Thought of the day

                                             My name is Bond. Vagabond.

London

London. 

A city always on the move. 

A bustling, bubbling cauldron of many cultures, much to the chagrin of certain tram ladies. 

A city characterised by the spiffy hum of several relentless minds. 

The time is morning rush hour. Between sips of strong coffee and stretching; I stand waiting patiently to get my daily tube ticket. The sun was certainly out but the mist in the air was audaciously challenging it to shine brighter. Suddenly, there is a chorus of deafening booms. Westminster, the Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben lets out a screeching alarm reminding us to rise and shine, to shake off the last signs of snooze. I take the ticket; the helpful ticket-teller gives me necessary directions about which line to take. I am alert…at least for the moment. There are so many lines—Victoria, Jubilee, Metropolitan etc, so many changes and so less time to process it all. 

I somnambulate and find myself amidst busy silhouettes jostling their way in a mélange of stylish suits, polished shoes and boots. With newspaper tucked on one side, a suitcase in one hand and the-all-important coffee on the other, they are an epitome of style. As the tube chugs in, everyone experiences a collective sense of alertness. Ready, steady and go. From somewhere a sharp voice reminds us to--MIND THE GAP. 

Minding the gap, in less than ten seconds, I am in. Hurray. In the closed somewhat intimate space of the tube, everyone seems to be in some unconscious synchronized choreography, darting the headlines on their I-phones, rhythmically moving their head to the I-pod, reading the free newspaper Metro, skimming through their Kindle. I take out my own, try to get lost in the pages of my e-book. I think I look nonchalant; I hope I have blended in. Soon it is time to step out. Step out I did; only to get enveloped in a streak of grey. Grey skies were at it again! The streets were getting wet with the slow pitter-patter of raindrops. But thank God, I had the accessory dearest to every Londoner—the quintessential umbrella. Snooty yet a savior.  I unwrap it, smoothen my skirt, tighten the jacket and march forward. I look London, I feel London. 

Walking down the Queen’s memorial walk near Green Park, crisp autumn air kisses my face. The park is full of men and women dressed in stylish leggings and the shortest shorts running despite the nip in the air. Welcome to another slice of London life.  I reach the famous Buckingham Palace after crossing the War memorial and find myself surrounded by ebullient tourists hopping around feverishly, snapping pictures, hoping to get a glimpse of the Queen or Kate Middleton. Suddenly, it all goes silent. It’s time to change the guards; I am told.  The air is filled with guards’ bands and military music; new set of guards come out to take over the duties from old ones. With their red jackets and huge bearskins; they are an eye-catching sight. All of us look around, laugh and smile at each other; the differences of race, colour, and language are kept aside.

Time to move on; I walk along the St. James’ Palace catching in the local sights. On the streets, I can hear a myriad of faces of different races lending the city a beautiful, vibrant charm. Perhaps, it’s this variety which makes London a global hotspot. I find myself near St. Paul’s Cathedral, an ornate structure built between 1675 and 1710, a centre for arts, spiritualism, learning and public debate. The cathedral which was in news in 2011 for the anti-capitalism protests is said to attract people of all faith. Its legacy cannot be contained in the narrow borders of religion and perhaps is another testimony of the city’s multicultural fabric . 

I still don’t know who is a true Londoner, but I am mesmerized by the variety the city offers, where each different culture comes together, integrate and become something greater.

As I step into the tube; I feel my cheeks flushed. 

I think I am in love and hope it’s an affair to remember.

Thought for the day

Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking. Spanish Poet, Antonio Machado

A walk to remember--Bakewell

Ever fancy about getting out of the hustle-bustle of London on a weekend, get acquainted with nature and connected with yourself? Then head towards Bakewell in Derbyshire, a quaint little town known for its tantalizing walks, cycling lanes and mouth watering pudding. Nestled on the River Wye it is a small market town in the Dale district of Derbyshire meant equally for adrenalin junkies like bikers and cyclists as well as poets, lovers, painters, bird-watchers, artists and of course the true vagabonds.

As the sun rose on a lazy Saturday morning we headed towards Sheffield on an early London-Sheffield cross country train. There are no direct buses or trains from London towards Bakewell so it is advisable to start early. Two hours later we reached Sheffield interchange and from here took a bus towards this popular weekend destination. It takes about an hour to reach Bakewell from Sheffield and the rapidly changing skyline is welcoming enough—undulating valleys, beautiful foliage, old houses turned into little delis, shops and pubs, eye-catching meadows and greenery in various hues teasing your eyes and senses. The bus stopped near River Wye and as soon as you step out, you get a feeling of walking into a picturesque postcard.

The town is steeped in history; legend has it that town was probably founded in the Anglo Saxon times. The Bakewell Parish Church, a popular attraction and Grade 1 listed building is said to be found in 920 with a cross which goes back to 9th century, a proof for its heritage status. The popular Bakewell market was established in 1254 while five-arched bridge over the River Wye was constructed in the 13th century. With so history around, it is hard not to fall in love with this town.

Bakewell is known as one of the best walking destination in Northern England and it’s an honor not wasted. Walk on the banks of river Wye dotted with russet autumn leaves and aquatic birds happily crackling away on its water or through its many delis and shops selling vintage goods. Don’t forget the melancholy church; the all saint’s parish church; sitting atop a hillside is a breath taking site. The church is a treasure trove of many little wonders; two crosses which goes back to the Anglo Saxon time, wooden shields, pre-Raphaelite windows, sanctuary and altar. The beauty of the church is such that even the biggest atheist will feel a little connected to the creator after venturing inside.

It’s but natural that your stomach starts growling after giving your limbs so much of exercise; and this is the place for all food lovers’ especially sweet connoisseurs. Bakewell is the birthplace of the famous Bakewell pudding. There are many little bakeries all claiming to be the origin of the Bakewell pudding; ditch the need to find out the truth because all of them are equally good bringing happiness to your taste buds. While you are here don’t forget to sneak inside the famous Rutland arms hotel where Jane Austen penned her legendary work Pride and Prejudice. Maybe the writer inside you can come alive.

Bakewell is meant for everyone, walk, cycle, or simply do nothing. It is an ideal place to get re-charged and connect with yourself.

Hoping in the Hope Valley

So life has taken another sharp twist and I am amidst new people in a new country taking baby steps to understand its different culture. Change is good and when you are in a different place its even better (not all hunky dory but yeah good). So far I am loving it. The better half and me are slowly settling in Sheffield and just getting over the end of a long, much looked for Bank holiday weekend. So as the weekend approached we decided to give "settling in" a break and just go out footloose and fancy as true vagabonds.

As the sun rose on a lazy Saturday we were bustling to get out of the door and see what the countryside of England, a country rich in culture has to offer us. No plans, no maps, no nothing..just an idea, a curious mind and a strong spirit (not the liquid kind :P) to guide us. From Sheffield we reached Hope Valley in Derby shire aboard the Sheffield-Manchester Piccadilly train. As the the train slowly left Sheffield, the skyline changed rapidly to huge trees, beautiful foliage, undulating valleys and green in every hue, tantalizing and teasing our eyes. I keep repeating this and once again I plead guilty--nature is truly humbling.

As we got down the Hope valley station; it felt like time travel to a bygone era. It was a scene befitting a painting...eye-catching meadows, old cottage houses rearing sheep, cascading mountains, watch dogs et all. The weather at this time of the year is perfect. It is warm enough to give your legs a good exercise and cool enough to do all that in a light jacket.

The quaint little valley is dotted with ancient churches, castles, small delis and not-so-big pubs and is a haven for adrenalin junkies like bikers, pony trekkers and rock climbers and even artists, photographers, painters, bird-watchers. Considered as one of the best walking countryside in the UK, it lies between the grit-stone moors of the dark peak and limestone outcrops of the White peak. The whole belt is an amalgamation of different valleys, moors and other ruins.

As we were taking in the lovely sights; we decided to make out first stop. Churches have always been a major interest to me, I don't know what it is about them--the serenity and divinity which wafts out from the place, the architecture or just some energy which attracts me towards them. We stopped at the church of saint Peter, a beautiful church standing majestically just on the outskirts of the Hope hamlet. Its an old roman fort structure said to be built in 1858. Built of wood and sandstone; its regal and breathtaking. Towards the right of the Parish church is a graveyard giving the whole place a very melancholy feel.

At this point we realized that with half of the day gone it is time to have at least an inkling of a plan, we decided to give cycling (mind you the leisure kind) a hand. But each shop we went told us we need to go to Bamford easily two miles from Hope to get one; and that's when we hopped into a bus. Now, there is something truly different between people from city and those from countryside; they are in many ways more hospitable and thus pleasant. We got into a bus and asked the driver that we need to get down at Bamford and if knows any cycle rentals in that area. He was quick to answer in negative, but before we knew it we were going through the narrow lane and by lanes of Bamford because our man was searching for a cycle rental shop for us. He got us down right in front of our biggest need of the day. Needless to say, it left us pleasantly overwhelmed. Once we got our bikes, we mounted and took a second tour covering Bamford, Hope before fixing our mind on Castleton.

As we biked the lovely breeze slowly kissed our faces making sure we are never too tired to give it up thus pushing us to trudge along the billowing roads of the valley. A quick lunch comprising chips and cheese omelet in a countryside British pub we reached Castleton; a haven for travelers of all kind; as the name suggests Castleton is dominated by castles like the Norman castle, the Peak cavern, Peveril castle, the Castleton village etc.

We headed towards the famous Peak cavern; a collection of caves where an entire village sustained some 180 years back. Popularly known as the Devil's arse it is one of the biggest attraction here. It was owned by the Duchy of Lancaster. The entrance to the caves is jaw dropping beautiful; it looks like an immense cleft on a humungous rock sitting in sharp contrast to a quaint stream flowing nearby. As you go under the cleft you enter a wide, impressive entrance of the caves. Families engaged in rope making used to live here. And even today you can see a house or two; not bigger than your own double bed there. As a testimony to the thriving rope making industry of the yore, the cave managers still give you lessons and tours on how they did it.

Beyond the entrance a narrow passage leads to a chamber known the Bell-House. Continuing on along the path you reach a chamber called the Great Cave which is about 60m high and contains a passage in its roof which emerges near Peveril Castle. Interestingly, outsiders used to believe that devil stays inside this cave and since the gurgling stream would make some noise; it was said that the devil was passing gas. See what all the simple act of flatulence can do.

But for the sake of royalty the name was changed to Peak's Cavern sometime in the 1900s as the queen was supposed to visit the place. Now the queen cannot say arse so a much polite (albeit a little too straight for my twisted mind) so the cave was rechristened as Peak's Cavern.

We came out of Devil's arse totally thrilled and not just because no one exercised this natural right inside the dingy caves :) and I could not stop wondering how many such mysteries and beauties our Mother earth is abundant with. Unfortunately, we were told it was too late (4:30PM) to go to the other castles and caverns. And my only grouse was at the ticking clock.

But then it only gives me a reason to go back. And I can't wait to hop in that train once more to get ready to be teased once again by the lovely countryside of Hope district.

The Humbling Sea--My Gokarna Experience

One of the best things about having a job with unlimited Internet access is that you can keep troubling Mr G (Google not God, silly) endlessly. And so during my one of the many "working" moment, I asked Mr G about Gokarna and immediately images of the vast never ending ocean, pristine beaches and historical temples graced my screen. One look at the picture of the awesome Om beach; and I was positively lusting to go there. I mean I had to be there, it was some sort of epiphany and so with my roomie, my friend Jyothi I took off. Well meaning friends kept advising us with dire warnings--it is very sunny, it is raining cats and dogs, yada yada. But we still went, two mad girls going madder on the lovely beaches. It was a dream. It couldn't have been better.

Gokarna is a quaint little village in Uttar Karnataka; with vast beaches, a bustling village and the lofty Sahyadris; Gokarna is a ideal destination for those who loves the beaches and the mountains and want a taste of both at once. And being relatively less explored, it is every bit shy cousin of its neighbor Goa. After a really bumpy ride from Bangalore, very little sleep, we open our eyes as dawn hit. The first sight we see is the lush lakes, the still sleeping village and the smell of fresh rain treated mud awakens us; well its hard not to. A rickety tuk tuk take us towards Om beach and the famous Namaste cafe.

Still undecided where to stay we entered the cafe with much trepidation but as soon as we reached the eating area; we saw the sea waves hitting the hefty rocks, the sea wind caressing our skin and jaw dropping beauty of the OM shaped beach. The choice was made. The sea is a real moody creature, I realized. At times its calm, at times rocky and at times absolutely ruthless. It humbles you down and never ceases to amaze you. I thought the timing could not have been perfect. It was sunny just enough to take a long walk on the beach, get lost looking at the water, read or simply do nothing and cool enough to hike up the tricky cliffs. And as soon as you break a sweat, a quick five minute sudden shower will cool you down.

The cherry on the cake was meeting people from the other side of the world and befriending. Traveling gets rid of your bigotry and teaches you a lot, Mark Twain once said. And meeting different people and learning from them teaches you a lot. For starters, I could not help admire the gumption of this kindergarten teacher from Brazil who is in here for six months travelling alone,roughing it out in some unbearable conditions (unbearable for me) in sleeper class trains, living in match box kind of rooms all for the sake of finding herself. Or a German teacher teaching in a Chennai village who wanted to explore the varied nature of the seas, the people of this vast nation. I learnt at the end of the day despite our differences of colour, culture and languages. We all want the same things--to know who we really are, to explore the various secrets of world, to love and to be loved. I think this was the biggest highlight of the whole trip.

With this Brazilian friend we took off to the bustling market of Gokarna. Well, since it was off season and late noon, the market wasn't really bustling. But on the plus side we got some neat deal; loosened our wallet and bulked our bag with some psychedelic Alladin pants, colorful tops, knick-knacks and all. And while the locals do know how to haggle with an equally haggling customer (read me) I must admit they were much nicer than the shop keepers in city!! Its a quintessential village scene out there, with people greeting each other, shops slowly opening after their siesta hours, mowing cows moving about and all. The famous Mahabaladeva temple is located here. Unfortunately, out of bounds for the phirangs; believed to be some 1500 years old the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, it houses the "atmalinga," legend has it that Ravana himself coined this name referring to the Shiva lingam's strength. With so much of legend surrounding it; its hard not to go there. And as soon as you enter, a strange sense of calm wraps you up....it is as if someone is telling you that all is well. It gave me goosebumps, I kid you not.

While there are other beaches as well, we could not go to most of them as it was the monsoons and we were told the sea can be really ferocious at times. It was closed even if we want to take the risk. But nonetheless, we trekked from Om beach to Kudle beach. But honestly after the mesmerizing beauty of Om, this was a bit of a dampener.Only because it was more populated which in India translates to more dirty. Really, when are we going to learn some civic sense and love the nature??? But to lift our sagging mood, we took a challenge with our firang friends. Trekking back to Om we saw the lofty rocks of the Sahyadris calling us. It was tricky and the unpredictable weather added with the high tide and sea waves almost slapping the huts was a warning enough, but we were hear to flirt with danger. And so we took, rough the slippery rocks, the wind plants hitting us from unknown quarters and gingerly without really looking down at the sea we walked. Looking back, I think if I had caught even a small peak, I would frozen, we were at a great height alright and single step gone wrong could have given a very nasty ending to this story. But Gods were with us. We scaled and it was every bit worth the risk.

The view was breathtaking. The sea all below, all around us. The "Om" shape finally revealing itself and of course the tall trees giving us shelter. It proved God is really there for only he could have made such a beautiful world. That moment I thought I was living inside a beautiful painting.

Gokarna is a place of contrasts. The small huts, the simple locals and ruined temples sits in sharp but comfortable paradox with the beaches, the cafes and the hammocks. You can get lost in the beauty of nature, get your adrenalin kick by trekking up the mountains and just simply discover yourself. Meant for everyone, bar no one.

Wild Wild South

Work beckoned me; kept me endlessly busy. But I am back with a new adventure and a new story.

Blink and you are likely to miss this small, quaint town on River Chaliyar bank, some 70 kilometers from Calicut. Nilambur, is a far cry from the tourist hot spots of Kerala. There is no usual hustle bustle and virtually no sign of commercialisation. But don't let that stop you. You are in God's own country after all and here God comes in play throttling in raw splendour; wilderness staring right back at you. Me and Jit made a spontenous plan to go to this place one fine day only because I was whining that life has become a tad boring and like a clock. So we head off to this little known place in our car from Manjeri on a fine Sunday morning.

Honestly, I was not expecting much. I have never really explored the various trekking spots in my hometown. And Nilambur made a perfect start. The biggest attraction of this place is the Conolly's plot, world's oldest man made teak plantation. A small trek takes us to Conolly's plot, set amidst vast rainforests. The plot is home for a variety of teak species as also the oldest teak tree in the world- Kannimari-with a girth of 420cm at breast height and approximately 16-17 metres long. Your jaw is likely to drop when you see this immobile giant. There are as many as 117 teak trees in this plot. Before you wonder how so many teak trees came here then you must go into the deep history of this place.Conolly was a district magistrate of this place between 1835-1921. One of Conolly's duties were to ensure a steady supply of quality teak to British Ship building yards and for that Mr Conolly built this plot in 1844.Today, it is a perfect place to breathe in some fresh but wild air, take in the sounds of playful squirrels and birds chirping in the foliage. And let nature speak to you. As for me I regally played thepart of babe in woods while husband dear went on clicking away occassionaly indulging the child in me :).

But the most beautiful part of this plot is the hanging bridge. Made of iron bars and ropes, it connects the plot to the mainland. This strudy bridge sways gently as soft wind caresses you. Passing through the Chaliyar river amidst the vast green of the plantation, undulating hills and forest on the other side, walking on the bridge is like walking into a postcard. I kid you not!! Needless to say the best part of the journey for me. (Pics coming up soon)

From here we proceed to one of the kind Teak museum, some two kilometers from the plot. Now, I have seen many kinds of museums but this is truly unique as the various aspects of teak--historic, aesthetic and scientific has been diligently recorded here. Nature enthusiasts should certainly not miss this spot. Our trip comes in end at the biodiversity park. An artistically landscaped park which houses several species of different flora, medicinal trees and a small butterfly garden. The sights tease you and makes you come tantalizingly alive.

As we were approaching Nilambur, I saw large, palatial houses made of wood. The Gulf money was doing its job and its blatant display was only making me nauseous. I was only about to write this place off, Jits told me to keep an open mind. And that I did only to come surprised from this little known place.