Goa: Explore the Unexplored: Part 1

When someone mentions Goa, the first thing that comes to our minds is the amazing coast of Goa with many wonderful beaches. The past weekend made me realize that Goa is simply not just that. It has very beautiful forests and a rich and diverse wildlife. I spent three days and two nights enjoying this beauty in the company of my colleagues and their families. Now when I am back in the city, I feel like I have left a part of my soul there. In this blog I will try to give a glimpse of what I experienced. I can only hope that my words can do justice to the beautiful feeling of actually being there.

A Malabar Pit Viper

-Parikshit

Thus the journey began…

We were a bit lagging on our plan when we started from near our office. The night was still young but there were only a few vehicles on the roads. I went and sat at one of the rearmost seat of the tempo traveler (TT); Senthil (boss, as he is better known) and my cohorts (Jaisheel, Pallavi and Bharath) sat in the seats in front of me and the Khisty’s and the Sahasrabhojanee’s at the front of the TT. There was a discreet silence in the bus for the first few minutes except for the sporadic conversations in small clusters. That ended with Parikshit’s robust voice enquiring which movie we would like to watch on the screen in the bus. Parikshit Khisty (Parry) was the honorary captain of our group. He is interested in birdwatching and is a talented photographer. He often invites us to his trips into the wilderness. This was the fourth time I tagged along.

After a short discussion we decided to watch the Bollywood classic comedy ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. I was watching it for the first time. Apart from driving me to the verge of sleeping, the movie gave us some phrases that we kept using through the weekend. Once the movie was over, I found some of my comrades sleeping soundly. I too fell asleep as soon as the movie was over. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I felt that our TT had been at halt for some time. Morning, I came to know that the driver had stopped the vehicle and took a nice nap. That delayed us a little bit, but at least he did not sleep at the wheels and concluded the journey for us once and for all. 

Quarter past nine, the next morning we were consuming our morning caffeine from a roadside tea stall. In the daylight all those who were not yet acquainted with the others, got the chance of doing that.

Start the day with some caffeine
-Parikshit

I knew almost the entire group already. Jaisheel (Joy, as he likes to be called) is my flat mate. Pallavi and Bharath had been in the boot camp with us. We are all good friends. Then there was Senthil. He is one of the coolest persons I have ever met. He has a single reply, ‘Good Job’ for almost everything. 

Parikshit was accompanied by his wife Prajakta and their son Aarush. This was the first time I was on a trip with Shailesh. He had taught us some useful things when we were in the boot camp. His wife Aditi, an English professor by trade and their son Ved also joined us on our adventure. 

We all recharged ourselves and got ready for the journey ahead. Just a couple of hours more and we would reach our retreat. I could see that the concrete buildings on either side of the road I saw before sleeping have been now replaced by sumptuous greenery. But soon I came to know that it was just the trailer. The real movie was yet to start.

The Camp

When I got down from the Bus, all I could see around me was lush vegetation in about fifty shades of green, much like the view I used to get in the place where I was born and brought up, Kerala. I could see a lot of coconut and areca nut trees. I could see flowers, some familiar to me from my childhood explorations and some new. I could hear the chirping of birds. There were plenty of touch-me-nots as well, enough to bring out the child in most of us. I remembered the days when I played football and cricket in vast green fields. I hated the touch me not’s in the fields due to their thorns, but outside I used to touch them to see them fold. But the thought was soon replaced by the sight from my last visit to hometown. There are tall buildings, making space for the ever increasing human needs standing right in place of the fields which I used to play.

 

As these thoughts flashed through my head, a smiling face welcomed me to the Nature’s Nest resort in Mollem. He offered me a glass of Kokum Juice. 'Malabar tamarind’ as it is known to me back home, is added in fish curries to bring about a tangy taste. I came to know that people drink juice from kokum only after I moved to Bangalore. Frankly, after I drank it, I understood it was nothing like I expected. My kokum illiteracy was to suffer a few more jolts through the rest of the journey, but for now I was ready to open myself up to new ideas. Without wasting any time, we brushed our teeth, and had breakfast. I looked at my watch. It was noon, exactly. I looked at my plate. There was ‘Pav’, butter, ‘bhaji’ and jam. I was very hungry. So I literally attacked my food and finished it off, like how a predator finishes off his prey.

We were to stay in ‘huts’ which were basically single roomed buildings with an attached washroom and a thatched roof. I kept my bag in one of the huts and explored the place a little bit with Jaisheel, Pallavi and Bharath. The place was buzzing with life in as many different forms as one can find in such a small area. We quickly realized that there were many ants around, the type that bite hard, and a wrong step can turn you easily into a dancer.

Aarush who was nine years old and was the youngest in the group cared nothing about the ants. He was very eager to try out the wall climbing and the zip line as soon as his eyes fell on them. He already had a lot of experience with such activities and that only helped feed his zest. He joined our exploration after he was promised that we will try those at a later time.

Continuing our investigations with Aarush and Ved, we found another set of creatures who can tickle us with their bites. Fish! There was a natural spring and a stream, a few meters from our huts, with plenty of fish. We sat on the bank of it and put our feet into the cold water. Our feet were too tempting for them to ignore. Yes! A natural fish spa.

We enjoyed the fish spa for some time before it started pouring down. Within a few seconds the rain grew heavy. Here in goa, rains are very frequent this time of the year. Throughout my stay, the weather was cloudy and showered down upon us continuously except for a few breaks. The rains are indeed the lifeline for the vast stretches of rainforests spread across the Western Ghats. I love rains but still I ran back to the hut. A few others continued the merry.

Back in my hut, I changed into a set of clothes that dry quickly. I also packed another pair in my backpack for it was almost time for us to start our trek into the forest to get a glimpse of the Tambdi Surla waterfalls.

Tambdi Surla – a hidden spectacle

After a sumptuous Goan style meal for lunch we headed towards the Bhagvan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary in our TT. It was around half past three when we reached the base of the trail. The scene in front of my eyes was splendid. There was a fully mature rainforest, right next to the road we came through. There was a calm stream emerging out of it and a stone bridge across the stream extending the road to the other bank. On the other side of the stream, both sides of the road were covered with the woods. On my side however, there were a few stalls put up by some grub vendors.

After an initial photoshoot, we followed our guide straight into the jungle through a clearing in the undergrowth possibly created by continuous usage as a path. Once inside the jungle, I understood that the actual vegetation was thicker than what one would expect looking from the road side. The sun was already only half visible due to the weather. Moreover, the abundant canopy prevents much light to reach the ground. I could apprehend the thickness of the canopy when it started raining later on. I could understand it was raining only from the sound of drops striking the shrubbery. Not many drops could reach us getting past all that shade above. 

Following the trail

-Parikshit

In our journey to the waterfalls, we kept encountering flowing water cutting through our trail. As we moved further ahead the force of such streams increased. That’s when I realized all are part of a single stream meandering in its path. As there was sufficient spread between two different encounters, it created an illusion that they were separate water bodies. The water, the tall trees, the thick undergrowth all seemed to be right out of some fantasy movie like the ‘Jurassic Park’.

A stream flowing through the forest

-Parikshit

I could hear the cries of frogs and cicadas. We saw an oversized black crab, which apparently got scared seeing us and quickly drifted into the bushes. There were also variety of insects which we could spot on either side of the trail. Our guide had told the jungle was home to leopards and black panthers. But in this part they were not common. The most vicious creature we encountered were leeches amidst the trail. Some of them managed to make a feast out of our blood.

At places where the canopy cover was less, rain had turned the rocks into slippery traps. I slipped multiple times but never fell. A few of my fellow adventurers fell, but none suffered any serious injuries. There were thorny bushes on the sides of our trail which also tried to cut us for encroaching into their habitat. We trekked through the forest for about an hour and a half before we reached the falls. It was a spectacle.

The Tambdi Surla
-Parikshit

I could have just spend time standing there, enjoying its beauty. But we had to return as it had already started getting dark. On our way back, we decided to spend some time in one of the streams. We found a rapid where we could sit and enjoy the water rushing onto us from all sides. The experience was very relaxing. All of us enjoyed in the water before we continued our journey. We changed into dry clothes in a changing tent brought by Parry, before getting into the TT for our journey back to the camp.

to be continued...

A Trek to Horaginabetta!

I was very excited to join Bangalore Trekking Club (BTC) for a trek after almost 18 months. This time it was a one day trek to Horagina Betta. Adding to my excitement was the fact that this one was co-organized by my friend Raksha. So I took a loan from my Sunday sleep bank, cooked idly and chutney, packed them and hurried to the meeting point.

I shared a cab with Shruti and Gayathri, my colleagues who were trekking with BTC for the first time. We reached the KSRTC Bus Stand in Majestic, a few minutes before the reporting time, where I met Srikanth and Dinesh, who were already there. They were also part of the organizing team. There were a few other enthusiasts who had reached before us. I am not good with small talks, but I somehow easily acquainted myself with fellow trekkers for the day while waiting for our bus.

We were running a few minutes late when we boarded the bus to Devanahalli. I always prefer a train to a bus while traveling in groups, as it is easier for me to mingle with everyone and break the ice. For a trek with BTC where I am with a bunch of people, most of whom I have not met in my life, breaking the ice is very important. Unfortunately the timing of Indian Railways towards our destination was not as favourable for us as to what the KSRTC had to offer.

In the bus I sat next to Sourajit. I couldn’t properly pronounce his name at first, but then I got it. We talked for a few minutes, but my sleep bank wanted me to return the principal I took from it.  I fell asleep. I got up when we reached Devanahalli. I could see a few other sleepy heads as well. So I did not feel the need to be embarrassed.

The trek seemed too silent till this point. That needed to change. While we were waiting for the next bus, our organizers decided to shake the sleepy beehive a little bit. We were made to stand in a circle and formally introduce ourselves. It helped me remember some of the names I learned earlier from the bus stand and I also heard some of them talk for the first time. We did not hold ourselves from pulling some legs now. I realized, it takes only a few laughs to become friends.

Soon we found ourselves in the bus to Karahalli Cross. It was from here that we would start the trek. We refreshed ourselves from a hotel there, shared some light moments and got ourselves ready for the trek. We were to going to climb the ‘Horagina betta’ or the hill that is outside. He is also known as Nandi one, a name perhaps due to his proximity to the famous Nandi Hill. He stands there, 4724 feet tall, just a few short of his brother to his right. I was humbled by the sight in front of me.

We did not have a clear path ahead of us and were forced to make our own way to the top. Without any delay Srikanth took the lead. He clearly laid down all the ground rules. Raksha would stay in the middle and Dinesh at the end of the trail to see that no one falls behind. Thus we started our ascent. I carefully kept my steps on the rocks one after the other and soon got the rhythm. We took a few short breaks to make sure that we don’t wear ourselves out.

The path was mostly rocky with low to medium steepness. There were bushes with thorns, patches of grasslands with some trees and other vegetation typical to the tropics. The climate was very much favorable for us. We had expected that it might rain. But it did not. The sun was present throughout our journey but never shined too bright. There was mild breeze that kept cooling us whenever we were beginning to feel exhausted. I felt it was the nature’s way of encouraging us. I noticed a structure made by neatly stacking stones one above the other, not higher than 3 feet. I wondered who could have made that in the middle of the forest. We walked, jumped, climbed and kept going. We cracked a few jokes to keep the spirits up.

The path to the summit - a sample!

Sebin

At some points towards the climax of the ascent, the path frequently became so narrow and completely covered with thorny bushes of around 6 feet high, such that one could hardly go through. After the first such patch, we encountered a temple to the Hindu deity, “Shani”. We again went through another thick bush and a few boulders to reach the summit.

The view there was breath-taking. We could see the villages below us and vast stretches of land that looked like a perfect drawing. I could see a network of roads, which looked like perfect geometric figures that I learned in school. The vehicles seemed like ants. The mild breeze was now a bit strong. It felt like I would fly away if I was a bit lighter. Someone passed a comment that it was the best place to propose to a girl. I thought one would have to be lucky to get a life partner who would trek with him/her into the forests and to the top of hills.

View from the top of the hill

Sebin

I did not come here with my partner, not that I already found mine, but I had a group of 20 amazing people with whom I had great fun. It was now time to break bread with them. We all sat in a circle on one of the flatter portions of the rock. All of us had got some food as Raksha had mentioned the lunch would be a pot luck. I proudly took out the idlys I made and shared with the group. We shared some light moments along with the food. With all that food on the table along with desserts and savouries, we had a sumptuous meal.

Before our descent was to begin, we took a break. We played the evergreen games ‘Anthakshari’ and ‘Dumb Charades’. There was a big group of Telugu speaking people. They proved to be very good in both of the games. I learned a lot more Telugu words in those moments than I learned in almost 3 years with a Telugu speaking roommate. We all had so much fun together sitting there on the summit of the hill.

Nandibetta viewed from Horaginabetta

Vinyas

The descent was quicker and pretty fun too. By the time we reached the foot we were all behaving like old friends. I could not take many photos but I am looking forward to see those taken by the rest especially Vinyas who had a DSLR cam. I had so many wonderful moments with my group on which I could write a book. Not that I would need photos to remind me of them, but having them would be great.

When we were on the bus back to Bangalore, I was sad as we could not do it more and that it finished very quickly. When we started, some of us were friends and some strangers. But we all left as friends with a whole lot of memories. I felt grateful to BTC and my fellow trekkers for giving me a wonderful Trek to remember.

Our group

Vinyas

Pic Credit: Vinyas and Sebin.

Trek Participants: Shilpa, Rohith, Sayan, Vinyas, Sourajit, Deeksha, Shruti, Gayathri, Sebin, Shwetha, Chaitanya, Vaibhav, Sathish, Aaaditi, Aditya, Sharada, Abhilash and Sanjay (me).

 Organizers: Raksha, Srikanth and Dinesh.