Now, this is an LP trained and experience in operating a passenger train and he showed his class. Terrific acceleration and precise deceleration at every halt enroute and he was able to manage the Rewari – Delhi Sarai Rohilla almost 25 minutes faster than the morning saga where our express train was made into a passenger. The best I could compare it is with how an highway expert driver would suffer in city traffic. Our train to Jalandhar later in the night is supposed to leave from Old Delhi and we had a couple of hours to quickly pack our stuff and get to Old Delhi, where we would re-unite with our team leader. If I recollect correctly, it was Id that day and it had a surprise in store for us
IGI Airport Terminal 3 enroute our Delhi – Rewari Run
My friends and self quickly freshened up, packed our bags, fueled up with a few roadside parathas, tea , french toasts and stuff and made our way to the station to take the next train to Old Delhi. Our tickets were not confirmed and read RAC 7,8 & 9 when checked last. Having followed the trend, we were sure of it getting confirmed and made a quick customary check to find our berth allocation. Much to our horror and surprise, confirmations decided to give us a pass and we had to be content with a final RAC allocation. Since our travel for the next night also rests in balance, we decided to book a last minute Tatkal reservation in any train for travel the next day. We were fortunate enough to get the final 4 Tatkal 3AC tickets on the Udhampur – Sarai Rohilla AC express, which is notorious for its 30 minutes before time arrival
The next Old Delhi bound passenger arrived with its customary 15 minute delay. Fifteen minutes later, we were offloading some of our luggage at the Old Delhi cloak room attended indifferently by a couple of inefficient attendants. After praying for the well being of the luggage, we regrouped quickly and met our organizer with his efficiently packed luggage and decided to quickly roam around the station to lift up our spirits. After spending close to an hour roaming the not so enjoyable streets and bylanes around the station, some passerby took pity on us and reminded us of Id and that the city was dry upto its bone. It took another 5-10 folks to convince the entire group and we took the long walk back to the station and settled for a simple tasteless station restaurant meals and kadak roadside tea. By now the rest of the gang arrived and after a bit of platform hunting for first time Old Delhi station users like me, we managed to find our platform and our train and quickly settled down to what is going to be a long and restless night. As the clock moved past 22:45, our Pushpak hauled express, chugged out on time with the TTE assuring us of a berth very soon
Dauladhar Express bound for Pathankot taking a short break at Jakhal Junction after a breathless run
What happened next was an absolute mess or a well organized scam by our TTE. A large group of travellers started messing around completely with their berths between multiple coaches and the TTE was completely exhausted and confused by the time he could verify the occupancy off every single berth. After a long 2 hours, he gets back to us and requests one of us to move to a berth in another coach. Eagerly looking forward for a quiet night’s rest, I was quick to move in the direction indicated by the TTE with my luggage only to realize that the berth TTE had to offer us was already occupied by a legal passenger. This drama happened with another couple of such discoveries by the TTE with the same result. Subsequent offers by the TTE were politely turned down by us as we found staying the night up seemed to be a better proposition than trying to shift berths every ten minutes. Having said that we had 4 berths for 6 of us and decided to play musical berths for the night. Luckily for us an elderly couple who wanted to deboard around 5 AM in the morning were all set and ready by around 3 AM just in case they miss their destination and we were able to occupy their berths albeit for a short while. The only entertainment on such a stressful night was our own technically , but not in spirit elderly trip organizer asking the elderly lady (Well she must be around 50 I guess) , “Auntyji, are you getting down soon ?” and the subsequent responses. With the elderly couple de-boarding at Ludhiana, the entire gang was able to take a very short, but refreshing break to rejuvenate ourselves for an exciting day ahead
Reached Jalandhar cantonment around 6:15 in the morning. Just as were regrouping and deciding our next course of action, we felt some T-rex like vibrations of Jurassic park and high pitched screams from an unmistakably electric loco as the New Delhi bound Amritsar Shatabdi express decimated Jalandhar cantonment with pure aggression and demonstrating the doppler effect to perfection. The closed environment of the railway station made the experience very sinister to say the least. Hired a couple of autos and got ourselves dropped near Jalandhar City station and checked into a budget lodging for freshening up and getting ready for the visit. A few of us decided to visit the station to evaluate and gauge the distance and time it would take to reach the station from our lodging. Having gone all the way to the station, we decided to get the tickets for our train to Kapurthala RCF as well to avoid last minute panic. Quickly returned to our lodge, freshened up and with all documents ready, made our way to the station. Our local passenger is scheduled to leave for RCF at 9AM. Breakfast & tea was quickly followed by a spirited dash in search of our DEMU only to wait for the next 15 minutes for it to depart.
Absolutely bored !!!
The DEMU motorman decided to make good of the delay and let the reins free of the DEMU which could have given a run for the money for even the Bhopal Shatabdi. After a nerve wrecking, bone rattling, mindless aggression off 30 minutes, we found ourselves right at the gate of RCF Kapurthala and what happened next took us completely by surprise
The RAJ collected a good 30 minute delay at Nagpur need to shed off that little extra flab at the earliest as making up in the last section of this route is virtually impossible due to heavy congestion. As if on cue, RAJ quickly picks leaves Nagpur in a hurry. Nagpur – Itarsi section has always been one of my favorite sections in this entire route. The landscape varies from a flat Vidharba region and quickly transforms into green and beautiful ghat sections as we enter Madhya Pradesh.
Bye Bye Oranges
The first of the ghat sections Teegaon – Chichonda is quickly done without any fuss or a halt. A few bankers were awaiting arrival of P4 hauled 24 coachers to push them up the gradient. RAJ, a mean 18 coacher P7 hauled champion, made a mockery of the gradient and before we could realize, the RAJ thrashed a busy Amla junction at MPS leaving AP express behind. As darkness set in, we were forced to miss the scenic Maramjhiri – Dharakoh section, which TN express usually covers at dusk to witness the beautiful sunset. Evening gave way to darkness and we had to settle with seeing our own forgettable reflections now as interior lighting took over.
Sunset @ Chichonda
Itarsi passed at a steady 3okmph without stopping and we picked up quickly enroute to Bhopal about 90 kms away. Itarsi – Bhopal section is another beautiful and scenic landscape, which cannot be enjoyed on the RAJ in either direction due to its timings. Arrived Bhopal on time and couple of gracious railfans, who decided to just encourage us on our trip, treated us to some local delicacies and satisfy that sweet tooth of ours. As we departed Bhopal, the dinner saga was quickly done with and unlike the previous night, we decided to call it a day as we have a very hectic 3 days ahead of us. As much as I wanted to see our RAJ overtaking my first love TN, I decided to give it a pass and rest.
Raj cruises past a setting sun near Teegaon
Woke up a couple of times as we skipped Mathura and Agra. RAJ had made up all of its lost time and is now all set to reach Delhi on dot. As always , we were slightly trolled a bit before Nizamuddin and reached our first destination, Hazrat Nizamuddin with a 15 minute delay. We quickly moved hearing to the announcement of the two heavyweights GT and TN arriving back to back shortly. RAJ did overtake TN then , a sight I missed or should I say wanted to miss ?
Life isn’t easy
It has been 14 long years since I last visited Delhi and I was unsure of what was going through my mind. The next leg of our travel is late night and we have a full 16 hours to kill in our Capital. Delhi is home to one of the most congested railway networks in the country and it is no wonder that the RRI system (Route Relay Interlocking) at New Delhi Railway Station is one of the world’s largest RRI system certified by the Guiness Book of World Records. There are multiple terminals to decongest traffic and regulate trains. New Delhi & Old Delhi Junction are two of the larger terminals, supported by Nizamuddin, Delhi Sarai Rohilla & Anand Vihar catering primarily to South , North & Northwestern, North, Northeastern and Eastern parts of the country.
Bandra – Delhi Garib Rath with a TKD ALCO
Since we had a good 16 hours to go and board the next train from Old Delhi Junction, we quickly decided to make a short visit to Rewari Steam Loco Shed, which is about 90kms from Delhi on the Delhi – Jaipur line. Rewari Steam Loco Shed is a delight for steam lovers and classic locomotives. It houses the trio which pulled the very first train from Thane to Bori Bunder in 1853, The Sahib, Sultan & Sind. A quick cab ride through the better parts of the city took us just outside Delhi Sarai Rohilla, where we checked in to the cheapest available lodging to quickly freshen up and get ready for a heritage visit.
Rewari JunctionBelly Filled and Ready for actionA beautiful Katni ALCO
Breakfast was a quick roadside, dipped in Amul butter hot and smoking Aloo parathas served with some local accompaniments. At 10 INR per paratha, we had no room to complain and there was no need either.Incidentally, there was some unprecedented delay on one the regular Delhi – Rewari passenger and hence our Bikaner bound ICE was made to run as a commuter train upto Rewari. On hindsight, our current booking in 3A proved to be a blessing in disguise. Old Delhi, Delhi Sarai Rohilla and the route to Jaipur is certainly not a sight to behold. It passes through some of the most backward and unhygienic areas of Delhi, in start contrast to the roads and infrastructure around Nizamuddin and other parts of the city. One striking aspect though was the Delhi metro. It was omnipresent all across Delhi. Sreedharan really took Delhi Metro to great heights, literally in some areas. Thanks to the lousy commuter run of our train, we reach Rewari a good 30 minutes behind schedule. We get down, took in some customary tea and walk towards the steam loco shed under a blazing hot October Sun. Rewari is a a diesel lovers Railfan Paradise. It serves as a diesel filling station and sports a never ending stream of locomotives and double container freights from 4 different directions. No electric poles to block your views or obstruct your clicks. We decided to spend some time railfanning over there on our way back.
The EntranceA Brief HistorySultan RestoredReady to Roll
Hundred meters ahead and a short 5 minute walk following the pointers all along the way and we reach the loco shed with no fuss. The place seemed deserted and left us wondering if we were in at a wrong time. Much to our relief a few workers let us in and explained that the ONLY restriction was “NO SMOKING”. Rewari steam loco shed , unlike the active diesel and electric locomotive sheds in India, lets you do whatever you do want as long as you do not disturb anything or anyone. We were free to get in to the locos, shoot photographs of anything , anywhere and anyhow. Roam around unsupervised anywhere. Considering all the red tape involved in other maintenance facilities of Indian Railways, it was a welcome change and nothing, not even the blazing hot sun could suppress our excitement and energy which was well spent spread over a period of 2-3 hours.Getting up, close and personal with Sahib, Sind, Sutlan and the regal of all, Akbar was an experience which I cannot express in words in a simple blog. Hundreds of clicks, bottles of water, cokes and pepsi’s later, it was time to go back.
Wheels on the Train goes round and round
Do you recollect that commuter train with an unprecedented delay, which made our express into a commuter ? Well, appparently that is now in Rewari and will leave for Delhi soon. Locals in a small town like Rewari know train timings inside out and since our special train will now have its own timings not in sync with the locals timings, we had an almost empty train transporting us to Delhi. A request to footplate was promptly turned down and we were soon chugging our way to Delhi.
The Belly of the Beast, AkbarThe beautiful Sher-e-Punjab taking a sunbathAre we all Set ? Lets get going !!!It Ain’t complete without me 🙂Chillout lounge for an overnight stay, built to tasteThe real unsung heroes of Indian Railways
It was a moonlit night in old Mexico. I walked alone between some old Adobe haciendas. Suddenly, I heard the plaintive cry of a young Mexican girl. That’s how Pat Boone starts off his Speedy Gonzales and has nothing to do with this recollection of mine.
It was indeed a moonlit night and a good night’s rest was in the beckoning. I took my little monkeys to bed to quickly get them to sleep so that I can indulge in a little bit of “me” time before I wind up for the day. Just as my heavy eyelids was desperately trying to out bulge my eyes to send me to paradise, I heard that distinctive beep of someone pinging me on Facebook. It is a cardinal sin not to check and go to sleep, lest the demons unleash the lousiest dreams on the planet. I have a message waiting for my droopy eyes. “Let me offer you a deal. A visit to RCF, Kapurthala. Does it excite you ? Received permission to visit the factory on 17th October 2013. So if you are interested, I will add your name on”. Before I rant on, let me emphasize, why this is a BIG thing. First, I am a rail enthusiast and a visit to manufacturing facility where the passenger coaches are manufactured is a dream. Second, getting permission to visit a
Central Government owned research and development manufacturing unit is not something you get everyday in India. You need to pull a lot of strings to get this done. Needless to say, I am super excited and still not sure if the actual journey, factory visit, a personal trip after a while or something else which is making my adrenaline hit the roof.
The First Night – 14-Oct-2013 :
I have never traveled in “The Rajdhani Express” (To be referred as the RAJ henceforth) and excitement of traveling in one of the better Rajdhani Expresses in its LHB avatar was making the day crawl ever so slowly. Packing for a single traveling male is just a 10 minute exercise and in spite of an extended one hour relaxed packing schedule, time seems to have come to a complete standstill. As the clock slowly crawls past 5PM, I bid my goodbyes and embark on an exciting trip ahead. Bangalore roads were empty due to holiday season and the short trip to the railway station was much quicker than anticipated. With a full 90 minutes to kill before departure, I met my other fellow railfans and decided to indulge in a short pre dinner roadside junk, which on hindsight, would turn out to be one of the better decisions we made. As the rake enters the platform, the nondescript and dull platform suddenly barges to life. For some reason, which I am still yet to comprehend, I just fail to understand the urgency with which the passengers board the train. It is not as if it will pull out ahead of schedule when everyone boards.Anyway we gave way for all those busy bees who wanted to reach the capital a bit earlier than us, settled our luggage inside and got ready for a small photo shoot. The loco HAS to be shot and framed. So off we go, shoot the LOCO and a few otherwise useless shots and before we knew it, we were all set for departure. Boarded the train, got our tickets checked and settled for the Great Rajdhani Dining experience.
KJM WDP4B 40018 in SHF is all set to take the RAJ from Bangalore to Nizamuddin upto Secunderabad
Dinner in RAJ is a sight to behold. Just as we settle down, our designated pantry attendant stacks the dinner right next to the doorways and vestibules. My assumption on this bizarre maneuver was that he was trying to be efficient, however as the dinner progressed, it was clear that he did not want the passengers any way to escape this exclusive gourmet. Water bottles were nearly thrown at you, soup sticks slid on a not so sparkling plastic red plate, A red piping hot liquid, which we later came to know as tomato soup was slid efficiently across. Now that the starter was served, it was finished ever so quickly as we did not intend to savor the taste for a longer time. Sarcasm apart, we finished it quickly because that’s all it takes to gulp two tablespoons of soup. Now comes the main course. 3 Chapathis each the size of a standard Indian Idli, A paneer curry which sent us on a leather hunt for the paneer and 4 tablespoons of rice, which was, well let’s just leave it at that. A request for yoghurt / curd was promptly served with a red blazing stare and followed by a small cup of white liquid 30 minutes later. The dessert was a surprise. We were served Baskin Robbins smallest cup of Vanilla ice-cream. It was honestly as vanilla as it could be, but I could already hear a few passengers complaining that they did not want a milkshake for dessert. Now that the Lilliputians were served dinner, the passengers decided to settle down gradually for what is going to be a good 30 hours of the RAJ experience, albeit with a grumbling stomach.
As the train started cruising through the Makali ghats, the passengers gradually started to retire for the night. Peace prevailed as lights were switched off and RAJ started picking up towards its next halt, Dharmavaram, which is a crew change halt. The railfans in me and my friends and the non existent photographer in myself, kept us awake for a good amount of time, trying to upload the clicks so far to IRI. However the patchy internet and cruising through signal free area, made it an effort in itself. By the time we successfully managed to upload one single click, we were slowing down to enter Dharmavaram. A quick doorplating and we witnessed a huge curve with station lights and signals gleaming along the tracks. One of my favorite sights is a train switching , snaking and crawling to enter an almost deserted station late at night. As usual, the cameras breathed life and managed to click a few forgettable ones. As the train departed Dharmavaram, we decided to call it a day to enjoy the ripping action after Secunderabad and of course, we did not want to miss the loco change festivities the next day.
Dharmavaram , Known for its famous Dal Vada, feeling lonely late nightHeart Transplant @Secunderabad
15-Oct-2013 – Early Morning around 5 AM :
The key to travel in a long distance train in India is proper scheduling of your daily activities during the course of travel. A 30-33 hour ride could be reason enough to pamper yourself to an extended sleep or letting your mind wander aimlessly, but it could have an irritating impact. It is of my strong conviction that you should complete the washroom usage before 5:30 AM in the morning. They are clean relatively, with water available and no waiting period. Anything beyond 6:30 AM, you have a long waiting period and your body may not be willing to co-operate with your mind. So based on my past experience, I was all up and dandy and fresh by 6:00 AM and looking through the large transparent glass window to evaluate our position. As expected in this section, we were a good 30-40 minutes behind schedule. The RAJ was in no hurry and maintained the delay all the way up to Secunderabad.
New Found Power – LGD P7 30290
We were positioned 13th or 14th from the LOCO and in spite of our brisk and accelerated walk sprinkled with a few sprints, we were not able to witness the grand detachment of KJM WDP4B from our RAJ. However, the LOCO area was a beehive of activities with loads of folks checking various gauges and levels, while a LGD white stallion 30290 silently enters the frame to storm the RAJ all the way up to Nizamuddin. Ten more minutes, loco coupled, pressure gauges checked, oil levels refilled and the P7 is all set. We make a quick sprint back to our coach and ready to latch on to the best part of the RAJ. No , I did not mean the food, but the high priority adrenaline pumping high speed run. The P7 departed with the backlog of around 30-40 minutes to catch up. Back in our seats, we were served a delicious tasteless breakfast with miniature models, eaten effortlessly by us as we quickly started ripping the outskirts of Secunderabad. It was time to witness the beautiful Raigir curve, but nothing much to describe here as we almost missed it,for which we made amends on our way back. Quickly reached Kazipet and made up around 10 minutes of lost time.
A missed shot of the Raigir Curve. We made up for this on our way back
The Kazipet Disaster :
Konark express was gracious enough to let us go first as our RAJ honked and jerked to start. As quickly as it started, it was forcefully stopped by a fellow passenger a few coaches ahead of us. As we peeped out, a crowd had gathered ahead and a good number of them squatted to get a deeper look below the train. Fearing the worst, we were informed that someone had slipped between the platform and the train and authorities are trying to extract him. To our relief, he luckily survived, but probably with some life altering disability. Our TTE explained later that he slipped while trying to board the train balancing his breakfast on one hand and trying to get in on a moving train using his other hand for support. As much as I would like to blame the lip smacking breakfast provided by the pantry that he was desperate enough to enjoy the cold and bland station breakfast, it was his fault entirely. It was later informed to us that he was operated upon and will live. So much for a breakfast, but it sure made us sit in shock for a while. The 10 minutes we caught up so far was wasted and we were 90 minutes behind schedule when we departed Kazipet
Nostalgia Reloaded :
I was a regular traveler on the Chennai (The then Madras) – New Delhi trunk route during 1995-1999 and yes it was a no-brainer and my journeys always used to be in the legendary Tamilnadu Express, which till date enjoys extreme high priority and still known for its ruthless and aggressive run. As we moved out of Kazipet and merged on to the Chennai – New Delhi trunk line, it all started coming back to me. The wide eyed , open mouthed and shocked expressions on travelers waiting for their rides, the sheer awesomeness of high pitched whine from the then WAP1 and the calm which would have restored after the storm passed, helpless passengers looped at various wayside stations for the legendary TN to pass through the mainline and the pride and thrill within me as we go an a rampage station after station. Hasanparthi Road, Jamikunta, Ramagundam , Manchiryal and the likes were shown no respect. A sudden argument with the famed pantry boys of the RAJ, as it brought me back to the present, left a lingering feeling wishing I was on the TN rather than the RAJ.
SWR primo supremo meets its counterpart
Anyway, it was make up time and the RAJ had its intentions clear. We have a catwalk of prestigious trains in the offing as we settled down for an aggressive run. RAJ is the king now atleast on wheels if not on meals. RAJ, incidentally following the TN literally, charged past all the big towns and made a mockery of the 90 minute delay at Kazipet as were just 50 minutes behind now as we cruised past the Wardha River at Balharshah outer. The right curve onto the river amidst a foliage of greenery had not changed in the last 14 years. Yes, I had never traveled in this section after 1999 and my loyalty to TN just keeps coming back. First Love maybe :).
The meeting of the RAJ’s
Just as we clear the river, we meet the first of the heavyweights, our counterpart, the Numero Uno Primo Supremo, Bangalore bound RAJ crossing us on its way to Secunderabad, the last of its high speed sections. We were welcomed into Balharshah, by another white LGD stallion with another legendary and always popular AP Express in tow ready to give some distance between itself and the Bangalore bound RAJ
RAJ meets the legendary AP at Balharshah
Balharshah reached, made up 40 minutes, loco relaxed, LOCO pilot changed, Exclusive gourmet meals ready, line clear, signaled and our RAJ is already furiously accelerating in its pursuit to reach the land of oranges and make up for the remaining 50 minutes. RAJ is a sprinter and a very good one, it is not like your typical marathon athlete, but a marathon athlete with a spirit of the 100m dasher. The next milestone is to get ahead of New Delhi bound AP, right in front of us and considering the delay , it was our educated guess that it may not happen before we reach Nagpur as AP is not a sloucher either.
Travellers Relax at Balharshah
While all this analysis were in progress, our super exclusive pantry attendant started off his circus again, albeit a bit tired (Probably due to enjoying their own cuisine) and we quickly finish our uneventful lunch samples and prepared ourselves for high speed crossings of the evergreen Grand Trunk Express and the almighty TN. We crossed GT before Sewagram, known for Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram. Sewagram is an RF paradise where the trunk lines from Mumbai and Chennai merge and a triangular bypass from Chennai trunk line to the Mumbai trunk line. Chennai – Delhi trunk line slows down to a 50kmph speed limit to negotiate one of the famous and massive curves of Indian Railways and is a sight to watch for every rail enthusiast. Trains on the Nagpur – Mumbai trunk line, rips through Sewagram without slowing down on the mainline.
The famous paper factory just outside Balharshah
A quick glance at our watches and realized we had hardly covered up around 10-15 minutes delay. Apparently, the though process was telepathically transferred to our loco pilots and pumped the loco with an extra dose of adrenaline. The result, a breathtaking run of 70kms completed in about 34 minutes on the flat Vidharba region of the country. 5 minutes before time at Nagpur outer and a 10 minute delay as we pulled into the land of Oranges. AP is still ahead of us and we are coming for you soon !
We wanted to move on with the rest of our Journey, anyway we will watch DWF again tomorrow on our way back won’t we. Meanwhile, I enquired and someone informed me that Goa bound Amaravati will be in shortly. How can I come back from DWF without taking the trademark shot of train on the bridge with the Majestic falls as the background. There were 2 options, the first one is the typical shot which we would have all seen across the web. The second option, there is a small trail which will take you down between the 12th and the 13th tunnel and you can get a beautiful position to capture the train from below. You can get the train, bridge and full view of the falls from somewhere under the bridge. I did not know how long it would take for me to reach there and would be cross with myself if I would miss the shot and hence decided to take the sure shot capture typical seen all over the web.
We rushed through the tunnels, ( atleast I did for sure ) with our fully loaded backpacks and sleeping bags. My SLR was hanging from my neck and the rain jacket was keeping it safe and my PS was in my left jacket pocket ready for quick release and shoots. I could not believe that I trekked that 1 KM in less than 7 minutes and I could see the viewpoint about 100 metres ahead. As the excitement was getting to my head, I heard the distinct horn of Amaravati express. I really had no choice, but to capture the train from my current viewpoint. Even though I would have liked to take the snap 100 metres ahead, I ended up taking from where I was and was good enough, though not the exact way I wanted it to be. After all trains are the kings here and you have to bow to them _/\_.
Boy, I always wanted to click this Amaravati express crossing the majestic Dudhsagar falls — at Dudhsagar Waterfall.Headlights on Twin Gooty Baldies with Amaravati express in tow sneaking in through the greenery — at DDS.Nothing to say. Amaravati Express — at Dudhsagar Waterfall.
Full view of the Majestic Dudhsagar falls from the viewpoint
Mission accomplished. Amaravati went past the falls before my lens, and crossed us in less than a minute. Time to move on. Next stop Sonalium to take stock of our situation and decide what to do. Next 40 mins went without any talk as we quickly moved towards Sonalium. On the way, I found quite a good number of trekkers trekking up from Kulem towards Dudhsagar. One trekker caught my attention, who was actually carrying another trekker on his back. Did not bother to stop him and ask, but looks like one of them had a twisted ankle. Trekking down with my backpack was labor enough for me and just could not imagine doing something like this. In reality if you see our mind is so strong, that you do not realize how strong you can be when being strong is the only option left for you. Our body always has a fight of flight mechanism to fight infections, but a human mind always fights when there is nothing else left. Anyway, I am drifting and we reached Sonalium without incident around 2:30 PM.
A quick headcount and analysis of the situation revealed that majority would not be able to trek upto Kulem which would be another 8KMs. We took a short break in front of the SM office and energized ourselves with chocolates. Based on the Junior SM’s instruction we waited about 50m down the line awaiting a freight to take us to Kulem as one is expected shortly towards Kulem. It so turned out he was right and we heard the distinct EMD horns and saw the mid-level headlights approaching towards us, but the triplets did not have anything behind them. Light triplets. All of us waved to stop, the LP reciprocated, but did not stop. Disappointed and tired we requested the SM to stop the next one towards Kulem and this is what happened.
SM : Kaise aaya Dudhsagar se, (How did you come here from Dudhsagar)
Hum (Us) : Paidal, (By Foot)
SM: Sahi, waise he aage bado, 8 kms mein aa jayega Kulem. (Great, do the same and you will reach Kulem in 8 kms)
A few got really irritated with his style, but 2 mins later the Senior SM whispered something into his ears, which was passed on to me by him like a Chinese Whisper. The message was Engine signal mein ruka hai crossing ke liye. Jaldi jaao aur LP ko pyaar se poochna. Yeh mat batao ki maine bataya. Chup chaap Nikal aur sabko mat batao. Bhaag saala bhaag and I suddenly took off like there is no tomorrow and seeing me others took off mainly to ask me what went wrong. I could hear concerned cries andshouts behind me, but I was a man on a mission. I could see the triplets waiting for a signal. The last 100 metres were the most difficult, Did not ask anyone, just boarded the last Loco and waved at the LP, who did not mind. In the next 5 mins, there were a total of 57 people on the 3 Locos. The LP came out and gave us instructions on how / where to sit / stand and asked us to be careful. Shortly afterwards, loaded BOXN rake crossed us and we were given the all clear. With the terrific notching up and humming behind me, we left towards Kulem and I can guarantee that everyone onboard was thrilled and excited. After 25 mins of meandering and tunneling and waving to all the bikers from Kulem to DDS, we entered Kulem. LP gracefully stopped for us near the station and moved on after ensuring all of us are safe and sound.
So here we are at Kulem , mercy of the DG4 LP’s, all fresh and excited, waiting for our next unplanned episode 🙂
Aug 3 2013 : 03:30 PM
Atlast we are at Kulem — in Colém, Goa.
Ah Kulem. A much needed break. Had lunch, did some stretching exercises, walked around the station, had a chat with the Chaiwala who agreed to make maggi for us next day when we get back here. Oh wait..when we get back here ? where are we going now. A quick discussion ensured that we do not lose focus and decide on our next move, which you obviously by now must have guessed, is still undecided. Quickly we decided that we would go to Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park. On questioning this remarkable decision, it was later explained to us that there is an abandoned house inside the forest which we can use to camp for the night
Parathas, Bread, Jam, Chapati & Butter – Lunch Time
A couple of our teammates are regular trekkers and getting them along was one of the best decisions I have made in my Project Management career. A few calls later we were informed that 3 Jeeps would come and pick us up from the station in another 20 mins and bang 5 mins later we had them at our disposal. We are not used to such extreme efficiencies and completing something committed in 25% of the time and hence we decided to make the station chaiwala prepare some fresh tea and ensured that we were ready for the Jeep only 20 mins later. We knew we were going to an abandoned house thats all and had no idea where it is except for the 2 folks who have been here earlier.
Resting & Freshening up time !! — in Colém, Goa.
All of us left around 24 hrs earlier. We were drenched in the rains with sun peeping up every now and then. All the hike / trek / EMD emissions / sweat / train etc made us desperate to have a nice refreshing bath. Finding a working bathroom in an abandoned house seemed to be wishful thinking and so I asked our driver..Kuch Naha dhoke fresh hone ka option hai ? and our over enthusiastic driver responded with a resounding yes and we are all extremely happy that we would be able to freshen up. Imagine another 36 hrs without an option to freshen up..oops a scary thought.
An absolutely lazy looking Kulem
20 mins later we suddenly entered a gated road with typical sarkari style board claiming Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Forest Reserve, Mollem and Animals have the right of way. Honestly, I did not expect this and I was under the impression that we would be staying inside Tambdi, a village near Kulem. Anyway another 10 mins of drive in a narrow road surrounded by extremely thick vegetation, our driver stopped in the middle of nowhere and pointed us to an house with absolutely nothing around for miles. We looked around in the middle of the forest and there it was. My instantaneous reaction was !! Oh God, is that where we are going to stay.. BEAUTIFUL :). He claimed that he had cleaned the place, which seemed preposterous as we realized after entering the house. It was dark, no lights, bathroom, electricity and the floor could not seen as it was covered with papers / bottles / plastic cups / plates and all sorts of nonsense. This was not before almost 17-20 of us slipped and fell before entering the house due to heavy collection of moss and algae. So a cleaning is on the cards albeit a bit late.r
Enroute to Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park — at Mollem.Enroute to Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park — at Mollem.A stream enroute to Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park — at Mollem.The abandoned house where we stayed for the night — at Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.
Almost 5:30 PM now and light quickly fading, we decided to pitch our tents outside for those who want to spend the night outside and surprising we pitched them up quite quickly. Around 7 tents in about 20 mins. When we tried to get a campfire up and running, well it was a disaster and we decided to have the campfire with our flashlights.
The abandoned house where we stayed for the nightNice cozy tents – at Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National ParkThe road to nowhere
Freshening up needed desperately.The driver had mumbled something about bath facilities..and we went looking out and right beside our house we found it. It was a lovely knee to chest high deep running stream with an extremely heavy flow especially in the middle of the stream. It apparently originates from a waterfall called Surla waterfalls, to which we will trek in the morning.
The bath lasted around 80 mins. I have never had a more refreshing bath ever in my entire life. Fresh clean running water amidst heavy rainfalls. Absolute pure divine and heavenly bliss. It was a good time for whoever was interested to have a nice chat session in them middle of the stream which must have been around 70-100 ft wide.
The stream which served as our freshening up agent
By the time we finished our bath (The only reason was it was dark .. ), a few of us had cleaned the rooms. Now the floors are visible, sanitized with dettol, sleeping mats arranged and all set to have a cozy dinner session.
We had got about 5Pkts of WAX Candles, each packet can boil 3 litres of water to the boiling point and a small stove for boiling water. Dinner consisted of Maggi, Cup-O-Noodles, Chapatis, Parathas, Bread, Jam and pickle. Water for drinking and cooking was from the stream, which I should say was amazing and true mineral rich water.
Can’t Get Enough
A sumptous dinner followed by intro session with the Bangalore and Pune teams and a bit of games and chitchat and we were all ready to retire for the night. 15 slept in the tents outside and 12 inside the house. As we lay down, the tiredness dawned upon us and were all asleep in an instant. The outside was lit by fireflies and creaking with typical forest sounds. We have another busy day ahead which will start at 6:30 in the morning. The Jeep drivers would be back by 1PM tomorrow (Oh really) It is already 11 PM now and time to sleep. Good night and see you tomorrow
No more vehicles beyond this pointNo Mining mafia pleaseThe Flowing stream from Surla WaterfallsPure, Clean and Mineral rich fresh waterThe lovely fast flowing stream
Aug 4 2013 : Early morning
Sleeping in the forest was a first time experience for me. The night was absolutely silent except for frequent bouts of heavy to very heavy rainfall, however the huge canopy of trees ensured that the ground had not become extremely soggy as they had absorbed a whole lot of the rains.This is going to be a very hectic day and hence we decided to act quickly. Quick rounds of freshening up and changing to appropriate clothes and we were ready by around 7:30 for the final trek of the trip. The trek will be to a place called Surla waterfalls from where the water actually flows down to the streams where we had our bath the previous evening.
Into the Wilderness
This trek was much more difficult than we had expected. We walked along the streams with a steep ascent. There were more than 4-5 occasions where we had to cross the stream to ensure we were on the right path. Crossing the streams were much riskier than we had thought. The water flow was very high and the uneven surface at the bottom ensured that we had to tread very very careful lest being washed away. Fortunately the water was crystal clear and we were able to judge the depth slowly and steadily. The standout crossing was one stream where we had to actually climb a branch and crawl across it to the other end. An adventure worth the risk, but very slow considering the fact that only 2 of us were able to cross at one time or else the branch would break.
Almost an hour of trek and 4 kms later, a few of us felt that we had actually missed the trail and decided to turn back to the base camp. The remaining decided that we would carry on for another 15 minutes and will turn back if we do not reach the peak. All I could say was those who turned back were just plain unlucky for 2 reasons. The first being, we reached the falls in about 5 minutes and second, they missed a sight which was absolutely phenomenal. The falls was nothing in comparison with Dudhsagar, but the surroundings, flow (Which was quite strong) and the mere fact that was absolutely not a soul in sight was a reason in itself that this was indeed special.
The only regret was that there were very very few cameras on board for this trek as we were sure of getting drenched head to foot. There is very little I could do than just relive the memory.
About half an hour of stay at the falls, numerous leechbites and half a mind to stay back for another week, we turned back to our base camp. The return was swift and we were back in about 40-50 mins. It is around 11:00 AM now and the Jeep is supposed to pick us up by 1 PM to drop us back at Kulem. So off we go, quickly pack the tents, sleeping bags and collect the trash, but there is one more thing left to do. Yes, you guessed it right, another 60 mins of pure bliss in the stream in the rains. Another refreshing bath and we were all ready by 12:30 to get back to Kulem. By now this area has become a tourist spot and considering the fact that it was a Sunday, there was a small crowd who had come to enjoy the streams and a visit to templ close by. While, the previous nights bathing experience in the stream was absolutely private, it was not all the secluded and private this morning. But who cares, we had a great time again nevertheless.
Being a tourist spot, we treated ourselves to steaming hot chai and vada pav. A visit to a lovely quaint and small temple inside the forest and we were all ready for the pickup for on our way back. 1 PM was the pickup time, give or take about 15-20 mins. No sign of the Jeeps till 1:30. Well, nothing to worry, Kulem is just about 20-30 mins by Jeep and our train is at 4:20 PM. It is 2:00 PM now and no sight of the Jeeps. We started cursing ourselves that we should have given those folks only about 25% of the fare instead of 50%. We started discussing alternate plans of reaching Kulem. While we would have loved to stay back for another day, it was not all that appealing considering that we have to be at work the next day. 2:30 PM now and still no sign of the Jeeps. Oh my god, we would now have to skip lunch which we decided to treat ourselves at Kulem. We were getting hungry and the Vada pavs seems to have been fully digested.
2:45 PM : No sign of Jeep. Panic sets in. Plans discussed. Extreme measures brainstormed.
Just so you know the Climax, We indeed boarded Goa express back to Bangalore, but the final scenes have not yet been shot.
Aug 4 2013 : 2:45 PM
Still no signs of the Jeep. We are unable to call the driver as cell towers are out of reach. 2 of us dropped our baggage and decided to take a hike on someone’s vehicle to the nearest location where we could manage a mobile reception. So off we go in search of a signal to call our driver. 5 mins into the drive, we find our 3 Jeep folks rushing in. We did not even bother to ask them for any reason. Quickly all are luggages were loaded and we were zipping towards Kulem. 30 mins later we landed at Kulem level crossing to allow a penta header to cross. I did not feel like waiting for the gates to open and walked to Kulem station.
Train in Rain. Vasco – Kulem passenger.
Vasco – Kulem passenger had just arrived and the station was just the opposite of what we found the previous day. Extremely crowded with heavy rains made walking through the station a bit difficult. I saw a number of passengers skidding on the platform. As the Bangalore link coaches would be at the last, I started walking slowly towards the end of the platform, which in hindsight was an excellent decision.
Now that we have another 35 mins for the arrival of our train, based on a localites suggestion we decided to cross over to the other side of the station and order fresh hot cooked biriyani for our dinner. We placed our order and the restaurant owner decided to walk out by 4PM.
EMD’s napping at Kulem
Fortunately he was back in around 5 mins and we just reminded him of our impending train journey. The man, with absolute serenity and peace with himself started washing and cutting the vegetables he had just got. “Arey madam kyun tension le rahe ho, gaadi panch baje ke pehle tho nahi aayega. Udhar bait jaao aur garma garam biriyani banake detha hoon. Station me jaake baaki logo ko bhi bol do yeh apna biriyani mast hai”. We did manage to get 18 packets of biriyani packed, hot and fresh and managed to make it near our coach by around 5 PM and we saw our Goa express curving into Kulem just in time for us.
A relaxed cruise on our return
S13 was crowded with loads of folks to Londa and Dharwad. Somehow we managed to get into our bays and settled down. Since the train came with bankers attached, we moved off in about 5 minutes. Slowly and with absolute lack of any urgency we curved and meandered all our way to Sonalium for a short halt. We were sitting on the waterfall side of the train and wanted to take one last look at DDS before settling down for the long journey back. Slowly we entered tunnel 13 , tunnel 12 with water falling all over the place. The deafening roar of the falls slowly took over the sounds of the train and there we were watching in awe again at the natural beauty. In a matter of seconds we crossed tunnel 11 and the train came to halt at DDS station.
Trekkers anxious not to miss this last train
Our initial plan was to board the train from DDS on our way back and one look outside the train made me shiver that we were lucky enough not to make that decision. The place was crowded like a pilgrimage spot during peak season. There were easily around 700-800 folks waiting beside the tracks to take this last train towards CastleRock / Londa. I was absolutely sure that many would miss the train. To my surprise, I found a railway employee with red / green flag and a walkie talkie and 2 RPF guiding the people to help board the train. The last 100-200 were unable to find a place in the train and the RPF asked them to board the bankers.After thoroughly checking that people were hanging in a relatively safe position, our walkie talkie guy talked into the device and waved the green flag. Next stop Castle Rock and a good amount of crowd reduced. The train is now occupied only twice to its capacity. A short halt, bankers detached and we were off to Londa where a majority of the crowd deboarded and the train became more or less normal.
Huge crowd waiting to board GOA expressBankerupt – That is some serious BankingThe man with the flag. Without his help around 800 folks would have been left behind
We were detached from Goa express, taken out of PF2, brought back to PF1, Hubli- Nizamudding attached to Goa express on PF2, Goa express left, Waited for Rani Chennamma, Rani Chennamma arrives, taken out of PF1 again, brought back and attached to Rani Chennamma and off we went towards Dharwad / Hubli. Someone remarked “Arey Londa ke baadh yeh stations itna jaldi kyon aa rahi hai” while the Railways were playing Jigsaw with us.
The Biriyani was good. Had a good dinner and settled down to sleep to continue on with our rat race the next day. For some reason I got up at Hubli and saw the amazing station again at night. I started Clicking pictures at Hubli and took the last picture of the trip also at Hubli. Beyond this, sleep embraced me and woke me up rudely at Tumkur where half of the town boarded the train upto SBC. Got down at SBC, split into groups , lost one Sleeping bag. As a part of team went to return the tents and bags, I drifted towards Kempegowda bus station and boarded a nice cozy Volvo to take a 90 min drive in peak hour traffic and drifted into an aimless daydream carrying wonderful and refreshing memories. I dont know when I would make another such exciting unplanned and adhoc adventure, but let me savor this for until then
I hope you had a good time following my blog as much as I had blogging & experiencing it. Signing off and Thank you for your patient read
Signing off with a fresh looking Hubli Jn. Headquarters of South Western Railway
A refreshing video to sum it up all (View in 1080p)
A good sleep and woke up to an absolutely beautiful morning @Hubli. I had always wanted to see this place and gotta admit that I have never seen a cleaner station in IR network. The million dollar question was whether to have breakfast at the station or should I eat what I got. Finally decided to eat my own breakfast to reduce the carrying load a bit. Well, just after we left Hubli, the same questions arose as to what is it we are gonna do. The train was running around 40 mins late and trekking from CLR to DDS meant that we would reach DDS only around 4 PM in the evening. It was then that I received the call from my Pune counterparts who were waiting for us at Londa.
Mugad, A beautiful minimalistic wayside station near Dharwad
There were 11 of them and 16 of us. All 27 needed a place to stay for the night. We all wanted to trek to DDS from CLR,but practicality and the crowd in the train ensured that we did not fall for this. After an hour of discussion, it was settled that we will go all the way to DDS and take it forward from there. Now that the next 3 hrs have been taken care of, I decided to doorplate before someone else occupies my seat. Just as the train moved out from Dharwad, I took to the door and it was a visual treat. Lush green outdoors with ominous looking skies and the Sun peeping out every now and then, added to that the never ending curves. What more could a rail lover need. Absolutely fantastic sight with terrific weather and time just drifted aimlessly. The standout on this section was the station Mugad. One of the most picteresque stations, I have seen. This was one time I wished, I had my SLR while doorplating and not my PS, but hey convenience won this game again.
DG4 12787 waiting for our Chennai – Vasco to crossMorning walk along the tracks with train, greenery and the hills for companyAn S curve on the way to Londa
Crawled slowly into Londa. The rest of our gang from Pune boarded the train and the discussion continued. In 5 minutes, we reconfirmed our plans and decided to get down at DDS instead of CLR. Needless to say, the door seat was never compromised and I continued with my blissful experience upto CLR.
CastleRock ROCKS !!!
After seeing CLR in absolutely a million photos all over the web, seeing it live was absolutely fantastic. I somehow felt immediately that I knew this place inch by inch. It was a long halt of around 15-20 mins at CLR. Majority of the trekkers got down here. The station was an absolute nightmare to look at with the crowds getting ready for their long 14KM trek and hence I moved on to the other side. Feasted my eyes on a load of DG4’s , brakers attached and all clear given. Another 30 minutes and we should be right next to the majestic Dudhsagar right in the peak of the southwest monsoons.
Old Station Building – CastleRock
We crawled out of CLR at a leisurely pace, saw the all too familiar board welcoming us to Braganza ghat section, saw the 2 medical relief vans seen all over the web, saw a lot of trekkers en route to DDS who were all too excited to keep waving at us, which was mutually reciprocated, entered the first tunnel, the second and the rest, saw the welcome to Goa board somewhere before Caranzol, sprinkled ourselves with fresh mineral mountain water from numerous falls and the entry and exit points of the tunnel. The train was in absolutely no hurry and took a nice relaxed 20 mins to stop at Caranzol for the brake testing. It was about time we broke from our blissful experience and get ready to de-board at DDS.
Entering Braganza Ghat Section
So off we all went, rain jackets worn, rain trousers worn, food and camera repacked to be made easily accesible, bags packed, sleeping bags packed, tents packed and we were all set to de-board at DDS. The train stops for a mere 40 – 60 secs and all the 27 of us have to get down with all our baggage. We entered DDS, the already crawling train showed no signs of stopping. Oh God please dont do this. The train kept on with its 15-25 kmph speed and showed no signs of testing its brakes. While we just about gave up hope, the familar squeak of the brakes being applied and bang it stopped. The steps and outside were wet and slippery. Somehow we managed to quickly get down without slipping. 40 secs later (Yes I timed it) the train left on its way towards Kulem.
Just after departing Castle Rock, we meet the first batch of trekkersWelcome to GOAAll Set. One more tunnel to go
So here I am at DDS station, hardly a KM away from something which I wanted to see for a long time and the excitement was overwhelming. What happens next ?
Aug 3 2013 : 11:00 AM
So here I am at DDS, minutes away from witnessing a grand spectacle from the 5th largest falls in India, but somehow did not feel like rushing towards the falls. Why hurry. I have all the time in the world. Let me a bit far from the madding crowd. Watching DDS is just a part of the agenda and not the whole exercise. I asked my colleagues to move on and spent some time just admiring the beauty surrounding me.
DudhsagarWheelslip & Sanding Location at DDS
Steaming hot tea @ DDS seemed like a great idea. Sat down, relaxed, had a refreshing hot cup of chai which was much better than the one served in the train. Stretched my eyes as far as I can see and I could see our Vasco express gliding past Sonalium and a loaded BOXN rake awaiting clearance. So I decided to wait to capture the freight which obviously would be minimum of 2DG4’s in front and 2DG4’s at the rear.
Penta EMD awaits clearance at DudhsagarPenta EMD gets clearance
Quickly enough, a penta came silently and waited beside me to have a glimpse of the oncoming beasts. What do I say, it was like Sachin waiting to enjoy Viru’s game (When he was at his peak). Ten minutes gone, the twin beasts emerged and scrambled past the penta beasts smoothly. Penta gets an all clear and moves on. I am left now all alone and it was a good 25 mins since I got down.
From a DistanceThe first views of Dudhsagar Waterfalls
Decided it is about time or my colleagues will just dump me and move on. Just as I entered the tunnel, I realised that my flashlight was with another friend of mine. So much for an expensive flashlight. So well I walked the tunnel in the darkness. Slippery, wet and oily, it was a treacherous short walk in absolute darkness, but I had nothing to immediately worry about as there would be no trains atleast for the next 60 mins or so. After 5 mins of very careful walk with a few monkeys for company, I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I could also see a faint streak of milky white substance flowing in the distance. The sound of water was slowly getting amplified.
Valley overlooking the DDS Falls !!!
I could feel a smile breaking and however hard I try to suppress and act with a matter of fact attitude, that thing just could not be wiped out of my face. As I kept nearing the falls, the sound of water gushing increased, the misty sprays started falling on my face, bags and my lenses. Yes atlast I am here right in front of the majestic Dudhsagar waterfalls, spellbound,awestruck, mesmerised by the strength and beauty of this amazing natural spectacle. I have no words to describe what I saw.No pictures or videos can do any justice to what a person sees here. It is completely out of this world. I stood there right beside the tracks soaking in all the misty sprays and not caring a damn about either of my 2 cameras. This is a moment to enjoy and savor and cherish. Nothing can stop me now. So I just stood there and did nothing for almost 15 minutes. Just watching !!!
A random falls in the middle of lush greenery
As I got out of my hypnotic state of mind, the reality bit me real hard. The place was filthy and crowded. Nobody cared a damn. It was filled with plastic bottles, beer bottles, paper plates, plastic cups, styrofoam cups and what not. There was a guy selling liquor at almost thrice the market price. Why do we do this ? Such a beautiful place completely ransacked by a despicable species called human beings. We try so hard to keep our houses clean. Does it take really that hard to take care of our surroundings as well. It is this lack of ownership which pissed me off. But hey, I came here to enjoy and soak in the beauty and not to be philosophical.
Between tunnel 12 and 13. There is a path to the left there which will take you down from where you can get a full view of the Bridge, train and the falls
We did our bit for the surrounding. We had got garbage bags where we collected all our trash and took it all the way to our next destination Next came the photo session which lasted a good hour or so. You need to satisfy the needs of 27 folks. By now it was around 1 PM and now it is time for us to move on. The final segment of this trip is filled with lots of unplanned twists and turns. Do not miss out on that as I will take you to a couple of completely unknown treasures near Kulem. Wait for them. Oh well almost, this blog and this adventure is incomplete if I don’t get to see the one thing, I so desperately wanted to view and capture. I was all set to pack and move on to Kulem, while I heard a familiar horn of an ALCO chugging along. Hardly 2 mins and I have close to half a kilometer to reach the perfect spot. Almost reached there, but the ALCO won. This is the best I could manage from a spot 100 metres ahead of where I wanted to be
Vasco bound Amaravati Express getting a shower as it glides past Dudhsagar Waterfalls
A trip which I wanted to do for a very long time and for some very known reasons, I was never able to do this at all for almost 5 years. This year come what may, this trip will happen and that is how I prepared myself. This also turned out to be a nice excuse to get all the things that I wanted for a long time. Well you will know that this is an overkill if you see my list below
1. Nice Swiss Champ Knife with 32 functions. Is it really needed ?
2. Super Fenix Flashlight with 650 lumens output (It lit an entire 15 x 12 room like a fresh and new tubelight). Is this really needed ?
In addition to these, I got high end rainwear, footwear, backpack and a whole lot of things which in reality is not an absolute necessity, but well make hay while the sun shines.
Aug 1 2013
Got my salary a day ago, but the excitement apparently does not seem to stem from that fact. 24 hrs to start for my long awaited trip, lots of undecided loose ends. We will stay at DDS, but where ? no idea. No idea if we will trek from CLR to DDS. No idea if we will stay at DDS. No idea if we will get a lift to Kulem. Oh no.. forget trek, shall we get down at DDS instead of CLR. Lots of questions, no answers. Well we decided to hell with all, lets all just go home and pack and get ready. It was a hectic day and lots of stuff to buy. We needed food for 2 days and after lots of deliberation, decided that 1 day stock should be enough. Your sub conscious always tells you , “Arrey bhai, just in case” and you always sub consciously listen to the sub conscious and ended up getting food that would last a family for an entire week, some of which are still at home !!.
2 hrs of shopping and 1 hr of planning, I ended up with a list like this. Clothes, Cosmetics, SLR, Point and shoot,Charger for SLR, Charger for PS, Cell phone and charger, Extra batteries for SLR and PS, extra SD cards, RainJacket, Rain trousers, Ankle shoes, regular shoes / sandal, blanket, sleeping bag, medicines first aid, flashlight,swiss knife, loads of food for 2 days, cooking utensil and well what not. Packed them all and found that I would need one more person to carry it for me. So off goes a lot of stuff and somehow managed to pack them all nicely into a single backpack. What really amuses me is that we pack so perfectly and once you start taking out things from your backpack, you find no place to put them back in. Somebody needs a lesson on free energy here.
It is 10PM now and all set. I want to sleep. I am desperate to sleep and in the excitement I did sleep around 4 am, when my body could take no more. Still those unanswered questions remained unanswered. Some wild instinct told me it will all fall in place. With that in mind, my body slowly took over my brain and dozed me off to a much needed rest in preparation for an exciting 2 days.
Aug 2 2013
The D-Day. Woke up early. Ran through the morning stuff very briskly and quickly. Got the Kids in time for school and off to work with a spring in my step. The first four hours of work was dedicated to finish the work for the entire day. Post lunch our confusion started. We were supposed to board the Chennai – Vasco express that night from YPR. All of us had booked from YPR even though KJM was close to us to ensure we get the YPR quota of 72 berths. And bingo we all got placed in S5. Anyway, now we have 3 groups of people
Group 1 will board at Krishnarajapuram (KJM)
Group 2 will board at Yesvantpur (YPR)
Group 3 will get the sleeping bags and tents on rent and board at YPR
I am a regular traveller on the Bangalore – Chennai – Bangalore line for more than a decade now and I know the pains of travelling on a Friday night to City Railway Station or KJM railway station. It is bumper to bumper traffic all the way from 4:30 pm onwards. Not wanting to take a chance, I decided to take the opposite direction and board the MAS – SBC ICE from Whitefield till KJM or the MEMU just before that. As luck would have it, even this route was congested and it took me almost one hour to reach Whitefield station, which usually takes around 30 mins. However looking at the opposite direction, I think I made the correct decision.
Ray of Hope
A colleague of mine was stuck up at Hope farm not knowing how to reach Whitefield station. After my expert tips, which included a since you are very late and may miss this last train to KJM, get under the bridge and cross the tracks and the station would be on your right, I assume that my colleague would call me once reached. As time passed and no calls received, I decided to call up and found out that my colleague just dumped me and took the MEMU to KJM, which included an expedition under a stable freight to the other side and not finding the station and a second expedition under the same freight train with a loaded backpack to find the station just in time to board the MEMU and later followed by me unloading a nice helping of my irritation especially on going under the freight train. However to get back in the spirit of the travel, it was lost in due course, but I still cannot digest the fact that the freight was crossed twice with heavy backpacks. My ICE came 20 minutes behind schedule and dropped me at KJM PF No 4 where I met the first half of the crew, which is 8 members including myself.
Raining … A hot cup of tea & samosa is all that is missing
Our short stay at KJM was seen by Sanghamitra, YPR-Howrah and Tirupati-YPR ICE. We left KJM a solid 50 minutes behind schedule led by ED WAP4 and waited at Banaswadi for another 40 mins to let the YPR Puducherry GR to pass. After an eternity which lasted close to around 80 mins we reached YPR a good 30 mins behind schedule. Since we were in the YPR quota coach, we had the entire coach to ourselves upto YPR. As soon as we reached YPR, the entire coach got filled up in a matter of minutes. 64 of the 72 berths were reserved for the people like us who were going to CLR. You can imagine the time taken by people to settle down with their tents , backpack , food and sleeping bags. I got my dinner there and surprisingly the Veg Biriyani was quite good. By the time we could all settle down, the train was all set to take us towards Tumkur and was already moving out of the platform.
A wet morning just outside Hubli
We decided to run through the train end to end and returned in 30 mins just to figure out that there were around 400 folks in the train going to DDS and almost 100 of them wanting to pitch up the tents at DDS and our unanswered questions came back to haunt us again. Another 30 mins of indecision and we decided to retire for the day as it will be a hectic day tomorrow. So once again as the train accelerated past Tumkur, I slept with the same unanswered questions, but the wild instinct remained.
Pixel Trailz 