One of a kind..

I am elated.We just completed an arduous monsoon trek,through the rains,compelling ascent,with the heavy bag packs,with our new companions .Phew!seems like I have completed one of my nine lives;)

Leaving at 10pm on a Monday night(21st,July,'08),a relatively boring bus journey,we reached belthangadi at 6 am.An energized bunch of teenagers hijacked a small hotel for breakfast,temporarily satisfying our voracious appetites with three small white idlis.While waiting for Ganesh(main coordinator) and the seniors to settle their differences with the Range forest officer(R.F.O),sushmita,vivek and I did a little exploring on our own.Our first pit stop,the tranquil,fresh running water stream.My selective vision was functional,choosing to ignore the polluters of the stream,a bunch of illiterates washing a red,ferocious-looking lorry,an old man taking a bath(assiduously ignoring us),a determined housewife beating the clothes against the rocks.Our second pit stop was an eye-opener.A beedi factory.The silent tobacco killer.None of that mattered now,we were just overwhelmed by the sweet,warm smell of tobacco.The production house came to a standstill as everyone pitched in to explain to us the process of production .From the sacks of raw materials(the leaves from madhya pradesh),to rolling them systematically into Small dia cylinders,and finally heating them.We were taken aback when he gave us a numerical figure of production in a single day.An unbelievable .9 lakh beedis!!Somewhere in between the good and bad,I was left undecided on my take on tobacco.
For some strange reason ,the R.F.O refused to give us permission to trek,he thought we would distract the wild ass/bison from mating.Convincing him took half a day and we got the sheet signed at around 2 pm.While waiting for the bloke to sign the sheet,sushmita,vivek and I were taunted by bird calls,spotting these small,intelligent creatures was harder than i thought.Tired of bird watching,we made a nice bed on the stones and gravel ,to lie back and watch the passing clouds and eventually doze off..
Two jeeps came to our rescue,transporting us to the starting point of the trek at around 3 pm.Starting at a comfortable,happy pace, we began our long ascent.Then some discomforts long the way,.Initially it was the bag packs weighing us down...hmm,still we managed.Then came the dedicated blood suckers(leeches)...still managed it.A slight drizzle down our necks..managed it.The threatening downpour that followed..on the brink of losing it.Finding some solace in the discomfort,we were in a position to appreciate the white sheet of pouring rain which enveloped the entire jungle.
The intransigent leeches cried for our attention .Like an infuriated mob,we irately tackled them.Vivek's leech gun(a water sprayer filled with dettol water) seemed least effective ;).Salt,the most effective.I believed in hardcore violence of pinching them out(hoping to eviscerate them).Enduring the pain and living the pleasure,we finally reached the first peak...breathtaking view.Worth all the pain,worth all the trouble.I was absorbed by the beauty of the view.I couldn't help whimsically pondering that if i jumped a little higher ,I could touch the clouds :):).Pandemonium broke when the seniors realized that 3 juniors had lost their way up.Using prehistoric methods of calling out(no GPS), we were one big Happy family of 23 again,but putting us 2 hrs behind schedule.We then started the trek to our destination ,the Lobo house,8km still ahead.
The retiring sun and misleading paths made our destination seem impossible.Our human instincts and common sense helped us take the Right decision.It was humanely impossible to camp anywhere,its was rainy,cold and the thirsty leeches were waiting for us.After much contemplation and arguments,we decided to trek all the way back retracing our steps.
With one clear goal(to reach the jeep trail) and glowing torch lights ,the 23 of us set on the journey downhill.Oblivious to leeches feasting on us ,Vivek and I tried to alleviate our pain by talking about everything else under the sun.A late 10:30 pm,we finally reached the jeep trail.The blessed nurse that i am ;),i brutally pinched the leeches for some of the others as well.
Thanks to China,we had a nice, hot dinner of Maggi noodles,The best ever!!.Unable to even sit any longer,we retired for the day. A fairly unpleasant night led to a more relaxed morning.
An unsaid decision was taken,looking at our languorous bunch,No more trekking!Idling the day by the stream,the inspector bungalow ;),satisfying our taste buds with anna smabhar,we thoroughly enjoyed it.Jeep journey back to Dharmastala,dinner at the temple and a bus ticket to bangalore at 10 pm,the adventure had come to an end.The bus journey draws a genuine smile on my lips...warm and very comfortable ;).

A complete adventure,unexpected,startling and one of the most memorable! :)