If somebody thought the emotion might dry up after a week, somebody was wrong. With over 2,500 pics already collected, and almost as many more yet to be collected, with injuries yet to be healed and stories yet to be shared, the Suri & Co trip for 2012 to Wayanad is still a BANGG in our hearts. It will be etched in our memories for as long as we live, I am sure. And it will keep us all close together, for much longer than that. Everybody is sure!
Here's the Ballad, that sings of our days in God's Own Country. Hold on folks, for if you are familiar with the roads in Kerala, you will very well know that this one is a long and bumpy ride!
Day 1
It was the day we decided, that even if we spend the rest of the week sleeping in our hotel rooms; the time, the money and the energy we spent to go to Wayanad will be Vasul. Such was the magnificence of the Soochipara Waterfall!
But it will be unfair to start Day 1 from Day 1 itself, because the story actually starts from the night before. My buddy and I made it to Chennai Central right on time and the sight we saw opposite Saravana Bhavan was simply exuberant. Around two and a half dozen of our office folk, clustered around the luggage, wasting no time to pull out their cameras and click everything in sight, chattering, high fiveing and getting ready to rock and roll. But that was of course was just the trailer. The movie started with the train pulling away from the station. That was when the "screaming restriction" was lifted - and the wildebeests were let free.
We had a photography marathon for starters, and main-course included a game of anthakshari on one side and one of truth or dare on the other (which was indeed satisfying, in terms of its share embarrassing truths and dares, much worse - if you know what I mean). And for dessert we had, what I would like to call... ummm... let's just call it "TOOTHPASTE" (For those readers who weren't there for the trip, it was a game were a genius among us decided to apply toothpaste on the face of anyone who was sleeping that night)
Breakfast at Mysore, from where we caught a bus to Wayanad. Let me tell you friends, I will never forget that bus trip - ever! That was the ride where I tore away my inhibitions and let the dance floor on fire! Well, that was what I thought I did. At a later stage of the story, one of my friends was kind enough to say that I suck and also call me a "left-footed dancer". However, fate had something else in store for my brother - Mr. Red Chutney, who also marked his debut in the aisles of the very same bus. I should also thank a couple of wonderful girls who were kind enough to share their dancing secrets, and also rocked the stage!
And then came Soochipara! I will just say this much - you don't have to die to go to Heaven! One kilometer walk in a narrow slope, fenced with exotic plantation, feasting on scenic beauty as nowhere in the world, and the majestic waterfalls to top it up! Cloud 9 was too low, my friends, as the water pounded against my spine, as I swam on rocks and breathed in the.... I don't have a word for what I saw from there. Looking at the water fall, from below the waterfall. What do you call that?
I said goodnight after watching Batman-Begins in my room.
Day 2
As much as I hate him, I have to thank James Bond incarnate for being punctual and waking me up on time. Not to mention my bro who accompanied me to watch Manichithrathazhu - the best movie ever! There is another bro, whom I am not mentioning right now, as he features prominently in Day 3.
Well, frankly, Day 2 was boring. Except the climax..... shhhh, I will say that in the end. We went to Lakdi view point and saw the chain tree, went boating, again went boating, saw an elephant and a Dam. Hey, don't forget the swing! Man, that was a riot!
And we did miss our ever enthusiastic cameraman. And I have to say, without you, the days were a little less fun. Wish you good health my bro! Same with you girls who skipped Day 3. Next time, we will drag you along and you better be prepared!
And now for the climax - Campfire! Boy, did we dance like wild men. This time again, I wasn't shy. The fire dazzled, just like our trip.
One more thing, this day saw an improvement. Because at the end of our first day, our bus had nearly turned into an ambulance (thanks to a cute little puppy - hey, don't get annoyed, I did say cute). On this particular day, we had no casualties. Everybody was in good health. You needed that. For what was in store for you, was something you needed a tough gut to digest!
Day 3
This my friends, is a whole new story. It is the story of inspiring Black shirts, of how we learnt that your gender is not your weakness, of a song "If you can do it, so can we!", of giving a helping hand (Hey little sister. Let me tell you, you were the one who gave me the helping hand all along), of pushing your buddy to his limits and much beyond (My dear chappal friend. We made it with nothing but will-power) and most of all, it is the story..... Where determination takes front seat! The blood that pulsed through our veins when we made it to the top, it was red with glory!
And don't forget how much fun it was. Trekking wasn't just about a breathless exhausting walk. The journey till the heart-shaped lake, through the wild and narrow road, we couldn't see anything beautiful over there. Because we were standing at the most beautiful spot!
(Special mention to our cameraman for the day! And to Dilli Wala who helped us all, up and down)
Ahoy, not to mention the game of dumb charades that night, or as I like to call it, "The night I was cursed by the angels" (pun intended)
Day 4
The Grand Finale. On the down side, two of our colleagues went off to their home towns. On the up side, one of the girls missed her bus the previous day. Or was it the other way around? Well, everybody was happy. And we made it, to probably the most exotic spots in our itinery - The Kuruva Island!
Let me just run you through the highlights of the day - Chechi who was freaked out by monkeys, got a pic of my favourite actor, had a bloody good swim, a new record lung power of 85 second underwater (awesome dude!), another record lung power of 4 seconds underwater (forgot if it was skinny or Mr. Toothpaste. Well, both of you were useless and I strictly advice you to stay away from water!), sun-bath (you HAVE to try it... And thank you Spiky, for the idea!) and personally, sitting on wet pants in the bus for over an hour!
Yeah, that was pretty much it. The place was just fantastic. And I have to appreciate them for maintaining the island in such fashion, the authorities have done a brilliant job in flourishing tourism and at the same time, preserving the riverine island, as if away from any human intervention at all.
The rest of the bus trip was sleepy. Mr. Skinny showed off his dancing skill (which was, I must say, impressive)! Or was that on some previous day? I don't know. Special mention to two baby elephants (no offence) who executed the Gangnam style better than PSY. Mr. Red Chutney will be awarded the best dancer, while the wild bug will be the Best Sleeper of the trip.
Sambar Mami and our Manager were simply unbeatable at Anthakshari and they shall be crowned the woman and man of the match respectively. Ummm... I am totally running out of nick-names, especially for all my akkas, one of whom I owe an apology for my disastrous prediction by palmistry, and another who insisted that I don't call anyone akka, but my friend, that is a promise I cannot keep. And my dear chechis who cajoled me for the window seat all along, cajole being a drastic understatement, love you a lot! And one of them made it to the top on Day 3 - High Five!
Woah! How could I forget the captain of the game. THE TOUR OPERATOR. Machaa, you did a fantabuloustically superb job. Awesome work. You totally deserve a para for yourself! Hats off Bhai!
And then the trip, back home! Well, just one more thing to say. Two actually. First of all, hey fellow blogger, I made it first! And most importantly...
Here's the Ballad, that sings of our days in God's Own Country. Hold on folks, for if you are familiar with the roads in Kerala, you will very well know that this one is a long and bumpy ride!
Day 1
It was the day we decided, that even if we spend the rest of the week sleeping in our hotel rooms; the time, the money and the energy we spent to go to Wayanad will be Vasul. Such was the magnificence of the Soochipara Waterfall!
But it will be unfair to start Day 1 from Day 1 itself, because the story actually starts from the night before. My buddy and I made it to Chennai Central right on time and the sight we saw opposite Saravana Bhavan was simply exuberant. Around two and a half dozen of our office folk, clustered around the luggage, wasting no time to pull out their cameras and click everything in sight, chattering, high fiveing and getting ready to rock and roll. But that was of course was just the trailer. The movie started with the train pulling away from the station. That was when the "screaming restriction" was lifted - and the wildebeests were let free.
We had a photography marathon for starters, and main-course included a game of anthakshari on one side and one of truth or dare on the other (which was indeed satisfying, in terms of its share embarrassing truths and dares, much worse - if you know what I mean). And for dessert we had, what I would like to call... ummm... let's just call it "TOOTHPASTE" (For those readers who weren't there for the trip, it was a game were a genius among us decided to apply toothpaste on the face of anyone who was sleeping that night)
Breakfast at Mysore, from where we caught a bus to Wayanad. Let me tell you friends, I will never forget that bus trip - ever! That was the ride where I tore away my inhibitions and let the dance floor on fire! Well, that was what I thought I did. At a later stage of the story, one of my friends was kind enough to say that I suck and also call me a "left-footed dancer". However, fate had something else in store for my brother - Mr. Red Chutney, who also marked his debut in the aisles of the very same bus. I should also thank a couple of wonderful girls who were kind enough to share their dancing secrets, and also rocked the stage!
And then came Soochipara! I will just say this much - you don't have to die to go to Heaven! One kilometer walk in a narrow slope, fenced with exotic plantation, feasting on scenic beauty as nowhere in the world, and the majestic waterfalls to top it up! Cloud 9 was too low, my friends, as the water pounded against my spine, as I swam on rocks and breathed in the.... I don't have a word for what I saw from there. Looking at the water fall, from below the waterfall. What do you call that?
I said goodnight after watching Batman-Begins in my room.
Day 2
As much as I hate him, I have to thank James Bond incarnate for being punctual and waking me up on time. Not to mention my bro who accompanied me to watch Manichithrathazhu - the best movie ever! There is another bro, whom I am not mentioning right now, as he features prominently in Day 3.
Well, frankly, Day 2 was boring. Except the climax..... shhhh, I will say that in the end. We went to Lakdi view point and saw the chain tree, went boating, again went boating, saw an elephant and a Dam. Hey, don't forget the swing! Man, that was a riot!
And we did miss our ever enthusiastic cameraman. And I have to say, without you, the days were a little less fun. Wish you good health my bro! Same with you girls who skipped Day 3. Next time, we will drag you along and you better be prepared!
And now for the climax - Campfire! Boy, did we dance like wild men. This time again, I wasn't shy. The fire dazzled, just like our trip.
One more thing, this day saw an improvement. Because at the end of our first day, our bus had nearly turned into an ambulance (thanks to a cute little puppy - hey, don't get annoyed, I did say cute). On this particular day, we had no casualties. Everybody was in good health. You needed that. For what was in store for you, was something you needed a tough gut to digest!
Day 3
This my friends, is a whole new story. It is the story of inspiring Black shirts, of how we learnt that your gender is not your weakness, of a song "If you can do it, so can we!", of giving a helping hand (Hey little sister. Let me tell you, you were the one who gave me the helping hand all along), of pushing your buddy to his limits and much beyond (My dear chappal friend. We made it with nothing but will-power) and most of all, it is the story..... Where determination takes front seat! The blood that pulsed through our veins when we made it to the top, it was red with glory!
And don't forget how much fun it was. Trekking wasn't just about a breathless exhausting walk. The journey till the heart-shaped lake, through the wild and narrow road, we couldn't see anything beautiful over there. Because we were standing at the most beautiful spot!
(Special mention to our cameraman for the day! And to Dilli Wala who helped us all, up and down)
Ahoy, not to mention the game of dumb charades that night, or as I like to call it, "The night I was cursed by the angels" (pun intended)
Day 4
The Grand Finale. On the down side, two of our colleagues went off to their home towns. On the up side, one of the girls missed her bus the previous day. Or was it the other way around? Well, everybody was happy. And we made it, to probably the most exotic spots in our itinery - The Kuruva Island!
Let me just run you through the highlights of the day - Chechi who was freaked out by monkeys, got a pic of my favourite actor, had a bloody good swim, a new record lung power of 85 second underwater (awesome dude!), another record lung power of 4 seconds underwater (forgot if it was skinny or Mr. Toothpaste. Well, both of you were useless and I strictly advice you to stay away from water!), sun-bath (you HAVE to try it... And thank you Spiky, for the idea!) and personally, sitting on wet pants in the bus for over an hour!
Yeah, that was pretty much it. The place was just fantastic. And I have to appreciate them for maintaining the island in such fashion, the authorities have done a brilliant job in flourishing tourism and at the same time, preserving the riverine island, as if away from any human intervention at all.
The rest of the bus trip was sleepy. Mr. Skinny showed off his dancing skill (which was, I must say, impressive)! Or was that on some previous day? I don't know. Special mention to two baby elephants (no offence) who executed the Gangnam style better than PSY. Mr. Red Chutney will be awarded the best dancer, while the wild bug will be the Best Sleeper of the trip.
Sambar Mami and our Manager were simply unbeatable at Anthakshari and they shall be crowned the woman and man of the match respectively. Ummm... I am totally running out of nick-names, especially for all my akkas, one of whom I owe an apology for my disastrous prediction by palmistry, and another who insisted that I don't call anyone akka, but my friend, that is a promise I cannot keep. And my dear chechis who cajoled me for the window seat all along, cajole being a drastic understatement, love you a lot! And one of them made it to the top on Day 3 - High Five!
Woah! How could I forget the captain of the game. THE TOUR OPERATOR. Machaa, you did a fantabuloustically superb job. Awesome work. You totally deserve a para for yourself! Hats off Bhai!
And then the trip, back home! Well, just one more thing to say. Two actually. First of all, hey fellow blogger, I made it first! And most importantly...
WAYANAD TOUR KKU ORU O PODU!
SURI & CO KKU ORU O PODU!!!
Love
