Wild Cat Ranch - Madikeri

Much awaited & probably the longest wait in my history of travel - a family trip! Can you believe it, waiting from June 2^nd 2006 till Dec 04^th 2011!

Either it was health, work, other occasions & all reasons except finance.

I finally managed to get the dates of everyone & plan this amazing vacation. After the usual research on Google, froze on Wild Cat Ranch in Madikeri.

We started at 0600 Hrs by Toyota Innova (driver Manju) & stopped for breakfast at the Kadamba. After a heavy breakfast, our next stop was the Golden Temple in Kushalnagar. The rich paintings & statues made us feel we were in a different world. Golden Temple to Nisargadhama was a short distance, we walked through the hanging bridge, the forest, Dad fed the fishes & Kiran fed the deer’s at Nisargadhama. 

We had lunch at Kushalnagar & headed out to Madikeri. Finding the Wild Cat Ranch was easy with the directions given by its owner. The place was love at first sight – located right in the center of coffee plantation. Though not a luxurious place with all the amenities, it had the basics in place& most importantly was very clean & spacious. 

In the evening, we set out to Raja Seat, watched the sunset & enjoyed the toy train ride – a wonderful experience of being together with family. Skanda was the highlight who made everything bright around him.

Dinner was good authentic coorg vegetarian food & tired with the journey of joy, we fell asleep in no time. Wake up call was the chirping of birds & the morning mist. Vidya & Ramya had fun collecting pepper from the creepers while I & Kiran were busy with photography. After breakfast the next day morning, we checked out of the ranch & headed to Talakaveri. 

Talakaveri is a must visit for all those who have tasted the richness of river Kaveri. Nature just gives a glimpse of what appears to be a small tank – the birth place of Kaveri. The trek to Brahmagiri was challenging & I must admit, my Dad outbeat a lot of youth who were struggling to climb the hill. After enjoying the beauty & scenery the hill had to offer, we descended down.

Had lunch enroute at Madikeri & were back home by night. This is a memorable journey with my Parents, Wife, Ramya, Kiran & Skanda.

Hope to do more of such getaways as & when we get an opportunity.

Tusk N Dawn - Sakleshpur

After the relaxing Rappa, the gang wanted more of a similar adventure and hence "Tusk N Dawn". Wonderful drive through the western ghats with a heavy breakfast at Channarayapatna. There are no sign boards, hence you have to depend on the driving instructions given by the owner of the place.

It's an awesome feeling driving away from the hush of the city to the town, then the villages and at the end into the wild itself. You have to cross a stream and I must say Rufi's Santro did a good job though it's toughness had to be certified on our return.

You literally reach the end of the road and there is Tusk N Dawn amidst the beauty of the wild. Cute cottages with modern facilities.

We spent the afternoon at the waterfall, in fact we were the owners of the falls - all by ourselves and not a soul in sight. It was great to be catching up with friends after a long time now.

After a heavy lunch, I dozed off to glory and the rest of them continued the party. Bonfire under the full moon and with spirits can be amazing.

Rufi experimented with my new Sony HX100V and the tripod. For those of you willing to spend some time here, book for a two night stay.

For those of you willing to trekk, it is an awesome location. The food served is delicious and its a paradise for bird watching. A perfect getaway for family unlike the Rappa which is for bachelors.

the Silver Oaks

After the magic moments filled our hearts on a honeymoon to Woodway estate & the Serai in Chikkamagalur, we were longing to go to a place during the rainy season, to be amidst nature, to listen to the songs of the birds, watch the sunset, read minds in silence & a little adventure with good delicious cuisine.

Google has been a great help in life’s elongated searches & in a corner of Virajpet was found “the Silver Oaks” – true to every single word in what we wanted. Reservation was made without a second thought for 2Nights/2Days. July 3^rd, 4^th & 5^th July 2011.

On June we reached Virajpet & were greeted by the driver Jai who drove us to the Silver Oaks. We entered the cottage named woodpecker & fell in love with the interiors – raised stone platform with mattress which served as the bed, antiques that decorated the walls & a naturally lit bathroom. The balcony opened to a small man made pond & agricultural fields with the background of the mountains. Cool breeze & the mist greeted good morning & on the lawn near the pond were two ducks, sleeping with their heads stuck inside their wings.

We just threw the luggage & were eager to explore the place before heading out for lunch. We stepped out of the cottage to be surprised by the drizzle. Holding the umbrella we roamed around the place & were hungry enough for a good treat. The food was delicious – though not much variety, it was fresh & with the strong aroma of the wet soil, it was a different experience listening to the rain clashing against the thatched roof & the view of the pool.

After lunch, we took a short nap – who wouldn’t want to, with such serene environment & silence? We spent the evening on the balcony watching the sunset which was playing hide & seek in the rain, pond, the fields, birds & the mountains in the screen covered by rain.

Dinner was one its kind experience, just the two of us & the silence of the night broken by the croaks & chirping of insects… lovely!

We woke up to the call of the cuckoos & after breakfast, Jai was ready to drive us around the wonderful estates enroute to Dubare Elephant training camp, Nisargadhama & the Golden Temple at Kushalnagar. It was fun watching the elephants doing the morning drill before they head out to the forest for work. Brilliant bonding of the mahout & the elephants – was it love or fear I couldn’t make out?

Vidya in the playful mood while crossing the Cauvery gave her engagement ring as a gift to all goodness that SHE had witnessed & was sure to continue as long as I’m by HER side – SHE is splendid!

We returned by evening & spent the rest of our time enjoying like there’s no tomorrow. And it turned out that there was tomorrow because it was declared Karnataka bandh & no buses to fetch us back to Bangalore. Bob was very helpful in cancelling our existing reservation & making a new one for the next day. We walked in the rain, peddled in the small boat in the small pond & watched the birds & the farmers working in the fields – it was raining only for us. Rain had little or no effect on things around us. They had adapted & we found that amusing. What a difference in life? 

Next morning after breakfast we bid goodbye to Bob, the staff & the lovely Silver Oaks. Thanks to everyone who created this wonderful vacation for us.

Preamble to the mishap

Life hardens you the most when you least expected.

My father was a healthy retired man when suddenly clear fluid started flowing from his left nostril. Initially we thought it was common cold and when it did not stop, he visited a couple of doctors who did not diagnose correctly. Finally it was Dr. BG Rudrappa who did a MRI scan and informed us that it was the brain fluid which is leaking because of an impact that would have happened. We were not sure when my Father had an impact blow on his forehead. On flash back we realized, that an year ago, when kids were playing cricket in front of the house, the leather ball had hit him on the forehead. Though it pained, he recovered soon and later we forgot about it.

And, on Dr.Rudrappa's advise, he was asked not to bend down, lift heavy things and sleep with the head on a higher pillow. The membrane would heal by itself. Life was usual for the next month or so.

It was another sunny day in our lives when we set out for a temple visit of our family deity Mavinakere LakshmiVenkataramana Swamy on 26th June 2011.

The trip was filled with fun and songs sung by my Father. He was excited as always. We spent a good amount of time in Mavinakere before heading out to Hebbale - the birth place of my Grandfather. Dad & I got into the river Hemavati for a bath and it started raining. We did not care much and enroute, I turned the car towards Shravanabelagola to visit the Gomateshwara temple.

In front of the Mavinakere temple

My Father climbed the hill one go, putting the rest of us to shame in front of his stamina and energy. He did not spend much time on the top either. He quickly descended down and even gave climbing tips to folks who were struggling.

Anna giving tips on how to climb

The trip was a blessed one without any accidents or unpleasant events.

The next day 27th June 2011, I left for office by 1730 Hrs and he bid me good bye. Everything was good till the time Vidya called me at 0100 Hrs telling me that Anna has collapsed in the bathroom. With the help of the neighbors they had lifted him to the hall. I asked her to stay calm and describe the symptoms. From what she described, it appeared like stroke. I gave her instructions which My Father had taught me on what should be done in case of a stroke.

I immediately left from office and by then Kiran had reached home. Kiran, Vidya and Rajappa uncle had shifted him to St.Johns hospital. When I arrived at the hospital, they had done the blood sugar test which was at 400. He went through a MRI scan and the duty doctor told, everything is normal and its probably because of the high blood sugar he collapsed.

Post Surgery with the drain connected straight to the brain

His condition was still critical, jaws opened, eyes frozen in a open state turned towards the right and no movement on the left side of his body. Not sure if he was even able to listen to what we were saying.

Without second thoughts we rushed him to Apollo hospital in an ambulance. Now it was me and him in an unconscious state in the ambulance. He vomited bile which was a clear indication that he had a seizure.

The duty doctor who examined him immediately called Dr.Ashok who is a neurologist. Within 5 minutes Dr.Ashok was there and asked me a lot of questions and I did inform him about the clear fluid leaking from his left nostril which had stopped. Looking at Fathers symptoms, he informed me that he should be moved to ICU. I resisted telling him that my Father was fit and fine last evening and what would have happened in such a short time. He convinced me that the MRI looks fine, however the seizures may take sometime to show on the reports. Also he needs to investigate on the brain fluid which may have caused the seizures.

He was moved to the ICU and we were still thinking once the blood sugar comes to normal he would be fine but fate had other plans. After the diagnosis the doctors identified that he was suffering from bacterial meningitis to the brain. Step one was to kill the bacteria and prevent it from multiplying. On day two, Dr. Ashok informed me that my Father is still in danger and the chances of his survival is only 10%. The medicine administered has killed the bacteria which was confirmed by the lumbar puncture test. But the threat was in eliminating the dead bacteria from his brain which could turn into venom. It was a tough message and I and Kiran had to prepare everyone at home to face the worst. He was in coma for 5 days. On day five I called my friend Nagaraj who is an anesthetist. He rushed to the ICU and shouted my Dad's name to which he responded. He came out and shouted at me telling that, your Father is not in coma and he should be taken out of the ventilator the next day.

SaiBaba to the rescue - Day five before Nagaraj could visit, my friend Gaurav visited the hospital and gave me a picture of Saibaba and a little ash to be applied on his forehead. I placed the picture on the window where my Father could see if he were to open his eyes. And as it turned out, Baba had come in the form of Nagaraj bringing hopes and reassuring everything will be fine and he will recover.

Day six, Father was out of the ventilator and he was able to breathe on his own. The only name he could remember was mine. His memory was erased to a great extent. To that extent, that he had forgotten Mother's name, confused between Vidya and Ramya. Kiran, Skanda and the rest of them did not even exist in his memory. It was now tough with his hallucinations of a 200 feet snake, Saibaba trying to protect him, his bed going up and down. He had slipped back in time to his days in BOSCH.

He repeated the same things over and over again to me. When I tried telling him about Mom, Skanda and Ramya, it had no impact on him at all. It took some time for him to be able to recollect faces and attach a name to them.

The doctors discharged him and it was not over yet. He had to undergo a surgery after a month to plug the torn membrane and prevent a similar infection from occurring again.

A million thanks to Dr. Ashok and Dr. Praharaj who performed the surgery and within 2 days he was discharged.

He was on medication for good three months and now along with memories, its a thin scar that remains on his head.

GOD shows up in different forms - you have to be awake to see HIM. Nagaraj, Gaurav and his family, the Doctors and the neighbors.

“Royal Enfield” – thy name roars! Dream History & Reality!

A post that was long due to my lovely family & friends...

Childhood: I was in primary school & my evenings after completing my homework would be to play marbles with my friends in the small playground opposite to my home. Thanks to the wonderful fields, open country, the cemetery, big open well, chirping birds that surrounded our small little home with strange reptiles that would often pay visit & the silent night that woke up to the cries of the big owl family & the fierce & sharp howling of the nearby stray dogs. I would, every now & then be distracted with my game & studies with the beat of the Bullet of uncle Ramu. I would listen to the beat of the Bullet & the sound would continue to reverberate in my ears. I wondered at the robust machine & at a young age compared Bullet with other bikes. Though my knowledge was limited to the knowledge of the friends around me, whenever I got someone who could tell me about Bullet, I would be all ears paying attention to the details of the description. The sound would last though the Bullet had gone beyond sight.

Thus began my curiosity of the Bullet which, one day I wanted to own.

"Master & the Beast"

Childhood through 17 Yrs age: I remember the conversations with my friends about Royal Enfield and I should say – it was a registered dream. When I was in MICO, I got more exposure on the mechanical aspects of my dream bike & the judgment in the mind & heart was made “Royal Enfield was engineered” while others were manufactured. My dear sister Ramya, friends Sridhar & Naveen would vouch for the passion.

17 through 30: My Father gifted me a Hero Honda CD100ss in 1997 & I rode it for a good 13 years. Though my craving for the thud stayed on, hidden & waiting to take over – Dream is indeed an opportunist & who am I to deny?

Not every hunt ends in a kill: Back in 2003, when I was an Assistant Driver with South Western Railways located at Hubli, I paid several visits to the Bullet garage but fate had it that I could never meet the owner to discuss on buying a second hand Bullet. In 2007, I visited the Royal Enfield showroom in Bangalore, got the quotation & thought I had made it when my Parents succeeded in convincing me that the time has not yet come.

Small Turns: Oh! A wonderful thing happened en-route life – My wedding with Srividya. Though the love story began on my Hero Honda which by now had taken the look of a Nazi with a swastika on the tank & the sides, I had slowly but effectively set the frequency of my love on the one that I have always loved. She would tell me of the glow in my eyes when I spoke of RE & after 6 months into marriage, was crazy as me but being a pillion is what she chose. 

Now that I had sold my Hero Honda & everyone convinced or confused, I’m not sure, I had to book my Dream Bike. The plan took a back seat for a while since my cousin flew to Germany on work & I had to keep his bike in the interim.

"Made like a Gun"

Thanks to Google: Productive hours at work went into research, analysis & making up my mind on which one? There was the 350 Standard, Machismo, Thunderbird, Electra, and Classic 350 & 500. If looks could kill it was Classic 350 that did the honors. Moreover, the new classic model inspired by World War II had to inspire me – a war freak! Specification read, re-read & re-read over a hundred times because “you don’t buy a Bull, you own a Bull”

Colour: Though a firm believer in black & white initially chose red as it represented passion, anger & blood. My wallpaper was an elegant picture of the beauty in red. 

Beauty in Red

Final verdict of all those who cared: Dad was convinced that I wouldn’t agree for anything lesser than Bullet, Mom tried but failed in convincing me that 1.25 lakh can be better utilized, my wife was happy that it’s happening & so was my dearest sister & brother in law was as excited as me in the classic 350. I knew my nephew Skanda would love the rides on my dream bike.

Booked & the wait that was shocking: After a couple of visits to the Royal Enfield showroom along with Dad & Vidya, on September 18^th 2010 Red Classic 350 was booked. The wait time was a little under 9months was what the showroom mentioned. Did I have a choice? Hell no! I had to wait – I have waited since childhood & I was happy, excited, thrilled, amazed & what not about the bike that I shall OWN.

Majesty!

Change in colour: Red definitely looked stunning but black was evergreen. Having contemplated many times, during the 6^th month of the waiting period changed the colour from Red to Black. May be the book Black Beauty had its impact unknown.

What’s in a number: Though not a believer in Astrology & Numerology, since my last number plate added to the number 9 & the rides were pleasant with no obstacles, I wanted the number to add upto 9 for which I had to pay 3000 rupees more.

Sum to "9"

Co-incidence of events & belief’s: My parents always buy things on a Thursday & so it happened. On Thursday the June 2^nd 2011 my Black Classic 350 was delivered adding to the celebration of my Sister & brother in law’s 6^th year wedding anniversary.

Looking forward to the long joyous rides ahead & the tag line of this blog “Where Dreams meet the conspiracies of Life”