INDEX

The 0 day:
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All this started at the acme hours when some uneasiness and want for more
freedom started creeping deep in to my mind screwing my thoughts.
It was 20.43hrs when I decided to move off to Kodai(The ulti spot!!)
I soon signed off in the mess and packed up my baggage with the basics and
two pairs of dresses. To my luck, I got one of my senior going to
his room at INDIRANAGAR, and reached Contolment railway station by 21.15hrs on
his bike.It was 13minutes before the departure of Bangalore - Tuticorn express.
Finally I boarded the train and got in to one of the 4 general compartments
and could find enough place to sleep. The train was almost empty that being
Thursday, not a week end. I turned over some pages of Cost and management
accountancy book to get a good sleep. Soon I felt very sleepy :-)) and went to bed.

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The 1St day:
***********

I got down at Kodai road station at 6.35 in the morning next day.
There I completed the basics at the waiting room and took a bus at 7.30 to
Batlagundu from which there are supposed to be number of buses plying to
Kodaikanal(kk). The bus journey to kk was really fantastic with the jungles
and beautiful sceneries around. I reached kk at 10.10hrs. I went to GREEN LANDS
YOUTH HOSTELS which takes 10minutes of walk from bus-stand. There I had taken a
bed in the dormitory. Again I was only guy in that room, being a non-season.
The scenery from that YOUTH HOSTEL was just excellent. The clouds were well
below that spot. That scenery cannot be had from any other place at kk.
Then I passed throgh COAKER'S WALK, and went to hotel ASTROI near bus-stand
and waited till 11.30hrs to get the meals. After meals I went back to
YOUTH HOSTEL and threw the blanket and the heavy jeans dress and changed my
dress to sports dress :-))

I walked up to the lake near by and I was really happy to find that I can get
cycles on rent @5/- per hour. Immediately without another thought I hired a cycle
for five hours after checking the brakes system. Then started the real thrill.
The place was all full of ups and downs. I started covering each tourist spot in
that area. I felt very bad that I did not carry a camera. I should have
completed at least 3 reels if I were to carry a camera. I cycled through the
woods and reached green valley view. From there I went to Devil's Den. This is
a very narrow cave which is actually a deep and steep( almost at 90 degrees
angle) one. Here a Madurai merchant died in 1955 and it is made no-entry area.
It is 150mtrs depth ( waaaaaaaaaaav). I wanted to try it once but after all
it is banned area, cannot help :( Then I cycled to another spot. There I had to
keep my cycle and trek a distance of 300mtrs to get the edge. There I found
guys from Kolhapur and requested them for sparing a snap for me. As they
realized that I spoke in Hindi they were very happy and soon I had a photograph
of mine at that spot. They promised me to send it by mail and is expected before
20th of December. The spot was so cute that if I slip from there I can surely
enjoy a flight for time of at-least 6 seconds as there is no chance of touching
ground till I travel a distance of 180mtrs( 1/2 * 9.8 * t^2) in air, i.e really
cooooooooool. I enjoyed that risk very much.

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Basically being a human ,unsatisfied creature , I again started off to go to a
near by village at a distance of 22kms following the road. SO I started off on
the bicycle and I was really enjoying the ride along those woods. After cycling
for a distance of 10kms I suddenly found 2 big BISONS, which were as big as
elephants on the middle of the road. Knowing how dangerous they could be (From
previous experience during a camp near Darjeeling) I soon turned my cycle by
180 degrees :-)) and had a good sprint on the cycle. Now I took a different
route to kk. It was all an experiment :-)) However I could reach kk at last.
The road was so dam steep that the cycle ran at speed of 38kmph+. It really
thrilled me like any thing. Luckily there was enough banking at the curves ,
without which I should have been in to the valley (along with my cycle
of course). I purchased 7 home made chocolate(made of cocoa, pista, cashew,
kiss-miss and milk) packets for rs.245 which is supposed to be cheaper and
more tastier than DAIRYMILK brand chocolates. I had noodles for the dinner.
Then I called home to tell them that I am at kk. They were surprised to know
that, as I called them just the day before and I did not talk about any such
trip.(After all I myself did not know that I am going to make such a trip the
next day :-)) I went to bed at 22.30hrs.

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The 2Nd day:
*************

The next day I woke up at 9.00am when the hot water will be kept ready. I completed
the basics and had my breakfast at hotel ASTROI again. I was wondering what I
should do this day. Then I felt like trekking deep in to the woods. Soon got
in to my standard sports dress and with my bag left off in to the woods at
around 10.00hrs. I got in touch with some tourists from FRANCE who were going
with a guide. I just followed them up deep in to the woods. They pay rs.140
per hour and per head to the guide. For Indians it is rs.100 per day per
head :-)) But I did not want to take a guide unnecessarily. I moved along with
them till a spot called DUCK'S NOSE POINT. Here a part of the hill hangs out
in to air nothing below it, like duck's nose and thus the name to that point.
The FRANCE tourists had a powerful camera but were not daring to go to the end
to take a snap. I soon asked for the camera and went to the tip and took a snap.
I again requested them to send me that snap by mail for which they readily
agreed. They promised me to send those photographs after CHRISTMAS, when they
will be back at FRANCE. Finding them very slow, I said bye to them and started
off to a place called KUMBAKARAI, famous for water falls. This was at a distance
of 23kms form DOCK'S NOSE POINT. Not till going to that place I realized that
it was nothing but the foot of the kodai hills :-)) from where I took my bus.
I passed through the woods and I was inquiring with the locals in that jungle
for the route to KUMBAKARAI. The route was very thrilling as it is deep in the
jungles and there is no trace of any human being for very long periods.
I had to make random decisions when the route is split in to two ways. This
made that trek even more thrilling. But I came out of all that thrill when I
suddenly found that I am following an unused path. Ooooooooops, I missed the
path in the jungle. Hurraaaaaaaaaaay, this was like one of the stories I read
in Reader's digest during my child hood, where the hero misses his route in
the mountains and follows a water body. I too had to do the same, and I followed
the water body. Then I realized that there is only one biscuit packet and
two chocolate packets and not even blanket. I wondered how I should spend the
night if I don't get to any village by dusk. Luckily after trekking in the
waters for 15minutes I found few shirts and cans in between. My mind was
relaxed looking at them. But I had to confirm my self that they are not any
tribes who would make lunch out of me. I satisfied my self that they cannot
be tribes as I saw steel cans which must be for lunch. I shouted out with
full strength in to the air "Any body over there?? koooi hai??". But to vain
there was no response. I decided to take bath in that flow and again start off.

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But just then a man came there with a big bag on his back. The bag was
containing lemons. He told that they come in to these jungles for taking fruits
and they sell them out in the towns. It was 13.10hrs by then.He told me that
KUMBAKARAI is 5kms away from there and that I can get a bus from there in
another 30minutes, and if I miss it there is no bus until 16.00hrs in the
evening. Then I had to soon get on to my toes and just run. I could finally
reach KUMBAKARAI by 13.43hrs. But looking at the waters there I could not resist
from swimming over there. How ever, I learned that besides buses there are other
modes of transport like vans and autos which can take me to PERIYAKULAM, which
is 12kms from there. I could manage to get a van and reached PERIYAKULAM.
From there I took a bus to Ghat road 18kms from PERIYAKULAM, the turning point
for bus route to go to kk from main road. During that time I took out the
biscuit packet and chocolate packet and quickly completed them. Upon reaching
Ghat road I had 3 coconuts to get the heat out of my body. There I took the bus
at 15.00hrs and reached kk at 17.35hrs. I remembered that I have the train
at kodai road at 20.35hrs. Only 3hrs to catch the train. Soon I went to
YOUTH HOSTEL to collect the blanket, jeans dress and books left there before
going for trekking. I could get a bus to BATLAGUNDU at 18.20hrs. I reached
BATLAGUNDU at 20.30hrs. Thus I was sure that I will be missing the train.
I do not have train till next day same time to come to BANGALORE. While I was
wondering how I can be so unlucky, I soon realized that I missed the
train only to extend my trip to RAMESWARAM.

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The 3Rd day:
************

Yeeeeeeeeeeep, I then continued my trip to RAMESWARAM the same night. It was
again another wonderful place where the railway bridge was constructed over
the SEA(Daaaaaaaaaaam good) to reach RAMESWARAM which is an island.
I had bath in 22 theerthas(wells) in the famous RAMANATHASWAMY TEMPLE.
That was simply superb. All most all the wells had different tastes of water
, though they were all located very close by. Then I took a train to
MANAMADURAI and then a bus from there to MADURAI. I slept in the waiting
room for two hours and went to MEENAKSHI temple there. It was so huge that
I could not cover any thing in 15minutes and had to rush back for the train.
I boarded the TUTICORN - BANGALORE express and got down at KODAI road :-))
There I waited for BANGALORE special train which was just following TUTICORN
express. The BANGALORE special train was again empty for me to sleep cooooooool.

Ooooops, at last completed my narration regarding:
"My Tragic trip to KODAI, RAMESWARAM and MADURAI".

Cheeeeeeeeeeeers