Walking 17k at a single stretch in the scorching heat (okay, not so scorching heat,remember i am in Bangalore) to reach my home. Does anyone who is sane does that ? Or some other nasty questions pops up like are you trying to stretch your dollar by being frugal ? Are you seriously out of your mind ? is what someone replies or at least thinks (out of courtesy) when they get to hear this story.
Bangalore is fastly catching up with its state of the art Metros and BMTC Volvo AC buses and you chose to walk!!!
Walking long distances has always been in my wishlists, but my thoughtful mind always challenged me that it is a Chimera. So the intriguing part in me asked me to try it out.Beating your own mental boundaries gives an ultimate kick i don’t want to miss out.
Done with my office work, followed by a good and a first time Kannada movie at a posh multiplex, i really don’t know what else to follow with. Suddenly the idea of walking which was lying sedentary somewhere on my cerebellum suddenly switched sides to my cerebrum and without second thoughts i laced my shoes and started.
With routes unprepared, I started at HAL Market. I don’t want to take the usual busy chaotic roads, instead planned taking a leisurely stroll in the quaint villages surrounding the mega city.
The walk never disappointed me and it was a new learning for me every single step. I thought reaching the destination would be a cakewalk, but my arrogance was completely washed away when i reached my 10k.
I started at HAL Market, walked along Yemalur village and via the Bellandur Lake and extended my walk to Outer Ring Road.
Bellandur lake side walk was quite an experience in itself. The weather was lovely but seeing the lake contaminated with chemicals and sewage made my heart heavy. The putrid smell was quite heavy and the industrial waste are not treated and are directly let into this lake. This lake water is a source of fresh water to the nearby villages and seeing the state of the lake looks pretty scary.
The Other side of the lake!!! Observe the contrast 😦
High end condos and lake side high rise apartments are on the rise on this stretch. There is a potential time bomb ticking and hope we realize it pretty soon.
Once i reached ORR, I took a left turn towards Sarjapur and walked straight. As soon i reached the Sarjapur road, my strength and my willpower was tested with every single step. I have never walked continuously more than 10k at a single stretch and this was constantly playing in my mind. But i never wanted to give up. I huffed and puffed and sweated a lot, sweared at myself for this decision, but kept moving.
This is tough. Do i really needed to do this ? If yes to whom am i trying to prove something ? Every damn thoughts crossed my mind, yet i kept moving. By now i know i have made some good progress. After two hours of extensive walking, i have crossed 15K.
I took a right from Sarjapur Road, which headed to Chikkarayanahalli Village.The roads were quite and almost inundated with some rare passers by.My legs went to a state of numb, yet not completely exhausted, i decided to sit for a while sipping my mango pulp with a strawberry bun. After 5 minutes or so, resumed my walk.
Reached Chikkarayanahalli Village and proceeded my walk towards Gattihalli. Finally decided to take some much needed rest and halted under a nicely grown banyan tree. My thoughts were vivid. This is life. This is bliss.This is sheer happiness.And this is heaven.
People fishing in a small pond, villagers taking their cattle’s to grace, Small children carrying wood stocks for livelihood, i mean how many of us would have really seen all these when we come on a trip to Bangalore ? We only get to see the pubs, cozy restaurants and the vidhan soudha and the Lal Bagh. The true laid back culture of Bangalore lies in these rustic villages. (I know within years ,these villages will soon fall into civilization, so move your arse and witness it before it is all over).
The destination was peaceful, but it was a teaser. The road started seem like it’s never gonna end and with agitation and tensions internally building up, my pace started decreasing.
Now i am slowly running out of my patience and i wanted to close this deal. By this time i almost have no energy left in me,but still managed to reach Gattihalli village and then finally to Huskur.
Now comes the tricky part. I have been many times to Huskur town, and my home is just 3km from this place. Yet this fucking place confuses me every single time and i will end up.in the wrong.f route. This time though i don’t have the luxury to try things out as i was completely exhausted.
I hitched hike with a guy and that generous soul agreed and most importantly dropped me right in front of my home (well he would have seen my hopeless and tired face and thought that this guy would probably die if i leave him anywhere :P).
It’s not about the destination that matters, but the travel to get to these destinations that we always savour in our life. This trip ended fabulously with some really sore legs but gave me an important lesson in my lifetime.
Whispering Mountains... 