Grand Voyages, Great Lies

…after a month a Sadhana Forest we are ready to get on the road. We have a bus ticket bound for Bangalore on monday and a hostel awaiting our arrival.

Last week we went on a 6 day impulsive excursion with two american guys we met at the lodge to Kodaikanal- 12hours ( 8 hours on the decent) south west and 7000ft up.  We took a semi-sleeper bus for around 5 pounds and the journey went smoothly…apart from an hours drop off waiting for a transfer we had no idea about. We were woken at 5am and scurried off the bus at a place which could of been anywhere….we were given chairs so it looked liked we were in for a wait, so we cracked open some peanut butter.

Climbing up the mountain road to Kodai actually took my breath away. Ive seen beautiful sights before but at 7am looking at the lush green forrested mountains above and below the snaking road, for a breif moment i actually didnt breathe. Waterfalls cascaded from the other side of the valley and clouds drifted just metres away blocking views momentarily.

We had considfered staying in Vattakanal so unpon arrival (after a breakfast of iddly and REAL dosa) we jumped in a taxi van and drove away from the entrance of the swish hotel we had been dropped infront of. As we drove bumpily down what i would later learn was Vattakanal Road, one of our american friends requested to stop at what he was almost certain was the small house of a man he had stayed with on a previous trip. Strangely/luckily since this man David didnt live there himself, he was at this house feeding his dogs he kept there…and even more strangely/luckily he remember our friend.

After a breif inspection of the house- 3 small stone rooms with a kitchen, bedroom with a double bed and a double fl0or materess, and a storage room- we were happy to stay foor the tiny price of 2pounds a night and the  sweet chai(tea) which the elderly indian man with a variation of a handlebar mustache made every two hours when we were home. On offering him some boiled egg one morning – he accepted politely- we learnt that normally he doesnt really eat breakfast , or lunch, he starts the day with grass and beedie follwed by chai and beedie every 2hours.

We walked the 3km to Kodaikanal and Green Valley View ( a valley not green but a mass of white cloud blocking EVERYTHING- you could of been at the end of the world) most days. Passing the trees, monkeys and endless stalls and shops selling oils, spices and chocolate – a novelty up in the cool mountanis with the promise upon purchase that it wouldnt melt for 40days. We in turn were passed by locals, taxis a few scattered tourists and clouds that brushed our faces.

The weather and enviroment was such a contrast from pondicherry and auroville. We were still in the same state of Tamil Nadu but we had replaces the flag like stripes of red earth, sparse but green trees and blue skies with lush green grass, dense trees and cooling white clouds. The evenings in our small stone dwelling reduced us to wrap up in wollen blankets agaainst the cold…and also the mystery biting creature- in our tired state we concluded it could of been the blanket. It was pretty sharp. Though the ridiculosity of the biting blanket and the awarness of teeth kept us awake with laughter and angst.

We ate a lot of iddly – rice flour balls served cold for breakfast with various sauces and cooked for ourselves – a rare change from the mass meals prepared at the lodge. The jounrney home ran smoothly…to smooth as we arrived in Pondy at 3am and were forced ( but lucky enough) to hail a rickshaw back to Sadhana. But we had the jounry down the mountains fresh in our mind. It had been noisy and colourful with the fire works of dwaili, and exciting and invigorating if you include the 5000 large fire crackers set off with out warning at our feet while waiting to board our return bus. We were bombarded with shells and force to take cover behind the wall we had been sitting on….maybe we should of moved when the indian men started to unroll a supisious long thin red strip over 4 metres long…passing right by us…..or even before that when they appeared with a large red box with warning signs on…..but we had done as the locals did and sit by…..idle and trying to fit in….the result was loss of hearing and bags covered with ash and shells…

Sunday, we decided to keep the adventurous spirit of the weekend and venture into Pondicherry. Catching the bus from thee side of the busy road- after a hot walk up the dirt track was simple, standing on the bus was not. We squeezed on and quickly became used to rubbing up very close against our fellow passengers- no issue and for 4 rupees, less then 5pence we were speed into the centre of Pondi. On the way we had  the journey entertainment. Signs and advertisements stating ‘123STD’  and ‘Customer is God’

Pondicherry will never be descirbed as a typical Indian city/town due to its French colonial past, but for my first view of city in India, it seemed just as it should be; busy, noisy,warmed and colourful. We explored the streets, visited the ashram and refreshed all of our five sense at Goubert market. We ate in a pure veg restaurant, sticking for once to our vegetarian diets at Sadhana. Then haggled for a rickshaw home.

Full moon Sunday evening meant after dinner we gathered fire wood and met at the mudpool for music and swimming. Squelching our feet into the soft warm mud beneath the cloudy murk of the water.

Health is a big issue here with atleast one person suffering from some form of illness each day,living and working so closely with the earth and within close proximity with a lot of people can spread germs easily.plenty of water is required and and homeopathic remedies are popular on a daily basis, simple things like turmeric in water to improve the immune system

Back to work this week tired us slightly, me especially waking at 5am to mission around the huts to play harmonica accompanied by drums- with the aim of gently waking the rest of the volunteers. Tuesday evening, last nite, with my bike still needing to be fixed we walked up to koot road- the nearest strip of shops and road side eateries. I sampled the things i had been told so much about, chi, dosa and beedie The chi is the Indian tea made very milky and sweet- i swear this one was made with cream- but served in a small glass it was a small sweet treat which was welcomed after the lack of sugar and fat we get from our vegan diet. The dosa didnt impress me much, more of a small thick pancake- though i was told that the better dosa are thinner and crispier.

It was surreal again to be walking through the indian villages under a disapearing moon with a group of fun and interrestinf people from th lodge, with talk mainly of experiences traveling and the differences in how we live back home.

I have been organising the library here and wish i could bring half of it with me on the rest of my trip. Colourful books on topics from anthropology to enviromental issues and novels from the far east.  ……a sleep in the hammock with one of the books resting next to me …then when its cooler around 4am a dip in the pool will be very welcome…..

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