Surface Tension

This is a humongous write up of my trip to Udupi and Mangalore with my Wifey and group of friends. Do read below the cut when you have a lot of time to spare. Its the first time I have written such a detailed writeup of any time of mine. This is one trip that I want to keep fresh in my memories always.

Also met premkudva at Mangalore. Thanks prem for the trouble you took to pick us up and drop us back at the hotel and thanks so much to Suchitra for that sooper dooper n exotic fruit salad.

Thursday 25th

Hardly any work was done in office. All day I was dreaming about the trip that I would be going on that evening. This was one trip that I was dreaming of since a very long time. A nice trip with college friends that would take me back to the college days were we all spent so much time together, pulling each others legs and having a whole load of fun. I just couldn’t wait for 5pm when my bus would leave from office so that I would get back home and then leave to Majestic to pick up the bus.

The previous day me and v packed up our luggage for the trip, so there was nothing much to do on Thursday except packing up the chargers and taking the camera. We reached home and had some tiffin and a short while later had a light dinner and we left for Majestic. We had called an auto to our home at 8:15pm but he finally arrived only at 8:30pm. That was not too late as the bus would be leaving Bangalore only at about 10:10pm. The bus ticket booking itself was one big confusion and we didn’t know who would be going in what bus and how we were going to come back. There were tickets being booked on wrong dates and cancellations and unavailability of tickets but finally we had the tickets and were all set to enjoy the travel.

V and I boarded the auto and after a 100 enquiries from my mom about whether we have taken everything and all that we finally left from home. Everything was fine till we reached JC road. That was where the jam started. Traffic piled on the roads as far as we could see and things were moving at a snails pace. While we were making our way through the traffic we received a call from R who had yet to leave her home. She informed us that there was traffic in JC road and that we had to leave early so as to not get stuck. By that time we were on KG road, so all we did was to confirm to her that there was indeed traffic and she would be the one who would be getting stuck if she didn’t leave soon. By around 9:30pm we reached the Hotel Swathi were the bus was scheduled to depart from. R’s mom, dad and bro were already there and we joined them in the wait. Soon R’s cousin joined in.

Meanwhile we realized that GV, VV and SV should have departed by now as they were booked on another travels. So I tried calling them but was not able to reach any of them and just sent all of them a message. It later turned out the GV had left his mobile at home as it was bulky. I’d rather he stopped calling it mobile in that case. Sometime later I received a message from VV and a missed call from SV, so I called up VV who said that her shuttle has not yet come, let alone depart on time and that they were all waiting at the stop. Soon R and S joined us at around 10:00pm whereas the original time that R said she would arrive was 9:45pm. But heck, as long as the bus wasn’t in sight no one was complaining and we were a relieved lot that at least she came through all that traffic.

At about 10:20pm the bus arrived and no sooner than we all boarded it and decided on which would be our beds, did the bus start moving. It was the first time V and me were traveling on a sleeper bus and we were pretty excited at the prospects. Our bed was in the last, right at the back of the bus and we had to prepare ourselves for a jumpy night. The moment we climbed in got comfy the bus hit a bump and away we went, a couple of inches up in the air at the very least. At the end of it it was a nice experience. One of the many things that I discovered while I was traveling in a sleeper bus was which all positions are optimum for sleeping on a sleeper. Looks like R was doing the same on the adjacent bed, much to S’s amusement and irritation, although I don’t think she was doing any research on the topic. I had also called up VV and they confirmed that their bus did finally arrive and that they are also on their way to Udupi.

The night journey was not very eventful in any way that I can mention on this post but was pretty scary and nauseating at times when the bus was hurtling down broken sections of road down the ghat sections. I lost quite a bit of sleep during those time while I was busy trying to keep myself on the bed without falling out or banging my head against anything solid. Meanwhile R’s bro was admiring some scenery at about 3am and was trying to inform everyone in the bus, but specially R about it. Don’t think he succeeded at it though. Among the things that I learnt at night was that the ACs are frigging cold especially if the damn blower doesn’t turn off. Also the electricals and the AC vents are along a single duct and its your bad day if one of the previous occupants have flicked the bulb off the lights. And it definitely doesn’t help the cold a single bit if there are 6 damn blowers positioned all along from head to feet.

Friday 26th

I was woken up early in the morning by VV who called to inform us that they had already reached Mangalore. I couldn’t figure out where I was or in which part of the world I was as I was too sleepy thanks to not having had enough sleep in the initial parts of the night. I was woken up again a couple of times by VV who wanted to know if ours was a white bus following their bus. My god, if there was someone who seriously needed to sleep then that was her. Anyway, I dropped back to sleep immediately and was woken up by a call from SV. They had checked into their hotel and told us to get down at Radha Medicals which was after the Taluka stop. I said ok, and off to sleep I went again. Finally when we reached Udupi, the lights turned on and we got down and readied ourselves for the decent. I had meanwhile got the bus to stop at a secluded place as I had to take an urgent call. Once we alighted at Radha Medicals I called SV and she and her dad came to greet us. Luckily SV’s dad informed R that Kediyur Lodge is quite far away and that R’s group should continue in the bus till the bus station. They managed to get back on to the bus before to left and reached their hotel. The time was now around 8:00am

Meanwhile we walked across the street to our hotel which was the Sri Sai Palace Lodge. We were shown our rooms which were quite cozy and clean. We had a quick bath after we met VV and we decided that we come out at 9:00am so that we have a quick darshan at the Udupi Krishna Temple before we head on to St. Mary’s Island. So V and me, and VV and GV met up and walked to the Temple asking for directions. We reached there and much to my frustration was asked to take our shirts and banians before we entered the temple. Well we did want to see the temple and we did what was requested and went in for the darshan. We had a good one at that and left to a nearby hotel where we had a good breakfast. Meanwhile R had called to inform us that they were all waiting at the bus station. So we paid up and left towards the bus station. The City Bus Station is right behind the State Bus Station and we got onto a waiting bus and headed to Malpe Beach. SV didn’t join us as she wanted to spend time with her dad.

We reached Malpe within 20mins battling all the fish smell all along. We entered the fishing boat harbor area and headed on towards the steamer area where from where the boats would leave to St Mary’s. We had to wait a while for a steamer and then we boarded it when it came. We had to wait a while longer till the boat was full and then we left towards the Island. We reached there after a 20-30 mins ride. The boat wasn’t able to reach till the island as the waters were shallow and we had to transfer to another boat in mid water. Once that was done, we were taken to the shore and we jumped off in glee and ran around on the sands taking photos and jumping. We took rounds of the island and walked up rocks and posed for a lot of photographs. I took some pics of the sea and the rocks jutting out of the waters. We also saw some crabs and reefs around the rocks. Finally we decided to let our legs in water and were chased by a guard to another side. So we walked over to the other side and had some cool drinks on the way. On the other side we played in the water for quite some time before we decided that we’ve had enough and then we settled down in the shade to relax. By this time we were pretty tired and wanted to get back to the hotel and relax for sometime as we had planned to come back to the beach in the evening. It was a grueling 40 minutes wait for the boat and then finally we had to take the 2 tiered approach back to the coast. R and VV were fast asleep on the way back while V and I were talking all the way. We got into a bus back to the hotel and on the way back VV showed us her cartographic skills and thanks to her we alighted right in front of our hotel. We then had a little lunch and a whole lot of amazing cool orange juice in mighty tall glasses. We retired back to our rooms deciding to meet at about 4:45pm.

At about 5pm V and I, and VV and GV let the hotel. We had some tiffin and then met R and family in the bus stop. We left to Malpe beach which was quite far away from the Malpe harbor that we visited in the morning. So out went the thought that we could hoof it from Malpe to Malpe Beach. Upon arrival at the beach GV and I pulled out our cameras to take pics of the setting sun. Once the sun decided to give us haath and go behind some clouds, we joined the rest in playing in the waves. SV had arranged for dinner at the temple and since V and me didn’t have a spare set of clothes, we didn’t attempt to get too wet though we did have our share of fun playing in the surf and the setting sun (wah wah wah). We all left from there back to our hotels and decided to clean up before we left to the temple. R and family hadn’t gone to the temple in the morning so they went in while V and I, and VV and GV went shopping in the stalls around the temple. We bought some stuff and also got to see the Utsav in the temple. There was some serious activity during the Utsav where we saw 100s of people pulling a Ratha protected by two towering guards and an elephant running around leading the procession. Soon SV called us into the temple for dinner and we had a simple but good dinner inside the temple. Once that was done, we retired to our rooms as we had to get up early the next day for the next leg of our journey.

Saturday 27th

The sumo had arrived at our hotel at about 6:30am and we got dressed and left to the sumo. V and I, and VV and GV got it and we reached the Kediyur hotel were R and family were there. We had a good breakfast and then all of us boarded the sumo and left from Udupi. The first stop was Anegudde temple. We reached there in good time and spent about 30 minutes there. Once we were finished with that we left to Kollur. After visiting the Kollur temple we had to take a jeep to reach the top of Kodachadri. The drive was harrowing to say the least. There were good roads for about 10-15 kms and then the dirt track started. On the way we almost missed hitting a bus and things were just getting warm. The jeep driver and the bus driver just looked at each other as though nothing great happened and moved on past each other. Soon we reached the dirt roads and we ploughed along narrow roads. Our driver had covered his face entirely with a white cloth and we were wondering whether he could see anything at all. He almost drove off the cliff while allowing another jeep coming from the opposite direction to pass. After he parked the jeep just inches from the drop, we realized that he had stopped not because of the brakes but because of a tree root that got in the way of the tyre. While returning down he gave us a few more heart attack moments, again attempting to drive off the cliff on one occasion and drifting past a bus in true Need for Speed ishtyle. R’s jeep too encountered an amazing incident when they met a driver of a jeep, which was on the way down the mountain, who told them that his brakes weren’t working. Like it was nothing very important, this driver told the other one to replace the brake oil and then there wont be any problem. Seriously!! I ought to give that a try sometime.

While we were up there on the mountain some of them went to try their luck at trekking and came back. I wanted to do some birding but was disappointed as it was midday and expecting a few swifts there were no birds in sight. Once we were nack at Kollur, we had lunch at a small hotel and then got into the sumo and headed on towards Murudeshwar. After a long drive we reached murudeshwar which had one of the biggest statues of Shiva in a temple along the beach. The beach was dirty and highly commercialized and we didn’t want to play there as our main priority was to get snaps of the sunset at Maravanthe. We left from there within a few minutes and drove to Maravanthe. This beach was totally untapped and raw. The highway passed so close to the beach, right between a river and the sea. The sides of the highway were protected from the ocean waves by huge slabs of granite to avoid corrosion. Again the sun disappointed us as we could not get good snaps of sunset. V and I sat down to create some sand castles while the rest enjoyed themselves in the surf. We left from there after having coconut water and sugarcane juice. Our priority was to reach Udupi before 8:00pm as we wanted to have dinner at a much reputed place called Diana. We reached on time and met SV and her dad there. Once in the hotel we ate some Dahi Puri and Pav Bhaji and most importantly we had the famous Gudbud ice cream which was one of the most important reasons we came to Diana hotel. Once that was done we went to the Diana store where I bought a packet of cashew biscuits and the rest did their shopping. Once we got back to the hotel, we did all the packing possible so that we have minimum work the next day and then we went to sleep.

Sunday 28th

As decided the previous night we got up early and after getting refreshed and taking a bath we completed the rest of the packing up and got ready to leave the hotel. We checked out of the hotel and after settling our bills, caught a couple of autos and went to the Hotel Kediyur where R and family were staying. We had decided to have breakfast there and the proceed to the bus station which was near their house to leave to Mangalore. We had a nice heavy breakfast that included some Buns and Rava Dosa. Then we walked to the bus stop and caught a waiting bus to Mangalore. The bus journey was supposed to take about 1 hour. So we bade SV’s dad farewell and left toward Mangalore. After talking a little while, V and me went off to sleep. We woke up a few stops before where we were supposed to get down and remove the luggage from the overhead racks. The moment we got down, we started sweating profusely thanks to the humidity there. We had to walk about 10 minutes to the hotel that SD had booked for us. It was to attend SD’s wedding for which we had come all the way to Udupi and Mangalore. Once we got ready(read as once the girls finished wearing saree and makeup), we left to the wedding hall. We caught whatever glimpse we could of a very short wedding and proceeded to wish the couple. SS and SN had come there that morning and we went for lunch with them. The lunch was good except for a small incident where they served a dish made of jackfruit. It looked so much like a non veg dish. The pieces had strands like the flesh of some animal and we assumed that it was mutton or fish. We were appalled that they served non veg without even asking us whether we want it or not. Thankfully they told us that it was jackfruit and not any non veg dish. I ate a few chunks and it felt like non veg as well. Hence I give to you Jackfruit – The vegetarians mutton. Its high time fast food chains looked at jackfruit as a  cost effective option to meat. It just needs the right flavouring and curries and no one will know the difference.

Once we had our fill, we left to the hotel. Meanwhile a friend that I had made on LJ called me up and asked if we were ready to come home. I had earlier talked to him over email and said that I would be visiting Mangalore and would come over to his place if possible. Unfortunately V wasn’t keeping to well and I was doubtful if we could make it. Also there was some VHP procession and there was no public transport in Mangalore that day. But we decided to go and meet PK and his wife and PK also offered to pick us up from our hotel. It was a short drive to his house. PK gave us a tour of his house which was splendid. V and I just loved their decoration taste and house design. We chatted for a while and then after having some delicious looking and tasting fruit salad with yummy Ice Cream, we decided to bid farewell and join our friends back at the hotel. PK dropped us back at the hotel. Meanwhile SS and SN had checked out of their hotel and had come over to our room. While we guys were relaxing in our room, the girls had ordered some coffee and invited us over to their room. So GV and I went over, with SN trudging behind feeling very sleepy. SN had decided that he would sleep even if the sky falls down. In the girls room we chatted a while thinking about the short wedding of SD and sharing some incidents with SV and SS. In between we had to make a lot of calls to the hotel and ask them to get the coffee soon.

R had meanwhile got out all the remaining snacks and we all started gorging ourselves silly on them. The coffee too arrived and we had that along with the snacks. Also an interesting topic of discussion was about hot water and cold water and how to convert empty bottles and plastic tumblers into funnels. R suggested yet again that we do something so as to not get bored and gave us the idea of playing Dumb Charades. She had wanted to play that the previous day in the jeep but we didn’t feel like it which turned her off. So today after a lot of reluctance we decided to play as we had nothing else to go since there was no public transport to go around and we were grounded in the hotel room. To play DC was one of the best suggestions that anyone could make and to accept that suggestion was the best decision that anyone could take, for we played and played and played and totally lost track of all time. R’s parents had gone to Kundapur earlier in the day and they came to our hotel room sometime in the afternoon and they too joined us for the DC. It was only at about 7:30pm that we realized that the buses would be leaving at around 9pm and we had to get ready and get to the bus station. So we finally and slowly stopped playing DC and packed up to leave to the station. SV, SS and SN had their bus at 9pm and they left early while the rest of us got ready and called 4 autos to take us to the station. Thankfully public transport had returned to normal and we reached the bus station without any problems. Once there we had to have some dinner as we hadn’t eaten a thing since afternoon. We were that engrossed in playing DC. 7 of us decided to eat at Pizza Hut while the rest went to a South Indian style eatery. We had 2 pizzas and 4 portions of garlic bread and left to the bus station which was right across the street.

The bus and the journey back was altogether another story. We had some problems while booking the return tickets and so we had got seats in a non-sleeper, non-AC bus. The bus came sometime later and one look at it and we didn’t feel like looking forward to the journey. But we had to go on and we boarded the bus and located our seats. V and I got the first two seats while the rest settled in somewhere behind. There were some problems for the other as they were seated at the back and weren’t comfortable. As much as they tried to get better seats, nothing worked out and they had to seat where they were. The most affected were probably VV, GV and R’s bro. I had noticed a small fan on top of our seats and realized that my neighbour had his fan on. Even I as found out how to switch on the fan and turned it on, the driver switched it off in hardly a few minutes time. There we sat again sweating our brains off. To make matters worse the bus suddenly stopped somewhere in a deserted part of the highway for some repairs. Here we were wanting to reach Bangalore early as we had to get to office on Monday and here was the bus stranded in the middle of nowhere. We were sweating like crazy and there was no respite in the form of a breeze as the bus was not moving. Further the driver had locked the exit door from the outside and turned all the lights off and this was even more haunting and irritating. Finally after about 45 minutes of silence and a few thuds and bangs later then driver entered the bus and we got moving. V and I had decided to sleep as we had to go to office early thanks to some meetings. I even had to ride my bike all of 30 kms from home to office without resting even a little bit. The journey back was speedy as the driver decided to rip to make up lost time. We got stuck in some traffic as we reached Peenya and slowly reached Majestic. V and I got down there, as opposed to our initial plans of going till 4th block Jayanagar in the bus, as we wanted to reach home early. Luckily we got an auto that was ready to take us to the dreaded JP Nagar area and reached home in sometime.

Once we were home we hurriedly took bath and got dressed and then we rode to office. Thankfully we didn’t fall asleep on the way to office. The much awaited trip was finally over and we had a lot of memories to fall back upon. Whew…..

The rest of the pics are accessible at my online album here. For access to the password protected album please contact me on my personal email.

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Tagged: mangalore, udupi