Race is on my Bike !

Yeah! Kmgla to JayaNagar in 20 mins flat in peak traffic time. And back in another 25 mins. Then a late evening - well its night - full Bangalore Darshan too.. Kmgla-BTM-JayaNagar-MG Rd-Ulsoor-Kmgla-Madiwala-Kmgla. This one was in heavy rain. All this to rent out the dance costumes. The program is today! 7 hours from now :-P

Petrol Price to Increase by 16 Rs per litre ?

That would be a nice thing to see. With immediate effects like:
1. Strike, hartal, bandh in Kerala
2. Rise in price of commodities (when did it go down, by the way?)
3. Hike in public transport rates - bus, taxi, auto
4. The buying power of the public will go down. (Half of what you earn will be used to buy this liquid, which does nothing but burn)
5. A by-election ? :)
6. Lesser vehicles on road. More ppl into public transport, you see!

The govt regulated oil giants - HP, BP and IOC - suffer pretty decently, while their counterparts such as Shell are selling petrol at 62 bucks per litre. Reliance filling stations have shut down in most parts of the country.


Tail:
1. In an ideal situation, a rise in price of petrol shouldnt have impact num 2 and 3. The nation runs on diesel, buddy ! But is there anything by the word 'ideal' ? :-)
2. It is rumored that there is a source of crude oil in the US. But they never use it. Perhaps, they will start digging when Iraq and Kuwait go empty!
3. Did you know ? Diesel is priced at a premium in the US. Petrol is cheaper there :-)
Now thatz like an env friendly nation.

Travelogue: MUA Kannur Day II

Saturday night ended with a splendid planning of going to Kadirur Sri Surya Narayana Kshetram (Temple) in the morning at 6. Well, you know what would have happened on Sunday morning. Yes, you guessed it right - Nothing happened :-)
No one even bothered to prove the myth "There is no 6AM in the day - particularly on a weekend" wrong!

Well, the marriage party starts from home by 9.30-10. Muhurat is from 11 to 12. And its a one-hr trip from the groom's house @ Pinarayi to Sadhu Kalyana Mandapam @ Kannur town. We opted to skip going to the groom's house, and hit the Wedding Hall directly. Having ensured that the kitchen is emptied to the fullest extent, we left the house by 10.20. Safe driver Gasper in the driving seat. So nobody expected to reach the venue, any time on that day. He is still in the Avenger 40kmph mode :D But thanks to minimal Sunday traffic, and thanks to my vast "knowledge of shortcuts", we reached the hall, just in time, when the groom and bride got up to the stage.


Guys with camera hav the exclusive privilege of watching the wedding proceedings at one-hand distance from the bride-groom :) I ws one of 'em :D

Post wedding, handed over the gift to the couple. And I wished 'em "Happy Birthday". And the bride was shocked and surprised altogether. Ente oru kaaryam :-S

For quite a while, the camera was in Gasper's custody. And he filled the memory stick with all sortsa colors - orange, blue, violet and the sorts.. There is an interesting anecdote to this episode, when we get back to Aishwarya :-)))

Sadya was super. Payasam was good too.


All the while we were talking about orange and blue. Soo dint seem to appreciate all this, very much. And she remarked "orange um apple um. kekanda enikku" :-S

Now that the most important activity of the whole wedding function is over, we called it quits, and got into the wagonR and left for the next venue. BTW, the 'orange' was at the entrance of the hall, and seemed to wave 'tata' with her eyelashes :D (atho enikku thonniyathaano?) :-S

Straight to Papinishery Snake Centre - the only anti-venom centre in Kerala. Among the different animals on display there, the Goose and the Peacock grabbed our attention. Goose, coz we had a similar version with us:



Peacock, coz he performed a dance show for us :-)




There used to be a snake demo at Papinishery at every hour. We were there at the wrong time, and we were told, it will be 45 mins before the next demo. Since the day's schedule was tightly packed, we left for the next place - Parassini Muthappan Temple. As is the fact, techies usually dont spend much time in divine spots. So we could quit soon from here.

Next is Mridul's house. Boy! Nothing short of a palace! Traditional construction with a 'nadumutam in the centre. When it rains, the nadumutam gets filled with clean bubbly rain water. Amazing!


Mridul's muthamma and mom decorated the table beautifully and called us. By the time, they returned with hot tea, the table was empty :-S
Muthamma remarked "Sadya okke kazhinju varunnathu kondu valya vishaponnum kaanilla ennaa vichaarichey". Gasper was prompt "Athu pinney, ithrem saadhanangal okke snehathode kondu vechaal, enganeyaa kazhikkaathirikkunney" :-D

We got an offer of a 2nd visit plus stay when we are in that part of the state :-)
While parting, muthamma called her elder sis and said "I'm sending some kids with Appu. Take care of them" Kollaam ! Another round of tea/juice and snacks ;-) Finished the table decorations there too and set out to Payyambalam beach.

I had never seen the beach so crowded! For that matter, it was almost 8 years since I came to this beach... It was a touch and go here, coz time was running out.


Dropped Mridul at bus bay, and back to Aish.

Quickly all the photos were copied on to the system, and a pre-view show started. Gasper seated in front of the PC. Sand beside him, and I behind them. Started off with the trip pics, then to the wedding pics... and right when the 'orange,apple' pics came Pop came dad :) Dad entered saying "oh, wedding pics r ready?" Gasper started sweating.. "Yes" - but with no pic of the bride and the groom :-)) Gasper clicks next photo - apple. next one - orange! Sand started giggling.. I quit the place singing a song (Smart me). Sand managed to steal himself out, on the bahaana of taking bath and getting ready. Gasper was left all by himself, switchng between the apples and oranges. Finally he got his breath in place, when a bride-groom pic came on screen. Phew :D

I was prompt to go straight into the kitchen and share the 'news' with mom and Soo. They could see the whole happenings from there, and couldnt stop laughing :-))


Later Gasper unleashed some of his favorite words onto us, before saying "Thank God, uncle didnt ask who took the photos. If he had, I would hav said Rat" :-S

Come dinner time, another comedy.
The table was full with chapathi chicken curry and fruits. The obedient and sincere (to-food) gang finished off teh chapathi container and got up. Later I overheard from the kitchen "ithraykum njaan pratheekshichilla.. njaan vichaarichu, kuttikal kazhichu kazyinjittu achanu kodukkaam.. pinne randennam raathri Julie kkum kodukkaam.. ithilippo onnum baakki illallo!"

:-))) Mom would be better prepared next time !

Out at 8.30PM. At Kadirur Bus Stop at 8.45PM. Into bus at 9.30PM. Back at Kalasipalya at 6.10AM. At home by 7.45AM.

Post-publish-edit
Tail :
1. Soo pointed out that I missed putting a reference to the super hit movie (??!@!#$()*$) which was played during the return trip in the bus. Read it here :-)

On Stage - Yet Again !

After a lull of over a year, its time again, to show gimmicks on stage. The last time I did something on a stage was perhaps in Jan 2007. Long long time ! The body is grown in all directions, and the kind of things that we are supposed to do on stage may look funny if no tragic :D The body has already shown its disinterest post a day's rehearsal. There could be two possible outcomes - the body finally obliges and i get slimmer, or the entire show flops :-D. Lets 'weight' and see :-s

Travelogue: MUA Kannur

An MUA to Kannur wont pass by the ears, without a chill in the bones. Kannur ? Isnt there any better option ? Are we not planning any other MUA after this one ?! Do we need to prepare our wills prior to the trip ?!!!

All these proves incorrect. And that was one super successful trip to Kannur. Of course, with a special reason attached to it - Bin's Bro's Wedding. Except for me, none of the touring gang has even seen the groom. But as the saying goes.. "Cake khaane ke liye hum kahi bhi pahonch jaate hain" :D

Thanks to Pritz (she has becoming my official ticketing agent :-s), got all 6 tkts in the same bus, all of 'em paired up. To reach Kalasipalya on a busy Friday evening is a big ask. We 4- rat,gas,mri,jim - got into an auto by 7.15. Sand,Soo had already got into a red volvo from their place to reach the destination. In the end, we were the ones to reach first. At 8.15PM (The bus is scheduled to leave the place at 8.30PM). Sand-Soo too landed in 10 mins.

The privileged duo had already had their dinner @home. The remaining 4 of us took refuge into a 4-wheeled 5-star thattukada. The food wasnt any bad, lemme tell you ! Pritz joined to taste the food, before getting into her bus. We got into our bus, when the driver decided its time. Luckily no 'Kalabhavan Mani' movies in the bus. Nice sleep (of course, keep aside the 1 hour ghat stretch, where there used to be a tarred road) :-D

7AM Sharp. We deboarded at Ponniam Road. 7 mins walk to Aishwarya. Dad n mom welcomed us at the door. We were alloted rooms at level 2. A bed tea, after freshening up. Followed by a heavy breakfast of putt and kadala. After almost half an hour into this exercise, mom came to the table and asked our man "Gasper, mathiyaakkiyo?". Gasper seemed to have taken that to heart, and made it a point to leave no trace in the putt vessel :D

Wasting no time, the team of 5 (note that Mridul continued his journey in the bus, to get down at Kannur) got into silver WagonR to head towards the first destination of the day - Telicherry Fort. Among the series of photos taken were a new set of pics - code named Mat Pics - of Gasper. Mat stands for 'matrimonial' :D After fort, off to Tly Sea View point, Tly Fishing beach (the "fragrance" is still around :D ) and then to the abandoned sea pier. All this, under the hot sun :) Gasper was constantly worried about his complexion. Jim too :-D


Muzhapilangad drive in beach was planned for post-lunch. But all of a sudden, we had a lot of time in hand. And we set off to the drive in beach - the longest in India (I heard a version, where 'india' is replaced with 'asia'. might be true!) Awaiting us, here was a team from Aero India. They had organized a para gliding session - well, not exclusively for us, but we formed a big chunk of adventurers to try it out. A nice thing to do. And for 250 bucks per person, not a big hole in the pocket.. It wasnt as scary as it looked to be. Climbing up was smooth. Getting down was easy too. And to get a birds eye view of the entire place was a thrilling sight.

The bravest among the lot, Jim, opted not to try this 'wild' thing. He preferred to be on ground - which was stabler when it comes to PE=mgh calculation. And he had cam in hand, so we had these images captured, even while we were airborne.

Soon after the last man standing flew and landed, we packed back to Aishwarya. Yummy lunch was waiting us - served hot on plantain leaves. Post lunch, a short trip to Mahe Tagore Park, Mahe Church, back to Tly to the 2-rupee park (:D). Then a call to Bin "Daa... biriyani ready aayo?". A positive reply saw the wagonR charging towards Pinarayi. Since I was 'reasonably well aware' of the route to his house, I asked him to pick us up from the nearest known landmark spot. Reached house by 7PM. Korachu neram thirinju kalichittu nere dining table ilottu chaadi veenu. Koyi biriyani :)

After foodings, Bin took us for a round trip of the place - all the neighboring buildings are his relatives'. There is a temple inside the compound. There is a pond too. And there is a martial arts centre, where he claims to have undergone kalari-payatu training. (lavane kandaal parayoola) :D

We quit the place, dropped the movie plan and dropped into Tly City Centre. Well, this is not Bangalore, and 8PM is shut down time. Nothing much to see there. We aimed for house. Bath. Sleep.. ZZz....

Continued...

Random Shots:

Shadow Play @ Underground Hide-out in Tly Fort
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Abandoned Light-house at Tly Fort
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Abandoned Sea Pier at Tly Fishing Beach
(ee naattil ellaam abandoned aanallo :-s )
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Adventure Sports @ Muzhapilangad Drive in Beach
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View from the 2-rupee park :)

MUA Kannur: Coming Soon

MUA Kannur !

Kicking off a mega MUA plan - the MUA Kannur !

This would count as the most hyped MUA of the century, due to the sheer reference to the mega metro city of Kannur :-D And all the major tourism attractions of Kannur would be covered in this mega event.

Well, not the right time to go for any kindsa mini/normal/mega MUA to any parts of Kerala. But when opportunity knocks, we seldom sit and smile back :)

The MUA will be a 6-member team, hitting the roads on Friday night. Kannur metro will be blessed with the footsteps of the voyagers by early morning 6 on Saturday. Followed by a freak-out session of 2 days which will cover Thalassery Beach, Fish market (:-S), Thalassery Fort, Muzhapilangaad Drive-in beach (the longest in India)...

Well, for the detailed "project plan", read the section below!
1. Get into Ashoka Travels at 8.30PM from Kalasipalya - Seats 21 to 26 :)
2. Reach Aishwarya by 6.30AM on Saturday
3. After BF, go for a pre-lunch roaming.
=> Thalassery Fort
=> Thalassery Meen Market :-s
=> Thalassery city !

4. Lunch at Aishwarya.
5. Post-lunch roaming

=> Muzhapilangaad Beach (Asia's longest drive-in beach)
=> Dharmadam thuruthu (land in sea)

6. Hit Bin's house by 7PM
7. Put and 'Kadala' from his house :)
8. Back to Aishwarya. Sleep!

Day2 - Sunday
1. Early morning(?) getting up and going to temple. 14 mins walk from house
2. Post BF, go to Bin's house.
3. Off to Kannur town with the wedding party
4. Put and 'kadala' again (after the wedding of course)
5. Check out by 2PM.
6. A lil bit of Kannur Town roaming

=> Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple (bhery bhamous)
=> Papinissery Snake Centre (Kerala's only anti-venom spot)

7. Back to Aishwarya by 6.30PM
8. Catch the return bus to Blr by 8.30PM
9. Back at Kalasipalya by 6AM. There will be drop-buses to Marthahalli, Madiwala

Pls note that Day2.6 would be highly tentative...
Samayam, ksheenam, dooram angane korey constraints..
Patunnidatholam polikkaam.
Samayam undel kalyanathinum povaam :-S

141 Km Flat

Thats the distance covered in total on Saturday - starting the ticker as early as 6.20 in the morning! A happening day - picked up uncle from Yeshwantpur, went to bro's house for a short 15-min visit, dropped him back to Yeshwanpur, off to bro's place again, bf ke baad off to EC, half an hour there and back to bro's house. Phew! This distance, if traversed in a specific northwest direction, I would have reached Coorg :-)

Tail:
1. Sunday might (?) see an in-situ outing plan !
2. Goal-Enthaanenne mp3 finds its way back into the playlist.
3. Bro off to native to offload bhabhi's grandparents.
4. Rat and gang are off to native next week for Bin's bro's wedding!