tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90776477452927631492012-05-31T12:21:41.082-07:00Rudra Naik's BlogThis is my place for penning all my thoughts and ventures. It can get random beyond imagination, but is majorly focused on cycling.Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-68454153692553066802012-05-30T00:05:00.002-07:002012-05-30T01:47:03.562-07:002012-05-30T01:47:03.562-07:00How engineering affects your vocabulary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The other day, a friend of mine had some kind of seizure. After the first few reflexive first-aid actions , I gave a call to the ambulance. And when the person asked me to describe the symptoms, to my horror, I said "she is <b>vibrating</b>"! I immediately realized then, the effect that all these years of obsessive engineering had had on me. And then when I sat down one day to scrutinize my lexicon, I realized that well, vibrating was not even the tip of the ice-berg. </div>
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Here are a few from the list</div>
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1. <b>Infinite, Infi: </b>Probably the most common of them all. Used to describe a feeling of extreme. "I am infi hungry!", "Infi bored", "Infi Assignments!" , "Infi pain!" "Infi peace!"</div>
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2. <b>N: </b>Synonym for infinite, the above statements might just as well go with n. Maybe they are just too lazy to say all the four syllables of infinite or just too much saturated from coding or linear algebra. "It was n easy da!"</div>
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3. <b>Random: </b>No, they won't call you crazy or mad, they won't call you weird. They will call you random or arbit (short for arbitrary). This word goes for anything that doesn't connect the dots for them. "He is one random fellow!" "It was such a random paper (question paper was nothing what syllabus would have dictated)" "Random Intern" "Random presentation"</div>
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4. <b>Function</b>: Not as popular as the above, but I have definitely seen a lot of people using that. e.g "Your response to deciding the menu would be a function of your hunger, taste and budget". Mathematics professors love this word the most!</div>
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5. <b>Put: </b>This word is like a chameleon, different meanings in different contexts!<b> "</b>Put treat<b>" "</b>Put cash!<b>" "</b>Put eminem!<b>"</b></div>
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6. <b>Crash: </b>We love this word, and most often end up doing in lectures. "Crash" our engineering synonym for "sleep", is what most of us need / want the most, but we end up doing <b>infi-random </b>philosophizing when it's time to <b>crash</b>!</div>
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7. <b>Pack</b>: We don't say, "Ok let's get over with it", instead, "Let's pack". "Pack the movie!" "Pack that girl!". I don't know where we derived that use from, but nonetheless, it fits very well in our daily interactions.</div>
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8. <b>Pained, Loaded</b>: Shakespear would have used troubled, bothersome, or any of the old archaics. A polished engineer would use stressful. But in a college, this part is an integral word of almost every sentence of a pessimist nerd, and on the night before exams, pretty much everyone! "Pained in life" "Pain prof!" "Pain assignment!"</div>
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9. <b>Threshold: </b>When Joey, in one of the episodes of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/" target="_blank">F.R.I.E.N.D.S</a> tells a beautician before she does his eyebrows, that "Hey lady, my threshold for pain is very high", I couldn't stop grinning and had to include that word in this list.</div>
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10. <b>Light: </b>No, not the light from Bibles 'Let there be light'. When we say light, we mean that the problem is not going to be a pain. Think of it as an antonym for pain.</div>
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I will add what Norman Lewis says after the end of every few chapters in his book <a href="http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Word_Power_Made_Easy.html?id=W2lVHktWAuEC" target="_blank">Word power made easy</a> "Now you will consciously see more of these words every day", and you'll say, "Hmm, there you go buddy!"</div>
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I know these are not the only reincarnates out there, but these were the only ones I could recall. </div>
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Let me know of more!</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-6845415369255306680?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-65485907782625039042012-05-18T09:52:00.000-07:002012-05-29T22:38:50.895-07:002012-05-29T22:38:50.895-07:00Never Be Nice!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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" width="280" /></div>
<br />
<br />
You've been there every single time they needed you.<br />
You've been their guiding beacon, in times of adversity,
rejection, destitution!<br />
You've been their source of inspiration ever, if not anything
less.<br />
You've understood their implicit expectations, and satiated those
before they realized they wanted it.<br />
<br />
And what happened after all that?<br />
You were tagged nice.<br />
You were friend-zoned.
<br />
You were expected to take care of yourself when in agony.<br />
You were expected to get things done for yourself, without the
slightest hope of any help from anyone.<br />
And no matter how explicitly you implied your expectations to that
someone, all you got was a cold, subtle denial.
<br />
<br />
You helped people and they clung on to you for more.<br />
<br />
You were taken for GRANTED!<br />
<br />
You respected people and you were taken for granted.<br />
<br />
<br />
You tell me, why would being nice be a motivation for anyone?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-6548590778262503904?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-45841653280425491642011-12-22T07:37:00.000-08:002011-12-26T08:03:10.993-08:002011-12-26T08:03:10.993-08:00Kerala December 2011: Day Six<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Early morning 6, I packed my bags, readied up the cycle.
Again, it was humid and hot even at this time. It took me almost an hour before
I got out of the city.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmQf-EkaDJc/TvNL0n_h-oI/AAAAAAAAAZA/lNkwoiYkIdc/s1600/2011-12-14+12.55.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmQf-EkaDJc/TvNL0n_h-oI/AAAAAAAAAZA/lNkwoiYkIdc/s400/2011-12-14+12.55.15.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kanyakumari</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TyI8Ct3p3Dk/TvNL-oQSIgI/AAAAAAAAAZM/5cpikXH5XHQ/s1600/2011-12-14+12.53.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TyI8Ct3p3Dk/TvNL-oQSIgI/AAAAAAAAAZM/5cpikXH5XHQ/s400/2011-12-14+12.53.39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kanyakumari: Far View of the temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But once I was on the National highway, I managed to
keep a constant pace. Reaching Kanyakumari felt a lot more peaceful than
yesterday’s ride. Anything would be easier than yesterdays, I kept telling
myself all along. I reached Kanyakumari quite easily. Since I was more worried
about my bike than being interested in Kanyakumari, I just took a quick tour around the beach,
snapped a few pics. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My bus reservation was from Nagercoil, so after a quick
lunch, I headed back for Nagercoil. It was 20 km from Kanyakumari, but I
couldn’t understand how I had missed the scenic beauty here.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-y4KbbLi2c/TvNMVecFp0I/AAAAAAAAAZY/XWD9_ysnKnE/s1600/2011-12-14+14.09.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-y4KbbLi2c/TvNMVecFp0I/AAAAAAAAAZY/XWD9_ysnKnE/s400/2011-12-14+14.09.55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gayMo2nFUgs/TvNMW9V6UsI/AAAAAAAAAZg/sifpRgyqgGo/s1600/2011-12-14+13.57.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gayMo2nFUgs/TvNMW9V6UsI/AAAAAAAAAZg/sifpRgyqgGo/s400/2011-12-14+13.57.44.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qMsdAhDO3Gg/TvNMZ5UpocI/AAAAAAAAAZw/BV4XN9jw414/s1600/2011-12-14+13.57.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qMsdAhDO3Gg/TvNMZ5UpocI/AAAAAAAAAZw/BV4XN9jw414/s400/2011-12-14+13.57.34.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E2L3SRjaiCI/TvNMcJW1YQI/AAAAAAAAAaA/yy7BU-UssJ0/s1600/2011-12-14+13.57.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E2L3SRjaiCI/TvNMcJW1YQI/AAAAAAAAAaA/yy7BU-UssJ0/s400/2011-12-14+13.57.11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I rode as slow as
possible, taking in as much of the surrounding as I could.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ldmRtyvN50Y/TvNNMbEtFWI/AAAAAAAAAaM/0cUkhVoMpuc/s1600/2011-12-14+17.12.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ldmRtyvN50Y/TvNNMbEtFWI/AAAAAAAAAaM/0cUkhVoMpuc/s320/2011-12-14+17.12.13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dear cycle, Shreya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I waited at the bus stand, I couldn't help but smile looking at my dear cycle. She had been faithful to me all along the way. Never once did I have any problem because of her. No flat tires over the 750km ride, no crankiness, nothing. What else could I ask for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally took my off from Nagercoil for Chennai at 6 in the evening.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">The Crux of the
expedition, why did I title it 'The Pilgrimage'<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wikipedia defines pilgrimage as 'A pilgrimage is
a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance.
typically, a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a
person's beliefs and faith.' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, it was no different for me. I took up the
challenge of doing this because I wanted to prove to myself that I can. Just
like a pilgrimage, it often made me question my motivation and incentive all
along the route. It often pushed me to the brink of giving up, but I held on.
And when I reached back Chennai in one piece, without much damage to me or any damage to my cycle, I knew I had succeeded, and i still cherish the journey and
will keep doing so for the time to come. After all, I DID IT!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-4584165328042549164?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-24894571461168085392011-12-22T07:22:00.000-08:002011-12-26T08:00:49.088-08:002011-12-26T08:00:49.088-08:00Kerala December 2011: Day Five<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I woke up early in the morning
at 4:45 and freshened up. Trivandrum was 170 km from here, but I had secret
ambitions of making it to Kanyakumari today itself, if I reached Trivandrum
before 12. Having had the special tea made by Uncle, he came to drop me off till he
was sure I would not get lost in the town. From here I was to reach
Changanacherry, and then take a route to get on to the NH47. But some misguiding and a wrong turn took me 10 km away from the actual route, and took another 10 km to
get back on.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-21VHqvuGhBo/TvNKjmMOpkI/AAAAAAAAAYo/BmtXNOKtdao/s1600/2011-12-13+13.41.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-21VHqvuGhBo/TvNKjmMOpkI/AAAAAAAAAYo/BmtXNOKtdao/s320/2011-12-13+13.41.43.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Coconut Vendor's open shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Finally I found a board which said that Trivandrum was 150 km. it
was 8 am already, and the roads did not really allow me to go faster than
20kmph. After lots and lots of tiring turns and uphills, I finally reached
Kollam. I had covered almost a 110 km from my starting point, and had another
80 to go ahead. I had my brunch here at an 'Asian Cafe', two parottas and horrible tea and left. But moving ahead of Kollam wasn’t easy, it was already 11 by then. Never before I had
faced stronger winds, and combined with constantly varying gradients, generally
uphill, I was tired before I was within the 40 km of the city. I halted at a
coconut vendor’s shop, relaxed for a while, and then moved on for the remaining
journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The last part became tougher,
with the winds building up, and still climbing. I cursed every downhill ride,
because I knew, that once the fun was over, it’d be followed by another long
and tiring climb.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Three in the afternoon, I
finally reached the city, found a lodge and just crashed the moment I was
allotted my room. I couldn’t sleep, the constant worrying about the cycle
safety didn’t allow me to fall asleep. I went back, made sure the cycle was
safely fastened to pillars, and came back.<o:p></o:p> I fell asleep by 9 in the
night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
So far, this day had taken the
biggest toll on my health. My knees were feeling a bit weird by the time I had
reached the lodge. I couldn’t stand for long without running out of breath, and
was extremely drowsy.<o:p></o:p> I had covered 190 km today, cycled
on for marathonic 8hrs and 30 min, had spent the largest amount today on electrolytes,
water and food so far in the entire journey. I wasn’t mentally prepared for the
following day’s journey. I even looked around a bit to see if could go to
Chennai from here directly, but ended up deciding against it in the end. I
would finish this, no matter what.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://myviewchar.blogspot.com/2011/12/kerala-december-2011-day-six.html" target="_blank">Day Six: Trivandrum to Kanyakumari</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-2489457146116808539?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-17662213993687372392011-12-22T07:14:00.000-08:002011-12-26T07:56:56.472-08:002011-12-26T07:56:56.472-08:00Kerala December 2011: Day Four<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7SWiZkgknzw/TvNILOQmmOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/w506vTaBrTQ/s1600/2011-12-12+09.37.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7SWiZkgknzw/TvNILOQmmOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/w506vTaBrTQ/s320/2011-12-12+09.37.01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to Allepey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a delayed start, I moved
on towards my next destination, Allepey. A day of rest had charged me up, and
the effects showed on the road. After the first 5 km within the city, I entered
the national highway.<o:p></o:p> Miles flew, before I realised,
I had covered 40 km in less than 90 min! this won’t sound like much to a biker,
or for that reason maybe even a cross-county cyclist. But for a hardtail MTB
rider, this would definitely be stunning. I grew conscious after this
realisation and it trickled down to the remaining journey. I reached Allepey in
hardly two and a half hours. I reached the boat jetty, and was supposed to take
a boat ride to Kottayam, from where I’d reach my destination in a kilometer or
so. But the boat I planned to get on was cancelled, and the next boat wasn’t
until next two hours, and it would take another two hours for the boat to reach
Kottayam. I did not have the patience for all that, and so, decided to cycle
instead.<o:p></o:p><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mQFNf6bhZik/TvNITTVsIdI/AAAAAAAAAX4/V8PrqEjD6OI/s1600/2011-12-12+11.35.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mQFNf6bhZik/TvNITTVsIdI/AAAAAAAAAX4/V8PrqEjD6OI/s320/2011-12-12+11.35.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too much tempting to tread, isn't it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
So I cycled to Kumarkom,
around 35 km from where I was. Reaching this place was difficult because of the
road, which was difficult to find among the potholes. Reaching Kumarkom also
opened my eyes to some saddening features of some of the less developed
provinces of this state. I stopped once to get directions from a lady walking
by, and she literally ran away, maybe fearing me to be a bad guy. Somewhere in
the next village, again I had to stop for directions.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p3aZYqISjYg/TvNI-_lmrLI/AAAAAAAAAYE/Xmw88YK9fqE/s1600/2011-12-12+12.10.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p3aZYqISjYg/TvNI-_lmrLI/AAAAAAAAAYE/Xmw88YK9fqE/s320/2011-12-12+12.10.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the bridge towards Kumarkom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
I stopped a mother and a daughter, and the mother pushed her
daughter away and rudely gestured me to get lost. I had similar experiences
with the males as well, but somehow managed even though my GPS was
malfunctioning. Kumarkom and then Kottayam. By the time I reached, I was
exhausted and after all these days, totally tanned! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The house I stayed here in has
to be the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen! Normally I do not use such
adjectives for architectural feats, but this was different from anything I had
seen before. Housed right in front of a paddy field, the home was compounded by
four walls made of stones. The building was a single floored structure, with
the construction along two adjacent sides of the compound walls. The rest of
the portion was all gravel, with a well centered in the compound. There were
two entrances, with some vegetable farms around outside the compound walls. The
entire building was white, with white marble corridors. Entering the compound
immediately soothed your mind, and you felt peace, the kind of which makes you
want to retire and settle somewhere in a similar establishment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
I had the traditional Keralite
red rice for lunch, along with some other curries.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Mr. George Podipora, and
aunty, whom I stayed along with were wonderful hosts, I immensely enjoyed
their company. In the evening, uncle took me out to show his fields.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The day ended with almost 6
hrs of cycling and I had covered nearly a 130 km.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="http://myviewchar.blogspot.com/2011/12/kerala-december-2011-day-five.html" target="_blank">Day Five: Kottayam to Trivandrum; The day of extremes</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-1766221399368737239?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-37690514350622501912011-12-22T07:07:00.000-08:002011-12-26T07:54:18.696-08:002011-12-26T07:54:18.696-08:00Kerala December 2011: Day Three<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5hO0eos93RY/TvNFUNx6xiI/AAAAAAAAAWY/eP08FKqOU-E/s1600/2011-12-10+08.26.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5hO0eos93RY/TvNFUNx6xiI/AAAAAAAAAWY/eP08FKqOU-E/s320/2011-12-10+08.26.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kochi Chalo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a heavy breakfast in
Ponnani, I headed towards Kochi. It was sultry in the morning, and was a bit warm. The roads in the beginning weren’t exactly what you’d call
expressways. Cramps from my yesterday's feat humbled as I warmed up. The distance today was only 115 km, and I did not want to
take up more than four and a half hours for this (Though I had begun with an
ambitious 4 hrs.) The backache from yesterday hadn’t exactly faded, but it regained its composure after the first hour. I stopped 4 times in the first 80
km, and those 80 seemed more than 150. The scorching sun over and above the
fatigue from the last two days was already taking a toll on me. A jeera soda on
the way eased much of the pain, but the guy told me that Kochi was 100km.
Rubbish, I knew he was incorrect, but it was already 11 in the morning and temperatures
were just going up, and even 50 km would look insurmountable. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZQGlztz6U4/TvNFr0MPPrI/AAAAAAAAAWw/pcYFfFeGEgU/s1600/2011-12-10+09.40.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZQGlztz6U4/TvNFr0MPPrI/AAAAAAAAAWw/pcYFfFeGEgU/s640/2011-12-10+09.40.40.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Varapuzha Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
After another two hours or so,
I reached Varapuzha toll, which I thought to be on the outskirts of Kochi, but the
package has its own set of surprises you. Once I got in, I reached a junction.
It was almost 2 now, and I was totally drained out. I was a bit lost too, not
knowing where to go, so I just stationed myself temporarily in shade somewhere
nearby. I finished off whatever dates I was carrying along with me, and finally
decided to use my GPS. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
There are some moments in
life, when you feel accomplished, satisfied, thinking that your goal is a
whisker away (a km away in my case), when you are jolted into reality by a rude
margin. 19 km, read my GPS! I don’t know whom I was cursing, the internet? Or
the roads? Google maps? Anything that confronted me passed by tainted by plethora of
imprecations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60CEGB41qR0/TvNGZ-LGSkI/AAAAAAAAAW8/r-OaNBDR234/s1600/Auto+chennai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60CEGB41qR0/TvNGZ-LGSkI/AAAAAAAAAW8/r-OaNBDR234/s1600/Auto+chennai.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You call these dangerous?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
And then the traffic. I tell
you, if there is anything that can eclipse the haphazardness of the Chennai
auto-drivers, it has to be the bus drivers in Kochi; twice they forced me onto
the footpaths, and countless times forced me to screeching halts. And building
up momentum on the cycle after you are exhausted is frustrating. It was 3:30 by
the time I finally reached my destination. Worn out and frustrated, a day’s
stay was in order. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LtlLIRvouts/TvNHRMQR9WI/AAAAAAAAAXg/ukNMKQRODVE/s1600/Kochi+buses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LtlLIRvouts/TvNHRMQR9WI/AAAAAAAAAXg/ukNMKQRODVE/s1600/Kochi+buses.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The true color or Danger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
There is one thing annoying
about the highways in Kerala, there are no milestones for the big cities!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
There will be milestones for
the the smallest of the colonies, but none for what lies ahead. I didn’t see a
board for Kochi till I had reached there. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
5hrs and 30 min, an hour more
against my target, 125 Km, the day finally came to an end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://myviewchar.blogspot.com/2011/12/kerala-december-2011-day-four.html" target="_blank">Day Four: Kochi to Kottayam</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-3769051435062250191?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-75931684270991564592011-12-22T06:43:00.001-08:002011-12-26T07:50:18.947-08:002011-12-26T07:50:18.947-08:00Kerala December 2011: Day Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The crash yesterday was more
potent than it seemed. His hand swelled up in the morning and the vision was
still blurry. And with 5 more days to go, it would be difficult. So he decided
to go back to Chennai, and I decided to keep going.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Our second halt was supposed
to be at Munnar, which was around 160 km from here, but we had underestimated
the rigours of uphill cycling. And Ooty had given us just the nudge to forget
Munnar, if we planned to pedal there. So the route was changed, and now it was
Ponnani instead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_vB6iLxReGY/TvNDByExVlI/AAAAAAAAAVo/LZELBx3Ktfw/s1600/2011-12-09+08.44.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_vB6iLxReGY/TvNDByExVlI/AAAAAAAAAVo/LZELBx3Ktfw/s320/2011-12-09+08.44.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to palakkad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
7:30 in the morning, I began
cycling, solo towards my next destination.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The highway was awesome! It
was mostly flat, and as I moved towards Palakkad, the scenery started improving
as well. <o:p></o:p>My excitement knew no bounds when I entered Kerala. I began hooting the moment I crossed the checkpost into Kerala, but had to shut up soon because the stares from the truckers made me feel like a fool. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oEdOxWx66fQ/TvNDOD8GdjI/AAAAAAAAAV0/lgnMsgALqr8/s1600/2011-12-09+08.45.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oEdOxWx66fQ/TvNDOD8GdjI/AAAAAAAAAV0/lgnMsgALqr8/s320/2011-12-09+08.45.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just inside Kerala</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
I reached Palakkad in about 90 min, and had covered around 50
km. This was by far, one of my fastest escapades. I stopped here to fill up my bottles, and picked up some dry fruits for the way ahead. I met with similar
reactions here, bike or a cycle? Is he crazy? Why does he want to cycle so
much? And when they learnt that I was going to go all the way to Ponnani, they
gave up on me, but nonetheless, wished me luck and went off. Often, auto-rickshaws, bikers tagged along, wanting to know where I was headed. I took my second halt at Ottamalam, had lunch here and moved on.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_HJMO8bsW8/TvNEESizjMI/AAAAAAAAAWM/ymMAVFfKyvI/s1600/2011-12-09+08.43.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_HJMO8bsW8/TvNEESizjMI/AAAAAAAAAWM/ymMAVFfKyvI/s320/2011-12-09+08.43.41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The all equipped dashboard ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The ride after this point started
getting tougher. Bad, dusty roads, lots of slopes, hillocks and cattle! Your
motivation while going uphill is the downhill ride that follows it, but that is
interrupted by the livestock! And then I took a turn at Patambi, and didn’t
realise that it was the wrong way until I had covered some 7 km, so had to turn
back, get back all the way on the potholed road and reach the correction
junction. This was not it, I got lot of directions from here, different people
asking me to head in different directions. Giving up hope, I had to call up my
friend here, and he advised me to follow the buses to Edappal, some 22 km, and
from there Ponnani would be just 9 km. It was around 1 pm in the afternoon, and
these distances didn’t seem very comforting, knowing the terrain was hilly.
Finally, 4:30 in the evening, I reached his home.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
He has the most beautiful of
homes that I’ve ever seen, house surrounded by lots of trees, in a very serene
and an isolated locality. And Ponnani felt a bit underrated, I wondered why it
did not feature on the places worth visiting on the net. We went to the beach,
had Saudi Cuisine in the evening and crashed. It was a challenging day, particularly in the 25 km. I had broken all of my previous records today, had covered
165 km, ride time of 6 hr 30 min. My back ached from the weight of my backpack,
but the satisfaction was enormous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://myviewchar.blogspot.com/2011/12/kerala-december-2011-day-three.html" target="_blank">Day Three: Ponnani to Kochi</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-7593168427099156459?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-87042588626597971542011-12-22T06:42:00.000-08:002011-12-26T07:44:04.297-08:002011-12-26T07:44:04.297-08:00Kerala December 2011: Day One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
When I woke up in the morning,
the bus was somewhere near Mettupalayam. And the bus was going uphill. It was a
really slow ride, and we wondered, if the bus were to take so long, when would
we reach Munnar on a cycle? Finally the bus stopped, and we put our cycles back
together. Ooty, or Udagamandalam on the boards there, was cold. Luckily we’d
brought our jackets and were already wearing two layers inside.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wl3n5kVTJiQ/TvM_yevGEvI/AAAAAAAAAUs/WETlMRYV5Gw/s1600/081220111470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wl3n5kVTJiQ/TvM_yevGEvI/AAAAAAAAAUs/WETlMRYV5Gw/s320/081220111470.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teja in Gear!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The first 2 km were totally
uphill. We were already panting by the time we reached up one peak. We stopped
here, loaded our bottles with electral, stuffed our ears with cotton, covered
our mouths, put on the goggles and began the downhill ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fmo0WEuOZrA/TvNALUQEN3I/AAAAAAAAAU4/6RfuTCdlBAo/s1600/081220111471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fmo0WEuOZrA/TvNALUQEN3I/AAAAAAAAAU4/6RfuTCdlBAo/s320/081220111471.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tip of the uphill ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Swoosh!! The ride that
followed had to be the best possible ride ever! Averaging at more than 40 Kmph,
and touching 55 every now and then, we left all the motored vehicle drivers
stunned. None of them were spared, all of them had to face the humiliation of
being overtaken by cyclists. We stopped at Coonor, about 20 km from ooty, and
we came that distance in less than 30 min. After an awesome authentic south
Indian breakfast, we started off again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq31JTsnHm0/TvNBK7nQxoI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/_v6ovhP1AqA/s1600/081220111473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq31JTsnHm0/TvNBK7nQxoI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/_v6ovhP1AqA/s320/081220111473.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The typical south Indian breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The joy of riding downhill was
so much, that we forgot, or should I say ignored to look around and appreciate
the hilly beauty. You never start pedalling from the top gear, but here it felt
the chain was always derailed! Not once there was a need to put an effort from
our side!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The side of the road cleared all of a sudden and the view that it brought out was breathtaking.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xow1ZAaiaDM/TvNAgqAPCCI/AAAAAAAAAVE/Vnc1AFyWIzU/s1600/081220111474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xow1ZAaiaDM/TvNAgqAPCCI/AAAAAAAAAVE/Vnc1AFyWIzU/s320/081220111474.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The momentary distraction: Root of the first setback</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
First setback came along.
Ajay’s bike slipped over from the edge of the road and he somehow managed to
tear off the rear of his jacket, bruise his left ear and get a cut on the left
temple. It’s difficult to picture how he’d have crashed, but the first time I
saw him, blood was oozing all over from his temple onto his jacket. And his ear
didn’t look any different from an over-fried bajji. It was a bad fall, imagine
the Kinetic energy of a 80 kg object moving at 40kmph, being absorbed in just
one impulse by the body. Ouch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AX9v52LF-gY/TvNBoLwTj3I/AAAAAAAAAVc/puj_5YCdptM/s1600/081220111475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AX9v52LF-gY/TvNBoLwTj3I/AAAAAAAAAVc/puj_5YCdptM/s320/081220111475.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
His vision after the fall was
a bit blurry, so we had to slow down. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Till we reached the foothills,
life couldn’t have been better. But reality struck us hard when we came down on
the flat roads once again. Heat was high, the road was bad, and it was dusty,
very dusty!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Ajay’s cycle wheel was
wobbling after the fall, so we stopped at every cycle or motor repair shop on
the way. But none of them had any clue on how to work on the imported bikes. We
had no other option, so we kept trudging along. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The outskirts of Coimbatore
were worse than a barren village in Rajasthan. Sand, dust storms, traffic, and
the weariness from the journey concocted a really bad image about this place.
We hadn’t had lunch, so located a KFC, and relaxed there for almost an hour.
Once our tummies were full, we got a place to stay, and began planning
tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We had covered 95 km today, in
about 5 hrs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://myviewchar.blogspot.com/2011/12/kerala-december-2011-day-two.html" target="_blank">Day Two: Coimbatore to Ponnani</a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-8704258862659797154?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-83552447987089101112011-12-22T01:25:00.001-08:002011-12-26T07:41:08.754-08:002011-12-26T07:41:08.754-08:00The Pilgrimage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The journey had been planned, though not very meticulously. A rough route had been decided. Bookings were made just a day before, with no idea whether our cycles were going to be allowed to be taken as luggage or not. Cycles had been serviced; we took spares with us; </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The essential was with us in abundance, motivation.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We reached the Koyambedu Bus Terminus almost an hour before time. We still had to confirm the luggage. The person in charge told us that we would have to talk to the bus driver, and it was his prerogative. We waited. Other travellers flocked our waiting area asking about our cycles, mostly clearing their doubts over whether these were really cycles or motor cycles. The bottles, after all, made them look like fuel tanks on a moped. The bus was delayed, by another half an hour. Our anxiety accrued. Our entire trip depended on this one decision of the driver. What if he just denied?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Finally the bus arrived, and I made it to the drivers cabin even before he could switch off the engine. And before he could say anything, I was already blabbering over my demands, or petitions maybe. The guy was confused. By then, some other bus company people came up and offered me to have our cycles delivered separately in a luggage van. No way, that was too much disconcerting. We were taking no risks, and sending our sweethearts separately was in no way an option. The driver finally spoke, and did not speak something very comforting. He said there was no space in the luggage and that he couldn’t help. What?! We weren’t giving up so easily, luggage space? That could definitely be adjusted. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
With my limited lexicon of the tamil language, I somehow managed to persuade the driver to show me the space available. It seemed tight, but could be worked out. He saw the bikes, and the first reaction was: ‘You call this small-u?? No way sir, not possible.’ By then, I had already dismantled my front wheel and had put already begun loading. Ajay was doing the same. When mine was inside, the driver gave similar concerns, how will the second fit? But by then the second was in as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Back inside as we reclined back on the chairs, we couldn’t help, but feel overjoyed. 500 bucks for two cycles. The bus started moving.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uIFAEOWXJ18/TvL4f0rNE9I/AAAAAAAAAOU/_gwWsRRf5to/s1600/081220111468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uIFAEOWXJ18/TvL4f0rNE9I/AAAAAAAAAOU/_gwWsRRf5to/s320/081220111468.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looked like after the luggage had been emptied</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Finally a much fantasized journey was taking place.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://myviewchar.blogspot.com/2011/12/kerala-december-2011-day-one.html" target="_blank">Day One: Ooty to Coimbatore</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-8355244798708910111?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com5Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, CMBT Passengers Way, Koyambedu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India13.0671274 80.2057654000000213.0644404 80.20454840000002 13.0698144 80.20698240000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-15075809237650903362011-12-03T09:58:00.000-08:002011-12-03T09:58:52.113-08:002011-12-03T09:58:52.113-08:00Upcoming Winter Tour of Kerala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-59v16Xv2trs/TtpiftLIU9I/AAAAAAAAANE/H5besNxfyM0/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-59v16Xv2trs/TtpiftLIU9I/AAAAAAAAANE/H5besNxfyM0/s640/Capture.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Continuing on our quest for adventure!<br />
Wish us luck!<br />
The journey begins on the 7th of this month!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-1507580923765090336?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-45102416601366654792011-08-13T07:57:00.000-07:002011-08-13T07:57:32.715-07:002011-08-13T07:57:32.715-07:00Pallavaram, 13th August<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Evening 5 o'clock, after the tiring waterpolo practice session in the morning.<br />
<br />
Pretty awesome climb, always had to keep in my 1-1 to 1-3 gear combination. There's a broken temple up here along with some telecommunication tower, and a bunch of angry pigs. But a fun climb, better come here only on a good geared bike. No hawk, mach or the normal types. And the hill is not to be under estimated.<br />
<br />
And as usual, the best part of the climb always arrives after a good tiring climb, the downhill ride! Usual because some time back on the Nagala trip, we had a similar ride down the hill, on parts of the river bed and the wet muddy village roads. While going up, my speeds had been limited to a little over 6kmph, but I clocked speeds of upto 64 kmph on the way back! Once I almost lost control, resulting in an almost a 30 feet slide, but once again, my bike proved it's worth. And then i almost bumped into a few hill folk, but managed to sneak away before they could scream, "Are you crazy??". And the rest of the ride was just a boring high speed escapade, stunning a few pillion riders every now and then.<br />
It's a good sunday morning ride, except for the fact that you'll have to endure some really nasty stench on the way up.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-4510241660136665479?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-17849552657865621192011-06-29T05:51:00.000-07:002011-06-29T05:51:45.067-07:002011-06-29T05:51:45.067-07:00Obituary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCluIy6Jv0s/TgrYnGg2GSI/AAAAAAAAALY/bSghwS_T32E/s1600/nokia-x6-black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCluIy6Jv0s/TgrYnGg2GSI/AAAAAAAAALY/bSghwS_T32E/s320/nokia-x6-black.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I personally called, the 'rPhone'</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> On 24th June, 2011, at the Kovalam Beach, while clicking the sunrise, the phone was lost to the sea because of sheer imbalance. The phone crashed on the rock, the battery came off and the main piece drifted off into the sea, only never to be found again.<br />
I stared at the spot where it seemed to have fallen, almost petrified, and the next moment I was frantically digging all around. No sign of the phone. Shit Happens. The next day I went there again and looked around, but seems my luck had run out it's course.<br />
It took me an hour to realize that something so unfortunate had occurred. The void that I felt for the next few days was profound. That night when I went to bed, I fumbled around for my phone in the dark, only to find it missing. Old habits. No phone, no alarm. duh. <br />
No ringtones, no messages or email alerts, no music, no camera. Life just felt so disoriented. The charger is still plugged in, the USB adapter cable still lies on my table. Pockets started feeling empty, waiting time at bus stops and stores all of a sudden became weird. The saviour to all awkward moments was gone..<br />
Now I am over the loss, but thou shalt be always remembered, as my first camera phone! </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-1784955265786562119?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-90029691066344734952011-06-28T00:47:00.000-07:002011-06-28T00:47:15.351-07:002011-06-28T00:47:15.351-07:00DSLR magic!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F8kUn28iB2w/TgmFhVyJOwI/AAAAAAAAAK0/ScCdqWxldCo/s1600/IMG_4928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F8kUn28iB2w/TgmFhVyJOwI/AAAAAAAAAK0/ScCdqWxldCo/s640/IMG_4928.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-St830gl7Zzo/TgmFgrtDXwI/AAAAAAAAAKw/GCRQaB-gqfk/s1600/IMG_4919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-St830gl7Zzo/TgmFgrtDXwI/AAAAAAAAAKw/GCRQaB-gqfk/s640/IMG_4919.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LxYjcXyXios/TgmFe0cd05I/AAAAAAAAAKo/KhynhhCt0uY/s1600/IMG_4917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LxYjcXyXios/TgmFe0cd05I/AAAAAAAAAKo/KhynhhCt0uY/s640/IMG_4917.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Photographing courtesies: Sumedha Pareek<br />
Place: Kovalam<br />
6 am, 24th June</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-9002969106634473495?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-53573943358322343892011-06-22T23:25:00.000-07:002011-06-22T23:25:25.407-07:002011-06-22T23:25:25.407-07:00Mahabalipuram 23rd june '11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Early morning 4 and we were off. Back by 10 :30.<br />
Statistics : 103 km overall<br />
Total cycling time: 5 hrs<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FmNUHV5VxSg/TgLZ5fFt_GI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/FB4d965zSCk/s1600/230620111222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FmNUHV5VxSg/TgLZ5fFt_GI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/FB4d965zSCk/s400/230620111222.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CI4P6BDAHvQ/TgLZ8gWwG-I/AAAAAAAAAHc/xeiZqsfwOsM/s1600/230620111217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CI4P6BDAHvQ/TgLZ8gWwG-I/AAAAAAAAAHc/xeiZqsfwOsM/s400/230620111217.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6IrX96334s/TgLaCRxAB1I/AAAAAAAAAHw/koS93dUXRSY/s1600/230620111210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6IrX96334s/TgLaCRxAB1I/AAAAAAAAAHw/koS93dUXRSY/s400/230620111210.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K1dwaeWFmjQ/TgLaDZWKAUI/AAAAAAAAAH0/EzTElSYQjHk/s1600/230620111209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K1dwaeWFmjQ/TgLaDZWKAUI/AAAAAAAAAH0/EzTElSYQjHk/s400/230620111209.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zo75Q2CqAoI/TgLaFF1SMFI/AAAAAAAAAH4/1BobAFBakN0/s1600/230620111208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zo75Q2CqAoI/TgLaFF1SMFI/AAAAAAAAAH4/1BobAFBakN0/s400/230620111208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MpL9XTfCyoY/TgLaGR6WTRI/AAAAAAAAAH8/TwNGrTZjILs/s1600/230620111206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MpL9XTfCyoY/TgLaGR6WTRI/AAAAAAAAAH8/TwNGrTZjILs/s400/230620111206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvZMut_rnlE/TgLaIarGSqI/AAAAAAAAAIA/xNIZygQ5NFA/s1600/230620111205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvZMut_rnlE/TgLaIarGSqI/AAAAAAAAAIA/xNIZygQ5NFA/s400/230620111205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The best part of the trip..<br />
Yep, we rode it up a 200 ft high hill, totally off road! on the rocks! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs-5xZU8vyM/TgLaKjWHQKI/AAAAAAAAAII/0vSIaQBxE50/s1600/230620111200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs-5xZU8vyM/TgLaKjWHQKI/AAAAAAAAAII/0vSIaQBxE50/s400/230620111200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RCr07zukxyA/TgLaTSVH80I/AAAAAAAAAIo/rdQM3jKH7tg/s1600/230620111189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RCr07zukxyA/TgLaTSVH80I/AAAAAAAAAIo/rdQM3jKH7tg/s400/230620111189.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoRmXifUAmI/TgLaVUiBuqI/AAAAAAAAAIw/CfbmpTp_MXk/s1600/230620111187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoRmXifUAmI/TgLaVUiBuqI/AAAAAAAAAIw/CfbmpTp_MXk/s400/230620111187.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1hlwgCaRPeg/TgLaWYgubAI/AAAAAAAAAI0/Mm2YvEoHyC8/s1600/230620111185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1hlwgCaRPeg/TgLaWYgubAI/AAAAAAAAAI0/Mm2YvEoHyC8/s400/230620111185.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oR1rjaM4UuE/TgLaJQDXlmI/AAAAAAAAAIE/s0DScZbqMbU/s1600/230620111203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oR1rjaM4UuE/TgLaJQDXlmI/AAAAAAAAAIE/s0DScZbqMbU/s400/230620111203.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teja!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ys8eR2Payy0/TgLaXJaoxLI/AAAAAAAAAI4/W4OQ-KY4T18/s1600/230620111183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ys8eR2Payy0/TgLaXJaoxLI/AAAAAAAAAI4/W4OQ-KY4T18/s400/230620111183.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LKOdTNgUato/TgLaYPnix8I/AAAAAAAAAI8/fD4ZfDv5OJw/s1600/230620111171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LKOdTNgUato/TgLaYPnix8I/AAAAAAAAAI8/fD4ZfDv5OJw/s400/230620111171.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dashboard :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D7-kvUzpi80/TgLacCSTpJI/AAAAAAAAAJA/XQPlutiZ41Y/s1600/230620111323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D7-kvUzpi80/TgLacCSTpJI/AAAAAAAAAJA/XQPlutiZ41Y/s400/230620111323.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-5357394335832234389?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9077647745292763149.post-10999885266232499952011-06-08T02:26:00.000-07:002011-06-08T22:11:22.035-07:002011-06-08T22:11:22.035-07:00Nagalapuram Trip, on Bicycle!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Early morning in Chennai, 3:15 am, 6th June, 2011, hot and humid even now, but somehow bearable. The excitement about the trip made everything bearable. Backpack: ready, cycle: serviced and ready, equipment: ready, self: ready to be tested. Finally we were embarking on a trip that we (My friend Ajayteja, and me) had long fantasized, cycling all the way to Nagalapuram, camping there for 2 nights, trekking and coming back.<br />
<br />
4:30 am, and we were off. By 5:30 we had reached the far end of Poonamallee, and took our first stop there. It took a lot of referring to the GPS for first timers like us. But nonetheless, we were there. We had tea here and took off at about 5:45, with our electral packets loaded into the sipper bottles. and before long, we were on the state highway to Thiruvallur, which was to be our second stop.<br />
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The road to Thiruvallur was really good, no potholes, and with excellent farms around, and beautiful scenery, and weather. But riding on this wasn't easy, especially with the wind totally against us. The wind limited our speeds to a little over 10 kmph. And at around 8:30, we were at Thiruvallur. We had cycled 45 km from our hostels to reach this place, and were already starting to feel high.<br />
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After crossing the railway station and getting out of the city, we stopped on the outskirts of this town, at some small tea stall. Had tea and a few slices of bread, refilled our bottles, and were off by 9:00. Our next planned halt was to be at poondi, around 20 km from this place.<br />
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Our path took an unexpected turn after Thiruvallur, when we branched off for Poondi onto the state highway 50. It just furthered our image of the Indian rural highways, pathetic, pitiable for vehicle travellers, but all the more fun for cyclists like us. It was all the more invigorating, as it was different from the mundane highway rides. We had to watch out for every pothole, every bump, and overtaking the villagers on bikes was even more fun! And the eyeballs we grabbed on the way, thanks to our bikes and our attire! As we reached the poondi village, beautiful farms started coming up. But the wind was still against us. We took a halt here for a few minutes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZF5qjmEc-bM/Te8bs6g2iSI/AAAAAAAAAGE/5dZziSe6T1Q/s1600/060620111140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZF5qjmEc-bM/Te8bs6g2iSI/AAAAAAAAAGE/5dZziSe6T1Q/s320/060620111140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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And a picture, wallpaper material, isn't it?<br />
Not for everyone! The place was really awesome, ideal place to set up a tent, and we even thought that on the way back, we'd have a night halt here.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJVwEsf4jz0/Te8d4MWQ9MI/AAAAAAAAAGI/mkfq11dkdhE/s1600/060620111142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJVwEsf4jz0/Te8d4MWQ9MI/AAAAAAAAAGI/mkfq11dkdhE/s320/060620111142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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As we passed through the Poondi village, a local followed up to us and struck up a conversation. He took us to the Poondi reservoir and offered us lemonade.<br />
That's Teja, with the local, Mr. Suresh.<br />
After exchanging contacts, we furthered onto our trip, towards the next halt Uthukottai.<br />
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On the way to Uthukottai, we stopped at some village midway and bought steel mugs, and maggi.<br />
Reaching Uthukottai was a kind of a mini achievement for us as we had come across a milestone previously that placed Uthukottai at 57km. We had our breakfast here at a small dosa stall. The stall-owners were surprisingly friendly! After refilling our bottles, we took off again. And we came by Palavakkam. This was the point where we crossed the state, into Andhra Pradesh, another woo-hoo moment for us!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcrnfvsXP4w/Te8gxpuWYJI/AAAAAAAAAGM/1Ff3czxGMDk/s1600/060620111143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcrnfvsXP4w/Te8gxpuWYJI/AAAAAAAAAGM/1Ff3czxGMDk/s320/060620111143.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fJPbdBdiy0M/Te8g-tnMfxI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/sx7S1vCiIbk/s1600/060620111146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fJPbdBdiy0M/Te8g-tnMfxI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/sx7S1vCiIbk/s320/060620111146.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teja!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As we cycled on and on, as every pedal took us near to our destination, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the cadence. The wind, as if it had sworn to be against us all the time, continued it's fury against us. And 1.5km before the Nagalapuram town, we went off road. This was amongst the most fun part of our trip, as we cycled in the scorching sun, on and on, unsure of the path. All we knew was that we had to get to some village, and get further directions, till then just enjoy the road!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dSAD8kjd4GQ/Te8jGvEIjlI/AAAAAAAAAGU/SWn4-VaF7qs/s1600/060620111148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dSAD8kjd4GQ/Te8jGvEIjlI/AAAAAAAAAGU/SWn4-VaF7qs/s320/060620111148.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">en route to the village</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n0h_PBGzeIU/Te8jLrHjFhI/AAAAAAAAAGY/S4DsHYlPkvc/s1600/060620111151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n0h_PBGzeIU/Te8jLrHjFhI/AAAAAAAAAGY/S4DsHYlPkvc/s320/060620111151.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">off-road!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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And we reached a village, and after lots of twists and turns and ups and downs, and again a lot of asking and seeking, we finally met a guy who knew where we wanted to go. He took us to his home, offered us mangoes and chilled water. Chilled water was a luxury!! He set us on to the right track, and before long, we reached Tipikottai, the last Village before we got onto the hill. And as we climbed up the reservoir, our joy knew no bounds! We were finally there!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6LhxhSLUIM/Te8k9p4bxDI/AAAAAAAAAGc/LOWwlmTO6c0/s1600/060620111160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6LhxhSLUIM/Te8k9p4bxDI/AAAAAAAAAGc/LOWwlmTO6c0/s320/060620111160.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the reservoir boundary</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UwU1D13h8-o/Te8k-aXexZI/AAAAAAAAAGg/sYvmWDL-ctw/s1600/060620111161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UwU1D13h8-o/Te8k-aXexZI/AAAAAAAAAGg/sYvmWDL-ctw/s320/060620111161.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reservoir</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
Our next aim here was to find a place to hide our cycles, as we planned to trek on later. We found a place at some 15ft above the ground, some flat place with a good strong branch above. After tying our cycles to the branch and covering it with a lot of leaves and stuff, we headed inside the forest.<br />
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We walked on till the first pool, found a clear place nearby, and set up the tent. We lit up a small fire, and put the maggi for cooking and lazed in the pool. And Teja sure did exhibit some skill as we tried to lit the fire, scrapping out pulp from dried wood using his swiss knife. Lazing in the pool, we almost fell asleep, but the smell of cooked maggi is too much inviting to not eat it off. Once we were done with eating, we got back to the tent and started clearing around, and it started to drizzle. And boy, was that awesome! In the jungle already, raining, and time to spend some time in the tent! It couldn't get better!<br />
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First disappointment came along. The tent wasn't waterproof. Within minutes of raining, our stuff was almost starting to float inside. And then, we took the most upsetting decision of the trip, of getting back. Technically it was the best we could do, but the excitement was gone. The trek was ruined. We hastily packed all our stuff back inside, folded back the tent in the heavy rain, trekked back all the way back to the reservoir, got the cycles down.<br />
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And then the best, let me emphasize on this word, BEST part of the entire trip followed. We cycled down back to Tipikottai, in that heavy rain, on a river bed road, bad mud, racing all the way down. Our cycles jumped as high as 2ft high, which was in no way any less than a thrill for novice cyclists like us! And our cycles were faithful to us all the while, not one puncture, no wheel bend, the gears changing smoothly as ever, and the shock absorbers proving their worth! In short, LOVELY!!<br />
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We got inside Tipikottai and arrived at a reasonably dense locality. We stopped by some snack stall, and as we ordered, we asked for a place to spend the night. It was already dark, and raining, so we couldn't have gone far as well. After a lot of asking around, we finally got a place in the verandah of locked hut. The place was hardly 4m by 2m, and we set up our tent, parked the cycles, and spent the night here. In the tent we tried to have some dinner, the packaged stuff that we had brought along, but we were too exhausted to eat. Just had some plum cake, set the alarms and "crashed".<br />
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<blockquote>All in all, it was 105 km cycling plus 5 km trek. This was Day One.</blockquote><br />
<b>Day Two</b><br />
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Day two begun at 4:45 in the morning, actually 3:15 again, but snoozing took us all the way. Even the hard floor we slept on last night felt a very comfortable bed. We woke up all shaken up, because we had not slept well, and we hadn't had a proper dinner. After folding the tent back, watering off the mud from the gears, taking some glucose, we left that place. It was drizzling, but the wind was not against us now. We came back till Uthukottai, stopping frequently in between. The ride back was scenic, but we did not have all the energy to enjoy it much.<br />
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And then we took a lift in a tempo till Poondi, where we called up our local contact, Suresh. We had some breakfast, coffee at his home, and took off again in an hour. But now we were all charged up. The village kids sure did go crazy on our bikes.<br />
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The rest of the ride back was easy. As we passed every landmark that we had come across previously, our enthusiasm grew, we pedaled faster and faster. Finally we reached Chennai, the change was imminent. It was one in the afternoon, and the traffic was bad. It was 2:30, finally, when we dropped dead in our hostel rooms. And we did not wake up before 8 in the evening.<br />
Total distance covered in 2 days: 200 km on cycle + 5 km trekking. <br />
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Last word, if you enjoy physically challenging feats, this is one good opportunity!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/9077647745292763149-1099988526623249995?l=myviewchar.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Rudrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704790853471842828noreply@blogger.com10