The notes of a vagabond

I wonder how people manage to write travelogues...traveling to me has been a very "senses" thing...to take in everything..the new smells...the new faces..new stories...and its totally a *feeling* thing.I am on a high when i am traveling, drinking in every tiny detail..refusing to put them down into drab little words.But of late I have noticed that in spite of traveling so much...i only remember few things..not the extensive detail in which i lived ,while traveling..but just a sunset..a cup of tea shared on the road side...or the odd sprained neck.I can still feel the exhilaration..but the details are missing .I only remember that feeling of contentment ,when I am on the move.It is like you see a beautiful painting..and after many years only remember that it was exquisite without recalling every brush stroke..or the exact hue of the color used.So, however unappealing it sounds to my gypsy heart,I have decided to record my travel experiences...not in the sequential way..but more like a bouquet of sensations..or views..or thoughts I lived and loved,while traveling.
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In my family we have a thing for Nilgiris...a bond... completely irrational..the very sight of those blue-green mountains evoking in us a sense of belonging...and the we never get bored of visiting that place..and the excitement never wanes.The greenery...the blue skies...the empty roads...Aaah!the empty roads with villagers trying to sell tendercoconuts to the thirsty travelers.It is a route loved by the college students...so, you have a few tendercoconuts dangling from the branch of a tree..and a thin wiry man holding a coconut in his hand..trying to tempt you into stopping your car or your bike!Our destination this time was the queen of all hills-Ooty.I have stopped counting the number of times I have been to that place.Though I love Conoor,ooty's sedate sister more...ooty has its own gamine charm.We cross through Bandipur,Madhumalai-both of which are reserve forests...and the animals there are quitehabituated to human presence.So you will see, a deer looking back at you unperturbed...meeting and holding your gaze.I sit in the back seat of our car...looking out of the window..and with the moving scenery..making slurry pictures in my mind,a riot of thoughts bombard my mind..while my eyes drink all the greenness around.when you reach the foothills of nilgiris..the temperature drop hits you like a shock....it is like getting into a refrigerator from a hot room.and the fresh air......your chest hurts..by the freshness and the nip of chill in the air...an unimaginably pleasurable experience.In the bosom of Nilgiris..i can smell anything..the woody smell of forest...the sweet smellof fertile soil...the smell of eucalyptus wafting mildly......the sense of smell..though the least developed,is the most pleasurable.the roads in ooty..are all curved..like a tendril of a flowering creeper....and lined on both sides by flowering plants.I just love the haphazard way..mother nature grows her plants..splashing colors....and not giving a hoot abt arranging everything in an orderly manner.. small tiny flowers of yellow,white..sometimes light pink..and yes,lilac!i am yet to look at a sad looking plant in ooty..its almost like one can touch the grin on each flower's face....you can see the flower wink at you and say"howdy!"Ooty is an extravaganza of colors..its as if the nilgiris brightens up...intensifying every color...the carrots are the brightest orange..the greens so green....its almost like looking at the very heart of that color!!!and how can i not talk abt the mist....as though shy of her own vivid beauty..the nilgiris wraps herself in a veil ofsilvery mist...ummmm...have you ever been kissed by a passing cloud?its a very delicious feeling...kind of like a soft hug and just the hint of a tender kiss....Mist is like a lover's thought...simply envelopes you...you have no choice at all!***********************************************************************************
Ooty is full of soft undulating mountains of tea plantations-green..with the young leaves reflecting the soft sun rays...pretty flowers...people in warm woolen clothes...and lovers everywhere!!!you have trees older than time itself...and the beauty fresh as tomorrow..its a haunting combination....I look at those magnificent trees...and wonder what stories they would whisper if only they could talk to me....trips to nilgiri has always been a sensory overload....the drizzle in ooty has a musical quality....and since its a plastic free zone...the roads..look as though they were spring cleaned!!!I remember the drive in the soft drizzle to coffee day.. which was fullof noisy kids..out with a foreign couple who were throwing them a party...the sheerlaziness in curling up on the couch...looking out through the french windows...and letting the choclateeeeeey flavors of "chocolate fantasy"(chocolate pastry with meltedhot chocolate sauce)...hit all your nerve ends.....and then slowly sip over a hot cup...or should i say mug of hot sugarless coffee...the coffee so strong..you can feel the caffeine flowing in your veins!!!!And i think this is how life should be...where there are no worries...time doesn't exist..only pleasure does!!!************************************************************************************
From ooty,we took the scenic way to a hidden haven called Avalanchy(nothing to do with snow...its just the name of that place)...the road is really bad...but you wont mind it coz the view is amazing.If avalanchy doesn't take ur breath away..doesn't make you bend down at the sheer beauty ofnature...then...you must be dead atleast 50 years!!!Avalanchy is the embodiment ofmy imagination of what neverland would look like...green mountains....fresh..crystal clear lake......and clouds everywhere...the sun rays so soft..you would wonder whether it was a caress!the sun rays on the water..would make it glitter..as though jewels were spewed on thewater surface....one could easily imagine mermaids,fairies,imps...it looked like a setting for "midsummer night's dream".....i could simply sit and drink it all in for hours together and not care.When faced with unbelievable beauty or intolerablesadness...a person always is aware of her loneliness....that shestands alone...and its simultaneously a scary and gratifying thought!!!!***********************************************************************************
In avalanchy..we had been to a trout farm....in many a M&B book,the leading couple go"tickling a trout".....and was amused to finally see the fish over which so many romances had bloomed.The place had a haunted look..covered in lichens..as though it was lost in some time warp....we had an old man explain to us,how they breed these fishes.These fishes are not native to India...and an old rusty board explained to us...about a chap... who tried all his life to cultivate this fish in India..failed a million times....then brought a fresh breed from New-Zealand..and was finally successful...a life devoted to fish-breeding...the dedication I admire...though I dontunderstand his love for fish breeding.. Sigh!To each his own madness!!!He is buried in the same place..Standing near his grave..wishing he could speak upto me and answer...I couldalmost imagine the passion in his deep-throated voice(such a passionate man should have a deep voice)...and the gleam in his eyes when he tells me stories about his beloved fish...he is lucky in that he lies inhis death...close to things he loved.He lived doing what he loved...and died near them.Few men are lucky or courageous enough to follow the dictates of their love!

I saw fish-eggs...oh!they are the cutest things....pearl-like...millions of them....tiny wonders of perfect circularity..carrying inside them the wonder we call "life"!..Nature never ceases to amaze!**************************************************************************************
While coming back....each one of us content...the other two were having some conversation..there is nothing more pleasing to the ear than a friendly banter..na?...I was paying no attention to what they spoke...but i liked their words...like a background score to my thoughts....it was sun set time...oddly,there was no orange hues in the sky...each cloud had a silverlining to it....and I saw birds flying...people harvesting potatoes...some going backfrom work.. we even managed to get some fresh radish and turnips from a generous farmer.I kept that radish near my nose...the smell of earth...and something so fresh...it was one of those moments..which will remain in my mind for a long time.It was an evening of pure perfection.... and ya..we met a guy who was riding his cycle...and....felt happy looking at him.He seemed so joyful riding his old cycle!I have seen so many sad faces..in rich cars...was glad..that happiness still cant be bought...and probably will never be a sale-able commodity.
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Once we went back..we went to quaint little chinese hotel and hot steaming soup..and had food including mushrooms with a lot of pepper in it.I love the taste of pepper...my favorite spice along with cardamom...pepper is very naughty in its taste..there is almost a wink..and it has a lot of spunk!!!!well...we had a cozy dinner and came back to our guest house...In the dark ...it seemed spooky and we made silly jokes about bhooths and women with candles...and laughed outrageously.In the mountains...the evenings are very small....the night falls so soon...and the cold nip in the air...is pleasant onlyif you have warm clothes on!we were all shivering becoz of the cold....and i fell asleep under the warmth of two thick rugs with a smile on my face, while the other two were still talking.
*************************************************************************************************************************In our guest house we met a woman called Shivganga and her two daughters-Priyanka and manisha.Shivganga was being pressurized by her relatives to get daughter married!!!And priyanka...the daughter in question...was still in her10th standard.My mom in her usual concerned way,tried to give courage to that lonely woman...and told her it is too soon for a girl to enter matrimony.The young girl looked smart...still a bud...and the society was planning to never let her blossom.A proper education doesnt always guarantee a happy life but is very essential to lead a fulfilling life.An educated mind if,willing can discover and explore the wonders of this world in better ways.As I listen to my mom give courage to that lady and look at her fear-filled eyes of Shivganga...and feel that i am lucky to have such an admirable person as my mom.Manisha had the sweetest dimples and impish sparkling eyes.But the fear filled eyes of that woman will remain in my mind for a long time to come.
**************************************************************************************************************So,we left in search of breakfast.The vadas were all sold out...it feels pathetic to have just plainidlis without vadas...but we had dosas to compensate and were off to "Modern Stores" to buy ooty chocolates.The home made Ooty chocolates are very popular and not without reason.the love women have for chocolates...is about the dark secrets...both hold in their bosom...A piece of chocolate never holds back....but opens her heart,unraveling secret by secret..just like a woman!Among chocolates,I love rum n' raisins and fruit n' nuts ...dark with generous amount of raisins-rich,mysterious...shades of dark...and a subtle flavor i never expected..adding the dash of unpredictability which appeals to my romantic heart.Rum n' raisins..has a more naughty flavor..whereas fruit n' nut has a open...cheerful taste.I buy packets of rum n'raisins,fruit n' nut,strawberry marzipan,fig n' honey,roasted almond chocolate(for my bro).....and leave with a smug smile on my face.Its drizzling again.The mist is so thick,Visibility is zero.The song"Must have ben love" by roxette is playing in our car stereo.The mist,lichens covered trees-trees so tall...that they can touch the high heavens if they were to stand on their toes! Then the song "Casablanca" begins to play...the very beauty of the moment and the tenderness in the song makes me want to cry.Then we stop near a small tea stall and order garam chai.These small stalls on the roadsides have a charm of their own.This place where we stop..has shaky wooden tables...which were wet with the drizzle.we see a man with an umbrella...selling carrots.he would have made a very good photo!We bought a few carrots-they looked like grubby fingers of a fat orange child!!!...we clicked snaps in the mist..had our chai..and started downhill.
***************************************************************************************************As we get down the hill of ooty,I notice a tourist bus,with its windows open and mesmerized faces having their first look at the majestic nilgiris..the magic of the place almost tangible.I see a newly wed couple,heads bent towards each other lost in their appreciation of beauty.Love always makes our appreciation of beauty sharper.I put my head out of the window..and look at these lovely blue-green mountains...her tall trees and her small lake at her foothills.The small lake must be a pool of her tears..shed in memory of the people who visit her,fall in love with her beauty and then leave her!!!Maybe just the way we love her...she too must love us..she too must miss us just the way we miss her.But for me,she will never shed a tear...coz she knows I surrendered my heart at her dainty feet long time back- my love for her eternal and as true as her beauty itself. ************************************************************************************************************We headed towards kallathi hills with its 32 hairpin bends.Kallathi hills is the perfect nightmare for a lousy driver.The mist,the narrow bends and tricky curves....can unnerve even seasoned drivers.We were traveling inside the clouds...and anytime the mist cleared the view was breath-taking.The roads werelined with big bright yellow flowers...and I wonder what it is about flowers that moves me so.Flowers are living proof that God must be a painter...with a keen eye for beauty.The world would still go on if there were no flowers...but this world...needs beauty...flowers are poems penned by God.Tagore once wrote"The first flower was an invitation for the first unwritten song!" As long as beauty moves us..humanity is safe.Flowers ...are signatures left behind by fairies.
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We are tracing our way back to mysore and as if skies had heard my thoughtsof yesterday... had planned for me an orange sun set.It was as though the plains were imploring me to love and appreciate their brand of beauty as well.The plains are different....stretches of gold...paddy fields ready for harvest..and some times the paddy already cut..as though fairies had their hair cut there(whats with fairies and this gal,u wonder;) )...and had left their golden tresses..on the fields...some paddy fields swaying in the breeze...and i see pools of water caused becoz of heavy rains.There is a borewell which is submerged..and somehow the sight of a borewell in the middle of a pool makes me throw my head back and laugh..don't ask me why!!!************************************************************************************************************while coming back,we listened to Dylan's "wanna be friends with you".this song has a vulnerability to it.How admirableit is to be able to bring in so much feeling into words.Words will always be just drab shadows of the real emotions..but they do have their own appeal.Hidden behind a word or a phrase is sometimes a whole world of smiles,laughter..tears..and secret love stories.Listening to a song...have you ever wondered what made them pen those lines?I weave crazy romantic stories around a song...and am heartbroken when I get back to know the sometimes very banal and drab history of a song.I like the open roads..and also the speed at which my friend drives.I love looking from the back of the car...the disappearing view..the road seemingly moving back..and i think at 23, how old I am...probably eleven!*************************************************************************************We reach mysore..welcomed back by a warm hug by my brother....can feel his welcome in that hug..which pleasesI still have to travel to blore...I decide to take the 5 O' clock,instead of my usual 3.45 train.I relish the home cooked food of avrekaal-badnekaai huli and thick curds...and i leave for the station.I see a long queue and I change my mind...and decide to take the 6 O' clock.So had to spend more than oneand a half hour in the railway station.I found a benchand indulge in what i love the most-look at people around me....building crazy stories around them(I can build crazy stories around anything).Smiling people are a rarity nowadays.I see glum facesfaces everywhere....i see a lot of IT guys waiting to return to blore.I recognize a few faces from my college..but not anyone who was worth taking thetrouble of talking to.The train slowly chugged into the station and we all rush to save ourselves a seat.A part of me stands apart from this ruckusand looks at me fighting among others for a seat...This is something i love about India..we cant help beingcompetitive about everything...we have to fight about everything.Even getting a seat is like a war for us,we have to win at any cost.I get myself a seat and then hear a lady and a guy fight about a seat...she was getting hysterical and screaming at the top of her lungs andsaying something about gentlemen being extinct.I couldnt help giggle in excitement...another Indian thing.We love witnessing fights and take immense pleasure out of the most idiotic of fights.I settled down comfortably in my window seat..and notice this one guy who decided to be the official do-gooder for the journey.He got seats for everyone...smiled non-stop(for once i preferred the glum faces;) ) and spoke nonstop.I was in no mood to socialize....my lungs still full of fresh nilgiri air and my eyes still clouded with the ooty mist.But he was the persistent kind..he offered me peppermint,banana...pomegranate..and made statements like"i dont vote!!!"and considered himself to be very amusing.I refused the peppermint and the banana but had to accept the pomegranate,as I was getting the "how rude can u get,gal?" looks from co-passengers...and also i like pomegranates;)*************************************************************************************************************
I sit beside the window and look outside.I travel the same route every weekend.The old bridge ...river Cauvery looking mysterious and alluring in the fading light.The dusk falls...the intensity of the light altering the beauty of things around us.Darkness gives the air of mystery...a subtle charm,while light gives them a bright vivacity.Darkness takes away the unimportant details,and makes one look at only what matters.....and on the other hand seems like lady light believes that the divine lies in the details.Traveling in a train,gives one the opportunity to be the spectator...forget that we are a part of this crazy play too...and take a step back and just ponder...From the window of a train...you are insulated...and can simply set your thoughts free!Be the critic of a play where the actors dont know that they are acting...and have no idea about the script.The train slowly chugged into the Blore railway station…and I get down..my beautiful weekend coming to an end.