A Traveler's Memoir

Hill stations are the best places to blend in with nature, to be surrounded by a million creatures, living so close to each other in harmony is a happiness many have stopped cherishing. This is the kind of life I need, I told myself.  The bus was slowly climbing the Kodai ghats when my thoughts started haunting me again. What if the given phone number is turned off or if nobody came to pick me? What do I do next? Would I have any cash left to go back home? I even thought of going to Palzhani, shave my head and then go back home if I was left alone. I reached around 3 PM and called Nitesh, Shaju Ettas cousin who was supposed to pick me up. He came in a yellow scooter and took me to a lodge run by them. He showed me to my space where I rested the luggage before going out since he had some work in town. We had to book a horse for photoshoot, then fuel his Honda and later waited for a guest to make a payment. Meanwhile it started raining, as the rain slowed down, he took me to treat so...

I have to wake up early now, my mother's message is the first thing I read every day, feels good. The alarm rang at 6 and I forced myself out after 10 minutes. It is Ugadi, our new year. I wished my mom and my friend, reaching the restaurant by 6.45, had black coffee to kick start myself, We had two guests on continental plan and another who would check out. While one breakfast was asked to be sent to the room, the other said they would come to the restaurant. A couple came last, I served them and cleaned the table while Raghu was away and had my breakfast. Raghu wanted to leave in the noon today. Hence I had my break till 2. I decided to visit a temple and started walking down from the resort. I asked for a lift and a lady in a Maruthi 800 stopped. She was in her 50's but energetic and had a class. She dropped me near Ganapathi temple in Naidupuram. Since I had time I decided to go to the Bhadrakali temple I had seen en route. Started walking again and another person droppe...

The last few days have been busy. Guests, cooking and cleaning have been my routine. I am cooking now which is keeping me alive. They like my food too. Ragi porridge is now the top on breakfast, yesterday was dosa. Savitha made cabbage fry, drumstick fry and curd on tadka for noon. Yesterday officials had seized a water pump at Kairali. We were not allowed to draw water from the stream that passed beside the cottage. Buggers just came and broke the pipes and took the motor. Nitesh and I stood helpless. Later Shaju Etta made some calls, and they simply kept the motor and left. In the evening we got a plumber and fixed the motor back. This time not connecting to the stream though. Received a mail yesterday from a consultancy in Goa for an opening in Dubai and Canada. It sounded interesting as it was for a travel desk manager. They had a fee too. I mailed them asking if I could make the payment if I got selected? His reply sounded fishy and i simply ignored it. I made a curry for the aft...

My name is Akarshan Devanand, I am a passionate traveller with a heart for motorcycles. I love exploring my Life, enjoy whatever life had in for me, the love for my country, to explore the art of living from its people, places and to relish the spices of delicacy from all around the corners. I worked at call centres for pocket money during college, later I started working in the recruitment industry with my good friend Abhinandan, then a vacation rental website Tripvillas. Unable to find a joy in what I wanted to do forever, I used to quit in less than 6 months. That's when an intuition hit me saying I did not belong there. I decided to follow my instinct and live the dream of my life, to travel across India on my 1971 Jawa (which is still in the garage) for the next 3 years to put myself to test and to understand how it feels to be on the road without money for a adventure of my lifetime. I grew up in Coorg and Ooty, always surrounded by nature and smiling people but over the yea...