Just been back from a whirlwind tour to Guruvayur and surrounding places on Saturday!!..What a journey it turned out to be!!..As with everything in Life, the journey was part great and part aweful!!..Great part first- an amazing and truly refreshing Darshan..inspite of the huge crowd!..There had always been rush there in Guruvayur..but the last time I went, there had been no crowd- nothing what so ever...this time, as usual there was rush. But a great darshan overall!

Started from Mangalore at night 10:00- the bus journey was okay!..nothing untoward!...reached Guruvayur by around 7:45....took up a hotel room..its too costly for a single day's - rather a mere 45 minutes stay- thats the time, I stayed in the hotel exactly...I just took a bath and left...the bill was Rs.175/- . Though not in terms of being a high figure by itself, for the facilities(!!!!???) provided there, it was way above what I would have considered worth!

The return journey was pathetic. Had to start from Guruvayur by 12:00 itself. But caught a bus only by around 12:45-to Calicut. I thought I will go to my friends place in Calicut, spend the evening with him and start at around 4:00 PM to catch the Parasuram Express..But as it turned out, I had a company with me to keep and I didn't want to drag him too, to my friends place..So, I ended up without even calling my friend at Calicut. Reached Kannur by 6:00 PM and had our dinner..By the time I reached Kannur, I had already got a bit circumspect about the buses to Mangalore. With my decent enough association with the mallu land, I was doubtful of a bus to Mangalore, when we reached Kasargod! and how true, my fears turn out to be (always!!)...

The last bus (I mean the Private) to Mangalore had left at 8:30 PM itsef and the only bus after that, (I mean the KSRTC) till the next day morning, had left just then..it was scheduled to leave at 9:30 PM, but today it had left late- at 9:45 PM..but yet we were a bunch of losers- I couldn't fathom this- a interstate bus terminus, going blank at 9:45 PM- c'mom guys!..this isnt some god forsaken land- this is supposed to be next to the most industrialised city in the entire belt till Cochin to one side and Goa to the other- and yet there are no buses to such a city from a district head quarters, after 9:30 at night!..The Trains too aren't of any comfort either. The next train is at 11:30 PM and that would go to Kankannady- not Mangalore Jn..but to another station in Mangalore, which is some 8 KMs away!

Cursing the non-existent luck, we trudged along to the highway hoping to hitch-hick a truck or something and reach Mangalore...We were 3 guys that time- one collegue of mine and a stranger!!..We decided we would stop any vehicle with two headlights and ask for a lift!..What hilarious experience it turned out to be!- Initially, none of the trucks would even slow down near us...But as time passed, there were a couple of them, slowing down expertly, only to have us jump on our feet - and then, with a sudden burst of accelerator, would ozz pass us!...I for one enjoyed the drizzle and the absolutely empty highway, between two headlight's yellow lights flood them to life again!

But then, thanks to "The Hindu", we were offered a lift!...We traveled in "The Hindu's" pickup truck from Kasaragod to Mangalore!!...The stranger turned out to be a Jack of all trades!..He spoke about the difference between a Ape auto and a Bajaj auto, between Motorola and Nokia cell- and even passed a verdict that the Motorola is far better in "performance"- then started to talk about the liquor trade in Kerala and Karnataka- the circulation of Hindu, the rivalry between Congress and Communists in Kerala- Interesting personality- but he screwed up my sleep!..and all the while, I was thanking him for not speaking anything about Google and Microsoft!;-)

So, it was already 11:30 when I reached Mangalore. All the while, as I had changed my cell from a pre-paid to post paid, the SIM had been deactivated. I hadn't taken my post-paid SIM with me...The first thing that I did on returning was to change the SIM and make some calls that I was so eager to make...never mind the ghostly hour. Disturbed Sleep!