The day started off with a sumptuous breakfast at Vishwa's house and we began our eco-walk through the village. The highlight of the walk was our interactions with the villagers, the enthusiastic school children in the village school, and looking at their way of life at close quarters.
While Vishwa explained us the various crops and harvesting seasons, we helped ourselves to tender coconuts, and other village produces. Next was a walk to the village temple, incidentally a 600 year old one, followed by a trek to the village lake. The lake was the only source of water for the crops for the village and also was being used to wash clothes, etc. Soon, it was time for lunch, and we went back to our host's house with eager anticipation after the excellent breakfast that we had.
It was time now for us to indulge in some rest and relaxation, followed by some - lost in childhood - games, like spinning the top and marbles. Though most of our attempts at spinning the top ended up flat on their faces, nevertheless it was fun trying our hand at these. Special mention must be made for some folks ( Arav, Su , DJ ) who had this 'never-say-die' spirit of trying to spin the top for at least 2 rotations !!!!
The last part of the trip was a climb on Nijagallu betta to the Narasimha temple. Quite a arduous climb takes you to the top of the hill from where you get a spectacular view of the entire village, the shivaganga hill and other surrounding areas. Its also a rock climber's delight, given some of the very interesting structures there. The fun part for me was the way the beast handled the terrain halfway through the hill. Let me just say- Seeing, or rather experiencing is believing. An interesting day came to an end and we drove back to Bangalore.
This post is incomplete without thanking all the folks from RuralZing , Vishwa, his family and all the unnamed folks, the children at the school, which made this trip a memorable one. We wish the best to RuralZing in their quest for "an initiative to connect urban and rural economy".
Well, I am talking about the new Safari VTT 2.2 that was launched few weeks back. We were almost ready to buy a Scorpio, when TATA decided to add the twist in the tale. One look and a test drive later we were hooked. After reading convincing road tests on the new beast, there was no looking back. Soon we were proud owners of a Cycus grey, Safari VTT 2.2 LX.
We did some serious off-roading this week ( details in the next post ) and we were more than convinced of the fact that we had taken the right decision. We have added some small knick-knacks to the LX - a reverse camera and sensors, keyless entry, etc. Up on the cards is a good music system to match the prowess of the beast !
Taking the boat to the sea - Arambull
Back to Mobor
After spending the night in Kovalam, we headed out to Poovar in the morning. Poovar was about 20 odd km away from Kovalam and the last part of the journey is undertaken in a ferry which takes you to the island resort through the backwaters. We were booked in Poovar island resort thanks to our Club Mahindra subscription. The amalgamation of the sea and backwaters, made this island resort on an estuary quite an unique experience. The contrast was almost unbelievable, the rough roaring Arabian sea on one side and the calm, chirping of birds - backwaters !!
We spent the rest of the day making ourselves at home at the resort ! The next morning, our anniversary day, we got up very early to take a backwater cruise to do some serious birdwatching. The setting was almost Venetian sans the bridges. Our boatman was our local Salim Ali, who was rowing the boat was telling us about the rich fauna in the backwaters. Avidly, we spotted Brahmani kites, kingfishers, egrets, cormorants and woodpeckers.
We finished our bird watching to be just in time to catch the fishermen on the sea in action. The entire exercise was being conducted by at least 30 to 40 fishermen who had thrown a huge net over the sea and were divided into two groups trying to take the net out of the sea. Some teamwork it was !! I almost wished they had a grill-by-the-sea to serve some of the fresh catch !
The rest of the day was spent savoring the wonderful buffets that the resort had put up, some reading and listening, quite walks by the island and HBO. Good things come to a fast end, and before we knew, it was time to checkout, take the ferry back and catch the flight back to Bangalore. Well, there is a lot of wisdom in the two words - Wait and Hope. Need I say more !!
