So, I have this habit of exploring the maps every now and then. It's something I love to do since childhood. I would see my current location and the places around me. And since I am in Coimbatore now which is a city very near to Kerala(it's my teenage love), I started doing it even more. Now after a lot of internet surfing, I decided this one good place called Siruvani. Since, I did not had any idea about the place, I made an itinerary of all the places we would be able to cover. The place is just some 45 kms from where I live. I persuaded my friends to accompany me. So we were more like a linguistic group, 2 Tamilians, 3 Kannadigas and ME(Indian :p). Now we thought of taking local transport as I am a hippy kind and don't like to travel by luxuries. We reached the Gandhipuram bus stop and waited for almost an hour as we missed the bus because I didn't see it(as everyone blames, there was no bus though, I have hawk's eye). Now, finally when we boarded the bus. Poseidon was all in favour of us. It was drizzling all the time. We reached to a 3 way road, one of which goes to Isha Yoga Centre and other to Siruvani Forest. We took an auto from there and all 6 died in it, me, I was hanging outside as it's my favourite place. I was so dumbstruck to see the mountains, all covered with dark clouds. It was still drizzling.
When we reached inside, this is what we saw. Siruvani river flowing calmly from a small passage, who knows that it was fierce when it started. Probably, experience makes everyone calm.
And by now I knew my itinerary was waste. We took the forest department bus after having some natural snacks. It gives a free ride. They dropped us to a place from where we had to trek inside the forest.
Now as we were moving in, it was getting even intense, monkeys accompanied us as well.
I thought to set us a tent here but this wasn't the end. These are the falls. Kovai Kutralam, as some would call them.
Free advice-take extra pair of cloths without fail for even the hydro-phobic people can't stop from jumping in that ice cold water. Now that I have said this, the thing which actually happened was, I came out of water within the next 20 secs. I couldn't breathe in it. I was sitting on these rocks near the falls and watching my friends standing beneath the falls. Now, I wanted to do it as I have this habit of doing things which I fear the most. I feel that this is the only way I would be able to conquer them. I closed my ears and eyes and asked my friend to pull me off in there. Once, I was in, I felt happy, numb, I don't know what it was. The water falling on my head felt like someone's throwing stones on it but I wanted to be there for once and all. It was a different feeling but I wasn't satisfied yet, I wanted more of it. We went down and I saw people sliding off the falls and falling into a pool formed by it. I thought that they are crazy but a minute later, I wanted to do the same. I told my friend and he asked,"Do you know swimming?" to which I replied "No" with the regular grinning face of mine. Later he agreed on taking me with him so that we can slide together. I said,"Okay". I reached to the place from where we were supposed to slide and he gave me these few instructions which almost were like a life saver for a non-swimmer like me. He told me not to think anything, don't breathe in water and once we get in the pool he would push me to front and I just have to push water back with my hands and another friend of mine will help me get out of water. At that time, I was just excited. But then he said, "Ready?" and I was like,"Sakshi, I love you, do it" and I said yes. Now we slided and I was in the pool living some last moments of my life. Those few seconds, my whole life was flashing in front of me. I thought I am going to drown but I just kept pushing for I love myself and I can't let myself die. And there I was, I did it. OMG, I don't have any words, that feeling can only be felt.
Only thing I can say is, now I want to jump off a mountain cliff into an ocean(I still don't know swimming).
I did the same thing again but this time I ended up holding a stranger's neck. :D :D And, I don't want to repeat it, so the first thing I would do is to learn swimming.
Some more pics from the journey.
It was a small getaway but gave me some memories for lifetime, some experiences which I can never forget, some friends which I will have for lifetime and a weird nickname "Pineapple" for which I still don't know the reason.