Chamundi- the unconventional way

Had a weekend with nothing much to do & so a few friends(Gotty,Cheeks,Amit,Prem), my bro & me had our very own little adventure...
We started from home at around 5:30AM.. had a cup of tea at the corner T-shop on KD road & we were ready to go. We parked our bikes at the foot of Chamundi hills and in sometime took the flight of stairs that led to the temple atop the hill.Well, it was kinda tiring, yes- but the thought of losing some fat kept me going ;) Climbing up is not something one would call adventerous… its more of an exercise & the scenery is a great motivator! :)

Reached the temple sooner than we expected... saw a monkey trying to ride a bike while we waited for the temple gates to open.. had some tasty prasad after the pooja and found a spot to have the breakfast that we had carried along(ahem... I'd prepared Aloo paratas.. ;) ;) )...got compliments for my cooking.. :) :) guess that was coz the guys did not expect much! :D

None of us wanted to take the conventional way back- down the stairs…Well..we just scouted around for a way down the hill without a route.. groping about some huge rocks and sliding down some more...

Most of our way was filled with thorny shrubs and amazing flowering plants. We found two really cool caves. We had been warned about some wild 'CATS' prowling around the hill. But that made it all the more exciting. We found a cave with a little pool by the side, covered with flowers fallen from a nearby tree! a puuurfct movie setting..- we named it the 'Pool of U-th'. Never realised that there was something so serene waiting to be discovered! Probably the King used it during his days!! ;) ;)
Many scratches, slides along slippery rocks n lotsa yells(followed by hushes) later.. we reached a fence..the general conclusion was that the fence was put up to keep the villagers away from wild, curious animals..hmmmn.. dunno if tatz the real reason! :) We had to climb over the fence & make sure that we weren't caught by lurking officials while doin so..

Over the fence & back to civilization for lunch with memories of a path less travelled- a half Saturday well spent :)

Bein' optimistic.. ;)

If you luv someone...

Set it free...

If it comes back to u...

Its urs...

Else-

U deserve better!! ;) ;)

y r STRANGErs called so?...

For a gal who never makes it to any destination without getting into weird situations, one of the successfully independent things I did was to travel to the US alone when I had to leave for my onsite assignment.
Bangalore to Columbus via Dubai-NY.... doing most of the things on my own for the 1st time… After bitter goodbyes to my family n friends who’d come to see me off at the airport n me still thinking ‘do I really have to go?’.. I made it through customs still crying terribly.
An officer (Angel in disguise No.1) asked me if something was wrong & I told him that I would be away from my family. He said that he’d trade places with me anytime(thinking back- I’m not sure if it was the being away from family part or the going abroad part that made him feel so ;)). When he got to know that I’d be away for a year & a half, he nodded sympathetically which brought forth fresh tears. A few more words of worldly wisdom and I was at the gate waiting for my flight.. n yes.. still crying.. :) ;) - silent non-stop tears that never seemed to stop- kinda funny when I think back. A couple (Angels in disguise No.2) headed to Africa, seated next to me, were my God sent messengers. Their lively chatter stopped my tears & I had begun to believe that this would be one of the best learning experiences for me.
This was to be my first flight. Safely tucked and cozy, I was looking forward to the experience only to awaken and realize that I had slept through my 1st take off. Hmmn.. never mind I said to myself. I’d make sure to stay awake when my connecting flight would take off.
(Ate .. slept.. n watched movies)*n till I reached Dubai.. & everything went smoothly (something very unusual 4 me!) ..n then we ended up an hour late coz of the fog.. I literally ran through to catch my next flight..i did bump into some people… and finally made it to my connecting flight.
N yeah, this time I pinched myself & stayed awake when we took off. Loved it! :)
New York- 13 looong hrs later.. n well.. guess LOST is the word. I had to run again(.. I REALLY RAN!!) - through mazes of terminals & gates & ‘sorry’s & ‘thank you’s I made it just in time (after hassles with my baggage- one of them turned up just after I had registered a complaint).. My next flight was to Columbus.. I had to wait for ages before it took off. We were delayed for 2 hours & I had no change to make any calls.. :(
Something that happened in NY occupied my thoughts during the wait. I was not able to locate an airline counter & so asked somebody standing close by for directions. He pointed out the place to me but with no results.. n he was like- 'do u wan me to lift you so that you can see?’ :O !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I jus stared at him for sometime before I burst out laughing'! It was really nice of him to come all the way (Angel in disguise No.3) to show me d place & when I said -'thnx a ton'.. he was like- 'I love uuuuu.. mmuuaaaaaaah'.. Weird- but made me smile.. :)
Anyways, made it to Columbus @ 12PM (around 25hrs in all!!) n called up my project mates from a co-passenger’s (Angel in disguise No.4) cell.. Since I had not yet met my project mates, I told them that they could identify me by my luggage- 2 big bags, one red and the other black and a red cabin bag.
I had just heaved a sigh when I realized that I had lost both my checked in bags.. J Funny that losing my bags dint put me off the track.. My client is GAP & I lose my bags… wouldn’t it be great if the client offered to help? ;)
Registered a complaint & called up my project mates. I told them that it was easier to spot me now. I was the only person with the least luggage. A single red cabin bag. :)
I reached the apartment with my laptop, a pair of spare clothes, sans thermals. Nice roomie.. :) she'd even prepared dinner for me.. To cut things short, I got my bags after 4days. Now they feel like family (the missing and the wait developed those feelings I guess! ;) )...
I lost the contact info of the lovely couple who made me laugh, but their presence will stay forever. I still miss my folks a lot but I can’t deny that being here is interesting in its own way. I don’t really feel that
I would have felt the same if I had not met all those people during my journey. Strange that people I’d just met made my trip memorable. Probably thatz why they are called STRANGErs.. ;)

The flowers were just beginning to bloom.. Spring was here!!!
By the way, I can now dodge people, counters & luggage through the terminals really well when I run along dragging my cabin luggage.. dunno if can walk through that well, though.. :D never got a chance to walk through till date... :)