Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: till 2:30 am
Decided that enough we planned to plan. No more chickening out, no more excuses, no more delays. Just Do It. Planned to go out in the morning as early as possible, destination not confirmed. Direction of travel not confirmed.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 2:30 am
Moodbidri : According to my fellow traveller, land of 18 lakes. Packed towel and change of shorts. Knew only that there was a road and a temple of thousand pillars. Enough Incentive.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 4:45 am
My body had not even reached the first stage of sleep, only to find my fellow traveller in my room , waking me up to get ready to ‘get a move on’
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 5:15 am
We escape the clutches of the dobermen at entry, legally. and start ripping up the roads!!
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 6:00 am (appx)
“If my memory serves me right, the road is smooth from here on” thus spake the oracle, my fellow passenger. I accelerate and promptly we encounter a ‘huge’ pothole and a ball crunching moment is forever recorded in the annals of the history of our lives. We had to halt, make exaggerated grimaces and try to laugh the pain away. We poke and prod the suspension of the front wheel which groans and moans suspiciously; entirely feasibility of the trip is suddenly questioned.
We are fool-hardy enough to continue, albeit at a much cautious pace.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 6:53 am
We make our first stop, near a stone quarry. Out comes the tripod and the camera and the first set of snaps are shot.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 7:30 am
We reach our first proper stop: The Jain temple. A quick sprint uphill to try to capture the sunrise. Brilliant entry: dew encrusted grass, devoid of human presence, as I push aside the creaky ancient gate and step in, the only marks on the grass are my foot-steps: A total Tomb Raider moment (albeit hot chick) .
Then the photo-session continued….
(And oh btw, my friend used the snap as his profile picture on Facebook and got 160+ likes…
Either he is a politician in the making or he is a relic among the relics; classic complimentary composition.)
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 8:00 am
Utilized the freedom of being on a bike by making another impromptu stop. Was on the look-out for a traditional architecture, found one, clicked it. along with a beautiful green composition.
Metres ahead, stopped near a pond, and took a few more.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 8:25 am
A series of snaps that captured the essence of the trip: A single example.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 9:45 am
Reached the temple of Thousand Pillars. Strangely silent, serene and uncluttered. Best of all, not crowded.
Clicked snaps, walked around, sat and dozed ( remember, running on sleep deficit, reserve battery) and finally decided to start back.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 10:30 am
Found a dried up typical stepped-pond and curious structures near it, possibly tombs.
Date: 12 Nov 2012 | Time: 11:00 am
My passenger started dozing on the way back, sitting on a bike. So When I spotted a road roller on the way, I decided to wake him up and we had another spree of clicking.
Finally we reached the campus, very sleepy, very tired, moderately satisfied ( because we did not get a place to bathe and all that clothes we lugged around were essentially unused). And I almost joined another group for a trip to Mangalore, immediately after.
But a road trip is a road trip is a road trip. And nothing beats early morning empty roads, a finely tuned bike, two motor-mouths screaming their heads off and making old respected musical idols turn and toss in their graves. Like a dog with its tongue out, head outside the window of the car, the pleasures of a road trip will, hopefully, God-willing never ever fade or lose its charm and fascination. The breeze, the very anti-thesis of stagnation (motion) and the very bold statement of freedom that it promises will continue to light my face up every time such opportunities present themselves to me.
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