When I arrived sleepy eyed at Hospet Junction (Karnataka), I had no clue what was in store. It was just a trip to see Hampi (the famous ruins) and Jog Falls and capture them with my camera - a much awaited trip to explore photography. Then arrived Christelle's friends Amirth and Vignesh and there started our adventurous trip.

From Hospet it took us around 20 minutes to reach Hampi. What amazed me was the local bus meandering through the ruins like some wildlife safari. I'm used to places of archaeological interest to be a little away from the ordinary roads of life. But here, there were clean white arrow-shaped boards signifying a historic temple on either side of the road. No shops, no rural hustle, just plain ruins with labels. As expected, the localites in the bus continued with their daily conversations, while I was frantically gaping through both windows.

We stayed at the KSDC Mayura Hotel, a pretty decent maze like hotel with affordable rooms. Since Christelle and I can't do justice to two-wheelers, we hired an auto for the day. The sun was merciless and we waited patiently for a solitary cloud to cover the sun and immediately take our shot. The temples were many and spectacular. About its history, I'd be the wrong guide, but it's beauty, well I love to speak with my pictures.


After a sun-drained day, we settled at Mango Tree, a small riverside joint. Quite creative, it had wide stone steps to sit on and long wooden stools which served as tables. And one strong wooden swing hanging from the mango tree which would swing you over the river. We sat there overlooking the serene Tungabhadra river, sipping..well..mango juice.

Next morning, we headed towards Shimoga, which was a six hour bus ride from Hospet. From Shimoga, another two hour bus ride took us to Jog Falls. Monsoons were looming large and we got off the bus ready to soak in rain. The State run guest houses are pretty affordable at Rs.400/day. Considering the altitude, I was surprised to find cable TV with all the popular channels, aah some luxury. The guest house is a couple of meters from the falls and the rooms obviously come with 'the view.'

Amirth, I forgot to mention, is a passionate photographer. He carries a huge Pentax, complete with all accessories and an SLR. He woke up at 4 am, checked out the whole place, hovered around till the sun was up and then woke us up. Being the miserable Malayalee that I am, I had to take my bath in the cold morning (bad idea) before we went to take a closer view of the falls, or so Amirth said. As we neared, we saw steps amidst the shimmering greenery. Amirth immediately took the steps and we followed. Now, the point is I've never trekked or probably even looked up its exact meaning. As I took those slippery steps down the hill, I wasn't thinking that I needed to come back up too. But then as we fought the rain and the urge to shoot amidst the unruly bushes, I realized I'd rather bury myself at the foot of the hills - as my body whispered it was gonna be the point of no return.

Then I felt the winds bringing a shower of droplets onto my face and I looked up to see water gushing over me. I had reached the foot of the falls. It was a moment of indescribable ecstasy. There is something about nature that humbles you, shows you your cameo appearance on earth and its unquestionable permanence. Our cameras jumped out and there went a thousand clicks.
After philosophy comes reality, or is it vice versa? Anyway, I had to return to the hotel room where I belonged and before me was 250 meters of high slippery rocks with water flowing all around. Sigh! Vignesh, I should mention is the strongest person I've ever seen. Come rain, come shine, come rocky hills, he does not break into a sweat. Since my face reflected my body's predicament, he gratefully extended his arm and there I went climbing up the hill.

Amidst all this, I felt an immense gratitude to Nike floaters and undying love for Lakshmi for reminding me to take it. I tell you, they are awesome and I owe my returning in one piece to them, even if you think it is too much of an exaggeration. Please take my advice, carry them if you decide on similar journey, you won't regret it.

After many breaks and dizzy swirls, I finally reached the top. Completely drenched with sweat and rain. This is why a bath before a trek is a bad idea. I didn't want to see another step in my life, even if it were those red velvety ones. I suddenly saw lifts and elevators in new light. But as I crashed on my bed, my closed eyes could only see me looking up at the falls. That feeling, I must say, is a vision you will carry for life.

Next morning, we traveled back to Shimoga and caught the train to Bangalore. We would reach Bangalore at 6 in the morning and we had 12 hours to go for our train back to Hyderabad. Then this brilliant idea struck Amirth: Why not go to Hoganekkal? It's only 130km from here. We could return well in time for our trains. Us: Hmm, OK. Well, it turned to be 180kms and we ended up spending a total of 7 hours of travel for one hour at Hoganekkal. But then, it's always worth it. Unlike Hampi and Jog falls, Hoganekkal was crowded since it was a weekend. So we struggled our way through cold water flowing beneath our feet and the burning sun on our facess. Click, click, click and we bade goodbye to the last of our trip's attractions.
Our train to Hyderabad was at 6:20 and we miraculously reached at 6:18. Monday morning, my aching bones inched towards office.

4 days, 3 sights, 2 states, a thousand memories - and of course I finally trekked!