Friday, February 01, 2013
Karwar: Start of a memory
North Karnataka or more pleasantly said, Uttar Karnataka is a land which triggers different emotions to different people. Those who actually travel from Bangalore towards the norther borders will curse as well as exclaim during the course of the travel. The land is vast and plain. You will travel on a straight road, as if the road can only end in your destination and the only thing preventing you from seeing that, is the curvature of earth.
My friend, HK had asked me two weeks back whether I was interested in going to Gokarna and Karwar. I said yes, knowing that I had been to Karwar and didn't find it the least interesting. I told that unless he decides soon, I might go to Thrissur. On that Tuesday night, I called him up and asked him if anything was decided - Niet - came the reply. I said, then I will try to book tatkal and go the opposite way (only the relative distance might have changed if they actually went ahead). But what I did fifteen minutes later, maybe defines my group, I called him up and said, I am not going home, plan or no plan.
Wednesday: No plan as of evening. I was chatting with HK and he said, nothing has happened, and I fell asleep. Thurday. Same case until I fell asleep. Then a call(which was dropped) and an SMS - "ALL SET".
We were going on Friday to Karwar by 930 bus -special bus. I didnt have a clue on any of the plans. Didnt know who all were coming even. I told HK I shall leave from office early, and he told me to reach his place by 630. I came to my room at 530 and started packing. The only thing which was more than one was socks and undies. No towells or toothpaste or soap :). My past experience have made me a very light traveller, and sagacious too. HK came and picked me from my place at 630. I reached his place and found another college friend. JD. WTF. He had been back from London last month. WTF (Again). I came to know he went one month late and now this too. Anyway, he had brought Davidoffs :D Thats my brand. And, I came to know that there is one more guy who will be joining us from Silk Board. Didn't know him other than name (and blurred memory from EC dept quintessential interactions), and all those were to be past. Slowly, I came to realise where we are going. We were going to a resort. No more info. I guess nobody had.
We started walking to silk board from where we planned to take a rick or bus. I was in no mood for rick, and inhale all the gasses which even the Nazis would have loved to try out in Auchwitz. Minutes later, it started. I saw a girl coming from opposite. Everyone saw, but my concentration was more over on what was written on her T. LONDON PARIS NEW YORK (maybe) and coudn't read ahead. Aaro paranju, Namitha ennu. Njan aatmagatham paranju, shariyaya comparison. I asked whether that girls name is Namitha. Laughter. Nimittham aayirunnu. Engilum iksha bhodichu. Namitha aanu bhedam. Pinne vazhiyil Namitha-Nimittham muzhuvan analysis aayi. Angane vazhiyil vachu oru Namitha-yude thuda kandu njan paranju, shariyaya broiler chicken kaalu. Appol the Ghengis Khan full attention-il aayi. Aravindakshan started laughing. It was his fetish. Wow. Ghengis Khan is true Mongol. I did not speak much. Pandarakaalan HK unde.
We reached silk board and was waiting for Chinthu aka Chindan. As I said, I didnt know him from anything other than his original name. Guys were saying about him being in Majestic. Anyway, he came, on time. No introductions. I was gathering information. Aravindakshan had already started networking the moment he got into the bus. JD was commenting on the rush. Yevanmarkonnum veettil irunnukoode. Majestic was 40 min far according to Chindan. I didn't think so. Had heard people saying it took them around 2 hrs. Damn. Its already 7. I don't like last min rush. Chindan was to have a good time on this trip. His predictions were gonna come correct half the time (which according to popular conception, was very high average). We reached Anand Rao Circle on time. All set to eat. Everyone was afraid of non veg while on trip. My travellers instinct said, both are equally bad. Better have something which is tasty. Anyway, I went ahead with plan to eat from Adigas or something. Dont remember the name. There was only one Namitha over there. I ordered what I wanted, thinking I will eat less. Aravindakshan aakrantham kaanichu Namitha irikunna table-inte aduthu poyi oru excuse me kaachi. Thirinju polum nokkande aval plate avide vachu angu oru nadatham. Chai kaapi ellam kudichittu poya mathiyille ennu ente manasu. Aval kettilla ennu thonnunnu.
After dinner, we all started walking towards Sea bird office. Appol Chindanu underwear vanganam ennu. Anagane oru sathanam use cheyyathathu kondu veettil illa ennu. Shari. Aravindakshan ettu select cheyyan sahayikkan. Briefs-il avane kazhinju illallo vere aalkar. Njangal boarding point-il vachittu kaanam ennu paranju nadannu thudangi.
We reached one hour earlier. There were gangs going to Goa. And we started. Lesham adhikaprasangangal aayathu kondu muzhuvan ezhuthunilla. An Isusu was our vehicle. Ella multi axle-um Volve alla ennu bodhyapettu JD-kkum Khan Sahib-inum. Khan Sahib pazhaya kuthirakalude aashan aaayathu kondu, atheya ennu paranju sambhashanam nirthi. JD athu athra pidichilla. Ithil enthengilum funda kettanam. Aalochichittum aalochichittum onnum kittande aayeppol adutha Namithaye target cheyyam ennu vachittu aa topic vittu. We were feeling stifled in the office so we came outside. There was a guy, who was behaving like, ehm, not so guy like. Who noticed this, I didn't know because I was getting reinforcements on my observations on North Indain girls' flab. This was pointed out to me by HK. Nobody was interested, so we had other far globally challenging topics to be commentated up on.
Our Isuzu came. I got in after JD and Chindan, which was the biggest mistake I was going to make in the trip. I saw two foreigners, beautiful ladies sitting seats near to theirs. Damn. These girls were really good looking. Anyway, the whole night went looking at them for JD and Chindan. JD for one was looking despondent as it soon will be end of world for him. Me and Gengis were getting realistic, that these things were not meant for us. Well, kittatha munthiringa pulikkum ennathu ethra sheriya. So to say about the photo on right, we did not see that girl anywhere during our trip, nor is she in anyway related to my narrative, although the boat and beach is.Somewhere beyond that you shall see an island, and that is where we were holed up. There is a long winding path to reach there, but people usually take easier sea route. Now for further explanation we shall stick to the thread of narrative rather than go about like Joyce.
And then came the jolt. Bus stopped for dinner at some hotel. I was carefree as usual. We came out, took couple of water bottles, relieved ourselves of excess water and then stood there for smoke. JD was puffing as if his life ended with each inhalation. Well, it is true, literally and metaphorically. He was going to get married soon and his would be did not know about his habit (most probably will not allow later on also). Thus relaxed, we got in again and made it a point to make less noise. There was little light, I put my hands on my pocket and felt something missing. My credit card was missing. Damn. I was worried. All my carefree-ness went like inflated balloon. Luckily HK had ICICI customer care number. I called them up, knew my details which was required to block the card and was relaxed once again. It was later on that I realized that the place that I was going had no use for credit cards. It took only solid Gandhi's of various colors.
Morning came, we were all up. Chindan took his D-SLR and started shooting randomly which would shame even the columbine guy. Unfortunately, everyone wanted a piece of the action. His camera was took from him very soon by the great Khan who was sitting beside me and we started fooling around. We were not in the ilk of others, who took photos of a single stone in 15 deg perspective and 90 degree angle. It was only HK who was sane enough to ask where we have to alight and this question he put to Chindan, our tour organiser. He did not know, but Aravindakshan took out his S2 and started Maps. It was supposed to be somewhere on the highway, and we got down a kilometer ahead. It is always hard time for me in morning to be without proper morning ablutions. Unlike others, cigarette for me stops my normal pressure valve working. So I lighted up another and we started. As typical of Malayalis, we decided the best way to reach was "choyichu choyichu povaam".
After an hour of hard walk and inquiring, we reached our Fort abode.
Now for the rest of the story, do bear with me, for I will need to rake up my memory of two years past. Though I assure you, each memory which still remains is one that is treasured more and the ones that is gone, was never meant to be shared :).
