A trip to western Ghats

 The primary aim of this trip was to attend a marriage in Udupi and we used it as an excuse to make an elaborate trip along the western Ghats. We landed in Goa- the state where 'Feni' flows freely. We engaged a cab who would drive us around for the next few days. We kept checking in and out of several hotels in sequence. Sometimes I had a doubt whether I was packing or unpacking a suitcase. I felt like the character Phil Connors in the film 'Groundhog Day'- each morning and evening giving me a 'Deja vu' feeling.

Since the orientation of the hotel rooms in terms of location of the washrooms, balcony, restaurants etc are different in each hotel, I was spending the first half of the day to get acclimatised. By the time I am comfortable, we shift to another hotel and start all over again. The taps near wash basin work on the principle of 'all or none' phenomenon. We turn the tap slowly- nothing happens- turn a little more- nothing happens- now the tension builds up- we twist the tap with a jerk- out comes the water jet- as if saying 'Sorry boss for the delay, here I come'. With love and affection, the water splashes all over you  like a pet dog licking you when it sees you after a long time.

In the bath area, I always felt as if I am appearing for an examination-trying to unravel the meaning of various knobs, levers and containers while an unseen examiner is watching me critically. I tried to wash my feet under the tap and ended up with a shower on the head. I turned the knob labelled 'Cold' and written in blue colour and ended up scalding my skin. The containers with shampoo, conditioner and body wash are labelled with such small font that one needed a magnifier to read them. For a presbyope with no access to my glasses in the bathroom, I try my best to peer at the labels with half closed eyes and try to make the most of what I can see. I ended up shampooing my face and body and worried for the next few hours whether I will have uncontrolled growth of hair on my face and body and I will resemble a Chimpanzee. Then I noticed the house keeping boy refilling both the container for shampoo and body wash with the same solution and was relieved.

Next I had to shave and I realised that I forgot my electric shaver. I foraged through the complimentary packages on the bathroom counter. After setting aside 3 packets for disposal of sanitary napkin, two shower caps, two loofas and two dental kits, I could lay my hand on a shaving kit. For a 5 foot 3 inch man, the location of the shaving mirrors permitted view of my eyes and forehead only (even while standing on my toes). I depended on the normal mirror in front and tactile sensation to complete the shaving and stepped out - for my wife to point out that the sideburns are longer on one side.

The maximum problem in orientation occurred when I searched for the bathroom door midnight- half awake, attempting not to disturb my sleeping wife and judging distances in the dark. Several times I walked into the cupboard and retreated with a cloth hanger on each ear.

My wife was interested in bird watching which is listed as one of the outdoor activities in the resort. The guy told us that all outdoor activities are closed due to monsoon and risk of land slides. I intensely ached for all the birds that have been waiting to see us the tourists. We ended up playing carrom board (sans 2 black coins, 1 white coin and the red coin) and chess with 2 missing pawns and 1 missing king. So, we promoted one pawn to the position of King (ek din ka sultan). We reached Udupi but had difficulty in locating an 'Udupi Vegetarian hotel'. We realised that Udupi people who migrate to other places start a restaurant and call it 'Udupi Hotel', while those in Udupi town call it by some other name. 

Enroute, between Goa to Udupi, we visited several temples and filed several applications to the God Almighty for the welfare of ourselves and also you dear readers. In some of the temples by tradition, the men needed to remove the shirt and vest while in the sanctum sanctorum. I guess that is symbolically also 'baring one's chest'- revealing one's true self (feelings/secrets etc) to the God Almighty.   Either way, I was happy to have filed in my petitions for perpetual happiness.