Conquering Kodachadri

After scrapping innumerous weekend getaway plans finally we hit upon gold with 7 friends, Ram(me) urf Raamya, Chetan urf Chetya, Siddlingesh urf Siddya, Abhin urf Abhin !, Sandesh urf Sandy, Santosh urf Santya, Aditya alias Adya with a trip to Kodachadri, Shimoga. There was a sense of excitement and anxiousness amongst we friends. Chetya had messaged me just hours before we left to confirm whether the trip was still on or not, as we were still unsure of our plans :-(

Shivappa Naik's Fort, Nagara

The vehicle came around 10:30pm on Friday night as planned and by the time we left Bangalore it was 12.am. There was much to say and hear amongst us, since many of us were seeing eachother after several months. And the main plan was yet to be decided. What to do in Kodachadri ? Till then no one had an idea where to stay or how to spend the weekend ahead as most of us were frustrated with the routine in Bangalore which life welcomed us with, we just wanted to getaway from the mundane lives we led.

After dinner at Hotel Highway at 1:30am, we continued our journey. The road ahead was a bumpy one, and most of us(Except Adya and Sandy) did not sleep the whole night, not realizing what surprise waited ahead of us the following day. The stop over at Shimoga ensured we were well fed atleast !! The visit to Shivappa Naik's Fort was noteworthy, as the landscapes it provided were beautiful. Kodachadri was to be the scenic beauty as it seemed  from the net, and indeed it was. After we hired a local guide (Ramappa)we began our trail through the flat land which the hills had in offer. The trek which began was never expected to be this tough as we invaded the steep forest which had its own sense of beauty to offer. The trek to the Hidlumane falls was demanding as the road ahead got steeper than before. Hidlumane falls was a wonderful sight in the offing with its ice cold water and scenic beauty it presented. There were some minor slip ups by me and Santya at the falls, but they were luckily not fatal.

Hidlumane Falls

The next stage of our trek was the steepest ever and dangerous at some points as we climbed the waterfalls parallely and any minor slip up would surely cause fatal injuries, we had to be vigilant and careful. As we reached a point from where we thought, our downward journey will begin than the climb to the next hill was calling us. All except me and Siddya went ahead of us as we struggled to get pass the hill. Gasps of breath and some more chocolates were needed to boost our energy levels. Meanwhile, as we climbed this treacherous hill. mesmerizing view of the Western Ghats was to be seen. Never to be forgotten those small breaks which helped everyone gather energy which would help stretch everyone's limits. Adya,Santya and Sandesh were amongst the first ones to reach the place where we had our lunch. We had hiked 9 kms in 3 and half hours accross 4 hills to which our guide Ramappa appreciated and also gave a compliment (just being boastful) that very few beginners complete by this time, and mind you not many of us had slept the prev. night so it was indeed a proud moment for all of us.

Sunset point

The hike of 3-4 kms to Sarvajna peetha did not matter much as we were grilled to dust by the previous trek. The sunset view was a rare beauty which we failed to notice day in and day out, busy with the mechanical life we led, so this sunset was particularly special as we noticed very ordinary things in a different view. There was an inexplicable calmness that the sunset had to offer soothing the pain we bore in our legs since morning. The night out at Ramappa's house was a blast as we sat around the fire to warm ourselves from the chilling wind, remembering the good ol college days. It was a weekend which will be hard to forget anytime soon.  Cheers to Kodachadri and Cheers to my friends !! 

It all ends here.. 4th week

As the rock music played in the background, Wasen was the place to put your hairs down, as "Prost" was the most celebrated word there. The colorful tents looked more inviting, and the folk dress equally vibrant.

The weather was changing thick and fast, from a max of 26 degrees to a minimum of 6 degrees was a radical  change to witness. Getting good Indian breakfast in Germany is as probable as spotting a tiger in Bandipur. The best breakfast I had during my stay was by the courtesy of Anil, who made Avalakki and Rusk, and didn't I enjoy savoring that. It was the best flight to be on for me, as my country seemed much more closer with Shiva from Dhrawad sitting next to me, and I could not wait  for more time as the countdown to reach destination seemed ticking slower than ever.

As I reflected back on my 4 weeks here, I found the best of friends,people and work in Germany, a memory to be cherished for a long time to come. An enduring experience made much special by your lovely comments. Thanks all :)

2nd week ..3rd week ...here they come

Time was indeed flying in Deutschland,  I had to cook everyday nite for myself, as the day ended and didn't I enjoy that ? The mornings were chill when I woke up to 6 degree celsius, and the usual routine was to follow. Everything here is well planned in advance, sometimes so much in advance it is that, You arrive at the office on a  Monday morning, and the discussion for the weekend plan is on the cards ('-').

There was an over joyous feeling, when I reached Mercedes Benz Arena, to watch a Bundesliga match between VFB Stuttgart and Hamburg SC. I was warned by the VFB fans that it would be a cake walk for the home team, but to my surprise it was the other way around and I saw the home team was forced to bite the dust, and luckily I was in the away team's stand, the noise which they made had got much sweeter. "Mumbai" is the first impression I had when I saw Frankfurt (of course with lesser population). The city welcomes you with its long and tall buildings, and ancient buildings as well. The concept cars were the highlight of the Auto-show, with never seen before engineered models, with imaginary design and stunning looks.

Krakow(Poland) seemed a very organised city, an impression which was to change in next few days. The city  has a president for itself who assumes the post of a mayor, and I imagined how many presidents would India have if it was the case there :). The city has a beautiful landscape with the Vistula river providing the charm it deserves.  And when I rode to any place in taxis, people demand for fixed amounts(as in India),and also the ride is as bumpy as in a Metro construction site in Bangalore or as in a New Cotton Market,Hubli, so I missed India seldom. And even people change traffic lanes at will, which is unusual in Europe (much in similar to India). On the way back to Stutgart I could spot Okotberfest in Munich (the place I would visit over the weekend).

The shopping district in Metzingen is the biggest and the cheapest you would see near Stuttgart. Brands like Armani, Hugo Boss, Lacoste,Cavalli,Versace,Esprit have kept their goods on display. The hike in Bad Urach was a memorable one, as we kept getting lost in the forest, and ended almost covering 8kms to reach the destination: Bad Urach Wasserfall, and was it not a relieving sight ? First sighting of Munich was the Olympic stadium and it is a very well built architecture, opposite to which is BMW HQ. The city of Munich is a hustling and bustling city with colourful people enjoying the fest, the city is a mix of old and new architectures, and I kept on thanking my Deutsch course teachers (Frau Ills and Jaster) for the tiny bits of Deutsch they taught me, as I could at least understand what the sense of conversation was, and win some friends over inspite of my bad language.

My first week

It was a rainy day in Paris on 11th Sept, when my flight landed from Bangalore. It is the first time I'd stepped on a foreign land. It was a different feeling altogether. The Charles de Gaulle Airport is very huge. You've signals for the buses to transport people from one terminal to another, and there are traffic jams also (just kidding), but there are flyover built in the Airport where only planes ride !!.


And then after 4hrs. I'd a flight to Stuttgart, which was thoroughly enjoyable, since I could spot Eiffel Tower from the top. When I landed in Stuttgart I drove in an E-class to my Hotel, and I was greeted in open arms by the Auto-bahn. The roads in Deutschland(about which I would speak later) are of top class quality in terms of space and cleanliness, love at first sight !!. The first few days was spent in knowing the surroundings of my office and my Hotel. And a strange thing I noticed about Deutschland was that they respect the pedestrians and signals very much. Thanks to my friend Deepak, who helped me get along soon. On a evening we had a Karaoke and dinner at my colleague and friend Pascal's home. Although I didn't knew many songs, but still managed to sing a few English songs (God help those who heard me singing).


So here was my first weekend and I planned to join Pascal and Franziska (Pascal's wife) to his home town in Thüringen. It is around 430kms from Stuttgart which took us 4hrs by drive, and the Auto-bahn ride was the best I had ever felt, Speeds more than 200kph is easily reachable. Inexplicable feeling at 200kph!!. I was riding in Pascal's Mercedes B-Class, and I observed quiet a lot about the Germans and their traffic, which is very disciplined. For me it was hard to believe but even traffic jams take place in an orderly manner !! And I was constantly reminded of Bangalore's jams and we look even for a inch space to move ahead. In Mühlhausen along with Dominique, Daniel and Paula (Pascal's family) we saw beautiful castles and the medieval period churches. Pascal's mother is the best cook in Thüringen, because I loved the German cuisine for the first time and in German as they say "Schmekt gut" ("Tastes good") and it did taste good. Streets and churches in Erfurt were beautiful, with side by preparations going on for the Pope's visit (Pope Benedict).Ride back to Stuttgart was memorable as we rode under the biggest tunnel in Germany which was 8kms long, and as we crossed valleys we could see the clouds hovering around us, it was indeed a enjoyable weekend.