Namma Kaiwara Hills
Namma Kaiwara Hills
It all began 3 days
before the trek when many of us registered, 17 strangers and 2 organizers,
another new place to be explored and captured. We were instructed to have a
good night sleep but as usual many of us slept late. I live in Electronic city and
had to reach majestic by 7 a.m. BTC is a voluntary organization and everyone
stick to the guidelines. I booked a cab at 6 A.M so as to reach on time.
Sleeping late I wouldn't have woken up unless it was the driver who woke me up
at 5:30. I then woke up and started to get ready. By 6:10 I got into the cab
and started towards Majestic on a busy Saturday morning.
This was my first outing with BTC and I had butterflies
in my stomach when I was travelling in the morning towards majestic. Never been
with strangers, who wouldn't be scared?
Girls coming solo would definitely think twice.
Girls coming solo would definitely think twice.
I reached the point by 6:50 a m and got myself introduced to
the trek organizer Dinesh Yadav and Krishna who was on his second trek with
BTC. In another few minutes Mr. Abhishek Naik and a couple of people joined us
and we got into the bus. Our next stop was tin factory where Dinesh Gupta the
other organizer and the remaining of us joined.
There were 2 girls and 17 boys making us a total of 19.
Everyone was silent until the BTC trademark game of introducing yourself was
started. It was fun and I'm not going to reveal the game as it would spoil the
fun for the newcomers. We also had another 2 games where one shouldn't use the
words m.i.n.e and f.i.n.e & one should drink only using their left hand,
failing to do so we had some tasks for them. We had our breakfast at a hotel on
the way and many of us were caught using right hand and the words
m.i.n.e/f.i.n.e.
There were people aged between 18-50. and the best part was
all were equals here. It was amazing that older people showed no attitude and
younger showed respect. It's a good mixture of peeps who were fun loving.
The journey was
exciting and interesting till we reached the bottom of the Kaiwara Hills which
is only a part of the entire thing. We had our instructions and a group pic
before we started the trek.
We entered the
Gangotri Marg and began to walk up the hill. It was pretty flat and steep to
walk and seemed easy for the next few minutes. We then followed a pipe which
was going up. We reached a point where we had to divert from the pipe. There
started our journey to the peak.
The path wasn't used in many weeks or months. It was thorny, bushy, rocky and slippery. We thought it would be a cake walk up the wall but it wasn't. escaping the thorns and walking was a task. We were instructed not to make noise and disturb the ambience.
The path wasn't used in many weeks or months. It was thorny, bushy, rocky and slippery. We thought it would be a cake walk up the wall but it wasn't. escaping the thorns and walking was a task. We were instructed not to make noise and disturb the ambience.
People were walking in groups, taking pics and videos along
the way. Once the toughest part was done, people relaxed at a point and took
many pics. Manish and Abhishek were our official photographers for the trek and
they clicked photos without any hesitation or irritation. They were very
patient and helpful.
There was a boundary wall constructed as if it was for a
fort. There were steps over there and we all sat over there for some time and
relaxed. We then climbed up and could see lands and buildings at faraway
distance. It was beautiful and serene. The Hills in the background and the
clouds and beautiful blue sky, everything was vibrant. We then moved to the
peak walking over the flat area and reached the elephant faced peak which was
our epitome to reach.
The leaves ruffled beneath the afternoon sun and sky. The
wind was roaring around us, it was a thrill and a rush of beauty around us. All
the tired faces after photos and climbing up turned to cherish. Everyone had a
smile on the face and it was worth to watch it. There was an hidden excitement
on reaching the top.
We had our potluck lunch and took a few photos. We collected
all the waste organic and inorganic separate, not even the banana peel was
allowed to be thrown. We collected everything in a bag and threw it later when
we stopped for evening snacks on our way back to Bangalore. It's the BTC
culture not to litter or carry/buy plastic which is followed strictly and not
everywhere this is followed.
It was around 2:30
P.M. We started to descend. This was another uphill task for us. This time the
road taken was different. This had more rocks and lesser thorns compared. The
route was difficult as we had to jump more and it was only plants and trees
around the rocks that helped to climb down. Many of us had scratches and cuts,
nothing serious very minute. Few jumps, few ducks, few slides and we were back
to the pipe. It was exhilarating looking at the pipe only to realize we still
had a small distance to cover. Slowly one after the other we reached the
bottom, the same place we started at.
It wasn't over yet, we then gasped to normal and then went on
a short ride to guhantara cave temple close by, which were manmade caves
(carved by humans) followed by Amaranarayana Swamy temple and we were enroute
Bangalore.
We started to have fun dancing and singing and had a lot of
fun. We were all strangers but BTC the common thread held us together and that
was the best. By the end it turned out to be like a family trek of all the
cousins having fun together with no age disparities shown.
It was
a memorable experience and hope to be back with another trek soon.
Now here are some guidelines for all those
who are about to plan trek to Kaiwara. So here’s a complete to-do checklist for
all you trekking enthusiasts.
•Safety first! - All forests are an abode to wild thorns
and grasses. Carry a few band-aids and relief sprays..
• Pack light – do not pack unnecessary items and make
sure you have very light weight on your back because the elevation will be a little
high and it’s best to carry less to enjoy most.
•Dress up comfortably- Wear fully covered clothing with clothes
as cozy as possible.
•Snack up – it’s always good to have something to munch
on. Fruits and bread-butter serve the purpose and keep your stomach filled.
•Lots of water – make sure that everybody carries 2 water
bottles of their own. It is needless to say that you will be tired.
• Trash bags- you don’t want to spoil the beauty of the
place with leaving wrappers and empty bottles after you’ve left. It is
important to carry them back with you in trash bags and throw them later.
•Sport shoes- this is the most obvious part of the
checklist. Don’t endeavor into wearing thin soles.
•Paper plates and knife- it is useless to carry utensils
so paper plates just do the job. It is important to keep a knife for cutting
fruits and applying butter over breads.
•Have a great time- travel is not just for instagram/facebook
pictures but also for the soul. Leave your phone in the bagpack for a while and
feed your soul with great memories and elated eyes.
Hope this article was useful. Visit Kaiwara to experience
the thrill and much more than words can suffice.
Cheers!
Here's a potato for reading
Written By : MJ
Date of event : 16th Dec, 2017
Place : Chikkballapur
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