A Trip to Mahabalipuram

It was 15 years ago that I visited this place. Mahabalipuram is about 40 Km south of my hometown. A long vacation this time guaranteed that i visit this place amidst heavy rains and cyclones that battered Tamilnadu coast this year.

Every piece of the visit was fun. To begin with - how we got there. As usual never planned to be there but just ended up being there. My cousin brother who is so fond of his bike promised to drive me up there. The ECR (East Coast Road) that leads to Mahabalipuram was the talk of the town. And of course as expected it was well laid with reflectors, emergency phones every 10 Km and devoid of potholes etc etc. If you have the need for speed, just go there.

We reached late in the evening knowing well that the rains are expected anytime. First stop was the Five Rathas. An absolutely stunning piece of work. Named after the Pandavas, each ratha (chariot) is carved out of a single piece of rock (picturized above). As the sun sets you can see the perfect edges carved out and the geometrically accurate structures.

Then we visited the Shore temple (picturized below). I was anxious to see that as i had read in papers about the destruction caused by Tsunami (in yr 2004). Also a few years back a fountain/bathhouse was excavated next to the temple. I vaguely remembered the parks surrounding the shore temple which were now being re-created. Also a high sea wall was constructed to avoid further damage by the sea. There were boards indicating(was also in the news) that during the Tsunami, when the sea receded, more structures were revealed.The ancient city (6th Century) of Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram (named after the Pallava King Mamalla alias name for Narasimhavarma Pallava) has several sculptures that were carved during the Pallava period - notably during Narasimhavarma's rule. The remaining sculptures are only few masterpieces of the arts and culture that prevailed in ancient Tamilnadu.

More reading information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalipuram

Oklahoma trip

Been in Texas for 5 years, and all throughout i had been thinking that the plains are totally boring, not very green, not worthwhile for a camping/hiking/trekking trip. However a friend advised me that the neighboring states of Oklahoma and Arkansas may have the stuff i am looking for.

Yes Indeed. Oklahoma is beautiful. And i have already made two camping / trekking trips to Oklahoma/Arkansas. My destination - Ouchita National Forest / Winding Stairs National Recreational Area - on both occasions.

First time was during the July 4th weekend with my dear friend. He was all geared up for a great camping trip. We went to the southern part of the Ouchitas and camped near the Beavers Bend State park. Frankly i hated the place. It was never far from civilization and it was never picturesque. Too many people to spoil the night. However we cooked great food of course after learning the hard way how to light the charcoal (not self igniting).

We did some Kayaking along the Mountain Fork river. That was fun, and totally different from my first Kayaking trip. This time we really had to find our way through the boulders. Heavy traffic also made it more challenging. I toppled twice and lost my floaters - thanks to my complacency. But soon got a hang of it. We then did a short hike and soon it was evening. We drove north a bit and found a perfect camping spot in the Winding stairs Rec Area along a mountain slope. That night was windy and awesome. We however had to quickly pack our tents next morning as it was pouring.

The second time I went to the place with my friend, his wife and my cousin Sambar during the Labor day weekend. We camped in the same area. This time it was even better. You could see the Milky way at night (I had never noticed that before). After spotting several shooting stars we went off to sleep. Next day we did a 10 mile hike, though a good walk it lacked any amazing vista points. Then we drove along the winding Talimena Scenic Drive to Mena, AK. Its a drivers paradise. Definitely a Fall color spot.

The trip was great. Of course thanks to my friend and his wife for taking care of dinner!! And pats to those who often forget the tea bags !!

Ek Aur Mirchi bhaiya

When i started writing this blog i was at my office really hungry for some indian fast food. I then remembered the delicious food from my college days. Eating at the hostel mess is of course a rarity.

Thanks to our mobile fast food counters in the campus. May it be a cup of chai or evening snacks, it has to be at the "Raadi". The concept is simple - always fresh and hot tea and a couple of benches. Cant think of anything more simple yet highly satisfying.

The food they make is nothing short of delicious. "Ek Sam chat (extra imli chutney) aur ek chai" used to be my morning breakfast. And a Mirchi in the evenings with another hot cup of tea. Amazing sensation it creates - a spicy chilly and hot tea. And you have some friends together, what more could you ask of life. It was just beautiful.

Damn those days are lost. More responsibilities and more asking out of my life. Yet i have to have my mirchi, chai and samosa chat.

My first Kayaking experience

During a hot summer, I was in Virginia Beach for some office work.... Wierd but true. After several weekends of roaming the beach, I had planned on a trip to Philly where my cousin (Sambar) lives. We both fancied the idea of making a camping/hiking trip together. Better yet, he found a place to Kayak and camp.

Kayaking in the Delaware river:
Sambar had done it once before and convinced me that it is fun. I dont know to swim - not even in calm waters. I had been on 4 day rafting trips back in India on the Ganges, so i was a bit complacent. With life jackets you could never drown and i can swim well if i am floating ;-)
My more civilized friend tagged along too, but he didnt know much about the unruly cousins.

Plan was simple - kayak down the Delaware river for about 20 miles (upto Dingman's Ferry take-out). So we left on Saturday afternoon and had to camp somewhere on the river banks before completing the final leg. You cannot expect all the luxuries while camping as you can take only the bare necessities in a Kayak. Overloading is definitely not advisable.

So we set out with Sambar helping my friend with the kayaking techniques. It was pretty late when we started so we had to row fast to get to the camping areas. Most of them were taken, so we had to really paddle hard in search of a vacant campsite. When it was almost dark, we found one and to capture the fort I rushed and of course slipped in the algae. Unhurt, but wet i ran up and was delighted to find the campsite empty. Soon the tent was pitched. But it was unusually cold for a summer day (35 deg F). With no change of clothes i had to borrow a T-shirt from Sambar. We lit the fire soon and were all over it. After some tea and eggs, Naan with pickle and chutney we went inside to sleep though none could sleep well due to sore limbs and the bitter cold temperature.

Next morning we lit another fire for a good warm-up. My friend then announced his inability to lift one of his hands and immense pain in his shoulders. So we left him to relax on the banks on the next takeout point and continued towards Dingman's ferry. Full of energy we paddled well and fast through the rapids and also enjoyed the nice scenary. It was then getting too hot and the river widened and stopped flowing too. After some rigorous paddling through the still waters we reached Dingman's Ferry totally exhausted. Now we have to get back to the starting point to pick our cars and head home.

After we reached home 5 hours later, Sambar's friend had to go home. We ordered a Pizza. As soon as the Pizza was delivered, Sambar got a call from his friend that his car just stalled in the middle of the highway. He managed to steer it off to the shoulder. He was already tired and needed help. So we decided to drive to the spot and of course we took the Pizza. Soon we reached and he had called the towing truck. So we decided, what the heck lets just eat. We had Pizza on the highway shoulder. Once we regained energy, we tried to restart the car just to see if it could be a simple battery problem. To our amusement, the car started fine !!! So off we went to our respective homes after a nice highway dinner.

What an experience it was. After our rafting experience in India, this was the most eventful/adventurous trip i have had.

Hoping for more such adventures.......

Adios