A Memorable Trip!

Summer Vacations were a rollercoaster ride for me and my sister. There will be a demand from my grandparents to visit temples along with the family while we have Beaches, Valleys, Rides, Zoos, Trekking on our hitlist. There used to be a mini battle at our home to decide on places to visit. Our parents are the ones who were the mediators between Grandparents and us.

Grandparents and we make a win-win treaty for the welfare of both parties! I mean I consider me and my sister as one party while my grandparents are the opposition party and my parents as judges in this context. Finally, they agreed to have a trip to Mangalore. So we geared up for one more vacation trip in the year 2009.

As always, my grandparents started packing the luggage well in advance after checking the auspicious day to pack while we packed luggage the day before our train journey. Checking and Re-Checking the luggage till the end moment was our family’s trait! We were forced to reach the railway station two hours earlier. Shooing the flies, I sat on a bench in the station staring at my grandfather with frustration piling up in my head.

“Why does he want to be over punctual and reach the station so early even before the railway department prepares the chart?” my sister Likitha sat beside me and murmured feeling bored.

I gave her a grumpy look and signalled her to sit quietly. The vendors on the station had the eatables we liked a lot... the chips. When I asked my father, he readily gave me money to bring. I bought the chips packet like a winner's trophy and gave the balance amount to my father after deducting a certain amount for the service I have done for them. In simple words, the service tax. Then hogging on the chips brought, we waited for the train to arrive.

Thank God! The train arrived on time and we boarded the train happily. We were excited and sat near the window. My parents heaved a sigh of relief! “These children! Though they are in their teens, they still fight for window seats. Good to see this time both of them got window seats” smiled our Grandmother.

The train departed the station lifting our hopes high. The cool air made us feel fresh and excited to look now and then outside the window. Our feast too started. "Bajji! Masala Vada!” yelled the seller holding a yellow ochre hand made bamboo basket in which bajjis and masala vadas were arranged attractively with green mint chutney at the centre in a container. Our eyes twinkled and we glanced at our father who smiled and purchased them.

Chatting with our grandparents, listening to their travel experiences and hogging on the snacks, we spent time. The train was about to pass through tunnels. “This is the best way to reach Mangalore. The train route gives a thrilling experience. From here the train goes through nearly 57 tunnels and this is termed the Green route by many travellers. Near a tunnel, the train slows down to let the passengers see the view of the beautiful valleys, waterfalls and western ghat section. Don’t miss them! The train will be hauled by the braker locomotives for additional braking purposes while descending the ghat section” my father said with a graceful smile.

We heard our co-passengers shout as the train passed through a tunnel. My sister and I joined them in the chorus of yelling “O! O! O!” and had ultimate fun. It was a thrilling experience to shout out your heartfelt feelings in form of "O!" that echoed in the tunnel. Even my Grandfather joined us. We chuckled seeing him joining us in a shoutout.

The train halted for a few minutes to help us view the beauty of nature. Watching the waterfall was a breathtaking experience. Our eyes twinkled and our faces lit up bright with smiles. We clicked the photos and captured those beautiful sceneries in our hearts. They became unforgettable memories! Even the moment I think about this trip now, I can hear people’s shouts in tunnels and the beautiful waterfalls, valleys and much more.

Finally, the train safely reached Mangalore. We reached the hotel and took ample rest in the night. The next day, we first went to Udupi Krishna temple by car and offered prayers. My grandparents loved the atmosphere. The temple had a cowshed and the Krishna of that temple was unique as he shows his back to the entrance and faces his devotee Sri Kanakadasa. I purchased Sri Krishna's idol as a token of remembrance of that place. After taking the lord’s blessings and prasad, we went to Malpe beach.

I always loved the beaches. The waves made me feel excited. The affinity between me and the seas or oceans is unexplainable. My father read my mind and signalled to have fun watching the sea. We saw there were water rides and demanded to go on a ride. My grandmother bluntly rejected saying the astrologer predicted that I had dangers lurking in the waters. I argued with my parents and pestered them but still, my father nodded his head with a ‘No!’ Finally they won the argument and I gave up for the peace to prevail in their minds. They relaxed and then I made a deal with them to step into the water up to some distance. My mother convinced them to fulfil my wish and accompanied me holding my hand as she didn't want to see me disappointed. We went and I played in the water for some time and thanked her by hugging her. I sat for almost 20 minutes viewing the beach and capturing the ecstatic beauty of it. We saw Mangalore port on our way back to the hotel.

Since our Grandparents were old, we did not travel much on that day. We ordered our favourite food and had dinner merrily. The next day, we visited famous temples like Shri Bhagwan Mandir and Gokarnath Temple. Here there was a pool where four corners Shiva statues were placed and from his hair(Jataajhoot), the water flows into the pool. In the evening time, it's a must-watch place as lightning near the pool was like icing on the cake. That day, we took a break from the journey and stayed at the hotel. The next morning, we packed our bags to go to Kukke Subramanya Swamy temple. Since we reached noon, we got Lord Subramanya darshan late. Post taking blessings and eating prasad, we checked into the pre-booked room. Night travels in the ghat section were risky. So, we decided to travel the next morning.

The next morning, we rented a car and started back to our home. I got busy admiring nature's beauty around me. The trees in the ghat section were astounding. The greenery soothed my eyes and calmed racing thoughts in my mind.

There ended beautiful memories of a remarkable journey. Journeys refresh our minds and increase positive energy within us. It also keeps our spirits high. It brings us close to our mother nature in a magical way. Our vacation trips are the best trips that refreshed our lives and made us enjoy living life to the fullest forgetting our worries for a few moments. This trip ended on a short note as my father did not get permission to apply for more leaves but a few of them were long ones like the Pune trip where we explored Lonavla, Khandala, Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganesh temple in Pune, Dwaraka model temple and Shirdi Sai baba temple and much more.

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