Sometimes
you just need to leave the cacophony of the city life to enjoy the pristine
beauty and bounty of Mother Earth… The Kumbakkarai to Kodai trek via Vellagavi
on Feb 18 &19 was one such occasion..!! It was CTC’s 4th birthday
and I felt I had to be part of the celebration!! And hence after a lot of
contemplation (obviously with so many treks to choose from) & work issues
it was decided that Kodai trek it will be..
DAY - 0
So
much of checking and cross checking happened on things to be taken, weather
forecast, food to be taken & timings.. And finally Kaushi (my partner in
crime) & me were at Koyambedu by 9 only to find the bus being late by an
hour.. So much for punctuality.. Uff.. but yeah we know things sometimes
doesn’t go as planned.. so we literally waited out the whole time & was
happy to get into the bus which had smiling faces welcoming us!! It was amazing
to be a part of a group where people of various work backgrounds join together
just to enjoy one thing that had us bound.. The journey started with us
becoming friends with one another as our bus weaved out of Chennai.. After some
time of talking, snacking, singing and sleeping..Dindigul was our first stop..
It was our pick-up point for the trekkers joining from Bangalore (which
included my bro & Sudhir) as well as our breakfast & lunch!! So once
everything was in place we set off to Kumbakkarai which we reached by 10.30 or
so..
DAY - 1
The
food packets were distributed to all.. Our breakfast was idli, vada.. Once our
tummies were filled we started towards the sliding pool of the Kumbakarai
waterfalls with Chikki bars, Corn, oranges, chocolates jostling for space in
our bags.. The sliding pool was in a different direction from the path that we
had to take.. It looked quite calm and the guys were all set for the fun..
Somersaults, gentle dips and slides were happening simultaneously while few of
us chose to be the spectators alone!! As much as I enjoy water, I was just too
worried about trekking in wet clothes.. so just skipped the tempting slide!!
At one
point when we realized that we might be too late.. we started towards the trek
path.. It was nearly around 12 when we started the hike.. Not a happy thought I
accept as the sun was merciless..!! We trudged happily with lots of talk.. At
some point I really started wondering how bad my fitness was!! Thanks to my
knapsack which was adding to the agony ..!! Luckily for me, Shiv & Sudhir
took the burden (Thank you soooo much guys!!).. We kept on trudging and I was
seriously wondering whether we will really reach somewhere or not..
Around
an hour or two later we decided to lunch.. by when most of us were split in
groups depending on our pace.. I skipped the biryani knowing well that my walk
would be worse than what it was.. We came across a small temple on the way
where we re-energized ourselves with Chikki bars and water.. Then again we
started our walk.. we even saw some of the Vellagavi villagers walking in
complete ease with so much load (Gosh!! So much for the sophistication in the
city, I was literally worn out.. Embarrassing indeed!!) Thanks to Jayanthan who
kept on convincing me that we were almost near the village!! Alas!! the whole
group reached the village by 4:30 in the evening.. I was truly amazed at the
way the people lived there with no mode of transportation..!! Either
people walk all the way up to Kodai or all the way down to Kumbakarai..!!
After
a brief rest and a lovely coffee (courtesy of the villagers), the guys were
ready to have a game of Volleyball with the villagers.. You got to give it to
them.. the villagers were exceptional in the game and got our guys hands down!!
The volleyball court was located in a picturesque place where it was just
surrounded by the view of the mountains.. The trek had just two other ladies
other than Kaush and me.. All four of us played the role of a spectator while
the guys got pummeled.. Then it was soup time.. The chillness started to
envelope us.. The guys were trying to make use of so many physics concept
before they got the soup done.. Thanks to the villagers the vegetable rice was
ready by then!! After a lovely dinner, it was time to sleep.. Eventually day 1
came to an end!!
DAY 2:
I was happy to wake up around eight because the
much needed sleep seemed to have done the magic of rejuvenating the tired
muscles.. and I was looking forward to the hike again.. Had a lovely warm bath,
the villagers way.. and it was time for some warm milk & chocos along with
protein mix… Wonderful I say.. Whereas some folks were literally early and
enjoyed the sunrise along with a game of volleyball.. Again we were all split
in groups as some decided to hang around in the village for some more time while
some wanted to hit it early before the heat started scorching us!! So few of us
started around 10..
I was happy to wake up
around eight because the much needed sleep seemed to have done the magic of
rejuvenating the tired muscles.. and I was looking forward to the hike again..
Had a lovely warm bath, the villagers way.. and it was time for some warm milk
& chocos along with protein mix… Wonderful I say.. Whereas some folks were
literally early and enjoyed the sunrise along with a game of volleyball.. Again
we were all split in groups as some decided to hang around in the village for
some more time while some wanted to hit it early before the heat started
scorching us!! So few of us started around 10..
The
walk was pretty ok.. We were literally traversing from one hillock to the
other.. and we were also picking up altitude.. The sun was literally on us..
Trust me, even at that height, the weather was at its worst.. It was tiring us
quickly.. but thanks to the spirit that prevailed amongst us.. we kept on joking
about something or other and pushed ourselves.. By the time we reached Dolphin
Nose we were just too happy tired I would say..!! We all reached the road by 2…
and a sense of accomplishment was felt (still a guilty thought reminded me that
the Vellagavi villagers did this as their routine!!).. Then to add to it we
found that we had to walk further down the road as the bus couldn’t make it to
the point…. (Arghhh!!!)
We
strolled all the way till the main road then and were just happy to settle in
the bus.. All of us were looking forward to the yummy lunch in Kodai.. Once
near the lake, everybody took to the food joint of their choice.. It was one
happy meal I would say.. after which we set off in search of yummy snacks from
Pastry Corner…but to our dismay, the stocks were sold long time ago.. Bad!!
Then after getting some local chocolates.. it was time to hit back to Chennai..
We bid adieu to the Bangaloreans and started the descent.. We were talking
happily about the trek and it was fun to watch the pics!!
We had
dinner somewhere on the bye-pass road since we did not want to waste time by
entering Dindigul.. Once the dinner was done, all of us were pretty quiet as we
wanted to rest well before the hectic workday… We reached Chennai by 6.30 with
happy memories and good friends.. knowing well that the road towards reality
beckons!!
Write up by Ishwarya Charan.
Write up by Ishwarya Charan.
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R.Balakumar
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