Getting Lost
“To get to Lepakshi, turn left at Kondikonda on Bangalore-Hyderabad highway,” said an informational posted on the internet. But Kondikonda was such a small place that they did not even have a sign naming the village. Or if it did exist, it must have been masqueraded by movie posters or went into hiding behind tea shops and trucks spread haphazardly near the road.
Consequence to not seeing a sign was obvious – we kept driving further in search of our destination. But time was on our side. There was no hurry to reach the place and we did we have any designated time to get back to Bangalore. We drove at ease, stopping at will where we felt like, spending time along lakes and fields that we kept seeing along the road. It was many months since the monsoons had departed, but subsequent showers had kept the lakes alive and filled with calm and clear water. Paddy fields had just been churning out slightly grown saplings in shallow stagnations meant to keep them green. When we eventually found our way through some circuitous twists and turns, we were drunk from a abundance of scenery that made our unintended deviation worthwhile.
When we lost our way to Lepakshi…
There are many a times I have lost my way and wandered in wrong directions during my journeys. I have ended up wasting time and searching for the way in such occasions, but a lot of times it has also lead to something interesting. Stumbling upon picturesque countryside near Lepakshi is just one such incidence. And then there are times I have wandered aimlessly without having a destination, and without knowing where to go. Places I have stumbled this way have often made my journeys memorable and eventful.
When we lost our way to Lepakshi…
But there are also times when I did worry about having lost the way and worried about not getting back on track soon. While trekking up Goecha La, I was walking alone and inadvertently took a path that I presumed is my way up. I did not spot anyone for next fifteen minutes on that path – be it my companions or porters which made me wonder if I am on the right path. Loosing my way in those high mountains where terrain can be harsh and weather is cold is not exactly my idea of fun, but I kept my calm. The bridle path I had taken had a few wild flowers and green surrounding, and I pressed on slowly, stopping every now and then to take pictures and enjoying the silence of the mountains. One of our porters found me before I had gone off too far, but the moments of solitude that I had spent among the unknown trail was pleasant and delightful.
When I lost the way in Sikkim…
The best moment of getting lost happened to me in Gokarna, when we wandered along its hills and beaches. We were searching for a path that should have lead us to the town, but instead found us away from the road, on a rocky shore lashed by the waves and chocolate brown boulders with crabs scurrying on them. It was devoid of people but for a lone fisherman who did not seem to be bothered about not having any catch, but went on throwing the thread farther and waited with no hurry for a fish to catch the bait. It was our moment away from the tourists, restaurants, boats and activities of the beach; it was our own moment with the sea on one side and rocky hill on the other, letting us into the real beauty that Gokarna is.
When we lost our way in Gokarna…
Another occasion that I often recollect is loosing our way once when we were trekking in the Sahyadris. I still don’t know where exactly was this – a friend of ours who lived in the region had taken us to a place that even he did not know well enough. We walked at will, climbed higher and higher and went into grasslands at the peaks where few people seemed to venture. It was rainy season, and turned foggy in later half of the day. We had wandered far away from the known path and could not find a clue about our way back in the fog. But it was a beautiful day in the mountain amidst green grass, wild flowers and no human presence. We were fortunately equipped well and ended up spending the night in the middle of the forest against our will. It was a cold and wet night and was not the most comfortable sleep I have had, but the memories of the day still remain fond. Were you ever woken up in the middle of the night by alarm call of a wild boar at close vicinity that found intruders in its territory?
Not every account of getting lost has been equally delightful. Driving through roads stretching out of Ooty trying to discover its places not in tourist map, we had lost our way a countless number of times and sometimes had to abandon our search. Trying to climb Kumara Parvatha on a rainy day, we could not figure the way ahead in fog and had to return without reaching the top. We had ended up driving many unrewarding additional miles in Wayanad for having chosen the wrong road.
But just heading off in a direction without knowing what is coming has more often been eventful than not. My first and only encounter with wild dogs(dhole) happened when we wandered aimlessly on the roads of Wayanad. Walking on Babadudangiri, we took an unknown detour and stumbled on a picturesque alternative route against the much travelled one. An impulsive decision to go beyond the last point of tourists in Manali lead us to an unknown place that was a riot of efflorescence and greenery. Such memories are many, and they keep pushing me to go further and look up to places not in the tourist map. Undoubtedly, there are times when such explorations have yielded nothing, but it is always worth the trouble when I look back at all the cherished moments that were a result of straying way.