Among The Clouds
reminiscences of a trip
Shashank
4 Oct, 2004
We decided on the place pretty early, almost a month back. That was impressive. But the actual challenge was for someone to get it going. To say that one did the job would be very unfair. It was a classical group effort. The constant groaning of Sandip "Trrrip jaayengee yaaaar!" did help people to do something about it. The date was decided too. Oct 2nd and 3rd being in a weekend was the chosen one.
Ok, now the date for the trip approached. Some were steadfast in their decision to make it to the trip, some were tentative and others pretty clear about their "No"s. It ended up with 7 persons actually interested in the trip. Vinodh(gaaru), Vishwa(mitra)nath, Sandip "virus" Bhattacharya, Praveen "only superlatives" Krishnan, Supreet HVR(High Voltage Ribaldry), Shantanu "silent" Sonar and "smart alec" Shashank, yeah thats me, were the chosen ones to experience one of the most beautiful places on earth (a little exaggeration always helps ;-)[A more sober version] The people who made it to the trip were Vinodh, Vishwanath, Sandip, Praveen, Supreet, Shantanu and Me.
Friday, 1st Oct 2004
We made the essential preparations and planning rather late. Just hours before the trip, we decided on the shopping to be done and essentials to be brought. We met at the KSRTC bus stand around 11 pm. I was the last one to reach, as usual. The guys were pretty pepped up and excited. Also Shantanu was officially initiated into the club (he is jsut 2 weeks old in the company, you see). Had some worrying moments about the bus since it didnt come on time. But finally it did, 30 mins late. It was almost time to celebrate Praveen's birthday while we were alighting the bus. We had a fairly incident-less journey to Kadur, which is around 5 hours of travel. The bus did stop at a curious looking place for a tea/coffee break. I got down from the bus assuming this was our destination only to find myself in a stinking swamp. All I remember is how I made a rush back to my seat to resume my sleep. The guys later christened it the Al-Qaida spot.
Saturday, 2st Oct 2004
We reached Kadur at around 5.30 in the morning. It was still dark. The bus had stopped in front of a tea shop. The guy in the shop served us some tea and also advise on how to reach our destination. We had to take a bus to Birur which was around 6 kms from there which we did. At Birur, the sun had decided to make a beginning and so too my photography. We had a few so-so shots in the Gandhi Circle in the dim light of the breaking dawn. Our bus arrived to take us further. It was a private bus and we got into it as the day's first passengers. I expected a boring journey though a dusty countryside. Instead we were met by breathtaking views all along which begged for a few (or rather lots of) shots from my camera. The moving bus wasnt helping us much but I did manage some. We were in Lingadahalli soon and our destination was another bus journey away. We had to wait for our bus for a while (more photos wink! wink!) and it arrived after a few minutes of waiting.
The bus journey started and almost soon our destination was visible, among the clouds.
The bus was steadily increasing the altitude count. Our destination stood in all its splendour. Her ethereal white presence among the brilliant blue sky and the vivid greens was captivating to the eyes used to the bangalore terrain. Got some information from people in the bus about our destination. The bus dropped us in a forested place. A path with a board announcing the direction of "Kalhatti Falls" welcomed us. It was wet all around us due to rain. We had a walk of about a kilometer through densely wooded estates. I was very excited about a perfectly formed web of a spider and Sandip about the first gushing water stream on the roadside. We made our way to the Guest House which looked pretty arcane and beaten down. But then in such a terrain any new building would appear so after just one year. This was a pretty old one and served even the Mysore Maharajas. Bhoot Bangla (Ghost House) was the nomenclature suggested by someone in the group and endorsed wholeheartedly by everyone else. We got a room to keep our luggages and a toilet to freshen up.We then had a primitive breakfast and got ourselves up again. The bus onwards was at 10 AM. We had to hurry.
| Pictures: |
| On The Way To The Guest House - Day1 |
| In And Around The Guest House - Day1 |
Our destination this time was a place which was 11 km and came with a pretty good reputation. It was a quaint little hillstation among pristine green hills until the iron ore was discovered. Then human greed took over and started the necessary evil called mining. Steadily hill after hill was denuded and excavated for the humble ore of iron. Fortunately government organisations, atleast in the 70s and 80s, didnt have any clue what efficiency is. Also because of the green factor, the mines were closed. And away went prosperity. A hillstation which even the Kings of Mysore endorsed is now a sad form of its former self. The roads leading to the hillstation is a pothole laden single lane road. It sees some buzz only during the weekends when some young people decide to spend some time there. Gone are the days when honeymooning couples homed in on this place. Now nobody risks going in groups of just two or three, atleast not with a female in it. Just a single hotel caters to the need of the weekend visitors. The quality of food is sad. Accomodation is so so. I even saw a couple of businessmen from Bangalore who had decided to spend 4-5 days resting at the hillstation make a run back to home the very evening they landed there.
But on the positive note, Krishna Rajendra Hill Stations also called Kemmanagundi is showing signs of returning to its original form. One can see red colored scars (from the mine refuse) on the face of the green hills but this is something time can heel. By the way, the name Kemmanagundi literally translates to Red Mud Pit.
| Pictures: |
| On The Way To Kemmanagundi - Day1 |
The Karnatake Horticulture Department maintains the KR Hills and collects a entry fee from visitors. One should hardly crib about the Rs.5 per head collected. We paid obidiently and entered. The town, hardly a town, seemed to have no permanent residents. I could make out hardly 10-15 constructions. We had a futile search for a proper place to eat and then decided to skip it. One look at the map of the place and we had decided our trekking destination for the day. The Z-point had cried for attention all the while when we were on the bus motoring towards Kemmanagundi. It presents a rocky edifice with lush green grass spread everywhere. The Z, clearly visible near the top of the edifice, explains the name.
Along the way, expected was a place called Shanti Falls. It didnt take long for us to see it, hidden among trees. We weren't there yet. We could see it from a distance. There was also a Rock Garden where we decided to rest for a while. It was lunch time. Bread with Jam hardly qualifies as a handsome meal but it had to do. Atleast till we complete the trek and return back to the hillstation. Some photos, rest and discussion about politics later, we decided to move ahead. The weather was fantastic. After a spell of brilliant sunshine, it was time for clouds to take over. But they werent dense and the atmosphere was pleasantly cool. As we neared Shanti falls, the path became narrower and also slushy. The red mud mixed with rain water makes for a very slippery surface. It is also messy and dirties your clothes pretty quickly with red.
The falls in itself is a mini falls. Its a very approachable waterfall and easy to take a bath under it. No one in our group was in a mood to take a bath and after spending some time there, we continued.
| Pictures: |
| To Shanti Falls - Day1 |
The Z-point was directly ahead of us. The walk from there, almost a kilometer along the slanting mountain was a thrilling experience. At that altitude one finds only lush green grass growing. Below us the grassy hillside ended with dense tropical forest at the bottom half. A wrong step didnt seem to be very forgiving, atleast not if one held any hope of returning home in one piece. The path was very slippery but we enjoyed it to the hilt. One particular stretch where we took a wrong option and had to slide along a wet slippery boulder to continue was treacherous. By the time we reached the final point, we were all huffing and puffing. I made a rush to the top and was greeted by panoramic view equalling little else I had seen before. The hills, as such, is at an enviable location where the plains of interior Karnataka meet the mighty Western Ghats. The air being clear, allowed us to view miles and miles of the Western Ghats terrain on one side and the plains on the other. The waters of the Bhadra (Lakkavalli) Dam was also visible in the distance. We spent a relaxed time at the edge of the hill. It hardly needs to be mentioned about the many futile efforts to capture the beauty of the place in that piece of equipment called the Camera. There were attempts at renaming the point with the name of theirs or their beloveds. But ultimately no one had the guts to jump from the cliff to force their case. That it remained to be known as Z-point is now history.
| Pictures: |
| And Beyond Towards Z-Point - Day1 |
Then the clouds drifted closer and closer. Its a nice experience to see clouds at our height casting a shadow on the plains below. I got the feeling that they were so close that if I made an effort, I could catch them. That I didnt try any such fancy thing and lived to pen this down is another story. Now it was time for the clouds show another aspect of their otherwise pleasant existence. They were turning visibly dark and we got to realise (with a little help from Vinodh) that if it started raining, we had no where to go. The bald hilltop offered little in terms of shelter from water and lightning alike and the path back was treacherous as it is without the added rains. Some of the more adventurous in the group (Shantanu, Sandip and Vishwa(?)) were looking forward to conquering the adjacent hilltop which seemed to be the tallest point in the area. But then good sense prevailed and we decided to get down to a safer point as early as possible.
| Pictures: |
| Finally There - Day1 |
The trek back was uneventful. We had a long halt at the rock garden. Some of us even decided to have a siesta in the park. Not surprising since our muscles were stretched beyond the usual routine of sit, type, talk and sleep. We were woken up by a harried looking Vinodh. He had one eye on the time which stated that we had just a little time to scout for food before the 4.30 bus would start back to Kalhatti. After some effort everyone was up and running. Didnt take long to reach the town centre, what with the janta being hungry as dogs.
A query at a building, with no boards but buzzing with activity, got us the information that food (upma) would be ready in 15 mins. We waited eagerly for the food and ate it with a fervour fit only for a royal meal. A request for second serving only highlighted the need. A upma is the the poorer cousin among most Indian dishes and hardly builds ones appetite. But a hungry tummy is hardly choosy. We finished the meal in quick time and were ready for the next move. In the meanwhile there was a debate on the planning for the rest of the day and the next. We made a few enquiries and it was finally decided not to take the risk of visiting the one other well known place in this area. The light was fading and the road to this place was hardly a road, the locals said.
The 4.30 bus came on time and we hurried into it, not because of the comforts of the rickety looking bus offered but because it was pouring like hell outside. The region is known in Karnataka as Malnad or "region of rains". This strech is sandwiched between the coastal region and the plains. It rains many a days as if the end of the world has come. Though it was not the case today, it still was heavy by any standards. Nothing much could be done during the return journey except trying to steal a bit of sleep. We were in our stop sooner than we expected. Since it was still raining, we had to wait in a bus shelter for a while. Later when it reduced in intensity, we decided to walk towards the guest house.
At the guest house, we got our room which was a large one with 6 beds. It was better than we expected. We were also told that the canteen besides the guest house served dinner if pre-ordered. It was 6.30pm. We freshened up and decided to have some tea/coffee at the canteen. In the time we also ordered for the dinner to be readied by 8 pm. The tea was decent and we returned to our room. During this time we had a lot of fun pulling each others legs. Some events like the "dancing in the dark" by Praveen and candid video shoots by me had people in splits. Also we tried a hand at singing, playing with cards, arm wrestling and just having fun in general. We were informed that dinner was ready and everyone jumped up to get ready to go. The appetite had built up at the end of a tiring day and we were looking forward to the dinner.
We sat down around the rectangular table. It began well, like all shakespearean tragedies do. The plate with chappatis and side dishes looked decent. My adjectives take a u-turn after this point and to put a positive twist on the events, we appreciated how magnificient the meals in RBIN canteen or our houses were. We decided to benchmark with this meal any meal we eat in future. A photo for posterity was taken of the meal and preserved.
| Pictures: |
| Back To The Nest - Day1 |
We didnt sleep immediately once back in our rooms. The guest house was brimming with "interesting" guests but ours being the only room in the floor didnt offer any "interesting" neighbours. We continued our fun while preparing for sleep. It was decided to wake up early the next day and start off. So we decided to retire early. Sandip did try to frighten a half asleep Vinodh with a torch in hand but ended up getting a scream from Vishwa and a serious scowl from Vinodh. It ended his activities for the night but his mission impossibles were already becoming a legend.
Sunday, 3rd Oct 2004
Morning saw us woken up by Vinodh and he was telling us that we were really late. Sandip came back from the ground floor and excitedly explained his adventures with accessing the toilet resources. We freshened up eventually. I also got an opportunity to capture the sunrise and the waterfalls in the early morning sun. Yes, I forgot to describe the waterfall at Kalhatti. Known more for its splendid waterfall than the spooky Guest House we were in, the place also attracts pilgrims from places nearby who worship the Veerabhadra at the temple besides the waterfall. There is a annual gathering, called Jathre in kannada, where the deity is taken out in a procession. But the most magnificient view of the falls is at the top where it has a clear fall of more than a hundred feet (my estimate) then disappears under the dense tree cover to become visible near the guest house. Our guest house is nearly at the base of the mountain.
People take bath at the falls and visit the temple next door to ask for blessings. Some people come here just to enjoy the bath. The water from the falls is claimed to heal skin afflictions. For the more adventure oriented, a trek to the top of the hill through the forest is recomended. Once over the top, a trek down takes one to Kemmanagundi which is just on the other side of this mountain. It is a day long adventure, recommended to be done with a local guide during summer. October is hardly summer in this part of the world and it goes without saying that we didnt attempt anything like that. One interesting sight we had was during the previous night after the dinner. We decided to go to the falls rather than directly to our room. The water was thundering down and the temple across the falls looked accessible only to the bravehearted. Due to the rains during the day, the water flow had swelled and the falls had swollen enormously. We just sucked in the nature's intensity and returned to our rooms. In the morning however, it was back to normal and people were taking bath merrily under it.
We had a group photo session in front of our room before we went to have a proper look into the Kalhatti falls again. This time during the day. Only Vishwa dared to enter the water and we just settled to be spectators. After a few minutes at the falls, we had to walk to the bus stand to take the 10 AM bus. Our breakfast was again bread and jam. We had decided not to relive the horror of the food at the canteen the day before. We said our final bye to the guest house and started walking. The bus was on time and we reached Kemmanagundi at the same time as the day before.
| Pictures: |
| Morning Again - Day2 |
| Kalhatti Falls - Day2 |
We hired a jeep for the ride to our next place of interest. That we agreed to pay 500 bucks for the 20 km to and fro trip and that was the prevailing rate indicated to us how bad the road is. We jokingly discussed about however bad the road could be, it cannot be worse than the roads back in Bangalore. The driver informed us that there was no road at all just a pathway. He also smartly pointed out that if the roads were any better, he would have no takers at all.
Habbe falls comes with a good reputation too. There were guys in the group who had already seen the place once. That they were excited to see it again is testimony to the allure the falls holds. The initial few minutes of the drive told us what to expect from this excursion. The road towards the falls branched out and it began as a muddy road which was smooth enough. It was a foggy day and we had seen while coming towards Kemmanagundi in the bus that clouds had taken over the hills. The lush green mist filled hills with the red road almost made it seem as if a painter had painted this scene in a fit of inspiration purely out of his imagination. We took the first of our many stopovers for some pictures. The second stop was the one I remember the most. The road had turned worse and me sitting in the front seat of the Jeep could almost touch the ground without much effort. The Jeep slanted over that much tackling the, ok let me settle for a, path. The scenery outside was out of the world. Our Jeep now stood before a valley with a riverlet flowing among trees below. The view between two hills ahead showed miles and miles of lush green tropical forests and mountains. Combine that with the presence of the mist, its a picture that would reinvigorate even a dead body.
Then we continued further. Our stomachs were beginning to announce their presence already and according to estimates, we were still hours away from our next meal. We had forgotten to buy rations for the day and we were going to suffer for it. When we approached a turning, Vinodh asked us to stop the Jeep. When we got out of the Jeep and went to the edge, we had our first look of the Habbe falls. It is a decent sized waterfall on a densely forested mountain. In a few minutes we had driven to the front gate of a estate. This is where the Jeep had to be parked.
| Pictures: |
| To Habbe Falls - Day2 |
The trek to the falls passes through a private estate. It is filled with coffee plantation along with spices like pepper etc. The path is narrow and along the river. We first had to cross the river barefoot. Even though the flow was low, we had difficulty managing the crossing because of the slippery and sharp rocks. We finally crossed it without any incidents (they were to come later). The time was around 12 in the morning. It was getting very cloudy and more people were going away than towards the falls. As we neared the waterfalls, it started drizzling. But that didnt stop us from gasping at the magnificance of the waterfall when we it first appeared after a turning. The sound of the falls was thunderous and there was a drift going away from the falls. There were tarzan-like cries all around. Some got out of their clothes in double quick time, leeches and slippery rocks be damned. I took a few shots in the light drizzle and heavy spray from the falls before the realisation struck that the cost of the camera was still more than the cost of a good shot for me. I packed up my things and went in with others to enjoy the falls in all its glory. There is a boulder just a few feet away from the base of the falls. Sitting on it and watching unbelievable amounts of water coming down almost at you makes one realise how small and insignificant humans are. The drift is noticeably stronger here and the water spray is more of a shower. After sitting there for a significant amount of time, we decided it was time to return. There were quite a few cases of slipping in the wet rocks - vishwa's and praveen's being the more significant ones. Praveen almost turned twice after slipping before landing on his back. Fortunately there were no serious injuries.
Pictures: The Falls Thyself - Day2
The other serious incidents were related to the leeches. These yucky creatures are found in plenty in these parts and this falls was no exceptions. Barring a few, everyone had a tale to tell about the leech attacks and wounds to prove them.
During the drive back, we found lots of people walking all the way from Kemmanagundi towards the falls. It had also stopped raining and the weather was better. We snapped more pictures on the way back.
Pictures: Back To Kemmanagundi - Day2
It was almost 2.30 in the noon by the time we reached Kemmanagundi. We made a dash to the canteen and enquired about the food. Our luck was better today. We were served a decent(anything edible would qualify as decent in that place) meal. After having it to our satisfaction, we trotted outside. We had to kill time till 4.30 when the bus towards Birur would arrive. Some decided to take rest especially Shantanu who was down with fever and Vinodh who had woken up early. Others like us decided to take a walk to enjoy nature's beauty. We walked up on a path that took us higher in the hill and sat down at a point which gave us a good panoramic view of the hills around. Then the time to rush back to the bus stop came sooner than we expected and in no time were we inside the bus back to Birur. The bus took a long time to reach Birur, around 1.5 hours. It was jam packed and I spent most of the time trying to get some sleep. The others still seemed to have some energies to discuss life, philosophy etc.
At Birur, a small enquiry at the bus stand revealed that there was a train leaving at 6.30 pm. It was 6 pm now and we hurried to the station. After some hustle and bustle, we were sitting together in the train chugging towards Bangalore. It was then that "Sant" (saint) Supreet took over. Together with Shantanu, who opened up like Inzy would after a sedate 20 or 40, they kept the group going till we reached Bangalore. Praveen held faint hopes of alighting at Malleshwaram which were thwarted by the increase in speed of the train and the rain. It was almost 11pm in the night at Bangalore Railway station. There was no formal dispersion as everybody had to worry about the mode of transport back home. I took my mobike from the overnight parking and returned home as quick as possible.
Pictures: Coming Back Home - Day2
Its been two days since the trip and its back to office work now. Memories (and photos and videos) are all that remain.
