Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Rappa (Hassan)

Anoop recommended The Rappa to Shivanand and Shivanand gave a call to Vijay Das of The Rappa and asked the questions: Is the place available for 3 guys (himself, Hegdo and me) from April 2nd to 4th? Are 3 meals included in the tariff? The answer was positive and we had a place to spend time on a long weekend. Since we were given tents, we knew what things to carry.

I woke up at 3 AM, got ready by 4 AM and headed to Shivanand’s house. His house is 40 km away from mine and driving there wasn’t easy even that early. There was enough traffic on the road and there were enough losers driving on high beams. Yet, I managed to take only 45 minutes through the city to reach his house, where Hegdo had already come over the previous night. Fortunately, Shivanand was almost ready by then (extremely rare!), probably because of the excitement to visit The Rappa.

Within half an hour, we were driving towards NH 4, navigating through the huge trucks. It took a while to reach NH 4 and to hit the toll road. The new toll road is a breeze and we could maintain around 100 kmph throughout the stretch. Of course, we had to slow down some times, thanks to some silly drivers changing lanes without indication.

We missed the exit to NH 48 and reached Tumkur toll gate. Fortunately, I have done the same mistake before, because there is no sign board near the exit to NH 48. May be there is, but it doesn’t say that the exit is for Hassan or Mangalore. If any other place is mentioned, I can easily miss it. Anyway, we managed to take a U turn and hit NH 48. This road has improved a lot over the last few months. The road is broadened at most places and where it isn’t, there are not-so-clear markings (which might be totally invisible at nights) to show that there are single lanes. It was about 6 AM when we were cruising on this road. I had decided not to exceed 100 kmph any time. Even though it was still dark, most vehicles had already switched off their head lights. It was difficult to tell an oncoming vehicle from a vehicle going in our direction, on 2 lane roads. Hence my self-imposed speed-limit (note: I keep my head lights on always on highways, to make sure that others don’t miss me when trees overhang on the road and cast their shadows on the road. And there are enough morons frantically trying to indicate that my head lights are on during broad daylight. At least that guarantees that others can see me).

On the way, I even spotted a Palio taxi. That indeed is a rare sight!!!



The bypass for Kunigal is not yet open, so we had to drive through the bad stretch around Kunigal. We crossed all these small towns and stopped for breakfast at Kamat Upachar close to Hassan, at around 9 am. We entered Hassan to buy some things that Vijay had asked us to get, and then easily found the left turn from NH 48 towards The Rappa. However, just to make sure, we asked the villagers on the way, and everyone seems to know Vijay. We didn’t even have to ask the question. People gave us the directions just as we rolled the windows down!

On the way, after crossing a bridge, we spotted a dilapidated structure that looked like a church. It was on the other side, so we had been close to it while coming, but hadn’t spotted it. As we got closer and closer to the end of the road (that ends at The Rappa) the scenery kept getting better and better. The road wasn’t so great, but the surroundings were picturesque. Shivanand was busy clicking photographs. Like this:

I clicked a photograph too, of Shivanand clicking photographs:

We were welcomed by Vijay and Sibi. Vijay was about to leave for the city to get some supplies, so asked us if we wanted anything. We asked for Pepsi and Fanta. Sibi served us cocum juice and then showed us our tent. There are 4 cottages and 5 tents (I think).


Cottages have attached toilets, but tents have 4 common toilets, which are near the dining area (about 50 steps away from the tents). We couldn’t check out the cottages, but all tents have 2 twin sleeper beds. So each tent can accommodate 4 people easily. However, there are no locks (because they are tents) and so Sibi advised us to leave all expensive things in the car. Why expensive things only? We left everything in the car, and kept only 2 water bottles in the tent.

Then Sibi introduced the dogs to us: Milo (an American retriever), Dadda (an Irish Setter, whose name means lazy in Kannada – true to this character), Tootsie (a young british retriever, about 4 months old, and is very fond of eating other pets) and Shunti (a spitz named so because they wanted a Kannada word for it). He also showed us the rabbits, guinea pig, guinea fowls, turkeys, geese, different breeds of ducks and different breeds of chicken. There was one hen with some 9 newborn chicks.
Milo:

Shunti:


Tootsie:

Dadda:


Other (unnamed) animals:


Sibi also told us that we could go kayaking or swimming, but wearing life jackets is mandatory. Good, because I don’t know swimming. As Shivanand got busy shooting the animals, I took a nap. Shivanand shot me too! I was so tired (having slept only for 2.5 hours after playing football for 2.5 hours the previous evening), so I had fallen asleep on a concrete block, even when the sun shone on my face!

As there was still a lot of time for lunch, we went on a small soft-roading trip over the peninsula, driving over the grass land and through the grazing cows. Shivanand was elated to find a lot of scope for his photographs. I had played football for over 2 hours the previous evening, and had slept only for about a couple of hours. So I slept in the car. Hegdo too slept in the car. Shivanand was accompanied by Shunti. And that bloody SOB Shunti took a piss at one of the tyres of my Palio! Shivanand continued capturing the beauty of the nature, and the hunkness of his friends in his DSLR:

We returned to the dining area, and Vijay had returned by then, and had brought our soft drinks. He kept them in his fridge. Then we had a lunch of okra curry, dal, chapatti, pulav, rice, curd and chicken curry. We found all the curries extra hot, so we poured curd generously over them. Then Vijay took us in his Tempo Trax (an open top SUV) for an off-roading drive. He didn’t care where he was driving. He drove through the bushes, over the rocks, over the grass and through muck, at a constant 40 kmph. All we could do was, cling on to our dear lives by grabbing tightly whatever we could grab. Hegdo got a few scratches on his arm, because of some protruding metal. I got some scratches on my face, because of the tree branches. We had the ride of our lifetime, although it lasted only for less than 15 minutes. We didn’t have the guts to say yes, when he asked if we wanted to go for another trip.

So we returned to the dining area. By then they had moved the TV to dining area and also had connected a projector, to watch the cricket world cup final. The match started soon, and it was boring. After a while, we went on another soft roading trip, exploring another part of the peninsula. We waited till sunset (I again slept in the car, while Shivanand went behind birds asking them to pose for his photographs. Unfortunately, they kept ignoring him. He captured the sunset too). As the sun was setting, we returned, because we didn’t want to risk driving in the dark when there is no road, and road was what we drove on. We had to guess the direction and drive, but it wasn’t difficult. The Palio handles the rocks and soft mud like a true soft roader, not complaining at all.

By the time we reached back, a bunch of young men had gathered to watch the match. Everyone was screaming his lungs out, and these guys were drinking beer like water.. err, no, no one drinks water like that. They were drinking beer like beer. I found the match boring, so I took a nap on my favourite cement block. Then we went near the reservoir to watch others kayaking, peddling the boats and all. The dogs were also there, taking a swim. Dadda is not only lazy, but also dumb. Some people there tried to throw a ball expecting Dadda to fetch it and bring it back. Dadda fetched the ball and ran away and didn’t return. All the dogs are fond of swimming. Except Dadda, the others roll their wet bodies on the slushy mud after swimming. I think that’s their way of treating their skin. No wonder they are all fair. And Dadda is not. Later, we returned to the dining area, and started drinking our Pepsi. We were served some fried fish and chicken. Later, the dinner consisted of a menu similar to lunch, and fish curry in addition. By the time the match was over, these young guys were completely drunk, and were celebrating the victory with crackers and more beer. We were too exhausted to participate in the revel, and went to our tents and fell asleep in no time. I woke up at 6.45 on Sunday morning, to find Shivanand fast asleep and Hegdo awake. We went to the main dining area, had tea and finished the toilet duties. I had no problem, as I was equipped with toilet paper, and other usual bathroom stuff. I just had to clean the toilet before using it. Then Hegdo and I went kayaking. After initial hiccups, it was fun to row the boat, and we were in the water for close to an hour. Because of a large number of guests the previous night, all the water in the well was consumed, so Vijay, Sibi, Rizwan and Ashok were busy connecting pipes and pump to pump water from the reservoir to the well, and then to the other tanks. Shivanand had woken up by 10 or so, and breakfast was ready too. It consisted of bread, butter, jam, dosa, green chutney, potato baji and chicken stew. Chicken stew was excellent and I ate a lot of dosa with that. After breakfast, we headed to the same side of the peninsula where we had been the previous afternoon. This time, we took a full circle around the jungle. Soft-roading through the rocks and sand. Shivanand went after some birds and cows, to shoot them (in his camera). I felt some pressure in the stomach, so I went into the jungle, dug a hole and did it and then closed the hole. I believe in “leave no trace”, at least to what eyes can hear and ears can smell and nose can see. All our things were in the car, and we had left nothing in the tent. So I didn’t have a problem in unloading myself. We returned to the dining area by afternoon. Although I had planned not to take a shower, I did. Even Hegdo and Shivanand did. Then we sat chatting with Vijay, who had already begun emptying his Old Monk bottles, and then had lunch. We wanted to drink our Fanta, but we found that someone had already stolen it. Vijay said he cannot guarantee that our soft drinks will not be taken away by others, because there is only one fridge, and everyone has access to it. Then we headed to the same area where we had been the previous evening to capture sunset. This time we went exploring further, and found that the car couldn’t go any further, as we were blocked a long area of rocks on one side and shrubs on the other. Hegdo and I took a nap while Shivanand went after some kingfishers. We kept the doors open, so that maximum air would come into the car, and we didn’t need anything else to fall asleep.

When I woke up, Shiva was not to be seen. After looking around, I found him still clicking photographs. Now that I was fresh, we decided to get over the obstacles and drove through the shrubs giving numerous scratches and small dents to my beloved Palio, but I am sure she won’t mind it. But then we came across fields and they were at different heights (in step fashion). Without a 4X4 SUV, we couldn’t go any further, so we decided to return. It was just about 5 or so, and we didn’t want to wait till actual sunset, so we told Shiva to finish his sunset photographs right then, and he did.

Then we returned to the camp site, and Vijay and his Old Monk joined us. And then an untoward incident happened. There were a bunch of guests who had come in the afternoon and had spent time till evening near the reservoir, and now they wanted drinking water. But because Vijay and his men were busy all morning pumping water, and then cooking for us, they had found time only a while earlier to go to the city to get the cans of drinking water. So Vijay requested them to wait. They insisted on having water right now, so it looked like Vijay would give them the 1 litre Bisleri bottles which he gives to the guests when they arrive. But then this group started complaining about other things, such as spiders in the tents, no soap etc. that blew Vijay’s lid and he used some harsh words. So one of the guests said they would rather vacate than stay here and asked how much they owed. That was it. Vijay just told them to pay full, get their stuff and get out. They argued that they were there only for a few hours, but Vijay wouldn’t listen. Finally they paid in full and left the premises.

We spent the rest of the evening chatting with Vijay and Sibi and sharing some funny stories. A bunch of other guys too joined us, and we were served some starters by Rizwan. One of the other guests, Rohit, gave Shivanand some gyan about photography. In fact, he even asked Shiva to try out his bigger lens. And Shiva was excited to use it to click photos of Dadda.

After dinner, Vijay took some of the guests for a night off-roading drive. These guests wore life jackets, probably to protect themselves, as they were not going to go anywhere near water. Once they were back, Vijay said someone was screaming and asking him to slow down because they are newly married. Later, we went to sleep in the tent. The day wasn’t as tiring as the previous one, so I woke up once in the night and found Shunti sleeping in our tent.

Next morning, again Hegdo and I were up early, so we finished our morning duties (except bath) and headed into the peninsula again. This time, Vijay too joined us. We stopped for photography only once, when we found a hip bone of a cow. Then Vijay expressed his desire to acquire a Palio. I guess I will have to find him one.

Vijay insisted that we stay for lunch, although it not in our package. He said he himself was going to cook pork for us. So we stayed back, and because we had nothing else to do, we decided to visit a nearby church. The holy rosary church. This church is open for normal visitors only during summer months. During monsoons or winter, only skilled divers can visit this church. For the church is almost submerged in the Hemavathy reservoir during these seasons.


The church can collapse any moment, so hurry up if you wish to see it. But don’t be too disheartened when you read the scribbles of the idiots of our country. People have scuplted their and their lovers’ names all over the walls. It looks UGLY. And then, we remembered that we are yet to have a photograph with all 3 of us in it. So we managed to keep the camera on the car, supported by a small rock, and got this:

Then we returned, and spent more time chatting with them and listening to their stories of how the whole place was destroyed in fire, and how they are rebuilding it. They also showed us the brick machines they are using. They are not using any skilled labourers. They themselves are doing all the work. Considering that what they charge us is not a big amount, I guess they have to resort to such cost-cutting measures to get the place back to its former beauty!

After lunch, we wanted to leave, but Vijay and Sibi insisted that we stay longer. We wanted to tip the guys who work there, and these guys were playing cricket near the reservoir. Vijay offered me his Tempo Trax to drive till there. It is an old vehicle, and rattles a lot. To start it, I need to keep a button pressed to heat up a coil (which in my Palio, heats up automatically) and I need to turn on the ignition without getting my hand off that button. Brakes need to be pressed real hard, and gear shifts are hard. Absence of power steering means extra work to the shoulders. But once the vehicle picks up some speed, it is awesome to drive it. The driving position is amazing, and I could take zigzag turns without the fear of toppling. I didn’t drive as fast as Vijay did, because I wasn’t familiar with the vehicle.

Finally, we left at around 4. When I sat in Palio, the clutch and the brakes and the steering seemed like butter to me. So soft, so smooth. The junk Tempo Trax was more fun to drive. But no complaints about my Palio. She is sturdy, safe and can go fast and yet give an amazing fuel economy figure. We didn’t stop anywhere on the way, and reached Hebbal within three and a half hours. The trip meter read 508 km, which was the total distance we had travelled. Out of that, around 40 km was from my house to Shivanand’s, and from there to The Rappa was about 210 km, and off-roading and roaming around The Rappa was about 50 km and back to Shivanand’s house was the last 210 km. and guess what was the fuel economy figure? 22 kmpl. Because I had kept the speeds at constant 80 to 100 kmph on highway, I am sure the economy there was 24+ kmpl, and highway travel was about 300 km in total. It was balanced by rough driving on the interior roads and off-roading.

5 comments:

Sachin Nayak said...

nostalgic :)

Unknown said...

Everything is perfect about this article... except the title... may I suggest "FIAT Advertisement Campaign" :-)

Rohan said...

Duh.. An advertisement would be exaggerating some features of the car. I was just stating the facts. No exaggerations anywhere!!!

Sachin, when had you been there?

Raghav Prabhu said...

The mileage on your FIAT seems awesome buddy.. should have listened to your advice on buying this italian before it went out of stock !!

Unknown said...

heehee... was just pulling your legs as usual buddy!

I really love the way you go about writing these blogs. We all travel, but like most folks, I have never got myself to write about them. Even though we realise that it would be wonderful to document these travel experiences and recollect them later on, it takes a lot of discipline to blog them. Great going and keep it up dude!