An army marches on its stomach and a low budget traveller travels on free food and if the free food is unbelievably tasty and served with love and affection like the one we got for 3 days in J's house, trust me when I say this, you have found paradise.
My final summer holidays, the kind you get in school and college was ending. Last week in fact cos I had to start working from July 2nd. Something had to be done and done fast. S calls, Erode as the destination decided. Convince B to come along and we set out to Erode. 3 days away from home. Not enough, but it has to do at the moment.
We land on a tuesday morning to be greeted by a mountain of Pooris with side dish that includes liver and chicken kurma. Stomach juices are going to work overtime next 3 days. Lunch is J's mom's special Mutton Briyani and its sumptuos as always There is also Chicken curry and our stomach has gained 2 inches within 6 hours.
Evening plan is to go to Bhavani Sangam, where 3 rivers are said to meet (one mythological river) not sure of the name of the rivers but I have the sneaky suspicion that its only one river that splits into 2 around an island. There is this temple on the island which is for the death rites and hence the surrounding waters are slightly polluted (to say the least) but the main source of attraction for me was the coracle ride. Have never been on one before and it was super fun.
Once thats done with we head to this ice cream parlour in Erode called Boomerang. Its ok, nice place to sit and relax and to catch some moments of rest and as dinner time is around the corner, we dont want to risk eating too much. What else can dinner be but more of the heavenly Briyani.
The next day is an early start as we catch a bus to Salem and from there we take one to Yercaud. Yercaud greets us with a light drizzle, and I slowly realise why the British took time and pains to develop hill stations. The climate is closest I would get to England. We have sights to see and the only vehicle we have is our two feet.
First stop Kiliyur falls (3.5 kms from the lake), super walk for the adventure lover. The last half a km is a narrow path for one person there is a board saying go at your own risk greeting us, with the hill's facade to one side and the gorge on the other the fall would definitely hurt and the only thing that can stop us if we slip are barbed wires. In between there is this huge tree trunk blocking the path. Three of us (me, J and B) go under the tree while S decides to climb over it only to get caught in a very delicate position with one leg stuck to the barbed wire and the second leg on the other side of the trunk, S's loins get stretched a bit more than he asked for. J helps S get out of this situation. Once that's done we get back to search for the falls.
The path becomes filled with stones and large boulders and we are now in thick foliage. Silence, our only companion. Every other step is a slip and eventually a few scratches and dirty pants later we reach the falls. Pity there is no water, cos it would have been some sight to see. After relaxing for a bit, the return trip looms large. The thought of starting my career in a sling scares me and I force my fellow travellers to take an easier route through a private estate. It costs us 30 bucks to bribe some worker to get entrance. Bloody wate of money at the end of it.
We come back to where our bus dropped us, opposite the natural lake in Yercaud and stop at a hotel for lunch. Once that's done we go to the boathouse and get ourselves 2 peddle boats. Lovely weather and lovely settings for a pleasant boat ride.
Once through with the boat ride, we decide to set off on foot and check out some view points. Starting with the Lady's seat (2.5 kms from the lake). A nice walk that takes us through resident locales and make us wonder how life would be in a hill station. Kids wearing sweaters are returning home from school and B is swearing that he will never come on a trip with us cos we make him walk a lot. Once we reach Lady's seat, all the complaints have gone. Its an amazing view point, a 270 degree view of the town as well as the curving road that comes from Salem and also the town of Salem.
Half a km from Lady's seat is Gents seat. Not as good a view but its more private and we disturb a young couple in the midst of expressing their passion for each other. Embarrassing situation for them, but I am sure they get to do this often. Really romantic spot with the breeze and the mist and the height and the view. Dont blame them for enjoying each other's warmth.
The time is 5 and we need to head back to Erode cos J's mom is going to pamper us with some of her world beating Egg Parotas. The thought of it motivates me to do the walk a little faster and we climb on to the bus.
Egg Parotas are beyond belief. Amazing is the word. It undoubtedly must have taken a lot out of J's mom. There are three layers..first the roti, then the Kheema and finally the egg.. BRILLIANT!!! A nice sleep is the ideal dessert and we get to enjoy that as well.
The next day, our last in Erode, is spent within town limits. We visit the Periyar memorial. The house where the social reformist Periyar lived ahs been turned into a memorial. Pity there is not much of information as far as his teachings and philosophies are concerned and the books available are in Tamil, so the illiterate half of me wins.
Next up is a movie. Just to keep us engaged till evening. Once evening comes we set off to Bhavani Barrage. Oneof the little temples of modern India that Jawaharlal Nehru must have referred to. The overcast skies and the reservoir with the dam as the backdrop creates the moment that I dream of in travels. Where you are alone, just you in the moment. Skipping pebbles on the river and hoping time would stop still.
But time does not wait for any man, least of all me. And we board the train back to Chennai with the taste of J's home's wonderful food and the succour of their hospitality giving us company till we reach Chennai.
Showing posts with label Erode. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Erode. Show all posts
Monday, 3 September 2007
Friday, 24 August 2007
Of mutton, new year and Erode - 1
There are many things you can do in Erode and many things you can not do in Erode.. you can not slap a lady's bottom in Erode without ending up in jail/getting your hand chopped off/getting a slap on your face/all of the above. You can not visit a beach in Erode...cos well there aren't any beaches in Erode
But what you can do in Erode..if you are really lucky.. is to become friends with this guy named K.Mustafa Jaheed... I was lucky..so were 17 other guys...and we lucky ones got to exploit ( Jaheed would beg to differ ) Jaheed's friendship and his mother's god given ( screw agnosticism for Mutton Briyani ) culinary skills. "Come home for Bakrid", Jaheed had been saying and at the end of three days his home became our home.
But first things come first, and in all cases the beginning comes first. So we begin at the Chennai Central on the night of 30th where the first batch of eight assembled with their bags ( and B. with his pack of cards ) to board the Erode-Yercaud express starting at 22:30...we reached Erode the next day at 06:30 ( only thing express about the train is the name ) Jaheed ( monkey cap on ) was there to welcome us to Erode.."Welcome to Erode" and off we were to his home ( K1 and K2 buses get down at Thiru Nagar Colony )
Landed and by the time we are through with breakfast ( hot and crisp Pooris with aloo and Chicken Kurma ), one realises the importance of Experience on such trips. As i had already experienced the cooking and hospitality of J's home twice before.. I knew its best not to stuff oneself up at a meal cos the next one gets tastier and larger..so i restricted myself to 6 pooris..ya thats right 6 !!!
By the time we got ready for lunch the next batch of three had arrived and J. had got himself a hair cut..and not to forget the sheep which were to play a very important part in the next day's proceedings had also arrived. 3 of them nice and fat. J. was apprehensive that since this was the first time they were purchasing sheep from a farm, the sheep may have been given lots of water to make them look fat...
When all this was happening, we got ourselves introduced to the kids of the house... Each of them with their own unique character.. We had Aashiq, the eldest of the lot, studying in fourth, that should make him ten years old, the character of the group.. made the mistake of giving a phone to him and making him ask H., a girl in my class whether she wore a bikini in Goa, fifteen minutes and a lot of chit-chatting later the phone was returned, after V. ( to whom the phone belonged to ) realised that Aashiq was eating into his phone time. In the fifteen minutes, Aashiq figured out what a bikini was, punched V. on the head, asked H. what a bikini was, and if she wore one in Goa and finally if she played football without wearing anything waist down.
Akila was the adamant one who wanted to play cards and win..adding much to B.'s anxiety, firstly, as the pack belonged to him and secondly, B. has a bad record when competing with the fairer sex. Reshma the friendly one, who seemed to be particularly fond of V. and me. Cos she knew us from before. Rubaida, the mature one and the youngest one, who did everything in moderation..didnt like anyone holding her hand or stroking her head, or pulling her cheeks..then there was Ajmal the talkative one, ask him a question and you would get many answers and none of them may be the answer you were looking for. His brother Nadeem was the silent one who believed in the powers of action. Fatima was technically the eldest, but she was not a part of Erode as she lived in Kerala, she was just hitting adolescence and teenage, so slighlty aloof.
LUNCH was served - Khuska (white pulao), chicken kurma, dalcha (tasted somewhat similar to Sambar)... BRILLIANT !!! ... as i know what all i ate over the course of the three days and i know that my vocabulary is dry when it comes to adjectives.. i shall henceforth use the word BRILLIANT !!!
Playing with kids is a great way to ease digestion of a heavy meal.. I, on the other hand, decided to catch up on my sleep, as the previous night's train journey accounted for only three hours of sleep (about five hours short)
But what you can do in Erode..if you are really lucky.. is to become friends with this guy named K.Mustafa Jaheed... I was lucky..so were 17 other guys...and we lucky ones got to exploit ( Jaheed would beg to differ ) Jaheed's friendship and his mother's god given ( screw agnosticism for Mutton Briyani ) culinary skills. "Come home for Bakrid", Jaheed had been saying and at the end of three days his home became our home.
But first things come first, and in all cases the beginning comes first. So we begin at the Chennai Central on the night of 30th where the first batch of eight assembled with their bags ( and B. with his pack of cards ) to board the Erode-Yercaud express starting at 22:30...we reached Erode the next day at 06:30 ( only thing express about the train is the name ) Jaheed ( monkey cap on ) was there to welcome us to Erode.."Welcome to Erode" and off we were to his home ( K1 and K2 buses get down at Thiru Nagar Colony )
Landed and by the time we are through with breakfast ( hot and crisp Pooris with aloo and Chicken Kurma ), one realises the importance of Experience on such trips. As i had already experienced the cooking and hospitality of J's home twice before.. I knew its best not to stuff oneself up at a meal cos the next one gets tastier and larger..so i restricted myself to 6 pooris..ya thats right 6 !!!
By the time we got ready for lunch the next batch of three had arrived and J. had got himself a hair cut..and not to forget the sheep which were to play a very important part in the next day's proceedings had also arrived. 3 of them nice and fat. J. was apprehensive that since this was the first time they were purchasing sheep from a farm, the sheep may have been given lots of water to make them look fat...
When all this was happening, we got ourselves introduced to the kids of the house... Each of them with their own unique character.. We had Aashiq, the eldest of the lot, studying in fourth, that should make him ten years old, the character of the group.. made the mistake of giving a phone to him and making him ask H., a girl in my class whether she wore a bikini in Goa, fifteen minutes and a lot of chit-chatting later the phone was returned, after V. ( to whom the phone belonged to ) realised that Aashiq was eating into his phone time. In the fifteen minutes, Aashiq figured out what a bikini was, punched V. on the head, asked H. what a bikini was, and if she wore one in Goa and finally if she played football without wearing anything waist down.
Akila was the adamant one who wanted to play cards and win..adding much to B.'s anxiety, firstly, as the pack belonged to him and secondly, B. has a bad record when competing with the fairer sex. Reshma the friendly one, who seemed to be particularly fond of V. and me. Cos she knew us from before. Rubaida, the mature one and the youngest one, who did everything in moderation..didnt like anyone holding her hand or stroking her head, or pulling her cheeks..then there was Ajmal the talkative one, ask him a question and you would get many answers and none of them may be the answer you were looking for. His brother Nadeem was the silent one who believed in the powers of action. Fatima was technically the eldest, but she was not a part of Erode as she lived in Kerala, she was just hitting adolescence and teenage, so slighlty aloof.
LUNCH was served - Khuska (white pulao), chicken kurma, dalcha (tasted somewhat similar to Sambar)... BRILLIANT !!! ... as i know what all i ate over the course of the three days and i know that my vocabulary is dry when it comes to adjectives.. i shall henceforth use the word BRILLIANT !!!
Playing with kids is a great way to ease digestion of a heavy meal.. I, on the other hand, decided to catch up on my sleep, as the previous night's train journey accounted for only three hours of sleep (about five hours short)
Of mutton, new year and Erode - 2
I wake up to sounds of "Wake up"..the time is six p.m...got myself three hours worth of solid sleep... We are off to see an exhibition at the Park which is 500 metres away from J. house. Its a rather small exhibition and the only thing worth its while at the exhibition is the food, where you get those giant appalams and sugarcane juice and popcorn and cotton candy... but I am still stuffed and I know dinner is gonna be BRILLIANT !!! so avoid the exhibition eatables...
We spend around one hour at the exhibition and return home bang on time for dinner... DINNER - Rotis ( which is different from the rotis that we normally have..these are more like fried Parottas...BRILLIANT !!! I love the Rotis that J. mom makes), Chicken Kurma and Khuska... J. tells us that its customary to finish off all the food at home before Bakrid as on Bakrid every food item should be fresh and new... No room for complaints from my side.. and no room for anything in my stomach.
Next day is Bakrid...and the next day also happens to be the next year... so we all stay up till twelve...playing cards and poking fun at each other.. M. alone falls asleep after hittin his head against the seiling fan...nothing serious..so no cause for any alarm.. Jan 1st also happens to be the birhtday of J. aunty so before we go to bed, we cut the cake.. dessert is done by 1 a.m..i can sleep in peace.. But J. cant as the next batch of three arrive at 3 a.m in the morning, and he, with monkey cap on, goes to pick them up from the station.
The kids troupe in next morning to wake us up from our slumber, and J. pleads with us to come for breakfast as he needs to go to the mosque to pray and his folks need to pray too.. before J. can say Allah, I am seated at the breakfast table.. Semiya Briyani, Semiya and Coconut Milk and Semiya Kesari..traditional Bakrid BREAKFAST... needless to say ,BRILLIANT !!!
J. comes back from prayers and calls us all to witness the sheeps getting killed... J. dad does the prayers and pours water (Halal) beofre slitting the neck of the sheep.. one by one.. care is taken that the sheep that is alive does not see the killing of the predeceasor (my attempt at a bad pun) The gonads and the pancreas are thrown out..the rest will find their way to my stomach..ya baby !!
Next batch of one arrives... the one being S. who has had a normal journey from Pondicherry to Erode.. but as this is his first time tavelling alone for more than three hours, he is excited about completing the journey without getting killed.
Befor lunch we get a small SNACK - Rice Roti with a mutton curry consisting only of the organs in the belly..such as the liver, the intestines, the stomach..BRILLIANT !!!
and LUNCH, the one meal we have been waiting for three weeks- Mutton Briyani, Mutton Gravy, Dalcha, Raitha, Ladoo, Payasam.. BRILLIANT !! BRILLIANT !!! BRILLIANT !!!
Once lunch is done we head to the theatres to watch a movie - Thiruvillayadal Arambam..the less said about it the better... but the movie tickets were sponsored by M.Satish Kumar as he lived in nearby Salem, and he felt bad that there was not enough time for him to take us to his home town..so he made it up with the movie.. the free ticket must have appeased me cos i really didnt crib too much about the movie..
Once movie got over, we headed back to J. home to be welcomed with DINNER - Mutton Briyani, Mutton Gravy, Dalcha, Raitha, Ladoo...BRILLIANT !! BRILLIANT !!! BRILLIANT !!!
Next day was an early start at 3 a.m so most of us decided to stay up and enjoy.. and i almost forgot..the next batch of two also arrived midway through dinner. And i also think its fair to tell you that J. mom is assisted by J. aunt and sisters in the cooking...just in case any of you were wondering ;-)
We spend around one hour at the exhibition and return home bang on time for dinner... DINNER - Rotis ( which is different from the rotis that we normally have..these are more like fried Parottas...BRILLIANT !!! I love the Rotis that J. mom makes), Chicken Kurma and Khuska... J. tells us that its customary to finish off all the food at home before Bakrid as on Bakrid every food item should be fresh and new... No room for complaints from my side.. and no room for anything in my stomach.
Next day is Bakrid...and the next day also happens to be the next year... so we all stay up till twelve...playing cards and poking fun at each other.. M. alone falls asleep after hittin his head against the seiling fan...nothing serious..so no cause for any alarm.. Jan 1st also happens to be the birhtday of J. aunty so before we go to bed, we cut the cake.. dessert is done by 1 a.m..i can sleep in peace.. But J. cant as the next batch of three arrive at 3 a.m in the morning, and he, with monkey cap on, goes to pick them up from the station.
The kids troupe in next morning to wake us up from our slumber, and J. pleads with us to come for breakfast as he needs to go to the mosque to pray and his folks need to pray too.. before J. can say Allah, I am seated at the breakfast table.. Semiya Briyani, Semiya and Coconut Milk and Semiya Kesari..traditional Bakrid BREAKFAST... needless to say ,BRILLIANT !!!
J. comes back from prayers and calls us all to witness the sheeps getting killed... J. dad does the prayers and pours water (Halal) beofre slitting the neck of the sheep.. one by one.. care is taken that the sheep that is alive does not see the killing of the predeceasor (my attempt at a bad pun) The gonads and the pancreas are thrown out..the rest will find their way to my stomach..ya baby !!
Next batch of one arrives... the one being S. who has had a normal journey from Pondicherry to Erode.. but as this is his first time tavelling alone for more than three hours, he is excited about completing the journey without getting killed.
Befor lunch we get a small SNACK - Rice Roti with a mutton curry consisting only of the organs in the belly..such as the liver, the intestines, the stomach..BRILLIANT !!!
and LUNCH, the one meal we have been waiting for three weeks- Mutton Briyani, Mutton Gravy, Dalcha, Raitha, Ladoo, Payasam.. BRILLIANT !! BRILLIANT !!! BRILLIANT !!!
Once lunch is done we head to the theatres to watch a movie - Thiruvillayadal Arambam..the less said about it the better... but the movie tickets were sponsored by M.Satish Kumar as he lived in nearby Salem, and he felt bad that there was not enough time for him to take us to his home town..so he made it up with the movie.. the free ticket must have appeased me cos i really didnt crib too much about the movie..
Once movie got over, we headed back to J. home to be welcomed with DINNER - Mutton Briyani, Mutton Gravy, Dalcha, Raitha, Ladoo...BRILLIANT !! BRILLIANT !!! BRILLIANT !!!
Next day was an early start at 3 a.m so most of us decided to stay up and enjoy.. and i almost forgot..the next batch of two also arrived midway through dinner. And i also think its fair to tell you that J. mom is assisted by J. aunt and sisters in the cooking...just in case any of you were wondering ;-)
Of mutton, new year and Erode - 3
Jan 2nd begins at three a.m for the fifteen of us from Chennai..along with J., his bro and his friend from Erode...there are 18 of us who start off to Top Slip (dont get disillusioned by the close proximity of the words top and slip into thinking that its a ladies boutique) It is a forest range..three hours from Erode if you are a good driver, but the driver of our van was only decent so we reached there by 8:30 that is like five hours approx. Top slip is near Pollachi, which is a popular shooting spot for most South Indian films... the last time i was in Pollachi was for a film shooting...but thats for a later post...
In Top Slip one can take a three hour trek..that will cost 100 bucks for four people inclusive of a guide.or a one hour van ride which will cost 625 rupees for 25 people.. as luck would have it.. the guides had take off and the next van ride was only at 3 p.m.. so in other words, Top Slip was a bust !! ( Never thought i would use the words bust, top and slip in the same sentence without refering to a lady )
But we did get to see two lovely tree houses and two majestic elephants before leaving Top Slip..intend to stay in one of those tree houses in the near future..the view from the tree house is astounding i swear !!
We also have breakfast at Top Slip, J. household have packed our breakfast and lunch and some snacks.. they stayed up the whole night packing.. hospitality at its finest !!!
BREAKFAST - Rava Briyani with minced mutton... BRILLIANT !!!
We start to Monkey Falls at ten, and we reach Monkey Falls by twelve... fortunately there is more of Falls than Monkey and most of us enjoy a wonderful wash in the bitingly cold waters.. nature's shower provides us with an appetite..just as well cos next stop is lunch... but we need to reach Aliyar Dam before finding out what lunch has in store..
Aliyar Dam is a super tourist spot..it has featured in many movies including Kadhaluku Neramillae and Mounam Samhadam and we get to enjoy lunch sitting on the banks of its reservoir.. LUNCH - Tamarind Rice, Fried fish (that we purchased at the dam) and muruku..BRILLIANT !!
Lunch ends at three p.m and we need to ruch back to Erode to have dinner and board the train to Chennai at 9:30. Dinner that day is the only vegetarian meal i have had for three days.. DINNER - Masala Dosa, hot Vadas and Idlis.. i detest Idlis so i avoid them and have three dosas to compensate, we rush to the train.. and its a real pity that such a memorable trip has to end in such a rush...but the memories stay..
The new year brings with it a timely lesson in hospitality, humility and togetherness from the greatest of teachers... Jaheed and family !
In Top Slip one can take a three hour trek..that will cost 100 bucks for four people inclusive of a guide.or a one hour van ride which will cost 625 rupees for 25 people.. as luck would have it.. the guides had take off and the next van ride was only at 3 p.m.. so in other words, Top Slip was a bust !! ( Never thought i would use the words bust, top and slip in the same sentence without refering to a lady )
But we did get to see two lovely tree houses and two majestic elephants before leaving Top Slip..intend to stay in one of those tree houses in the near future..the view from the tree house is astounding i swear !!
We also have breakfast at Top Slip, J. household have packed our breakfast and lunch and some snacks.. they stayed up the whole night packing.. hospitality at its finest !!!
BREAKFAST - Rava Briyani with minced mutton... BRILLIANT !!!
We start to Monkey Falls at ten, and we reach Monkey Falls by twelve... fortunately there is more of Falls than Monkey and most of us enjoy a wonderful wash in the bitingly cold waters.. nature's shower provides us with an appetite..just as well cos next stop is lunch... but we need to reach Aliyar Dam before finding out what lunch has in store..
Aliyar Dam is a super tourist spot..it has featured in many movies including Kadhaluku Neramillae and Mounam Samhadam and we get to enjoy lunch sitting on the banks of its reservoir.. LUNCH - Tamarind Rice, Fried fish (that we purchased at the dam) and muruku..BRILLIANT !!
Lunch ends at three p.m and we need to ruch back to Erode to have dinner and board the train to Chennai at 9:30. Dinner that day is the only vegetarian meal i have had for three days.. DINNER - Masala Dosa, hot Vadas and Idlis.. i detest Idlis so i avoid them and have three dosas to compensate, we rush to the train.. and its a real pity that such a memorable trip has to end in such a rush...but the memories stay..
The new year brings with it a timely lesson in hospitality, humility and togetherness from the greatest of teachers... Jaheed and family !
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