Dud Sea Scrawls The Writing, clearly, is not on the wall!

Was reading the blog by imp just now and thought about posting something about my travels. Had written one a couple of years ago, when I’d taken off at a moment’s notice. But my circumstances these days do not allow me such luxuries anymore. Here’s my travelogue…

I was so bugged with work for the last month of last year, that I was really tired. So on 1st Jan, I switched off my mobile and packed a back-pack, told no one where I was going including my parents ( for I myself did not know where I was going!!! ) but just that they need not worry for a week… and left. I went to the railway station took the first train which was available
which was, as luck would have it, to Hospet. No reservation, so sat in an jam packed, unreserved compartment… shivering and my teeth chattering in the biting cold. But couldn’t resist the temptation to sit on the steps of the doorway even when my hands were numb and had neither the strength or traction to grip on the slippery handrails. I was free…
By the time I reached Hospet, I was a solid block of Ice… Brushed my teeth and washed my face at a station tap. Met the auto driver from the previous trip and boy was he happy to see me… he was so disappointed when I told him, I’d be travelling by any mode of transport other than an auto… so I left Hospet
for the Ruins of a great empire at Hampi. Took a bus and reached Hampi, by that time, it was so hot that my dress were all sodden. I had thawed from an ice block to salt water… Went walking from one place to another in Hampi in the blistering sun, but relished every moment of my freedom.
Met a villager in a bullock cart who offered me a lift till Tungabhadra Dam… I fell asleep during a conversation because the grass which was spread on the cart was so cool. My friend, the villager woke me when we reached the dam. After seeing the dam, I took a bus to Hospet famished and tired. Ate ravenously and then was thinking of my next destination, when someone was speaking of a bus which would go to Mangalore.
I was surprised that my job was made so easy and decided to take that bus and check out the beaches of Mangalore. It also saved me the trouble of finding a place to stay for the night… this bus ride turned out to be an entire experience in itself. The bus was coming from Manthralaya which is in Andha Pradesh and had started at 2:00pm that day and reached Hospet at 10:30pm. I reached Mangalore at 8:am the next morning… the bus literally flew over the bad roads, never slowing down even when the road was all dug
up and potholed… the last seats were flying all over whenever the bus jumped over particularly deep potholes. This is one journey I’ll never forget. In Mangalore, I took a hotel room at Rs. 150 per day… cleaned up and then went to the city found an auto to take me to the old port. It is now the fishing port. I wanted to go on the fishing boats into the sea, but I wasn’t allowed. Next time, I’ll take a journalist pass… maybe a fake one but I badly want to go to the sea. Then I returned to the city and from there went to the “Ullal beach” or “Someshwara Temple beach” as it is also called. This was beautiful… Clear blue sky with no clouds, brilliant blue sea and one big rock… this is a sheer rock dipping into the sea which is very deep at that place, with a bucket like place where one can comfortably
sit… where I sat for a long time while my autowallah waited patiently for my return. Then the autowallah came looking for me because the place I was sitting was the usual place from where many people have committed suicide… and he was getting worried about me getting hypnotised by the water and doing the same… Then we both sat talking about things… he told me a lot of folklore and was surprised that I knew many stories before and also about “Yakshagaana”. He was thrilled to know that I
loved “Yakshagaana” but also sad there were no shows happening that week for me to watch… I loved this place, I decided that I’d be back. I enquired about a place called “Polali”, about 20 kms from Mangalore, where there is a beautiful temple of “Sri Rajarajeshwari” ( one of the various forms of Durga ) and took a bus to the place. It was such a beautiful place that I had no mind to go back to Mangalore, but all my belongings were there,
including most of the money… so I had no choice but to go back. I had time till 8:30 am to check out of the hotel, so woke up early and washed and left the hotel. “Panambore” was my next destination… the beach and the New Mangalore port. I took a bus to the place… This beach is very dangerous as it is very deep ( no wonder they built the new port here… ) I enjoyed the
place’s beauty for a long time and spent time collecting shells…
That evening while coming back to Mangalore, wondering what would be my next destination, I switched on my mobile and that literally ended my wandering… I got a call almost immediately from a friend, saying that another friend had been having serious health problems ( thankfully he has recovered and is well now ), so I decided to return to Bangalore. Took the night bus and was back in Bangalore on the morning of 5th Jan.