A weekend trip – Bangalore to Wayanad

One of my biggest complaints about Bangalore is the lack of things to do during the weekend in town. You can go to places like the mall or the zoo but during the weekend they are super-packed. As I am not one to sit and complain I have decided to do what I think is one of the best things In Bangalore – its surroundings. I have many trips planned. This weekend it was Wayanad.

The trip to Wayanad came into being by getting a link to Exotic Expeditions on Facebook. They had a trip coming up on the weekend. I called them up to find out if this was a kid friendly trip. Santosh – who runs this outfit – was extremely helpful and accommodating. After answering my questions I decided we would join them with my two kids ( 4 and 12) and two maids. Santosh dropped by the next day and picked up the payment for the trek.

Logistics:

Rs 2800 per person – inclusive of almost everything on the trip - transport, lodging, most food and all activities.

Pick up : MG Road at 10pm Friday

Drop Off: MG Road 10pm Sunday.

On Friday I found out that other people supposed to be joining us on the trek had dropped but Santosh did not bail on us. He got a Qualis that accommodated my group and another person who joined us. We left Bangalore around 10pm and after a few stops made it to Wayanad at 8:30am.

Stay in Wayanad: Hill View homestay. Basic homestay with clean big rooms and awesome food. The owner was a very nice welcoming man who fed us well and made sure we were comfortable.The homestay is not on any plantation but by a road. The rooms are on the first floor but it has a nice rooftop with a view. Not fancy but very comfortable and I must say we had a very nice time there.

Day 1:

The plan of the day was to first visit Meenmurty waterfalls. Meenmurty is  three kilometer roundtrip trek. Not a huge distance but pretty steep and thus not recommended for kids. We sent the kids and the maids off to Pookot lake for a boat ride while the rest of us went on the hike. After the boat ride they went on a plantation walk - seeing coffee, tea and cardamom trees.

After the hike we had a good Kerala style lunch at Santosh Hotel and joined the kids at Soochipara falls. This waterfall was more accessible and easy to reach – half a kilometer walk maybe. We all played in the water and lounged on the rocks here for a long time.

Day 2:

Trip to Eddkal Caves – steep walk to come interesting and very old caves. They had carvings from 3000BC. There were juice and snack stall all along the way and besides enjoying the caves and the view from the top we really enjoyed pickled pineapple, mango and amla. There were monkeys that entertained us along the way and watching one eating a jackfruit off the tree was fun.

Phantom Rock: After the caves we visited phantom rock. It would have been great to climb it and I did see one local man lounging up there. We however walked through a rubber plantation, watched frogs swim in puddles and enjoyed the scenic view before walking back.

We stopped for lunch at Sultana Bathery and then drove all the way back to Bangalore. Reaching at 10pm.

Long story short. This was a great weekend getaway. Nicely arranged and executed. I will be going on more trip with them in the near future I am sure. 

Exotic Expeditions

811, 8th block, NGEF Layout, Near Old Madras Road Big Bazaar, Bangalore, India 560038

Phone	9986450370

Underestimated

BOSS Utah, August 2010

Over the last year I have started hiking quite a bit. Way more than I did before and I have signed up for some tough trips. On reaching Utah for an Outdoor Survival week long trip we were made to run 1.5 miles. I was the last one to finish it. On the last day of camp one of my team mates told me of his first impression – how he was sure I would never make it. A female - slightly chubby mother of two - did seem odd there. Then he said – “… and I totally underestimated you. I spent half the trip wishing you’d slow down.”

Tuhalli - BMC Trip
Photo by Rewat Tuladhar

This weekend I did the same. I saw a family with a 65 year old grandfather, an overweight grandmother, four children join us for a rappelling and rock climbing trip. It was for beginners but I rolled my mental eye and wondered how they were going to manage and why they were there. The grandpa rappelled with a smile on his face -very cool for his first time. The grandma carried a big stick and made it all the way to see the little ones give it a shot. I stood there humbled and mentally corrected.

We do it all the time – judge people, situations, things. There is this voice in the head that talks faster than you want it to. You see a woman crossing the street and you have a running commentary on her clothes, weight, hair, or even the way she walks. Usually the voice is pretty mean. Peeyush had read a book once and told me about it – to jot down what comes in your head as your go along all day long. Do it honestly and you’ll be surprised. We judge everyone and everything.

I realized something very interesting when I came back from my Everest Base Camp trek. The tone of judgment depends on how happy and secure you are with your life. Not happy like “oh this dessert is good happy” but like “I love myself happy”.  I was very happy and extremely proud of myself. I loved myself physically and mentally and I remember my thoughts about others being nice. I was less judgmental about people’s looks and thought more about what their lives were like. I would sit in the mall and think of happy stories about people that walked by. On days I skip the gym or feel bad about my career I know I am way nastier in my head about everything. I guess we make negative judgments’ about other people so we can feel better about ourselves.

And about me being underestimated? I kinda like it. I mean I can only wow people at that point. When you are at the bottom the only way is up.

Hiking around Bangalore: Another trip with Ankit and BMC

Ankit and I went for a day trip via BMC to Turalli  today- It was a hiking-rockclimbing-rappelling trip for newbies and sounded perfect for a twelve year old.
It was a 7am - 6:30pm trip with all arrangements - transport, food, guide and equipment - for Rs 900 pp.

The not so good part:

1. It turned out to be a trip of twenty nine people. I had made the mistake of booking last minute and not asking how many people were on the trip. As this is a long weekend here I should have expected this. I do not like huge groups of people to go on such trips so was a little overwhelmed. This also meant you had less time to do an activity as you were waiting for people.
2. Trash - as usual there was plenty of it on this trail too. Broken whiskey bottles and plastic clogged puddles of water.
3. Random groups of  men drinking and  playing cards - many with their shirts off. This seems to be a popular activity in this area - come on your bike, drink, play cards and leave all your trash behind. Made me feel happy I was part of a big group and not here alone.

 The great parts :

1. 
   

1. As usual BMC arranged everything ( inspite of the large number of people) very nicely. Timely pickup and drop off. Good food and a great rock climbing instructor.
2. As stated in the trek description this was for newbies and there were plenty of kids on this trip and they all had a great time.
3. Made some good friends - Ankit has one over for sleepover tonight. He clicked with the kid and me with the mom. Similar people do similar activities. Met some other really interesting people too.
4. I know I cribbed about the large group. It interfered with my hiking ideals but it did show me something that has kept me smiling all day long - a family with three generations joined us. Grandparents, parents, aunt and uncle and four kids. The grandma was old and was helped along the trek with the help of a stick and family members. The grandpa - at 65 - rappelled and climbed a boulder. The kids cheered them and they clapped for the kids. I really had not seen this in India before. Just showed me another moment where I misjudged a traditionally dressed family.

So all in all - glad I spent another day out with Ankit. We walked and talked and had fun. I'll look for a smaller group next time but once again am happy BMC is here - helps me go into the jungles of Bangalore with its semi-clad 'trashy' dudes without any worries.

Trekking/Hiking Shoes - what to look for and why I like Merrells.

Wayanad, Kerala

I love shoes. Anything with high heels especially but I must say my favourite shoes are my rather ugly Merrells.

I did not trek/hike/walk more than 2 kilometers till last fall when I signed up for an intense seven days in the Utah Desert with BOSS. This required a lot of prep work – physical and equipment wise. The biggest advice I got from people was GET GOOD SHOES. This was stated again and again. Get good shoes, with a good fit and break them in.

I was in India and could not find decent trekking shoes for women. Now that I know the place better I know you can get Quechua at Decathalon and WildCraft in Bangalore but last year I did not find any. I ultimately ordered two pairs from the US and had my husband bring them over.  After reading a thousand reviews ( literally) the two shoes I chose:

Merrell Moab Ventilator Mid

Keen Voyageur Mid

I tried them and liked the fit and ankle support of the Merrell’s though I must say the Keen’s looked better. I only had three weeks after I got my shoes till my trek so I broke them in by wearing them daily (including on my flight to the US). On reaching US I did drop by REI and got a new sole insert put in to make it even more comfortable.

I have worn the Merrell Moab for a year now. I wore it in Utah, for the Everest Base Camp trek and for numerous hikes around Bangalore, in Greece and Seattle.

During the BOSS trip seven out of nice participants had Merells – three Moabs. I walked for days in them, through water and sand and on boulders. The grip is amazing on rocks and they dry superfast after a river walk. I had no – ZERO – blisters. The ankle support is good.

Everest Base Camp too – on stony paths for thirteen days – not a single blister. Others in my team had Quechuas and found them to be very comfortable.

Boulder, Utah

Zappos just sent me a mail reminding me that my Merrells are a year old and they have new ones if I want a pair. I still have my Keen and the my Moabs are doing great but I know when they have lived their life to their fullest I am going for a repeat. I love these shoes.

What to look for in good hiking boots:

·         Fit: Try it on, if it pinches or hurts anywhere chuck it. Don’t think they will expand etc. There should be a little room for thick socks but no cutting or pinching feeling anywhere,

·         Support: Ankle and foot arch should be supported if you want something for long hikes. For the arch you can buy inserts.

·         Waterproof or not: Depends on where you want to trek a lot. Wet or dry place. I have liked Moab’s level of breathability – it is not completely waterproof but does not get my sock wet at the sight of a drizzle.

·         Traction: Make sure the soles are good. Vibram is the way to go I hear. Basically it should not skid easily. Good tread – almost like you are checking out a tyre.

Namche Bazaar, on way to Everest Base Camp

·         Weight: Lighter the better but don’t skimp on above mentioned feature just for weight.

·         Look – I’d say last on the list. Get some cool laces if it really bothers you.

Then break them in before a long hike. Wear them all around. When breaking them in look for hot spots.

Hot spots are places on the foot that are red, sore, burn etc after a long day of wearing the shoes. Too many mean a bad fit. For a rare one you can use moleskin or blister patch. Good socks help too.

Good Socks:

Try to wear a liner sock and then thick woolen socks for long hikes. Good socks are almost as important as good shoes.

I get my nails done before my treks.

I lied today. When a hiking buddy asked me what I had done this morning I coughed and said something that sounded like gym. I had been out at the spa getting a pedicure.

In a cave in Utah. Solo night. All alone.
Yes, there is a shiny pin in my hair.

On hearing that I was going for a week long trek with an outdoor survival school, a guy at work pointedly looked at my heels and said "I did not take you for the hiking types" 


I enjoy being a women. Getting my nails done and all sort of wraps being put all over me. I feel so pretty and happy after a good haircut. I love dressing up and going for parties. I absolutely love high heels.


I also love trekking and camping. Biking and kayaking are fun to me. I can go for days without a bath in the wilderness and wear the same two set of clothes with ease for weeks. I actually enjoy roughing it out. Eating out of a  cup while coming up with a plan to dry my only pair of shoes does not freak me out.


I love both equally and indulge in both equally. But it does seem strange to people on either side of the camp - to understand the hiking types that likes to get her nails done before a trek. So, every now and then you hear me cough and say gym for spa, beach for hike and things of that nature. I know not to hike in heels so I guess I am doing ok.








P.S: It is a bad idea to get a pedicure before a trek - it removes the callouses and leaves you susceptible to blisters. However, getting your nails filed short is a good idea. 
(Women) If you do get them painted pretty then it does add to feeling little civilized when you wash your feet in some stream.

Glad to be home – learning’s from Everest Summiteers

For a non-romanticized post of an overview what it takes to summit Everest read this. The following is an emotional account of my trip J

I knew it even before he opened his mouth and excitedly told me that he had summited Everest. I knew he had been up there, not just by the chapped black face, lips and cheeks covered by frost bite but by the way he was proudly flying the Pakistani flag and rushing with renewed energy down the mountain. He was the first Everest Summiteer I met and the most excited one. He wanted to talk, he wanted to tell everyone about his experience. He was happy to talk. I would have been as excited if I had done it. Climbed to the top of the world.

The next night we saw a bottle of wine being opened, sizzlers came to the table for two. Celebrations for a husband and wife couple that were returning after their summit. Skinny but smiling. Wine and steak are expensive here but they deserved it. As much as they deserved the smiles and admiring looks at their table. People controlling their desire to walk over and talk as they ate their dinner.

A sad chapped nose -little exaggerated ;)
 Wonder what the summit would do to
me. 

We met many more summiteers, part of the first father son group from the UK to summit, women going up for their third time, youngest Indian to climb Everest and a man who had just scaled the eight thousanders.

I know that I will not summit Everest – I cannot bear to see my face covered with frost bite ;) -  but I wanted to go meet these people. Be inspired and soak in some of the excitement. In the twelve days up there some of it did brush off on me. I want to do bigger things in life, push limits and live to the fullest but I also realized that I do not need to climb Everest. I instead have a need to be with people I love. I will find my limits and summit them with people that love and adore me.

The summiteers - they talked to us, inspired us and made us feel so little at the same time. As one of my wise fellow trekkers put it – it is a matter of perspective, here we are nothing, people walking up a mountain. Back home we will be the people that walked up the mountain.

I am glad to be home now, one of the people that walked up the mountain.

What does it take to summit Everest

By Pradeep Prakash - Click for high resolution and more pics .
Gorakshep - the last settlement enroute to Everest. Then comes the Base Camp and the High Base Camp - Camp-I, Camp-II, Camp-III and Camp-IV. Kalapattar[5550mtrs above MSL] is also seen here [ mountain devoid of any snow and so the name].

What does it take to summit Everest - A good pair of legs, time and oh yes, $45,000.

I guess you could do away with the legs but you do need time – at least six weeks for the final stretch – and money. If you did away with the legs then I’d say you need considerably more than $45,000.

Jokes asides, I had a friend ask me why it is so expensive and time consuming, why can you not just go up and climb, will they jail you if you do not buy the $10,000 permit.  Having just returned from the Everest Base Camp I initially giggled at the questions, told him that he really needs to read up but then I thought about the scores of summiteers that we saw coming down, one of them even commented of a traffic jam up there – too many people trying to summit. So, I decided to do some research on what are the basics required to climb Everest.

FACTS

• Approximately 400 people on average climb Everest every year – 512 summited in 2010.
• There were just four deaths in 2010. Since 1990, the deaths have dropped to 4.1% due to better gear, weather forecasting and more people climbing with commercial operations. Annapurna is a much more deadly mountain than Everest with a summit to death ratio of 2:1 deaths for every summit (109:55).
•  It is harder to set records now, youngest, oldest, women, men, number of summits are all taken… so people are doing back to back and even funkier stuff now. If you want to climb it is unlikely to set any records.
• It is twice as hard to climb from the China side – more technical and cheaper but your chances of summiting is halved and chances of dying is doubled.

·        

BASIC CLIMBING DATA

Cost:         $45000 and up
Deposit:  $15000 upfront
Length:   70+ days
Type:        Mountaineering

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

You need a climbing resume – experience with HMI, mountaineering experience is all required.
Sample ask  - Participants on our Mt. Everest Expedition must have a solid understanding of mountaineering skills. We require that each team member have previous high altitude experience, such as McKinley, Aconcagua, Cho Oyu or other 7,000 - 8,000 meter peaks. Screening and final selection will be done on an individual basis after we have reviewed your climbing resume and our veteran Everest Guides have spoken with you directly

Just to show how commercial it can get there was an ad that cracked me up - Want to Climb Everest? $50,000 + 2 Weeks Training (no experience necessary)

At the same time a heartbreaking article on the death of someone who took a cheaper route and wanted to do it on his own made me rethink the journey up http://climb.mountainzone.com/2006/david_sharp/index.html

It is expensive for a reason - the money goes for a permit, guides, sherpas, oxygen, to fund the five camps that you have to stay in for over six weeks. You stay to acclimatize and slowly get strong enough to take the mother of all heights on. There are stories about the ice falls, the balcony, the Hilary steps and if you really want to climb then you need to give yourself a minimum of a year to prepare (and a minimum of a month to read up about all this)

I know it is something I am not going to do. They say a bug gets into you when you first see Everest- even just a photo of it. It devours you from inside and makes you crawls up to the top. I saw Everest when I was twelve and I saw it again last week. I admire it. I admire those that climb on it but I am happy looking up at it. I don’t have the need to look down from it.

The irrational walk to the Everest Base Camp

Everest taken by Pradeep
the amazing
photographer in our team.

People die climbing Everest. Some are accidents but a few are caused by ‘irrationality” - by people not heeding to common sense, people trudging on when they should not, against bad weather conditions, against warnings from their guides and friends. There is “a point” after which the misguided are often dragged down by well-wishers and sedated so they don’t keep climbing to their death.

It had been a long trek to Gorekshep. I had not walked fast so I was not physically exhausted. However my ability to sweat profusely had caused me to have a bad cold. During the first few days I had taken my jacket off frequently and sudden cold on my sweat soaked shirt had caused a cough to set in. I slowly realized the gravity of it as we lost altitude and oxygen. A cough that caused a moment of inconvenience at sea level was causing me to sit down and regain my breath at 5100m.

Little yellow tents. Still a good hours walk away.

It was with this cough that I started my walk towards the Everest Base Camp. The interesting thing about this two hour trek is that within minutes of the trek you can see the destination. The terrain wound up hills and down valleys but at no point you lost sight of the camp. A city of bright yellow and blue tents. You saw it as you walked up a steep slope or watched your step downhill. I saw it every time I coughed and had to sit down.

The weather was not co-operating with us and little flurries started to fall less than half way into the walk there. I was bundled in a down jacket and had thick gloves and hats on. The air was cold and dry. It made the cough bad. Others in the group – without a cough – walked on and I took my time sitting on rocks to recover from the persistent oxygen stealing exhale. It hurt. It physically hurt every time I coughed. The cough came from deep inside, not from the chest from the bottom of the abdomen and shook my whole body. Twice, my guide passed me and asked if I wanted to go back. Reflecting back I know I should have said yes and gone back. I passed two older, saner gentlemen and almost like a warning they spoke of going back – we have achieved our personal summit – were the wise words they spoke. Then I passed two men assisting a girl with a nervous breakdown. She had acute mountain sickness and had been abandoned on the way to the camp by her faster fitter friends. It was like walking in a movie where messages were being sent to you through people fallen on the road you walked on.

I made it to the base camp. I did not enjoy the base camp as I thought I would. I was sick. My hands were swollen to double their normal size. I reached and I tripped on rocks and I fell. I stood up, smiled and took a picture. Then I turned around and slowly and steadily made my way back to the tea house. I drank lots of warm water and threw up. I was coddled by two very caring team mates and put in bed. I lay there with an empty stomach and a full mind. I had been very stupid earlier in the day. It was insane to walk on. I would have advised anyone not to do it. It was dumb. But I could see the base camp. I had walked days to get there. I had left my family and walked all this way. I had wanted it so bad. I had reached “a point” and luckily/unluckily there had been no one to drag me down.

Skandagiri - A hot and trashy hike

As prep up for the Everest Base Camp trek we went on an early morning hike to Skandagiri. Skandagiri is around 70km from Bangalore and is one of the hill forts of Nandi Hills. You can read the wiki on it – it has accurate info for someone who wants to hike it. Quick take – nice hike, slightly hard, will take you 1-2 hours to do it, nice remnants of a temple and fort built by Tipu Sultan on top, you can buy some food and water on the top. Supposedly there is a huge 'mela' up there on weekend nights, especially on a full moon night.

Personal takes:

1. It was hot and the two weeks of lazing around on the beaches of Goa showed J. It is a not a very hard hike but I kinda got why most people do it at night these days. The sun kills you.
   
2. You have to pay for parking. As I hear if you don't you will have to pay for car paint or worse car repairs (supposedly done by the disgruntled parking guy)
   
3. It is one of the trashiest hikes I have been on. There was more trash there than I expected. Somehow you think that people that like to hike like nature, thus care about it. This seems to be a very wrong assumption. Also, biodegradable does not mean it is ok to throw it on a trail. Banana peels, nut shells, paper bags – though not as bad as plastic bags and bottles- still take time to degrade and in the meantime degrade the trails people walk on.
   
4. If you have not been hiking before go with someone – don't show up with no water on a hot day and think that climbing the 'hill' with your friends is a good idea. We met a group on our way down. The girls were swearing at the guys and I was sure there was going to be more swearing as they had no drinks with them. Bad idea. Bad bad idea. Luckily some enterprising villagers sells water and bread-omelet on the top but still hiking in summer with no water. Ouch.
   

View from the top

As always getting to the summit and looking down from the top was breath taking. But the best part on this hike was getting to know most of the folks I'd be going to the base came with. The company was great and really made me feel comfortable about the upcoming trip. Someday soon though I might have to partner with folks to get some of the trash down and most of all stop people from throwing rubbish there.

A lone Nandi left near the temple

View from the bottom of the hill.
It is steeper than it looks.

There is a fire burning near this cave. Set off on purpose by
a villager

All Set for Everest (Base Camp)

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary

Very very excited right now. I have signed up for my much longed for Everest Base Camp trek. The other really nice part is that it is through Childreach International - a charity that helps children in developing countries. I am lucky to have a supportive spouse who constantly indulges me and family members that fly in to help with the children when needed.


 
When – 13^th May to 27^th May

The trek is 11 days long. We spend a day in Kathmandu getting ready and then going to a few of Childreach's Projects on our return.


 
Why

Why I want to do this is the question I am asked the most. If it is just for a Himalayan trek then the Everest Base Camp trek is supposedly overhyped. There are treks that are way less commercial, less crowded and more beautiful. I do want to trek in the Himalayas but what I really want from this trek is to meet some people just before they take off on their quest to climb Everest. I am a people person. I love energy and being around passionate people (one reason I loved working at Microsoft). I don't think I will ever climb Everest but I want to feel that the excitement and the fear. I want to feel all the emotions.

And I must say I need a nice long walk in a cooler place than Bangalore. Darjeeling and then Seattle have ingrained a cold fondness in me.


 
WhooHooo

That is what I am feeling right now J (excited and scared – time to go run in the gym and shed off all the laziness accumulated sitting on the beach all of last week)

 

 

 

Hiking around Bangalore

I have been on two hikes in Bangalore. Just two but they have been such good experiences that I am planning on tripling that count shortly. This is mainly due to BMC Bangalore  (Bangalore Mountaineering Club) that arranges hikes – a day hike, a night hike and a two day hike – EVERY weekend. I love them. They arrange for food, transportation and a guide. They are awesome.

The first hike I went on was to SavanDurga. It was an 'adventure' hike and consisted of a short trek, cave exploring some rappelling, zip lining and kayaking. I took Ankit ( 11 years old) with me and it worked out great, though it is advisable to have a chat with BMC before taking a child on a trek. There were seven other people besides us and we had a great day. A really good start for a preteen on a proper day hike.

For my second hike I chose a night hike. No Ankit on this one. The pickup was at 9:30pm and we were dropped back to Bangalore at 11am. This was to NarayanGiri and was a short – too short for my liking – hike up a big boulder hill. Snuggling in a sleeping bag ( provided by BMC), chatting with newly made friends, watching lights go off and on while waiting for the sunrise was worth the disappointing hike. The other amusing and entertaining disappointment was a group of nine girls that joined the hike to celebrate someone's birthday. Not hikers by choice they provided a lot of laughter with their questions, whining and lack of decent footwear. They did provide all the material for my post – How not to hike like a girlie girl.

When moving here I was scared about places to hike and visit. I am not comfortable enough to do this on my own (or just me and my kids). Not knowing the language, lack of trails and a safety number to call are all deterrents. However, the presence of groups like BMC really help – with Rs 700 all inclusive hikes. At this point this is working great for me and I am looking forward to a lot more boulders to climb around Bangalore.