Wayanad and Why Not - I

Around 5 in the evening, I started to get restive. We were all set to go to Wayanad. All set in mind! Everything but the bus tickets was left for the proverbial last minute. Nevaj was supposed to come to my office at 6 for us to go collect the sleeping tents and bags. Time at office was expanding even if there was no work as usual. Eventually Kush and I decided to murder that seemingly long time and went to TT room for few knocks.

Nevaj came and we left for the bags. Just when we stopped to refuel his bike a phone call came and his phone battery died. Now we were both without our mobiles as mine too had had it's last breath few days ago.We resumed with the address slip saying the landmark was 'The 2nd last building' on a road adjacent to Leela Hotel. We instantly knew amidst that Bangalore friday evening traffic on Ring-road we'd be fighting against time to reach our bus.

Knowing a parallel road in Bangalore is a paradox, we threaded our way to find many adjacent roads to Leela Hotel and eventually after getting the bags, Nevaj Schumacher-ed our way back to his home. While he packed I had the luxury of a Kingfisher beer can and bliss was already in sight. Truly the 'king of good times'. To pack my own stuff, I left the place as well as a India fighting to save face against Sri Lanka in the world cup.

Without our cellphones we were kind of thrown back by 3 decades. I thought to leave to buy some cans of beer. While I was indecisive given the time crunch, Nevaj reached my place and we left with our backpacks. By our reckoning (which would turn out to be a misunderstood understanding) we were going to a river side place in a jungle to relax. So this asked for two books and few beers. Nevaj forgot his book. But he unknowingly made up for it with beers. 5 litres for 2 persons for one night must've been quite a (mis)calculation. Who cared? We didn't. At least for the time being!

"I've just bought 'To Have and Have Not' for this trip" I said. It was then that Nevaj realized his 'Tuesdays with Morrie' was lying at home for a disturbing Saturdays with room-mates. I rushed up the 2 floor of stairs only to get a tome of 'Sherlock Holmes - Vol 1'. After all, our much awaited dream of Far from Madding Crowd can't die just like that. We must have a book in one one hand and beer in both hands! We must be by the riverside and that can't be sided away!

When we reached the bus stand, the bus had already started to crawl. We scraped in to find our other two partners (who incidentally happened to be life partners themselves). While expecting a complement for our modest ordeal Nevaj introduced me to Prabhat and Anu only to find a fuming lady waiting to burst.

"What took you so long? What if the bus had left without you?" she shrilled. While Nevaj tried to humour his way out I was smirking and wondering 'What if you folks had left without us?We have the tent, sleeping bags! Hamare paas beer hai'. "BlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlahBlah and BlahBlahBlahBlah". As fate would have it we're spared further pedagogy and had our seats far from the pair. Bus left with 2 Sri Lankan wickets back in the pavilion and us four in our seats. At 9 we had to board another bus. I don't know when sleep took over but I did hear someone puking in a seat ahead in night. Only when the bus also vomitted us out in the dark at 2 something in the morning in Wayanad we had a glimpse of things to come. Not only it was Prabhat who threw up in the bus our plans also lay exposed ill. Expecting to reach after 6, we arrived 3-4 hours before with the city in deep slumber. A drunkard passed trying to catch a stick he threw in the air. There were few feet cleaning their thelas. We were left stranded at the dimly lit facade of some shop with shutters facing us.

"It's too dark and early in the morning. Let's find a lodge" said a now calm Anu.
"Awright, Surender and I would go and look for some lodge" obliged our Nevaj Paaji.
Treading with weary legs we saw a hotel nearby. We crossed a gate when someone called us from behind. He was one hotel guard who seemed more drunk than sleepy. With dawn still sometime away, it dawned upon me nonetheless that I was afraid of a drunk man in an unknown city at a further unknown hour. We braved our way to the hotel reception with the guard in tow.

"Hi, sorry to disturb you at this hour. Can we please get a room for four people to stay for 4 hours?" one of us asked waking up the person at reception.
"Sorry sir, all rooms are booked" he replied.
"Please try to get us a room. We have a lady with us and we'll vacate it in another 4 hrs" we said.
"I'm really sorry sir, we have a room for a group of people who'll be arriving anytime in the morning" he said politely.
"Yeah we'll manage. It's just a matter of few hours." we requested again hopefully.
"I'm extremely sorry sir.There's no one to clean it up after you vacate. Cannot help" he gave up. So did we and left the place.

We returned to the couple and told the situation. Anu then beckoned a Gurkha chaukidaar who she had chatted up to help find a lodge. Nevaj and I started again with Gurkha and he dropped another shell on our way to a line of lodges, "Saheb, aaj India haar gaya!". India connived to lose against Sri Lanka dismally in the world cup and were practically shown the gates. First we struggle to find the place for our tent, bags; then we catch an escaping bus; then it ejects us at 2 odd in a nightly morning; and then India! "Fcuk! Yahi raha gaya tha aaj!" one of us said.

Gurkha tried to wake up someone behind a grilled gate at one of the lodge to no avail. We went to another in the line and one guy turned up.

"Hi, can we get a room?" asked Nevaj.
"It's Rs. 120 for a two-bed room" he replied to our gleeful surprise.
"Oh great, thanks! We are four people and would check-out in the morning" I said with a spring in my voice.
"10 Rupees extra per person" he shot back.
Nevaj found some humour in the situation and began to fool around.
"No please 120 only. We'll leave at 7".
"No sir 140"
"Arrey yaar 120 le lo"
"No sir, 140"
"Okay, 140. We'll come in few minutes" I interrupted.

We left to get Prabhat and his wife back. Gurkha left us somewhere without asking for anything in return. Surprised to find him gone, we got Anu and Prabhat to the lodge room. From that lodge we saw that our earlier attempt to get the room seemed like a big lavish and expensive hotel. So the earth had started turning good again for us. In the room, Nevaj and I thought of rehearsing sleeping in the sleeping bags and dozed off amongst some PJs (ofcourse thrown by the masters called Nevaj and Surender).
It seemed like an eventful, unrelaxed eve to our forthcoming and supposedly relaxing venture.

Anu sprinkled the morning upon Nevaj and me. Water is always colder in the morning especially so if thrown on the face. That also explains why there are no gentle-ladies. Eventually we slithered out of our sleeping bags to look forward to the riverside hours of laziness and comfort. Thomas, our guide was still unreachable on the phone. Anu called up a friend who came down to out lodge and arranged a cab for Meenmutty water falls. The peaceful drive and the serene morning combined to rejuvenate us to the extent that my three friends were joyfully planning to settle there. We reached the edge of the woods where after sometime Thomas' brother turned up to lead us to his place. Soon Thomas also showed up and reckoned that our destination -the river side- would be 2-3 hours. We asked Thomas to get us 5 litres of water to prevent our throats running dry on our way. We were plotting our own troubles. Nevaj's foresight made us have our ready to eat breakfast there.