dreaming sessions were never-ending. We even went to the end of googling up Bangalore whenever possible to see what all we could do. Bangalore is a great place whose history runs for more than 1000 years back! This place has received it name from its ancient name Bengaval-uru or the City of guards. Even now this place acts as the guard of the unlimited dreams of many! ;)
Back to our trip, which I would was one of the most memorable ones I have had. Maybe because I haven’t been travelling much lately either. As the last exam ended, actually left way before it ended, just couldn’t write any more stories ;), I rushed out as I had chalked out my plans for the whole afternoon. We had to evacuate our rooms, which was the top on my list. For the endless amount of stuff I owned and the nostalgia attached that I couldn’t ditch any either. After 4 to 5 hours of intense packing, running around for packing tape, packing for Bangalore and interspersed moments of interesting gossiping session (come on we wouldn’t be able to do this face to face chat for the next 2.5 months!!), I was literally drenched in sweat. And then I started numbering my cartons which I believe ended with 8! The worst task was coaxing my roommate to help me transport these 8 cartons, 4 suitcases and other minor stuff to the dump room some 10-12 rooms apart! But the senti worked and thanks to her I got a decent corner in the room to stuff my goods!!
And now for the journey.. Train was around 8.somethin, train that night but none of us knew the timings: D Decided to leave at around 6.30 but as such packing, bidding farewell to the seniors jus went longer than expected and we at last managed to leave ravenous around 7. Once in the cab, well seated all of us were busy keying our text adieus to our friends. Managed to make it to sangeeta’s our regular food destination while travelling home, but there the cab driver refused to wait till we finished hogging! As I don’t know how it happened but I was the only Tamil speaking person in the whole group and had to do all the haggling: D maybe because my bargaining skills are exceptional B) or they couldn’t bear my Tamil , anyway we immediately got what we asked for :D Had to rush through dinner but no we were slowly eating enjoying savoring the taste and by the time realization struck we just had to rush to the street with our million bags and start hailing a auto. I don’t know how but some 10-15 pieces of baggage easily fit into an auto!! Hail autos! But their pricing, leaving me alone again to fight with him and next with the porter! It was a great time we had with the porter as all this luggage had to be moved till platform no: 2 on a single big trolley with bags falling down at every other moment, and when we had to go down a slope and pull it up the other man, serious work there! And whenever any train wailed we were like, gone is our train! We like walked till the end of platform no: 1 and reached platform no: 2 from there dropping everyone at their respective compartments, and lo! Ours was s11 the last compartment, we broke into a run at last. Hurriedly threw all pieces of luggage inside just to realize we had one of our friends ticket, and she was happily just searching her name on the list, ran back again and as we got jus settled in the train, there came heavy rains! Whoa just saved and there at last our train wailed and off were we! :)

The Trip!!

Hmm.. It was this real peaceful afternoon in ooty.. We planned to make a trip to the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary. We called up the travels n then came the car and the driver (cum a chatterbox guide);). On the way he told us that we were some 2500 feet above sea level n to reach that sanctuary we had to go down all that… Hmm.. Sounded simple enough… During the start of the trip we were just roaming about ooty to get out of it. First on the way he showed us The area inhabited by a local tribe called the Todas who apparently consider dairy as their deity, saw their huts on the way very peculiar indeed… Then guess what in between tribe sightings and potato plantations he showed us the King Khan’s and Mallya’s house… was able to steal a glimpse of the Khan holiday villa (guess this was the closest I could get) Anyway basically humungous and apparently the Mallya residence has a helipad to it…Whoa!! Jus awesome rite… people have huge parking lots and if close to sea maybe some small boat parking spots (wonder what they are called) but this guy had a helipad…cool!!But this was just the sunny starting of the trip… then as we went along did he tell us we had a whopping 36 hairpin bends!!! 36!!! Man was terribly shocked…:O
And as we started the descend my heart was like jumping here n there and as the hair pin bends approached man. Bet u felt like my heart was like mobile ringing in vibe mode!!
And then there were these boards showing how many down and how many more to go!!
Kept my countdown strong… But at time it was like 2 hairpin bends continuously its like jumping on parallel roads… and the thing was amazingly shocking was the terrific ease with which he made the turn and even kept showing us around even when a huge lorry came up from the other side… and these roads being not the 4 laner expressways. Bet u it was a seriously stiff turn… Wow!! Seriously admiration for them jus swelled up in me… they definitely make awesome drivers…I can’t even think of walking on such steep edgeless roads and these people… omg!! Terrific!!
Once we reached ground level seriously felt great… survived it!! Yippee!!
But even the sanctuary was kind of a flop story for us… didn’t catch sight of any tigers or anything but a hell a lot of deer (damn cute aren’t they). But the greenery was breathtaking… u get the feeling of staying in such a place all around u greenery almost zero pollution…ahh… bliss… but then sense knocks u into awakening and even the end of the trip…
But then don’t forget we have the whole trip back to be covered. God!!! 36 hairpin bends again!!!! :((
When we reached back felt great and a whole lot happier after seeing all this you actually realize humans aren’t the only things on earth we own the earth as much as the fellow animals… but are the as happy as us… definitely a question to ponder upon….