Hiking back to life

Summer 2012 – The song Delirious was humming in my head like a broken record.

Stuck in a web of monotony and Indian summer lethargy, I was growing restless with each passing day.  This was until I met a group of friends one evening. As we grunted our grudges about shirking girlfriends and irking bosses, I exclaimed “Guys, we need to plan an outing but something more adventurous this time!”

“Let’s trek up one of the volcanoes on the Java belt – I have heard its a knockout!” said my friend. The sound of it was enough to throw thrill down my spine! Soon we all agreed even as our pulses raced; and as a result, 10 days later 5 tickets were booked to Indonesia alongwith a guide to assist us in exploring the volcanic terrain.

Around Mid August, with our backpacks on, we all landed at Bali – the starting point of our trip. This pearl island of Indonesia and is a highly popular holiday destination for its long coastlines, sizzling beaches and hot .... temperature!

However our Bali stay was a short one; we had to travel that same night to the adjoining island of Lombok – the island which houses one of the three big volcanoes of Indonesia - Mount Rinjani.

Even before starting the climb, we got the first hiccup. A fast food joint in Indonesia is about as time efficient as an A la carte in an Indian restaurant! The half-an-hour chicken burger gave us run for our time and we missed our 3 star Ferry to Lombok  The only other alternative was the last local ferry which was quite a multi-star experience in itself - with a night sky and no roof on our heads! Sleeping on a plastic chair above a rock-a-loud boat deck, and facing the chilly sea breeze  – we had lost half of our stamina already!

In the wee hours of following morning, we approached the shores of Lombok. The peace, the calm, the tranquility of the morning and the slow, steady morning breeze rejuvenated us all. I felt like Indiana Jones visiting faraway exotic lands looking out for adventures!

Soon we met Wayan – our local guide to the island took us straight to the point of climb. Our ordeal was cut out - we had 3 days and 2 nights to climb Mt Rinjani, reach the mouth of the volcano and hike back to the village at the other end of the volcano. Altitude climb: 3726 meters.

Wayan told us not to consume much water before the climb. Reason being, the high water consumption during exertion starts relaxing the body makes you feel thirstier more frequently.Soon we started climbing one step at a time. And thus started an adventure of a lifetime..

We started off on grasslands with slight slope. The weather was moderate, and so was the climb.

Two hours on we started to enter more rocky and sloping terrain. We all started the group chant from the FIFA '10 theme song ..

“Give me freedom, give me fire, give me reason, take me higher”

Two more hours went by and by this time we started feeling a touch of stress. I asked Wayan “How much further for today?” He said that it should take an hour max to reach the closest base camp. This news cheered us all up. Going back to the chant:

“Give me freedom ... give me fire ... give me reason ... take me higher ... ”

2 more hours later we are still climbing in pain and can’t spot the base camp anywhere. The slope was much steeper and the temperature was dropping. Wayan detected our stress and said “You see that top of the hill? That is where we rest!”

One hill went by and then another, and then another...

The chant was dropping: “Give me...  freedom ......  take me higher.....”

Two more hours and our knees had given up... Each step more painful than the earlier...

Wayan again said “Almost there – the camping peaks are right across this hill!” <<#£!!>>

Finally after a total climb of 9 straight hours we reached the base camp where few other camp fires were lit.

When I looked back I realized that the distance we covered was not possible without fooling ourselves! However, this was just a trailer to what was about to come next. The scale from base camp to the actual volcano crater was supposed to be the hardest bit of the entire climb. It was already dark and we crashed on our tents' floors soon after having a Noodle soup.

“Wake up mister! Time to move!”

We were rudely awakened at 1:30 am barely after three hours of sleep! It was Wayan. We had to start climbing up to the summit now so that we can make in time for the sunrise.

What the .... 

I crawled out of tent into pitch black darkness. The winds were chilly and my body protested to be back in the tent. But this was what we came here for – the ultimate survival test!

With flashlights on the head and wooden sticks for support, we started the arduous climb. The last leg was surely a climb to hell! The atmospheric pressure was reducing which got us puffing and panting. Soon we realized that for every 2 steps forward we were going one step backwards! The volcanic terrain was getting slippery with each step. There were no shrubs to hold onto - only rocks and gravel.

Battling the chilly winds, reduced oxygen, wearing stamina and with painting ears - we climbed, we slipped and we climbed some more.

Suddenly, a gush of wind displaced my feet and I saw myself staring at the edge of the cliff barely few millimeters from where I stood. It was the most thrilling moment of my life!

Finally after diligently carving out my steps I could finally see the real peak of the volcano mountain. Few of friends reached before me and were waving at me with their flashlights. Soon enough I took those last few steps to ultimate glory. And what a glorious moment it was!

6 am; with peace in our souls and pride in our hearts, we stood atop 3700 ft conquering the summit of the Mt. Rinjani.  Slowly the sky turned red, then to a pale shade of orange and finally to a bright yellow. The winds calmed down and the golden sun spread its rays on all of us! This was it – the moment of triumph!

I felt fresh; I felt alive!

Celebrating dawn on top of Volcano

Early sun rays on the crater

Soon, the whole valley revealed itself to me even as the horizon expanded. That is when I got a revelation – It is survival that leads to ultimate revival. Survive to Revive!

In last two days I had not given a thought to any personal troubles, nor had I complained about anything. The only goal was to survive.  And just doing that was an achievement!

Mission Accomplished

VICTORY

Scotch Talks

My jaws dropped till my knees, as I saw a sheep flying over my car windshield like it had just swallowed a UFO. The time slowed down to tick of a millisecond, as my eyes met the sheep’s ; the terror in both of our eyes very real...  

I was not imagining - My car had just tossed up a wandering sheep into mid-air! They say Red bull can give you wings – but for me it was the Scotch! Guys, do not misunderstand me; I was not driving over a drink of Scotch , but literally over the land of the Scotch – Scotland!

It all started on a sunny Saturday morning as me and a group of friends drove down from London to Scotland on a three day trip and with a plan to cover all the Glens and Lochs of the land which gave us bagpipes and Bagpiper... :) We sped past through the weekend traffic on the M1 motorway connecting London and Edinburgh; within 2-3 hours we had crossed the wailing vehicles and pestering pedestrians and found ourselves on the calm countryside highway.

When an author said it’s about the journey not the destination, he must be referring to the journey on a British countryside. It’s hardly a wonder why it has been an inspiration for many poets and literary figures. As I gazed out of the window, I saw valleys covered with lush grasses in rich shades of green, yellow and brown. Fences painted in grey and white, separated vast, stretching meadows. We spotted occasional herds of brown cows spotted in white shades munching grass along with few other white cows spotted in brown shades, all appearing as if pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle spread over a green board. 

As we moved towards higher terrain, the sights amused, aroused and amazed my senses. The grasslands gave way to hills and mountains drenched with clouds, standing majestically in all shades of blue, black and brown.

Just when I thought nature cannot show more beauty – it flaunted even more! The sky turned into a glowing shade of grey and my pupils dilated as I watched in sheer amazement at the natural wonder that unfolded in front of me. A little ahead of us lay 2 glowing arcs in the purest seven colours. Yes! Stretching across the horizon there was not one but two rainbows arcing in front of me. A sight so rare, that only a lucky handful can claim to witness in a lifetime.

Double Rainbow

Rainbow over the hill

Not much later we reached Edinburgh – our first stop in Scotland. I can say it with confidence that Edinburgh has the most preserved architecture in the world. The whole city is a confluence of medieval and slightly newer Gregorian architecture. Brown, black and grey coloured buildings and towers, separated by brick-laden paths compose the entire city. And in the centre stands the majestic Edinburgh castle. 

I had only a day to spend in Edinburgh so without waiting for any rest we straightaway hit the streets. I heard faint melodious music coming around from the corner, and I knew instantly what is was. I found two young Scottish men playing Bagpipers to the amusement of the tourists. Bagpiper is a difficult instrument but the men played the Scottish tunes on it with finesse. It was truly an enchanting experience. By the time we head back to our dorm, the cleverly concealed lights around the castle were switched on revealing the true grandeur of its magnificent structure.

After Edinburgh, the next stop was the place I had been waiting to see since my childhood. This place has captured imagination of many conspiracy theorists for one particular creature. It has a body of a dinosaur, limbs of a fish and the Scots locally call it – The Nessie – or as it is known in rest of the world – The Lochness Monster.

The word Lochness deirives from the word Loch – which means Lake in Scottish, and the word Nessie – which stands for the famous Nessie creature. It is said that the Nessie cannot be photographed and though several people claim to see it, there is no valid photographic evidence of its existence. Eager to bust this myth and see for myself, I head to the Lochness holding my camera with one finger always on the click button – just in case!

Nessie posing at Lake Lochness

Now, maybe it’s the laziness of coming out on to surface on a clear, sunny Sunday or the fear of my clever photography skills– the Lochness monster didn’t reveal itself. I still haven’t yet decided whether the whole thing exits or is a big, blinding bluff pulled upon mankind – but I was a bit dismayed that day.

My last stop in Scotland further north to an offshoot peninsula called Isle of Mann. The geography of this place is unlike I have ever seen. It is one large landmass encircling a huge lake in the middle. As I drove through the beautiful sights and sounds of this place there was one other thought running in my head. I was suddenly missing Indian food!

I turned around and told my friend “If only I could get Indian food to eat right now”. Call it luck or blame it on the reach of Indian population, but not a minute passed as I uttered those words  and there stood a hoarding in front of me in big, bold, blue letters stating  -- Taste of Bengal – only a kilometre! My friend and I looked at each other and shouted out – “Bengali in the middle of Isle of Mann!! We are truly unbelievable”. Boy! What a meal it was as we hogged it like pigs!

My weekend getaway was now nearing end and we had to drive back to London that evening. I remember it was a cool, calm and clear night. The stars gleamed down brightly upon me like mesh of gleaming jewels hanging in a sea of black mist. As I was in nostalgia looking through the car window at the valleys soaked with last rays of the sun, that’s when I heard a sudden and loud bump!!

This brings me back to the moment where I and the flying sheep were eye to eye gazing in both wonderment and terror. In a flash the sheep hit the road side like a heap of bricks!

What happened next will only remain among my friends and the bottle of Scotch!

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