BANGALORE-MADIKERI TRIP
SOUTH-INDIAN FLAVOR:
Another of my wonderful trips! This time it was even more fun – Dada and C dada, both were there!
Dada was to come to India for the second time after he had gone to the US for his MS. Just like the time prior to his earlier visit, we eagerly awaited his arrival. Due to the volcanic eruptions in Iceland, their plane had to take a detour over the North Pole and got delayed by 3-4 hours. After already having waited for so many days, those few extra hours seemed negligible. And once we met, it was lot of fun for me.
We had planned this Bangalore trip since a couple of months ago. I was as usual very excited of travelling by Indian railways which gives me immense pleasure though I sincerely don’t know the reason behind it!
It was very kind of R mama to give us his car to reach till Dadar comfortably. We were at the station well in time. Being an AC coach, it was comfortable to sit and wait for the train to depart. I frequently kept checking the route and schedule of the train if it was on schedule or lagging behind. It was going at a good constant speed and I had a good sleep till late in the morning. I had a complete day to enjoy in the train, that too with dadu! In the pleasant morning hours, I stood at the door, watching wonderful sceneries of Karnataka. Till date, in all my journeys to Karnataka, there was never so much greenery in the surroundings.
A VIEW OF NATURE
But this time, it was different. It seemed as if we were going by Konkan railway, through Kerala – coconut trees, green fields, paddy fields, etc. It was also an unusual sight in India during the summer season. It was all fresh green and I thoroughly enjoyed the view. I felt those teenagers of my age who led a fun-filled and carefree life in laps of nature were very lucky! We reached Yesvantpur Junction just half an hour behind schedule. I was very happy with how smooth our journey had been.
MYSELF AT THE DOOR OF THE TRAIN
C dada had come to receive us at the station and then drove us to his home in his new car – a grey Hyundai i10 – I was very excited! The last time we met in Bangalore, he had taken me on a ride on his bike. This time, he proudly took us all on a ride in his own car! He drove really well everywhere – on the highway, through narrow streets as well as through bumper-to-bumper traffic! And in a crowded city like Bangalore, it must be surely demanding lot of patience and alertness.
That night, unlike Mumbai, it was quite cold outside and we needed blankets for the night!
In the morning, it was quite pleasant and since we did not have any fixed plan for the day, I woke up late. I had a nice sleep and hence felt really fresh throughout the day. But when I am pn a picnic, whether I get a good sleep or not, the simple excitement of moving about keeps me fresh all the time! That day, we visited the famous Vishweshvaraiyya Technological Museum. Actually, I had been to this museum a couple of years ago. But this time, I had a different and truly learning experience – I had two learned and experienced engineers with me. In the mechanical and machinery section, I got extra information along with practical examples and explanation of how the machines work and why they do so from baba. And for the Computer & IT section of the museum, I got valuable explanation of it all from dada – microprocessors, their making, their evolution, their parts, their function in the computer, other parts of the computer, etc from dada. I could as well say I had a truly ‘Technological Experience’.
A TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE WITH TECHNICIANS
An hour later, we were sitting under the cool breeze from outside and under the fan in A mama’s spacious house. It was quite soothing as compared to the sweltering heat outside which I would say was nothing less than that of Mumbai. Dadu had not had a good sleep since a couple of days and so while he took rest, I played some games on the computer. Meanwhile B mami gave me a surprise by preparing a nice item of ‘Dhoklas’! It was wonderful. By evening, we were all refreshed and just sat together speaking on some topic, sometimes reviving old memories and sometimes discussing the current situation. S dada also joined us and then finally after a superb dinner of ‘Mumbai Pav Bhaaji’, we were served ice-cream. I was actually quite sleepy by then and had almost dozed off on the bean bag when C dada called up and said that he had almost reach and that we could start back in about half an hour. In a way I was happy that I could get back, change and then sleep well. But it was also a bit annoying as I had already made myself perfectly comfortable on the bean bag! Soon we were already on the ‘Ring route’ of Bangalore that we had already frequented thrice in time of just one day. On reaching home, I just changed my clothes, drank a glass of water and jumped on to the bed.
The next day, we woke up late with no fixed plans and just hung around a bit when we all got a shock. Baba had got ready early in order to go and cancel one of our two return tickets. But then he realized that he had forgotten both of them back at home in Thane. We then began thinking of various alternatives of how to solve this problem. We involved C dada into it too and he gave us the best option. After modifying that option aai and baba spoke to the people concerned in the plan and everything was set OK. P kaka came to Thane, collected the one to be cancelled and cancelled it in Mumbai itself. Meanwhile, of the one by which we were to travel, baba brought its duplicate from the railway station. So, till noon, we were still thinking about this. Dadu had searched out a go-karting arena in Bangalore and hance we both decided to go for it. Dadu drove 7 laps, all of which were really good, thanks to his driving skills. But when I drove the first 2 laps, I was uncertain whether I may ever get a license – the kart engine stopped due to low acceleration and once I rammed into a stationary go-kart with full speed!
ZOOMING THROUGH THE CIRCUIT
But then, I learnt from the mistakes, took a better car and then drove as good as Dadu. We enjoyed Mango milk-shake and then returned home. By the time we reached home, we came to know that it was decided that by a hired Innova, we were to visit Madikeri, a hill-station of Coorg district.
Early next morning, half in sleep, I got down and sat in the car. But soon, the scenery around, the fresh early morning atmosphere awakened me and we had a nice game of UNO. After visiting a temple and having breakfast in an Udupi restaurant, we continued on our journey.
AT THE UDUPI RESTAURANT
Madikeri is about 5 hrs non-stop drive from Bengalooru city. I saw the movie Bhootnath for the first time completely. Just as the movie got over, we had reached the base of the hills. Then on, it was a scenic, scary and a sort of roller-coaster ride – the Innova with its powerful engines, climbed the hill with plenty of ease and the driver was quite experienced as he maneuvered his way through the small winding mountain road. Overtaking was fun yet scary. The driver drove at such a high speed that it seemed we were driving in the game of NFS-Hot Pursuit! But he safely reached us to Madikeri. No sooner had we reached Madikeri, than we got a temporary shock. We were searching for our hotel and meanwhile I saw a board in the distance. The board was hanging in a neglected condition on a dilapidated building lying above a Dhaba. Our hotel’s name was ‘HOTEL HILLTOWN’. I could read from the distance as follows – ‘HOTEL HILLTO’. That was what was visible. As we came closer, we all noticed it and all of us stared at it with a blank expression. I felt something was wrong. And then to everybody’s relief, when we closely observed the board, it read – ‘HOTEL HILLTOP’! We heaved a sigh of relief and finally reached the hotel. That evening, in the pleasant weather, we finally could play Frisbee, visited a local Shiva temple and while returning, enjoyed the view of lightning which is nice to see when you are safe or with a group but sends shivers down your spine when you see it while you are stuck up alone somewhere or in middle of nowhere in the dark!
A FEW SCENIC VIEWS AT MADIKERI (COORG)
WINDING ROADS UP THE HILL ..
A NICE WATERFALL ON THE WAY
THE VIEW FROM RAJAH'S SEAT
Next morning the driver promptly arrived at the time I had stipulated he would come. I played another session of Frisbee with Dadu and then we moved on seeing Rajah’s seat, Abbey falls and the source of river Cauvery. All the three where of their own class and had an aura and majesty of their own. The view from Rajah’s seat reminded me of Munnar, Abbey falls reminded me of Cheyappara falls near Munnar. But the source of Cauvery was altogether a different experience. Being held as a pure and religiously important river, many people were performing various rites and customs. The area had bee well maintained and the view from the top of the mountain where we trekked up to was simply awesome and breathtaking.
ATOP THE MOUNTAIN (Bare-footed !) AFTER A TOUGH CLIMB
The journey down the Ghats felt like free-fall! The car zoomed through the forests and felt as if under influence of gravity as the engine seemed to work only after we had reached the plain! The remaining journey to Bangalore was nice too. Finally, we came back to reality from the smooth journey when we got stuck up for one whole hour at the entry point to Bengalooru! But we were in an AC car and hence did not feel the heat. Tired yet refreshed by the tremendous experience, we simply went for dinner in a good hotel and had a good night’s sleep.
The last day in Bengalooru of this trip flew past like an arrow as we went to a nearby mall, then to A mama’s place for lunch, played Frisbee till heart’s content for almost 2-3 hours and then went to station with S dada. The return journey by Udyan Express was fine with I enjoying a lot with dadu at the door! But towards the end, it became uncomfortable. Like seen of the flight status, our train’s status too was – ‘Indefinitely delayed’.
PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE TRAIN TO REACH KALYAN !!!
Finally we reached Kalyan at 1:30 midnight – 7 hours behind schedule! But I had thoroughly enjoyed myself and those five days seemed equivalent to a couple of weeks for me. As, after returning from US last summer, I had never enjoyed myself for so long with not a bit of study in it!
This trip enriched the fun in Dadu’s 2010 visit to India. Thanks to aai, baba, Dadu, C dada and S tai for giving me such a grand and splendid time!
Another of my wonderful trips! This time it was even more fun – Dada and C dada, both were there!
Dada was to come to India for the second time after he had gone to the US for his MS. Just like the time prior to his earlier visit, we eagerly awaited his arrival. Due to the volcanic eruptions in Iceland, their plane had to take a detour over the North Pole and got delayed by 3-4 hours. After already having waited for so many days, those few extra hours seemed negligible. And once we met, it was lot of fun for me.
We had planned this Bangalore trip since a couple of months ago. I was as usual very excited of travelling by Indian railways which gives me immense pleasure though I sincerely don’t know the reason behind it!
It was very kind of R mama to give us his car to reach till Dadar comfortably. We were at the station well in time. Being an AC coach, it was comfortable to sit and wait for the train to depart. I frequently kept checking the route and schedule of the train if it was on schedule or lagging behind. It was going at a good constant speed and I had a good sleep till late in the morning. I had a complete day to enjoy in the train, that too with dadu! In the pleasant morning hours, I stood at the door, watching wonderful sceneries of Karnataka. Till date, in all my journeys to Karnataka, there was never so much greenery in the surroundings.
A VIEW OF NATURE
MYSELF AT THE DOOR OF THE TRAINC dada had come to receive us at the station and then drove us to his home in his new car – a grey Hyundai i10 – I was very excited! The last time we met in Bangalore, he had taken me on a ride on his bike. This time, he proudly took us all on a ride in his own car! He drove really well everywhere – on the highway, through narrow streets as well as through bumper-to-bumper traffic! And in a crowded city like Bangalore, it must be surely demanding lot of patience and alertness.
That night, unlike Mumbai, it was quite cold outside and we needed blankets for the night!
In the morning, it was quite pleasant and since we did not have any fixed plan for the day, I woke up late. I had a nice sleep and hence felt really fresh throughout the day. But when I am pn a picnic, whether I get a good sleep or not, the simple excitement of moving about keeps me fresh all the time! That day, we visited the famous Vishweshvaraiyya Technological Museum. Actually, I had been to this museum a couple of years ago. But this time, I had a different and truly learning experience – I had two learned and experienced engineers with me. In the mechanical and machinery section, I got extra information along with practical examples and explanation of how the machines work and why they do so from baba. And for the Computer & IT section of the museum, I got valuable explanation of it all from dada – microprocessors, their making, their evolution, their parts, their function in the computer, other parts of the computer, etc from dada. I could as well say I had a truly ‘Technological Experience’.
A TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE WITH TECHNICIANS
An hour later, we were sitting under the cool breeze from outside and under the fan in A mama’s spacious house. It was quite soothing as compared to the sweltering heat outside which I would say was nothing less than that of Mumbai. Dadu had not had a good sleep since a couple of days and so while he took rest, I played some games on the computer. Meanwhile B mami gave me a surprise by preparing a nice item of ‘Dhoklas’! It was wonderful. By evening, we were all refreshed and just sat together speaking on some topic, sometimes reviving old memories and sometimes discussing the current situation. S dada also joined us and then finally after a superb dinner of ‘Mumbai Pav Bhaaji’, we were served ice-cream. I was actually quite sleepy by then and had almost dozed off on the bean bag when C dada called up and said that he had almost reach and that we could start back in about half an hour. In a way I was happy that I could get back, change and then sleep well. But it was also a bit annoying as I had already made myself perfectly comfortable on the bean bag! Soon we were already on the ‘Ring route’ of Bangalore that we had already frequented thrice in time of just one day. On reaching home, I just changed my clothes, drank a glass of water and jumped on to the bed.
The next day, we woke up late with no fixed plans and just hung around a bit when we all got a shock. Baba had got ready early in order to go and cancel one of our two return tickets. But then he realized that he had forgotten both of them back at home in Thane. We then began thinking of various alternatives of how to solve this problem. We involved C dada into it too and he gave us the best option. After modifying that option aai and baba spoke to the people concerned in the plan and everything was set OK. P kaka came to Thane, collected the one to be cancelled and cancelled it in Mumbai itself. Meanwhile, of the one by which we were to travel, baba brought its duplicate from the railway station. So, till noon, we were still thinking about this. Dadu had searched out a go-karting arena in Bangalore and hance we both decided to go for it. Dadu drove 7 laps, all of which were really good, thanks to his driving skills. But when I drove the first 2 laps, I was uncertain whether I may ever get a license – the kart engine stopped due to low acceleration and once I rammed into a stationary go-kart with full speed!
ZOOMING THROUGH THE CIRCUIT
But then, I learnt from the mistakes, took a better car and then drove as good as Dadu. We enjoyed Mango milk-shake and then returned home. By the time we reached home, we came to know that it was decided that by a hired Innova, we were to visit Madikeri, a hill-station of Coorg district.
Early next morning, half in sleep, I got down and sat in the car. But soon, the scenery around, the fresh early morning atmosphere awakened me and we had a nice game of UNO. After visiting a temple and having breakfast in an Udupi restaurant, we continued on our journey.
AT THE UDUPI RESTAURANT
Madikeri is about 5 hrs non-stop drive from Bengalooru city. I saw the movie Bhootnath for the first time completely. Just as the movie got over, we had reached the base of the hills. Then on, it was a scenic, scary and a sort of roller-coaster ride – the Innova with its powerful engines, climbed the hill with plenty of ease and the driver was quite experienced as he maneuvered his way through the small winding mountain road. Overtaking was fun yet scary. The driver drove at such a high speed that it seemed we were driving in the game of NFS-Hot Pursuit! But he safely reached us to Madikeri. No sooner had we reached Madikeri, than we got a temporary shock. We were searching for our hotel and meanwhile I saw a board in the distance. The board was hanging in a neglected condition on a dilapidated building lying above a Dhaba. Our hotel’s name was ‘HOTEL HILLTOWN’. I could read from the distance as follows – ‘HOTEL HILLTO’. That was what was visible. As we came closer, we all noticed it and all of us stared at it with a blank expression. I felt something was wrong. And then to everybody’s relief, when we closely observed the board, it read – ‘HOTEL HILLTOP’! We heaved a sigh of relief and finally reached the hotel. That evening, in the pleasant weather, we finally could play Frisbee, visited a local Shiva temple and while returning, enjoyed the view of lightning which is nice to see when you are safe or with a group but sends shivers down your spine when you see it while you are stuck up alone somewhere or in middle of nowhere in the dark!
A FEW SCENIC VIEWS AT MADIKERI (COORG)
WINDING ROADS UP THE HILL ..
A NICE WATERFALL ON THE WAY
THE VIEW FROM RAJAH'S SEATNext morning the driver promptly arrived at the time I had stipulated he would come. I played another session of Frisbee with Dadu and then we moved on seeing Rajah’s seat, Abbey falls and the source of river Cauvery. All the three where of their own class and had an aura and majesty of their own. The view from Rajah’s seat reminded me of Munnar, Abbey falls reminded me of Cheyappara falls near Munnar. But the source of Cauvery was altogether a different experience. Being held as a pure and religiously important river, many people were performing various rites and customs. The area had bee well maintained and the view from the top of the mountain where we trekked up to was simply awesome and breathtaking.
ATOP THE MOUNTAIN (Bare-footed !) AFTER A TOUGH CLIMBThe journey down the Ghats felt like free-fall! The car zoomed through the forests and felt as if under influence of gravity as the engine seemed to work only after we had reached the plain! The remaining journey to Bangalore was nice too. Finally, we came back to reality from the smooth journey when we got stuck up for one whole hour at the entry point to Bengalooru! But we were in an AC car and hence did not feel the heat. Tired yet refreshed by the tremendous experience, we simply went for dinner in a good hotel and had a good night’s sleep.
The last day in Bengalooru of this trip flew past like an arrow as we went to a nearby mall, then to A mama’s place for lunch, played Frisbee till heart’s content for almost 2-3 hours and then went to station with S dada. The return journey by Udyan Express was fine with I enjoying a lot with dadu at the door! But towards the end, it became uncomfortable. Like seen of the flight status, our train’s status too was – ‘Indefinitely delayed’.
PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE TRAIN TO REACH KALYAN !!!Finally we reached Kalyan at 1:30 midnight – 7 hours behind schedule! But I had thoroughly enjoyed myself and those five days seemed equivalent to a couple of weeks for me. As, after returning from US last summer, I had never enjoyed myself for so long with not a bit of study in it!
This trip enriched the fun in Dadu’s 2010 visit to India. Thanks to aai, baba, Dadu, C dada and S tai for giving me such a grand and splendid time!
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