Nov 14 : Dept from NZ to India via Spore

The last day as it dawns, i could only laze in my cushy bed wanting for more.... Had spent the previous night going through my pics, videos and experiences and simply wishing that i had more of the 2 Ms - Money and Minutes.

8.30 AM : Lumbered around Queen Street, with a stop-over at Mrs.Higgins cookies (dainty lil shop opposite the Auckland BaseX) out-of-the-world oven fresh cookies.

9.00 AM : Boarded the AirBus (near The Civic in Queen St - Bus Stop Q4) - These are blue color buses which have frequent shuttles between the airport and the city, apart from the seats being comfortable as your sofa, they also have extensive space in the front to keep ur luggage, so that u don't lug them around (DAMN their ingenuity) - Fare 20 $

10.00 AM : arrived at the and immediately finished all the check-in formalities, had another 2 hours to kill

Trivia : Name the aviator after whom the NZ's International Airport Terminal is so named ?


Jean Batten and you can find various of her memorabilia including her Percival Gull (shown in the above pic)
Relaxed in the Airport view area and their upper deck, sipped across latte (would be the last time i would pay $3.50 = 90 INR for a cup of coffee) and just chilled out.

IMP NOTE: there is a departure fee of NZ 25$ which has to be payed at the nearby telex counter in the airport. This is Mandatory, so make sure you carry some extra cash with you.
I would also suggest going through the security brochure and disclose all aerosols, perfumes you carry, they provide a sealable ZIP-lock which can be used to carry them, else you loose it during the security check.

The rest of my iternary wounded up as follows :-
14th Nov 13.45 - Departure from NZ
14th Nov 18.30 - Arrival at Spore
14th Nov 20.20 - Dept from Spore
14th Nov 23.30 - Arrival at Mumbai, India

So in essense i have travelled a duration for 24 hours within a span of 10 hours; and gained back the day i had lost during my entry trip ... LOL

Back to Monotony... Back to the concrete beehive ... Back to life :(

Top 11 things you need/have to know for that elusive NZ trip

Continuing in the list of quirky blogs about travel, i just had to write about the top few things which you must adhere in case you want to make ur travel across NZ peaceful, or rather as i might say rocking ;)

1) Lonely Planet : Given the fact that you would be literally bombarded with detailed brochures and Maps of every inch and corner of NZ across any iSite you visit; LP would be an essential guide to what i must refer as "Reducing Trash". Ever since i discovered in my egypt trip that you could as well travel without food but definitely not without LP; so let the "only" book in your knapsack be it.

2) Sunscreen Lotion : Nz for the meteriologically-challenged, has a pretty low ozone layer as a direct result of which you get tanned within just 5 mins of exposure, and with a higher visibility obtain the only predominant disease in NZ "Cancer" .... Contact ur nearest dermitologist, or right after u land in NZ and get whipped with lotion (did that sound kinky ??)

3) Goggles : Not because they make u look cooler in your already awesome NZ pics, but they would present the most utilarian addition to your ward-robe when you are travelling at around 150 km/hr in a jet ski and not able to open your eyes. Just to add, get those polaroid ones and make sure that they fit tight.

4) An ability to get excited with just the word "RUGBY" or "ALL BLACKS" or simply "BLACKS"; or "NETBALL" for gals.

5) The official Aussie Joke Book : Every body loves a good laugh in NZ, esp when it is about Aussies, a Sample one "I support two teams ... one is New Zealand and the other is any team playing the aussies"

6) A couple of Maori words, like "KIA-ORA" ( a pleasant Maori greeting) just in case u are just next to some mammoth goliaths (a.k.a the local folk) in the pub, who happens to be the typical Heavily tatooted (Face, muscles, et all), steel-cold eyes... Just to break the ice

7) International Credit Card : This is universally accepted across all small shops till the K-marts, except for you guessed it right "Indian and Chinese Stores"

8) Camera & MP3 : Tip you don't need those expensive multi-shot multi-lens cameras to enhance the beauty of this place.... it is heaven, and even a mobile camera can make your pic look out-of-the-world. Or as i did get a Hi-Fi digicamera for dirt-cheap prices during your transit in Singapore ( I brought a 7.2 M 4x Zoom ASR for 236 S$ almost 7K with 2GB card bundled)

9) Loads of smiles and Thank yous : The locals here are the most cheerful and hearty people and as the say, "There might be beautiful landscapes that cannot be seen in any other part of the world, but apart from that you would remember our hospitality too when u leave NZ"

10) Adrelin-rush and clothes to change : NZ is the place for adventure; within the last 13 days i have completed almost the list of my top 100 including Bungy Jumping(154 ft), Jet skiing, Kayaking, sand-surfing (just to name the few) . Depending on your budget and timing i would say revolve your entire trip in NZ around these testotrome-boosters

11) Read the above 10 and Kowa-bunga (Classic TMNT style)


p.s: Of course, always keep an eye open for discounts across those bundles of free brochures u would switch out from the iSite (i saved lot of money cause of it)

The Curse of the talakkad

Where is it : Talakkad (Talakad/ Talakadu/ Talakkadu) is in Mysore district. To reach there, take the NH209 (Kanakapura road) past Malavalli. Soon after Malavalli, there is a T junction, with road on the right going towards Mandya/Mysore. Take the left and continue in NH209, towards Kollegal. About some 5kms before the detour for Sivanasamudram, there are sign boards indicating Talakkad, 22 kms to the right.
Things to check out : River Cauvery(ideal for taking baths), Sand-dunes which has buried Temples(30+) and palaces under it’s might, Intricate architecture of the shiva temple( Panchalingas and the main temple)

Things to watch out for : Rustic roads(be sure to have a vehicle with good suspension) for miles around and food (Amazing picnic spot to pack your own food with you)
History : Temple ; Curse
Pics : Temple Pics

“Let Talakkad become sand
Let Malingi become a whirlpool
Let the Mysore Kings fail to beget sons”

This is the Curse of Talakad, which according to our guide (local guy) was uttered by AlameluAmma, when the Wodeyars(Mysore kings) offered to take her under their protection after her Husband(king of talakkad) died of a un-healing wound (cancer).

Somehow, this folk lore has found truth in the sandy dunes of Talakkad, which covered a once lushy palace. But of course, there have also been scientific explanations which document how the Cauvery river flowing nearby, could have brought across this huge deluge of sand (a mini-tsunami) or an earth-quake to bury the entire town underneath.

Originally planned to visit Somnathpura, we had to choose to stick on with Talakkad due to the length and rigor of the journey. The journey to talakkad can be written about, but the experience cannot be described… for in simple truth, it was a mind-boggling stretch of 1 Kms … puzzled !!! so were we, as every village simpleton we asked along the road from Bangalore, simply retorted… “Just 1 Km sir” for the almost 40 Km stretch !!!

Once you reach the cursed land, you suddenly realize the sudden shift in the scenary which changes from a lush village terrain to a sandy-desert kinda oasis, and maybe for that one second start to believe in the story. You find almost an entire palace being unearthed from underneath these sandy-coffins, and because of the fine-grain nature of the sand.. you can sometimes also kick the upper-most ends of a mighty fort-wall.

The pathways are quite tricky, and it makes sense to hire a local guide (some come as cheap as 30 Rs), while the standard guide would charge you nothing less than 150/-. First he takes you across to the Panch-lingas(5 lingas) supposedly branched off from the Main linga (Shiva’s idol). You might mistake that these temples were built under-ground, but the truth is that what was once a high-rised temple, is totally encompassed with Sand.

The actual beauty to the sight is the half-excavated palace(the entrance to a palace rather), which was laid thread-bare on the ground(horizontally than vertically) and just near it, you find a Shiva temple (1001 lingas within) buried with only the top layer riddled with lingas visible. Of course, the main temple for Vaideshwara(Lord Shiva) itself is a beauty with intricate designs, and a Snake stone made of a single stone.

By the time, we reached back to Bangalore it was 11 PM, and I missed the showing of “300” the movie… and curse came to a full-end.

Additional info : Panchalinga darshana is a rare pilgrimage that is celebrated every few years. The Vaidyeshwara temple, Arkeshwara temple, Vasukishwara or Pataleshwara temple Saikateshwara or Maraleshwara temple and Mallikarjuna temple constitute the Panchalingam. The Pataleshwara Shivalinga is said to change colors according to the time of the day-red in the morning, black in afternoon and white in the evening.

Witty Excerpt: Incidentally, I was traveling with a HP colleague and her adorable daughters, who were then hell-bent on adopting a puppy… practical mommy responded that if they were “IMPECCABLY well-behaved” then they could get a puppy…
“Of course mom, you know we do not peck anyone”
Further later during the discussion, they were more so trying to reach to a compromise… “maybe, there was a chance that you could get a puppy”, the exasperated mom responded….
with the correct opportune moment to use the newly learned word, the younger one retorted.
“No mommy, you have to IMPECCABLY get us the puppy”

Mukurthi National Park – tough ride to cherish for a life-time

Fact : 27 km from Ooty and easily accessible, Mukurthi peak is certainly the most notable height of the Nilgiris. It stands 8380 feet above the sea and commands one of the most magnificent views to be seen in India. It is noticeable owing to its curious shape which is that of an acute angled triangle with one side almost vertical. The view from this peak is one of finest in South India. The Mukurthi dam has been built at the foot of this hill under Pykara hydro electricity scheme. The dam is situated at a distance of 32 km from Ooty and the peak is reached by walk for a distance of 9 km from there.
Wiki :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukurthi_National_Park
How-to-reach : Chennai – Coimbatore (train) – Took a Tempo(15 of us) till the Mukurthi Park
Pics :http://photos.yahoo.com/deepak1283 (Check for folder “Mukurthi”)

This trek was my first initiation into the world of exploring places by foot… and seriously, if it were any weak-hearted I am sure that they would have been scared shit-loads after the experience.. after all, 2 days of perambulation over muddy terrain squiggling through narrow (almost non-existent) paths strewn with thorns (thank god for the jerkins) and with the rain gods incessantly pissing us off with a mighty bladder definitely would have had a scar-making experience…
Fortunate for me, I was with an amazing bunch of trekkers, and together not only could we laugh over our misfortunes but at the same time scale across all the barriers and venture into the world of adventure.
Things started going astray the moment we landed outside the national park (of course, being a national park you have to have necessary permissions.. which our guide Fredrick arranged for) .. our tempo could not navigate across the rainy terrain(we almost pulled it after it got struck) … so it was us back to basics… carrying our luggage(unfortunate for all us newbies, we were instructed to carry almost everything u need, food, torches and stuff) across thorny and narrow terrains, hardly managing to crawl across our backs for almost 2 Hours. Suddenly without any remorse rain started… and till the end of the journey it never ended….. more bad news of course.Resigning to fate, as we trodded along… we only had to wait for the cabin (to stuff our backs and immediately start upon another trek) … this was the turning point.. the Cabin, tiny and picturesque..with the stormy lake across its front-yard and the mountain peaks jutting behind it.. we were enthralled.. for the first time of the journey everyone stopped on their tracks just to view the sight.

Bags dumped, we realized that it was wiser to stay in (cause of the incessant rains) and then started an amazing story telling, rough bantering, journey with all of us joining in.
Next day morning, we woke early… only to find that the intensity of the rains had not lessened a bit… our morals were lifted up by the hot rice-curries.. and immediately we set upon, wearing 2 sets of coverings… the view of the Dam was yet another eye-opener (recommend that you
make this a point of visit at least in the beginning of the journey itself) ..but being a restricted sight, we could not take the pics (also, none of our cameras were capable of surviving the out-lash of the rains.

We made our journey across the clouds,traveling to the mountain peaks (the shortest one), each armed with sticks for support we somehow managed to crawl across slippery tracks and tumbling junta from above ;) .

The Beauty of doing a rain trek across mukurthi was that, we never needed a single bottle of water.. cause all we had was water from atop and across abundant fast-moving streams.

Mukurthi is famous for it's abundant flora & fauna, and we were under constant fear of coming across any tusker family re-unions… of course, we did come across a few snakey encounters… but
apart from that, the maximum we got to see of a elephant was fresh green dumpings.
Overall, it was a trek worth remembering, and keeping as if it were a trophy among your best journeys.

Tadiandamol : A walk among the clouds into Pristine Paradise

Fact : "Highest Point" as called in Kodava language, the highest peak in COORG district(Karnataka, India), Tadiandamol(TM) stands apart at 1750 m above sea-level; and maybe a few feet below Xanadu( Paradise).

Best time : Summer (between April till July end); mainly as you can avoid the leeches and also since there is no better way to avoid the tropical heat, unless you soak in the picturesque atmosphere and chilly weather, and of course with the freedom of spending your entire day soaked up in the river with an option of canoeing and water-fall rappelling strewn as candies to a 5 yr-old.

Trek Details : Around 6 kms from Base takes 4 Hrs up and 3 and half Hrs down… of course, if you do not include those hour or two where you would have been lapped up in the sheer beauty enveloping you ;). “Moderate climb”, we of course did a night trek(with only torch-lights) .. and 100% recommend the same to everyone … more details below.

Essentials : Loads of Water and a pinch of salt (the only solution to the fevicol bond of the leeches), Torches & Tent(defn. for night trek), Sunscreen, DSLR camera(none else can capture the sight)

Getting there : our brief route was Bangalore – Mysore--Hunsur(take the by-pass via Ranganthittu onto State Highway 88) --gonikopal -- virajpet --Kakkabe(Kakh-Bay) take the first left tar road from there.
There are also options of taking BUS(KSRTC) till Virajpet and then use some local transport(hardly 20 Kms)

Sages, Rishis and Munis it is said have sat in meditation for atleast hundreds of years just to experience the taste of paradise… unfortunate for them; we found a short-cut… A trip to Tadiandamol !!!
So here were we, the 9 of us armed and ready, with a minute detour to Mysore to pack up our tents; we reached the JUNGLEMOUNT basecamp exactly 2 PM on Saturday, hungry both for physical appeasement and also craving for adventure. Just as we finished ravaging upon the simplistic Rice curry, we were tempted by the river flowing nearby… and splash we went (rather a much bigger splash for Ranga and Prakash)… It was finally around 7 pm we got out like hippopotamus, and quickly brushed up the intricacies to put up a Tent, and then we were off
8 pm… it was pitch dark, with only light illuminated from our torches and the clear sky above(the crescent shaped moon had little to offer) we started our journey across the stairway to heaven. One great thing about night treks is that you never feel exhausted and the misty clouds surrounding you makes you feel divine indeed. Reached a flat spot around 10 pm and then we camped… well, if you could call it a camp ;)
Bonfires were replaced with Candle sticks, and by the time we set up a single tent we were exhausted and found that we lacked pins for the other two tents…. Set-up our mobile music device, and off we danced and laughed with gentle bantering, almost like elves rejoicing the Christmas night.
Then came sleep time, myself, Murali and Vijay decided to roll-over a giant rock, by spreading the tent material over it and covering ourselves with the wind-sheeter; it there were words to describe the beauty of the sky… there would have been poets of everyone of us.

Stars instead of being simple dots, were shining beacons;
Clouds instead of covering us like a blanket were cushioning us from below;
Shooting stars in abundance, counted ten within my fingers;
Nascent and pure the air that flowed, iridescent radium within our body glowed;
Mightier than the clouds, with the sun beneath our feet;
Nothing else but the sky awaiting us, awaiting our touch, awaiting our tete-a-tete.

At around 4 Am we started again on our trail; and reached our final destination by 5 Am, to find the sun rising below us beneath the clouds to fill the space of darkness with pellets of golden rays, slowly as we observed awe-struck … maybe this was how Buddha would have himself attained realization. Almost forgetting to take pictures, we were sitting with everything below us; and we posing like might gods.
Then we started back, around 8 pm; this was a calculated effort since we knew that the sun would start beating back upon us around noon and we were quite hungry because of the effort.

1 Guava and a couple of Jamuns :
On the way down, we were accosted by huge trees bearing naga pazham (Jamun fruits) and immediately the monkeys in us spread out our jackets on the grounds and we started pounding stones upon those goliath branches… sweet was the reward, and sweeter were those sweets. Of course, myself and murali also chanced upon a guava fruit which we devoured rather slyly… ;)
Reaching the base camp, we soaked up in the river canoeing and plucking Raw mangoes (acidic sour) from low-lying branches.. and then we got ready for WATERFALL RAPPELLING, a cool 200 ft steep recline with the waterfall accosting us merely reduced to a drizzle… the experience was pleasant but not exactly what we expected.
All set we started back to our monotonic software engineering lifestyles at around 4 PM… everyone dreading the next day at work!!! Of course, karthik was officially acknowledged the MOKKAI-PATHI (Poor Joker). A few of his lingering insights :-

1) Right when we were asking for directions, every villagers retorted “3 kms” … suddenly Karthi came up with his brain-storm… he said… maybe “3 km was the town name” … pretty cool huh … “take right and 3 Km” … “ “Just a couple more and then 3 Kms” … damn you can never tell the difference.

2) As we were recollecting our previous adventures, Yelagiri came up as being quite a short tour… and then the wise-crap summoned up… “yeah dude, even I was wearing shorts for that journey”

Enough said and done… this was a journey you would never forget… but make sure that you make this travel to Tadiandamol only during summer , cause this is what happens during a rainy season trek….

Contact details for JUNGLE Mount Adventure club: sagar (08272238341/9845831675)
Total Expenses : 1500 (including 700 for the club and the remaining for food and Vehicle expenses, for 2 days)
Additional Blogs : Prashanth , Dream routes