Trip to Yana and Murudeshwar.

The first experience of Jungle...
The preparation: Preparation for trip was started 3 days before only under the guidance of trip leader Kau (Kaushik). We read few blogs about the Yana trip, checking maps for geographical information about Yana. Two days before, it was confirmed that we four (me, kau, pacha, Vinodh- condi) are coming for trek for sure. Out of these, I was meeting pacha and condi for the first time. Kau sent one excell sheet listing the things to be carried personally, with group and with experts (I was junior :( ). I was surprized with his instructions like we should not take alcohol from one day before the start of trek still the end of trek. Later he explained more about them which convinced me.Make hurry: When I started from hoody, it was already 5 and the black clouds in the sky were making me fear. I had to hurry. I could not take risk and decided to catch the first bus which comes. Murphy was there to welcome and the first bus was for KR Market. So decided to go till Corporation and change the bus. The bus was full but managed to go inside and keep the luggage down. That was much more relax though I could not get the seat. When I reached till ulsoor, it started raining. It was pouring rather raining. I was making plans to continue till market and then get the bus for majestic from there. But I think Murphy went to kau help him, it stopped raining till my bus reached to corporation through bangalore road traffic. I thanked banglalore traffic at that time. I reached majestic at 6.00. Now my job to wait till other members who had also the same story to tell. Somehow they managed to arrive Majestic in time. Kau introduce me with pacha and condi. Now we all became one team member. Bus started at 7:00 exactly and we were on NH-4. We get down at sirsi in the morning from where we reached to Yana via Katgal.

At Yana: I was enjoying the different sounds, smell coming from jungle. The route was not on plains, and we had weights on our back pulling us down. But the environment in jungle was such that we hardly stopped anywhere still we saw Mohini-shikhar (one of the two shikharas at Yana for which this place is famous). We had photo session there. We relaxed there for a while and then went into the temple. The pujari was doing preaching mantras and few people were sitting in front of him. Later I came to know he was telling some mythological story about that place. All bouncers for me!!!
We came out of the temple and had walk around the temple. After conversion with local people, they came to me, those people had seen tiger in that area and suggesting not staying there. But Kau told me we would do campfire here and stay here only. What to say? Has anyone dared to go against his or her seniors during engg?? No one. There was no any option other than saying OK...
The Jungle: In the evening, we started preparation for camp firing. Kau and me went in to the jungle to bring wood for campfire. The jungle is something different from our imagination. We think all reptiles, animals are there waiting for your arrival and enjoy your flesh and chew your bones. But Actual jungle is something different and very pleasent (atleast which i have visited). While going through jungle, every step you put on dried leaves makes so noise that all animals get alert. They see whether anything is danger for them. If it danger they start making alert signals for their other friends. They start shouting. Monkeys jumps from one branch to another. Birds whistles. crackers make so much noise. While going through jungle, I took few snaps. We collected dried wood and came back.
Preparing Dinner: It was 6.00 and we started packing. Me and Kau took bags and came to base. This is to make pujaris to think that we are planning to stay on top. Then me and kau again came on with all our bags on back and cursing the pujari. It was heavy already and we were tired after bringing wood from jungle. And again 1km steps.. hushhh! Somehow we managed to come on top. Here the scene was different. Pacha and condi started preparing for food. So we helped them for preparation. We cooked rice and make rasam. (tamarind water mixed with green chilly, onions, salt and spicy rasam is ready! Seems little difficult to eat but we were so hungry that it was very tasty to us). In the torch-light we had our dinner. Now it's time for campfire. To make me more frightening, seniors decided to make campfire in jungle away from temple :( .... We took wood, kerosine (I forget to tell that, someone had stolen the engine oil, at Katgal, which I brought so we had to buy kerosine), camphor, news-papers, match-box. Thanks that we had not landed in deep jungle. We put camp-fire. I was feared looking at darkness and wildness of the jungle which was welcoming me in his lap. For our excitement, it was full moon on that night. But due to few clouds, moon was playing hide n seek. It was one of the greatest moment that I experienced in my life. You are sitting in front of camp-fire while listening animals, birds chat in the presence of full moon and your friends, away from any disturbance of civilized cities. In marathi, can be described 'swargiy anubhav' (don't think I became swargawaasi ;) ). We sat there for more than one hour listening our seniers trek experiences. Slowly the fear about wild animals vanished from my mind and became the part of that atmosphere. Condi and Pacha were tired with the trek so they went to sleep. Me and kau sat in open land and kau was giving me gurumantras about the jungle trek. I was listening sounds coming from the jungle and enjoying that surroundings. We sat there for one hour. We wanted to sit for some more time but it was getting cold. So said bye bye to chandamama and came back. That was the end of first day of our trek.

Day 2: I woke up early morning at 5.30 and could not sleep later. I went outside roam around the place (Till now I gain enough courage to wander alone). Slowly other guys woke up and started to pack. We were supposed to leave that back before temple pujari returns back. We had photo session and left in search of vibhuti falls. But Pacha was not feeling well, so after seeing the difficult way along the small stream, we dropped vibhuti falls and proceeded for Murudeshwar.

Sun ‘n sand: From Yana we reached Murudeshwar via Kumta. When we reached, it was burning with heat. So we directly went to sea shore. We bathed there, shown our construction skills by building small houses in sand. I took lots of photos. In the evening we came back to Kumta from where Kau, Pacha and condi came back to Bangalore and went to Kumta railway station to catch train for Mumbai..to be continued….