Author: reveringthoughts

Travelogue: The Kodaikanal Chapter

On October 25, 2015

Over the last year, I’ve been to quite a few hill stations. There are numerous weekend getaways around Karnataka; Kodaikanal is one of them. Located in Tamil Nadu, this hill station is quite famous. Here in this Kodaikanal Travelogue, I’ll take you through with me. After Ooty, also located in Tamil Nadu, this definitely is the second-best in the South of India. Although, Chikmagalur isn’t bad either.

A group of 4 from my previous office planned a weekend trip last month; this was supposed to be my farewell trip with those folks. A bus ride at night landed us in the scenic beauty of Kodaikanal. We were glad that our hotel was just around the corner of the Kodaikanal City bus stand. Having refreshed ourselves, we headed off for breakfast before embarking on our schedule.

Right around the bus stop called Astoria was where we started off. One of the softest Idlis I’ve had in a long time. And the variety of chutneys and sambhar makes it even better. You’ll go wow, just when you break those soft Idlis and the moment you dip into those chutneys and savor it in your mouth, your mouth will burst with authentic south Indian flavours. Everything else, the Rawa Dosa and Masala Dosa were good too. If you want an excellent vegetarian breakfast before you head for the trek, Astoria Veg is the place.

Being a tourist place, you’ll have a sea of drivers and tour guides vying for your attention when you’re out of the bus or any restaurant. We decided not to use the guided tours. Instead, We walked and trekked our way to different suggested spots that Kodaikanal offered. Stopping regularly for innumerable photo shoots from time to time.

While heading out to the Pillar Rocks, we even came across several fruit stalls, and couldn’t help ourselves stop eating these, what looked like litchis.

Stopping at various “suicide points” and discussing why they were called that, and then idling around the roads, we thought we would never reach our destination!! But then, the best part about being in a group, how small it may be, is that you always have something to do. And if you don’t, something crazy can always be done. Like I did.

Finally, after walking a lot, we got to see The Gigantic Pillar Rocks!! What a sight it is. My personal view is places like this should be a little less crowded so that people can savor the beauty a little more. The shops lined across the viewpoint add a little congestion to the full view. But then, a tourist town and its people earn their livelihood through this only and is totally justified. We purchased a few Kodaikanal Chocolates to eat to prolong the lunch pangs after the long walk uphill.

Walking back, we decided to take a cab, but it wasn’t easy to get one. So, we had to adjust by taking a lift from one of the mini-buses and finally halfway across, where we had to stop for a little Kodaikanal shopping. Coffee, Dry Fruits and lots of Chocolates, after having tasted a variety of them, we took a can back to our hotel. Cabs don’t come cheap when you hire them. They have a standard rate of Rs 150 no matter how less the distance may be.

We took solace in getting our food from a hotel nearby on our way back and dozed off for a while as we all were exhausted. All of it was a result of our extended walking spree.

We headed out to have dinner at The Tawa; this vegetarian joint was recommended by almost all travel blogs and gorged on the food. Aaloo paranthas laden with Butter, Pav Bhaji, Matar ki sabzi and Shreekand to finish off our dinner. Paranthas were the pick of the lot. A good vegetarian option is what this place is.

The following day, we checked out of the hotel. We had breakfast at the same hotel, Astoria, where we had the amazing Idlis the previous day. I tried out their Rawa Dosa, and then we, after a cup of coffee at the nearby stall, headed towards the lake to hire a bicycle. We took it from the first shop we could lay our eyes on, but I’d recommend you to explore your options before hiring. Our initial plan was to head towards the Water Falls, but we made it to just one of them dry. Expecting the same in other places, we decided to skip hopping waterfalls and head back to the lake area.

We did have fun on the road while cycling, and pictures indicate the fun we had cycling around.

Heading back, we roamed around the lake eating Corn and the local wheat laddoos and indulging in some balloon shootings as well. And yes, this time, we even took the Double-rider cycles, which was a first-time experience as well. The single riders cost us Rs 50/hr, and the Double rider Cycles cost us Rs 100 each.

Once we finished cycling, we headed to a Tibetan place for Lunch. Although the initial plan was to lead to a place called Altaf’s Cafe, for some reason, we headed to this Tibetan joint located inside the market. The ambiance is pretty cramped up and but the food is excellent. We ordered the Beef Fry, Fried cheese Momos, Chicken Noodles, Gobi Manchurian for the veggies on a friend’s recommendation. Liked the Fried cheese Momos and loved the Beef Fry, but the noodles were bland. But, must add, all of it was worth the bucks.

The heavy Lunch required us to head back, and we finally explored the Coakers Walk, a scenic point to check the vast expanse of the Kodaikanal beauty. Many Telescopes are put to view closely, charges Rs 5, and are a perfect waste of your time and money. Stalls are lined around the stretch, and if you’re interested, you can buy a few decorations for your home or even mementos around the lakeside area again.

Roaming around to finally land in one of the antique shops. This store had a lot of stuff, and each of us bought a lot of stuff for ourselves. Most of it is wooden stuff and is comparatively cheaper than all the tourist places I’ve visited. The store’s name is “Danish Display” and would recommend you pay a visit. It is near the Kodaikanal bus stand.

We packed our Dinner Subway Sandwiches and headed back to Bangalore. I must add that the journey back might make you feel nauseous, and precautions should be taken.

To Wrap up this Kodaikanal Travelogue:

Kodaikanal was pleasant. Hill stations are generally quite similar, but this is an excellent place for a short weekend trip. Head out and relax in the surroundings.

Cheers to the amazing Kodaikanal Trip.

Also, planning a trip to Kochi, Varkala, Chikmagalur, Allepey, Mumbai, Pondicherry, Mangalore, Udupi, Chennai, you can read my Travelogues by simply clicking on these.

An Idiot’s Love Story: The Stalking (Part #3)

By reveringthoughts

On December 2, 2014

In Fiction & Poetry

I felt kind of cheated. Not by her. But by my own thoughts, I had already started building up 2bhk apartments of imaginations where there had not even been a foundation.

I was stupid. Yes, I am. Being a romantic is a pain in your own ass, you know. You turn every incident, every statement, and gosh, even try to read the hidden meanings behind those smileys.

Why, you ask? Well, for starters, I tried to start off a conversation on Facebook instead of going to her and talking because, you know, I just couldn’t!

So, there I was, sending her a friend request on Facebook.

Oh, yes, I’ve grown quite addicted to this. Thanks to a bit of jealousy and the need to sharpen my digital stalking skills. With anticipation and worries, the night went on.

In the morning, got the notification that my request was accepted. Yes, I was happy and, more so, relieved. A smile flashed in between the lecture, to which the professor gave me a strange look. Thankfully, it just stopped at that. Yeah, the look from him, not my smile. From that, chatting with her became a regular affair.

Of course, those had to be initiated by yours truly. I was yet to talk in person, but there was no stopping me from this madness. And well, as it turns out, I wasn’t the only one after her. Not just via this stupid FB chat, but on many “platforms,” from restaurants to late-night walks to helping her in projects. Damn, and I was pinging her on Facebook!!

So when this castle that I had built started showing broken cracks, with the heartbreaking stories of her outings with others, and one in particular. I tried to promote myself from online chatter to the more real, offline world. But then, the way it all unfolded only made me shrink in with the fear of never getting to be with her. Thoughts of me not being of “her league” crept in, like a storm, all at once.

What happened, in hindsight, was pretty lame. But, that moment was earth-shattering where I felt I’d sink in that same ground I was standing on.

She swooped in to talk to one of the friends standing in the same group as me. I mustered up the courage to say a few words; after all, I was one of her friends too, even though it was just Facebook. But what I uttered, couldn’t travel the distance of 2 feet!! Maybe she didn’t hear, or perhaps she chose to ignore it. And I still repeated the same thing thrice, only to witness my words just fizzing off without getting to her ears.

Not that I never got to talk to her ever again. Staying in a residential college has its own perks: having to cross paths multiple times, and somehow during those “incidents,” we did get talking. But then did anything happen or build on post those? Nope, not with me, at least.

A few days later, she was with someone else. So, I became the guy who admired her while she walked around with someone else. Stalking her.

It wasn’t the end, though. I did get my second chance.

What happens next? Be there to find out soon. Also, do read the first two parts of the story.

Part 1 & Part 2

As narrated by the Idiot, with minimum exaggerations and enhanced expressions. For further development, keep waiting.

An Idiots’ Love Story: The First Moment (Part #2)

By reveringthoughts

On October 7, 2013

In Fiction & Poetry

“You are beautiful..” I exclaimed through my reveries. She looks towards the professor and me, towards her. She carelessly turns her head towards my eyes. Her brownish braids and that zulf being parked shabbily above the eyes in contrast to the systematically arranged hairs. Her eyes look in the direction where I stood. Standing and gazing at her.

Did she really hear what my mind whispered?

I turned my attention to the professor, knowing well that the attention wasn’t in the direction where my eyes went. There was a slight chance of her looking this way towards me. I hesitated to look straight into her deep hazy eyes. Eyes, which won’t let me stare into them without going into a trance, demanding they were.

She looked like this. Each time, I lay my eyes on her, right from the first day when I saw her to this day. Not much has changed. I knew nothing then, and what I know now is close to that nothing. She is a puzzle, unsolved. The difficulty of solving this puzzle increases as a new piece is added when trying to solve it.

Zakia. Pure, her name. And yes, she was. As pure as anything that I haven’t seen with my eyes.

She walked in a sequined grey salwar kameez, with a chunni laced with beads and heavy embroidery. And yet, perhaps due to the soft cotton with which they were made of, kept flowing away while she carelessly walked. It was the first day in college for her and for me.

There are rare occasions when you feel like a bolt hitting you right there inside your chest. A peculiar pain that isn’t exactly a pain. Lingers for a while till she sashays past you. That was the moment. The first moment.

In an age of social networking, it’s pretty amusing for one not to be active on any of these platforms. But then, there I was. A novice at this art of Facebooking as what they called it as. I was always like, “what’s the point?” and, more importantly, never felt like joining it. I had better things to do than waste myself on something idiotic like these.

But, now I found myself in the middle of it all.

After cajoling one of my friends to let me use his account, and a little help from the same lad, who happened to be one of the “addicts” on these, I searched on her with help from Jaafar. It didn’t take us time to locate her, and as was evident many from the college were already on her “friends’ list”.

It was explained to me in a not so polite way that this friend list is just virtual social decorum that one follows and doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

Of course, I wasn’t listening.

A tinge of jealousy sprinkled across my confused face.

[For the first part, click here ]

As narrated by the Idiot, with minimum exaggerations and enhanced expressions. For further development keep waiting.

An Idiot’s Love story: Part 1 (500 Words)

By reveringthoughts

On September 20, 2013

In Fiction & Poetry

The best part between us has been not talking about our daily grind. There’s no “How was your day?”, “You had your dinner?”” what’s new?” and a similar barrage of redundant questions with rebounds that even people part of the conversation knows is just to push the conversation forward. Yet, at least one of them would keep bringing that up.

For us, me and her, it is not that now. Yes, it’s been Her and Me.

Not that we have a series of other conversational topics that keep us occupied, but something that pushes beyond the mundane outflow of words. There is a sense of tranquility lingering on the onset of these little exchanges. There is an essence of satisfaction to be heard. Being heard by her. Listening to her silence in return for my blabber through trying hard not to sound like an idiot. Not at least this second time.

I get this vibe from her like she already knows about this idiotic me and suppresses this idea. She lets me stay where I am instead of allowing me to scale up the ladder to venture into idiotic territory. Or is there a flicker of hope down the road she wants me to travel and find for myself? Travel along with her.

Building castles in the air. Stressing myself about the unknown. Portraying me as either an Optimistic would be far-fetched, but tagging me as pessimistic would also be an understatement, which even an idiot like me understands.

It is indeed difficult to understand her, not that I haven’t tried. Tried for Days, tried for months, and even for a Year, but couldn’t. Just couldn’t. Not her, nor anything from her. I have only known about the push I gave myself to try and try harder. Again and again. Only to return empty-handed on each occasion.

But now, it has come down to a different level, a level where I stop myself from trying anything. I’m at a place where I contain my urge to dive deep into those eyes and gather a glimmer of hope beaming out to be reflected on a future where I can be a part of it.

I don’t want to think now. Neither to try nor to look at the prospects of a build-up to what I have now. I just want this, whatever this is, to continue. No changes. A wish, from deep down, to let this connection fester on. I intend to savor this moment and bind them as possessions.

It isn’t love. It isn’t any infatuation, either. It’s something that I don’t understand but makes me hopeful. A hopeful idiot.

As narrated by the Idiot, with minimum exaggerations and enhanced expressions.

Click here for Part 2