"We Three" ; At Infy Mangalore DC
It was Prakash's idea to pay a visit to Girish (guppans) and Faris both in Infosys, Mangalore DC. The only concern for me was the bus trip and so we decided on a Volvo Sleeper. Well, boarded the bus at 2130 from Bangalore and then slept off……Early morning got up and had a pleasant surprise. Were we on our way to Kerala?; for the houses, temples and roadside stretches seemed so familiar. And here and there could see hoardings in Malayalam. Well, cleared my doubts when the bus stopped at the main bus stand and the driver shouted "Mangalore".
Warangal CoastLine
Most Infoscions lived quite near to Infy DC; so we never had much trouble finding guppans house. Well the path down the road was just like our nattumpuram with moss filled mud walls and tuber stems lining the borders of thatched houses. Finally made our way to his house, got refreshed and in an hour’s time rushed back to visit Infosys DC. It was a rather compact building, very different from the usual Infy buildings around the country.
On the way to the Island; The Beach!
Took a few snaps within the campus and waited for the hero to come. And Lo, in a few minutes time, Faris came running down the stairs with his beaming smile and shouting "hellons,wats cooking". Well after an unusual fanfare, we made a plan to visit Warangal beach and Udupi Krishna temple along with Manu who turned up a few minutes later. From there we boarded a private bus and in a short time got to the beach front.It was a desolate beach and there was so much of debris washed out by the sea. Still it was an amazing sight and got to see a variety of sea fishes washed up on the beach. There was a lighthouse nearby and a temple. Decided to visit the temple much to the delight of Faris Khader. Went to the temple and I was busy taking the offering from inside and distributing to the others when the priest came running and started shouting as to why we took the offerings without asking him.
The Island; As seen from the boat
On the beach front, pakshi started fine tuning his photography skills which added to guppies' frustration. From there we took a bus to Udupi Krishna Temple. Saw the famous Kanaka's window there. We had lunch at a nearby hotel and left for our next destination "St.Mary's island".
Rocky cliff; Formations on the Island
It was mid afternoon and it was so hot and added to it we had boarded an overcrowded bus which took us towards Malpe beach. The grueling exercise came to an end in 40 minutes and we rushed towards the boathouse. Got into a boat and it took us deep into the sea, never been so much into the sea; we could see tiny islands here and there scattered in the sea.
On the other side of the Island ,Serenity!
We were headed for one of these islands. Right in the middle, we were asked to jump across to another boat somewhat smaller in size. Well, jump! That took us to the island and left us there. It was around 15:00 and the boat would come back at 16:30.
Trek up the island;Awesome sight
The best part of the trip was to move around the island, climb up the slippery rock columns and rest on the fine sand. I could remember one part of the island scattered with mussel shells. There were only a few groups of people around, so we felt at ease. Faris and Girish were busy jumping up and down the rocks with Prakash clicking their escapades. There was this cool breeze blowing all along and it felt good to take a nap for a while, resting under the bushes along the coast.
Faris-Girish Fiasco; Up on a Cliff
Quite often did we slip down through the rocks but we did take care not to try out such acts near the cliffs! It was an amazing sight to climb up the vertical columns of rocks and look around at the blue sea; one gets a feeling hesenacting a part in the film 'CastAway'. Hoped the boat would not come atleast until the sunset, but that was not to happen!
Back from the Isle of Grace,bidding adieu!
Back from the Isle of Grace,bidding adieu!
Finally we returned back at 5 from there and reached our house at 19:00. Had food at a famous restaurant but had to rush back to catch our bus. It was a wonderful trip and with Faris and Guppans in their high spirits, everyone enjoyed it. Finally boarded the bus at 22:00 and landed back in Bangalore at 07:00 early the next day. That was a wonderful trip and one which makes me laugh out most even now, whenever I think about it.
