WILD WILD NEST, AUG-2013

During an August weekend when monsoon was at its romantic best I embarked on my biggest challenge ever; to drive “uninterrupted and unassisted” for over 914 Kms to reach a new destination that had never seen me. It lay beautifully, nestled in the dense forests of Western Ghats hugging the states of Maharashtra and Goa and my purpose was to validate the presence of few waterfalls that trounced my imagination. As a base for my stay I had booked a waterfalls view cottage in the mystic “Wildernest” resort that had slowly gained popularity both within and outside the country. The long drive took me and my friend Kanthi through almost the entire length of NH4, before breaking at Belgaum where we took quite a number of diversions to exit this beautiful town and catch up with the “Insanely” gorgeous Chorla Ghat section. I will talk more about this Ghat section in the next posting while I use my imagination and fast forward to “Wildernest”; a resort that has the capability to offer “humiliating” peace, relaxation and satisfaction to a “blown out” mind. More than the fact that it lies in one of the best seen locations ever; its inherent ambience speaks more than a seasoned political speaker. Be it the kind staff who briefs you about the entire facility before dropping you at the cottage; be it the romantic cottages set amidst dense vegetation inducing little fear and little lust; be it the addictive and dark restaurant that sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking “twin waterfalls”; be it the “let me resign my Job thoughts” inducing CLOUD 9 BAR where snails sail around your beer mug; be it your bedroom from where you could have a view that you wouldn’t believe; be it your balcony that protrudes from the cliff delicately and thrashed by rains and fog; and above all these, the erotic “INFINITY” SWIMMING POOL that I would rate as “One” of the best when it merges with the sky and hills ahead doing justice to its name. A stay at WILDERNEST isn’t just a weekend indulgence; it’s an event that would sail around you for a long time to come. As I shot my last image (Picture 12) while departing WILDERNEST; rains were playing havoc and this facilitated a culmination that was a cocktail of craving, dream, lust and; a sense of…am unable to explain. WILDERNEST will see me again.

AGAIN, JULY-2013

How many times ever in our lives we get the chance to do it “Again”? Not many; and even the saying goes “opportunity knocks at the door once”. Behind the word “Again” there’s a strong meaning; a valid purpose; a powerful drive and without any of these there wouldn’t be a significant “factor” associated with “Again”. Doing it again needs either the energy from within or a drive feeding that energy and in my case, my case of visiting Agumbe under pouring rains the third time in as many years; it was the “drive”. Life is monotonous without this drive and it pushed me ahead to undertake the 758 Kms Drive after a tiring week at office; to see it all again, to go through them all again, to fight the fear again, to overcome the fatigue again, to do it all again after a year since monsoon left Indian Mainland. The drive that originated 758 Kms away fed me with the energy to remain awake all night to see the day next, as we drove through unexpected dangers and unseen demoralization but; evading them all though. As in 2011 and 2012 this time too; I was accompanied by 2 new partners for this visit to “Mecca of Rainfall” and it was good news they happened to be my colleagues @ office. Kanthi and Poo joined for this sudden jaunt with no idea of the beauty and the fear behind, as I inched towards our destination under the cover of darkness fighting sleep and fatigue. As during the previous trips to Agumbe dawn emerged when we reached Chitradurga and climbed over the ever seducing NH13, and this time around NH13 was at its best as the monsoon winds were strong enough to reach the interiors of Karnataka. Dawn was showing up very slowly, wind mills perched on distant hills were lazing around, the air was super cold and the drizzle; sharp, distant dimly lit homes added to the occasion but I still kept going, past this beauty; only because of the quest to reach her. When we reached the outskirts of Shimoga, the mighty Tunga River was swollen like never before and she imitated more of a sea rather than a flooded river. It was fearsome to even ride over the road bridge constructed over Tunga and it was all enough to help us visualize the situation up there in Agumbe. The road to Agumbe, beyond Shimoga; is a different story in itself – if you could remember your childhood stories, if you could remember your childhood fairy tales, this is it. NH13 now loses her aggression and high speed character while transforming into a “tear inducing” pathway that winds through pristine rain forests on one side and the back waters of Gajanur dam on the other. Set amidst this romantic setting are occasional “moss” ridden homes emitting lazy smoke out of their “corroded” chimneys undeterred by the colossal rains, romantic appearance of a group of young women with “divinity” unique to Malnad region on their way to the morning classes unbothered about the immense downpour, rustic men clad in jute bags working through their tiny fields unmoved by the natural elements, cattle and sheep grazing as they were messengers from heaven, drenched dogs staring at strangers with vigilance and surprise, and; adding to these priceless visual treat are the Beethoven bettering acoustic offerings from the cicadas and the great Indian Hornbill. No matter who you are, few KMS into the drive you could feel your eyes to be as wet as the outside. As my eyelids began to get heavy with accumulating tear, the mesmerizing town of Thirthahalli presented itself to provide a respite from the fatigue and unbearable beauty attack. In just 30 odd Kms, after 1 full year; I’ll be doing it all again; here in the land of rainfall, the “Alluring Agumbe”. In my previous posting I wrote birth is a punishment, nevertheless; after this jaunt to Agumbe I murmur within the depths “I want to be born again”. Born again within the mystic confines of Agumbe…