Juwal Bose Says

We had a recent solar eclipse which was the longest for some decades to come. This made me realise that i had not posted about my Kanyakumari trip with my brother where the Sun had actually cheated on us.

The eclipse was beautiful and we watched the glory through some expensive video-graphic glasses as well as cheap Xray films. This one was an annular eclipse and hence the beautiful ring of fire was missed fro our place.

So me and bro embarked on this journey to KK, not in search of some search for inner meaning or greater spiritual good, but curious to see what the heck it was all about. It was holiday season being newyear and xmas week and we had not booked any accommodations. We thought it would be just fine to get on the bus and check out accommodations when we get there. Well we were wrong Now unless my good friend Shyam chand had not booked us tickets for the bus online through credit card over the KSRTC online registration we could have not even started the journey. It was total fun to walk into a fully crowded bus with as much people waiting outside to get in and claim our seats with a piece of printed paper. WOW! But although we got the seats, it was a pain and we could not get any sleep. We stated the journey at 9pm fro ernakulam and reached Trivandrum bus station at 2.15 am. We had some relaxing and late night tea. We found that the next bus to KK wa gonna start at 5.30 am. So we took platform tickets to the nearby railway station and tried to get some sleep on the benches there Now when we came back the enquiry officer didnt bother to tell us that the bus was at the other end of the bus station. We almost missed the bus as we ran to get the bus at the last minute and ofcourse didnt get any seats A main way point on the way was nagercoil, and we understood that we will have to make it back there to catch a bus back to Tvm.

As we started approaching the tamil district it started raining. It was drastic change in environments and system as we passed on from Kerala to Tamil nadu. We could only watch in awe at the robust cultivated land featuring all kinds of stuff. Bananas looked like coconuts It suddenly started raining and we were alarmed. Now some new info dawned on me, that always check the weather report before you venture into some natural beauty. We reached at KK early morning arounf 7.30 and started looking for accommodations. Those available were running at Rs1500 plus taxes and were premium non AC ones. After so walking around one agent came along and got us a normal room for Rs 500. I gave him 20Rs commission and saw that he got 100 rs or more from the hotel manager. We had to wait till the cleaning got completed for the rooms and checked in at 8.30. We walked around and did some shopping.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

We bought some seashells for Rs 50 each, a seashell garland for Rs 20 and white and dark ying yang pebbles for Rs 20 each. The shore area was full of shops and majority were selling sea shells. It was Sabarimala season and the crowd was full of ayyapans. We had expected to see some colorful crowd but were really disappointed at that. We could see the Vivekananda rock and the Thiruvalluvar statue.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

Idly vada costed Rs 25 and we were really hungry. To our disappointment we found that there were no beaches in KK. We had hoped to have dive at the ocean and spent some time swimming. We noticed a pebble catcher with e small sack who filtered the sea water and found pebbles and different colored stones. There were genuine looking pearl like stones being sold for Rs 10 each.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

We decided to go to the KK temple and got in the huge line. After some time we thought it was a waste of time and wanted to get out. In the on rush of the crowd we got into another line and were in front of the diety instantly. Now it cost us Rs 20 to take some kind of ticket and see her holiness Hmm. Outside the temple the prasadam was in the shape of a huge laddu. It cost us Rs 50 but then it surely made mom happy.
There was a building outside which was Ghandhi memorial and we took some time off to rest under it.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

Now it was time to visit the vivekananda rock. The line was huge but it was moving at a steady pace. There were 2 boats shuttling to and fro from the rocks taking visitors. We got it one of those and had a rollercoaster session untill we reached the rock.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

We could see the multicolored sea in a 180 degree view. The statue was very close but not accessible due to renovation work. We took some photos and planned our way back as we had to have some food. We had 3 chappathis and Chillichicken from the rarest of non-veg hotels around there. It cost Rs 185 and was a bad decision. It was evening and we were looking forward to seeing the Sun set. We approached the view tower and took tickets for Rs 3.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

But it was really cloudy and we could only catch half of the sun in the horizon.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

But we enjoyed the ravishing sea and its terrifying savageness.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

So we decided to stay for the night and try watching the sun rise early morning. We had the idea to try booking the KK express train and got into an internet cafe to check for schedules. We decided to walk to the railway station and check for the train details and if possible book a ticket. We found a beautiful girl at ticket counter and she explained that there is no need to book tickets as we could easily get sleeper tickets in morning itself. We bought pirottas and chicken fry from a local thatukada for Rs 65 and a KF beer for Rs110. After some freshening up we went for a walk and felt the night breeze.
We slept sound that night and woke up at 5.45 to see the sunrise. Sun cheated us bigtime this time around and it was no where to be seen. So we packed up and went to the railway station to board the train at 10.30 am.

From Kanyakumari 25th Dec 09

We had lots of vacant seats and had a relaxed journey back with bro sleeping it off on the upper berth. So we could not see the sun rise or set in its glory. I will be visiting KK again to see the view, but that time i am gonna check the weather in advance.

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Thats a funny heading, i know. But then i felt we were all a little bit older and reserved this time around for the team trip. May be it was because of missing Vijesh and the eye sore-ed Rajesh. But then it remains a fact that we all were older and when we saw the gang of college students enjoying under the waterfalls, nostalgia and old memories rushed in. So it was time for another Csharks teamtrip, another year completed for Csharks and a recession year at that too. As the majority didnt want to walk too much as last time it was full of trekking, we decided to keep it simple by visiting Munnar and near by places.
First stop was the inevitable Cheeyappara Kuth, waterfall on the way to Adimali.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

It was rainy season and both Valara and Cheeyappara waterfalls looked awesome. We had to pick up princy on the way as we were leaving early morning. My mother was there as a senior security officer for Csharks. Next stop was echo point, which was just an echo of the old spot. No more real echo, but the scenery was breathtaking. There was a confusion whether to go for boating or not, we decided not to. We had a shopping spree around that place and Abhi was eager to get going.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

Now it was time for the awesome tea slopes of Munnar. cannot explain their beauty as you just have to see the whole horizon filled with tea plantations.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

We had photo sessions around Echo point and in between the tea plantations. The leeches were severe trouble and all were suddenly over conscious. As usual i saw a leach trying to enter my shoes. Shyju got one attached to himself. Kailas came to rescue with a match. The next stop was Topstation. There was an entry fee of Rs15 per person and we got a discount at that place. We could get magnificent views of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This place actually belonged to Tamil Nadu.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

We walked down to the different view points and took some single photos. We also had access to wild oranges and we ravaged the orange tree. We enjoyed the beauty of the place for some time and decided to spent some time and have food at Kundala. Kundala had it all, but also had rain. It was a beautiful place with a dam, boating, a pine forest and horse riding. Initially it was raining and the boats were not being engaged.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

We decided to have some food. Breadomlete was the only option available.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

After food the rain was gone and team formed groups to go for boating. It was 1 hour row boating and pedal boating. Shyju and Abhi who led the row boat took some time to get used to the thing. They were initially going in circles.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

Me and Eldhose went for horse riding based on the excellent negotiating talents of Eldhose. I cant explain how the riding was on such an open forum, but lets say it was an unforgettable experience. I recommend all males try it once.

From Munnar Trip Csharks Aug 09

On the way back we spent some time at Mattupetty dam and had some shooting practice. Some among the team had troubles with their stomach due to untimely food, but then it was sorted out. We had food at a basic restaurant at Adimali on the way back. We were curious of rajesh’s red eye but it turned out not to be a problem. Abhi had a bit of a altitude trouble when on the way back he had a stomach cleaning session.We were back early when compared to the other tours. We dropped princy at her place and got back safe to our office complex.

Other Csharks trip 1
Csharks Trip 2

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So this was the big event of the whole trip. I squeezed this one in and made everyone else follow suite. Let me tell you that such a trip attempt for 1 day visit from Mumbai to both the caves is something that is to be perfectly planned. We got in our Bus from Thane to Aurangabad at 11 pm at night which was Netha Volvo and the tickets ran at Rs450. We had the pleasure of knowing a tour agency who controlled the ‘Royal cars’ which had bus and cars arranged for travel. An Indica car with AC for the whole day cost Rs3000 and without AC it will be around Rs2000. (Royal Cars owner:9823533532, Mankesh Driver:9765449330). The AC was good and we were in shorts, all pumped up. We reached Aurangabad at 7am the next day.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

The indica was exactly at the spot where we were getting down, we had called the driver to sync up. Now we had to change and freshen up, this was something which we didnt plan ahead. So we had real problem finding a good accomodation for single day and it cost us Rs800, but could have bargained for less if we had time. After a superfast bath we left some of our stuff at the hotel room and started journey to Ajanta. Ajanta is 100 Kms from Aurangabad. Just before we reached Ajanta there was this local Dhaba where we had Poori Bhaji and Milk and it was damn economical.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

The driver told us that there was the Himroo handicrafts sarees available nearby which costed upto 11 lakhs per saree. The Abhi-Ash wedding bulk booked these ones from here, he said. Remnants of old forts and palaces were scattered all the way. We saw the Ajanta village which was enclosed in an old fort fence. We came to Ajanta valley where we needed to take tickets and some other passes. We gave signed agreement that our photos will be used for non commercial purposes. Also there was a ticket for using light inside the cave, which meant we needed to carry extra lights. If we dont have extra light the guides inside the caves had LED torches to help, but you needed to pay them.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

There are AC/non AC buses going up and down the road to Ajanta. You will need to take tickets for these too.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

Guys dont hire external guides, just buy the guide book for Rs20, dont offer anything more than this. The book depicts all the caves you need to visit and the total layout. The initial scene of the horse shoe cave structure was unique and you wont get to see something like this anywhere else. I cant possibly explain the caves and their architecture. There are loads of murals and sculptures inside the caves which are primarily Buddhist.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

In each cave you will get guides who will tell kinds of stories about the murals and how the cave was built. You can give Rs20 in each cave.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

There is a big reclining Buddha in cave number 26 and other good caves can be 9,15,16 and 21.
There is a viewpoint in the middle to the other side of the rived that flows below the horseshoe. There is this small hill which sits in the middle which offers good view of the whole caves structure.
But as we didnt have much time, we hurried back and even skipped the beer parlor at the bottom. Bargained with the shopkeepers around for some pictures of the caves and bought some to be framed later. Now we had to get back all the way to Aurangabad and the start for Ellora. So the driver was speeding away when suddenly one of the tyres was blown away.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

It was the driver who saved the day with his presence of mind and super fast tyre change skills. We skidded for 50 mts on the road until we came to stop. Ellora was 30kms from Aurangabad in another direction. We had our food in a near by hotel. The caves here was spread all around the place and there were Autos running among them. The caves are mixture of Brahmin, Jain and Bhuddha cultures. Hindu carvings were enormous and we just lost our ways inside Kailasa cave.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

We just get to think that these people had nothing else to do back then. Dont miss Cave 16-Kailasa, 6,10, 30, 31 and 32. We misses the Indraprastha caves which were a little far away. The driver had booked return tickets by phone and we saw Daulatabad Fort and panchakki on the way back. Panchakki is just a waste of time and effort, but daulatabad can be a hideous climb to endure. If you loose your step you are a goner.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

At Aurangabad we also had the pleasure to see the Taj replica, Bibi ka Maqbara. It was delightful for me to compare the structures as i had visited the Taj. It looked almost the same if you analysed from far away and thus didnt notice the size difference.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

The caves closed at 6pm, just in case and they are not open on 2 different days(mon/tue) respectively each week. We started back at 9.45 Pm and reached back at Thane at 8 am due to some delay with roadblocks.
We went for shopping the next days and saw 2 movies, Xmen Origins-wolverine and Terminator salvation. T-IV was an opening show at 7.45Am which we enjoyed in an almost empty multiplex with reclining sofa chairs. The journey ended when we got on train at 4.50 back to Kerala. The train journey was fun as we had this full gang of 150 ppl who got on this Garib Rath with out tickets. We had to adjust with them as they had missed their train and paid some money to the TT. These people were manual laborers coming to Kerala. It was so evident fro their expression that they considered Kerala like a heaven, like US for us. Amazing.

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This day was supposed to be a vegetarian day. We all were having a heavy stomach after the other day’s chicken bash. First stop was 4D cinema at the Orama 4D theatre in the Atria Mall. It was recommended by Eldhose, but i had say you save the money. Its a 3D film with physical feedback through the chairs and surroundings. We got our ass poked, face sprayed with water and felt air pumped at different points on the body. The cost of the show was Rs240 per person for 15mins. We saw that lots of tour planners have booked the shows and we had to wait till noon for our show. This one was among the default tour plan list for the Mumbai tour trips. After the show we roamed around the Rolls Royce with watering mouths.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

We had some simple doughnuts at the food cafe and no one was feeling particularly hungry. We had a walk about the worli seaface. Here too te water looked damn filthy. Cousins were keeping the distance while small kids were enjoying the sea water sprayed from the sea face.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

It rained heavily on our way back, but then we never minded. There were couples everywhere enjoying their private moments and sharing it with us. Rain didnt matter to them too. We tried vegetarian food by trying pau bhaji, onion oothappam and stuff. Then we went to Juhu beach, the all so famous celebrity residential beach. The beach was crowded like no tomorrow. It was majorly normal people and indian tourists. No celebrity was seem anywhere and we missed foreigners too.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

The beach was huge and there were more than 10 football competitions going on among the local gangs all around the beach. We had a walk along the beach which made us realise how withdrawn the sea really was. Water was supposed to come upto the cocconut groves and it was like 100 mts withdrawn at that time. Tides would have a big effect on this beach.

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Majority of the city traveling was done in the Honda City with Jubind Driver ‘Mama’, who turned out to be best in the business. Traffic in Mumbai is one of a kind, you just got to see it to understand. First visit was Victoria Terminus or the Chatrapathy Shivaji Terminal. We got it without a ticket and saw metal detectors and policemen/policewomen on alert. Lots of trains having their last stop here and huge crowd was coming out in the morning time. I just could not imagine a better place for those terrorists to chose, no one would miss in such a crowd.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

We went to Manish market and Crawford Market in search of game cds and saw all kinds of electronic, textile and other goods there. Jubin then took us for his treat at a Zafrani hotel. We ate all kinds of chicken – Mughal, Afghani and what not. After this it was time for hanging gardens, which no one should try if on a tight schedule. On the way was Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

We had a relaxation session at the hanging gardens, where there was nothing much to see. Then we went to fashion street near oval maidan which is the famous stadium of sachin tendulkar. We bought lots of cheap dress from the street for low prices as Rs100.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

Then we visited the terror attack places, the famous Leopold cafe which was full of foreigners. At the Taj there was huge Indian crowd who were mostly tourists. We could take a boat to elephante caves from here, but we chose not to as it was already late. The renovation work for Taj was in progress and we could see the floor which was on fire.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

The Gateway of India was just infront of the Taj. The sea water looked real bad and was dark brown in color. Water was sprayed into the roads as the waves smashed to the seaface. We decided to enjoy the night view of Taj with the lights on.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

We went to Bademiyan open air roadside restaurant to eat and had a bash with all kinds of chicken items.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

Thus day 2 ended with out much crowd seeing. We were disappointed but at the quality of the crowd at Mumbai, we expected more colors.

The first post on the trip

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Had a great one week getaway to Mumbai with my brother and cousins. The idea was there always, but i could not find the right time as all my cousins were engineering students and getting a vacations and making it coincide with a week break in my time schedule was near impossible task. But then we got
the break in june and me, my brother jeevan and cousin ashwath were on our way to mumbai. We
had our aunty and cousin jubin, who is now having his training in federal bank after his engineering.
The tickets were booked by ashwath and he was the original tour coordinator. So we took the netravati train from Ernakulam and got on in the general compartment. Although we could fo to the AC as we had booked the same train to mumbai, i was kinda hesitant. The general trip was a killer and we all were mashed up in the heavy crowd till we reached trissur. At trissur we were joined by vijay and ashwath. Vijay was the other cousin and had come to see us. He had this wish to join us but had
classes. The tickets were booked in tatkal and i had my berth in B1-52 and the other 2 had in B2. We
had booked normal tickets too which were always in waiting list and we had to cancel it.  had bought some 3/4ths to wear in Mumbai as they were alien to our regional ‘mundu’. Shaym had chappathy and bread with cheese and tomaro curry which was kinda intuitive from Mani aunty. Chappathy wrapped in tomato was a new thing to us.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

I woke up at 6 when the train was traveling though goa. It was beautiful, it was greenery everywhere.
I never felt that i ever exited kerala. It was my first konkan experience. I had always traveled in
the other routes and exiting kerala was always painful as we had to endure barren wastelands and
rocky mountains with thorny bushes scattered everywhere. THis was a totally new experience, nature in
all its marvel. We saw viaducts and hundreds of tunnels. Passing through tunnels were really fun for
the firsttimers. For once it will be total darkness, then there will be a ray of light, then blast of
light.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

Lots of farmers were working in the fields below and we all enjoyed the beautiful kerala like
sceneries. Then after some times the tunnels started to be a boring sight. As we approached Mumbai it started to rain. It was the first monsoon tain in mumbai and we thought our trip was spoiled. But it
was a welcome sight as it broke all conventions that i had about bombay.We couls see low lying mist, and slow rain. There were no big bldingd or any industrial look to the place. There were mountains
looming above and around the city. I never thought i could see mountains and greenery inside a metro. We were welcomed by a last tunnel as we approached thane station. We saw numerous suburban trains rocketing past us.

From Mumbai Trip 20-26 jun 09

Jubin was there to welcome us and we took off to their flat at Raheja gardens in the honda city. The
day was for resting and we started to see the T20 finals which turned out boring. So we went to Rmall
which was a mall nearby, it was claimed to be the first mall in India. We had a whiskey for Rs10
Getting back we had a great talk with each other catching up and planning for the days ahead.

Now onto day 1.

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This time it was my third visit to kumarakom. The place has some unforgettable memories for me and this time around it was no less. Here is the post on the earlier one. This time it was a houseboat trip arranged by Arun George for his marriage. Class mates from College of Engineering Chengannur were supposed to join up for the trip and visit him for marriage the other day.

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I was the first one to reach the boat as timeliness was an asset with all my friends and they were supposed to reach the place at 11.30

From Kumarakom_May_09

I waited for them to join up and had a chat with the people of the boat. Here are the details on the boat if any one want to contact – Alumparanbil, Cheepunkal, Kumarakom North, 0481-2525797 (Soji-9846184654)
It will cost you around 11000Rs for one day trip on the boat. It had 3 bed rooms and sun deck with vcd tv on board. We had natural cocconut drinks on arrival and the food was commendably good.

From Kumarakom_May_09

It was the day of election results and thanks to hightech Jyothis we had live net on blackberry and laptop.

From Kumarakom_May_09

We had smirmoff vodka sponsored by AGT, but there would be no fun without the local Toddy So we came ashore at R-block, which was an artificial island created by Murikkan and taken over by the Govt. He had cultivated cocconut in the whole island and it was the hub for Toddy. We had 5 litres for Rs70/Ltr.

From Kumarakom_May_09

But just before having the drinks we decided to take a bath in the salty waters on vembanad lake. It was really shallow and we had some limited fun in it as the water was real salty.

From Kumarakom_May_09

Now inside the boat too the water supply was salty and i got informed that it was seasonal when the lake water gets salty due to onrush of seawater. Licenses for boat to travel was till 6 pm at night, after which they had to be ashore. So some of our friends were coming to join us at night, it was a tricky place to find as we were inside remote areas of the lake. But we ultimately found each other in the thick of the night.

Heated political discussions were there all through out the night when all the topics under the sun were seriously covered. I found myself sleeping on the sun deck that night as a watchman for the boat. It was fun despite the mosquitoes. Next day we arose to the magnificent sight of migratory birds in the fields near by.

From Kumarakom_May_09

We got ashore near cheepunkal bridge at 9am and were ready for the marriage at kottayam.

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The idea was there when i first did my trip to wayanad. I selectively left out Chembra peak for the sole reason to conquer it with fellow trekker Anish. So we planned to execute it on the third weekend of March09. Anish came to my home the friday evening and stayed with us. The next day we had an official agreemetn signing of a court case which had been prevailing for some years now. That was a satisfying settlement as we were getting some money back. We started our travel on bus before after noon. We had to see Devraj as Anish had to collect a mural painting which dev was doing. At trissur we met up with dev and he handed over the 6 foot mural of ‘Ashtalakshmi‘ which pictured 8 lakshmi goddesses. Anish settled the payment and we took a bus to kozhikode where we planned to deliver the mural, get the Fuji camera that anish had a friend bring him from US. When everything got settled it was very late at night and we planned to book a ticket to wayanad. Although we booked our tickets we found that our seats were already taken, thanks to some real sloppy work by the people at the ticket counter. Duplicate tickets were given out for the same pair of seats and we were left out. We got a refund and waited for the next bus. We reached Kalpetta at nearly 2 am and started enquiring about lodgings. Alas all the lodgings in Kalpetta was booked. This was news and the reason was that during weekends people from bangalore make weekend getaways to this place and all locdgingd got booked on weekends. We looked around for some time and found that the onl y option left was to find transport to sultan bethery and find a lodging there. We waited at bus stand and then the magazines arrived. Bunch of people started sorting everything. We were amazed to find this activity and to our happiness we found that the vehicle was going to sultan bethery to deliver news paper. We got a ride and it was real fun as the vehicle was free rolling onto shops to throw paper kits over to them. At sultan bethery we got a lodge for Rs 450 which was not worth Rs150, but we had no complaints.

We started early after 3 hours sleep, took bus to Kalpetta where we enquired about any bus leaving in the evening in which we can book tickets back. But the timings were not right. So we had food and got on bus to meppadi were we got an auto to Chembra peak. We actually stopped over at the forest range office at meppadi and the officer there informed us that the permission was not to be given from there. We would get the pass and guides from the office near the peak itself. The auto guy took us to the ticket counter which was on the way upto the chembra estate.

From Chembra_Mar_09

The tickets were for Rs 1000 for hard trekking and Rs 500 for mild trekking. This was an overkill as i had made treks on Himalayas for much cheaper rates. They will provide a guide for the rate and we were charged Rs 500 and allotted the hard trek. We all know that no one will come trekking if they charge Rs 1000. The auto took us to the bottom of the estate for Rs 70. It was 7kms and it was fair enough.
We started our walk towards a look out post where we found another guard. It was a scenic poit from where we can see the landscape.

From Chembra_Mar_09

The trek was supposed to be 4 hours up and down if we took it at a stretch. It was 2100 feets climb to the top and we took turns to rest when the guide simply walked on. We saw some other gangs returning from the trek and some foreigners too. It was only after a while that we saw the peak for real.

From Chembra_Mar_09

The whole area was barren due to a recent wild fire. Actually there should have been long grasses which were 6 feet high blocking all views. But this time we could see everything and that really killed the fun. We reached the lake where the mild trekking will end. Had some chocolates and bananas and lots of water. Advise is to carry 2 bottles of water atleast.

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The trek consisted of 5 tiers of mountain climbing one after the other. We could reast after each steep climb. It was kind of severe when considered to the other treks that we had made.

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It took us 3 hours to reach the summit. After some initial troubles we had become accustomed to the trek and towards the end it just ended abruptly. Last stretch of climb was rocky and fun.

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On reaching the summit every one lied down basking in the mild sun. Sun had gone behind clouds and there was good breeze. This was relaxing. No one spoke a word, we just rested there watching the beauty all around us.

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We were feeling real hungry by now as we didnt take much food on the way and have not had a good nights sleep. Suddenly we found that it was going to rain. We both had new cameras and were terrified at getting wet. So we had to rush down to beat the rain.

From Chembra_Mar_09

So we rushed down and made it back in record time. We just beat the rain and reached our Auto ride whom we had called up on our way back. We got back to our lodgings and took some rest, food and refreshment. We cancelled the idea of going for the Air bus as it was really late. We took a late night KSRTC to my place and Anish exited at his Uncles place at Kozhikode. We both knew that this was the most severe trek we had performed yet. It was also kind of dry as the vegetation was all removed due to the fire. I think i will take a break from dry treks for a while and rather look for scenic places for the time being. Looking forward to a getaway in the coming months.

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From Life Snaps

I take this opportunity to thank you for allowing us to conduct the educational tour. I
am pleased to present the following tour report,
As planned we departed from the college at 5:30 pm on 8-8-2000. We stopped at Kumily at
10:00 pm for taking permit. By that time we had dinner and got refreshed.
We reached Pondicherry at 9:00 am on 9-8-2000. We went to Youth Hostel and had breakfast
and refreshment there. From Youth Hostel we went to VDesign Pvt. Ltd. for the technical
visit. We attended a seminar on VHDL (Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware
Description Language). After the seminar, TPC members from S3 B held discussions with the
director of the firm. After the technical visit we had lunch at hotel Ram International. After
lunch, we went to Aurobindo Ghosh Ashram. There we offered prayers at the samadhi of the
great saint. After visiting the ashram, we spent time on the Beach Road. We also found time
for shopping at the Nehru Street, which was nearby. After shopping we had dinner at hotel
Sagar. At 11:00 pm, we left Pondicherry for Yercaud.
We reached Yercaud at 7:00 am on 10-8-2000. After breakfast at hotel Tamil Nadu, we went
for sight -seeing. We went to Lady’s Seat, a viewpoint 3 km from the hotel on foot, as it was
not accessible by bus. On coming back we had lunch from the same hotel. After lunch, we
went for trekking to KilliyurWater falls. But we couldn’t visit the falls as it was about to rain
_and we were forced to return~ After trekking we went for boating at 5:30 pm. Pedal boats
were available for rent till 6:30 pm. At 6:45 pm, we went back to hotel and prepared for our
campfire. Dinner was served at 8:30 pm. We conducted the campfire at 10:00 pm and went to
bed at 11:30 pm. At 6:30 am on 11th, we left Yercaud.
~== On way to Black Thunder, we had our breakfast in a restaurant at Bhavani. There we were
surprised to meet the S3 D batch on tour. We reached Mettupalayam at 12:30. Lunch was
served free of cost inside Black Thunder itself for all the students and staff members. We
enjoyed the water games till 6:00 pm and we left for Coimbatore at 6:00 pm.
–= ~=~
Dinner was arranged at Hotel Annapoorna near the Town Hall. After dinner, we went for
shopping till 10:30 pm. At 11:00 pm we left Coimbatore and reached our college at 5:00 am
on 12-8-2000 as planned.
The technical visit arranged at Pondicherry was very much informative. The tour also helped to
create a better understanding between the students and the staff members. I once again thank
you on behalf of the class for allowingus to conduct our educational tour.
Sd/-
Arun George T
Tour Representative
S3B
CEC

Popularity: 83% [?]

This is an old tale..about 7 years back. Then i was an engineering student and we were going Goa on the Sem 5 tour. Me being a bachelor with out any girlfriends at that time , joined forces with like minded individuals. People joining me were lijo (the not so famous but most naughty dude), Aby(need any explaination?), Dany (well he has his days) and we had expected HL (who was down with vomiting due to his unprecendented frenzy of drinking) and Rinu (who was cautioned by his girl friend). But from the lot of more than 50 ppl only 4 had the guts to actually do what we had planeed to do.

The tour party was going to see some churches (i forgot which) and we planned to follow our plans. we took 2 bikes, dani and lijo became the riders anf me and aby hopped on the back. The place we were heading was the red lit area in Goa – Vasco! No one knew anything about it, all we knew was the earlier week one of our batchmate from cusat was killed on the way back from there. So it was a dangerous trip..but then we had decided to see the place. Although we never had any plans other than to see the place all were afraid and no one really had the courage to ask ppl for the direction. Atlast when we asked an elderly man he told “Its not a very good place to go..you can go to another beach here which is beautiful..”. Well we were asking about the Marina beach there..But after asking some very serious looking ppl we found out the place

It was parallel to the beach and the main road was going straight. We needed to take a right turn but ppl were all looking at us and hence we missed it the first time. THen we came back and after some tries up and down we atlast made our turn right. We reached a road which was parallel to the main road. Now it was time to be afraid..what we saw ahead really made us rethink about the whole plan. We decided we had better run back. But it was too late…The moments that followed are considered one of the accomplishments that we all made in our lives…

Four of us were looking ahead the road we just came in. It ran parallel to a beach which cant be called a beach any more. It was the toilet and playground for all the children and elders alike. A vast open toilet! Some one has created a concrets barriar on the road so that no vehicle can move on but people can walk just through it. To our right it was the ocean and the filth and to the left it was a slum. AN advanced slum, can be called even a settlement. The road divided the ladies and the gents. Gents were there to the right on the sheds, some quarelling, some lying down..all looked like local gundas. THis was time to retreat!

To left some coir beds were laid in front of some house and all those houses had elderly women standing on the door steps. Some were sitting on the roads and all were calling out and talking loudly.. We never understood what they meant. A young boy approached us, he is the pimp. Well he staight away asked us if we were mallus. We denied it upright, but he told us that he was certain that we were.(so much for all those mallus coming here) We told him that we just wanted to see the place and have some beer. He told us to follow him and started wlking. We looked at each other and started following. Our knee was shaking with fear…we were walking closer to the slum. There suddenly became evident some small path between the huts. He entered and disappeared..we followed reluctantly. Ladies were talking loadly and screaming something..we walked in a brisk pace not to get lost. It was like a labyrith and god knows how deep we went it. The path was tangled like a huge serpent. Atlast we reacher a beer parlour in the middle of the settlement. All were scared to death by now. None of us knew the way out or how we reached there.. On the way here we had to make way for ladies to pass and they quezed us out pf th path even when we had made enough room for them. One even squeezed dan, like to check him..not so funny for him. So there were 3 tables and four chairs each. We sat on them and ordered beer. I never had more than a glass of beer. What was about to come made me drink one full bottle like water.

The boy has disappeared…what will happen now?
There was a bartender for namsake and he was just tuning the radio. I never had the guts to look upto his face. We gulped down some beer and waited. If girls come what should we do? We had decided that no matter what happens no one is going to succomb to temptations. We had to be back before our friend returned from their trips. No one should actually know about this feat unless and untill we disclose this ourselves. So we had this pact to resist all services offered!

The boy came back, he was followed by a lady who seemed veteran in the field. She looked good but only stood at the door. She had with her 4-5 girls. Small girls it seemed we were just looking at each other like we were not there in the scene. The lady was talking to the girl about how to canvas us or something. All girsl were nodding and acknowledging what she was telling them. She looked like a military commander giving orders..Me and lijo were on the exposed side of the table. The girls came to our table and began talking. We made negative ex-pressions, and told them we dont need any company. I kept on gulping down the beer. All were afraid and under the table our knees were shaking.

From the dialect they were talking we understood parts of the speech, also the body language helped us understand bits and pieces. They were telling wus what all we can do with then..menawhile they were massaging our shoulders also..i couldnot look upto the girl standing at my shoulder. All others told me that she was the most beautiful one. I was not feeling any urges for that matter, at that time i just wanted to get out of that place as soon as possible. ALl were thinking on the same lines and the boy approached. He asked for the last time if we dont need any company. We affirmed it and suddenly dani made his move. He told the boy that we had other friends waiting and once we get back we will come at night. The boy became happy and we became confused. We had no idea what dan was talking abt. Then the boy became more supportive. We asked it it was possible for him to take us around the place. He reluctantly said yes. We were customers for that night no? So we paid the bill and followed him. He took us to the end os the street and we had our day. On the way back we gave him a 50rs note and said that we will be back by 10 at night. His face lit up and he told he will be waiting for us…

He is still waiting..
NB: The area was closed down recently and ppl have moved to other location like vysag and mumbai.

Popularity: 66% [?]