13 KM, AUG-2013

Distances in life lead us to search; beautiful and eventful searches that take us through mind boggling experiences. Distance is finite, in science; but the distances our life passes through are mind numbingly infinite and we have no control over that. There is no limit to what we want to see, get, achieve and there’s no limit to where we want to end. Distance is like foreplay, it helps induce the thrust that propels us to move forward with strength and love. What life would be like if there weren’t distances? What world will be like if there wasn’t a distance between earth and moon? Meaningless and that’s the essence associated with distances which I always had admired ever since I began my road trips. Distances have that inexplicable feel hovering around them and I love that as mad as my special woman in life. When I complete a jaunt and come back home; I break down into voluntary nostalgia thinking about the destination that shattered my heart hundreds of KMS away and which could not be reached as easily as my memory thinks about it. It gives me an enjoyable pain and I love to go through that pain lying on bed for hours. When I conquer the distance and reach my destination, the pleasure it offers is exotic as I think about the sleepless night, filled with death; that went past. Distances have always challenged me and I had been lured by them into the inevitable trap, to fight and stay afloat until I see my destination. They had, in turn; taken me through few of the best seen sights of my life which I would remember all the way to my grave. When we think in depth about “a distance” its spine chilling to consolidate its contents – the long drive, occasional nature calls, fuel top-up, coffee break, accident, death, fear, fatigue, sleep cravings, our own set of favorite songs, quick thought about the comfort back home, that much awaited toll gate, speed breakers, sleep breakers, Phew; it’s endless and these just reinforce the power of Distance in making our Jaunt an event and not just a weekend relaxation. This is the very reason that has ensured I always take out my car, rather than book a ticket on that long train or the fast Jet, to reach my destinations far away from home. In these many years never in one instance had I regretted for choosing to drive the entire length of my Jaunts, and; never in one instance had those decisions let me down. My life had seen innumerable distances and the memories they lent will exist as long I breathe, for they contain what that couldn’t be imitated again. When I pluck one among the many distances I had travelled through from my past and think about it, no words could describe the hair rising experience it offers. The events, friends and memories associated with that distance soften my blood pressure and make me smile in the darkness, whatever the situation I, perhaps; could be in. Despite all these, there is one particular distance that would seem to be child’s play for a person as me, for someone who has driven a 1000 Kms non-stop; and it’s where perceptions melt and reality emerges. Welcome to my favorite 13 Kms, welcome to the smallest distance I would ever take you guys through but which has the potential of a 1000 Kms of travel. Welcome to Braganza, the mesmerizing Ghat section which connects castle rock in Karnataka with Kulem in Goa and in doing so; makes thousands of men lose their sense. I am one among them…

When I and Kanthi embarked on the 1900 Kms drive to Chorla, Dudh Sagar and back home; I very well knew I wouldn’t win this battle for the experience from a year back still made me fear this drive. It was a wet Wednesday and certain undesirable events slowed down, and at some point even threatened, our plan of having a smooth departure for it’s been a tradition that all of my “well planned” jaunts have suffered a major jolt in the past. This drive first took us to Chorla, the report of which was released in my previous posting “The Loan”; and then surged us forward through the remarkable landscapes of eastern Goa towards Kulem. After the heart melting stay in Wildernest we departed on a rainy noon from Chorla and hit the drenched, lone and gorgeous Ghat road towards Keri; the most beautiful of all entry points the tiny state of Goa has. Immediately after Keri, the landscape instantly transitions to certain “relation” establishing format making you awe and confused. You never belonged to this region, you have no one here for yourself, you have never been here before, yet; it makes you feel as you were born here. That’s the power of Konkan, it humbles you sans any sort of effort as you crave for its hug and keep driving through its heart melting natural vistas and “exotic” culture. Konkan is not just about its natural beauty, it’s about a culture that blows away you with its content, peaceful and mesmerizing life style. People don’t show off here, still you envy them; buildings aren’t lavish here, but you admire them; infrastructure is at its poorest here, yet you feel comfortable; directions are at their confusing best, and still you would love to drive around. Such is the specialty of Konkan and it was a blessing in disguise when I got that priceless opportunity to drive through the remote eastern Fringes of Goa when SW monsoon was at its recent best. The drive from Chorla took us past Keri, Honda and Valpoi under relentless downpour rendering our hearts heavy with gradually accumulated “mesmerizing memoirs”. I began to think about my drive a year back from Karwar to Kulem, accompanied by Dave; that gave the first glimpse of Konkan beauty and its power in elevating my thoughts. It was one hell of a drive which made me and Dave cry for safety, sleep and life as we overcooked the Dudh Sagar trek and ended up being trapped in unforgiving rains and fog across the Anmod Ghat under an August darkness filled with monsoon winds. How we reached home was a thrilling story and I still have occasional “day dreams” of that “seductive suffering” amidst the Goa’n forests. This time, however; I and Kanthi had the comfort of a night stay at Molem, in the Dudh Sagar Spa resort, before embarking on that “thoughts” altering 13 Kms trek through BHAGWAN MAHAVEER WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, on South Western Railway’s beautiful curving tracks. When I closed my eyes at the Spa resort, after a luxurious dinner under pouring rains, my heart was trying hard to pull itself away from the arrogant beauty of Goa’n forests with no idea of what was about to unfold the next morning. The heavy and sustained downpour ensured I went deep into my sleep discarding the pain that prevailed since I and Dave walked over those 13 Kms the first time ever in our lives, a year back.

There was no let-up in downpour when I opened my eyes the next morning, the last day of an “unforgettable” vacation, as we geared up for a quick departure from the Spa resort. Rejuvenating and energetic breakfast with multiple dish options under pouring rains isn’t something I get to see every day, consequently; I savored my every bite into the soft bread filled with fresh homemade Jam and butter, followed by a hearty finish with a cup of hot coffee. This was followed by a quick exit from the resort and an instant entry into Goa’s official border at Molem; the village that made me and Dave undergo our longest drive, which itself has been overwhelmed by me and Kanthi through this jaunt, a year back in search of Dudh Sagar. At Molem junction, when you enter from Karnataka, the immediate left towards Kulem Railway station needs to be taken up for quick dash through romantic Goa’n monsoon drenched countryside that will make you rethink about what beauty means? Within minutes the nostalgic Kulem Village shows up and the sight of massive diesel locomotives whistling their way up the Ghats sends a “smile” impulse to your already sedate brain. Kulem is a relaxing village, particularly so during the monsoons, and there is generous parking space for your car near the railway gate where you could rest your beauty for the next 6 hours and walk to the nearest store to purchase rations for this “testing” hike on tracks. In 2012 I was let down by below average monsoons and when that hike concluded there was certain assurance that, there could be a repeat attempt in 2013 but; I never knew I would keep up that self-assured promise. This eventually turned out to be the most romantic walk of my life as I and Kanthi stepped on the tracks under pouring rains competing with 80 container iron-ore carriers and honking inter-city express trains for space and recognition. I thank the monsoon of 2013, for it delivered its promise and helped me go through what I missed a year back in absolute style inherent to monsoon drenched Ghats. I knew these 13 Kms would guzzle 4 hours of time and energy; considering our photographic indulgences, but what I never knew was 10/13 Kms would be walked under pouring rains and scattered fog making even the massive locomotives silent and invisible. What a walk it was, phew; when I completed my 2012 edition I murmured Dudh Sagar will see me again but I never meant so soon and in such an infinite spread of beauty. To me Dudh Sagar was an event and it still remained so, for you just don’t come, look and depart; rather, you arrive, gear-up, toil, fall in love, crave and eventually get blessed by her imposing presence and beauty that’s unrivalled. Whichever option you choose, be it the 13 Kms walk or the fear inducing bike ride, Dudh Sagar prints an event in your life that would remain un-erased forever. After hours of effort and upon reaching the falls, it was a milestone that just couldn’t be ignored and I froze those intense moments to exist forever in the 5D Mark 3. What a moment it was? Trains passing right through middle of the falls (Photos 2 and 29), hundreds of people losing their sense and wandering about, intermittently plundering rains and the electrifying ambience all make the Dudh Sagar (DDSR) trek an eventful drama. Upon completion of this romantic 13 Kms walk I always have had that much bigger task on hand; to reach home in time and absolute safety. A year back I was locked up at the DDSR railway station for 5 hours due to bad planning which resulted in pushing me and Dave to the brink of exhaustion and failure, but in my second attempt I didn’t want a repetition of that undesirable pain. When we went past the DDSR falls and reached the DDSR station, a massive chain of WDG4 locomotive+ 4 braking units were waiting for signal clearance and this helped me to purchase a ride on them from the Engine captain. As rains began to plunder, we got into the locomotive and sat for 45 minutes before we could see the distant LED turn from “RED” to “GREEN”. As the majestic locomotive powered its way through the Ghats, I was able to feel a powerful sense of relief for we managed to hike to DDSR and also, exit the confines of BHAGWAN MAHAVEER WILDLIFE SANCTUARY well ahead of night fall in absolute safety and comfort of the WDG4 engine. As we jumped from the “cat walk” of the locomotive 600 meters before Kulem station, for there was a planned signal stop, sharp drizzle and darkness were engulfing the mesmerizing Goa’n landscape. When I turned back, for the last time; and had a look at the menacing WDG4 awaiting clearance in darkness (Last Photo) I was reduced to tears and agony for it would be one of the most beautiful departures my life would ever witness. It was exactly 19:45 hours when we drove delicately through the narrow street of Kulem, after a strong face wash and a cup of boiling tea, to catch up with the notorious NH4A winding its way up the punishing Anmod Ghat and this year too; Anmod humbled my driving skills reducing me to an amateur. How powerful Anmod is during a monsoon night? As in 2012 I stopped at Anmod village, the entrance to Karnataka, for a cup of tea under blinding fog and rains as just 20 something Kms of driving rendered me feeble and running for sleep. Such is the power of monsoon drenched Anmod!! When Dave and me accomplished the DDSR jaunt in 2012, I came back home with a heavy heart and knew I would be meeting her again; very soon. However; when I concluded with the DDSR trek in 2013 and came back home, my heart wasn’t within and this rendered me powerless to think or say if I would meet her again; very soon. It could be very long before I talk about her again…before I walk again over those powerful 13 Kms…

Parameters

Route – Chennai-Bangalore-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Haveri-Hubli-Belgaum-Jamboti-Chorla-Keri-Honda-Valpoi-Molem-Kulem-Molem-Anmod-Ramnagar-Dharwad-Hubli-Haveri-Chitradurga-Tumkur-Bangalore-Chennai.

Best time to visit – July and August.

Specialties – Tracks through pristine forests, Locomotive ride, train passing through the middle of DDSR, tunnel experience, remoteness and seclusion of Goa’n countryside.

What you should do – Start the DDSR trek early in the morning to have multiple options, buy a lift in the locomotive, photograph the trains, wander through the streets of Molem/ Kulem under pouring rains.

Don’t forget – Gumboots, an umbrella, to book a stay at Molem, to exit DDSR trail before darkness and; to avoid driving through the Anmod Ghat under a monsoon night.

THE LOAN, AUG-2013

There are moments when we sit down hard and think, what for? We don’t get an answer as we disperse the “sit down” and join the marathon life. Though not necessary we all; at some point in life, ask that stupid question of what this struggle of existence is? Ever since we were put on this planet the things we saw and longed for didn’t come easy. We work hard and get them; sometimes we work hard but still don’t get them and it’s when we ask that “stupid question” – what for? We still don’t get an answer as we sustain the momentum and run through the marathon life to place ourselves abreast with competition. Those who don’t; fade away into the past and are never looked for or, thought about. I too was sucked into the “What for? Mania” and how much ever hard my attempts to dispose them off were, I couldn’t. Hell bent to get an answer I decided to quit my job for 4 days, at the most critical of situations; and drive to one of the most “heart melting” of locations in Western Ghats to try and answer – What for? The long drive took me and my new trip friend Kanthi across the varied terrains of Indian Peninsula which itself had half the qualification to answer, what for? 1,900 Kms of mind boggling roads, thrilling geography, unknown and helping people, friendly motels, remote villages and more than anything else; the distances and space between two nearest towns that offered phenomenal luxury to stretch and think- what for? Not the priciest of Mediterranean resort could match the relaxation that is on offer when you stand out on a remote highway; when the dawn is cold and emerging, and stretch wide your hands as much your physique permits. You are taken to a confused state as a night of sleeplessness behind, and a day of driving ahead offers a “tactical” cocktail that needs to be declined. The long drive was intended to take us from Chennai to a small village called Chorla sitting 914 Kms across, at the crossroads of Maharashtra and Goa. This drive was also a test to my endurance as these 914 Kms had to be driven through “unassisted”; and I did manage to keep the car in control for 16 long hours at an average speed of 57 Kms/hour single handedly. The power of long drive is in the fact that; it makes you realize the missed aspects of recent life, it makes you matured, it makes you calm, it melts your ego, it shows you love, it gifts sudden friends and eventually; it frees you from the claws of boredom and controls. Our sense of freedom increased as we kept increasing the distance between ourselves and the place of departure; as the glove box of VW Polo got filled with chunks of toll tickets and the trip meter rolled relentlessly to feed our pursuit. Post dawn we still had 500+ Kms to drive through and this fact alone made me hasty to bid goodbye to National Highway 4 as fast possible and catch up with the “notoriously gorgeous” Chorla Ghat Road at Belgaum, and from here would start my “answer session” to the question– what for?

This is the first time I had driven so long on a single highway and when we crossed Hubli (Hubballi), memories struck hard with painful experiences from 2012 when I and Dave drove from Goa to Chennai under complete fatigue and dehydration after an unplanned trek to Dudh Sagar. But the fact which instilled thrill in me was that we were to drive past Dharwad and continue further until we hit the beautiful district of Belgaum which was still a good 100 Kms away. Hubli-Dharwad is a major Conurbation in Karnataka and is the fastest growing city after the state capital, Bangalore. Once past the Hubli toll gate the landscapes change dramatically and the National Highway 4 is flanked on either sides by relentless and generous spread of green meadows. Until Belgaum, the landscape on either side is breathtaking and reinforces the belief that Monsoon is a magic and after Belgaum; the landscape is breath stopping. This was the first time ever I entered Belgaum and our timing constraints forced us to overlook the specialty of this city as we managed to “quickly” find an exit at its western boundary. “Stairway to heaven” by Led Zeppelin was playing at a seductive volume in the stereo as I slowly caught up with the legendary “Chorla Ghat”, at last; after 14 hours of relentless pursuit. In the past I have been reduced to tears by mind boggling roads across the Ghats, I even had been made to lose my common sense by the “undisturbed” roads winding their way quietly through the fringes of Goa’n forests, but; none could instill inside me the feeling I floated upon when I drove through the seductive Chorla Ghat road that pierced its way past through few of the last remaining pristine forests on earth. With dusk few hours away I wanted to reach my night halt, the “Wildernest” ASAP, but; the wilderness all along the way slowed down my strongest of attempts to pull away from the “Grave” beauty. Adding to the slowdown was the presence of an “Unbelievable” waterfall within the confines of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, which I never believed to exist in India. I was at the threshold of my impatience to view the Ladkyacho Vozar (Konkani name and in English translates to “Falls of the beloved” – needs citation) plunge waterfall from the edge of a plateau behind Goa’s highest village, Surla. As any monsoon engulfed valley, LV was absolutely curtained by generous chunks of mist and rain and I could only hear the distant roar. Never before was I so hasty to view a waterfall, for I never believed this to exist in India and when the “mist curtain” was removed; I was powerless to sustain my skepticism any further as I fell on her feet (Photo 1). With rain and gust gaining intensity, we departed the beautiful “edge” as LV disappeared into more powerful natural elements for ever; for that evening at least. In the next few minutes, after the mesmerizing moments behind Surla, we hit our refuge for the night and it was a refuge unlike seen before. Welcome to Wildernest, the best resort I had ever stayed in and which helped me think about why life is a loan? And for that matter, the few minutes spent at LV itself laid the base to my quest – Life as a loan.

Wildernest blew my imagination away not because of its luxury nor because of its hospitality, but due to its powerful location at one of the remote corners tucked between Maharashtra and Goa. It was like a fairytale as I walked through the “magical” ambience to be led to our waterfall view cottage berthed on the edge of a cliff and while doing so, I was forced to “awe” at the power of monsoon in transforming the landscapes. As we entered our wooden cottage, the balcony in the contrary end was the source of main attention as it had a view capable of making me stationary for hours, forgetting to deliver any kind of expression (Photos 5 and 16). After spending quite a long time viewing the “Twin” Sakla-Vajra falls, we waded through the mist filled pathways to have a cup of hot coffee at the fog filled and drenched cafeteria. Almost the entire cafeteria was built of wood and the view through the huge glass windows relaxed and elevated my mind to a different league. As we were waiting for the coffee to be served, rains were plundering the Ghats and the adjacent valley rendering the situation to be an exotic experience. It was already dark and I was having the most “special” coffee of my life looking out through the “frosted” glass pane into the distant darkness, filled with mist, where the only visible objects were the “faint” twin waterfalls roaring down the slopes. How powerful nature is in making the landscapes and ambience transition from ordinary to extraordinary? How powerful nature is in answering to my question – Life is a loan? I enjoyed every single step that shaped my walk from the restaurant to our cottage through the beautifully crafted pathways studded with street lights made of bulbs fixed inside hollow wooden trunks. After a hot shower to drain away the fatigue gathered during the last 16 hours, I accompanied Kanthi for a drink at the erotic “cloud nine” bar. We were made to sit on severed tree trunks and offered a selection of Breezers and Beers, as mist rendered our visibility translucent even in this open bar. I and Kanthi spoke about facts, our long drive from Chennai, the taste and cost of beer offered here, Ladkyacho Vozar and how the night’s goanna be under this kind of torrential rain. While all these were happening, in the background; my mind was thinking about life and its meaning and I was hoping the answer was around the corner. After the sumptuous dinner, among beautiful women from different parts of the country, sitting nearby a frosted glass pane and looking at the faint, distant “twin” falls it was time to close my eyes for a night of “searched for” kind of sleep. The fact that our cottage was exposed to natural elements of the valley right in front of it, made the sleep more exotic than ever as mist overflowed through ventilations into the room making me crawl into the blanket as air-tight possible. It was a night of fear as gust continued its onslaught and the location of our cottage right at the edge of a plateau only amplified the natural elements and their powerful interference. If there was one thing I heard even through my deepest phases of sleep that night; it was the distant roar of the “twin” waterfalls. Priceless and longing moments are what I would term the sleep that night, when I look back sometime…

The morning was tamer than the previous night but that was only momentary as clouds gathered rapidly as we were gearing up for the trek to Chorla falls, nestled below the Wildernest resort inside the depths of a pristine valley. Clad in my Gumboots, I walked confidently with no fear for the blood sucking leeches and this hike took us past through some of the best forest landscapes. Rain was relentless and accompanied by waves of mist making the trek “little” difficult, but was constantly distracted by the “inherent’’ beauty of monsoon engulfed Western Ghats. Chorla falls is a gorgeous natural element and it isn’t as aggressive as few of its cousins elsewhere in the Ghats, but this shouldn’t lead you to misjudge its size (Photos 11 and 18). It’s quite a big fall and its source and journey still remains a mystery for I couldn’t gather any significant data even from the web. Chorla falls potentially harbors exotic snakes and the magnitude of vegetation density around reinforced this belief (Photos 8 and 12). However; due to the severity of monsoon rains we were unable to cross the wild stream and have a full glimpse of this thundering beauty and the only option to be exhausted was to indulge in a “mild” risk and proceed to cross the wild stream which we weren’t interested in. Consequently, we decided to depart and the return hike up the hill was more comfortable due to a short “break” in the downpour and this enabled us to reach the resort much faster. After a quick check-out we spent an hour at the infinity swimming pool as a massive downpour activity was initiated and we bid good bye to Wildernest to kick-off yet another beautiful drive (Photo 2) in pursuit of Dudh Sagar through eye moistening natural vistas. As I drove through the Chorla Ghat, as I thought about the mystic monsoon ambience, as I thought about Ladkyacho Vozar, one thing was clear – The life we lead is nothing but like a loan, the sufferings and losses we undergo are the interests we pay and the couple of days like I enjoyed above in absolute bliss are the “one” of many benefits of this loan. Few are blessed that they pay less interest and few are not so, whatever your situation maybe; keep going. Life is continuous and as long as you prefer to enjoy this loan interests are never ending, you can’t be happy for you passed a week in perfection nor you can’t be dejected for a week of failures just went past. It’s very painful that few “pre-close” this loan unable to bear the heavy interests inflicted upon them and this only hastens me to understand the fact that, Iam blessed. As me and Kanthi advanced into remote interiors of Goa, I began to relax and thank Mr. God for lending me this loan at a very nominal Interest rate. Natural processes and their power have helped me learn the significance of life cycle, even the monsoon Iam in mad love with isn’t continuous and it’s an annual cycle. Stationary isn’t something associated with life, it’s something associated with death and pain or pleasure; both need to be alternating to keep our “loan” meaningful. Even this beautiful drive to Chorla ended in just 2 days, only to propel me to my next destination and that is the essence of life. Pay the interests and keep moving…

Parameters

Route – Chennai-Bangalore-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Haveri-Hubli-Belgaum-Jamboti-Chorla (914 Kms)

Best time to visit – Only July and August.

Specialties – Untouched forests, pristine vistas, exotic ambience, cocktail of romance and fear.

What you should do – Book a stay at Wildernest for 2 days and explore the Chorla Ghat road, drive to Ladkyacho Vozar falls, trek to Chorla falls, sit in the cafeteria and enjoy the Sakla-Vajra twin falls with a cup of hot coffee, spend generous time at the cloud nine bar.

Don’t forget – Gumboots, an umbrella, a proper camera and a companion to talk with.