A brief vacation

I haven't checked, but this is probably the longest that I have gone without posting anything. We had been on a vacation at the end of the year, and after we came back, both Puttachi and I fell sick - and blocked noses and throbbing heads are not really conducive to writing - I slept every moment I could. I wanted to write a travelogue about our trip, but I find that I have lost that urge, now that nearly ten days have passed, so here are the highlights.

We had been to my mom-in-law's native place, a small village in Chikkamagalur district. It is an old house, with a central courtyard, and rooms all around, opening from a raised platform. I have described it previously here. Only, this time, it wasn't as relaxing, as I had a toddler to mind, and we travelled around quite a bit.

We had been to Kundadri hill to see the sunset - and it was quite gorgeous. The sun is such a perfect orange ball. It is difficult to believe the clarity with which you can see the sun there, due to the clean air. Of course, clean air also ensures that the colours of the sunset are not too spectacular, but there is something about seeing the sun set behind ranges and ranges of mountains. And the stars at night! Mindboggling!

We had been to the temples of Shringeri, Horanadu, Saligrama and Anegudde, over two days. We also passed through Kudremukh National Park (famous for the iron ore - but there is no work going on anymore, and the place isn't worth visiting for itself, any longer. Just okay to pass through). We went to Soothanabbi falls, to see which you have to descend some 200 feet (called Hanuman Gundi) in beautiful environs. Getting down was okay, getting back was torture. We also went to Malpe beach near Udupi.

Of course, in all this travel, we passed in and out of the exquisite mountain ranges of Chikkamagalur district. The sights around Agumbe are particularly beautiful. ("Malgudi days" was shot in Agumbe).

What Puttachi did:

She was in her element at the house in the village. She likes cows, and was beside herself with joy to have such easy access to cows in the cowshed adjoining the house. She stroked them, fed them, and giggled with delight when their rough tongues grazed her hand. She would have even slept there in the cowshed with the cows if we had allowed her. We got her to see the milking of the cows, hoping that she would give some importance to milk if she realizes that it came from a cow. But I don't think it really registered. She made friends with the dogs in the house. She went down the steps behind the house, down to where the Tunga flows, fed the fish and wet her pyjamas. She ran all around the spacious houses, up and down, across the courtyard, along with her cousin Ani, with whose family we had been there.

A little way from the village is a place where the banks of Tunga have beautiful pebbles and fine white sand. She rolled around in the sand and ran about with the wind in her hair. When we visited Soothanabbi falls, there was a place near the foot of the falls where the rocks made little pools of water. She sat in one of the pools and played with the pebbles and got herself completely wet.

The beach at Malpe was the high point for her. She couldn't contain her delight to see so much water, so much sand. She stayed in the water until she shivered with cold, and after that, came out, changed and played with the sand as if she would never have enough.

The trip was entirely worth it just to see her joy.

But her daily routine was affected (not that it showed in her activities). First of all, because of all the travelling and the odd meal hours, she hardly ate anything, even surviving on four bananas one day. She also refused to do her big job, perhaps because the toilet in the house is actually situated outside the house, as was common in the olden days. She hated her baths there too, because of the extreme cold. She shivered and shook and cried all through her baths. The only thing she did beautifully was sleep.

Looking forward to many many more holidays :D