Arun Rajagopal

Thursday, 21 Dec 2006: Calangute comes calling… January 12, 2007

Took a morning walk along the Calangute beach. Was more crowded than Miramar. Went for my GTDC organised North Goa tour that cost 140 Rs. Visited the Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple at Narva, Mayem Lake, Mapusa, followed by the beaches of Vagator and Anjuna. Didn’t go boating in Mayem Lake, but clicked scores of snaps of a plucky herd of ducks and the flora at Mayem. Found the guide to be excellent, and learnt a lot of things on Goa from him. Loved the beach at Vagator, with its bevy of topless babes. Even ran into an ‘eight-legged bull’ and its companions.

Picked up my first dhol (drum), at a handsome price after some shameless haggling. Had a hippie look about me and I could feel the ever-present grin on my face growing wider. Got myself photographed by a Swiss ‘chocolate’ on the rocks, tried hard to get her daughter in the frame. Succeeded only in squeezing her bum in.J Anjuna has a special place in Goa’s history, as it is the first beach where the hippies landed, putting Goa on the international tourist map. Today the sea has reclaimed most of the beach and this very rocky, hazardous beach doesn’t attract visitors compared to Calangute or Vagator.

However, the Wednesday flea market in Anjuna is still alive and kicking. Go to seedy dealers on Anjuna beach if you want to gamble… and loose all you got. Decided to miss the trip to Port Aguada and got down at Calangute. Went on a dolphin watching cruise, got to see those lovely creatures toss their flippers and play hide and seek with us. Was the only one in the group to get them on film. Well, at least their fins. They can be incredibly fast… and can do without the attention. Got myself two temporary tattoos… and then visited Suiza Lobo to bid bye to Goa and have a parting shot of wine.

Calangute to Madgaon on minibus. The kind bus driver ensured that bike taxi driver didn’t take more than enough from me. Wandered into the AC Lounge at Madgaon Railway Station. Loved it… Three lady tourists were poring over the map of India. Great conversation starter – Is that the map of India? All three gave me a ‘you don’t know India on a map????’ look. Soon we were talking, even took their snap. And that’s when I came up with the not so great conversation ender – What time is your train? Never seen anybody so shocked. Apparently they had forgotten that they were to catch a train. The ladies ran for dear life. I enjoyed an expansive shower as I made myself home at the lounge. Met with two elderly couples from Jodhpur who were touring South India. They were telling how Jodhpur is such a beautiful place to visit. It seems that the water there is sweeter compared to brackish water in other parts of Rajasthan. A while later, I cut my finger while fiddling in my backpack. The two ladies swarmed over me as I sucked on the cut finger. They were kind enough to lend me Boroplus and band aid. I dozed off to sleep, after requesting the lounge attendant to wake me up in time for my train. Soon the 2619 Mumbai – Mangalore Matsyagandha Express came chugging into Platform 1 at around 1am, almost half an hour late.

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Friday, 22 Dec 2006: Mangalore Siesta January 12, 2007

Got into the Matsyagandha Express, a train that once met with a nasty accident on the Konkan Railway route a few years ago. The 437km ride promised to be uneventful, till I met a family who had inadvertently booked tickets for the previous day and realized their folly when they boarded the train. The good Samaritan in me burst forth like a blooming flower and I gave them my berth. And soon, I was trying to sleep, in container rack where they store blankets and pillows in an AC coach. Woke up early just as Matsyagandha left Udupi around 4.30am. There were like a million stars in the sky. Ok, probably a thousand? But loved the view… just amazing. Matsyagandha trundled into Mangalore around 6.30 in the morning. Took a few snaps of the Erode WDM2 being shunted, before hitting the reservation office at Mangalore Railway Station to book a ticket to Cannanore (Kannur) in Kerala. Was told by the lady at the counter that it was better to buy it from the regular ticket counter on the day of the journey. Checked into the Hotel Hindusthan. Took a well-deserved break. Watched the animation movie ‘Open Season’ at an Adlabs theatre at the hep Bharath mall in Mangalore. Did some shopping before hitting bed. MTV blaring as always.

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Saturday, 23 Dec 2006: Wandering Ministrel in Mangalore January 12, 2007

Got to Mangalore Railway Station early morning. Boarded the Mangalore – Coimbatore passenger train for the 132km ride. Soon the compartment changed into a carnival ground with dudes around me belting old hindi songs and me providing accompaniment on my dhol. The gang of crooners got down at Kanhagad, while I continued with my ride. Reached Cannanore around noon. Called up my buddy with whom I was travel with from then on. Wondered if we should hit Rajasthan or go somewhere nearby – may be Coorg or Kodaikanal. Decided to head to Kodaikanal to spend X’mas. Took a bus to get to his medical college in Pariyaram, Cannanore. We set out in the evening back to Cannanore. Got to the railway station where we witnessed a pickpocket being caught red-handed. Our train was still a few hours away. Watched a Malayalam movie ‘Smart City’ in a ‘multiplex’ called Saritha. Got back to the station for our train that would lead us to Kodaikanal. I dozed off on the platform bench serenaded by mosquitoes…

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Sunday, 24 Dec 2006: Disaster at Pollachi! January 12, 2007

The 6628 Chennai – Mangalore West Coast Express snaked into Cannanore at midnight. Got ourselves seats in a first class coupe, as AC and sleeper classes were full. We reached Podanur Junction in the wee hours of morning. Had to change trains and board the metre gauge passenger that would take us from Podanur to Palani. A hundred people gathered around the station building to board this train and the railway authorities held back the train by over 20 minutes to allow everybody to entrain.

Meanwhile I requested the driver of the metre gauge passenger if I could take a snap of the train, only to be flatly refused. We got ourselves first class seats on the passenger train which was headed by a Ponmalai-based (ex-Golden Rock, Trichy) YDM4 which turned out to be a mother of a smoker. Both I and my buddy hung out of the train snapping up the scenery – a million hues of green! We soon made a grand entry into Pollachi Junction. Devoured the yummy vadas (rice cakes) sold on the platform. Ventured to take snaps of an incoming passenger train.

Was promptly booked by the duty station master, who was joined by the driver of our passenger train who complained that I still took pics in spite of being warned by him. The duty SMR turned a shade red when he asked me if I was a terrorist… I tried to bask in the glory. He finally asked me to show him my ID. He cooled down once he saw my innocent mug shot in my passport. Forget about causing terror, he must have made out that I can’t even kill a fly properly. For all the uninitiated rail fans out there, it’s illegal to shoot trains in India, especially on railway premises. You can get booked / get your camera confiscated / or cool your heels behind bars, if you get caught by the Railway Protection Force (RPF). And rail fans still continue taking snaps of trains on Indian Railways. Just visit http://www.irfca.org/ to see for yourself.
Got back into the train and winked at my friend who was busy munching dal vada. We were soon on the ‘rails’ snapping up windmills on the way. Reminded me of Netherlands… the weather was amazing with fog and sunlight playing hide n’ seek.

We reached Palani around 11am. Got to the bus stand and found that the next bus to Kodaikanal from Palani was hours away and that the ride on the government bus was guaranteed to be uncomfortable. Dindigul or Madurai is a better place to get to Kodai than Palani, as it offers you more connections via bus. But as our luck would have it, we soon ran into a couple and an Israeli tourist and teamed up with them and engaged a taxi. If there’s one car that can take six individuals and tons of luggage up to Kodai on a trot, that’s the hardy Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador. The ride on the Palani Hills was pretty exciting as we climbed up the gradient to get to Kodai. The mercury plummeted and fog descended on us. We reached Kodaikanal around 3pm and enlisted the help of a guide to get a room in MYH Green Mountain Lodge. Owing to Christmas & New Year, rooms were very difficult to get in Kodaikanal. We signed up for a full day guided tour of Kodaikanal the next day, followed by a forest tour the day after. We went for a walk around the Kodaikanal Lake, and then took a horse ride.

My steed acted like he would throw me into the lake any minute. My friend got an amazing beast, a 10 month old stallion named Rahul, who was so friendly and docile. Posed for pics with Rahul and then walked the entire perimeter of Kodai Lake which is around 5kms. Went to bed early. The chilly climate did its best to keep us quite awake.

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Wednesday, 27 Dec 2006: Taking a Break January 12, 2007

The 366km ride to Kollam was again pretty uneventful. Once the train reached Trivandrum Central, it slackened its pace and stopped at every station on the way, at times allow express trains to overtake us. Moi indulged in some rail-fanning before reaching Kollam around 9.30am. Took a much deserved break…

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Thursday – Saturday, 28 – 30 Dec 2006: The Cochin Sojourn & How to haggle in India January 12, 2007

Went to Cochin (Ernakulam) on the 7229 Trivandrum – Hyderabad Sabari Express. Took a video of a metregauge train overtaking my train just as we left Kollam Junction Railway Station. Sabari soon kicked up a storm, notched up and exacted sweet revenge by overtaking its puny cousin a few minutes later. Indulged in taking lots of snaps on the way. Reached Ernakulam Town Railway Station in the afternoon. Stayed at the Railway Quarters, Ernakulam Junction with a railway guard friend and his family. Watched the Malayalam film ‘Notebook’ at Kavitha theatre.

Spent the next two days there, snoozing most of the time. Always peeked out of my window which overlooked platform 1 to see which train was entering or the leaving the station. Took lots of snaps, always had a WAP4 or WAM engine parked in the backyard. Hung out with the local kids, roamed around in Ernakulam with the ‘railway kids gang’. On 30th, left for this place called Njheerur in Kottayam District. Watched Ernakulam come to a standstill for three hours in the evening, owing the strike called by local political parties to protest against Saddam Hussein’s execution in Iraq. Stayed at a friend’s place. Picked up my second dhol (drum), this time a really big one, for 150 Rs from a group of travelling salesmen outside the Railway Station. Felt that could have got it for a much cheaper price. This is how bargaining goes with such people. You: How much does this dhol cost? He: 250 Rs. You: I will take this for 150. He: OK.

From my experience buying things from various places, I find that settling for half-the price of an item is a good rule of thumb, as these hawkers generally tend to hike prices when it comes to tourists. Another good strategy is to buy in bulk, as the seller will bring down his prices so that he can clear off his goods. In Goa, I got beaded chains that were selling for 20 Rs for 10 Rs because I agreed to buy out his entire collection. Last but not the least, this sounds weird, but chose your vendor / hawker, just like the way they chose their customers to haggle. You can always make out who is having a good or bad day and who is eager to sell-off their stuff. Usually you quote a price and then feign disinterest or walk-away, especially if the vendor initially murmurs disagreement. Seven times out of ten, the vendor will chase you, and still agree to sell the stuff, sometimes even at a much lower price. It always helps to remember that goods and curios always sold on streets always cost quite cheap, or else hawkers wouldn’t afford to buy them in bulk and sell them on the roadside. Haggle in India, especially if you are new to a place, whether you are taking an auto ride or a jet-ski ride. Put on your best smile, and even try it with a tour operator, like I did in Bangalore and got a discount. Do it with second hand booksellers, dhol sellers and tattoo artists. Just don’t try it at restaurants, railway stations or in buses. Will put you in a real bad light or get the day lights knocked out of you!

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Sunday, 31 Dec 2006: The Ashtamudi Lake Cruise January 12, 2007

Left for Kollam on the 31st. Boarded the 2626 New Delhi – Trivandrum Kerala Superfast Express from Vaikom Road. But before that watched an ox getting slaughtered at the Panchayat Butcher. This is how it goes. They bind it with ropes so that it doesn’t move about much, wrap a towel around its head, and use a giant hammer to bang its head… thrice… and the mighty ox falls down with a thud. Dead. But as they carve up the ox, it begins thrashing again… as some remnants of life are still left somewhere… it’s a pretty gory sight!!! Kerala Express was jam packed with Lord Ayyappa devotees… like most other trains running through Kerala in the fag end of December. Wanted to try something different.

How about a ride in a vallom (traditional boat) in the magical waters of Kollam? Went to the boat jetty, found that a 1 hour ride on a safari boat cost around 600 Rs. Scrapped the idea. Sped on a bike with best buddy Subash to Perumon, Kollam, which is famous for being the unfortunate site for the worst rail tragedy in Kerala in 1988, when a train fell off the bridge over Ashtamudi Lake at Perumon resulting in the loss of over 100 lives. Before that stopped at a nearby railway gate and posed for pics on the tracks. Managed to shoot a video of a passing train: the Howrah bound Trivandrum – Howrah Express and took snaps of the Trivandrum bound 7230 Hyderabad – Trivandrum Sabari Express. Got to the Ashtamudi lakeside, befriended the local boatman Unniraj, who took us on a ride around Perumon. Visited the local toddy shop, but found the atmosphere to be a lil shady; so escaped. Yelped with joy as the big vallom sailed through Ashtamudi Lake and the water birds hovered around us in the twilights.

Unniraj waited for us, as I hogged a double omelette and walked along the Perumon bridge and took snaps, unfortunately couldn’t capture any passing trains. It was dark as we took the boat ride back. Loved it. And the entire experience cost only 100 Rs. Any of you interested in boat rides across Ashtamudi Lake, just get in touch with me to take Unniraj’s number. Got back to Kollam and decided to welcome in the New Year with a sea food dinner at Hotel Shah International followed by watching Mammooty’s ‘Palunku’ at Pranavam theatre, Kollam. Touché!

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