"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.

" DAY 2 : GUN STICK, DIRT BIKING! FINDING THE DREAM PLACE "!!,

Got up the next day it was 8am, charged my camera and played music in my mobile. my all time favorites "yertle the turtle" & ilayarajas "mella oorndhu oorndhu- from nandhalala movie". last night there was a power shutdown, morning when i woke up i saw the TV and Lights on!! okay, but still im paying 400!!. i switched on the heater and waited a while, this heater was different, it turns very chill water to just normal chill water! like a dog i ran away when ever my hands brought the mug full of water closer to my body, then i gained strength my smelling the rooms odor and took a clean great shower :)

9:15am started off the hotel had 2 pooris and 2 idlies in a small shop for break fast and started my way to "PAGODA POINT". it was 4km from rountana.The path was different it had many villages on the way and it was less isolated than the previous day path. i started walking and i felt something was missing!! yes the stick!! , so i started searching for stick and yea! i found a winner! i found stick which had a trigger like what a gun has and i named it "THE GUN STICK".

i walked across 2-3 villages, suddenly there was this spot for dirt biking! rs 100 for 350mts, stepped on the blue bike, heard the instructions and there came a fire to ride it hard and fast!! all those greatest bike stunts came into my eyes! especially the one in the movie "GHOST RIDER" i started and accelerated ..... went few meters, the man came running behind me when i was not able to turn the bike !




One has to make an extreme turn in the handle to turn the bike,i was just blinking holding the handle bar straight, he came switched off the bike , pulled it back and then put me on the correct path!! then again i started, few meters went well same problem again!! gosshhh!! after the 2nd time!i learned the trick and till the end i did well!! which was again just few meters. with a style i parked the bike with a sudden brake , no girls there to see that!! and thank god they were not there too!! when i was riding :)

So when that got over i started walking again, many places i sat and took pictures of trees, kids in cycles, farm and roads. after having a loveo cola at a shop i walked faster as i elaborated my plans for the day!. by 11:30 i reached pakoda point.



Pakoda point is actually a view point from there one could enjoy the mountains covered with fog and clouds!! when i first went there i just saw myself in the point surrounded by a white background, when suddenly a wind blew i was stunned to see a mountain and villages down the hill!! the climate was good , there was grilled baby corn, i just bought one, sat on a edge of the wall and was gazing all those lovely mountains! meanwhile a battle begun! SUN VS FOG!

it was cool and the corn was hot, suddenly sun showed up! and again fog and went on!!! the battle continued and my corn got over!i was happy seeing that place and started off to a place called "ladies seat" it is another view point!

as i came out of a straight road from pakoda point , i just saw a road underneath, it was interesting and something urged me again to find were the road ends. Nature took me by great surprise!!! im in my dream place! edge of mountain from were you could see other mountains i was so happy and shouted "wooooo" it echoed and i remained silent till my echo faded, suddenly a voice "heyyyyy" from the other mountain, i replied "wooohoooo" again a reply came! it was so much fun! i don't know who was replying me! i could not see the person but he/she must have had the same spirit and laughter that i had at that moment.



how wonderful is it to know your making someone happy and you dont even see or know him/her! Life is wonderful at mountains! i became extremely happy , i took of my t-shirt and jerkin and stood with white tanks and started singing loud along with the music in my earphones! I sat there for a while took picture of myself by putting my camera in self timer mode.Later i started to walk to my next destination.

"S.O.S, MIS U G.R.E.E.N S.T.I.C.K.! :( W.O.W"

6:15PM i started from the temple, i started walking to the village entrance and there i saw the board "yercaud 7kms" i was happy that i had walked on the mountain roads , enjoying nature and clicking it! and i thought about some funny incidence of my life and with a smile i walked.I pulled out my casio and made a video and captured the mists on the roads. 2-3mins after the video, the scene totally became the opposite, there was no light or less light , more mist covering the roads! i could rarely see the roads and vehicles moved slow with yellow lights on.

As i crawled the mist got thicker and the light was out and slowly drizzling started with a cool wind. I tapped my stick in the front and moved like a blind man, i took my mobile in my left hand and with the help of display light i was moving forward and i made calculations, if im moving the same speed without stopping il reach yercaud by 7:30. there were few vehicles passing by and one suv stopped and offerd me a lift and i denied and said that im fine!

I was happy that i have a thrill of walking into the mist , not knowing whats coming in front, mobile light kept it easy fr me to follow the road, when ever a car or bus or bike comes in my opposite directions i would clap my hands and making them aware im walking opposite to them and thus making the chances of colliding with a vehicle very less.

I should have crossed a kilometer for sure and  was happy everything was going fine , the travellers became very less, rarely i saw a car or bike crossing me and suddenly i heard a sound "trninnunn' my mobile battery is gone and switched off!!! oopss i dont know where iam and im bounded by darkness and mist!

I very slowly crawled and  saw a light in a distance ,with that i assumed the pattern of the road and it was a bustop, someone has made fire using wood, i stayed there fr 2mins and warmed myself and started again! i tapped my stick and whenever a vehicle came it was a delight , i quickly look the way the vehicles light passes by and with that, i will track the route for few meters in my mind and walk faster behind the vehicles light.

A vehicle comes across or passes by for every 5mins, as i moved on another half a kilometer i could not see any vehicles coming! i was all alone in pitch dark, i thought it would be the best idea to get hold of the next vehicle that comes. as i thought that a bike came and he offered me a lift, but he said he will drop me in the next stop as he will take some other route to a village.

I sat on the bike and started asking him if there is any ghost stories in yercaud, he said he doesn't believe in such things and suddenly there was a flash of light in the opposite and we were about to collide with a vehicle! brakes !!!!!! phew that was close and we continued taking. he said at this point of time the only problem for me will be wild buffaloes roaming in the roads and he advised me to take a bus and definitely not a wise option to walk!

He dropped me on the stop and i asked him "boss, unga peyr enna?" (wats ur name?) he replied "sakthi vel" he said bye and i stood in the stop.You might imagine the stop would be with a shed and light, you are wrong then! it was just road i stood on middle of the road and it started raining !!! dense mist , total darkness, windy , rainy!! all i was able to see was huge trees shaking and i felt like they were going to fall on me! all those ghost stories, 8foot ghosts with tongues out and long hairs were the pictures in my mind, when ever i turned left and right i always thought something/someone is standing there.

Few minutes i was in fear, then i was alright!!,my next fear was , snakes, centipedes, millipedes and wild buffaloes. all i had in my hand to defend from such animals was the green stick! there was sound of motor at a distance ad saw a bike comming in opposite direction, the bike man saw me and he got scared for a minute and screamed "heyyyiii" in a fearful tone! and i thought "wow!! that's a nice game to play he he he he".

All bikes came from opposite directions, suddenly there was a bike from my side , i asked for a lift and the guy said "sorry boss, already 4 people here!" i just have to wait for the bus! i tried to switch on the mobile and it got on! and i sent a msg to my friend on how iam now! and there was no tower! oops!..... i heard noises, and trees made sounds when wind blew heavy , so i waved my stick left to right, so that if my stick encounters any obstacles i should run the opposite direction of the obstacle!!!

as time passed for 30-40mins, the bus came! i got into it with a smile and people looked at me as if they were looking at a ghost! i pinched my hands wooo could not pinch at all! well im not dead or not dreaming, my fingers got so numb in the rain!. the conductor asked me " sir naa ungala appoway paatha! nadandha vareenga? endha ooru neenga?" ( sir , i saw you few hours back. are you walking all the way , were are you from?"
i replied im from vellore and have come to yercaud to sight see and yes i had been walking all day. he smiled at me and gave the ticket. i was so hungry, im imagined that i should have a panipoori or some gobi fried rice when i reach yercaud.


omg! all shops were closed and it was just 8pm! i went across ANNA PARK, i put the greenstick on a corner and found a baji shop and had few bajis with pepper , woow yummmy!! that filled my stomach! again the road to room was full of mist , i managed to walk and reached the room. suddenly i felt something was missing ! the green stick, i yelled at myself " oo!! how could i miss that stick there!!".. for few minutes i felt sad then felt okay and put myself on the bed and thank god the bed spread and cover was not stinky!! :)

i pulled the cover and closed my eyes, the 40mins were i stood all alone in the dark, fogy , rainy places stood in front of my eyes!it was wonderful , it was like all trees were protecting me, its like parents seeing their baby when it forgets about everything and everyone and plays with its toys and smiling to itself. i was the baby and the trees and mountains were my parents. sweet dreams good night! ouch my leg hurts!!! hope the day 2 would be exciting, i whispered it to me and slept

"THE GREEN STICK , WOOHOOOS, PHOTOS , JAVELIN THROW & the temple

I walked smiling at those trees which waved to me when the wind surfaced on them. as i walked i just picked up a a grey pulpy stick which was greenish inside, thus named it green stick. i waved the stick and threw it high like a warrior who throws his spear at his enemy! , every time i threw it, the stick would pierce the mist, go through the tree branches,softly surface its leaves and come back like a crashed jet fighter and i run along to catch it! well that was a childish fun game!! and i played it when ever no one was on the road. when ever i came across a misty road or trees with mist on either side of the road i pull out my CASIO XLIM camera and click it.

There were many travelers and village people passing by in cars, bikes, trucks and auots. I was the only one walking. Whenever a van loaded with young men crossed me, they screamed at me "ooooooooooo" and i raise my left hand with the stick holding it horizontally and also raise my right hand showing some funny signs like a rock star and scream "woooooooooo" and smile wide at them until their van disappears in the curve end of the road or into the mist or sometimes both.

On the way there was this rock leaking some mountain water and that ran in the corners of the roads, there were also iron pipes on the corner of the road into which water was rushing, at one point the pipe too leaked!! i put one end of the stick and dipped it in the water and wrote my name on the road and took a photo of it in a great hurry as it was volatile.

As the mist grew thicker all vehicles passed by switched on their light, i kept on walking and started singing some of my favorites!! oh ya! im not a bad singer. i sang "kadhal konjam kaatru konjam, california here we come" and some other songs. my legs ached and i rested on a stone on the left side of the road and a suv stopped in front of me and the man asked

"indha rode la pona yenna varum?"( were is this road leading)
me " hmm, theyrila , oru chakam kovil varunu neynaikara!" (hmm, dunno i think there will be this chakara temple"

he smiled at me and said " o! neengalum pudhusaa??" (u too new here)
and geared up his car as i smiled nodding an yes at him.I continued walking i found 2 kids washing their truck-auto in the water which came out of a rock like the water from a tap. i went near the rock bent down and washed my face woowwww!! for a minute i felt a chillness on my face and them a hot/warmth feeling in my cheeks,and also had a sip of water with a doubt of it hygiene and purity. I asked those guys how many more kms to the temple and they with some confusion replied 3KMS.

A black half cap on my head , a black jacket, with white stripes on the shoulders and hands over my violet t-shirt with headpones peeping out of the buttons near the lower neck , a blue elastic jeans , with blue canvas shoes over black socks and the green stick on my right hand. people who were coming in the opposite direction gave looks like some thought " wow! i should be doing that" , "wtf!!", " hey traveler nice to see you", "wasssaaap??" and when there were girls " blush blush!!" hey not me! it was the girls

it was around 5:15 i reached nagalur, sun showed up there and it was bright, a board showed 100mts to worlds biggest chakara meru. i rushed and there was a shop were i had loveo drink again and 2 cream biscuits. i entered the temple with the fear of leaving my shoes outside. the temple was clean , very peaceful and a nice architecture. It was not small nor big. At the entrance there was an idol of buddha sitting on a lotus within a circular rim and it was surrounded by water.

I was searching for some thing big because the temple has worlds biggest chakara meru. there was nothing big or even special, before i raised a question about that to the temple priest, a couple asked it and the priest said the temple top kopuram is designed like a chakara meru and no temple in world has it!! and thus making it big and usually all ambal temples have this chakara meru at the godess foot! and here it is designed as kopuram. i thought " huh!! what an advertising for a temple!!! crap i cannot even boast about this to anyone or well i can build something bigger than this" . the temple was so silent , i sat on stone bench and suddenly from no were i had a thought of something worrying "when will i get a job?" and few minutes after i cheered myself and looked at my mobile and the time was 5:40pm and i had to start!! so bid adieu to budha and ambal!! and rushed out with high heart beat to see if my shoes were still there, and yes! my prayers came true!! my shoes are safe!! lol (MY PRAYERS CAME TRUE, I SHOULD HAVE PRAYEDFOR SOMETHING GREAT) 7km to town and i had to walk!! i know that there will be a big challenge waiting for me.!!

"CHANGE IN ROUTE AND ROAD TO THE WORLDS LARGEST CHAKARA MERU"

I started walking from the room , the Ruchi Boarding and lodging was accompanied by 10 other cottages,all these were lying in lower mountain region. i had to walk the steep roads to get to the main road, from there i need to go passing by the lake and take left to the hilly road that leads to sherveroy temple. When i went near the rountana( the bustop were i got down) to its right was the "ANNA PARK", so i thought it was already 3pm and i will just go to the park today. The entry was rs10 and another rs10 for camera. The park was very mediocre, but on keen observance you can enjoy the flowers, trees , the mist covering the trees, chirp of birds and sounds of tiny insects.I was worried about one thing, every time i need ask someone "ehh, excuse me , can you just take a pic of me pls" for the worst photo they take in which i will look like a new species of some kind.

Spent 30-40mins in ANNA PARK, again change in plans. A man told me that there is bus to sherveroy and other places on the way. so i thought i will walk to the temple as it will be open till 7pm and come back by bus. i took a look at the board.

sherveroy temple -6.20kms
rajeshweri temple- 2kms
nagalur- 7km

people said that rajeshwari temple was on the way to sherveroy, so i started walking into the hilly roads.Roads that were artistically curved by men between the continuous mountains filled with trees, plants and flowers, together wrapped in fresh waves of mist's.As i walked i entered into the road that lead to "NAGALUR" which was 7kms from yercaud and had the temple with "WORLDS LARGEST CHAKARA MERU", something insisted me to get in that route and was very excited to see something that is worlds largest!!

I crossed rajeshweri temple,i just didn feel like going inside so i just kept walking knowing that i had crossed 2kms, near the rajeshwari temple there was a small shop , which sold cigars, cool drinks, chocolates, biscuits , chips etc.. i had a bottle of loveo cola and a pack of rs5 bourbon biscuit

" Going all alone, totally not weird"

When i first said to my parents i need to go somewhere alone , they found it weird! well you may think its wierd too but i did not! i planned to visit megamalai or rameshwaram, but suddenly yercaud popped into my mind, so aug31st packed my bags, went out to purchase a jacket and a half cap. the half cap had the printed text in it "you visit new places and find new culture, when you come home you are a different person, update JEANS" i just saw it and totally was impressed so without any arguments brought it for rs150.

The next morning woke up at 3:30am, packed up and reached vellore bustand(my home town is vellore) at 4:40am.If i had to go to yercaud i need to go via salem as there is no direct bus to yercaud. so there was a salem bus, my inner voice said "run dude run!!!" and i did run hard,but the bus was fully packed!. so waited there for next bus which came at 5:30am. got in  my favorite window seat near the back entrance and quickly into the state of sleep!

Some people are real menace when we travel and at the same time you observe them close you will start liking their innocence.there was this kid who suddenly got out of his seat and slowly crossed mine and sat down on the foot board and there he goes "uvvaaawww" he started barfing! his first phase of barfing got over, he got up and stood jus opposite to me and was controlling his barf with his tightly closed lips! i was like "oh! my god! any minute now this kid is going to blow my face with his powerful smelly vomit"

The second phase of his barf was about to start and luckily his mom found a tablet from her handbag after a big digging.phew!! kids mom saves my day!! i jus saw the kid , i just remeberd me doing the same when i was a kid, exception i barfed inside the tata sumo and made the trip dangerous to my relations. After several bumpy ride i reached salem at 12-12.15.I got down at the salem bustop and immediately got a bus to yercaud. Around 1:15-1:30 i reached yercaud, the minute i stepped down near the lake i just thought " should i have brought at least one of my friends with me?" ...the thought, i put aside on the less used part of the brain

Now i need a place to sleep at night and put my bag in a safe place, i started hunting for rooms,every resort and lodge owners refused to give room for a single person, after 30mins of extensive search found " ruchi, boarding and loadging" who offered room for me rs800 fr 2 nights.

Now i understood why this was bit cheap than others, the room was having a weird smell, the bed spread was supposed to be pure white but had dust on it ,the wall on the left side of bed had spots of dust and some nasty marks of panparak, the TV showed only half the screen and made a weird sound! the bathroom mattress was muddy and wet, the wash basin tap needed a kind of charismatic talent to close it , the room door was 106 and the difficult job was to try opening and locking it with the keys!! but okay! i was fine with everything! i put my bag in a cupboard under the TV set and put my jacket and half cap stepped out of the room.



I inserted the key into the keyhole,twisted and turned to lock it. looking at this the room owner helped me lock the door. when i got down at yercaud i remember seeing the board showing "6.20kms to shervaroy hills" so i planned before stepping out of the room that today's mission shervaroy hill temple and i made it clear to myself , i should only walk! i started from the room and felt like a free bird and had no thoughts of regret on coming alone, so going all alone, totally not weird.