Emily in India

On my first day at work, Shobhith (my Indian counterpart) invited me to what I thought was a Friday evening happy hour. He said, “Are you sure? It’s kind of remote, not very nice.” I responded, “If it’s okay for you, it’s okay for me!”

I soon learned that I had just agreed to go on a weekend-long getaway to a hill station (a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley) with 18 of our colleagues. We were to work from home on Friday, arrive at the office at 10 pm to load a bus and leave by 11 pm. We’d spend the night on the traveling bus and arrive in Chikmagalur (spelled many different ways) for a day of trekking (hiking). We’d spend the night at a “resort”, wake up the next day, visit a temple, do some shopping, and head back to Bengaluru. Everyone was very surprised that I agreed to go and kept reminding me that accommodations were not going to be very fancy.

Friday rolled around, I got all packed, and Mallappa (my driver) picked me up to take me to KPMG’s office. There was traffic but it was much lighter than in the mornings! We loaded the bus, which apparently was not the bus they had booked, and I began to wonder what the hell I had gotten myself into. It was way past my bedtime and I knew I only had about 5-6 hours to sleep so I popped my headphones in with a sleep meditation going, and tried to get comfortable. The roads were so bumpy we were bouncing all over the place, the traffic was crazy and noisy with the relentless honking, and the “fresh” air was full of auto exhaust. Within a few minutes, party lights in the bus came on and colleagues were dancing and singing in the aisle of the bus! Anyone who knows me knows that I was not a happy camper. But I turned the meditation louder and was able to get some sleep. I didn’t know/ couldn’t figure out how to push my seatback back so at some point in the night, I asked for help and slept muuuuch better.

I woke up at 5:51 am to the bus stuck between the “resort” entrance gate and road – it couldn’t fit so we unloaded and walked to the lodging. We got situated, got back on the bus, stopped for coffee, drove to the trail head (more singing and dancing in the aisle- and I joined this time!) and started up to Mullayanagiri Peak, the highest peak in Karnataka (the Indian state I live in) in the wind, fog, and rain. At 6,300 ft above sea level, me and one colleague (the only one who didn’t bail!) reached the temple. When told I needed to take my shoes off, I decided I was happy to stay where I was with warm, clean feet. But remembering that I was in India and would likely never be on this mountain, at this temple ever again, I quickly changed my mind, took my shoes, and socks off and went to the temple. This was the first of many “No, thank you…. Wait, yes!”s for me.

On our way back down (with the whole group), we stopped for Maggi (cup of noodles), street corn, chai, and coffee. After declining the noodles and corn, I quickly recanted and had a bite of each.

At around 12:30 pm the bus took us a few kilometers away to a roadside/mountainside turn off where old jeeps and drivers were waiting. We piled into them and off-roaded our way to Jhani Waterfall. I’ve never experienced a ride like the one in that jeep. We had to use both arms to brace ourselves to keep from knocking heads and arms into bars and the roof and on more than one occasion I thought we were sure to tip over. We rode through wet, red clay and then walked through wet, red clay to an absolutely stunning display of nature. It was crowded but I didn’t mind – I’m prepared for everywhere to be crowded. Shobhith asked if I wanted to get in the water (I said no and then agreed) so I took my shoes and socks off again and started in. He looked back and told me my specs were not safe, to take them off and that’s when I realized we were going under the falls! I handed my glasses, backpack, and jacket to my boss (revealing my tattoos for the first time) and made my way to the waterfall. The water was clear and crispy cold but not unbearable. We took lots of pictures before starting the trek back to the jeeps.

We made our way back to Shola Vibes (the “resort”), got cleaned up, and had a 4 pm lunch of rotti, chicken curry, and other delicious food. We rested, played some birdie, did some archery and then went to explore a nearby lake.

Dinner was served at 10 pm – naan and vegetable curry with other delicious sides. I was ready for bed but the party wasn’t over.

One week in and I’m learning that in India, people (at least the people I know) enjoy life. They are always laughing, having fun, never getting embarrased or taking themselves too seriously. They are welcoming and thoughtful – not just of me, the newcomer, but of everyone. On the hike, they made sure that everyone’s footing was okay, warned about tough terrain ahead, that everyone had a raincoat, we stopped when anyone in the group needed a break. Everyone shared every snack and always first inquired and warned about the spice level. No one was left out, no one hung to themselves. No one got frustrated or angry or impatient.

The next day, after great sleep, we packed up, loaded the bus and went shopping for coffee and spices. Chikmagalur is known for its coffee and I needed something better than the instant coffee in the hotel room. They helped me pick out the right kind, helped me check out and pay. We stopped at a temple in Belur, built in 1117 and entirely hand-carved. I’ve never seen anything so massive, so intracite. Before loading the bus, we got ice cream and lassis (I tried mango, yum!). We stopped for lunch at a (true) resort with beautiful grounds and architecture. Colleagues helped me pick what to order, helped me order, shared their food, etc.

The bus ride back took about 2 hours longer than we thought it would but after listening to my book on tape, Taylor, taking a short nap, I was up in the aisle dancing and singing as we arrived to Bengaluru.