This was probably the most hastily put together plan and expectedly there was more fun to be had. While our railway ticket sponsor, Mr.PR/Nakeeran/Sivaji opted to serve the interests of Norway and ditched us at the last minute, we decided to express our solidarity with him by not deciding to pay for our share of the train tickets. Hence, the distraught four of us – Srini, Simba, Raghav and me, boarded the train to Bangalore on Feb 5th night, while Sudhi ( King of Hospitality – KOH ) was expected to join us from BLR for the journey ahead. Deciding to build on our energy reserves for the 3 day trip, we bought some healthy snacks to the tune of Rs.250 from Saravana Bhavan shop at Central. This was supposed to make up for the rather light dinner we packed from the same outlet and which Simba had no business to share. However, he did, in spite of stuffing himself at home before he met us at the Central. Some people never change!!
We reached BLR on time and dragged ourselves into the IRCTC cafeteria, and with nothing else to do ordered coffee, samosas and idlis at 5 in the morning. Sudhi joined us at the BLR station and we proceeded onto Jan Shatabdi, which had only seats that dared us to sleep. To the amusement of few and to the chagrin of the majority of the co-passengers, Raghav switched on the collection of his LolluSabha and the early morning snores were rocked by some callous laughter from our gang. We reached Birur (after 3 hr and 45 minutes) a little late than expected, and soon after hired an Omni van to take us to Ozone Valley in Kemmanagundi. The trip through the ghats took us 1 hr and 40 minutes on one of the most mangled tar roads and the last kilometer leading up to the homestay (ozonevalley.com) was equally perilous.
Our tenacity took a hit with all the travel we had undertaken so far and we retired to the dorm style accommodation that we rented for Rs.1100 per head (all meals included). We decided to cover Hebbe falls and Z-point for the rest of the day and given the rough terrain, we opted for a Mahindra Jeep from Ozone Valley that cost us Rs1300. We were glad that we wised up to the idea of a 4-wheel drive, for there we no roads leading up to the falls and neither were there any protective barricades to prevent the mighty plunge into the valley deep down below. Shaken and royally stirred, we were happy to reach the end of the drive and after few photo-ops with pepper, coffee, teak and other plantations in the background, we started on the last mile trek to the falls. Lack of sporting activity can’t make up for the laziness we wallowed in, but we labored on and crossed ice-cold rivulets flowing over moss-laden and slippery rocks, to catch the first glimpse of Hebbe Falls. The breathless upsurge came to a welcome end as we gazed with relief and amazement at the beauty of the falls.
We began our descent in quick time and proceeded to Z-point to witness the sunset. Around 20 minutes of drive from Hebbe falls led us to horticultural park on the Z-point and after a short climb thereafter, we took a vantage spot to see the sun in its orange hue. Nature, stripped off the urban sham, brings out moments of self-reflection, but even here we had shared good amount of bollocks between the 5 of us. Easily, it was the best part of the trip!!
Our tired limbs and soul were resuscitated by the sumptuous dinner and “roars in the form of snores” from few of my comrades. The breakfast following our night cap, tasted extra special and we tipped the housekeepers and soon after, we began the descent to the nearest bus stand. With the best part of the trip behind us, the worst was upon us. The public transport that we took to Sringeri had the worst suspension under the chassis and after the 4 hour journey all that we wanted to do was check into a hotel and get some rest. Some of us were visiting Sringeri after many years and it seemed to have undergone significant change with respect to the accommodation facilities and the shrine itself. The bridge over Tunga river was relatively new and there was just about enough water underneath to sustain the large swarms of prosperous looking cat fish. We visited Sringeri Mutt, sought the blessings of head guru - Sri Bharati Tirtha, and Sharada Temple during the course of our 1.5 days stay there.
We hailed a Toyota Qualis for our trip back to Birur station, and on the way we stopped by at Belur, a UNESCO heritage site and under the purview of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Years of neglect and constant vandalism probably seemed to have eaten into some of the sculptures and figurines. We reached Birur well ahead of time and were reminded of the true essence of “Indian Standard Time”, which meant we reached Bangalore just few minutes before the train to Chennai pulled away. Empty stomachs, heavy hearts and urge to get back to work on Tuesday, played a big part in ensuring that we got quality sleep. Just before that, Simba scared the wits of an old passenger under his berth, by not putting the supporting latches in place. Such callousness :-)
