It was an easy enough walk down, though I found myself sitting down rather unexpectedly a couple of times. We missed a turn somewhere and came down on a different path than the one we started up, but it deposited us on the same main road, so we made our way back to the barrier (where the road ends, or begins, depending on how you look at it) and stopped there. Enquiries revealed that we could phone town for two autos to come out and pick us up, which seemed like a good idea, sparing us a 7-km walk down the road. After enquiring about the marital status of each of us (Saishree improvised as required) the number was given and the call made. Rajeev engaged in a game of cricket with the neighborhood boys, while the rest of us sprawled on the grass and watched. Twenty minutes or so later, the autos arrived.

Back at Mepadi, we hopped into a bus to Kalpetta. At first we had planned to bathe, change and head for lunch, but this plan didn’t last long. Lunch first, then bath, we agreed. This plan didn’t last long either. Lunch would suffice, we decided, who needs a bath?

We hadn’t been successful in booking return bus tickets in Bangalore and despite various enquiries at Kalpetta yesterday no tickets had been forthcoming. The best thing, we decided now, was to catch a bus to Mysore (3 hours) and thence to Bangalore (another 3 hours). No deluxe bus or any frills like that, it would have to be an ordinary KSRTC bus, but at least we would get back in time for a decent night’s sleep. There were regular buses to Mysore every half hour or so, we were informed.

As it turned out, the KSRTC bus to Mysore would also go on to Bangalore. The bad news was that it was packed when we got on and it was a struggle even to find standing room for us and our backpacks. Eventually, Saishree commandeered the conductor’s seat and Rajeev made a seat of their two backpacks just behind the driver. Amit and I made our way to the back of the bus. Here, behind the last row of seats, we found space to deposit our packs. After a while, Amit sat himself down on one pack, and I perched myself on the cylindrical surface of two rolled up sleeping mats. It would have been almost comfortable, but for the fact that the back of the bus jumps more violently than a bucking bronco. Amit and I were getting almost continuous pitying looks from our neighbours and one woman even went to the extent of unexpectedly forcing on us some cookies that she was carrying. In due course, and after a 30-minute break due to a punctured tyre which was quickly replaced, we reached Mysore. The bus emptied itself and we found more suitable seats. At 10 pm, were duly deposited in Bangalore. And the next morning, sadly, we were back at work, still wishing that the computer screens in front of us were the still, calm lake and the lush green hillside at Chembra.