(This is the second part of the article on our overnight camping adventure in Wadi Asima)
Normally you would expect a day to dawn amidst the chirping of birds. In our case, the day dawned amidst the rhythmic snoring of my fellow campers. The early morning sun with its gentle warmth coupled with the cold morning air made the camping site even more beautiful.
After the ablutions, it was meal time again and we were looking forward to the cooking of Pav Bhaji in our camping stove. When we were selecting this equipment in Carrefour, we had compromised on cost and selected a cheaper model. True to the saying of “if you pay peanuts”… we ended up with a stove and a fuel cartridge that were not compatible.
With technology failing, it was time to fall back on the resources of Mother Nature and our own resourcefulness. Lalitha put together a traditional cooking stove (stones) that was fuelled by the broken twigs. In his eagerness to bring fuel, Vijay uprooted a few trees causing deforestation in Wadi Asima. The hot pav bhaji & tea brought in a lot of appreciation for Rekha from the famished campers.
After settling the issue of food, it was play time and we selected the traditional Indian sport of cricket. Lalitha & Mallika proved to be excellent learners and discovered their innate cricketing abilities in that 1 hour. Having enjoyed the camp thoroughly so far, we wanted a grand and exciting finale for the trip and decided to drive along with wild and rocky wadi bed. Half way through the journey, we discovered a small stream and frolicked in the water for some time. Vijay in his white brief, Vishal in his black brief (very tight!) and Senthil with a wet white clinging vest provided some adult entertainment during this session.
As the path ahead looked very rough, we decided to get back to our site. Inspired by the surroundings and the occasion, we suddenly changed our minds and made a stupid decision to drive through the rocky terrain. After negotiating the heavy rocks, our ford got stuck in a strange combination of water & loose gravel. The harder we tried to get it out, the deeper it sank along with our hearts. The rescue effort resulted in all the campers getting thoroughly drenched (Ram Teri Ganga Mali!). We finally gave up and decided to take help. Like God sent messengers, two U.A.E nationals offered their services and helped the ford finally onto firm terrain.
With our mood affected by the Ford incident, we started our journey back. During the onward journey, the weather was gloomy but our moods were cheerful. During the return journey, the weather was bright and sunny, but our mood was gloomy. However when we learnt that nothing major had happened to the vehicle, we brightened up and finished our odyssey with a nice snack in the saravana Bhavan.
Overnight camping might not rank very high in the scale of adventurous activities for a lot of people. But for first-timers like us, it was a thrilling experience, an experience which will always be cherished. Like beauty, adventure and excitement are also in the hearts of the beholders!
Normally you would expect a day to dawn amidst the chirping of birds. In our case, the day dawned amidst the rhythmic snoring of my fellow campers. The early morning sun with its gentle warmth coupled with the cold morning air made the camping site even more beautiful.
After the ablutions, it was meal time again and we were looking forward to the cooking of Pav Bhaji in our camping stove. When we were selecting this equipment in Carrefour, we had compromised on cost and selected a cheaper model. True to the saying of “if you pay peanuts”… we ended up with a stove and a fuel cartridge that were not compatible.
With technology failing, it was time to fall back on the resources of Mother Nature and our own resourcefulness. Lalitha put together a traditional cooking stove (stones) that was fuelled by the broken twigs. In his eagerness to bring fuel, Vijay uprooted a few trees causing deforestation in Wadi Asima. The hot pav bhaji & tea brought in a lot of appreciation for Rekha from the famished campers.
After settling the issue of food, it was play time and we selected the traditional Indian sport of cricket. Lalitha & Mallika proved to be excellent learners and discovered their innate cricketing abilities in that 1 hour. Having enjoyed the camp thoroughly so far, we wanted a grand and exciting finale for the trip and decided to drive along with wild and rocky wadi bed. Half way through the journey, we discovered a small stream and frolicked in the water for some time. Vijay in his white brief, Vishal in his black brief (very tight!) and Senthil with a wet white clinging vest provided some adult entertainment during this session.
As the path ahead looked very rough, we decided to get back to our site. Inspired by the surroundings and the occasion, we suddenly changed our minds and made a stupid decision to drive through the rocky terrain. After negotiating the heavy rocks, our ford got stuck in a strange combination of water & loose gravel. The harder we tried to get it out, the deeper it sank along with our hearts. The rescue effort resulted in all the campers getting thoroughly drenched (Ram Teri Ganga Mali!). We finally gave up and decided to take help. Like God sent messengers, two U.A.E nationals offered their services and helped the ford finally onto firm terrain.
With our mood affected by the Ford incident, we started our journey back. During the onward journey, the weather was gloomy but our moods were cheerful. During the return journey, the weather was bright and sunny, but our mood was gloomy. However when we learnt that nothing major had happened to the vehicle, we brightened up and finished our odyssey with a nice snack in the saravana Bhavan.
Overnight camping might not rank very high in the scale of adventurous activities for a lot of people. But for first-timers like us, it was a thrilling experience, an experience which will always be cherished. Like beauty, adventure and excitement are also in the hearts of the beholders!
1 comment:
Very nice! By the way, were you one of the snorers too? I'm sure u were
I can imagine what the trip was like, but imagining is NOT ENOUGH! I'm comin' next time.
See u next camping trip, where ecxess baggage(adults) will be dumped at home, because we kids are fearing the unknown
However, we want another blog about our trip, so we will take you. We also need some one to light the barbecue, cook, bring food, drive, light campfires, etc, so we'll take all of you!
Bye
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