hey guys,
3 of us 'd been to tadiyandamol in coorg last weekend .. everybody shud go there ! we really had an awesome time there .. read on the trekologue when u find time .. it's a really looong one !
Tadiyandamol
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This was one trek that was pending for so long. I think we'd set our sight on this peak at least 1.5 years ago. But somehow it kept getting postponed due to some reason or the other.
Since we were only 3 of us going for the trek, there wasn't much planning required; a couple of googles was enough to get almost all the info required for the trip.
Day 0 (Friday night)
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We assembled at Majestic bus stand for the 10.45 PM bus to Napoklu. It was a luxury KSRTC bus - much more luxury than we usually have on trek journeys. The bus left the Blore bus stand almost on time and then our journey into the unknown had begun.
Day 1 ( Saturday )
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We reached Napoklu at 5.30 AM. Already we'd started feeling the cold of the Coorg winter when some of the windows in the bus kept opening on their own. But we got the full picture when we stepped out of the bus. Man, it really was a freezer. All 3 of us were shivering almost immediately. We spoke to some of the local guys in the bus stop to enquire about how to get to our immediate destination - the Nalaknad Armane ( Palace). They told us that the next bus to the place was at 6.45 AM. So we just ambled around the main road in Napoklu; we found a Tea shop just opening shutters. We rushed in and sat on the wooden benches inside the tea shop. Dennis and I went into the kitchen; given a chance we could even have sat on the stove !
At 7 AM , our bus slowly started moving to the tunes of some lovely devotional Kannada songs. And then we kept telling the conductor to tell us when we reach the bus stop for the armane. But he told us to get off at some place; and on enquiring with a guy at the tea shop he told us the we should 've got off 3 Kms earlier. So there began our trek on the road itself. We walked till the armane bus stop and then reached the armane itself eventually.
There was a film shooting going on there. The name of the movie is "Shanthi" - a kannada movie being made for award purposes, so we were informed by one the guys in the shooting crew. Then we freshened up and did basic morning duties in a nearby stream and started off for the peak. By this time, I'd lost track of time or consciousness. Just let myself free and was enjoying every moment of the trip.
The trek started off with very easy looking jeep tracks - intermittent spells of open tracks and forest cover. Over all it wasn't too difficult terrain. We had company in the of another threesome with a guide - they were Belgians. We were doing the hare and tortoise with them; only difference being the hare and tortoises - both taking rest and breaks at regular intervals.
I was already feeling full happy coz this was the first dry and leech less trek in a very long time I could remember. We trekked and trucked along gradually - we had more than normal level of luggage to carry. A tent , 2 sleeping bags and loads of food. So the weight on the shoulders was always dragging us down on every upward climb.
After a while, the jeep track ended and so did the forest cover. Then it became a full open grassland trek with trails. A landmark in the trek is a huge boulder. There was another group of french people on the boulder when we reached the place. We decided to halt ass for a while just after the boulder We just sat and chatted - also heard a stream in the vicinity - the pure music of water gushing through the gaps in the rocks and mountains.
After the break, we started again - chugging and puffing. We started on one trail and after sometime the trail just vanished ! We sat and wondered what we should do next. We started on another trail we saw nearby and again hit another dead end. We were definitely lost ! Dennis was leading the way in exploring the trail and route. Shiv and I just followed him quitely. The scenic view of the place where we got lost was qute amazing. We just feasted our eyes with the views all around !
We trekked and trekked trying to somehow get back to the stream. We put all kinds of fundas in listening to the sound of water and try to reach the stream. And the finally we crossed a point that looked familiar - and oops - where are we ? We were back at the boulder after 2 hrs. And we had the the belgian man greeting us " you guys still here ? ". He had gone halfway to the peak and returned coz his physical condition couldn't drive him up. His other 2 pals and their guide had gone on all the way.
We sat and had our lunch - some readymade rotis and mango pickle. After the lunch we had a small siesta and decided to give one last try at the peak. At this point, I went to speak to the begian guy. He told us to take the straight trail ; he also warned us the night would be really cold. He said the previous night they'd slept at the village and he felt as cold as he feels back home in belgium. We looked at each a scared glance at each other. Anyway, "no matter what" we were going to camp in the wild for the night. After all the effort of carrying the tent and sleeping bags.
Then started our ascent toward the peak - it kept going up up and away and reminded me of the Poochipara peak we'd climbed earlier in Silent valley. There's this with peaks - the more you climb the same the distance it looks as earlier. The views we got as went higher and higher improved in quality and sheer beauty of the entire place sinks in to you. You feel the present and only the present - I think that's the best form of meditation.
Finally we reached the peak ! We were on top of Tadiyandamol - meaning the highest point in kodava language. The elation and high that scaling a peak is unmatched. In the far distance we could see the outline of a meandering river merging into the ocean - the Arabian sea was visible from that distance.
We just sat in silence for a good amount of time. And by 4 o'clock in the afternoon, cold winds had already started on the peak giving a trailer of what was to come. I feasted on the all the views and sights I could set my eyes on. It was simply superb and no words can describe the feeling.
We slowly and sadly started our descent from the peak. The climb down as usual was steep in places and quite a strain on the knees and ankles. And by this time, Shiv had twisted his ankle quite a few times. But he kept going. Then we reached the place near the boulder where earlier itself we'd decided to pitch the tent. We sat down there and had a quick nap, before putting up the tent. I felt so happy about my tent. Must be the most decent purchase I'd made in the recent time. In the meantime, the cold blast of wind had set in on the lower plains and reaches also.
We pitched the tent and then we saw yet another beautiful sight - the moon. It was almost a full moon and by that time we could already see Venus in the western sky almost about to set. And the wind just kept getting stronger and colder !
We had dinner in the moonlight - it was so bright that we could see our shadows in the moonlight. The stars also started multiplied in number kept getting better and better with time. And so did the cold. After sometime, the cold winds had started cutting through our bones and then we decided to get into the cozy interiors of the tent. Parked ourselves into our sleeping bags and then I slept like a log.
Day 2
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Since we'd slept pretty early the previous night, I was up and awake by 5.30 AM; waiting for the Sun to come out. For once, I'd won the battle of waking with the sun ;). Shiv also woke up and we started preparing ourselves for the sunrise. We climbed a distance on the adjacent hill till a rock and sat there waiting for the sun to come up.
This sight is a really divine experience. When the first light lights up the eastern sky, the beautiful red line and then the adjacent areas getting slight tinge of blue. The sounds of the animals from the forest hardly 500m from our campsite; the chirping of the birds all over. The first light in the morning is simply brilliant. This was also the clearest ever sky I'd seen for a perfect sunrise. Shiv and I were just mesemerized by the beauty of the entire place. The different shades of red orange and yellow of the light, the lighting up of the peak with this light, the shades of green in the adjacent valley - simply fantastic ! We kept clicking snap after snap. And then I dropped my camera and just felt the experience. Both of us did a brief version of surya namaskar.
If anyone saw this sight, you would really salute the sun for its brillance and life sustaining light.
Only when the sun was up sufficiently, did we climb down back to the camp. We then woke up Dennis and headed to the stream for morning duties. We then had a quick breakfast and packed our stuff and left toward the Armane ( palace). One last glance at the peak and the surrounding forests and valleys and plains all around and I could get high on this sight for ever and ever ! If at all there was a way to do a trek, this was it, I thought.
On return to the Palace, the film crew was still there. We made PC with the heroines of the movie, Bhavana, who's apparently won the national award for the best actress last year. She was quite friendly babe, and we assured her that we'll try to watch out for her movie.
Then we hit the road and took a bus to Madikeri. And guess what, it was the same conductor who dropped us off far away on the 1st day ! Anyway, didn't feel like asking him any soul searching questions, and we just enjoyed the bus ride toward Madikeri. The views were enchanting - of the hills, plains, the coffee plantations and the valleys deep down below ! The statue of upright Gen Cariappa welcomed us into the town of Madikeri.
We had a nice lunch - hot steamed rice and hot sambar - awesome change from the bread and cheese we'd had for the last 2 days. Then took a bus to Kushalnagar and reached Nisargadhama. The highlight of this leg of the journey was a cool elephant ride we undertook :). We had a nice refreshing bath in the Cauvery river and then headed back to Kushalnagar. From there we took a bus to Mysore and from there to Bangalore.
Yet another amazing trip came to end when we reached Majestic bus stand. The recollection of all the beautiful feelings, the air, the wind, the tricks of the moon and the sun, the different shades of green on the peaks, in the valleys, on the plains, off the coffee plantations - all will remain etched in memory forever. Just can't forget that sunrise we saw from atop the rock ! Over all, a very very satisfying and memorable trip.
Lighter moments
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- We kept bugging Shiv for all his pronunciations and English language usage of aint, cant etc ;).
- He called "Elnir" or tender coconut as "Bonda". That was the first time, I'd heard anyone call it "bonda" .. we just burst out laughing ; that really got psenti ;)
