Wayanad and Why Not - II
(It's a downhill task!)
(It's a downhill task!)
When Thomas came we started with Nevaj, Prabhat and I carrying the backpacks. We waded through tea,coffee plantations which were peppered with peppers. We were a cheerful lot.
"This tree is called Muandan" said Thomas plucking a handful of raw mangoes from the tree.
"Because it fruits once every three years" he explained the synthesis of the word.
Finding themselves fortunate my three companions dug their teeth into taut mango flesh. We were to climb down till after the point where the waterfall would stop to fall and begin to stream away. Sun was happy giving us the company and sweat. First stop in our itinerary was the first stage of the Meenmutty falls. Soon we were stepping into the shade of the trees. Sunlight beamed and sieved through the leaves onto us. Thomas stopped us sighting in front a long high rope like tree branch. Soon he was climbing up it and swinging forth. I guess he wanted us to enjoy the journey while reaching for the destination. We followed and had a good time. Our shoes were already warped in the red colour of the soil under. We resumed to climb up making our way through plants and foliage that looked black green in the places where sun was denied admission. After sometime we could see beyond big rocks the water rolling down to fall. Clutching at trees, rocks we reached up and had a photo session. Then we took off our shoes and climbed further up to the feel the water and cool off whatever tiredness was there. In the blink of an eye Thomas was 10 metres away much to our surprise. You must either be crazy or Thomas to walk on wet slippery rocks and that too when wearing slippers(is that why they are called slippers?)! There was only clear blue sky above with tree branches or rocky hill to obstruct and only cool air against our faces. This was the last time few of us were happy before we camped. The life in Bangalore was already a distant memory.
Now we were to descend to our 'fall'. We soon reached what Nevaj later termed as 'valley of death'. It was if we were walking along a thin lip on the face of rock. With tons on our backs it was an arduous task. Anu crossed holding Thomas's hand and Prabhat and I went through as well when I heard a voice
"Surender paaji, give me a hand. Meri fight ho rahi hai".
Nevaj was hanging a la Tom Cruise (of MI-2) clinging somehow onto the rocks with only the thorn strewn deep valley below. Stepping back I took Nevaj's backpack and he came through. Nevaj, Prabhat and I were climbing down on rocks or loose barely holding onto anything and our backpacks were pushing us further. We were rather walking stoop and that too often on a thin strip with rocky mountain surface to hold on at one side and deep abyss on another. The valley mottled with thin thorny vegetation heightened or rather deepened our fears. If one falls he won't reach the bottom at all with parts of his flesh stuck to the nails of bushes impeding the fall and carcass hanging on some other branch. We were soon descending a difficult 3 meter slope. Thomas got down rather easily but Anu refused to do so. Where to keep the next step was the question. The rocky soil beneath was giving away and we had to spot any small rock for our shoes to get any traction or a pocket in earth to stick our feet into.
'Why did we come here? Thomas, let's go back. Sorry Nevaj, Surender, I shouldn't have spoiled your trek. Prabhat, you should've confirmed beforehand if the trek would be so difficult! I can't go down further!" Anu was wailing and put down her foot...no she couldn't put down her foot :-).
Of course we couldn't go back without re-entering the 'valley of death'. She soon held Thomas' hand and somehow got down. Prabhat and I too managed to scrape down that slope. Nevaj tried and gave up. "Bhai, I've got my seat reserved and will get down sitting" he joked and then seriously came down on the bottom of his pants. He was black with soil and sweat all mixed up. Anu was re-iterating her point over and again till we reached another slope only to go up this time. Thomas was already up instructing us to hold on to this tree root, cling to that rock protruding out and then that branch. He got a bit down and took the lady along leaving us stranded. On a hill gravity is always against your life. Always eager to bring you down to earth. With all those water bottles and beer cans we hadn't helped our cause either. Anyways to go up we had to stride more than we could to gain a foothold if any and cling to that blessed root. "You uproot and we uproot" I mused. Humour never deserted us and this time around Nevaj crawled up on his stomach. Anu gave us another mouthful and we started down with Nevaj using his reserved seat to the maximum. We emptied our water bottles as much as and wherever we can. We anyways needed to do that as we were sweating profusely making dirt stick to our skin. I wished for wipers on my eye-glasses. We meandered down and soon the distinction between clothes and soil on Nevaj disappeared completely. Everyone now and then we clung to a bamboo shoot or a rock or even a small fig to go down. On a rocky slope we were using our fingers like a lizard does and our toes on rocks to arrest our fall. I guess whoever coined the phrase "an uphill task" never went downhill.
Nevaj came up with a Chandler Bing "My feet have stopped taking signals from my brains".
And he was right.It was already 4 hours since we started filing on those inocuous looking monstrous mountains.
"When we reach down?" we asked to which Thomas replied "after 10 minutes we'll take a break to freshen up and then it would be 2 minutes from there, no problem".
Going by his earlier 2-3 hours prediction we were in for another miscalculation. "Nevaj's bottom must be hurting by now" I thought. The boys were worn out but jovial nonetheless.
"Mundra just mentioned that it's a difficult trek but I guess he uses the word difficult rather prodigally" remarked Nevaj. After another 30-40 minutes of holding to rocks, thorny branches, roots, bamboos we had our second pit-stop. A small stream of water was coming down an algae-blackened rock. Someone like Thomas had interrupted the stream with lengthwise-slit half of a bamboo stick. We filled little water from that ingenious tap, washed ourselves a little and were good to go again for the prophesied next 2 minutes. Prabhat seemed bravest of us all bearing his wife and himself all along without saying much while keeping his sense of humour unscathed.
Nevaj had a spring in his feet while I got up on two stilts. It seemed as if I raced past years my age and knee joints were playing 'locate-dislocate-relocate' and refusing to obey my brain. I couldn't bend them. A little effort and I would yelp. So when we were nearing it my knee caps withdrew all their supports. Somehow I dragged myself with the hope of getting there within 2 minutes and those 2 minutes stayed after every 5 minutes. We were now going down trampling some dry leaves which I believe never literally saw the light of the day. I brought up the rear of our caravan this time. Nevaj was 5 meters down when I yelled 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah'. I tried to go down holding to a long hanging vine so as to keep my legs from bending. But as it wasn't enough I held onto another one. But they didn't originate from mother earth and rather came down from heaven which had outrightly refused to proffer any help to me. I ended up flailing holding onto the vines and then I cried. Nevaj paaji gladly returned the favour and this time I took his reservation and went down on my bum humiliating my proud ego. After another 2 minutes we reached a small but fast running sheet of water which was MeenMutty falls-turned-flowing-stream. Stepping first on some boulders and then a wooden log that acted as a mini bridge we crossed to reach a small clearing with rocks scattered and trees standing proud all around. They seemed to convey a message "We rule here and mankind would be an encroachment". Just when I thought dreams of a serene green riverside were about to realise Thomas pronounced our arrival to destination. Disappointed at first but soon relieved to stop we recovered to gaze around in the wilderness. It was obvious that sun was not allowed for long here anyways. We had taken around 5 hours to get here. We dismantled ourselves and in a blink of an eye Nevaj and Prabhat were inside the pool(created by few a good rocks) of stream water.
"It's bliss in here" cried Nevaj to me and told me to get too in water when I was busy cursing and massaging my knee. Nevaj came out for a moment to set up the tent with Thomas who had already set up a small fire to cook up his tapioca. Anu jumped in with her hubby and we turned our backs to them while turning out the backpacks. Soon after Nevaj went in and I too hesitatingly bearing with my knee pain was in the water. The cool water had a therapeutic effect. My knee was still hurting and it kept the same way till next morning making walking on those big boulders around our abode difficult. Sometime later Anu and Prabhat got out to prepare some Maggie and ready-to-eat when we asked Prabhat to get us some beer. He came and I plucked out 2 cans from his hand for us. Few moments later we were reaching out and plucking at happiness hanging in the air. This is exactly just what Kiran Desai had prescribed.
Kingfisher, The King of Good Times. Never were these words more true. We were anyways Kingfishers in water dipping into it to feed our tired bodies.
"Fcuk, it's BLISS, mate" I cried in Australian accent, unable to withhold my joy to Nevaj who cried even more vehemently to corroborate. Few more ounces of beer in our blood and we forgot how or what we came through to this place. We were one with everything around us. Only if we could understand the silence and language around us. No more wires, laptops, mobiles, cars, noise. Not a trace of artificiality. This is where we should belong. Meanwhile I was struggling to hold my 'chaddi' which was literally getting carried away in that strong current. I was uselessly rubbing my knees in soothing water hoping for pain to go away. It was very late when I came out of water. After all those sweat drops it was sweet Meenmutty water that was dripping off me and I couldn't complain!
Thomas had build up a huge fire meanwhile and Anu had prepared the wonderful food that we merrily dug into. I never realised when night cover had come to engulf us. The bonfire, beer and food...I couldn't ask for anything more. Some red indians against the bright red fire, huh? I was so high into wilderness that I don't remember when we stopped talking outside and moved inside the tent for sleep. Now sleep was something that eluded us. After all our lives sleeping on comfortable cotton we struggled to doze off on the rocky terrain. Antakshari ensued, lingered on and then it was all the sound of water current and heat of the bonfire that I could remember amidst intermittent bouts of sleep. When morning came it consummated our stay. There was a small opening between the high trees and a wall of mountain to provide for a glimpse of sky. But even that was obstructed by a puff of mist hanging above. All around was all fresh, green, cool. There was sweet chirping of the birds that were not to be seen. But we could see the current flowing away into a green oblivion. The rocks still seemed to be asleep but trees looked awake and unruffled like a mother does in the morning. Everything seemed so unhurried. Life in a city is always hurried irrespective of its pace. That little space in the woods seemed tethered to the little sky above through those long threads of trees. A sense of possession came over me and it seemed that little cylinder with earth at one end and a slice of sky above was ours. 'Woh thoda as aasmaan hamara tha'.
After eating a little Maggie we unsettled to pack up. Thomas put all the waste in the ambers of bonfire and asked us to hurry before sun dried up the leaves on our way up and made them slippery. My knee was still stiff and I almost stumbled into the water while crossing on that little log of a bridge. We had some juice, water and beer to go up. The bags didn't seem lighter despite us gorging on Maggies and beers. We were climbing up cautiously with Anu still a Thomas protege and three boys following. Suddenly Nevaj was on his knees crawling up and my knees were obedient to my brains. I was about to throw beers but then we gave'em to Thomas. We were climbing up on our toes and fingers holding on thanklessly to anything that could help. Soon I was leading with Thomas behind me to guide while Nevaj, Prabhat trailed way behind. I was grateful to the bamboos that I forcefully stuck to while climbing. We reached the same slope where you hold onto that root and that rock and that branch and that something else. Of course it was to be climbed down this time. It was a 'downhill task' and I mean it. Thomas got down and got up another slope from where Nevaj had started his reservation. He further moved along the rocky mountain surface onto that familiar thin strip to put his luggage at a safe place. I was as nimble and followed him to his stuff. While I stayed back there Thomas went back to fetch the lady. He got a boy free. Boy was called Nevaj. It happened that Anu stayed up at the 'root, rock, branch' slope afraid to go down. Soon Nevaj and Prabhat joined them and she started crying and I was laughing from above. Before reaching there Nevaj had hurt this knee and a thorn got struck into his thumb when he grabbed it to climb up. Occupied by pain in his thumb he didn't know his knee was bleeding. So when he came up to Anu she started shedding tears seeing the blood. It had a symbiotic effect which sent a wave of fear through Nevaj and now he too was afraid to get down. Anu took a lifetime to get down, slipping a step in between making her yelling out her mind and fear to poor Thomas. Nevaj hesitantly started but with back against the slope to get down the slope sitting on his arse. But with the weight on his back accelerating his slide and the valley with its mouth wide open he confessed his fear aloud. Anu was standing besides me and watching her hubby and friend's miserable journey. I was laughing when she gave me a one hard stare to stifle my giggling. Soon after we all were together again safe and rested where Nevaj, Prabhat and I were back to our jovial stuff. We clicked some photos but the lady teacher volleyed us with one lecture and we trudged again up the slope which I and Thomas led. Soon we reached top and both of us took a can of beer each to celebrate. Thomas fetched a bottle of water for the lady who was still a kilometer down. Little time later Nevaj came up and we shared the 'good times' drink. A group of wandering tourists came along who asked us for Meenmutty falls. When Anu and Prabhat came up, he mentioned about the group and also the mouthful that Anu doled out to them and frightened.
After moving again on the red soil and clicking among the so-easy green tea, coffee plantations we reached Thomas' place. We rested there a bit and left for the city.
That was one ordeal where destination wouldn't have been sweeter but for the journey and journey not worthwhile if not for the destination. And here we are back again among the madding crowds far from the calmness of woods and the silent sound of flowing water.
Sherlock Holmes had one good night among the woods away from the Baker Street!
"This tree is called Muandan" said Thomas plucking a handful of raw mangoes from the tree.
"Because it fruits once every three years" he explained the synthesis of the word.
Finding themselves fortunate my three companions dug their teeth into taut mango flesh. We were to climb down till after the point where the waterfall would stop to fall and begin to stream away. Sun was happy giving us the company and sweat. First stop in our itinerary was the first stage of the Meenmutty falls. Soon we were stepping into the shade of the trees. Sunlight beamed and sieved through the leaves onto us. Thomas stopped us sighting in front a long high rope like tree branch. Soon he was climbing up it and swinging forth. I guess he wanted us to enjoy the journey while reaching for the destination. We followed and had a good time. Our shoes were already warped in the red colour of the soil under. We resumed to climb up making our way through plants and foliage that looked black green in the places where sun was denied admission. After sometime we could see beyond big rocks the water rolling down to fall. Clutching at trees, rocks we reached up and had a photo session. Then we took off our shoes and climbed further up to the feel the water and cool off whatever tiredness was there. In the blink of an eye Thomas was 10 metres away much to our surprise. You must either be crazy or Thomas to walk on wet slippery rocks and that too when wearing slippers(is that why they are called slippers?)! There was only clear blue sky above with tree branches or rocky hill to obstruct and only cool air against our faces. This was the last time few of us were happy before we camped. The life in Bangalore was already a distant memory.
Now we were to descend to our 'fall'. We soon reached what Nevaj later termed as 'valley of death'. It was if we were walking along a thin lip on the face of rock. With tons on our backs it was an arduous task. Anu crossed holding Thomas's hand and Prabhat and I went through as well when I heard a voice
"Surender paaji, give me a hand. Meri fight ho rahi hai".
Nevaj was hanging a la Tom Cruise (of MI-2) clinging somehow onto the rocks with only the thorn strewn deep valley below. Stepping back I took Nevaj's backpack and he came through. Nevaj, Prabhat and I were climbing down on rocks or loose barely holding onto anything and our backpacks were pushing us further. We were rather walking stoop and that too often on a thin strip with rocky mountain surface to hold on at one side and deep abyss on another. The valley mottled with thin thorny vegetation heightened or rather deepened our fears. If one falls he won't reach the bottom at all with parts of his flesh stuck to the nails of bushes impeding the fall and carcass hanging on some other branch. We were soon descending a difficult 3 meter slope. Thomas got down rather easily but Anu refused to do so. Where to keep the next step was the question. The rocky soil beneath was giving away and we had to spot any small rock for our shoes to get any traction or a pocket in earth to stick our feet into.
'Why did we come here? Thomas, let's go back. Sorry Nevaj, Surender, I shouldn't have spoiled your trek. Prabhat, you should've confirmed beforehand if the trek would be so difficult! I can't go down further!" Anu was wailing and put down her foot...no she couldn't put down her foot :-).
Of course we couldn't go back without re-entering the 'valley of death'. She soon held Thomas' hand and somehow got down. Prabhat and I too managed to scrape down that slope. Nevaj tried and gave up. "Bhai, I've got my seat reserved and will get down sitting" he joked and then seriously came down on the bottom of his pants. He was black with soil and sweat all mixed up. Anu was re-iterating her point over and again till we reached another slope only to go up this time. Thomas was already up instructing us to hold on to this tree root, cling to that rock protruding out and then that branch. He got a bit down and took the lady along leaving us stranded. On a hill gravity is always against your life. Always eager to bring you down to earth. With all those water bottles and beer cans we hadn't helped our cause either. Anyways to go up we had to stride more than we could to gain a foothold if any and cling to that blessed root. "You uproot and we uproot" I mused. Humour never deserted us and this time around Nevaj crawled up on his stomach. Anu gave us another mouthful and we started down with Nevaj using his reserved seat to the maximum. We emptied our water bottles as much as and wherever we can. We anyways needed to do that as we were sweating profusely making dirt stick to our skin. I wished for wipers on my eye-glasses. We meandered down and soon the distinction between clothes and soil on Nevaj disappeared completely. Everyone now and then we clung to a bamboo shoot or a rock or even a small fig to go down. On a rocky slope we were using our fingers like a lizard does and our toes on rocks to arrest our fall. I guess whoever coined the phrase "an uphill task" never went downhill.
Nevaj came up with a Chandler Bing "My feet have stopped taking signals from my brains".
And he was right.It was already 4 hours since we started filing on those inocuous looking monstrous mountains.
"When we reach down?" we asked to which Thomas replied "after 10 minutes we'll take a break to freshen up and then it would be 2 minutes from there, no problem".
Going by his earlier 2-3 hours prediction we were in for another miscalculation. "Nevaj's bottom must be hurting by now" I thought. The boys were worn out but jovial nonetheless.
"Mundra just mentioned that it's a difficult trek but I guess he uses the word difficult rather prodigally" remarked Nevaj. After another 30-40 minutes of holding to rocks, thorny branches, roots, bamboos we had our second pit-stop. A small stream of water was coming down an algae-blackened rock. Someone like Thomas had interrupted the stream with lengthwise-slit half of a bamboo stick. We filled little water from that ingenious tap, washed ourselves a little and were good to go again for the prophesied next 2 minutes. Prabhat seemed bravest of us all bearing his wife and himself all along without saying much while keeping his sense of humour unscathed.
Nevaj had a spring in his feet while I got up on two stilts. It seemed as if I raced past years my age and knee joints were playing 'locate-dislocate-relocate' and refusing to obey my brain. I couldn't bend them. A little effort and I would yelp. So when we were nearing it my knee caps withdrew all their supports. Somehow I dragged myself with the hope of getting there within 2 minutes and those 2 minutes stayed after every 5 minutes. We were now going down trampling some dry leaves which I believe never literally saw the light of the day. I brought up the rear of our caravan this time. Nevaj was 5 meters down when I yelled 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah'. I tried to go down holding to a long hanging vine so as to keep my legs from bending. But as it wasn't enough I held onto another one. But they didn't originate from mother earth and rather came down from heaven which had outrightly refused to proffer any help to me. I ended up flailing holding onto the vines and then I cried. Nevaj paaji gladly returned the favour and this time I took his reservation and went down on my bum humiliating my proud ego. After another 2 minutes we reached a small but fast running sheet of water which was MeenMutty falls-turned-flowing-stream. Stepping first on some boulders and then a wooden log that acted as a mini bridge we crossed to reach a small clearing with rocks scattered and trees standing proud all around. They seemed to convey a message "We rule here and mankind would be an encroachment". Just when I thought dreams of a serene green riverside were about to realise Thomas pronounced our arrival to destination. Disappointed at first but soon relieved to stop we recovered to gaze around in the wilderness. It was obvious that sun was not allowed for long here anyways. We had taken around 5 hours to get here. We dismantled ourselves and in a blink of an eye Nevaj and Prabhat were inside the pool(created by few a good rocks) of stream water.
"It's bliss in here" cried Nevaj to me and told me to get too in water when I was busy cursing and massaging my knee. Nevaj came out for a moment to set up the tent with Thomas who had already set up a small fire to cook up his tapioca. Anu jumped in with her hubby and we turned our backs to them while turning out the backpacks. Soon after Nevaj went in and I too hesitatingly bearing with my knee pain was in the water. The cool water had a therapeutic effect. My knee was still hurting and it kept the same way till next morning making walking on those big boulders around our abode difficult. Sometime later Anu and Prabhat got out to prepare some Maggie and ready-to-eat when we asked Prabhat to get us some beer. He came and I plucked out 2 cans from his hand for us. Few moments later we were reaching out and plucking at happiness hanging in the air. This is exactly just what Kiran Desai had prescribed.
Kingfisher, The King of Good Times. Never were these words more true. We were anyways Kingfishers in water dipping into it to feed our tired bodies.
"Fcuk, it's BLISS, mate" I cried in Australian accent, unable to withhold my joy to Nevaj who cried even more vehemently to corroborate. Few more ounces of beer in our blood and we forgot how or what we came through to this place. We were one with everything around us. Only if we could understand the silence and language around us. No more wires, laptops, mobiles, cars, noise. Not a trace of artificiality. This is where we should belong. Meanwhile I was struggling to hold my 'chaddi' which was literally getting carried away in that strong current. I was uselessly rubbing my knees in soothing water hoping for pain to go away. It was very late when I came out of water. After all those sweat drops it was sweet Meenmutty water that was dripping off me and I couldn't complain!
Thomas had build up a huge fire meanwhile and Anu had prepared the wonderful food that we merrily dug into. I never realised when night cover had come to engulf us. The bonfire, beer and food...I couldn't ask for anything more. Some red indians against the bright red fire, huh? I was so high into wilderness that I don't remember when we stopped talking outside and moved inside the tent for sleep. Now sleep was something that eluded us. After all our lives sleeping on comfortable cotton we struggled to doze off on the rocky terrain. Antakshari ensued, lingered on and then it was all the sound of water current and heat of the bonfire that I could remember amidst intermittent bouts of sleep. When morning came it consummated our stay. There was a small opening between the high trees and a wall of mountain to provide for a glimpse of sky. But even that was obstructed by a puff of mist hanging above. All around was all fresh, green, cool. There was sweet chirping of the birds that were not to be seen. But we could see the current flowing away into a green oblivion. The rocks still seemed to be asleep but trees looked awake and unruffled like a mother does in the morning. Everything seemed so unhurried. Life in a city is always hurried irrespective of its pace. That little space in the woods seemed tethered to the little sky above through those long threads of trees. A sense of possession came over me and it seemed that little cylinder with earth at one end and a slice of sky above was ours. 'Woh thoda as aasmaan hamara tha'.
After eating a little Maggie we unsettled to pack up. Thomas put all the waste in the ambers of bonfire and asked us to hurry before sun dried up the leaves on our way up and made them slippery. My knee was still stiff and I almost stumbled into the water while crossing on that little log of a bridge. We had some juice, water and beer to go up. The bags didn't seem lighter despite us gorging on Maggies and beers. We were climbing up cautiously with Anu still a Thomas protege and three boys following. Suddenly Nevaj was on his knees crawling up and my knees were obedient to my brains. I was about to throw beers but then we gave'em to Thomas. We were climbing up on our toes and fingers holding on thanklessly to anything that could help. Soon I was leading with Thomas behind me to guide while Nevaj, Prabhat trailed way behind. I was grateful to the bamboos that I forcefully stuck to while climbing. We reached the same slope where you hold onto that root and that rock and that branch and that something else. Of course it was to be climbed down this time. It was a 'downhill task' and I mean it. Thomas got down and got up another slope from where Nevaj had started his reservation. He further moved along the rocky mountain surface onto that familiar thin strip to put his luggage at a safe place. I was as nimble and followed him to his stuff. While I stayed back there Thomas went back to fetch the lady. He got a boy free. Boy was called Nevaj. It happened that Anu stayed up at the 'root, rock, branch' slope afraid to go down. Soon Nevaj and Prabhat joined them and she started crying and I was laughing from above. Before reaching there Nevaj had hurt this knee and a thorn got struck into his thumb when he grabbed it to climb up. Occupied by pain in his thumb he didn't know his knee was bleeding. So when he came up to Anu she started shedding tears seeing the blood. It had a symbiotic effect which sent a wave of fear through Nevaj and now he too was afraid to get down. Anu took a lifetime to get down, slipping a step in between making her yelling out her mind and fear to poor Thomas. Nevaj hesitantly started but with back against the slope to get down the slope sitting on his arse. But with the weight on his back accelerating his slide and the valley with its mouth wide open he confessed his fear aloud. Anu was standing besides me and watching her hubby and friend's miserable journey. I was laughing when she gave me a one hard stare to stifle my giggling. Soon after we all were together again safe and rested where Nevaj, Prabhat and I were back to our jovial stuff. We clicked some photos but the lady teacher volleyed us with one lecture and we trudged again up the slope which I and Thomas led. Soon we reached top and both of us took a can of beer each to celebrate. Thomas fetched a bottle of water for the lady who was still a kilometer down. Little time later Nevaj came up and we shared the 'good times' drink. A group of wandering tourists came along who asked us for Meenmutty falls. When Anu and Prabhat came up, he mentioned about the group and also the mouthful that Anu doled out to them and frightened.
After moving again on the red soil and clicking among the so-easy green tea, coffee plantations we reached Thomas' place. We rested there a bit and left for the city.
That was one ordeal where destination wouldn't have been sweeter but for the journey and journey not worthwhile if not for the destination. And here we are back again among the madding crowds far from the calmness of woods and the silent sound of flowing water.
Sherlock Holmes had one good night among the woods away from the Baker Street!
