"BACK TO THE LIFE OF LUST"

The 3 days i forgot everything and was totally into something new! i stopped looking and started to observe more! i got into a crowded bus in yercaud to salem , i felt a head ache when i got down the hills, i reached salem and i was kind of sad to see those buses, smoking people , noise and lust for money.

I had a sprite and then sat in a bus to vellore, after the ticket i went into to deep sleep. at 9pm the bus halted in a hotel i had a barotta and brought a pack of parle-g. the man sitting next to me in the bus looked like he was hungry but for reasons he could not eat , so gave him biscuits and had a few words with him.

i closed my eyes huge trees, mountain fogs appeared and a voice in my ears that was said by a sister in a mother Teressa's home " old sick people are gods, they are gods who could not speak and who are in pain" and i just slept. at 12:40 reached my home.

"You go to a place see culture , people , scenery and marvels of nature ,wow that's wonderful life! you go to the place you live find a god in trouble and help them, you create a wonderful life"

EXPLORE, HELP AND SEARCH ANSWERS FOR EVERYTHING a true traveler will do that always!

"FINAL DAY :BEST SPOT, THE ADMIRER WHO FOLLWED ME, THE WAY BACK!"

Continuous walk , this walk was the hardest in my visit. The roads were steep and narrow , even the cars struggled at times. i rested in many places and moved, finally got into a under construction park and easily got to the entrance of sherveroy temple!, again there i became angry for the camera! I walked straight and there was a small temple , and crossing that in a few yards is a huge ground. on the left side there is a viewpoint and the viewpoint was kind of different and more beautiful than others.

There was my favorite grilled baby corn. I brought one and as usual sat on one of the most beautiful spot (on a wall) were i could get a clear view. behind this wall is the concrete view point with shed , any one standing in the viewpoint can see me sitting facing the mountains. i was enjoying my corn and suddenly someone shouted " maadu , maadu , maadu" (cow , cow , cow) and i just turned on my left to see who was shouting , boooom!! a cow is standing rite next to my face and looking at me!it was a white male cow!

i smiled at it and said "shoo" it shakes it head and gently came near me! what was attracting it? o yea its the corn on my right hand!! i try to bring the corn to my mouth and it tries to grab it softly from me :) it was so sweet and i felt so special,!!

i got off the wall and went up the view point! it stood underneath where ever i stood, its ultimate aim was to get the corn! where ever i moved it moved like my shadow underneath.every one started laughing at this! and soon finished the corn and gave the remains to it , i just got down and thought of getting a baby corn for the cow , but i could not find the cow any were!!

Then i went to the temple, the priest in the temple was a lady! the temple is built inside a cave and people said that the cave goes to karnataka! which is another state!! a long distance from there! i just peeped in the cave and bent to see how long it goes , but could not see anything as it was dark!

i again went to the wall, sat on it , folding my legs, put my shoes on one side and my bag on other and heard songs from "OWL CITY" and i was singing along! , i heard "MAY IT BE" from lord of the rings , for the music i hear the nature was the equalizer!! the fog and the trees moved along with the song. the best was "kingdom of tears" a music by an unknown DJ. it was so soft and soothing for the weather and location.

i sat for a long time and automatically for no reason this time , tears came out! i prayed god if im going to live another life i should b a part of these woods!after hearing all my favorite songs , i put on my shoes and bags and t-shirt ( i removed my t-shirt for a wile and wore jerkin over my tanks)

i roamed around the whole ground and sipped a coffee and a bottle of water.it was around 2:30 i started my way back to yercaud.at the entrance of sherveroy hills i again brought a corn with extra chilly powder and lime on it!. i walked and it was easy as the road was slope.

After 2-3 bends in road , i needed to take a piss, lot of water made the urgency!!. i just got on the left side of the road, jumped in the mud and looking at those mountains completed the natures call. i started again and i planned to walk back the 6.20 kms all way to yercaud. by 4:30 i reached yercaud.

"FINAL DAY :ADIEU BEAR CAVE!!CHAOS!!! , OH!!! SHOULD I WALK??"

Before i came to the road i sat near the 1st gate and looked at the trees and plants again, i had a feel of connecting with those trees in some way. The wind which blows over my body , seconds later touches the leaves and branches of the trees, connection exist in air. My finger tips feels the softness of the leaves and the pulp of the trees. My nose smells the soil and my eyes find the hidden flowers in bushes! so much beauty the nature has! tears came down and for a minute i thought, i never wanted to leave that place. i stood up and I got to the hilly tree track again and back to road.

I started from the road again!, and few meters i saw a track in the hill, between the trees. i said to myself "ha!!a shortcut to the upper road" i went into the track and followed it, the route was steep but if i try hard and make it i can save 10-15mins of walking time.!! so i climbed hard! there was a big tree fallen and blocked the path , i climbed over the tree and was so keen that i should not be bitten by snake or any insect. the soil was wet because of the rain and i had to be careful.

i climbed high and could hear a car sound at distant. i lost the track and i moved left for few minutes, then straight, then right!! hold on!! were am i now??i just stood blinking in middle of the woods, every direction i turn there is no sign of escape, i walked straight up and there were thick bushes of tree and when i peeped into it ,"ooooooooooooooooooooo! i found my self at the edge of the mountain top, if i had gone through the bushes, the probability of dying would have been high"

i just thought i should go down the slope again and after continuous 8mins run through the trees i made to the same place were i was sitting ! i said to myself "aargg! again the place" i looked at my t-shirt, shoes , jeans , jerkins, there were hundreds of some kind of seeds sticking! i plucked each one out and started walking

The roads were very steep and i lost all my energy, i opened my bag and took out the crunches i brought the previous day. i had few and i managed to walk. i was about to give up! suddenly i saw a lady washing cloths in a tap of WATER! i was excited and went there and the lady asked my to drink the water directly from the pipe that connected to the tap!

The water fell from the pipe into a dirty tank and that water flows in tap! that's the reason.. No Tap!  i drank the water, the best water ever!!!!! i quenched my thrust and washed my face and head and started walking.

"FINAL DAY: B(T)EAR CAVE", CONNECTING WITH NATURE

I continued walking with a feel of anger,and i saw the 3 roads, i just asked a shop near by and they said visitors are not allowed to the bear caves now days as there was a robbery! so i took the high road on the right to sherveroy temple. i moved up the road still thinking of ways to make the camera work, i sat down on a stone on the corner of the road and tried to make miracles happen for my camera, i did not work!!.

i saw an old man coming out of the bushes of the mountains and i asked him about bear cave he showed me a way through the trees in the mountain and told i could enter the gates and beware of dogs! he also asked me to say that i came in a wrong route and the guard near the cave will allow inside.

Bear cave is actually located within a private estate!! i have to go convince the guards to get in.i went through the hill trees and entered into the estate's 1st gate, i walked in the path into estate, it was so beautiful! i again hit myself in the head for the camera not working!i walked into the estate and it was totally silent , the estate looked like a small guest house and it was locked.

i didn want the guard to set the dogs on me, so i started searching for him and to seek permission. there was a path to my left and i followed it , there was a bike and slipper outside a room. I knocked the door no one replied! i thought is there any psycho killer here?? and then i looked for  a big stick to fight with dogs.

Again to my right from the room i walked on a path , which led to backside of the guest house, there was a huge stick , i took it and walked few step and the backdoor was open but still it was perfectly silent. i shouted "sir , sir" for a minute no one replied. my heart said the dogs will definitely be around somewhere.

i walked slowly without making a noise and found myself near the steps which is on the right side of the guest house, i climbed on the steps and saw, wow that's the "BEAR CAVE". there were rocks on the side and all the steps and rocks were covered with green slippery minute plants. i sat on the rock and took few snaps from my mobile.



i sat there for a while, i just listened to the wind , the trees and plants, tears came out of my eyes, i starred at the bears cave for a while and looked at the sky, smiled at the cave as i wiped my tears.

i got down the steps and on my left was a down slope covered with plants. if i could go across the plants i can reach the 1st gate path(assuming it to be a short route).i climbed a rock and was about to get down and my legs slipped, my right leg was caught by creeper plants!! i was so amazed and i felt like the creepers were knowing i would fall and they got hold of me the right time. it was just like a mother catching her baby when it falls down trying to walk.

even if i had fallen i would be just become dirty because of the mud and nothing serious :). suddenly i heard a voice "oiiii" and i stood up i the rock and there was a old man on the road with a sickle saying " angenydhu po , roadu ku va! inga enga poaraa?" (go back to the road, were are you trying to go from there" i used the lie that i lost my way and went back to road and next minute the old man was standing in front of me!!!! only then i knew if i had gone by the road itself i would have reached the gate ..lol and that's the short route !!! i took a pic of the man and walked back to the hill trees and back on the road were i was sitting and trying to repair my camera!

"FINAL DAY : LOOK WHO IS BACK!!!, the tragedy!"

The last day began i felt bit sad as i will be leaving yercaud!! im totally in love with woods.One thing cheered me is i will be following the same beautiful route of the first day and also after 2km i will explore the new route i missed!. i took pictures of every part of the room and bid adieu to the manager and other person and took a pic of them.

I sat down in the lobby sofa, my shoes were still wet and so i wore it without socks. the other guy was there and asked his name he replied his name was mani!. i asked him what is the managers name, he said "avardhu nalla peyru pa , avar vandhu 2du naal dhampaa aagudhu , enaku naybagam illa!" (his name is agood name!!, he just joined here 2 days back and i dont remember his name " i left the room without knowing the managers name



I stepped out and my mind shouted "STICK"!!! HUH! yea were did i keep the gun stick , i remember bringing it to the room lobby and placing it near the generator wire, i was lazy to go back and i convinced myself that the stick would be safe in the room.i went to the same tiffen shop and had same 2 pooris, took a pic of the shop and walked out. on the way again clicked a pic of lord ganesha statue that is to be drowned in lake !

I entered the road that leads to sherveroy and i asked a person on way for route to visit the bear cave. the person suggested i can visit bear cave and from there i can go to sherveroy temple.i was happy to hear that, the person also said there will be 3 roads diverging at one point and the center road is made of mud and that is the road to bear cave! so i walked i took several pics as i approached a steep road a load auto stopped by and i said "no" assuming that he is offering a lift.

few step again the load auto stopped and i walked towards it to explain and the auto guy said "enna nyabagam iruka?? anniku ungala andha bustop la drop panneyney irutla?"(do u remember me? i dropped you in that bustop days back on a night??") yes! it is the man(SAKTHI VEL) who gave a ride on day 1 in his bike and dropped me in a stop at the foggy & rainy night.i was very happy to see him and took a photo of him, he asked "enga poreenga" (were are you going now?) i said "sherveray temple" and he offered me a lift, i said i had to walk . he smiled at me and said bye , gearing up his auto!



i walked slowly , enjoyed taking pictures of beautiful hills, trees and flowers! but suddenly my camera malfunctioned. the lenses opened and the screen blacked out! i tried removing the battery and things but still it did not work! i became sad, i felt as if i lost my strength! i was angry on myself and the camera! it was tragedy!!!!!!

"DAY2 : GENTS SEAT, HEY I GOT COMPANY!,the manager"

It was around 4pm , i reached GENTS SEAT another higher view point from ladies seat. The place was higher than ladies seat but very small concrete and more of an open space like a balcony in the sky were you could touch the clouds. The view was freakishly awesome! as usual i sat on the wall & took out my camera and clicked several shots of the mountains and mountain roads! as i silently observed the mist and clouds merged, like a sand storm a huge mass of mist started covering the mountains and slowly the process continued!

i was looking at the scene with my eyes and the cameras wide open! at one perspective it was like the mist consuming the mountains for evening snack , it was like end of the world!!and in another perspective it was like the sky pouring its clouds all over the layers of forest and mountains, and these clouds spreading like cream!



As the beautiful wonder happened rain came into action! i quickly moved into the concrete and only 4-5 people were able to stand in it! two men were talking all about trekking in other parts of south India and how dangerous those are, i could not keep my mouth shut and i shared my views and we started talking as it rained and as my pants & shoes totally got wet!

We started with discussion about trekking and moved on to several subjects like religion , god , rishis, mental exercises, way of life in india,science and technology and relationships.As we were talking the time was about 5:45 , the rain had stopped. They gave me a ride in their bike to my room. WHEN WE WERE RIDING ON THE BIKE I SAID I CAME ALL ALONE BECAUSE I GOT INSPIRED BY THE MOVIE "INTO THE WILD" and asked them to watch it for sure! then we halted near my room for a cup of tea.

as we had tea we discussed the most interesting topic "RELATIONSHIPS" one man of the two was the main talker and he asked my astrological sign and star sign and said i should be careful in relationships as i will be easily be hurt in relationships and told few things girls in general indirectly mean while they talk to a guy! WOW THAT WAS SOME USEFUL INFO AND IM NOT GOING TO SHARE :)

After the long chat the time was about 7pm, they said they had to leave ,i got their phone numbers and mail ids and they asked me to call them the next time i come and the other guy who talked less said " you are such a different person, i have never met someone like you before" and smiled, at last we shook hands and departed!

I walked with my gun stick to the room and asked in a hotel about the dinner and they asked me to come at 8:30pm. i went to room, the power was out!but thanks to generators!! again i had problem opening the door, the manager helped me,i got in , switched on the TV tapped it twice on the screen and it started working just fine!! just lied on the bed and at 8:30 started to hotel which was a street away!

the hotel made very limited food and said only 2 chapathis were available! i had no other option! but the chapathi had very good side dish,i brought 2 packets, one chips and other mint flavored crunches for eating the next day while walking. After that i had a amul choco stic! the ice cream never melted in that weather! i got back to the room, the generator has stopped working and the place was dark!!

I sat in the lobby and had chat with manager and another person! we had a very nice chat, the manager said all about his family, kids and even though he earns only 15,000 per month he is happy with what he has! and he even told that he will never rely on any of his relations for money! the most interesting thing he said was, all his brothers and sisters , including him all have got 2 kids each and every kid is male!, he even made a joke that his dad had made lots of jewels for the women kid that is to be born and now he does not know what to do with those jewels!!

Finally he asked me to bring my friends,parents to the hotel the next time i visit yercaud. The current came! i put my jeans and shoes under the fan so that it would dry and i remembered the 2 men saying "please visit sherverayan temple" so i laid on the bed and decided to go to sherverayan temple the next morning! carrying my bag and trekking all way to the temple!.i soon fell asleep as the picture of the mist covering those forest and the wind sound from the dream place came to thought.

Good night!

"DAY2: YUCK FOOD! LADIES SEAT ,DARWINS FRIENDS!"

As i walked from the dream place without my knowledge i stepped into another route, on the way again i had my cheap and favorite loveo cola! one thing i noticed was coco cola and local brand loveo cola was the main drinks available there in those villages! anyone expecting a Pepsi better do not expect!.I learned the route to ladies seat from few people. on my way i saw the "montfort school" i was clicking a few shots from outside and there was this postman looking at the camera and smiling at me. so i decoded his meaning for the smile and said "anna ungala oru photo edukalama?" (brother can i take a picture of you" his smile widened and said yes!



The school watchmen really pissed me off, he did not allow me inside the school! so i had to click everything from the entrance gate! the school was looking good. AFter few clicks i saw the main town of yercaud, i was hungry but did not know what to eat! i ordered 2 chapathis in the hotel and its side dish sucked! i was able to eat only one! (if you had gone you would not dare to eat even half).

From there i took a right and walked 3-4kms to ladies seat, it was around 2:30 and sun was dominating the weather.On the way i saw several streets that went down like a slope! and there were houses in it!there were lots of churches and there was a church and mosque next to each other! i wondered how foolishly man had separated one god with a name and with their habits!

Two roads diverged! i did not no which way to go, there was an auto driver sitting in his auto! i asked him the route to ladies seat and he said the route and asked " sir 20rs thaanga naaney drop pannidra!" (give me 20rs sir il drop you there) i smiled and said il walk and took the road to my right.

As i walked in the road the auto guy came and said " sir, vaanga , naa andha pakkam chumma dhan poren,drop pannidra, ukkarunga" (sir im just heading that way, il drop you , come and sit inside the auto" , i again smiled and said "illa sir , naa nadakarthuku dhan vandhey!" (no sir i just came to walk all way). Just a straight road and a left tadaa! welcome to ladies seat!.

The view from ladies seat was awesome! i was able to see the city below yercaud. Also i found DARWIN'S FRIEND's, there were several Grey monkeys roaming over, they were sitting on the edge of the peak rocks, one monkey was holding its little child to itself and was sitting on the edge of a rock!



I was amazed to see that!! all these monkeys were very gutsy! I had to climb few stairs and stand in a round concrete place from were i will enjoy the view. There were lots of kids and family standing, suddenly a monkey jumped in and everyone screamed and moved to a corner! i stood still observing why the monkey and come in and what made it so desperate for it to jump in!

the monkey politely walked dispersing the crowd and picked up a piece of chips! one single chips, once it grabbed the chips, it quickly jumped back to the rocks out of the view point!! looking that the people who were petrified started laughing! now the other monkey started getting afraid lols!



paying rs5 im went upstairs of a shop for a telescopic view, through the telescope i was looking at a peaceful village and city , but the guy operating the telescope was shouting like hell to a women there! i enjoyed seeing how the dogs chased the monkeys when the monkeys tried to climb up to the view point! as i started from ladies seat i remember i had hidden the gun stick behind a tree :) , i went up to the tree and like a thief i pulled out the stick and started. at the entrance of the ladies seat there was a man standing and next to him a poster said " get your face drawing here", he was expecting customers but he was not even noticed , i thought i could go and get my face drawn but i had only 60rs in my purse!

I felt bad and regretted for not encouraging him as a customer! as i passed him he looked at me and smiled and showing a wide open hands and sad expression in mouth which meant "no customers here". I just prayed god that his talents should not be wasted.And i moved towards my next destination "Gents seat" which was very near.