After a close shave, I was clean shaven actually!, with the jumbos in an unforgettable night, Bamboo Rafting should have been the ideal distraction of an attraction from the previous night's fatal destruction. What was said to me was that there would be a small hike to get to the place where the Raft will began its pleasant journey on the undisturbed tranquil waters. But, what was not said was that the small hike was not really small! It was an arduous task to trail and follow the well-laid, I mean planned here!, route to reach our destination especially after the near-death encounter which was playing like an ear worm inside my head. Anything curved or dark or big or tall, it resembled an elephant. Or at least that was how my mind's eye was projecting and toying around those terrifying memories on my conscious mind in the reality. With great difficulty, I speak for myself here!, we reached the spot from where we had the cakes and biscuits that was given to us for free. Or was it? Those eateries were included in the ticket package and were packaged as non-chargeable. There is definitely no such thing as free lunch!
The Bamboo Rafting was spectacularly fun particularly when you take the initiative and ask the guide to row the raft by yourself. For a beginner as I, it was difficult to say the least. Yet, you could see how physics showing its true colors when you were able to steer the boat with aplomb ease as you hold the oar in one particular direction and a specific angle. Lazing and tiring around with the gentle and soft nature along with the rowing, it was a much needed experience to expunge and obliterate the fires of hell from the previous night. Following the same path down the hiking trail after the rafts were anchored in the docking place, the Bamboo Rafting was a pleasant and satisfying ride until and unless the sun shows its bright sweltering face upon your head!
It was then the full impact of the hike started to show as my entire body was screaming in agony like it was being pricked with pins and needles. I hibernated for the rest of day like a Polar Bear oblivious to the time and I had missed out the boating in the Tiger Reserve in the evening. With shoe bite on my feet, it was taking every ounce of energy even to walk in the next day's Border Hiking (BH).
The BH was rigorous and strenuous than the "small hike" which was a part of Bamboo Rafting. Fortunately, the co-trekkers were chatty enough to make meaningful and purposeful conversations about themselves, life, nature, movies, animals, philosophy etc. especially two gentlemen from the USA - Kannan and Rudi. Kannan had his roots from Tamil Nadu itself - Tiruvannamalai and Rudi was born and brought up in America. Both were cordial, nice, smart and intelligent to speak on a wide range of topics to go with their photographic skills. We encountered several trees like Cardamom, spices etc., Flying Squirrels, the rare Great Hornbill which is also Kerala's state bird, deers and lots of walking and talking especially when you hear the chilling stories of the guide who happened to be a sandalwood smuggler in his young days but turned a new leaf and joined the reserve to protect the pristine forests from illegal activities. I was reminded of "the hair of the dog that bit you" when one of the guide told all of us that he used to engage in cutting and felling of sandalwood trees in the reserve.
It was a good long hike where we got to stand on the exact border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We would have reached earlier had it been not for my stupid shoe bit which I received from the previous day. I felt it was wrong of me to slow down the group because of my painful injury and asked them to go at their pace. But, the entire group was considerate and supportive and were walking slowly enough to reach the starting point together.
It was then time to bid adieu to Thekkady and proceed to Vipassana in Tiruvannamalai via temple visits at Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple and the world famous Sri Rangam Temple. As Kannan and Rudi were on a break from work and visited India on a leisurely tour, they were gracious enough to give me a lift to Madurai from Thekkady from where they went ahead with their plans to the holy place of Varanasi.
After paying obeisance to Madurai Meenakshi and kowtowing before the majestic reclining Ranganathar from Trichy, it was time for me to experience one of the baddest, meanest, nastiest yet the truest form of meditation which could be practised anywhere, anytime and on-the-go as proclaimed by the scientific Buddha. Oh yes. Vipassana is refined science at its core.
More about it in the upcoming blog on The Great Vivisection Vipassana.
X---Concluded---X
No comments:
Post a Comment